Destined for failure. The future of electricity.

iansane said:

Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:

D2W said:

I read an interesting article this weekend about creating a new climate problem...

Link?

I was just reading this;

https://theconversation.com/solar-panels-in-sahara-could-boost-renewable-energy-but-damage-the-global-climate-heres-why-153992

It's interesting for sure, will comment again once I can read the links in it for the sources. Seems a bit strung together to reach the conclusion that they make. 

So...the power grid will get worse and more people will run out of power and the poulation gets bigger and now we don't have enough to eat because all the solar panels have used the farm land and heated up the atmosphere even further and I can't see my family 2 hours away because my batteries are dead and I can't afford the parts to fix it and....

What's the alternative?  There are problems, but what do we do? Give up? lay down and wallow in the dark? 

Or do we keep doing what we've always done - figure out how to solve the problems as best we can to keep the wheels on, and move forward?

Sorry, I've reached capacity on our collective human lust for impending doom this morning.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

I think the bottom line is that we have too many people on the planet. 

Too many people. Not enough resources. Price of resources keeps going up. Technology will find ways to use resources more efficiently. Some will do without. Population will continue to increase. More will do without. 

It's already happening. 

 

Well the good news is population growth is slowing pretty heavily. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/17/worlds-population-is-projected-to-nearly-stop-growing-by-the-end-of-the-century/

In reply to 93EXCivic :

But it's still growing now.

Then if it's not good enough to not have kids, we need to start issuing hunting licenses to bring the population under control.

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:

So...the power grid will get worse and more people will run out of power and the poulation gets bigger and now we don't have enough to eat because all the solar panels have used the farm land and heated up the atmosphere even further and I can't see my family 2 hours away because my batteries are dead and I can't afford the parts to fix it and....

 

What's the alternative?  There are problems, but what do we do? Give up? lay down and wallow in the dark? 

Or do we keep doing what we've always done - figure out how to solve the problems as best we can to keep the wheels on, and move forward?

Sorry, I've reached capacity on our collective human lust for impending doom this morning.

People froze to death in their beds last week here in Texas when the power went out. Yet I had gone snow camping in Colorado in temperatures 20 degrees lower than anything we encountered here. Yep. I could pitch a Wal-Mart tent and get in a $120 REI sleeping bag in the front yard of a house where people are freezing and be quite comfortable. Throw in an iPhone, a portable shortwave weather band radio with a bunch of phone chargers and I have entertainment too. Still scratching me head over that one. Some people figure it out. Some don't.

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to mtn (Forum Supporter) :

True, but windmills also offer increased variety in poultry cuisine options!

Actually the number one killer of birds are feral cats. Followed by domestic cats. Followed by Birds flying into trees and barns, windows, and cars. Etc.  way down towards the bottom is wind generators. The blades turn too slow in the wind birds fly in. 
    Plus they found if the blades are dark birds pretty much ignore them    Since traditionally blades are white with red stripes to warn planes. It's an easy change. 

Keith Tanner said:

Then if it's not good enough to not have kids, we need to start issuing hunting licenses to bring the population under control.

Careful, somebody might think you're serious and get offended.

frenchyd said:

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to mtn (Forum Supporter) :

True, but windmills also offer increased variety in poultry cuisine options!

Actually the number one killer of birds are feral cats. Followed by domestic cats. Followed by Birds flying into trees and barns, windows, and cars. Etc.  way down towards the bottom is wind generators. The blades turn too slow in the wind birds fly in. 
    Plus they found if the blades are dark birds pretty much ignore them    Since traditionally blades are white with red stripes to warn planes. It's an easy change. 

So clearly then, what you are suggesting is that it's perfectly okay if a few planes fly into these dark-colored blades resulting in many crashes and huge loss of life, so long as we can save a few birds?

Keith Tanner said:

Then if it's not good enough to not have kids, we need to start issuing hunting licenses to bring the population under control.

