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

bbc.com

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

#661

Post by mbesto »

zmmmmm wrote: post #310

I read up recently on the history of the fall of the roman empire and it was fascinating how eerily similar it was to the current state of the US. Overwhelmed by corruption and wars they make stupider and stupider decisions on ever larger scales, ever more frequently. And the population grows ever more cynical, eventually opting for authoritarianism before eventually the center can't hold any more and it all collapse…

Also, two other characteristics of the fall of roman empire:

1. It struggled to remain "solvent" because it lost taxable provinces relative to the costs of wars, administration, etc.

2. It took years for it to eventually "fall". It didn't just magically disappear overnight.

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

#662

Post by IAmGraydon »

zmmmmm wrote: post #310

I read up recently on the history of the fall of the roman empire and it was fascinating how eerily similar it was to the current state of the US. Overwhelmed by corruption and wars they make stupider and stupider decisions on ever larger scales, ever more frequently. And the population grows ever more cynical, eventually opting for authoritarianism before eventually the center can't hold any more and it all collapse…

I mean no disrespect, but if you're seeing a deep parallel between the Roman Empire's final days and what's going on in the US today, I would say you need to study Roman history more. It was in deep chaos that most people in the world today can't even imagine.

The Empire was relentlessly invaded by tribes like the Visigoths and the Vandals, and they even sacked Rome multiple times in the 400s CE. There was a huge amount of political corruption, and no, I don't mean anything like what's going on in the US. Military leaders and royal guards fought each other for power, leading to frequent civil wars and leaders who didn't last long. No one wanted to join the military and so it had to hire foreign mercenaries who didn't really have any loyalty. The Roman Empire eventually split right in half because a single ruler could not project power over the entire territory. The Western Roman Empire spoke an entirely different language from the Eastern Roman Empire (Latin vs Greek)!

I'm sorry, but I keep hearing these comparisons from people who seem to have a very shallow understanding of history and are looking for patterns because they read online that the US is crumbling. Maybe, maybe not, but it is not the same thing or even similar. The differences are far more than the similarities.

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

#663

Post by 4ndrewl »

juntoalaluna wrote: post #12

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.

They know what they're doing. The next administration will give them 1.2bn to start deploying offshore wind. Money for nothing!

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

#665

Post by triceratops »

RobotToaster wrote: post #318
jfengel wrote: post #142

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.

Less than half of people who voted voted for Trump, and turnout was 64%. Being allowed to chose between two evils every few years isn't democracy.

Unless Fred Rogers is a candidate it's always going to be a choice between two evils. Do your best. Sitting out is a half vote for the greater evil.

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

#666

Post by nozzlegear »

snarf21 wrote: post #600
nozzlegear wrote: post #551

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What Would Reagan Do?

I meant Republicans more broadly. Whatever bad things Reagan did, it is a shadow on current Republican tactics.

Ah gotcha, now that I reread your comment it's obvious what you meant. My bad!

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

#667

Post by bryanlarsen »

perpetuallunch wrote: post #658
PowerElectronix wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Solar would produce enough power in winter. Germany is europe's top solar energy producer and is at a latitude similar to Alaska.

At what cost? Doesn’t Germany now have some of the most costly electricity in the OECD? For a while there we kept hearing about plug in balcony solar in Germany. Electricity generation used to be a solved problem, now it’s so bad people want to connect solar on their apartment balcony. And we’re supposed to believe this is progress ?

Germany's high electricity prices are set by the cost of imported LNG.

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

#668

Post by seaal »

aleksandrm wrote: post #587
esskay wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What "world order" is this? One where cheap energy generation is seen as a good thing? Bizarre that anyone would be against a private company building solar or wind farms in this day and age. For a guy in the ai and cybersecurity industry you seem to have incredibly poor judgement Gyan.

His "AI" company is about weaponizing deepfakes. This guy is nuts and should be banned from HN.

this seem disingenuous, seems like his company just is the natural evolution of companies having phising attack simulation training.

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

#669

Post by SubiculumCode »

estearum wrote: post #387
sbarre wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is "we" here? This is about one company bending the knee, not an entire industry or population.

"We" is referring to the US federal government, elected by the US population, and which has (and is using) massive levers to kneecap development of renewable energy sources. Some internet commentators may wish to unhelpfully point out that no matter the US federal efforts, renewable development will always be above literal zero , and so "we haven't stopped." But it's not a very useful contribution to the conversation…

I want to know whether Trump has legal authority to this money for this purpose. If it was money directed by Congress for clean energy, then no.

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

#670

Post by mrloopex »

IceHegel wrote: post #649

In my opinion, it was always crazy to build a wind farm in the most scenic part of the Pacific coast. The neo-industrialist in me thinks it would have been cool to see that driving the 1. But you can hardly call dredging and filling all that open ocean habitat conservationist.

Nice goalpost shift. Wonder what source provides your propaganda. If you look at the entire picture, you’re doing far far more benefit for the environment by reducing fossil fuel dependency. But go ahead and cry for the birds.
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