Solar power is shit

[Oliver88]

On CKRM they were talking about the Medicine Hat solar project was to test if solar was feasible and a possibility in that region.
Unfortunately the conclusion was Medicine Hat is too far north and too cold. This lead to a very unreliable and expensive source of power.

If it doesn’t work in Medicine Hat.....the rest of the prairies are likely out of the question too.

[Blaithin]

Which satellites specifically, I can only find one that is still up and it isn’t functional.

Here's a few although the last they were heard was early 2000's for the most part.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_%28satellite%29#Current_status

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_6,_7,_8,_and_9

However I'm not sure if any of those would be deemed "functional". For the most part their battery systems are done for so they only contact if they're in sunlight. Which at least proves the solar panels are functioning LOL

Oscar 7 was apparently being heard daily as recently as 2017.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMSAT-OSCAR_7

Didn't really look up any other, younger ones, as I'm not an astronomy whiz and wading through all the launches to get through the ones that survived launching, lasted more than a week AND use solar as a power source is more than my Googling skills are up for right now. But even the Hubble is pushing 30 years and going strong.

[Klause]

Those are a couple good factors
I always wondered why they cant make surface warm to melt snow and also to make them turn to follow the sun

They do. You can get arrays that track the sun.

And go vertical and lay back down to drop snow.

There's a lot of fud on here about solar...


I used to be a skeptic but not anymore.

[sumdumguy]

On CKRM they were talking about the Medicine Hat solar project was to test if solar was feasible and a possibility in that region.
Unfortunately the conclusion was Medicine Hat is too far north and too cold. This lead to a very unreliable and expensive source of power.

If it doesn’t work in Medicine Hat.....the rest of the prairies are likely out of the question too.

Now that they learned that the AB government has just signed a contract to buy all its energy from a new solarproject. Can you believe it?

[Blaithin]

Now that they learned that the AB government has just signed a contract to buy all its energy from a new solarproject. Can you believe it?

Really? Last I heard they were pulling the programs that support the rebate because of Kenneywenneys election promises. But I’m far from a follower of politics and government ideas so my info could be half assed. And I guess just because they pull rebates to help everyday people doesn’t mean they can’t sign contracts themselves, they just don’t seem very pro renewable.

I know some company has been calling farmers in the area to see if they’d be interested in leasing land for a solar farm...

[chuckChuck]

On CKRM they were talking about the Medicine Hat solar project was to test if solar was feasible and a possibility in that region.
Unfortunately the conclusion was Medicine Hat is too far north and too cold. This lead to a very unreliable and expensive source of power.

If it doesn’t work in Medicine Hat.....the rest of the prairies are likely out of the question too.

For solar thermal that is likely true but for solar pv that produces electricity directly the southern prairies are a good place and the best place in canada because we have lots of sun even in winter.

Panels are cheap and rather than going for an expensive tracking system just add more fixed panels.

Aside from cutting wood there are very few affordable and practical options for producing your own energy. Solar pv is the best option that will pay for itself and deliver low cost electricity for many years.

[Oliver88]

Now that they learned that the AB government has just signed a contract to buy all its energy from a new solarproject. Can you believe it?

That sounds like an expensive Notley idea....hopefully with the orange exodus heading to BC common sense kicks in there again.

Nutjob had a disastrous plan to phase out all coal power plants in Alberta which since her defeat is supposed to be reversed.....I’m sure cleaning up her blunders and getting out of contracts will be expensive for taxpayers.

[sumdumguy]

I should have expained that AB contracts with wind power generation have lapsed but now the government is replacing with solar. Guess bureaucrats don’t need a steady supply of power. Lots more days off. 💡

[GDR]

That sounds like an expensive Notley idea....hopefully with the orange exodus heading to BC common sense kicks in there again.

Nutjob had a disastrous plan to phase out all coal power plants in Alberta which since her defeat is supposed to be reversed.....I’m sure cleaning up her blunders and getting out of contracts will be expensive for taxpayers.

The getting rid of coal in AB was a blunder. What happened is the gov had a long term contract for coal power, when they decided to phase out coal they paid energy companies huge dollars to break contract. A number of the generators were getting to the end of their life expectancy and were needing upgrading anyhow so they just took their payout and have either not continued with upgrading or have already commenced converting to nat gas. Sounds like they are far enough down that road now that coal is not coming back regardless of regime change. I foresee a future of unpredictable power supply. Nat gas generation likely better than coal anyhow, cleaner, less land destroyed, likely cheaper at today's gas prices anyhow, just hope they get adequate capacity.

[sawfly1]

The old head of US nuclear power
Wrote article in NewYork times.
Abandon nuclear.
Said the new solar systems are cheaper than even the initial costs
A nuclear plant.
Not even counting operating and decommissioning.

I know nothing in this department.
But you would think . Natural gas
Would be the cheapest .quickest
Least expensive stop gap for power generation.
In our transition to green energy.

If what he says is true .
How long before . It is cheaper than any other source


And if the new systems are not up to the task

You can always turn on the gas ones until it is figured out

[furrowtickler]

How are the raw materials for solar panels and storage batteries obtained again ??? Strip mining rare earth minerals? And how’s the recycling set up for all this when it becomes obsolete again ? I just can’t put my finger on all this ... lol

[furrowtickler]

I guess as long as the raw materials needed for solar power is strip mined in Afghanistan , it’s better than oil sands in our own country... out of sight out of mind ... oh the hypocrisy lol

[chuckChuck]

Furrow, glad to see you are concerned about the environmental impact of solar. But why single out the impact of solar and not all other technologies? The only reason to do that is to criticize solar.

Yes we need to be concerned about it and yes we need to plan on recycling. But solar has one huge advantage in that the fuel source is free for everyone and exceptionally clean. I am willing to bet that solar is one of the least resource depleting and environmental degrading technologies available. As panels get more efficient and have longer life spans then the impacts will continue to decline.

Until we have the unbiased facts on the environmental foot print of each technology minus the politics it is going to be difficult to come to an informed decision.

[Blaithin]

How are the raw materials for solar panels and storage batteries obtained again ??? Strip mining rare earth minerals? And how’s the recycling set up for all this when it becomes obsolete again ? I just can’t put my finger on all this ... lol

Only need batteries if you're off grid so that's not a problem in most larger systems. (Do you use batteries as an argument against using fuel powered vehicles? Or your TV remote?) Also battery technology improves the more it's used, same as anything else really.

There's two big, technical solar words I can't remember off the top of my head. One is Mono something and the other Poly the same something. More or less the Mono ones are the modules made up of the whole piece doing the PV work. The Poly ones are made up of the scraps trimmed off the Mono.

Mono is more efficient than the Poly, but the Poly prove that some level of recycling is possible. If it's not possible or in the works yet, I'm sure someone will eventually get it so that old, broken and no longer functioning modules can be broke down and made new again.