I'm not sure you need actively shoot people. Breeding people without educating them, sadly enough, leads to plenty of Darwin deaths. In the last year I watched people who would not wear masks die of Covid and people who would not use blankets freeze to death. And Mother Nature isn't even half done throwing this crap at us yet.

1988RedT2 said:

frenchyd said:

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to mtn (Forum Supporter) :

True, but windmills also offer increased variety in poultry cuisine options!

Actually the number one killer of birds are feral cats. Followed by domestic cats. Followed by Birds flying into trees and barns, windows, and cars. Etc.  way down towards the bottom is wind generators. The blades turn too slow in the wind birds fly in. 
    Plus they found if the blades are dark birds pretty much ignore them    Since traditionally blades are white with red stripes to warn planes. It's an easy change. 

So clearly then, what you are suggesting is that it's perfectly okay if a few planes fly into these dark-colored blades resulting in many crashes and huge loss of life, so long as we can save a few birds?

What about the birds that fly into aircraft engines when the planes are taking off?

One day, airplanes will be modeled after nature and fly like birds with great, flapping wings!

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Motel has free parking., not sure about  WiFi.    

Hey, this is far north VT.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

The viris has done a pretty good job.  500,000 and counting.

In reply to iceracer :

Most Northern states hotels/ motels have plug in outlets for engine block heaters. 110 volt usually 15 amp. 

iceracer said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Motel has free parking., not sure about  WiFi.    

Hey, this is far north VT.

One phone call and you'll know. A friend was running a Tesla in the Adirondacks and had little trouble finding chargers. Remember, the motel wants people to come. 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

1988RedT2 said:

frenchyd said:

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to mtn (Forum Supporter) :

True, but windmills also offer increased variety in poultry cuisine options!

Actually the number one killer of birds are feral cats. Followed by domestic cats. Followed by Birds flying into trees and barns, windows, and cars. Etc.  way down towards the bottom is wind generators. The blades turn too slow in the wind birds fly in. 
    Plus they found if the blades are dark birds pretty much ignore them    Since traditionally blades are white with red stripes to warn planes. It's an easy change. 

So clearly then, what you are suggesting is that it's perfectly okay if a few planes fly into these dark-colored blades resulting in many crashes and huge loss of life, so long as we can save a few birds?

What about the birds that fly into aircraft engines when the planes are taking off?

Really? The tips of most rural wind generators are around 100-130 feet  in the air. Any pilot that low will notice things like wind generators because of the red flashing lights required on the top of them.   ( and the fact that the ground is uncomfortably close to them). 

In reply to frenchyd :

Yeah, that was kind of a joke.

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

And if it's not Mother Nature, it's people blowing themselves up revealing their baby's gender. Not a Darwin Award, but close.

1988RedT2 said:

Keith Tanner said:

Then if it's not good enough to not have kids, we need to start issuing hunting licenses to bring the population under control.

Careful, somebody might think you're serious and get offended.

Or ask for an license application. 

1988RedT2 said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Yeah, that was kind of a joke.

Sorry it's hard on the internet to tell.  I've guessed wrong too often. I'm guilty of trying to make a funny  and had people jump down my throat  thinking I was serious. 

frenchyd said:

1988RedT2 said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Yeah, that was kind of a joke.

Sorry it's hard on the internet to tell.  I've guessed wrong too often. I'm guilty of trying to make a funny  and had people jump down my throat  thinking I was serious. 

No worries. 

Since this thread is gone for a while, I wonder if I can ask a question that shouldn't go down the wrong path (!)

I know Texas has it's own grid, separate from the rest of the US, and this allows them not to have to comply with federal regulation, but I suspect they do have Texas state regulators (or regulations) right?

(The reason I ask is because the phrase "unregulated" has been thrown around and I suspect they were regulated, just regulated differently)

All I know is they don't make them wrap the pipes at the powerplants and that caused all kinds of chaos last week. 

I read (?) they (someone) did tell them (require?) to weatherize, but they never did (or didn't finish?).  That might just be a CYA action of course.