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If, for achieving zero emissions, all capacity needs to eventually covered by wind anyway, then building out all that solar seems pointless. That money would be
by badpun 2y ago
If, for achieving zero emissions, all capacity needs to eventually covered by wind anyway, then building out all that solar seems pointless. That money would be better spent on wind.
- wdh505 2y agoStep 1: get summer to zero as cheaply as possible. Step 2: evaluate the combo of sources to get winter to zero. Step 2 will likely involve insulation, potential energy storage (pumping water uphill to turn a turbine later), high thermal mass "heat batteries", solar that got us to 0 during the summer, wind, and water and maybe even nuclear.
- itishappy 2y ago> If, for achieving zero emissions, all capacity needs to eventually covered by wind anyway... This is wrong. Solar is zero emissions too, even if the economics are slightly less advantageous. Both are intermittent sources, so building 100% of either increases risk and requires additional storage. Plus, some areas are more amenable to solar than wind.