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US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

bbc.com

221–230 of 934 posts

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#221
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All kinds of power generation are typically heavily subdized in some way. I do not think this "common sense" strategy exists.

There are too many interested parties involved in the energy sector. The only common sense I can think of is solar+storage at the single building level and interconnected through smart grids with neighbours. But that leaves out the government and all those interested parties so we're never ever getting that.

> The only common sense I can think of is solar+storage

Even in Texas/California photovoltaic output in the winter is measly, anywhere more to the north and it's effectively inexistent. Solar+storage requires massive overprovisioning, to the level that it's cheaper to burn literal money.

Windmill farm outputs tend to dip during summer and peak over winter. With a given minimum power output windmills + photovoltaics + storage is massively cheaper per unit of yearly energy. Of course, if you value any semblance of network stability.

Solar+storage is clear path towards either guaranteeing reliance on fossils or brownouts. The smart energy meter you got that encourages running the washing machine during cheap hours will ensure that you voluntarily go dark during undersupply as the cost will skyrocket.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#222

It's just so blatantly and absurdly evil for literally no reason. It's a cartoon villain type of plan, the absurdity of it leaves me at a true loss for words

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are too many interested parties involved in the energy sector. The only common sense I can think of is solar+storage at the single building level and interconnected through smart grids with neighbours. But that leaves out the government and all those interested parties so we're never ever getting that.

And in the winter in the North people are just supposed to freeze?

North Americans mostly do not use electricity for heat in the winter. Around 60% use natural gas with forced air furnaces. Something closer to 80% have the option, but 20% don't bother to use it.

Some of the deep south get by with electric heat, but they aren't in places where the cold is a typically a legitimate danger to health and safety.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#225
post #148

[flagged]

Was there a good reason not to build there?

It seems at a glance like we should have just built the turbines, not paid off or stiffed them.

Since we seem to desperately need more energy, currently expanding with every other short term high polluting source we can.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, we're not expecting someone else to stop it. We voted for this. The evil is not imposed on us. It is us. Not everyone, but a majority. The minority is looking for ways to stop it, but it requires getting literally everyone else to work together. Which means any disagreement among them results in a loss, and more of the same evil.

It's not a majority at all. it's a manipulating minority.

And a population that seems content being manipulated.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#227
post #196

Insane. Over the last year, wind - mostly offshore - has generated more than 35% of electricity here. Gas is down to 27%. It's really, really good. And it looks cool.

What's more mental you talk to any Germans about deprecating their Nuclear power stations they will bang on about their plan for renewables and then you read these sorts of headlines. What the hell is happening over there? Why can't they get 'energy' despite being a scientifically literate nation. France has a far superior energy policy so it's not like you even have to travel beyond a few miles to see a wildly diffe…

Germany is already way ahead of the US in switching away from fossil electricity (also ahead of China).

Sure, keeping the entire nuclear fleet from ~2000 would have maybe helped, but would have required very costly (economically and politically!) investments over the last few decades, and those basically went into renewables instead which turned out fine.

See: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/electricity-prod-source-s...

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#228

> Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement posted on X that Americans deserve an energy system built on common sense and not one dependent on "costly subsidies". I agree. This is why we are building offshore wind and not subsidizing fossil fuels, right?

Inferior Secretary

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#229

Parts of the world are literally on fire but the US is redirecting money to halt renewables and towards gas. The demand for energy is higher than ever due to AI data centers, but I guess the next model is more important than a habitable environment.

[flagged]

The threshold isn't measured in windmills, it's measured in co2.

If we emit more than 0, then we're in trouble.

Needless to say, we're in a lot of trouble.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China is also ~4x the population of the US and accounts for 30% of the worlds manufacturing and energy production. The scale is so crazy that these numbers rarely make sense on their own.

ie. China is the future, US is the past.

Well, China is already "the past". They're past the Lewis turning point. We'll have to look somewhere else for "the future".
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