Solar power & Wind Power for residental use

[Knight9]

Some information on the Alberta power generating and distribution. Just recently it was announced that some coal fired power contracts were not renewed.

That's because in a moment of insanity, Albertans voted in an NDP government. They are nuts, and don't have a clue about the impacts of their policy on this stuff. The only hope is that they only last one term and then we can spend the next decade undoing their stupidity.

 

[KennyG]

I hope somebody comes out with some manner of cheap storage...that is the Holy Grail of solar.

Not so well recognized is that cheap storage could even more important for nuclear. Right now, nuclear is limited to the minimum system load because of the need for nuclear to be baseloaded (100%, 24/7) to be economic because of the large capital cost/low fuel cost. With storage, a larger component of nuclear can be utilized. Because the wind power undependability is spread over a longer period of time than the predictable daily load cycles, storage may have greater value for nuclear.

 

[Egon]

That's because in a moment of insanity, Albertans voted in an NDP government. They are nuts, and don't have a clue about the impacts of their policy on this stuff. The only hope is that they only last one term and then we can spend the next decade undoing their stupidity.

You mean the previous government had no hand in setting up the Alberta electrical production and distribution system and the rules of the system?

 

[buickanddeere]

With the federal Liberals in power along with the provincial government being NDP. Any money making project for political hacks and cronies with be approved without question . If the word "green" is used.

 

[Terry1040]

Well Terry (OP)... did you get what you bargained for with respect to 430 posts, when you started this thread on Christmas Day?

I started this thread to encourage solar power & wind power. I am stunned at so many negative comments. I am very encouraged by the positive comments on here. Seems this issue is viewed highly from a political point of view. I would hope that the world increased these forms of renewable energy sources, as to doing things that are not acceptable to the environment. Thanks for the 430 + posts ! Seems that this got people at least off the couch !!

 

[buickanddeere]

Fine if wind and solar can support themselves without subsidies. When some corporation is guarentied a profit for 20yrs by forcing the consumer to pay more than the actual market price. That is not acceptable.
So sure if your electrical distribution grid does not have enough low cost base load generating capacity . Wind and solar can rival the cost of importing foreign diesel fuel and operating gen sets.

 

[Egon]

I'm with you Terry as are a whole lot of other countries around the world. Wind and solar have been working at heating, powering the mills of the world and powering ships across the seas for millenium. No reason they can't do that today.

 

[Egon]

Fine if wind and solar can support themselves without subsidies. When some corporation is guarentied a profit for 20yrs by forcing the consumer to pay more than the actual market price. That is not acceptable. .

Changing the environment and redistributing substances harmful to life forms is not acceptable either.

 

[dickfoster]

The be all end all to power the grid is of course fusion but until we can realize that a much more immediate and sane source of power for the grid would be fission but not the idiotic light water fission plants we have today. I'm talking about nuclear fission but LFTR based plants which run principally on thorium. We have lots of thorium and we can even use LFTR reactors to help rid us of some of the stockpiles of nuclear waste from the stupid light water reactors that we're stuck with today. Everyone would do well to bone up on it and start asking questions as to why we're not doing this. We've already developed the technology back in the late 50's and early 60s. It's a safer and much more sane source of fission power and we could replace the heat source in all existing fossil fueled power plants with a LFTR reactor almost instantly.
Like the gas pedal in your car or on your tractor it's a throttled reaction and doesn't run away like light water plants can so you can throttle up or back as needs arise or even walk away and it shuts itself down, not run away like a light water reactor running on uranium will. You can't produce weapons grade materials with it and the by products are much less with much shorter half lives, I'm talking 200 years instead of 10,000 years with uranium reactors and much less of it.
To learn more you can start here LFTRs in 5 minutes - Thorium Reactors - YouTube for a primer.
Then go here Liquid fluoride thorium reactor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia to learn more.
Then then proceed to here Thorium Energy Alliance Portal if it really interigues you.

I know the political and economic reasons the powers that are don't want it, nor do the people who are all wrapped up in idiotic wind and solar BS but if really solving today's energy problem concerns you, this seems to be the best bet for the foreseeable future.

Don't forget LFTR reactors have already been built and run so there are no new physics or anything complicated like developing fusion energy would be involved here. It's just politics and those holding us all hostage in the fossil fuel economy today.

 

[buickanddeere]

Changing the environment and redistributing substances harmful to life forms is not acceptable either.

Who thinks that it's going to make a lick of difference ? Volcanoes, natural oil/methane seeps and forest fires make "green" null and void.
It's more harmful to have unreliable electricity. What would be the state of well being and health of the human populace would be. Without reliable oil powered transportation and affordable electricity?
Is it acceptable to price electricity out of the ability of the poor to pay for it by subsidizing wind and solar? For 98% Wind and solar is a religion for the wealthy righteous to prove how holy they are loving the "world". The other 2% make a fortune on the subsidized rates.