Renewables - do they have a future?

[VectraMan]

CO2 emissions rising even faster than in 2009.....

Global temperature stays even more the same than in 2009...

[pjclarke]

Global temperature stays even more the same than in 2009...

Global Highlights
The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for October 2014 was the highest on record for October, at 0.74°C (1.33°F) above the 20th century average of 14.0°C (57.1°F).

The global land surface temperature was 1.05°C (1.89°F) above the 20th century average of 9.3°C (48.7°F)—the fifth highest for October on record.

For the ocean, the October global sea surface temperature was 0.62°C (1.12°F) above the 20th century average of 15.9°C (60.6°F) and the highest for October on record.

The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for the January–October period (year-to-date) was 0.68°C (1.22°F) above the 20th century average of 14.1°C (57.4°F). The first ten months of 2014 were the warmest such period on record.

Global Analysis - October 2014 | State of the Climate | National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

[SueEllen]

Wind and solar have no future, except as costly sops to the eco-zealots. Even wave power saw another setback this week as a company went down , because they couldnt get more funding

All renewables have a future but they not for large scale use.

So using them to generate electricity for a few hundred homes indiviual for bus stops, parking meters etc works however expecting to use them to provide electricity for a few thousand homes at a time doesn't.

[Coalman]

Are you seriously suggesting that the industrial revolution was driven by subsidies ?

If there was any future in these technologies they would be driven by investment and people being prepared to put their money where their mouth is.
Spending other peoples money in persuit of a dream has to be one of the easiest things to do in the world

And coal isn't subsidised?

[SueEllen]

And coal isn't subsidised?

Deep pits in the UK aren't anymore - linky

[Coalman]

Deep pits in the UK aren't anymore - linky

No, but the power stations are.

Not that I'm against it, its what I make a living from!

Just wanted to point out that subsidies are paid up all forms of generation in some form or other.

[minestrone]

There was a thing in the Sunday Times ( might have been the Scottish edition ) about a plan to build 67 wind turbines and it will use 10 times more quarried stone than the Berlin Wall.

[EternalOptimist]

All renewables have a future but they not for large scale use.

So using them to generate electricity for a few hundred homes indiviual for bus stops, parking meters etc works however expecting to use them to provide electricity for a few thousand homes at a time doesn't.

Of course there will be the odd niche, maybe even the lucky province or country that will be able to get by without massive cost, but, as the google team pointed out, renewables will never replace the existing mix.

Dont forget, we used to rely 100% on renewables, but they were replaced slowly but surely and for very good reasons. The greenies want to take us back to some mythical pre-medieval halcyon land powered by unicorn f@rts. if they want to freeze in the dark, let them

me ? i'll be frakking me nuts off

[darmstadt]

There was a thing in the Sunday Times ( might have been the Scottish edition ) about a plan to build 67 wind turbines and it will use 10 times more quarried stone than the Berlin Wall.

Thats because it's offshore...

The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm will begin construction in early 2017, and upon completion is expected to provide electricity to more than 410,000 UK households.

[EternalOptimist]

dang blast it, another one just went down. This time it was tidal power with a project off Wales (which is a country the size of Wales)

there is a pattern. great expectations driven by great hopes meet economic reality head on