Why does renewable energy "rely on the vagaries of weather" but petroleum not rely on the vagaries of where oil deposits are?
2/3rds of Canada's Hydro now comes from renewables
- Thread starter tay
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What use is oil that's hundreds of miles (or even hundreds of yards) from the generating facility?
Stored potential..... No different than the Duracells that arrive by truck or rail.
Say, helluva idea, you can power cities with Duracells!
Say, helluva idea, you can power cities with Duracells!
Trying to lead you to the concept that transportation is part of the energy system. Oil is transported from the well, to the refinery, to the generators. The resulting electricity is transported to homes, factories, &c.
I understand your resistance. Because once you accept that energy can be transported, your whole argument falls apart, because there is always energy being generated somewhere.
I understand your resistance. Because once you accept that energy can be transported, your whole argument falls apart, because there is always energy being generated somewhere.
Since a big chunk of this is hydro, people worrying about the availability are pretty much off base.
There could be a drought. A meteor strike could divert the river. A giant, 200-meter, radioactive mutant beaver could build a dam!
Won't somebody PLEASE think of the poor, starving oil companies!
You really should have got directly to the point. That said, the 'transportability' of electricity is heavily affected by distance whereas oil retains all of it's power potential regardless of how far it's transported or in what modality.
Further, there is no commercially viable tech for electricity storage. That said, you can still burn oil when the wind isn't blowing or the sun has set
Tesla moves beyond electric cars with new California battery farm
Think of it this way, 20 years ago people never thought we could have a iPhone or Android phone that could do everything it does today..
20 years from now, imagine the possibilities in solar energy and alternative energy.
It's sad because the best investments are these startup companies.. just ask folks who bought Apple stock or Google stock 10 years ago.. and the folks that miss the opportunities are those who can't invision the future with a power cell under the hood, and a Powerwall in their home.
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I get where you're coming from Boomer and totally agree. At some point, the tech will jump that hurdle and all of these forms of energy will morph into the go-forward sources to power society.
Have you ever heard the term Moore's Law? Eh Cap?
Moore's law is the observation that, over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years. The law is named after Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore, who described the trend in his 1965 paper. His prediction has proven to be uncannily accurate, in part because the law is now used in the semiconductor industry to guide long-term planning and to set targets for research and development.
This can also be used to formulate other technology and advancements in a crude way.
http://goo.gl/t6zU7G
Unless you consider the resources expended in transporting it.
Yet. And that statement is becoming less true week by week.
The sun never sets on the empire.
Seriously? Are you f*cking sh*tting me? I know you're not that dense.
Hahaha. That's cute. Look deep. Who do you think is behind this shift in the paradigm?
Sounds great, but until that tech is available and whatever necessary infrastructure is in place, it's something interesting on a drawing board
No, really, he's not shItting you
Because oil is transportable and electricity isn't, and cannot be made transportable, right?
In your mind? Probably EEE-vil Kenyan Muslim socialists.
I'm sure there were many people in the kerosene lamp industry (and outside it) who were convinced electric light bulbs were a plot to hurt them.
I take it you're not familiar with inverse-square law? Besides, you're drifting from your original question. We're talking about immediate supply. See, here's the thing about your argument. All "traditional" power plants have a supply of fuel on hand. So while it's using that supply, more will be on route. Although weather can certainly delay delivery, power plants tend not to rely on just-in-time delivery. But with wind power, there is a specific range of wind speeds they can operate in. Not only that, but as wind speeds increase and decrease, you have to throttle the back up generation up and down, effectively burning more natgas and creating more GHGs in the form of methane instead of CO2. Catching on yet or do I need to break out the crayons and draw you a picture?
It's adorable when you think you're being clever. It's kind of like watching a de-clawed cat trying to climb the curtains.
The answer to the question is, the oil and gas industry. Of course I'm sure I'll probably have to spell THAT out to you as well.
NOTE: None of the following has anything to do with the Quran.
Ask Dr. Electron!
Hi kids! Have you ever wondered why grownups talk about things like renewable resources, cheap power and transvestites? The answer is simple. That's because adults are all interested in things like this. When you're older, have to work, and all your dreams have been dashed upon the rocks of despair, you'll be talking like that too. But back to the question: What are renewable resources?
They are any type of power or power production that can be generated indefinitely. The generation does not harm the environment and is inexpensive to do. Pretty simple, eh? Well...almost!
See that picture above? The electricity for your ipad or computer comes from those little things called electrons. This picture isn't exactly what an atom looks like, but we all need a picture to look at, to help with our understanding of things. Electrons orbit the nucleus of the atom. Wow, kind of complex, isn't it? The movement of the electrons allows us to watch television, play games on our computers or text your mom...Yuck!
There are so many electrons in the universe that we'll never run out. And just because you use electrons to make the night light work in your room does not mean that they are used up or destroyed when you turn on the bulb. Electrons move from place to place. Because they are so full of energy, just having them pass through your computer of the filament of a light bulb makes everything work inside. Amazing!
Scientists have a few theories of how electrons move through conductive material. My favourite is called the 'Bump Theory'.
Imagine that picture above, except that you have millions of atoms, not just one. Now imagine that as the electrons orbit around the nucleus, the electrons on the outermost ring or orbit occasionally slam into other electrons orbiting adjacent atoms. These outermost electrons are known as valence electrons and the collision knocks or 'bumps' them out of orbit. When this happens, they are called 'free electrons'. Free electrons are what travel through conductive material. This travel is referred to as current flow.
What a mouthful! Next time you're listening to your favourite Justin Bieber song, remember that 'the Biebs' comes alive because of free electrons. So why is it that we have to pay to go see him 'live in concert'?
Here's a picture of electrons (those little round, red balls), flying out of orbit and making current. Cool!
Ask Dr. Electron!
Hi kids! Have you ever wondered why grownups talk about things like renewable resources, cheap power and transvestites? The answer is simple. That's because adults are all interested in things like this. When you're older, have to work, and all your dreams have been dashed upon the rocks of despair, you'll be talking like that too. But back to the question: What are renewable resources?
They are any type of power or power production that can be generated indefinitely. The generation does not harm the environment and is inexpensive to do. Pretty simple, eh? Well...almost!
See that picture above? The electricity for your ipad or computer comes from those little things called electrons. This picture isn't exactly what an atom looks like, but we all need a picture to look at, to help with our understanding of things. Electrons orbit the nucleus of the atom. Wow, kind of complex, isn't it? The movement of the electrons allows us to watch television, play games on our computers or text your mom...Yuck!
There are so many electrons in the universe that we'll never run out. And just because you use electrons to make the night light work in your room does not mean that they are used up or destroyed when you turn on the bulb. Electrons move from place to place. Because they are so full of energy, just having them pass through your computer of the filament of a light bulb makes everything work inside. Amazing!
Scientists have a few theories of how electrons move through conductive material. My favourite is called the 'Bump Theory'.
Imagine that picture above, except that you have millions of atoms, not just one. Now imagine that as the electrons orbit around the nucleus, the electrons on the outermost ring or orbit occasionally slam into other electrons orbiting adjacent atoms. These outermost electrons are known as valence electrons and the collision knocks or 'bumps' them out of orbit. When this happens, they are called 'free electrons'. Free electrons are what travel through conductive material. This travel is referred to as current flow.
What a mouthful! Next time you're listening to your favourite Justin Bieber song, remember that 'the Biebs' comes alive because of free electrons. So why is it that we have to pay to go see him 'live in concert'?
Here's a picture of electrons (those little round, red balls), flying out of orbit and making current. Cool!
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