Live data from Hacker News

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

e360.yale.edu

291–300 of 612 posts

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

#291
post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US is a crumbling democracy with crumbling infrastructure and society. I just hope while it goes down it doesn't take the rest of the planet with it.

Yes that's true... but only for the next 3 more years. We return in 2029.

I really hope so but honestly, what lessons have Democrats learned so far that will allow them to take the votes of those who are not right-wing radicals? Because there was a lot of unnecessary stuff that was going on that pissed off those who don't lean too far either side. Trump exploits this by, say, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" and scores high not just on the right. This theme will be very difficult to deal with by the Democrats.

And on the foreign front, well, the trust has been broken and I don't think it can be repaired easily. The remaining NATO allies are very stable, they understand mutual respect and collaboration is the foundation of their survival, whereas attacking each other breaks trust completely. Even if a new fantastic president is chosen that understands his huge responsibility both for Americans and the world, other countries learned their lesson hard and understand there is no guarantee in a few years the USA become their enemy again.

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

#292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have a large coal mining industry.

And consume 50% of global coal production. But coal is the worst fossil fuel from a practical stance. It's really only good for energy generation. You can't really power tanks or warships with it.

Oh, you can convert coal to liquid fuels if you have to. Germany produced low single digit millions of tons per year during World War 2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergius_process

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_proces...

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

#293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes that's true... but only for the next 3 more years. We return in 2029.

I really hope so but honestly, what lessons have Democrats learned so far that will allow them to take the votes of those who are not right-wing radicals? Because there was a lot of unnecessary stuff that was going on that pissed off those who don't lean too far either side. Trump exploits this by, say, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" and scores high not just on the right. This theme will be very difficult to dea…

Yes, Democrats have to move towards the center. But that's not enough. You can't have one good party and one evil party. Both parties have to be basically good, even if they disagree on policy. You can't have the country decline each time Republicans gain power.

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

#294
post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Got any sources for this?

Nuclear capacity additions in 2025 were about 1% of solar additions - there is no comparison.

Nuclear capacity: +2GW in 2025 (https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profil...)

Solar capacity: ¬300GW capacity

https://english.www.gov.cn/archive/statistics/202512/26/cont...

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

#297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China draws mainly on the talents of the best of its billion+ population. But America has had its pick of the best of the world's 8 billion people. We are taking a break now, but starting 2029 America will resume having its pick of the best.

> but starting 2029 America will resume having its pick of the best Your current government seems determined to make sure this won't happen.

This is the GOP devouring itself. Ditto the christian right that's been behind it. Religiosity is decaying away in the US.

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

#298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Got any sources for this?

Nuclear capacity additions in 2025 were about 1% of solar additions - there is no comparison. Nuclear capacity: +2GW in 2025 ( https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profil... ) Solar capacity: ¬300GW capacity https://english.www.gov.cn/archive/statistics/202512/26/cont...

[flagged]

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

#299
post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Eggs in one basket. Renewables are good, but it gets cloudy, night is a thing, it might not be windy Also, we can't survive an asteroid crash/extinction event with solar. Nuclear is transcedental. If we had practically unlimited fusion power, we could build underground, grow plants in aquaponics and aeroponics and ride it out in underground cities and farms.

One of the problems with nuclear is, um, it's ability to cause an "extinction event". Sort of. In that: * Nuclear power plant failures can be very, very nasty. As in, "producing uninhabitable land for eons" nasty. Yes, dam failures are spectacularly nasty, too (but don't create unlivable land as much). Yes, fossil fuel power plants also are quite bad in a "more silent way" via pollution (plus the occasional centuries…

>> As in, "producing uninhabitable land for eons" nasty.

Chernobyl is pretty much habitable now in most places. People live there, work at the power plant.

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

#300
post #44
post #20

China has also just launched a megawatt scale wind generator a the helium-lifted balloon, the S2000 , they have active thorium rector the TMSR-LF1 and GW/h Vandium flow battery. The scale , speed and breadth of what they are doing is incredible and I think missed my people

Even the people who understand the scale don't understand the purpose. The Chinese grid isn't renewable or non-renewable. It's built to keep the lights on for anything short of a thousand year catastrophe. Their 2060 plan has enough non intermittent base load that they can run the whole country off it for a decade. That half of your grid capacity is there 'just in case' is something no one in the west can wrap their…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN