Renewable energy discussion
The evidence is in: new solar and wind now undercut every fossil fuel option on cost, EVs catch fire 10–20 times less often than petrol cars, and the UK Treasury’s own numbers show that not transitioning costs twice as much as doing it.
A detailed look at solar panel recycling. The egulators are aware and have pilot programs in place and ready to scale for up to ensure the tsunami of panels from 2030 can be recycled. A challenge is cost and over 80% are currently landfilled. By 2030 with right policies that can be brought up to over 60% or higher.
Solar panels can be recycled. To date, there has been no legal requirement to do so, but governments are now mandating and the purchase price will includee recycling costs. The latest innovation is to recycle 98% profitably with recovery of all components and even recycling of silicon and glass, rather than repurpose.
Geothermal energy, although currently contributing less than 1% to global energy production, has the potential to supply 140 times the world’s energy demand. Next-generation geothermal, including engineered, advanced, and hybrid systems, can be used for heating, cooling, and power generation . Scaling geothermal requires leveraging the oil and gas industry’s expertise and infrastructure.
Renewable energy produced locally regains sovereignty when fossil fuel is gone. Countries regain sovereignty when they no longer have to buy their energy from fossil fuel rich countries. Fossil fuel exports provide luxury for about 24 countries – the rest of the 160 countries are dependent on importing oil gas and coal.
Inertia in electricity grids is a term used in electricity grids describing the behaviour of voltage. Many think solar and wind won’t be able to keep the grid stable because they lack “inertia”. Solar, wind and batteries will probably do a BETTER job and you can explain it
Wartsilar, better known for shipping engines in their modelling says 98% net zero by 2050 is cheaper than 100% WWS by Prof Jacobson. Meanwhile 100% is possible says Prof Mark Jacobson.
RethinkiX says Stellar enegy – 500% is most cost effective for superabundant energy.
Wartsilar fails the fossil fuel argument and keeps about 12,000 TWh of generation in the mix – albeit for just 3% of the electricity generation. The world demands 100% zero emissions, not net zero.
Australia needs to lift its ban on balcony solar and battery systems. A balcony system in 25 European countries is up to 2kW of PV sol;ar and 800W battery. An apartment could save up to 30% of its electricity bill and pay back the system in less than 6 years. Landlords cannot prevent approved systems.
Electrification promises up to 80% of all global energy requirements and can rapidly stop emissions. In this podcast, Lord Adair Turner points out efficient technologies such as heat pumps, electricity for heating water, air, and materials can rapidly change emissions. The focus shifts from energy consumption to energy services for better human welfare. Solar PV costs at 9 cents/watt and batteries under $100/kWh enable transition.
Renewables can supply 100% power, with several countries already achieving high percentages. They are cheaper than fossil fuels, despite rising energy bills due to external factors. While land use is less for renewables, the environmental impact of fossil fuels is significant. Job transitions from fossil fuels to renewables are underway, with potential growth in sectors like battery technology. Renewables offer economic, environmental, and job benefits over fossil fuels.
Wind turbine prices have increased recently due to factors like supply chain issues and inflation. However, technological advancements and economies of scale have led to more efficient and larger turbines, reducing the cost of energy production per MWh. While costs vary by country, China has seen significant reductions in wind turbine installation costs. Overall, the trend is towards more affordable wind energy, despite recent price fluctuations.
While over 260t steel, 300t iron ore, 170t coking coal are used to build a 4MW wind turbine, the energy from a wind turbine is 660 times more. The wind turbine produces 420GWh electricity over its 30-year life, while the equivalent amount of coal electricity would require 290,988t of coal. Therefore, wind energy is a much cleaner and more sustainable option.
A new study challenges conventional wisdom in EV battery manufacturing. Researchers found that fast charging, despite initial lithium loss, can significantly extend battery lifespan. This could lead to more efficient and sustainable electric vehicles and extend grid storage batteries to decades
With solar panel production capacity of China over 1TW PV in 2024 is enough to replace 4.5% fossil fuel electricity generation, with 100% by 2028. China faces an industry collapse of companies making solar panels. Either panels must be deployed globally or there will be a sector collapse.
Enough Solar Panels for 100% Electricity in 4 Years Read More »
As Australia transitions from fossil fuels to electricity by 2030, rapid shifts will mainly impact domestic gas consumption. New gas fields, key to government policy, are controversial due to their potential to hinder emissions reductions. The shift includes household electrification, increased renewable energy storage, and industrial process heat alternatives. Export markets face competition risks.
A decade after Prof. Mark Jacobson’s 2015 proposal for 100% renewable energy in 153 countries, significant debates continue. Despite initial challenges and legal disputes, Jacobson defended his model, though some technological predictions, like concentrated solar power, fell short. Notably, California’s renewable energy achievements in 2024 affirm the feasibility and importance of his vision.
India and China have made considerable progress in developing thorium-based nuclear reactors, recognizing their potential as safer, more sustainable alternatives to uranium reactors. India’s program focuses on the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor using thorium and a small amount of uranium-233, while China’s involves pioneering molten salt technology in the Chinese Thorium Molten Salt Reactor project. Alongside, companies like Copenhagen Atomic are also advancing thorium technology, facing challenges like isotope production and corrosion-resistant materials.
AI computing’s surge outpaces electricity demand for transportation, potentially exceeding it due to expansive training and inference needs. Massive datacenters from tech giants necessitate immense power, raising speculation about electricity shortages. Tesla leads with significant investments in low-power and high-performance chips, aiming for exascale AI capabilities. This growth in AI computation could increase datacenter electricity use fourfold within a decade, challenging current power grids and possibly requiring dedicated power plants to meet escalating energy demands.
Lauri Myllyvirta forecasts China’s coal dependency to drop from 70% to 45% by 2030, influenced by renewable expansions and energy policy shifts reported in April 2024. Despite local-global energy strategy conflicts and bureaucratic hurdles, China’s renewable energy sector is flourishing with vast solar and wind installations, and plummeting solar, battery prices. China’s energy security challenge is compounded by coal quality issues and reliance on imports.
Chinese Coal Drops from 70 to 45 Percent by 2030 Read More »
Tidal and wave power are untapped energy resources yet despite 2 decades have scarely moved beyond demonstration and pilot systems. The marine environment is harse, bespoke and has severe enironmental and social barriers.
