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Wind energy is around 19% which is not enough. I think the price increase means we're not ready to rely only on solar as our biggest energy source because it c

Wind energy is around 19% which is not enough. I think the price increase means we're not ready to rely only on solar as our biggest energy source because it can fail when we need it the most.

toomuchtodo 6y ago
I mean, you don’t build the majority of your infrastructure for black swan events. You can still overbuild renewables, which are effective most of the time, and keep some fossil generators like gas peakers, biomas, and biogas for backup power.
- simiones 6y ago
  Black swan events are completely unpredictable events. Cloud cover or solar flares are NOT black swan events, they are just the opposite: they are events that we know for sure will happen (just like global pandemics) even if we don't know when they will happen.
  - pydry 6y ago
    It's most intense storm in the last 50 years. Admittedly we should be expecting these with more regularity but it's still a bit of a black Swan. Nonetheless in a system with wind and solar, wind over producing in storms should mitigate the effect of losing solar coverage.
    - toomuchtodo 6y ago
      It also appears Spain has an enormous amount of geothermal potential. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032115013374 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S13640...
bluGill 6y ago
That is your fault for not building more wind. Some areas in the US are > 50% wind. Other areas are not allowing it, mostly for political reasons (but you cannot draw a "side" - in different areas it is different political sides opposing wind)
- aksss 6y ago
  To be fair, some of those “political” opponents are considering ecological impacts of wind, including local habitat impacts and long term sustainability. The amount of fossil fuel resources to in place one turbine (steel, concrete, ongoing lubricants) for devices that may have a 20% power factor and a 25 year lifespan (ignoring the shorter blade lifespan), doesn’t always look the most attractive, especially when you drive by abandoned turbines.

Wind energy is around 19% which is not enough. I think the price increase means we're not ready to rely only on solar as our biggest energy source because it can fail when we need it the most.

toomuchtodo 6y ago

I mean, you don’t build the majority of your infrastructure for black swan events. You can still overbuild renewables, which are effective most of the time, and keep some fossil generators like gas peakers, biomas, and biogas for backup power.

simiones 6y ago
Black swan events are completely unpredictable events. Cloud cover or solar flares are NOT black swan events, they are just the opposite: they are events that we know for sure will happen (just like global pandemics) even if we don't know when they will happen.
- pydry 6y ago
  It's most intense storm in the last 50 years. Admittedly we should be expecting these with more regularity but it's still a bit of a black Swan. Nonetheless in a system with wind and solar, wind over producing in storms should mitigate the effect of losing solar coverage.
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    It also appears Spain has an enormous amount of geothermal potential. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032115013374 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S13640...

bluGill 6y ago

That is your fault for not building more wind. Some areas in the US are > 50% wind. Other areas are not allowing it, mostly for political reasons (but you cannot draw a "side" - in different areas it is different political sides opposing wind)

aksss 6y ago
To be fair, some of those “political” opponents are considering ecological impacts of wind, including local habitat impacts and long term sustainability. The amount of fossil fuel resources to in place one turbine (steel, concrete, ongoing lubricants) for devices that may have a 20% power factor and a 25 year lifespan (ignoring the shorter blade lifespan), doesn’t always look the most attractive, especially when you drive by abandoned turbines.