US will meet Paris accord commitments even if Donald Trump withdraws

engineer
engineer Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭✭
I found a report in the "Independent" claiming that the US will meet Paris accord commitments even if DonaldTrump withdraws because renewable energy will be the cheapest form of power in almost every country by 2020 (With the exception of a few countries in Southeast Asia).
Which means that prices for clean energy will soon sink to lower than more polluting sources so the US will use more renewable resources not because they like them but because they are cheaper.

sounds like good news ( of course not for Trump!)

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Comments

  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    engineer said:
    I found a report in the "Independent" claiming that the US will meet Paris accord commitments even if DonaldTrump withdraws because renewable energy will be the cheapest form of power in almost every country by 2020 (With the exception of a few countries in Southeast Asia).
    Well, unless Trump manages to sabotage the industry.  There's probably several ways he could do that - outlaw net metering, put up killer tariffs for solar equipment, just outlaw solar and wind in general.  Hopefully his current troubles will keep him occupied so he doesn't have time to pursue such avenues.
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    engineer said:
    I found a report in the "Independent" claiming that the US will meet Paris accord commitments even if Donald Trump withdraws because renewable energy will be the cheapest form of power in almost every country by 2020 (With the exception of a few countries in Southeast Asia).
    Which means that prices for clean energy will soon sink to lower than more polluting sources so the US will use more renewable resources not because they like them but because they are cheaper.
    I don't think that your  assumption is totally correct..... Hydro power up here, particularly in BC, is the dominant source, not coal or nat gas fired plants and the length and depth of the winter (winter storms) causes us to have to spend more $$$ on PV to fill the minimum size of battery...
    ps and 2020 is only 2 1/2 yrs from now so that must mean that PV power generation costs  must have had a precipitous fall this summer...???
     
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    The reason for CO2 reduction, primarily, in the US was because of the recent recession (and probably outsourcing of heavy industries), and the fracking of natural gas reducing the usage of coal (which releases something like 2x the CO2 vs natural gas).

    https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601415/carbon-dioxide-emissions-keep-falling-in-the-us/

    As industry recovers, and the US exports more natural gas (world market rates), you will probably see an increase in CO2 production.

    Germany is having issues now with meeting future CO2 "goals":

    https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/german-carbon-emissions-rise-2016-despite-coal-use-drop

    China is already swamping the world CO2 production, and was still planning on ramping up on coal fired power plants (using Australian coal and others) through 2030:

    https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data

    Other countries (such as India) will be continuing to increase their coal fired electrical power plants too for the future:

    It is estimated that Human CO2 production is ~3-4% of the "natural" carbon cycle:

    https://www.skepticalscience.com/human-co2-smaller-than-natural-emissions.htm

    CO2 is a fertilizer and is at a historic low (plants are stressed by low CO2).

    https://fifthseasongardening.com/regulating-carbon-dioxide

    And CO2 is at a (relatively) low level vs the earth's age:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_in_Earth's_atmosphere

    Take the above numbers with a "grain of salt"... Between the large error bars and politicized government statistics--Arguing the numbers will probably just end up going in circles.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/08/30/errors-in-estimating-temperatures-using-the-average-of-tmax-and-tmin-analysis-of-the-uscrn-temperature-stations/

    Personally, I do not see any data that links high(er) levels of CO2 to high(er) global average temperatures. There are processes that have "higher" temperatures that follow with a rising CO2 atmospheric levels (such as increasing ocean temperatures reduces dissolved gasses carrying capacity of sea water) with an ~800 year lag (ice core logs).

    https://skepticalscience.com/co2-lags-temperature.htm

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • cow_rancher
    cow_rancher Solar Expert Posts: 117 ✭✭✭✭
    engineer said:because renewable energy will be the cheapest form of power in almost every country by 2020 (With the exception of a few countries in Southeast Asia).

    sounds like good news ( of course not for Trump!)

    Currently, and call me out on this experts, but Solar is not now, and probably will never be cheaper than other current types of energy, Coal, Natural gas, Hydro, Nuclear .

