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We still haven't solved the energy storage problem of solar and wind, which there is no indication we will in th next 30 years. Betting our future on something

by kyrra 4y ago

We still haven't solved the energy storage problem of solar and wind, which there is no indication we will in th next 30 years. Betting our future on something that doesn't exist is foolish. They also take up significantly more land than coal, gas, and nuclear. They also don't work in all climates. Nuclear is the only viable option today if you want rapid decarbonization.

jackmott42 4y ago
I wouldn't say we haven't solved it. The solution are straightforward, but they represent an scale of project that most people don't understand at all. However, there are examples of humans doing projects at such scale before. Most notably, the totality of the infrastructure we built to extract and refine the amount of fossil fuels we do today. The gigantic offshore rigs, the thousands of miles of pipelines, the refineries, etc. Doable, but can't happen overnight without everyone dropping everything and working on only this.
- data_maan 4y ago
  "The main barriers to the widespread implementation of large-scale renewable energy and low-carbon energy strategies are seen to be primarily social and political rather than technological or economic" from the Wikipedia link above
Gwypaas 4y ago
> With every iteration in the research and with every technological breakthrough in these areas, 100% RE systems become increasingly viable. Even former critics must admit that adding e-fuels through PtX makes 100% RE possible at costs similar to fossil fuels. These critics are still questioning whether 100% RE is the cheapest solution but no longer claim it would be unfeasible or prohibitively expensive. Variability, especially short term, has many mitigation options, and energy system studies are increasingly capturing these in their 100% RE scenarios. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9837910 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9837910 If land use is the hill to die on a much better target is the beef industry. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-per-kg-poore https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-per-kg-poore
- data_maan 4y ago
  Also this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/100%25_renewable_energy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/100%25_renewable_energy More has been done than people think

by kyrra 4y ago

jackmott42 4y ago

I wouldn't say we haven't solved it. The solution are straightforward, but they represent an scale of project that most people don't understand at all. However, there are examples of humans doing projects at such scale before. Most notably, the totality of the infrastructure we built to extract and refine the amount of fossil fuels we do today. The gigantic offshore rigs, the thousands of miles of pipelines, the refineries, etc. Doable, but can't happen overnight without everyone dropping everything and working on only this.

data_maan 4y ago
"The main barriers to the widespread implementation of large-scale renewable energy and low-carbon energy strategies are seen to be primarily social and political rather than technological or economic" from the Wikipedia link above

Gwypaas 4y ago

> With every iteration in the research and with every technological breakthrough in these areas, 100% RE systems become increasingly viable. Even former critics must admit that adding e-fuels through PtX makes 100% RE possible at costs similar to fossil fuels. These critics are still questioning whether 100% RE is the cheapest solution but no longer claim it would be unfeasible or prohibitively expensive. Variability, especially short term, has many mitigation options, and energy system studies are increasingly capturing these in their 100% RE scenarios. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9837910 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9837910 If land use is the hill to die on a much better target is the beef industry. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-per-kg-poore https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/land-use-per-kg-poore

data_maan 4y ago
Also this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/100%25_renewable_energy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/100%25_renewable_energy More has been done than people think