A success story from Uruguay

[cottonpicken]

Just read a story about the biggest environmental catastrophe happening in California since bp,a natural gas underground storage has been spewing methane and can't be contained and it's been going on for two months. I don't know how's its methane and not natural gas. Sorry no link

[boarderbloke]

cotton, it's getting so bad that they now have the airspace restricted for aircraft over the leak area.

If this would be going on in a "RED STATE", that all the media would've been talking about for 2 months.

[TOM4CWB]

The leak is well publicised in California news
Bombing can't be carbon friendly... Nor hundreds of things done each day.

[grassfarmer]

So when you were googling for reasons why it could work in Uruguay but not here you missed a biggie. We may have 10 times Uruguay's population but we also have 30 times the GDP. Being a big country is also an advantage - more room to put panels! We need to have more of a "can do" than "can't do attitude".

[sumdumguy]

Grass farmer, be reasonable. You are comparing apples and oranges. Go for it, do your part then, give away your internal combustion engines, get off the grid, erect a windmill, put in solar panels, then tell me that's the quality of life you have yearned for. Be happy, spend all your money chasing some BS socialist panacea that's going to get you no where but green, frozen, isolated an miserable.

[grassfarmer]

Not about throwing away the internal combustion engine and replacing it with solar power. I just see the opportunity to replace our electricity generation using solar. On farmland around here there is easily 20 acres per quarter that is unseedable and is not wetland. Why not have it covered with something that's doing something for you. Could be another way for farmers to earn income from those acres.

[biglentil]

Current PV solar panels are around 12% efficient in converting the suns energy into electricity. Until the are above 50% efficient and price comes down they are not practical imo. The real game changer will be moderately priced roofing material that is also a PV solar.

[vvalk]

Grassfarmer. What about all the energy needed to create the solar panels? What happens with them when they are old and out dated. The amount of panels you talk about would be enormous. Just like windmills. Mohave you seen the amount of concrete that goes into the ground and all the old rusty windmills that don't work anymore. Just like electric cars, by the time you figure all the energy that went into the resources that build batteries. Shipped over to China the shipped back and then the battery is garbage a few years later. Never mind where the power comes from to charge them. Realistically we will move away from fossil fuels but let's be realistic about it

[mustardman]

Southern Alberta and Sask are some of the best spots for Solar in the industrialized world.

Way more sunshine than Germany ,who uses a big percentage of solar
Geo thermal here would work great ,just need someone that can Drill holes in the ground.
Tom4g3, is there anyone in Alberta that can drill Holes in the ground?

[grassfarmer]

vvalk, have you ever thought about all the stuff that is used in conventional energy production? It all has to be produced and replaced when it rusts so that is a false argument.
Solar panels have come on in leaps and bounds in terms of being longer lasting, more efficient and way cheaper.