    Solar has been and is only cheaper with net metering at sell back rates equal to buy rates, and then only with rebates from the US Government (that's our tax dollars at work), and rebates from Electric Utilities which were mandated to have 5% renewable energy by 2020, that is going away as well as the net metering dollar for dollar by/sell rates.

    We pulled out of the Paris accords because of the Billions of dollars that we the US Government (that's our tax dollars at work), would have had to pay other countries to clean up their CO2 emissions... sound fair to you, not to me...

    I'm not sure what your "not for Trump" comment applies to, do you think Trump is against more sustainable energy sources, or is he just a smart businessman?

    Rancher
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    Trump is not against clean energy Trump is only against clean energy that forces the US to pay extremely high costs thereby depleting our resources faster.
  • MarkC
    MarkC Solar Expert Posts: 212 ✭✭✭
    BB. said:
    The reason for CO2 reduction, primarily, in the US was because of the recent recession (and probably outsourcing of heavy industries), and the fracking of natural gas reducing the usage of coal (which releases something like 2x the CO2 vs natural gas).

    https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601415/carbon-dioxide-emissions-keep-falling-in-the-us/

    As industry recovers, and the US exports more natural gas (world market rates), you will probably see an increase in CO2 production.

    Germany is having issues now with meeting future CO2 "goals":

    https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/german-carbon-emissions-rise-2016-despite-coal-use-drop

    China is already swamping the world CO2 production, and was still planning on ramping up on coal fired power plants (using Australian coal and others) through 2030:

    https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data

    Other countries (such as India) will be continuing to increase their coal fired electrical power plants too for the future:

    It is estimated that Human CO2 production is ~3-4% of the "natural" carbon cycle:

    https://www.skepticalscience.com/human-co2-smaller-than-natural-emissions.htm

    CO2 is a fertilizer and is at a historic low (plants are stressed by low CO2).

    https://fifthseasongardening.com/regulating-carbon-dioxide

    And CO2 is at a (relatively) low level vs the earth's age:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_in_Earth's_atmosphere

    Take the above numbers with a "grain of salt"... Between the large error bars and politicized government statistics--Arguing the numbers will probably just end up going in circles.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/08/30/errors-in-estimating-temperatures-using-the-average-of-tmax-and-tmin-analysis-of-the-uscrn-temperature-stations/

    Personally, I do not see any data that links high(er) levels of CO2 to high(er) global average temperatures. There are processes that have "higher" temperatures that follow with a rising CO2 atmospheric levels (such as increasing ocean temperatures reduces dissolved gasses carrying capacity of sea water) with an ~800 year lag (ice core logs).

    https://skepticalscience.com/co2-lags-temperature.htm

    -Bill
    Thanks Bill - as usual, a voice of reason with facts to back up the reasoning.  OTOH, minimizing our glutinous consumption of coal/hydrocarbons for energy/fuels is an admirable goal - future generations should have hydrocarbons for building blocks of chemicals, plastics, pharma, insecticides, herbicides, composites, paints, solvents, etc, etc.  

    IMO, the great thing about this forum is that we are invested in minimizing the use and finding good alternatives to coal, nat gas, fuel oil, gasoline, diesel, as our source of energy and transportation.
    3850 watts - 14 - 275SW SolarWorld Panels, 4000 TL-US SMA Sunny Boy Grid tied inverter.  2760 Watts - 8 - 345XL Solar World Panels, 3000 TL-US SMA Sunny Boy GT inverter.   3000 watts SMA/SPS power.  PV "switchable" to MidNite Classic 250ks based charging of Golf cart + spare battery array of 8 - 155 AH 12V Trojans with an  APC SMT3000 - 48 volt DC=>120 Volt AC inverter for emergency off-grid.   Also, "PriUPS" backup generator with APC SURT6000/SURT003  => 192 volt DC/240 volt split phase AC inverter.  
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    I have no problem with meeting the accord mandates as long as it's done to promote US economic growth and not to further some mumbo jumbo witchery that says we are doing things without any scientific proof.  I am glad we have a living, evolving planet instead of a stagnant one. If the Earth was maintained in it's purest state, human life would not exist on it, nor would any other life, save for the bacteria, but then again, they would be causing change, so they would have to be wiped out too.
  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    cow_rancher said:

    Currently, and call me out on this experts, but Solar is not now, and probably will never be cheaper than other current types of energy, Coal, Natural gas, Hydro, Nuclear .

