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There is no US wide electrical network that can actually survive big failures, much less one that would allow reliably sending power from renewables across the
by AstralStorm 7y ago
There is no US wide electrical network that can actually survive big failures, much less one that would allow reliably sending power from renewables across the continent.
These actually are insurmountable problems. Even just taking the time to deploy the required capacity wiggle allowing a generous 5% compound speed scaling gets us to required capacity in 50 years of constantly building renewables. For just the USA. And this ignores the expansion of the grid, attempts to actually secure best land for the deployments and so on.
A great solar system has peak 300 W/m^2 efficiency or thereabouts. You need 1400 W per capita on average, which means with generous 140 W/m^2 about 10m^2 of solar power per person plus support wiring and storage. Wind requires 20+m height and big rotors to match this average, making it require some 100 m^2 per. Neither completely infeasible, but the millions of square km to cover should show the magnitude of the task.
Hardcore California plans envision 60% renewable at 2030. This means at increased growth rate of still 2 billion tons. Essentially at the high endgrowth of renewables the 20 years would match last 10.
Conservative climate predictions at this level of CO2 equivalent give over 5 C increase!
It is too slow. Way too slow.