Climate Change

[Jackie22]

Good news....

For the first time ever, global wind power capacity tops nuclear energy http://fusion.net/story/271445/global-wind-nuclear-power/ Global wind capacity reached 432.42 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2015, up 17% from a year earlier and surpassing nuclear energy for the first time ever, the Japan Times reported. The world installed 63.01 GW of wind last year, equivalent to about 60 nuclear reactors. China led all countries in wind energy generation capacity at 145.10 GW, followed by the U.S. (74.47 GW), Germany (44.95 GW), India (25.09) and Spain (23.03). Global nuclear power generation capacity stood at 382.55 GW on Jan. 1, 2016. Earlier today, I reported that the U.S. had installed more solar capacity than natural gas in 2015 for the first time. In fact, new wind capacity topped both of these. Wind accounted for more than 35% of all new generating capacity, while all renewable resources together provided 68% of new capacity. <snip> The U.S. had zero installed nuclear in both 2015 and 2013, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. <more>

 

[Don M.]

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing both Wind and Solar power, is the development of Battery Storage. Wind and Solar are great when the breeze is blowing, and/or the sun is shining, but both fall short on extended periods of calm or cloudy days. Until this problem is solved, we better not shut down too many fossil fuel, or nuclear plants. Long term, the most promising solution to global energy needs is Nuclear Fusion. If that can ever be harnessed, all the problems associated with current energy generation will be history.

 

[Manatee]

The Navajos are upset that the EPA wants to shut down the coal plant in Page AZ. There are not a lot of other jobs in that area.

 

[Don M.]

Recently, there was a move to shut down 3 of the coal fired power plants in Missouri....under these new EPA regulations. Unfortunately, that would have had quite an impact on the capacity in the state. Our rural area doesn't have any power plants within 100 miles, and we get our electricity from a CO-OP that buys excess power from plants all over this, and neighboring states. We pay slightly over 8 cents per KWH, and the co-op estimated that if the EPA prevailed, the costs of buying power from an even wider area would drive our rates up over 40%...to somewhere between 12 and 14 cents per KWH.

I'm all for clean energy, but this Dumbchit EPA, and its mandates, without having anything ready to replace existing capacity is playing Russian Roulette with the US economy. Fortunately, the courts ruled against the EPA...This time.

 

[Debby]

Sometimes the only thing that will actually produce change is a perceived loss. When the status quo is comfortable, the result is usually only more status quo. It wasn't until the weather started bashing everyone and it became obvious that that weather will hurt us, that action on climate change actually began despite the fact that environmentalists have been calling for that change for years and years. I'm sure that buggy makers and horse traders were having fits when the first cars were tootling their way through the countryside. How many people today are concerned about the buggy makers now?