Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time • Hacker News Board

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#51

Post by drewcon » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 3:40 AM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #48

JudgeWapner wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democrats are just as irrational. By giving tax breaks to renewable energy, letting Priuses use the diamond lane, the whole solyndra scandal. They talk a good game, but strangely their utopian plans never quite work out, but their big government and tax hikes always stay. Both parties are the same.

Why do you say that tax breaks to renewable energy or letting greener vehicles use the diamond lane is irrational? I'll note two things, by the way 1. O&G companies also get tax subsidies. 2. The Republican led government of Texas approved giving electric cars the right to use the HOV lane with one person in the car, so you must thus acknowledge that they are at least as irrational

Subsidies? Not really.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/drillinginfo/2016/02/22/debunki...

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#52

Post by Spooky23 » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 3:48 AM UTC

tracker1 wrote: post #14

One thing I'm amused (not in a good way) by, is that there's so much FUD and marketing around the use of Coal etc. for energy and alternatives (Nuclear, wind, solar) ... I'm not necessarily knowledge enough to favor some over others. But I always felt, "because pollution," should be enough reason alone to look at alternatives, and considering the impact of building/supplying/disposing of the materials in the alternat…

People tend to miss obvious things when their mortgages depend on them doing so.

Places dominated by extractive industries tend to be run by he money behind those industries. That transcends party traditionally, but has become a pillar of the right wing of the GOP since Nixon. Unfortunately, that means that people who run those industries basically control the Senate and soon the Supreme Court.

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#53

Post by agumonkey » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 3:50 AM UTC

Fej wrote: post #37

The majority of the US electorate is underinformed and/or misinformed. The most popular cable news network is Fox News, which pushes straight-up falsehoods as propaganda for the right. That's not to say the left-wing networks are innocent, just that the most popular one is also the most dishonest. It has a wide reach and many voters get all of their news from only this network. The right-wing party is completely boug…

After observing some neighbors, I tend to think that Fox news and the likes are not really misinforming but mostly a reflection of these people. Echo chambers etc etc

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#54

Post by Spooky23 » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 3:50 AM UTC

drewcon wrote: post #51

komali2 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you say that tax breaks to renewable energy or letting greener vehicles use the diamond lane is irrational? I'll note two things, by the way 1. O&G companies also get tax subsidies. 2. The Republican led government of Texas approved giving electric cars the right to use the HOV lane with one person in the car, so you must thus acknowledge that they are at least as irrational

Subsidies? Not really. https://www.forbes.com/sites/drillinginfo/2016/02/22/debunki...

When you open that argument with “what about the widows and orphans depending on MLP dividends”, I stop reading.

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#55

Post by davidw » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 3:51 AM UTC

Disappointed it wasn't reported as a blow to the coal industry.

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#56

Post by elamje » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 3:52 AM UTC

mirimir wrote: post #30

> Texas produces and consumes more electricity overall than any other state. OK, why? From an article in Texas Monthly:[0] > More than half of the energy consumed in Texas is for industrial use, according to the EIA, while residential use—which in terms of sheer BTUs is the most in the nation, even as our per capita usage is relatively low—accounts for just over 13 percent. Transportation accounts for nearly a quarte…

Texas resident here. If you have ever driven by a refinery of any type you will see where energy goes. The shear amount of energy to convert oil to usable gas/plastics/etc. is pretty crazy.

Texas has the biggest oil refinery presence in the US (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_refining_in_the_Un...)

Refineries don’t just make gasoline, but plastic, engine oil, industrial lubricant. That being said, wiki will tell you 85% of refinery output goes to gasoline, diesel, home heating oil, and aviation fuel.

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#57

Post by caseysoftware » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 4:00 AM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #50

fkdo wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think most Americans receive a quality education that covers a lot of really valuable material. The US population isn't the most well educated, but it's unfair to our teachers to say that most Americans are poorly educated.

I disagree as a product of the southern education system. Worth noting that some schools can't even afford to stay open five days a week. Gems from my public schooling in South Carolina: 1. A teacher telling me to put my Harry Potter book away as it was written by Satan. Not that it was satanic or written by a Satanist. No, written literally by the hand of Lucifer himself. 2. The moon landing might not have happened.…

I'd wager those are exceptional cases, but even if they're the norm, being able to read is above and beyond many.

In Chicago, my peers were promoted to the point of graduation still being functionally illiterate. In Northern Virginia, my 4th grader was barely a 1st grader by ability - math, reading, and general knowledge - but kept getting promoted.

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#58

Post by elamje » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 4:02 AM UTC

6thaccount2 wrote: post #49

benmccann wrote: post #46

If you live in Texas you can switch your home's power to wind via a YC company and probably save money: getgex.com

Unless you're hooking up your rural house to a turbine, your comment is misleading. The power going to your house will still be a mix of coal, natural gas, wind, solar, and others.

Not sure why you are getting downvoted. Can someone show that a company that does not install wind turbines at your house can guarantee that you will be receiving power only produced by wind turbines?

I could be misunderstanding something, but it seems that two neighbors(one using “wind”, the other using standard power) that share the same power line simply cannot be getting power from different sources.

Edit: Hmm, now I’m getting downvoted, still without an explaination.

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#59

Post by hdfbdtbcdg » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 4:07 AM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #48

JudgeWapner wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democrats are just as irrational. By giving tax breaks to renewable energy, letting Priuses use the diamond lane, the whole solyndra scandal. They talk a good game, but strangely their utopian plans never quite work out, but their big government and tax hikes always stay. Both parties are the same.

Why do you say that tax breaks to renewable energy or letting greener vehicles use the diamond lane is irrational? I'll note two things, by the way 1. O&G companies also get tax subsidies. 2. The Republican led government of Texas approved giving electric cars the right to use the HOV lane with one person in the car, so you must thus acknowledge that they are at least as irrational

Are hybrids greener? They emit less NOx so I am in favour but is their total lifetime carbon lower than a pure ICE?

Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

#60

Post by sb057 » Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 4:08 AM UTC

jwr wrote: post #34

bit_logic wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For coal, maybe the focus on climate change and CO2 is the wrong way to fight this. Tell people to reduce coal to reduce CO2 for climate change and you will get a strong split along D and R lines. Tell people we need to reduce coal to reduce NOX, SO2, particulates, smog, things that people can see, breathe, and has universal agreement that it hurts lungs and health and suddenly D and R doesn't matter. Everyone can ge…

> Tell people to reduce coal to reduce CO2 for climate change and you will get a strong split along D and R lines. Why? Seriously, for someone outside the US, why in the name of anything that is holy to anyone, would people actively try to destroy the planet and justify it with their ideology? I mean, I get that you can have shares in a fossil fuel company, and you don't care if your children and grandchildren will h…

I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that a long time ago Al Gore being a major advocate for legislative change, and of course, if the other side of the aisle says something, it has to be wrong and bad. Simple partisanship.