Wind and solar exceeding Coal in 2023

Shipping is about to take advantage of wind power in a new (or old) way. New ships will have giant sails on them to supplement conventional (or non-conventional) forms of locomotion. Three large sails can reduce fuel usage by 30% on a shipping tanker.

Shipping industry revisits bygone technology on journey to slash costs and pollution: ‘A propulsion system that will actually pay for itself’

 

solar stockpiles in warehouses continue to grow and the price of panels dropped 50% in 2023. It might make sense (ie less than 10 years paybacK) soon to install for someone like me if this keeps up.

Setback for Trump Georgia RICO Case Defendant as Lawyers Withdraw Over Nonpayment (msn.com)

The US and European Union are seeing large stockpiles of solar panels after soaring manufacturing capacity fueled a substantial oversupply, the International Energy Agency has reported.

The glut sent prices down nearly 50% in 2023 as manufacturing levels stood three times above those seen in 2021, and the IEA said it saw the oversupply continuing.

 

Been saying this same thing since the 80’s. Always made sense to me to be as energy independent/versatile as possible. I would include the newer designed small nuclear plants as well into the “energy mix”.

 

There is a reactor design using thorium I think. The half life’s of the materials is in the decades as opposed to millennia. I know almost nothing about this but like these even better.

 

Here is something unusual: about 15% of the counties in the U.S. have banned or otherwise blocked utility-scale wind or solar farms. Reasons include bizarre claims that solar power would threaten health and well-being of residents, would create a landscape of black glass and towering windmills, put lives at risk, and cause a mass exodus out of the area. They forgot "cats and dogs living together" and "mass hysteria!" Almost as many counties have blocked solar installations as have allowed them. All the supporters of solar and wind power could claim is that they should commit to solar/wind power "for our children's future", which is either clearly a lie, or illegally implies that we should care about our children's future (sarcasm alert). Hopefully, Trump will stop this madness and give us a better madness to attach ourselves to (not quite sarcasm).

They hoped solar panels would secure the future of their farm. Then their neighbors found out

Under the "landscape of black glass and towering windmills" ban, I reckon we could go ahead and ban cities. They fit the description close enough.