Quote (EndlessSky @ Feb 2 2021 02:37pm)

These arguments are difficult to have because there are so many factors involved in power generation.

Typically a coal plant is designed to last 30-50 years and so you have to divide the whole of the benefit by the number of years and the initial cost. Solar panels have a much shorter lifespan and create tons of heavy metal poisons that are very difficult to remove from the environment. The only reason we can use Chinese-manufactured solar is because China doesn't care about human rights in their country.

Then there is dispensability, which Solar obviously fails at. California saw rolling blackouts during the summer which is something that shouldn't happen in first world countries.

Then there is power loss as a result of transforming power. 10% of energy is lost when transferred to or from a battery which severely decreases the efficiency of solar.

If you don't believe that Solar is more expensive, just look at the disparate power costs of California VS other states. California's power costs are 50% higher but they still experience blackouts. Solar also receives billions in subsidies, so that argument is semi weak. Energy generation is a scientific field that leftists love because similar to healthcare there are so many factors involved. It is easy to simply look at operational costs while ignoring all other factors to come up with a conclusion that is utter bullshit.

https://jancovici.com/en/energy-transition/electricity/what-is-the-true-cost-of-electricity/

Quote (EndlessSky @ Feb 2 2021 12:54pm)

Coal is a superior energy source to wind and solar by every metric.

Quote (theCrossbones @ Feb 2 2021 01:17pm)

false

Quote (thesnipa @ Feb 2 2021 02:41pm)

some good points but energy usage doesnt work like that. blackouts cant be attributed simply to source of power. the more energy u require the more problematic it becomes. cali prob uses 10x more energy than states we'd even compare it to that are coal powered. and 10x more power isn't 10x as problematic, its 100x more.

in any case until we have a revolution of storage in batteries solar will still remain problematic.

Quote (duffman316 @ Feb 2 2021 02:43pm)

Id be interested in a deep dive on this

Quote (Thor123422 @ Feb 2 2021 04:12pm)

Solar as a sole source will indeed remain problematic, but there are other ways to generate baseline power.



For one, the efficiency of solar has grown like gangbusters in the past 10 years, and with a dramatic drop in the price of panels as economies of scale and more efficient manufacturing practices are implemented it just makes it even better.

In terms of watts / dollar a solar panel is better than coal even with coal having the modern grid practically designed around it.

Any of the issues like metals or pollution during production you can attribute to solar panels you can attribute 10x to coal. This argument is parroted by know-nothings who don't realize coal is incredibly polluting even when you ignore CO2.

You don't really need a deep dive into the subject now. Maybe 10 years ago, but not now. The tech for solar, wind, etc. has become better than coal in almost every way. There's a reason why Texas leads the nation in wind energy despite producing a ton of gas, coal, and oil in their back yard. It's cheap by comparison

Quote (EndlessSky @ Feb 3 2021 07:19am)

What pollutants does coal create? Modern coal just emits CO2 and hot water basically.

The sulfur and trace toxins are removed IE: Clauss Process

Quote (Plaguefear @ Feb 2 2021 04:25pm)

What planet is this on?

Quote (EndlessSky @ Feb 3 2021 08:58am)

You have a background in oil.

What do you think about pollution?

Quote (thesnipa @ Feb 2 2021 03:41pm)

some good points but energy usage doesnt work like that. blackouts cant be attributed simply to source of power. the more energy u require the more problematic it becomes. cali prob uses 10x more energy than states we'd even compare it to that are coal powered. and 10x more power isn't 10x as problematic, its 100x more.

in any case until we have a revolution of storage in batteries solar will still remain problematic.