Wind and solar generated more power than gas globally in April 2026

Post by terribleperson » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 4:17 PM UTC

Schiendelman wrote: post #117

id34 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recommend this video from YouTuber Technology Connections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQ9nt2ZeGM I appreciate his ability to talk renewables for almost an hour and barely mention climate change. This video has a bit of a twist ending, but he gives you a solid out before he becomes political if you're showing it to someone who won't be receptive to that messaging.

Is this the version he reuploaded? I saw it the day he posted it, and I have never seen that man more passionate and awesome. He mentioned later that he toned it down, which is almost a bummer!

Post by customguy » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 4:19 PM UTC

wat10000 wrote: post #77

tialaramex wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> some places it doesn't I can see this for wind, but not solar. PV turns sunlight into electrical energy. The whole damp rock gets sunlight on the outside, why not build panels anywhere? For wind yeah, if you live one of those boring flat places which gets tornadoes a wind turbine is definitely a bad idea, it won't make much energy and then a tornado turns it into scrap and possibly destroys nearby things with chunk…

Tornadoes are not actually very common in terms of how often you'd expect a structure to be hit by one. You're looking at hundreds or thousands of years between tornado hits even in the most tornado-prone areas. They're numerous, but small.

Post by _whiteCaps_ » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 4:20 PM UTC

nonethewiser wrote: post #121

_whiteCaps_ wrote: post #96

I just upgraded the solar system at my family's off-grid cabin. It's incredible how much battery technology has improved over the last 10 years. Everyone is getting tired of me checking the panel to see how many watts we're bringing in. Next project, install a shunt and get a Raspberry Pi talking to it over USB. And then I'll be able to build a Grafana dashboard. :)

Where is the cabin? Roughly speaking of course

Post by ZeroGravitas » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 4:21 PM UTC

dfee wrote: post #119

erelong wrote: post #9

I know some people who are adamantly against solar and wind (personally I like both but I can see some shortcomings - for example I have heard that ai datacenters are using gas at times because of its flexibility) So what are some of the best talking points to "sell" solar and wind to the unconvinced? Or will they just adopt it once it's seen everywhere?

if you require a stable energy source, neither wind nor solar (nor both) provide a complete strategy. they can be a part of a composite strategy, though. for both wind and solar, they're also quite taxing on the environment during manufacturing. the "true cost" is rarely reported. nuclear energy has a different set of problems (including social / political ones). here's that industry's take on the economics of wind e…

Post by DonsDiscountGas » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 4:23 PM UTC

nonethewiser wrote: post #132

Is it possible to increase the grid by add solar and wind and NOT adding an on-demand backup source (gas, etc.) WITHOUT ADDING RISK? What I mean is say the grid demands 100. The grid is powered entirely by coal. You give it 120 for 20% redundancy. This is extremely reliable. The grid demand is now 120. You now need 144 for 20% redundancy. You dont want to use coal. So you add solar and batteries. Batteries are great…