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50m2 Solar on the roof top of every household would power An average western country. That is not a lot. And that is is an upper band as we have wind power, bio

50m2 Solar on the roof top of every household would power An average western country. That is not a lot. And that is is an upper band as we have wind power, biomass, hydro power geothermal and many other sources of clean energy. Offshore wind is getting really cheap and offers vast amount of unused space.

Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago
There are western countries with snow in the winter. Also, countries where the majority of population lives in apartments. Also, how would an average western country power itself at nights, if all it has is 50m2 solar on every roof top?
- socialdemocrat 6y ago
  As I mentioned we got tons of other options besides solar power. EVs are now increasingly beating gasoline cars on cost of ownership and these often have batteries large enough to store the power required for 4 days of a regular western household. I doubt you will be entirely without sunshine for 4 days straight.
  - Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago
    > I doubt you will be entirely without sunshine for 4 days straight. Come to Russia, some place like Yekaterinburg. Or Saint-Petersburg, where the sun can be unseen for months.
    - socialdemocrat 6y ago
      Repeating myself for the 3rd time: There are other options beside solar power, so why keep harping on this? In fact Denmark gets about 65% of their power from wind. The UK also gets a lot of their power form wind. For many norther countries, wind power has quite a lot of potential.
      - Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago
        > In fact Denmark gets about 65% of their power from wind. Not true. Just 47% [1], and Denmark is a country with the most favorable conditions for wind generation. Statistics are easy to manipulate if you allow yourself to add 15 percent here, subtract 15% there.. Also, Denmark relies on Sweden (who utilize nuclear power a lot) and Norway to provide power when renewables are not providing enough power [1]: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-denmark-windpower-idUSKBN1Z10KE https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-denmark-wi...
        socialdemocrat 6y ago
        I am talking about 2020: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-cut-co2-from-europes-electricity-system-by-39-per-cent https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-cut-co2... You refer to 2019 when renewables gave 50% of Danish power. > Also, Denmark relies on Sweden (who utilize nuclear power a lot) and Norway to provide power when renewables are not providing enough power Yes, but the capacity for import and export is limited. Despite these limitations Denmark has managed to run on 65% wind power in 2020 without breaking the grid. Thanks to COVID19 we get a look at the future in terms of how much of electricity production renewables can handle.

Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago

There are western countries with snow in the winter. Also, countries where the majority of population lives in apartments. Also, how would an average western country power itself at nights, if all it has is 50m2 solar on every roof top?

socialdemocrat 6y ago
As I mentioned we got tons of other options besides solar power. EVs are now increasingly beating gasoline cars on cost of ownership and these often have batteries large enough to store the power required for 4 days of a regular western household. I doubt you will be entirely without sunshine for 4 days straight.
- Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago
  > I doubt you will be entirely without sunshine for 4 days straight. Come to Russia, some place like Yekaterinburg. Or Saint-Petersburg, where the sun can be unseen for months.
  - socialdemocrat 6y ago
    Repeating myself for the 3rd time: There are other options beside solar power, so why keep harping on this? In fact Denmark gets about 65% of their power from wind. The UK also gets a lot of their power form wind. For many norther countries, wind power has quite a lot of potential.
    - Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago
      > In fact Denmark gets about 65% of their power from wind. Not true. Just 47% [1], and Denmark is a country with the most favorable conditions for wind generation. Statistics are easy to manipulate if you allow yourself to add 15 percent here, subtract 15% there.. Also, Denmark relies on Sweden (who utilize nuclear power a lot) and Norway to provide power when renewables are not providing enough power [1]: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-denmark-windpower-idUSKBN1Z10KE https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-denmark-wi...
      - socialdemocrat 6y ago
        I am talking about 2020: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-cut-co2-from-europes-electricity-system-by-39-per-cent https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coronavirus-has-cut-co2... You refer to 2019 when renewables gave 50% of Danish power. > Also, Denmark relies on Sweden (who utilize nuclear power a lot) and Norway to provide power when renewables are not providing enough power Yes, but the capacity for import and export is limited. Despite these limitations Denmark has managed to run on 65% wind power in 2020 without breaking the grid. Thanks to COVID19 we get a look at the future in terms of how much of electricity production renewables can handle.