    Solar has been and is only cheaper with net metering at sell back rates equal to buy rates, and then only with rebates from the US Government (that's our tax dollars at work), and rebates from Electric Utilities which were mandated to have 5% renewable energy by 2020, that is going away as well as the net metering dollar for dollar by/sell rates.
    Unsubsidized solar is now considerably cheaper than coal.  A project in Abu Dhabi was just approved that will sell solar energy for 2.4 cents a kilowatt-hour, cheaper than conventional fossil sources of power.  (And obviously no US government subsidies there.)  There have been similar prices accepted for projects in Chile and India.

    Here in the US, unsubsidized costs of solar are around 4.5 to 6 cents per kwhr, due to higher labor and land costs mainly.  Compare that to natural gas (4.5 to 7.5 cents) coal (6 to 14 cents) and nuclear (9.5 to 13 cents.)  It's taking off pretty rapidly as a result.
  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    Solray said:
    I have no problem with meeting the accord mandates as long as it's done to promote US economic growth and not to further some mumbo jumbo witchery that says we are doing things without any scientific proof.
    You will be happy to know, in that case, that the accord's goal is reduction of CO2 to reduce the impact of climate change, which has a tremendous amount of scientific proof behind it.
  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    Solray said:
    Trump is not against clean energy Trump is only against clean energy that forces the US to pay extremely high costs thereby depleting our resources faster.
    So higher costs increase consumption?  That sounds a bit backwards.  In standard economic theory, high costs reduce consumption and drive developments of alternatives.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    "Carbon taxes" and payments to less developed countries.

    Turkey is talking about pulling out of Paris because nobody is giving them any climate money.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    I hate  it when you long term memory kicks into action and dredges  up things that you placed on the side board.... 
    In 1970, in Dendrology, the study of trees and their growth, we were taught that the bigger rings found inside the trees was a result of more moisture, and more recently, a PHD Dr., Forester, friend (a denialist) delivered a presentation, in China, at an international symposium on CO2 levels, that there is solid evidence that ALL PLANTS  and specifically trees, are growing larger and taller with the small increases of CO2 in the atmosphere!... Hence crop yields are increased per acre, more food per acre ..... so if true, is GCC a good or a bad thing for the people who have to eat? just saying...
    later in 1972, Forest planning, we were discussing PARKS and the Victorian concept of a park,  they believed that once you declared an area ''a Park'', it would stop all change in that area.... they had never heard/thought  of Ecological  Succession, evolution on a different time scale, take the National parks along the Rockies, fires were fought and thus an essential part of the areas ecology was eliminated and "Oh no, or beautiful Ponderosa Pine stands are now burning up''.... because man stopped the small annual fires from doing 'their' job.... !
    end of rant...

     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    Solray said:
    I have no problem with meeting the accord mandates as long as it's done to promote US economic growth and not to further some mumbo jumbo witchery that says we are doing things without any scientific proof.
    You will be happy to know, in that case, that the accord's goal is reduction of CO2 to reduce the impact of climate change, which has a tremendous amount of scientific proof behind it.
    There is also a tremendous amount of proof that climate change precedes mankind's tiny input by millions of years. :) So, what cars caused the end of the last ice age and period of global warming?  What about the one before that? and the one before that one?  Yep, it's been happening for as long as the earth has been here, the planet is governed by cyclical changes in climate and always has been. We cannot stop that no matter what we do, short of blowing it all up and even then it will continue, we just won't see it.
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    I hate  it when you long term memory kicks into action and dredges  up things that you placed on the side board.... 
    In 1970, in Dendrology, the study of trees and their growth, we were taught that the bigger rings found inside the trees was a result of more moisture, and more recently, a PHD Dr., Forester, friend (a denialist) delivered a presentation, in China, at an international symposium on CO2 levels, that there is solid evidence that ALL PLANTS  and specifically trees, are growing larger and taller with the small increases of CO2 in the atmosphere!... Hence crop yields are increased per acre, more food per acre ..... so if true, is GCC a good or a bad thing for the people who have to eat? just saying...
    later in 1972, Forest planning, we were discussing PARKS and the Victorian concept of a park,  they believed that once you declared an area ''a Park'', it would stop all change in that area.... they had never heard/thought  of Ecological  Succession, evolution on a different time scale, take the National parks along the Rockies, fires were fought and thus an essential part of the areas ecology was eliminated and "Oh no, or beautiful Ponderosa Pine stands are now burning up''.... because man stopped the small annual fires from doing 'their' job.... !
    end of rant...

