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Post by bracknellboy on Jul 21, 2024 5:54:29 GMT
or this:  (if you are wondering what it is, its a small fraction of the area in Nigeria that is an ecological and human disaster thanks to oil spills) |
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Jul 21, 2024 7:22:47 GMT
Here it is... maps.app.goo.gl/RGeN3Lpi5XjdhTrX6Now zoom out. maps.app.goo.gl/g6pw5sMEijRbyEzA8The solar farm is big - 7.5km x 4.5km, so 34km2. The Arabian desert is a LOOOOOT bigger. 2.35m km2. The largest oil field in the Arabian desert, btw, is 280km x 30km, 8,400km2. maps.app.goo.gl/qDt5BE5CswnGFD6w5If you're trying to make some point about the loss of pristine habitats compared to fossil fuels, I'm not sure it's a valid one. But I'm sure you've got an even more sustainable solution up your sleeve...?
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Post by captainconfident on Jul 21, 2024 9:16:01 GMT
Here it is... maps.app.goo.gl/RGeN3Lpi5XjdhTrX6Now zoom out. maps.app.goo.gl/g6pw5sMEijRbyEzA8The solar farm is big - 7.5km x 4.5km, so 34km2. The Arabian desert is a LOOOOOT bigger. 2.35m km2. The largest oil field in the Arabian desert, btw, is 280km x 30km, 8,400km2. maps.app.goo.gl/qDt5BE5CswnGFD6w5If you're trying to make some point about the loss of pristine habitats compared to fossil fuels, I'm not sure it's a valid one. But I'm sure you've got an even more sustainable solution up your sleeve...? Well this is clearly a question of whether you accept that there is an accelerating climate crisis where the endpoint is a few isolated groups of humans hanging on near the poles within the lifetime of the next generation. If you don't believe that after looking at all the different scientific bodies' reports all pointing to the same disastrous end of the species, you might still consider supporting the development of alternative energy as an insurance policy, just in case you are wrong.
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keitha
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2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
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Post by keitha on Jul 21, 2024 9:51:45 GMT
OK the issue with renewables
I have solar on my roof
in January it produced < 20% of my usage ( and I only use 5.5kWh or so a day )
In June it produced 3 times my usage so 2/3 exported
Some time ago I took a punt on buying a share in a Ripple windfarm ( there's a separate thread on this ) because of the way it works I purchased 120% of my annual usage, this was on the premise that Wind would do better when I have no solar and vice versa.
the windfarm I'm invested in is near the western coast of Scotland.
my "share" should produce 3900kWh of electricity per year, the farm itself should produce 18.8 MW ( best I've seen so far is 14 ) as I write this it's producing 4MW or 2/9 of rated output.
July to date my Share is 115 kWh, June was 233 kWh so 348 kWh in 50 days. About 1/11 of a years worth, unfortunately what has hit me and many other investors is the management company only getting a price of 5.2p kWh from which they take management fees and I get 3.2p or £11.20 so far that is a very poor return on £2300. Indeed on the expected return over a year I would get £125 but £115 of that is returned capital giving me a real return of £10 on my investment
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Post by bracknellboy on Jul 21, 2024 10:08:59 GMT
Here it is... maps.app.goo.gl/RGeN3Lpi5XjdhTrX6Now zoom out. maps.app.goo.gl/g6pw5sMEijRbyEzA8The solar farm is big - 7.5km x 4.5km, so 34km2. The Arabian desert is a LOOOOOT bigger. 2.35m km2.
The largest oil field in the Arabian desert, btw, is 280km x 30km, 8,400km2.maps.app.goo.gl/qDt5BE5CswnGFD6w5If you're trying to make some point about the loss of pristine habitats compared to fossil fuels, I'm not sure it's a valid one. But I'm sure you've got an even more sustainable solution up your sleeve...? i suspect on the bolded point you are comparing size of the oil field - which is underground - with size of the infrastructure above ground. So not a particularly useful comparison measure. The article said it covered 21.5 km 2 , so I'll use that figure. Which might be out of date of course. The UAE is apparently 80% desert. Which by my calculations makes that solar farm 0.031% of the UAE desert area. I guess if spoiling the view is the issue, then one can always go and look at some of the other 99.969% of the desert. Adjust %ages according to your preferred size meausurement. I find it a tad difficult to think of a more appropriate place to put a solar farm than somewhere that while not entirely lifeless is extremely barren, has a relatively non-diverse eco-system (I imagine) and has a virtual guaranteed to get a shed load of sun all year round.
