Kind_to_Everyone

Or maybe because fire codes were written due to all the deaths.

Now with safe shutoffs and requirements for dedicated circuits, we can allow it.

China still burns more coal than the rest of the planet combined. Its CO2 per kilowatt hour generated is 50% higher than the United States which is already terrible.

So while I applaud the installation of solar, the cleanliness of the Chinese power sector remains reprehensible.

I’ve been reading about floating wind turbines for decades. I just don’t see how something that needs so much ongoing labor and maintenance will ever be financially viable. The avg. wind turbine installed in the US is now >3 MW. So even a 1/3 capacity factor will outperform this.

Google had Makani for years. The vulnerability to weather alone could not be surmounted.

It depends upon what you mean by worth it.

If you mean evironmentally, it is likely the cheapest way in the long run to offset carbon intensive power usage, but that depends upon your location’s daylight energy mix.

If you mean financially, your payback period will depend upon whether you have a free circuit at your dwelling to plug into, the panel positioning and solar intensity, your cost of capital, and your prevailing cost of power. Your payback could be anywhere from two to over ten years.

If you mean as a backup power source, they are locked out in case of grid loss of power.

I would install one if I could, but my state lets its power monopoly call the shots. So instead I subscribe to solar.

Many of them are heavily invested in Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. While they benefit elsewhere, I’m not sure it offsets their now stranded assets.

In my wildest fever dreams, I never imagined any president would permanently impair the transit of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet here we are.

Trump may still attack Kharg Island, have Iran retaliate, and cap Middle Eastern oil and natural gas production for years.

This is a little misleading. There are plenty of opportunities before the 2050 US drop-off to initiate new projects or overhaul and extend existing plants. SMRs are in their commercial infancy. They need time and successful initial projects. With so many under development, the odds are quite good with the largest risk being solar + battery undercuts which is also a win.

Markets dislike the uncertainty of searching for the right geothermal conditions. Battery storage is just cheaper and certain. You also can’t gloss over the hydrogen sulfide pollution. Geothermal is not truly clean.

Maui and Kauai have small populations and are easy for wind +solar + storage. The Big Island has geothermal, but it is only going to supply 15% of the energy mix because of the pollution. They have the room for renewables for 200k people. Oahu is the challenge. It’s populous, dense, and needs approximately 1.8 GW. This is why biofuels are the current strategy.

There isn’t a conspiracy. It’s simply that most of the older islands have cooled and the studies necessary to find the right conditions are incredibly expensive. The Big Island is where the opportunity is, and they are expanding the existing plant as part of the carbon-free 2045 plan. The state is also funding exploration on Maui.

energy.hawaii.gov/geothermal/

I love the idea of geothermal, but the reality is difficult. You need to drill to find the right conditions. There’s also the H2S emissions. Solar and wind resources are much easier to confirm and build.

It is not an error. The Trump administration opposes renewable energy and heavily favors fossil fuels.

He simply speaks out more against wind as he holds bizarre views unsupported by science about its health effects.