    Happily, they now manage a lot of wildfires instead of trying to stop them. 
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    Solray said:
    Trump is not against clean energy Trump is only against clean energy that forces the US to pay extremely high costs thereby depleting our resources faster.
    So higher costs increase consumption?  That sounds a bit backwards.  In standard economic theory, high costs reduce consumption and drive developments of alternatives.
    Our nations capital (with an 'a') is also a national resource a lot of folks forget about, as it the M1 money supply.
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    cow_rancher said:

    Currently, and call me out on this experts, but Solar is not now, and probably will never be cheaper than other current types of energy, Coal, Natural gas, Hydro, Nuclear .

    Solar has been and is only cheaper with net metering at sell back rates equal to buy rates, and then only with rebates from the US Government (that's our tax dollars at work), and rebates from Electric Utilities which were mandated to have 5% renewable energy by 2020, that is going away as well as the net metering dollar for dollar by/sell rates.
    Unsubsidized solar is now considerably cheaper than coal.  A project in Abu Dhabi was just approved that will sell solar energy for 2.4 cents a kilowatt-hour, cheaper than conventional fossil sources of power.  (And obviously no US government subsidies there.)  There have been similar prices accepted for projects in Chile and India.

    Here in the US, unsubsidized costs of solar are around 4.5 to 6 cents per kwhr, due to higher labor and land costs mainly.  Compare that to natural gas (4.5 to 7.5 cents) coal (6 to 14 cents) and nuclear (9.5 to 13 cents.)  It's taking off pretty rapidly as a result.
    Abu Dhabi may have a few oil dollars funding such projects, so yes, there are almost all US dollars floating the projects there.
  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This is a political question, not a technical one. The reality is that much of the western world now believes that human caused CO2 emissions are causing climate change. Deal with it.
    Off-grid.  
    Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
    Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    Estragon said:
    This is a political question, not a technical one. The reality is that much of the western world now believes that human caused CO2 emissions are causing climate change. Deal with it.
    The other reality is that the rest of the western world and many scientists that have studied the ice sheets at the poles do not believe we have in less than a hundred years of industrial revolution made any difference at all over what would have happened if we were not here, and happened several times before we were here. Deal with it. :)
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I like The question and obviously there are no 'pure' answers with out a lot of related costs/facts evaluated.

    I'm also a fence sitter on global warming!

    ...but I do believe we humans can and do effect the climate. Past history of the "Dust Bowl" from over development of marginal land, "Acid Rain" for the U.S. caused by dirty coal burning and depletion of the Ozone layer (more direct causal than global warming) Show our direct involvement in the environment.

    I also believe fossil fuels are finite, continuing increase in population and the demands it puts on energy resources will continue to create social and economic problems. As well as any environmental problems.

    We may have reached peak oil, at least for the easy to obtain oil. Peak oil is the idea that we have extracted 50% of the readily available oil. I think we are in stage 2, creating more environmental problems by harvesting the harder to extract oil shale. No I don't think it's a coincidence that there are increased earthquakes in regions where we are pumping slurry into the ground to extract oil. Don't think the local water contamination is innocent byproduct of fracking.

