American solar farms • Hacker News Board

Re: American solar farms

#81

Post by infecto » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:30 PM UTC

Xss3 wrote: post #71

LUmBULtERA wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree about it being politicized, but if you look at the states with the highest amounts of renewable generation, your second sentence is not supported. There is a LOT of wind energy in Republican-led states in places where wind makes sense.

Their first sentence could be called into question by that, not the second. The second specifies solar.

And solar does show up in red states. I am not sure how this short administration would have had an impact on it. I don’t agree with the politicization of it but I suspect this has more to do with the parent energy grid and any constraints due to geography. Without a doubt I would expect the Midwest to have more.

Re: American solar farms

#82

Post by Forgeties79 » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:30 PM UTC

joshstrange wrote: post #48

Forgeties79 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are right it makes sense but that hasn’t stopped them from gutting all sorts of sensible programs both energy-related and otherwise regardless of the stage of investment/development. Have we forgotten about Musk and his mob already? This administration is openly touting “beautiful clean coal” (doesn’t exist) for powering servers. Renewables are yet another front where people are divided based on politics. It has…

> I still have family members convinced that offshore wind power is mass-killing whales because of Carlson And if they are anything like the people I've talked to, they never once cared about whales (or any sea life) before this. Same with the "wind turbines kills birds" or even "trans women are ruining women's sports". Ahh yes, a whole list of things you've never cared about, made fun of, or derided in the past but…

Too true. Until they realized they could use it to bully the trans community the only time they talked about the likes of the WNBA was in service of a punchline for a bad joke.

Re: American solar farms

#83

Post by mantas » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:30 PM UTC

jstanley wrote: post #27

cainxinth wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who enjoys living next to a power plant of any kind?

Of all the kinds of power plant, a solar farm has to be the least intrusive.

On the other hand an old-school power plant has relatively tiny footprint compared to the same output solars.

Many old school plants also rely on dams and provide massive ponds. Which sucks during construction when some people have to move. But in my experience after several decades people are pretty happy to live next to those massive ponds. If I'd have to pick living next to a massive lake which allows boats/yachts/etc (which is not so common in my whereabouts) with a plant on the other side of that lake vs. lake-sized solar plant... Former does sound better.

Re: American solar farms

#84

Post by joshstrange » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:33 PM UTC

Forgeties79 wrote: post #82

joshstrange wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I still have family members convinced that offshore wind power is mass-killing whales because of Carlson And if they are anything like the people I've talked to, they never once cared about whales (or any sea life) before this. Same with the "wind turbines kills birds" or even "trans women are ruining women's sports". Ahh yes, a whole list of things you've never cared about, made fun of, or derided in the past but…

Too true. Until they realized they could use it to bully the trans community the only time they talked about the likes of the WNBA was in service of a punchline for a bad joke.

This exactly. People who I have seen make jokes at the WNBA's expense suddenly caring about the sanctity of the sport... I often wonder if they see the cognitive dissonance, probably not.

Re: American solar farms

#85

Post by pjc50 » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:33 PM UTC

paulnpace wrote: post #8

My experience has been that people living next to newly constructed solar farms are unhappy about living next to a solar farm. It is also my experience that this is a fringe opinion because a very low percentage of people live next to solar farms.

People object to any construction whatsoever.

Re: American solar farms

#86

Post by FuriouslyAdrift » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:34 PM UTC

chasd00 wrote: post #50

dzonga wrote: post #45

the sad thing about this data is how politicized clean energy has become. the blue states have a lot of energy solar - while the red ones are sparse. the red ones get a lot of sun while the blue ones don't.

Texas is about as red as it gets and leads the nation in renewable energy including solar. Red or blue, if the gov can setup a situation where renewable energy is profitable then nature will take its course. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/texas-tops-us-states...

Indiana has one of the largest wind farms in the world and is so red it practically glows...

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

We also have a ton of solar. We could be doing much better as we also have an enormous amount of coal plants.

Re: American solar farms

#87

Post by mantas » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:34 PM UTC

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #79

mantas wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically I could see some reasons. Grids need serious upgrades to support personal solar properly. Which is €€€ and, if end-customers would have to foot the bill themselves, very few people would install solar at home. On top of that, at least in my whereabouts solar is receives a fuckton of subsidies. In the long run lower energy prices will pay back those subsidies for the society, but for now I could see why so…

Isn't US made equipment facing the headwinds of the US being anti-solar. It seems more like the US shot itself in the foot by letting the Chinese get the lead on this technology. And by subsidizing, and maybe regulating buying US, we could support our domestic industry. Seems like all over the place we are giving up and letting China win the technology race. Robots, cars, solar, all the future tech is in trouble. I d…

As an euro, here it's the same. Even though (most of?) europe is pro-solar.

Re: American solar farms

#88

Post by sigwinch » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:36 PM UTC

criley2 wrote: post #51

UltraSane wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The federal government doesn't have to approve solar farms built on private land. Solar is far from dead in the US and there is tons of private land solar farms can and will be built on.

Most the best land for solar farms in the west half of the US is controlled by the federal government. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Ma... For example, there basically will not be large scale solar in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, etc under this administration. You know, some of the highest value spots.

I’m not sure land is the controlling factor. Look at current fuel mix: the upper Midwest is mostly coal, with all its disadvantages. How was it possible for Iowa, South Dakota, and Kansas to choose wind?

Re: American solar farms

#89

Post by pjc50 » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:37 PM UTC

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #80

bluGill wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taxes are far too complex to figure that our. In the case of other there are a lot of different players and most do things other than oil and so it isn't possible to figure out what tax/subsidy is from oil.

Was wondering if anybody just took raw manufacturing/operating costs, and energy output, and compared. Removing all taxes and subsidies from the equation. If we are going to say Solar is now cheaper, I'd think it would have to be without subsidies.

Accounting is a big issue for renewables because almost all the cost is upfront. You pay a capital cost for X years (say, 30) of electricity. Maintenance is a much smaller fraction of the cost. Therefore the question of profitability depends on all sorts of non-power things: amortization, interest rates, how the tax-deductibility of a capital investment is handled, what future electricity costs are, and so on.

Re: American solar farms

#90

Post by pjc50 » Mon, Oct 13, 2025, 1:40 PM UTC

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #47

rapind wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

What is the argument against it? I've never heard any logical reasons beyond hating the Left. It's like hating bikers, why? The same people that have pickup trucks and swerve to intimidate bikers, seem to hate solar energy. But why?

It acknowledges the reality of global warming. Furthermore, and the real reason why it's considered "woke", is that it implies taking some action to reduce the harm done to others. People who enjoy threatening to harm others (such as your biker example) get very angry about that.