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agent69
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Post by agent69 on Jul 21, 2024 11:17:50 GMT
i suspect on the bolded point you are comparing size of the oil field - which is underground - with size of the infrastructure above ground. So not a particularly useful comparison measure. The article said it covered 21.5 km 2 , so I'll use that figure. Which might be out of date of course. The UAE is apparently 80% desert. Which by my calculations makes that solar farm 0.031% of the UAE desert area. I guess if spoiling the view is the issue, then one can always go and look at some of the other 99.969% of the desert. Adjust %ages according to your preferred size meausurement. I find it a tad difficult to think of a more appropriate place to put a solar farm than somewhere that while not entirely lifeless is extremely barren, has a relatively non-diverse eco-system (I imagine) and has a virtual guaranteed to get a shed load of sun all year round. Many years ago I worked in UAE. Part of the country isn't called 'the empty quarter' for nothing
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Jul 21, 2024 13:02:18 GMT
Here it is... maps.app.goo.gl/RGeN3Lpi5XjdhTrX6Now zoom out. maps.app.goo.gl/g6pw5sMEijRbyEzA8The solar farm is big - 7.5km x 4.5km, so 34km2. The Arabian desert is a LOOOOOT bigger. 2.35m km2. The largest oil field in the Arabian desert, btw, is 280km x 30km, 8,400km2. maps.app.goo.gl/qDt5BE5CswnGFD6w5If you're trying to make some point about the loss of pristine habitats compared to fossil fuels, I'm not sure it's a valid one. But I'm sure you've got an even more sustainable solution up your sleeve...? But why are you making that comparison unless you want to distort the conclusions? You need to look at something like Mw per square mile of eyesores. I suspect nuclear is the way to go.
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Jul 21, 2024 13:23:26 GMT
Here it is... maps.app.goo.gl/RGeN3Lpi5XjdhTrX6Now zoom out. maps.app.goo.gl/g6pw5sMEijRbyEzA8The solar farm is big - 7.5km x 4.5km, so 34km2. The Arabian desert is a LOOOOOT bigger. 2.35m km2. The largest oil field in the Arabian desert, btw, is 280km x 30km, 8,400km2. maps.app.goo.gl/qDt5BE5CswnGFD6w5If you're trying to make some point about the loss of pristine habitats compared to fossil fuels, I'm not sure it's a valid one. But I'm sure you've got an even more sustainable solution up your sleeve...? But why are you making that comparison unless you want to distort the conclusions? You need to look at something like Mw per square mile of eyesores. I suspect nuclear is the way to go. If we're talking about eyesores in the gulf states, then there's a VERY long list...  Nuclear is certainly one part of a future energy mix, especially small-scale. It certainly isn't all of it. Nothing is 100%.
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Jul 21, 2024 13:56:10 GMT
But why are you making that comparison unless you want to distort the conclusions? You need to look at something like Mw per square mile of eyesores. I suspect nuclear is the way to go. If we're talking about eyesores in the gulf states, then there's a VERY long list... Nuclear is certainly one part of a future energy mix, especially small-scale. It certainly isn't all of it. Nothing is 100%. You surprise me. I had you down as the sort of chap that likes to holiday in Dubai and Vegas every year.  If nuclear works, why not use it 100% or close to as the French seem to.
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Post by mostlywrong on Jul 21, 2024 14:35:48 GMT
Can I point out that deserts are not, necessarily, empty?
Even out in the so-called Empty Quarter.
Lots of insects, quite a few birds in transit, rodents, snakes, scorpions.
What they fed on (other than homo sapiens aux anglais) was beyond me!
Even plants and the occasional bush. All waiting for the downpours that bring the desert alive within hours.
MW
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agent69
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Post by agent69 on Jul 21, 2024 16:13:59 GMT
Nuclear is certainly one part of a future energy mix, especially small-scale. It certainly isn't all of it. Nothing is 100%. I remember about 50 years ago somebody saying they had nearly cracked nuclear fusion, and it would provide limitless polution free energy. I assume we must be nearly ready to go?
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Jul 21, 2024 16:21:09 GMT
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Post by mostlywrong on Jul 21, 2024 19:07:46 GMT
Nuclear is certainly one part of a future energy mix, especially small-scale. It certainly isn't all of it. Nothing is 100%. I remember about 50 years ago somebody saying they had nearly cracked nuclear fusion, and it would provide limitless polution free energy. I assume we must be nearly ready to go? I reckon that I can pin down when I heard that: early 1971 from AWRE Harwell.
IIRC, we were bussed in from far away for a school trip.
At the time, AWRE was a major employer and sucked in A Level students and graduates from all over. They promised a career for life.
And they lied. Most of it was gone by the 1990s.
MW
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Jul 21, 2024 20:16:55 GMT
I remember about 50 years ago somebody saying they had nearly cracked nuclear fusion, and it would provide limitless polution free energy. I assume we must be nearly ready to go? I reckon that I can pin down when I heard that: early 1971 from AWRE Harwell. AERE until 1954, then UKAEA - Atomic Energy Research Establishment, then UK Atomic Energy Authority - before privatisation as AEA Technology PLC in 1996, now part of Ricardo PLC I can take a guess at what you had the W standing for...
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angrysaveruk
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Post by angrysaveruk on Jul 22, 2024 11:42:22 GMT
I want Bracknel, RegisterMe and AdrianC to watch this and let it bypass their Temporal Lobe and go directly into the sub conscience*. The price of chicken and beef is going up so I am trying to reduce demand:
* - "Eat Bugs Save The World"
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