Wind and Solar Power in Texas.

[DaveC]

FWIW, I heard on a morning call earlier that Solar is to hit 8500mw production today on the ERCOT grid.
The last time the number stood out to me it was ~6k.

[MadHatter]

Interesting...I was just about to make a comment that we should send it off in space. Looks like we are already trying that. Guess my only concern would be what happens if one of the SpaceX rockets containing those barrels goes boom during launch/flight?

Just one of them things you gamble on I suppose, just like whether or not a nuclear power plant is going to melt down.

[BowhunterB]

they're using "projects that have been proposed"....

so basically, if someone said, "we should be 18,000 windmills in houston, that went into their calculation. I can't believe people continue to chase this scam of an energy plan.

Exactly. The state will be one big pile of windmills and solar panels. They aren't saying what we have is enough, but 1/3 of what they have dreamed up is enough. And that probably isn't correct.
Of course, there aren't transmission lines in these areas yet, there wasn't any generation there. They aren't putting the wind and solar generation where old plants were, so why would there be transmission lines there, idiots. Transmission lines are going to take a while to install from all these green generation areas, and a lot more of them than if you had generating plants.

[BowhunterB]

We’ve never figured out what to do with the nuclear waste. We currently store waste in barrels. That’s not a long term solution for 10,000 years! I’m all for it if they can figure that equation out.

It was supposed to be housed in a site that the government was going to build, but of course they reneged on the deal. They are providing funding though (not sure if it is 100%) so that plants can build cask systems to store spent fuel rods.

[KactusKiller]

Was in west tx this weekend, as everyone knows the wind has been blowing steady the last few weeks. When we got there Friday only about half were turning, come saturday none were turning and the wind was blowing 15-20. Guessing there wasn't enough usage at the time and the grid couldn't handle the output. Thats the problem with solar and wind. Too much when you don't need it and not enough when you do. Until they get the technology to store it it will always be this way.

[BowhunterB]

If anyone thinks we don't need oil/gas/coal, take a look at this quick video. These windmills should only EVER be supplemental supply, at best. https://www.youtube.com/embed/mclv06jR_e0?autoplay=1

I attended an Energy Summit, just this week in Tyler. It was extremely informative, even for a guy that worked in oil and gas industry for 10 years. It was not a bash on wind and solar either...they talked about the positives of these also, but it is clear that these cannot provide enough source for the population. https://lifepowered.org/

This graph is an excellent illustration of what supplied (or didn't supply) our energy needs during the big winter storm of 2021.... https://www.dallasfed.org/research/e.../dfe0415c1.png

I don;t think they can provide enough based on current needs, unless the countryside is covered with windmills and panels. And that isn't atking into account extra demand, and a lot of it, if we go to all electric vehicles. Even if batteries get to a good enough point to store enough energy to make it viable to charge cars at night and power homes, those things are very toxic and nobody ever addresses that issue.

[jake03]

I don;t think they can provide enough based on current needs, unless the countryside is covered with windmills and panels. And that isn't atking into account extra demand, and a lot of it, if we go to all electric vehicles. Even if batteries get to a good enough point to store enough energy to make it viable to charge cars at night and power homes, those things are very toxic and nobody ever addresses that issue.

Exactly....there are so many layers to this!

[ram04]

Another huge problem is China controls the manufacture of most of the green energy raw materials even nuclear raw materials. We have to create enough domestic power first from fossil fuels, then we need to find raw materials from a place that is more of an ally before we can start thinking about going Green. I'm all for it, but China has been securing raw materials for the last 20 years while we have been "fighting terrorist" in the middle east. The west has really been put into a corner.

[3rdCoastHunter]

Man I hate windmills

[dfkoon]

Elon takes a couple barrels up with every launch, and sets them on a path to leave our solar system.
Lot more room in space than here, and I don't think we'll be colonizing outside our solar system anytime soon.

If you do that, why not send it into the sun?

[GarGuy]

Another huge problem is China controls the manufacture of most of the green energy raw materials even nuclear raw materials. We have to create enough domestic power first from fossil fuels, then we need to find raw materials from a place that is more of an ally before we can start thinking about going Green. I'm all for it, but China has been securing raw materials for the last 20 years while we have been "fighting terrorist" in the middle east. The west has really been put into a corner.

Pssssttt.... we have so much natural gas that we could generate electricity for ever.

[Andrew Aguechee]

Problem is not the transmission lines. Wind and solar are both limited to by weather and extremely expensive without massive taxpayer subsidies. Germany phased out traditional power sources and now have some of the highest electric costs in the world. They then turned to Russia.

[jake03]

Problem is not the transmission lines. Wind and solar are both limited to by weather and extremely expensive without massive taxpayer subsidies. Germany phased out traditional power sources and now have some of the highest electric costs in the world. They then turned to Russia.

here is the graph from the link I shared earlier during the days of the Feb 2021 winter storm. Wind and solar just don't get the job done, especially in extreme weather....or like others have mentioned, if it's cloudy and/or no wind.

[Big_gun]

some companies are working on smaller scale Nuke plants and some interesting energy storage for windmills / solar... seems they have them in some other countries. As other have stated these renewables should for now be considered as suppliments to the existing infrastructure. if the solar and wind can ease fossil fuels , let them. wonder what happens in 10/20/ 30 years for the solar farms... will the land be able to grow grass anymore?

[climatecrisis]

That one huge catch... what happens when it doesn't work... Take a look at energy prices in Europe and why they are so high... Some say nuclear is the answer. Put that in your backyard but not in mine... These renewables play a part of our energy which is fine, but relying on this is madness. And we keep adding more renewables (cheaper, cleaner, etc.), but why hasn't my energy bill gone down over the years...