It’s ok, we’ll get it back from Germany when we sue them for inventing the printing press as that led to all sorts of other things.
And once we found out where fire was discovered we’ll sue them for that too.
What utter nonsense.
We’re running solar panels at our farm that are still working quite well decades later. Farming under solar is not only doable but a really good use. There are installations of solar going in over tree fruit crops, grape vines and even some that being tested for row crop area. The bigger issue is how to get the transmission lines to the places that the solar goes into.
That also make the presumption that you actually HAVE water to dam to make them work.
The problem is the storage of the spent fuel rods. The risks of explosions due to cyber attacks on the infrastructure and more would have far more serious consequences. So yes you can make an explosion and a significant environmental disaster from a nuclear powerplant that will last generations. so, IMO not worth the risk.
Back to the Golden Gate discussion. I’m still on Sonoma on my main mac, was forced into Tahoe on my new laptop and dread the major conversion I’m going to have to do. to get both on the same system real soon now. Tahoe is a disaster even after all sorts of hacks and tweaks to try to fix the issues.
First, we start with a population of just over 5 million. Then…
It began small in the 19th century but hit its stride in the mid 20th century. In the last couple of decades, wind power has been ascendant. There are fifteen 5 MW or greater wind farms in New Zealand today. A total of over 1.25 GW.
Well… 3 Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima. Perfectly safe. Until it’s not. And if we’re talking about having to recycle lithium batteries… what does one do, exactly, with the consumables from nuclear?
It’s just not simple.
The best local power system I ever heard about was from a colleague who had a friend with a farm.
They built a wooden tower with a water tank each at top and bottom, and a windmill on top. When the wind blew, the electricity generated was used for powering various utilities and any excess was used to pump the water from the bottom to the top. When there was not enough wind, the system would open a valve in a downpipe to let water flow from top to bottom past a dynamo, topping up the power.
In other words… a battery where the dominant chemical was H2O. Need more storage? Build a bigger pair of tanks. Need more continuous power? Use bigger pipes.
Are we still talking about MacOS 27?
No, something much less divisive ![]()
… which is why I suggested to split to a separate thread so the nuclear stuff can continue in, check Categories, hmm, “AI” maybe?
Water is also used on a grid-scale. Pumped-storage hydroelectricity Is the biggest energy storage method worldwide by far. In Los Angeles County, we use two large lakes (Pyramid and Castaic) for this.
Drawing the line here on the energy/AI policy discussion. Any posts after this need to be more about macOS 27. ![]()
You forgot Zaphorizhia.
The more smaller ones we have the larger the attack surface.
Yeah, I really appreciate that solar is the one form of energy production that almost anyone can add to their home. I live in a tiny house/cabin and have added 800 watts of solar along with 3.2 kWh battery which powers almost everything except a small window AC and my heater in the winter. I could (and may) add another 400 watts to the set-up. When we have an extended period of cloudy/raining weather I can easily switch over to the grid. In August I averaged 3.5 kWh of solar collected each day and only tapped into the grid two days for a few hours each of those days.
So, even though this is not a full, whole house solution, the benefit is that most days I’m off grid. In our rural area of Missouri where we often have power flickers and occasional outages, I no longer even notice them. My computing, lighting, cooking is all off grid and continues working regardless of the grid status.
The cost for my particular set-up was $1700. Power stations like mine are plug-n-play with no set-up time other than plugging in the solar panel. The only part of the set-up that required much labor was building a frame for the solar panels that are located 70 feet from my cabin which is under a few trees.
As far as I know there’s no other form of energy production that can be so easily set-up.
What is your electric bill without the solar?
What has it been reduced to with the solar?
Gentle reminder:
Maybe the mods can move the energy discussion into a separate topic?
It’s going to be a bit tricky to answer because I share an electric line with a family member who also has a cabin, we usually split 50/50. The Bluetti generator I use provides data on the kWh collected/used so I’ll just do a yearly credit. Our cost is REALLY low at .10 per kWh and for the year I’m set to generate around 1260 kWh. So, around $126 saved this year.
Apologies, I didn’t see this when I made my posts, will refrain from additional non-macOS posts.
Assume that is a reasonable estimate of costs/savings
$1700 investment to save $126/year - I totally understand the benefit to the environment. But most people are more likely to make decisions on economics. Do you think many people would choose such a system on economic grounds?
I chose not to, but thought about asking for the breakeven point.
It looks like the breakeven, depending on electricity prices and any maintenance required for the solar panels, is around 10-11 years. I too recognize the environmental issue at stake, but this is similar to the issue with EVs. From a financial point of view, one has to project the breakeven in gas savings and normal maintenance after calculating for the incremental cost of a new EV versus the same or similar gas model (EVs are almost always more expensive for the same or similar vehicle), the anticipated depreciation (which for EVs is substantial), the increase in auto body repairs for EVs if needed (which based on what I have read is higher), any difference in insurance, etc. When I have done crude projections, based on finances alone, I have not found EVs to be a convincing financial investment. Again, I am fully aware of the environmental issues, but even then, solar panels and EVs are not without environmental impact.
Yeah, payback (at current electricity prices) is 10ish years. But, I’d expect those prices will rise, perhaps dramatically, in the not too distant future.
Unfortunately I think most folks go by finances which I think is a mistake as having a habitable planet should by primary (by my ethics and logic).
BUT, for me, there is also the added comfort of having uninterrupted power in an area with frequent outages. I would have done it for that alone.
I installed a natural gas generator to solve that.
[Ducking now…]
I admire what you are doing - I cannot say I am that idealistic.