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This is one of the less obvious reasons solar will dominate. No grid or government to rely on. Russian gas and foreign wars no longer matter. And as battery tec

This is one of the less obvious reasons solar will dominate. No grid or government to rely on. Russian gas and foreign wars no longer matter. And as battery technology improves it will be 24x7 independence.

idoubtit 4y ago
Solar and batteries are not a long term solution that will bring energy independence to everyone. It's not that simple. In western countries, and especially in the USA, people mostly want to live in a private house, with two or more cars. If those vehicles are electric (and that's the future we're pointed to), I think solar panels would provide a tiny share of the electricity required for this way of life. When living in a large city building, the energy required for each family is much smaller since cars are not needed and since heating etc is lower than in individual houses. In that case, solar panels are more useful, though not enough to be independent.
belorn 4y ago
Lebanon is located next middle east and north Africa. It has 10.72% arable land, water being a scarce resource, and dust storms being one of the natural hazards. The average number of days with rain for months between May and September is between 0 and 2. Solar is an obvious choice for that climate.
- tchaffee 4y ago
  They are putting solar all over the UK. Today's panels are so efficient that cloudy weather is fine.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - belorn 4y ago
    The economics of that when you have to include storage is different than places with almost no cloudy weather. There isn't much interest to invest in solar + storage solutions without subsidizes. Solar/wind in combination with natural gas is very profitable in the UK as long the natural gas is cheap enough. Right now that is not the case so the cost of the energy grid in UK is extremely high, and much higher than in solar heavy countries located next to deserts that don't need to use natural gas to cover all those rainy and snowy days.
    - tchaffee 4y ago
      That's just not true. The most recent large scale solar plants in the UK are being built without subsidies and by for-profit businesses. The technology is improving so rapidly you can't use stats from last year.
contingencies 4y ago
Solar + IP + ad-hoc wireless networking.
_xnmw 4y ago
Here in Ukraine we also have a severe energy problem, but I don't know of anyone using solar to fix it. Instead we use...gas generators.
- wara23arish 4y ago
  This was what lebanese relied on before solar. There would be generators owned by mafia type people that would sell electricity to neighborhoods. Once we ran out of dollar currency to buy gas people resorted to solar
  - _xnmw 4y ago
    This is not an option for us in Ukraine, this is not a sunny desert country.
    - tchaffee 4y ago
      Solar is going up all over northern Europe and is profitable without government subsidies. Cloudy is just fine for today's solar panels. The technology improves on an almost yearly basis.
aa-jv 4y ago
Just got myself an electric motorbike. I feel like the days of gas hegemony are well and truly on the way out. Of course, its bias on my part, but I can't imagine going back to ICE transportation now that I've had a taste of just how delightful full-electric can be. I'll be investing in solar powers and portable generators next. Me and my motorbike are gonna go full-solar this year .. and I live in a wealthy nation that is in relatively good stance, energy-sector -wise. The benefits outweight the disadvantages and effort required. There is nothing quite so satisfying as to navigate traffic silently, not contributing to everyones' lung disease as I pass by ..

idoubtit 4y ago

Solar and batteries are not a long term solution that will bring energy independence to everyone. It's not that simple. In western countries, and especially in the USA, people mostly want to live in a private house, with two or more cars. If those vehicles are electric (and that's the future we're pointed to), I think solar panels would provide a tiny share of the electricity required for this way of life. When living in a large city building, the energy required for each family is much smaller since cars are not needed and since heating etc is lower than in individual houses. In that case, solar panels are more useful, though not enough to be independent.

belorn 4y ago

Lebanon is located next middle east and north Africa. It has 10.72% arable land, water being a scarce resource, and dust storms being one of the natural hazards. The average number of days with rain for months between May and September is between 0 and 2. Solar is an obvious choice for that climate.

tchaffee 4y ago
They are putting solar all over the UK. Today's panels are so efficient that cloudy weather is fine.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- belorn 4y ago
  The economics of that when you have to include storage is different than places with almost no cloudy weather. There isn't much interest to invest in solar + storage solutions without subsidizes. Solar/wind in combination with natural gas is very profitable in the UK as long the natural gas is cheap enough. Right now that is not the case so the cost of the energy grid in UK is extremely high, and much higher than in solar heavy countries located next to deserts that don't need to use natural gas to cover all those rainy and snowy days.
  - tchaffee 4y ago
    That's just not true. The most recent large scale solar plants in the UK are being built without subsidies and by for-profit businesses. The technology is improving so rapidly you can't use stats from last year.

contingencies 4y ago

Solar + IP + ad-hoc wireless networking.

_xnmw 4y ago

Here in Ukraine we also have a severe energy problem, but I don't know of anyone using solar to fix it. Instead we use...gas generators.

wara23arish 4y ago
This was what lebanese relied on before solar. There would be generators owned by mafia type people that would sell electricity to neighborhoods. Once we ran out of dollar currency to buy gas people resorted to solar
- _xnmw 4y ago
  This is not an option for us in Ukraine, this is not a sunny desert country.
  - tchaffee 4y ago
    Solar is going up all over northern Europe and is profitable without government subsidies. Cloudy is just fine for today's solar panels. The technology improves on an almost yearly basis.

aa-jv 4y ago

Just got myself an electric motorbike. I feel like the days of gas hegemony are well and truly on the way out. Of course, its bias on my part, but I can't imagine going back to ICE transportation now that I've had a taste of just how delightful full-electric can be. I'll be investing in solar powers and portable generators next. Me and my motorbike are gonna go full-solar this year .. and I live in a wealthy nation that is in relatively good stance, energy-sector -wise. The benefits outweight the disadvantages and effort required. There is nothing quite so satisfying as to navigate traffic silently, not contributing to everyones' lung disease as I pass by ..