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Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

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Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#181

Post by balops »

hnmullany wrote: post #146
ben_w wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> no one talks about it People regularly talk about how much new coal capacity China has been building. Quite often this is followed by "capacity, sure; they're not using all that capacity, those plants exist and are mostly not running", or some variation thereof. I've never bothered fact-checking the responses, but this conversation happens is most of the Chinese renewables discussions I've seen in the last few year…

Coal generation production in China did decline in 2025 vs 2024 - but that was the first year for it to happen.

[flagged]

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#182

Post by timeon »

madeofpalk wrote: post #52
roxolotl wrote: post #21

It genuinely makes me so sad to see the US not doing the same. Having grown up to the constant beat of “energy independence” as the core goal of a party it seemed obvious that the nearly limitless energy that rains down from the sky would be the answer. But instead we’ve kept choosing the option which requires devastating our, and other’s around the world, community. That’s not to exclude the harsh reality of mining…

Its crazy that in 1999 "home solar" was a fancy, new millennium idea, and now we're still barely any closer. Honestly, I think building regulations should mandate solar energy for homes.

Barely any closer? I can see it on every fourth roof in western Slovak village.

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#183

Post by triceratops »

balops wrote: post #173
account42 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's incredibly how common it is these days to see valid criticism dismissed as "X talking points" or "Y dog whistle". I guess that's easier than providing an argument.

[flagged]

Who said anything about "the left"?

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#184

Post by carefulfungi »

expedition32 wrote: post #124

If the US ever blocks Chinese ports the lights will be kept on. Although I'm sure that situation will end with a mushroom cloud.

Or massive industrial hacking that destroys enough transportation, farming, and supply chain integration that there is mass starvation when food delivery and production stalls - and it all comes crumbling down.

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#185

Post by triceratops »

globular-toast wrote: post #115
zipy124 wrote: post #74

It is incredible to see just how many big-oil talking points there are in this thread. From renewable energies resource costs, to their land use impact. I didn't realise just how effective their propaganda was in the tech space till reading this thread. That is not to say that these projects should be free of criticism, but anyone who believes these negatives are remotely close to the damage that fossil fuels are doi…

[flagged]

> We look back and curse our ancestors for their unbridled use of fossil fuels. Who is to say future generations won't look back and curse us for destroying all wilderness?

I curse my ancestors for destroying all wilderness to get at fossil fuels.

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#187

Post by Workaccount2 »

whatisthiseven wrote: post #152
gruez wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It is incredible to see just how many big-oil talking points there are in this thread. From renewable energies resource costs, to their land use impact. I didn't realise just how effective their propaganda was in the tech space till reading this thread. What makes this more valid than something like "it's incredible how many YIMBY talking points there are" in a thread about housing, aside from you agreeing with the…

Oil and gas have used, between drilling and refining, over 7 million acres of land in just the US. Yes, it provides more electricity, but at the cost of destroying the entire planet's biosphere, global warming, etc. Current US estimates for solar land usage are 500,000 acres. The land use arguments are bunk. Anyone who complains is repeating oil and gas propaganda.

Around me, conservatives started a grassroots "save the whales" campaign to block wind.

Conservatives, protesting on the street to save the whales. Talk about a sight to see.

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#188

Post by HumblyTossed »

balops wrote: post #173
account42 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's incredibly how common it is these days to see valid criticism dismissed as "X talking points" or "Y dog whistle". I guess that's easier than providing an argument.

[flagged]

And the Right are known to have deep, intellectual, nuanced discussions?

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#189

Post by avsteele »

JensKnipper wrote: post #145
avsteele wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That metric doesn't answer the same question. It isn't saying 18% of their needs are being met by renewables.

If you look at the growth rate of renewables it should be pretty clear that coal will not play a major role in the foreseeable future. Why is it not saying 18% of the needs are being met by renewables? That's exactly what it does

This is not energy output (production, usage), it is that plus an adjustment for the in->out energy efficiency. It would only == production if all energy sources in the mix has the same factor.

Because fossil fuels have higher in/out losses this is number is larger than usage. This metric is generally used to track decarbonization.

Using the IEA number you can see the hydro+solar+wind production is about 9.5% of the total, not 18%.

ChatGPT or you favorite LLM can explain in greater detail, just send it the plot image and ask.

Re: Photos capture the breathtaking scale of China's wind and solar buildout

#190

Post by carefulfungi »

globular-toast wrote: post #119
danw1979 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My local beaches on the Yorkshire coast have some of the biggest wind farms in the world. We’re never going to reduce energy consumption. It’s a balance between gas and wind here, just pick how many wind turbines you want, and burn gas to fill in the gaps. Your ruined horizon is my safer future for my kids. I like seeing them there. I wish there were more.

Every generation thinks they're building a safer future for their kids, including the boomers. If you want to talk about safety then you need to take sustainability seriously.

In the US, "Boomers" made the environmental movement mainstream, created the EPA, started cleanup of superfund sites, and passed the clean water and clean air acts. There are waterways where I live that are swimmable for the first time in generations because of the Boomers. It's not an either/or proposition.
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