Sustainable Energy, USA and worldwide

Hey, Handle, remember that book we were writing years ago? That map rmctagg09 liked to is basically the setting we envisioned. And so it begins, eh?

I have a terrible habit of attempting to write stories way above my current level.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

A win-win-win solution for biofuel, climate, and biodiversity

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Tofu ingredient could revolutionise solar panel manufacture

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Solar panels light the way from carbon dioxide to fuel

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Obama isn't killing coal, it's dying anyways: How fast solar is dropping in cost.

Readable link for those of us without tiny screens.

In any case, the recent drops in the price of solar power are very encouraging. The sooner we can phase out the filthy fossil fuels (without having to actually forego power entirely), the better. However, because solar cells tend to give no power for that half of the day when the Sun is behind the Earth, we'll still need better energy storage systems before we can rely heavily on solar power.

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The good thing is our peak energy usage more or less lines up nicely with peak solar energy production, so it works out pretty well.

I'm baaaaaaack

Oh boy, Coal. This is a very big issue in West Virginia where I live, since it's probably our biggest industry. There's been a massive effort in West Virginia to fight the EPA's regulations and other efforts to curb coal-based pollution since the coal industry has massive lobbies within the state.

edited 9th Jul '14 7:51:41 PM by Zennistrad

This is especially true in hot areas, in the summer, due to air conditioning (which apparently draws a lot of power).

However, lots of things still need to run overnight. Even if the factories close down, there are still many electrical devices that need to run 24/7. My impression is that water towers just don't have the necessary capacity.

According to this page, the power draw of the UK drops only about 30% at night. The statistics are probably similar in other developed countries.

edited 10th Jul '14 12:11:46 AM by Meklar

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And what happens to energy demand in the Winter, might I ask?

Keep Rolling On

Looking at the bottom line which holds yearly figures it appears that the demand goes up by about 25% with a brief dip at Christmas time. Fortunately, wind power substantially increases in the winter time.

Sounds about right — Winter is when the heating gets turned on, and people are inside a lot more.

Don't wind turbines have a maximum wind speed in which they can work?

Keep Rolling On

No, but they have a maximum speed before they get damaged by the wind. It's usually a fairly high speed, though.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

Well yea it's not enough that'd there would be complete replacement but it means power plants might not have to ramp up power production as much during the day.

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Getting a charge out of water droplets

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Chemists develop technology to produce clean-burning hydrogen fuel

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Scientists characterize carbon for batteries

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Cheap, highly efficient solar cells: A new stable and cost-cutting type of perovskite solar cell

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Kingston, Jamaica hybrid project to harness sun and wind

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Material generates steam under solar illumination

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Self-cooling solar cells boost power, last longer

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Seals May Use Wind Farms as Hunting Grounds

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Spinach could lead to alternative energy more powerful than Popeye

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How to power California with wind, water and sun

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