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Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

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Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's the US dollars circulating globally because all transactions for oil anywhere in the world are dollar-denominated , giving the US control over the entire global financial system.

> because all transactions for oil anywhere in the world are dollar-denominated This was sort of true in the 1970s only because we ignored the Soviet Union and its allies, which included a lot of petroleum production. It's totally untrue now, in a world where America exports oil. (I traded contracts in Connecticut in the early 2010s. Oil was priced in all sorts of currencies. British and Norwegian oil, for example, i…

What about iranian or russian oil? Can british and norweigian buy iranian oil in currency other than dollars?

Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#382

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That said, don't think I'm like the nuclear power guys of the 50s who claimed that electricity would be so abundant that we wouldn't even bother to meter it Funny you would say that, Australia is about to have free power for all for a few hours each day. Yep, there really is that much https://www.energy.gov.au/news/solar-sharer-offer-cut-electr...

It probably could have been true if regulations were not written that said if your nuclear power is going to be cheaper than other sources you have to spend on safety features until it's not cheaper. Like the internet today, electricity could have been a flat monthly fee determined by your service line limit (similar to bandwidth) with limits in place for excess use.

Get solar on your roof and then just ignore their stupid rules and monopolies and corruption.

Working great for me. Friends down the road had a 16% increase in price per kWh, already locked in another 8% increase next year.

Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It such obvious corruption. Trump ordered the pentagon to buy coal power specifically.

The crazy thing is coal mining is 40,000 jobs. I have never seen such a tiny industry given such preferential/oversized treatment. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES1021210001 Lyft is 10% of the size of big coal and Amazon is over 20x larger.

While they say it’s about the jobs, it is so very clearly about who is making how much money by propping up coal ( and other industries)

Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#386
post #126

The trump administration by refusing to admit the superior metrics of solar, they're just burying their heads in sand. As admitting that solar is now a superior and cost effective means of energy means admitting that the US is no longer top dog. As empires are built on mastering a source of energy. the Portuguese | Dutch - mastered wind to power their ships. the British mastered coal to power Industrial Revolution. A…

Someone desperately needs to build the largest solar farm on earth, nakedly as a direct affront to China, and call it the "The Grand Trump Sun Energy Complex", with a large statue of him standing at the center of the massive radial field of panels. The dude would have no choice but to approve it and provide funding for it.

With what panels? The vast majority are made in China.

Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#387
post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile the areas where the coal jobs used to exist (or still do) just had their food stamps removed or reduced. It's such a charade.

There’s such an amount of implied or perceived shame attached to using these government safety nets in America. I’d be surprised if anyone who was benefiting from them worked in coal.

And that is by design. There is a reason why people get food stamps and not just 1000 dollars on their bank account.

Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't start with a 5MW project. Start with a 10-20kW ground-mount project in your back yard. Then build a 100-200kW project before trying MW.

Is there a big overlap in experience building a 5MW project and a 10-20kw project? The former would involve, I imagine, more of a project manager, fund-raiser, and general contractor role for GP. The latter can be a DIY effort if they are handy and licensed. There's no way anyone is single-handedly installing the panels and inverters for a 5MW project in a reasonable timeframe. Even the hardware, land acquisition, an…

No idea why that question was considered downvote-worthy.

Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#389
post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The trump administration by refusing to admit the superior metrics of solar, they're just burying their heads in sand. I don't think I agree with this as it suggests they are doing it because they can't be bothered about it. Instead, they are doing it specifically because their (and/or their friend's) pockets are getting filled. To me, the latter is much more sinister.

I have a theory that corruption+nepotism are unstoppable forces of nature. Advanced governments only force corruption to distribute and obfuscate. I think this is why there appears to be some correlation between unpopular behavior and financial success. Government essentially erects artificial barriers to entry on behalf of the incumbent businesses that fund it.

I don’t know if it is “unstoppable” or a “force,” but nepotism is a natural behavior, selected for in humans by kin selection.

Likewise, I think public choice theory would probably argue that corruption is a predictable outcome in politics that has to be constantly guarded against.

Re: Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

#390
post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a theory that corruption+nepotism are unstoppable forces of nature. Advanced governments only force corruption to distribute and obfuscate. I think this is why there appears to be some correlation between unpopular behavior and financial success. Government essentially erects artificial barriers to entry on behalf of the incumbent businesses that fund it.

That's why I see AI (with a clear set of provided objectives and guidelines, i.e., a constitution) as the future of government. As dystopian as that sounds, it's the only way I see to truly rid ourselves of corruption.

I don't know how any AI system would not eventually determine that humans are the problem. Sci-fi uses this as a plot numerous times for a reason. What humans are doing is not logical, and better choices can be made if it weren't so damn profitable for some to keep going as is.
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