A good read and true! There is no way that you can make enough “grid” level power to replace carbon based fuels! Like most things there are applications for solar and wind but they are a best niche markets. If run the numbers myself its not all that hard and i would defy any competent engineer to show how say 25 Quad of grid power (meaning up and running 24/7) can be produces with wind or solar without government subsidies and be competitive with a carbon based fuel today — not in some mythical distant future!
By Viv Forbes ~
Abengoa Solar – PS10 and PS20 Solar Power Tower Plants
The sun is the most important energy source on Earth. It provides our daily warmth and light and the rotation and orbit of the earth turn its steady output into fluctuating day and night, summer and winter. Solar energy powers the growth of all trees, grasses, herbs, crops and algae; it creates the clouds and powers the storms; it is the source of all hydro, photo-voltaic (PV), solar-thermal, bio-mass and wind energy; and, over geological time, it also creates coal.
PV solar panels can directly harvest solar energy. They are useful in remote locations, for some portable applications and, with enough panels and batteries, stand-alone solar can even power homes.
But solar energy has five fatal flaws for supplying 24/7 grid power.
Firstly, sunshine at any spot is always intermittent and often unreliable. Solar panels can…
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