3 ms·

Solar energy is going to power the world much sooner than you think

24 points by epistasis 1y ago

rolph 1y ago
solar energy has powered the world for a much longer-time than we have existed. the world has had a longer time to get it not wrong than we have.
- _wire_ 1y ago
  Aye It's perpetual motion
lgats 1y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20251023135556/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2500013-solar-energy-is-going-to-power-the-world-much-sooner-than-you-think/ https://web.archive.org/web/20251023135556/https://www.newsc... https://archive.is/wip/3OULX https://archive.is/wip/3OULX
- dmix 1y ago
  archive.is didnt work https://removepaywalls.com/3/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2500013-solar-energy-is-going-to-power-the-world-much-sooner-than-you-think/ https://removepaywalls.com/3/https://www.newscientist.com/ar...
belviewreview 1y ago
Casey Handmer on the energy transition https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcaseyhandmer.wordpress.com%2F2021%2F05%2F20%2Fthe-unstoppable-battery-cavalcade%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw2Eus0kEPrkAZR_BcUEWKgB https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcaseyhandmer.word...
Rodmine 1y ago
Wrong! Oil-rich countries have every incentive to not let it happen, and that is exactly what they have been doing. For example, “but the Uighers” is a propaganda tactic (among others) developed by the current oil countries as an attack to the Chinese solar industry.
tim333 1y ago
Glad to see it's cracking along but there hasn't been much decline in fossil fuel use yet https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels The sodium ion battery developments are promising.
- epistasis 1y ago
  Your plots, which go all the way from 1800 to 2024, do show a massive massive leveling out of fossil fuels in the last decade, however. When going through a surge in energy demand, old resources usually don't get retired very quickly. For example, with gas in the US, there was something like 5GW of new gas expected to be added in the US, and 1.6GW of old plants retired. But that's all dwarfed by the amount of storage and solar going in.
devwastaken 1y ago
nope. we need over 50% efficiency with 30+ years guaranteed lifespan. we have 20% efficiency with at most 10 years with continual maintenance. Solar installers are low quality, expensive, destroy the roof, and existing utility companies will make you pay to grid tie. you wont save money. the only time solar is worth it is a non grid tie DIY setup.
- tim333 1y ago
  I think the article is more about commercial solar farms rather than rooftop.

24 points by epistasis 1y ago

solar energy has powered the world for a much longer-time than we have existed. the world has had a longer time to get it not wrong than we have.

_wire_ 1y ago
Aye It's perpetual motion

lgats 1y ago

https://web.archive.org/web/20251023135556/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2500013-solar-energy-is-going-to-power-the-world-much-sooner-than-you-think/ https://web.archive.org/web/20251023135556/https://www.newsc... https://archive.is/wip/3OULX https://archive.is/wip/3OULX

dmix 1y ago
archive.is didnt work https://removepaywalls.com/3/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2500013-solar-energy-is-going-to-power-the-world-much-sooner-than-you-think/ https://removepaywalls.com/3/https://www.newscientist.com/ar...

belviewreview 1y ago

Casey Handmer on the energy transition https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcaseyhandmer.wordpress.com%2F2021%2F05%2F20%2Fthe-unstoppable-battery-cavalcade%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw2Eus0kEPrkAZR_BcUEWKgB https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcaseyhandmer.word...

Rodmine 1y ago

Wrong! Oil-rich countries have every incentive to not let it happen, and that is exactly what they have been doing. For example, “but the Uighers” is a propaganda tactic (among others) developed by the current oil countries as an attack to the Chinese solar industry.

tim333 1y ago

Glad to see it's cracking along but there hasn't been much decline in fossil fuel use yet https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels The sodium ion battery developments are promising.

epistasis 1y ago
Your plots, which go all the way from 1800 to 2024, do show a massive massive leveling out of fossil fuels in the last decade, however. When going through a surge in energy demand, old resources usually don't get retired very quickly. For example, with gas in the US, there was something like 5GW of new gas expected to be added in the US, and 1.6GW of old plants retired. But that's all dwarfed by the amount of storage and solar going in.

devwastaken 1y ago

nope. we need over 50% efficiency with 30+ years guaranteed lifespan. we have 20% efficiency with at most 10 years with continual maintenance. Solar installers are low quality, expensive, destroy the roof, and existing utility companies will make you pay to grid tie. you wont save money. the only time solar is worth it is a non grid tie DIY setup.

tim333 1y ago
I think the article is more about commercial solar farms rather than rooftop.