RegGuheert
Well-known member
SageBrush has not presented them as "foundational numbers". He has stated "This is all that is needed."iPlug said:We should be able to come to an agreement on what the foundational numbers are then work from there.
But not sure what the objection is here. Is it:
a) SageBrush's foundational numbers are technically right: the amount of energy solar would have to produce, at a minimum, to offset fossil fuels currently used to generate electricity; but objection with the amount that would be required in reality (to account for no sun at night, much less production in the winter, lack of current existing grid infrastructure and storage...)?
b) objector(s) disagree with SageBrush's foundational numbers on how much fossil fuel energy would have to be displaced, before accounting for no sun at night, much less production in the winter, lack of current existing grid infrastructure and storage...?
c) something else?
Using numbers with the "same units" is nothing like designing a viable system.
We live in a modern society which depends on fossil fuels for 80% of the energy it uses. This system is designed to cater to the loads in that the energy is delivered when and where it is needed.
With renewable sources, we could perhaps scrap our load-centric system and go with a source-centric system, only using as much energy as is available at any given time. This is extremely unlikely, since many people will die in the wintertime if heat is not provided when and where it is needed.
Another alternative is to try to get renewable generators to be load-centric like the existing system. Replacing just electricity in the near future seems like a reasonable proposition for places like Texas. that might even be affordable.
The problem comes when you move farther from the equator and try to replace ALL fossil fuels in the wintertime. Imagine New England in the wintertime. A nor'easter blows through over 72 hours, blanketing the entire region with FEET of snow. Now that storm has left and it is 10F across the region and the air is still. The challenge is to keep all the homes heated, run the snowplows, provide all of the other services to run the economy there. THAT is the type of scenario that needs to be addressed to get to 100% renewables in the U.S.