9 Comments

Nice - Great article, but I only see one problem - it's filled with common sense. Greed as demonstrated from the wind and solar industries will out weigh common sense everyday. People need to look at facts like those you highlight and bring forward. Thanks for writing.

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I admit an affinity to common sense is one of my worst habits. :) Thanks, Stu!

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“ Solar and wind are inexhaustible sources of energy” is a true statement, but the instruments for harvesting that energy (solar panels and turbines) are not everlasting. Both have a projected life span of somewhere around 20 years or so. Unless there is a way to recycle the piles of wind turbine blades that are piling up around my part of the country and the solar panels that are so hard to recycle, the unbelievable price we are going to pay for not considering all the facts as we move forward will be unbearably high.

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Yes, cherry-picking information that serves your purposes could end up boomeranging.

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It's unfortunate that companies are incentivized to make cheap products so people have to buy them instead of making quality products. I think that mindset is similar to the energy issue. Clearly making cheap(bad) products is not good for consumers, similarly forcing wind/solar batteries against the realities of the current market which you eloquently point out is also a detrimental thought process not looking at the long term utility for the 'customer'. More expensive energy is not good for the consumer which in this case is all people, and the negative downstream consequences seem not to be thought about too much. I really enjoyed your article.

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And yet the focus is on the long term and how wind and solar have no alternative over the long term. Neither does all the waste, I imagine. It won't be long until activists pick up on that.

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I just listened to a fantastic podcast yesterday between Nate Hagens and Daniel Schmactenburger. It's right up your alley and then some. It is harrowing and sensible. It quantifies so much about our energy usage and reliance on hydrocarbons. https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/05-daniel-schmactenberger

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Thanks for sharing!

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I hope the West can overcome its Malthusian heritage controlled by the big oil producers. There is no point in the energy debate going down this road anymore, when nuclear and oil energy can be distributed to the population cheaply.

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