    Even not knowing, or caring if "Global Warming" or "Climate Change" is real, Mankind, needs to look at and develop alternatives to fossil fuels. Truly our planet is "Infested with Humans".  I'm either a fatalist or a realist, I suspect I've got maybe another 20 years. I might get to see which.
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • Solray
    Solray Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
    We have more oil sitting under us in the US than in the middle east. We are just letting them use up theirs before we sell them ours to get even. :)
    (the last bit is a joke)
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Solray said:
    We have more oil sitting under us in the US than in the middle east.
    Been a long time and many discoveries since I was researching this, but back in the stone age, I think Canada had more than all of us combined, locked in oil shale.

    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • Mangas
    Mangas Solar Expert Posts: 547 ✭✭✭✭
    :) Don't tell the cattle. . .
    Ranch Off Grid System & Custom Home: 2 x pair stacked Schneider XW 5548+ Plus inverters (4), 2 x Schneider MPPT 80-600 Charge Controllers, 2 Xanbus AGS Generator Start and Air Extraction System Controllers, 64 Trojan L16 REB 6v 375 AH Flooded Cel Batteries w/Water Miser Caps, 44 x 185 Sharp Solar Panels, Cummins Onan RS20 KW Propane Water Cooled Genset, ICF Custom House Construction, all appliances, Central A/C, 2 x High Efficiency Variable Speed three ton Central A/C 220v compressors, 2 x Propane furnaces, 2 x Variable Speed Air Handlers, 2 x HD WiFi HVAC Zoned System Controllers
  • cow_rancher
    cow_rancher Solar Expert Posts: 117 ✭✭✭✭
    cow_rancher said:

    Currently, and call me out on this experts, but Solar is not now, and probably will never be cheaper than other current types of energy, Coal, Natural gas, Hydro, Nuclear .

    Solar has been and is only cheaper with net metering at sell back rates equal to buy rates, and then only with rebates from the US Government (that's our tax dollars at work), and rebates from Electric Utilities which were mandated to have 5% renewable energy by 2020, that is going away as well as the net metering dollar for dollar by/sell rates.
    Unsubsidized solar is now considerably cheaper than coal.  A project in Abu Dhabi was just approved that will sell solar energy for 2.4 cents a kilowatt-hour, cheaper than conventional fossil sources of power.  (And obviously no US government subsidies there.)  There have been similar prices accepted for projects in Chile and India.

    Here in the US, unsubsidized costs of solar are around 4.5 to 6 cents per kwhr, due to higher labor and land costs mainly.  Compare that to natural gas (4.5 to 7.5 cents) coal (6 to 14 cents) and nuclear (9.5 to 13 cents.)  It's taking off pretty rapidly as a result.

    OpenEI, sponsored jointly by the US DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has compiled a historical cost-of-generation database[61] covering a wide variety of generation sources. Because the data is open source it may be subject to frequent revision.

    LCOE from OpenEI DB as of June, 2015
    Plant Type (USD/MWh)MinMedianMaxData Source Year
    Distributed Generation10701302014
    HydropowerConventional30701002011
    Small Hydropower
    140
    2011
    WindOnshore (land based)40
    802014
    Offshore100
    2002014
    Natural GasCombined Cycle50
    802014
    Combustion Turbine140
    2002014
    CoalPulverized, scrubbed60
    1502014
    Pulverized, unscrubbed
    40
    2008
    IGCC, gasified100
    1702014
    SolarPhotovoltaic601102502014
    CSP100
    2202014
    GeothermalHydrothermal50
    1002011
    Blind
    100
    2011
    Enhanced80
    1302014
    Biopower90
    1102014
    Fuel Cell100
    1602014
    Nuclear90
    1302014
    Ocean2302402502011

  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Photowhit said:
    Solray said:
    We have more oil sitting under us in the US than in the middle east.
    Been a long time and many discoveries since I was researching this, but back in the stone age, I think Canada had more than all of us combined, locked in oil shale.

