Electrical generation and Integrity

[fjlip]

Ha ha

[sumdumguy]

Wind and solar, so much BS.

[blackpowder]

I don't think they're necessarily bs.
But we were definitely bs'ed.
An alternative, not a replacement.

[Hamloc]

I don't think they're necessarily bs.
But we were definitely bs'ed.
An alternative, not a replacement.

I would call Solar and wind a supplementary source of electricity not an alternative because alternative insinuates that it is something you have a choice of using. And yes there are times when wind and solar are available and are an alternative but there are times when they simply are not. The unfortunate thing with wind it has been proven over and over when the weather is very cold and the arctic air mass is over Alberta and electricity demand peaks wind generation is not available. This morning it is -26 with a wind chill of -33 and wind is producing at 4% of its capacity and supplying just under 2% of Alberta’s electricity demand.

[blackpowder]

Questioned the word myself when writing. Alternative for some applications perhaps. African villages? Remote locations between the tropics? Life changer for some of the poorest.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Questioned the word myself when writing. Alternative for some applications perhaps. African villages? Remote locations between the tropics? Life changer for some of the poorest.

I assume that there is some remote Arctic Outpost where the wind always blows and fuel has to be flown in by helicopter at great expense, where alternative energy would actually be cheaper than conventional fossil fuels. Or an isolated tropical island where the sun predictably shines where solar energy could actually be cheaper than imported fossil fuels.

For years I have been challenging Chuck to find an example of this anywhere in the world to prove his so far false claims about cheapest source of electricity.

In response I've been called every name in the book, but thus far, no examples of cheaper alternative energy.

[blackpowder]

Obviously I'm no expert.
If the world's poor use less electricity in a year than our fridge. Without research, I'm simply suggesting some Gov on NonGov could build systems for small towns or villages in the zone between the tropics. Where most poor live. Skipping over the infrastructures phase required. Or buying fuels for supply.
Naive thought perhaps but it does more for living standards than selfish, counterproductive virtue signalling by the rich.
The UN wants to completely rewrite economic theories while hundreds of thousands still die from malaria or malnutrition annually.
As far as Chuck is concerned. He's just clickbait obviously.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

So what practical economic purpose would intermittent electricity serve for isolated third world villages? Can't preserve food or medicine. Can't operate life-saving hospital equipment. Can't run a factory or industrial process.
Maybe pump water into a reservoir for future use.
Could recharge their phones and computers and e-bikes. Just like our ancestors did using windmills to recharge the batteries for the radio. No one was using a windmill to power a refrigerator.

[blackpowder]

So what practical economic purpose would intermittent electricity serve for isolated third world villages? Can't preserve food or medicine. Can't operate life-saving hospital equipment. Can't run a factory or industrial process.
Maybe pump water into a reservoir for future use.
Could recharge their phones and computers and e-bikes. Just like our ancestors did using windmills to recharge the batteries for the radio. No one was using a windmill to power a refrigerator.

Honestly, I'm not an engineer.
I'm simply reminded of the South Korean telephone.
Going from stone age to cell towers in one step saves a lot of expense.
Is a renewable/battery combo cheaper than running lines from a conventional gen station? Maybe in some cases.
Clean water. Small plot irrigation. Internet access. Education opportunities.
Maybe cook without wood or dung. Read a book after dark. Grind corn.
Refrigerator merely an illustrative, They wouldn't have use for one anyway.
Wasn't thinking of smelting aluminum.
Poor governance blocking any improvements notwithstanding.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind a good movie based on a true story.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

You bring up a good examples. But those are the same condescending applications that the virtue signaling anti-human, anti-industry green crowd wants to offer to third world citizens.
They want to deny them the cheap reliable energy that first world used to achieve our standard of living.

If they want to make the leap, they will need to smelt aluminum themselves, not just read a book after dark.

It will end up the same as every off-grid yard site I'm aware of. Spend a lot of money and time and resources trying to make it viable. Only to inevitably give up and accept that they need reliable electricity/ energy/heat year around, then spend even more money connecting to the grid.