Renewables don't work

[pjclarke]

Does Denmark accurately represent the terrain, weather and population density of the world's developed nations?
You might as well hold Scotland up as an example why Netherlands should base all their energy needs on non-tidal hydro.

No, course not, they're lucky in having enough shallow, windy seas to make offshore wind viable. But they are a good example of a country having the foresight to grasp that opportunity and make the necessary investment.

The world's deserts receive more solar energy in six hours than the world uses in a year, 90% of the world’s population lives within 3,000 km of one of those deserts. An HVDC smart grid linking solar in N. Africa, geothermal in Iceland, hydro in Scandanavia, wind N. Europe would be expensive, but technically feasible, what is lacking is political will.

At the end of 2014, the 200 MW Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) bid in Dubai set a new world benchmark for utility scale solar PV costs, showing that photovoltaic technologies are competitive today with oil at US$10/ barrel and gas at US$5/MMBtu.

http://www.nbad.com/content/dam/NBAD...ull_Report.pdf

[EternalOptimist]

[BlasterBates]

Producing 100% of your energy needs using current technology is beyond astronomically expensive, producing 50% of your energies is 50% of beyond astronomically expensive.

You can draw your own conclusions on how viable current renewable technologies are.

[minestrone]

No, course not, they're lucky in having enough shallow, windy seas to make offshore wind viable. But they are a good example of a country having the foresight to grasp that opportunity and make the necessary investment.

The world's deserts receive more solar energy in six hours than the world uses in a year, 90% of the world’s population lives within 3,000 km of one of those deserts. An HVDC smart grid linking solar in N. Africa, geothermal in Iceland, hydro in Scandanavia, wind N. Europe would be expensive, but technically feasible, what is lacking is political will.



http://www.nbad.com/content/dam/NBAD...ull_Report.pdf

Aye, let's turn Algeria into a big solar panel

[shaunbhoy]

Maybe we should just harness more of the hot air produced by the AGW lobby? There seems to be an endless supply of it and it can't be very expensive to produce, provided the cost of lentils doesn't go through the roof!!

HTH

[BlasterBates]

Aye, let's turn Algeria into a big solar panel

It's a great idea in principle:

Is Anything Stopping a Truly Massive Build-Out of Desert Solar Power? - Scientific American

It would however be beyond astronomically expensive.

[pjclarke]

That's domestic prices, including tax, not adjusted for purchasing power. Industrial leccy in Denmark is below the EU average. Go figure.

[pjclarke]

Icelandic electricity: Power under the sea | The Economist

[pjclarke]

It's a great idea in principle:

Is Anything Stopping a Truly Massive Build-Out of Desert Solar Power? - Scientific American

It would however be beyond astronomically expensive.

A prediction: This phrase is going to be the new 'snowfalls are a thing of the past'.

[BlasterBates]

That's domestic prices, including tax, not adjusted for purchasing power. Industrial leccy in Denmark is below the EU average. Go figure.

OK then Bill Gates is completely wrong?