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Australia's renewable energy investment stops
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  • Spain is close

    For wind development in Spain, there is nothing attractive to investors about joining a market where regulation is uncertain and government support withering. In 2014, Spain installed just 28 MW of wind power, far below the 175 MW installed in 2013. The tariff cut has imperiled the future of clean energy in Spain, unless the government can bring back wind incentives and restart the market.

    https://www.navigantresearch.com/blog/spanish-wind-industry-faces-subsidy-cuts

  • Yeah, it's not very good when we have politicians supporting oil & coal with no thought for the future. Politicians will always follow the money, no matter the consequences, as that's how they get finance to get elected. Sad really.

  • It is not about $$$ who get's paid off. It's about $$$ in simple economy. Solar, wind and other renewable energy sources are simply more expensive at this time than the cost of digging a hole and pumping black stuff out of the ground to burn. Governments screw this simple fact up by providing subsidies to supposedly offset the initial investment, but the reality is black is still cheaper than green. In the long run the subsidies don't pay off. Part of the issue is energy density, it's much harder to collect green than the black stuff in terms of BTU's per BTU spent collecting. Oil/natural gas etc. have to increase (relative to green) by approx. factor of 2 for green to break even. Just my $0.02

  • Yeah, it's not very good when we have politicians supporting oil & coal with no thought for the future.

    Sorry, I do not get it. It is free economics in capitalism. Why this sources need any support at all? Because they are less efficient and people do not buy and install them if no subsidy.

    Oil/natural gas etc. have to increase (relative to green) by approx. factor of 2 for green to break even. Just my $0.02

    I'll tell you that it is even worse. In reality attempt to make green energy widespread will require huge rise of energy production from traditional sources. Otherwise it will be another 2008 - prices rise and later collapse with full blown issues.

  • Yes, but are we really going to acidify our oceans? If we're doing cost benefit analysis, shouldn't be be thinking long term and not quarterly reports?

  • Yes, but are we really going to acidify our oceans? If we're doing cost benefit analysis, shouldn't be be thinking long term and not quarterly reports?

    Yep, we are going to fuck this planet.

    This is how people can be seen from above:

  • Yep, we are going to fuck this planet. This is how people can be seen from above:

  • Try to minimize your consumption as much as possible. Live close to your work, use your bike and walk as much as possible, etc.. I recommend "No Impact Man" by Colin Beavan.

  • Try to minimize your consumption as much as possible. Live close to your work, use your bike and walk as much as possible, etc..

    It is suggestion made by idiot, as it works only if you are alone on distant island.

    In reality all you do is free resources to be consumed by others (and 99% of them do not want to minimize consumption at all).

  • and 99% of them do not want to minimize consumption at all

    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." -- Mark Twain

  • "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." -- Mark Twain

    This citation is not appropriate.

    As whole point of reducing your own consumption is to expect same from others. Otherwise you just perform some kind of suicide. I think any progress is this can be obtained only on next step of society development, not in capitalism.

  • How am I committing suicide exactly? I don't get it. I think it's the opposite. I think that people who go throw life without ever questioning anything and just accepting everything the Matrix throws at them (thanks for the Matrix video, @brianl!) and adjusting their lives accordingly are committing suicide.

  • How am I committing suicide exactly?

    This thing is simple. By not consuming resources you provide them to others, hence they produce more offspring. So, such strange individuals being minority in next generation will be even smaller minority.

    As I said - in nature any attempt to reduce individual consumption (by pride or individual) is like suicide. As this food and resources will be used by competition, always.

  • As I said - in nature any attempt to reduce individual consumption (by pride or individual) is like suicide. As this food and resources will be used by competition, always.

    Then as I see it, two options remain. 1) extinction 2) Policy response. Option 2 will probably cause a war or something horrendous. Still better than option 1.

  • Then as I see it, two options remain. 1) extinction 2) Policy response. Option 2 will probably cause a war or something horrendous. Still better than option 1.

    Extinction is not a choice, at least for thinking monkeys (who we are).

    Policy response is not possible without changing whole society structure.

    As for now you want to appeal to sadist to not torture his slaves too much, and change policy so salves could have future. Well, he does not care.

  • Dude, extinction is like shit, it happens.

  • Dude, extinction is like shit, it happens.

    OF course, but it can't be reasonably made choice.

  • As I said - in nature any attempt to reduce individual consumption (by pride or individual) is like suicide. As this food and resources will be used by competition, always.

    yeah well maybe i'm going to a higher plane of existence when i die where i don't have to fight for basic necessities for survival. or maybe this is not the only habitable planet in the galaxy. and maybe the elites will all exit this planet in their giant spaceship which requires 1 billion euro to buy a ticket just before a major catastrophe wipes out planet earth and i will be invited by the elites because one of the daughters of an elite family will fall in love with me because i'm so cool that i try to conserve resources while everybody else doesn't give a shit.

    if things turn into mad max where people are killing each other for a drop of water, i will commit suicide. yeah so maybe your theory is more likely than my scenario.

  • I love green energy movement, anything to keep the plebs in check, confiscate the gas guzzling cars, impose electric cars, don't tell anyone where and how do those electric car companies (and smartphone companies too) get their materials for batteries and how much of the Africa is getting plowed all over for it.

    I think the best solution would be to stop any progress of and for the plebs, so that those with money can still continue to play with their toys without having to cope with weird weather patterns and extremes and any other global warming repercussions.

    Green energy! Look at that land, let's put dozens of giant white stands with propellers there to save the earth.

    Oh what's that you say you classical atheist liberal? You didn't hear about those nice propeller thingies spitting massive amount of excess oil that they use to lube those giant props? You never heard about local people finding their animals dead because the wind carries that toxic oil all across the field and it pollutes the grass causing disease upon ingestion?

    Oh my, don't tell me that. Evil corporations. Green is nice, it calms me down. Fund Greenpeace please.

  • I love green energy movement, anything to keep the plebs in check, confiscate the gas guzzling cars, impose electric cars, don't tell anyone where and how do those electric car companies (and smartphone companies too) get their materials for batteries and how much of the Africa is getting plowed all over for it.

    If it was in option I'll do it in a moment, I mean confiscate gas cars and give them electric ones.

    Well, energy use could be less efficient, but if you ever lived in modern cities where 90% of all shit and noise is from cars... All electric cars need is better electric generation (that can be located quite far from consumption).

    Plus, around 90% of people most of the time only need small car for one guy and with 40km/h speed limit :-)

  • Anyone here in the knows about Tesla Powerwall? Would love some opinions.

  • Wind energy is actually viable and the risks are minimal. the risks you mention aren't cited as problematic. No, there aren't vast swaths of land coated in oil and ruining lives because of oil leakage.

  • "Plus, around 90% of people most of the time only need small car for one guy and with 40km/h speed limit :-)"

    Simple, just need to be mass produced http://www.recumbent-gallery.eu/wp-content/uploads/velomobile-fietser-waw-12.jpg

  • @Adam_Mercier

    Recumbents are not suitable for normal people, and pointless for low speeds.

    You can just open alibaba and check that Chinese already produce lots of small electric cars (and also normal looking car), really affordable.

    If you need electric car now for city - used Nissan Leaf is really good.