    The first part is correct, there is a huge amount of oil, but in Canada we call it the Tar Sands,  in Alberta .. and extraction does have problems with the impact/affect on the local environment.... though there has been a lot of technological improvements, it used to take almost 1 barrel of oil to produce the same from the tar sands, now it is approaching 1 barrel to produce 5....  however the big issue I see is the amount of water used in the process. It currently is about 2 - 4  barrels to make 1 barrel of synthesized crude oil from the bitumen, a final product that is piped to the offshore tankers...you don't want a bitumen spill !!! it does not float...
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    Solray said:
    There is also a tremendous amount of proof that climate change precedes mankind's tiny input by millions of years. :) So, what cars caused the end of the last ice age and period of global warming?  What about the one before that? and the one before that one? 
    A great many things.  Meteor impacts.  Massive vulcanism.  Changes in insolation caused by the Earth's orbital parameters (google Milankovitch cycles.)  The fact that the climate changes after big changes in the Earth is nothing new; the only thing new this time is that humans are driving it.
  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2017 #27
    Solray said:
    Solray said:
    Trump is not against clean energy Trump is only against clean energy that forces the US to pay extremely high costs thereby depleting our resources faster.
    So higher costs increase consumption?  That sounds a bit backwards.  In standard economic theory, high costs reduce consumption and drive developments of alternatives.
    Our nations capital (with an 'a') is also a national resource a lot of folks forget about, as it the M1 money supply.
    Yes, there are resources within the federal government.  But despite centuries of trying, they have not been able to change the fundamental laws of economics (i.e. cost drives usage.)  In the case of solar, they spent decades subsidizing installations, hoping that economies of scale drove prices down.  But while prices were high, solar made minimal inroads into our energy supply; it was a rounding error at best.

    Then, about five years ago, prices finally dropped into the range of affordability.  And commercial/residential installations started to pick up.  That drove further reductions in cost as quantities increased.  Today we have solar that is cheaper than coal and nuclear, and even without subsidies people are installing solar throughout the world because it's so cheap.

    This is a good thing; every four gigawatts of solar we install is 10 million gallons of LNG a year - coming from our own dwindling reserves - that we don't have to burn.  
  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭

    OpenEI, sponsored jointly by the US DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has compiled a historical cost-of-generation database[61] covering a wide variety of generation sources. Because the data is open source it may be subject to frequent revision.

    LCOE from OpenEI DB as of June, 2015
    Plant Type (USD/MWh)MinMedianMaxData Source Year
    Distributed Generation10701302014
    HydropowerConventional30701002011
    Small Hydropower
    140
    2011
    WindOnshore (land based)40
    802014
    Offshore100
    2002014
    Natural GasCombined Cycle50
    802014
    Combustion Turbine140
    2002014
    CoalPulverized, scrubbed60
    1502014
    Pulverized, unscrubbed
    40
    2008
    IGCC, gasified100
    1702014
    SolarPhotovoltaic601102502014
    CSP100
    2202014
    GeothermalHydrothermal50
    1002011
    Blind
    100
    2011
    Enhanced80
    1302014
    Biopower90
    1102014
    Fuel Cell100
    1602014
    Nuclear90
    1302014
    Ocean2302402502011

    Those look about right.  Solar three years ago was a bit more expensive than coal was nine years ago.  Today, after three years of economies-of-scale, it has gotten cheaper than coal.
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Next we need a substantial drop in the cost of Energy Storage systems.....  I'm waiting for the onslaught  of LiFe chem storage to hit the streets... more competiton and larger sales
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • Lumisol
    Lumisol Registered Users Posts: 374 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2017 #30
    As long as it's done for the benefit of the US and it's economy I am fine with anything that improves life for us whether it's following the guidelines or ignoring them. I just don't want to be doing what other countries say we should do to help them. We've done enough global charity for a while. Let other countries do the work for themselves for a change.
  • garynappi
    garynappi Registered Users Posts: 105 ✭✭
    IMO, none of this international squabbling has anything to do with a sitting president. If energy from one source is cheaper to produce than another it will happen. Business is after profit, and to a lesser degree image, if profit is to be made alternative sources of energy will happen too.