“Clean” energy is dirtier than imagined

[tmo1620]

If that were the case solar installations would be completely uneconomic to build and operate, because the panels purchase price would be so high due to the cost of energy to build the panel in the first place.

Generally 3 years is considered the time it takes for a solar panel to generate the same amount of energy used to build it. Most solar panels are warrantied for 25 years and will last much longer than that.

Until a hail storm destroys hundreds of them in 5 mins, no warranty there, and it happens a lot.

 

[jhurkot]

You just happened to look at it on a day with amazing sun, I watch those pages for my job on the regular and it’s rarely producing like that

What website are you using to monitor? AESO?

 

[ABMax24]

Until a hail storm destroys hundreds of them in 5 mins, no warranty there, and it happens a lot.

Vehicles would look like the surface of a golf ball too in that event. It happens, but the panels are pretty tough and the south facing slope helps deflect the impact.

 

[team dirt]

I have been working around Jenner where they are just pouring concrete for a large wind farm. Lafarge has a concrete plant out on site and there is dump truck after dump truck hauling gravel from a pit somewhere by Medicine Hat as that’s the gravel that meets spec. Over an hour one way drive. The base to the windmills require 80-90 truck loads of concrete each. That’s a lot of energy use just to build the bases. I think we are on a slow backwards trend in energy output and are just using up resources pleasing the green folk. It will be a sad day when we live with brownouts at our most vulnerable times. That and has anyone else seen their power bills double. Wait till they are 4 times higher. It’s on its way.

 

[rsaint]

I have been working around Jenner where they are just pouring concrete for a large wind farm. Lafarge has a concrete plant out on site and there is dump truck after dump truck hauling gravel from a pit somewhere by Medicine Hat as that’s the gravel that meets spec. Over an hour one way drive. The base to the windmills require 80-90 truck loads of concrete each. That’s a lot of energy use just to build the bases. I think we are on a slow backwards trend in energy output and are just using up resources pleasing the green folk. It will be a sad day when we live with brownouts at our most vulnerable times. That and has anyone else seen their power bills double. Wait till they are 4 times higher. It’s on its way.

Well our power bill doubled.

 

[Stg2Suby]

Yup we're going to be paying through the nose for fuel/gas/electric unless this country wakes up and turns things around. Regarding electric in Alberta if you're still on RRO regulated rate option make sure you switch to a better plan. RRO is up to $0.16/kwhr but you can still lock in a contract for less than $0.08.

 

[ABMax24]

Yup we're going to be paying through the nose for fuel/gas/electric unless this country wakes up and turns things around. Regarding electric in Alberta if you're still on RRO regulated rate option make sure you switch to a better plan. RRO is up to $0.16/kwhr but you can still lock in a contract for less than $0.08.

Yup, Atco is at $0.0789/kWh for a three year term, and Spot Power is at $0.082/kWh for a three year term. No penalty to cancel on either if you give 15 days notice. Probably going to be the best rates for a long time, wholesale prices have hovered around $0.10/kWh for the last year, and I suspect they'll be closer to $0.12/kWh when the carbon tax goes up again in April.