In case you guys missed it:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/a-skeptic-looks-a...
Interesting read.
Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
51–60 of 132 posts
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hydroelectric power is not something all countries are lucky enough to have.
Hydroelectric power is not very environmentally friendly either. Like the giant dams of China that destroy the whole ecosystem near the power plant.
The damage of hydro is fairly localized afaik, both spatially and temporally. Fossil fuels cause damage globally (in addition to the local damage of oil fields/coal mines, and the power plants), and the damage is much more long lasting. Also the damage of hydro does not accumulate over time afaik.
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
For the same reason burning wood is green- as long as you are regrowing it. So - if you're burning timber from a forest which is sustainably managed (so you're renewing wood at the same rate you're using it), then there is no net carbon released.
That would be true if carbon dioxide was the only greenhouse gas. But it isn't. Burning biomass could be sustainable if we make sure that new biomass is grown at the same rate as it is burned. I have yet to see a document assuring me that is the case. In any case burning biofuel is not greenhouse gas neutral. And hence not green.
What other greenhouse gases does burning biofuel create?
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#54That sounds very impressive. But I wonder at what cost overall. For instance there is a great deal of talk about windenergy, but the primary customers are states and these windmills seems to require quite a lot of maintenance. So the questions of course is. Even if the energy is sustainable, is the economic model?
You can read through some data on this site: http://www.wind-energy-the-facts.org
It's maintained by the European Wind Energy Association, so it is predictably pro-wind power. But their data does seem to indicate that wind can be economical if: 1. you put the windmills in good places, 2. the price of oil and gas goes up (which it has done), 3. technology improvements drive operation and maintenance costs down (which it has done).
Their economic comparisons include CO2 emissions costs, since it is a European study and they do have an emissions trading program there.
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
95% of energy production is hydro or nuclear in Switzerland, which depending on your views on nuclear either makes them very progressive or terrible.
How is nuclear renewable?
It depends on the kind of nuclear. For example thorium, while finite, is quite abundant. Note that the sun's energy is finite as well, so "renewable" is not black and white.
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#56Energy or Electricity? There's a big difference. Transportation accounts for a large amount of energy use and it is not electricity.
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
That would be true if carbon dioxide was the only greenhouse gas. But it isn't. Burning biomass could be sustainable if we make sure that new biomass is grown at the same rate as it is burned. I have yet to see a document assuring me that is the case. In any case burning biofuel is not greenhouse gas neutral. And hence not green.
What other greenhouse gases does burning biofuel create?
Sulphur and nitrogen oxides.
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why would the percentage go down if you replace one non-renewable energy source with another one?
You're right. Nuclear fuel is most definitely not renewable.
Well, it's inexhaustible within the next few millennia, which is the same criteria by which geothermal is considered renewable.
Nuclear really should be considered renewable, the only reason it's not is politics.
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
But you have to grow that biomass first. After you did that, you can let is decompose (bad) or burn it (less bad), but you could just skip growing it entirely.
And you would get..? Nothing? So instead of forest and some energy you get just nothing.
Forest? It's not forest, it's an endless plain of monoculture - no insects, no birds, no ecosystem.
Re: Renewables now account for 25% of German energy production
#60In terms of renewables, i think Norway and Brazil are higher up there, with 85% and 95% of their energy coming from renewable sources such as hydroelectic plants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Brazil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Norway
In terms of production, Norway has over 99%. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Norway
Thanks i corrected my comment