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hunter

(38,353 posts)
10. Until it does the opposite by not being there when its needed.
Fri Jun 30, 2023, 04:59 PM
Jun 2023

That could happen soon, on some day when the wind isn't blowing, the sun has gone down, and the gas fired power plants can't keep up.

Let's be honest. Solar and wind power are simply not viable without fossil fuel "backup" power, which isn't backup power at all but the primary energy source, especially in Texas.

In the last 30 days about 43% of Texas electric power came from gas. Without gas, coal, and nuclear power Texas would be a mess, no matter how many solar panels and wind turbines they built.

https://app.electricitymaps.com/zone/US-TEX-ERCO

I'm going to say it again, like a broken record.

Suppose you have an electric grid where half the electricity is generated by nuclear power. If you double the amount of nuclear power generation then all the electricity comes from nuclear power.

That's not the case with wind or solar power. You hit a wall of greatly diminishing returns long before you reach your goal of 100% renewable energy.

If anyone believes that the natural gas backing up their solar and wind power follies isn't a huge threat to the earth's natural environment, they can just say so.

Personally I think natural gas is a much greater threat to the earth than nuclear power, mostly because so many people believe it's "clean," especially compared to coal.

There is enough natural gas in the ground to destroy our natural world and our civilization as we know it. I think it's best we leave it, like all fossil fuels, in the ground.


At this point in the argument many wind and solar enthusiasts start waving their arms about magical energy storage systems or synergies that simply don't exist and never will exist.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»Texas power grid struggle...»Reply #10