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What's Wrong with Wind and Solar?   The Serious You: How Current Events Affect You

Started 2/22/21 by WALTER784; 115533 views.
Msg 691 of 732 to Showtalkshowtalk 
In reply toRe: msg 690
WALTER784
Staff

From: WALTER784

Sep-20

Why wind and solar power are running out of juice

By Jonathan Lesser
Published Sep. 2, 2023, 12:00 p.m. ET

Green energy and the push to electrify everything have been in the news recently but for all the wrong reasons.
 
Instead of the green energy nirvana politicians and green energy advocates have promised, economic and physical reality has begun to set in.
 
Start with the economic realities. 
 
Wind turbine manufacturers like Siemens and General Electric have reported huge losses for the first half of this year, almost $5 billion for the former and $1 billion for the latter. 
 
Among other problems, turbine quality control has suffered, forcing manufacturers such as Siemens and Vestas to incur costly warranty repairs. 
 
In Europe, offshore wind output has been less than promised, while operating costs have been much higher than advertised.
 
Offshore wind developers in Europe and the US are canceling projects because of higher materials and construction costs. 
 
In Massachusetts, Avangrid, the developer of the 1,200 MW Commonwealth Wind project paid $48 million to get out of its existing contract to sell power to ratepayers. 
 
That way, the company can rebid the project next year at an even higher price. 
 
Close by, the developers of the 1,200 MW SouthCoast Wind Project off Martha’s Vineyard will pay about $60 million to exit their existing contract. 
 
Rhode Island Energy, the state’s main electric utility, recently rejected the second Revolution Wind Project because the contract price was too high. 
 
Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee promised that his state's new "cap-and-invest" program would have little impact on residents' pocketbooks.
 
Ron Sachs – CNP
 
And Ørsted, the Danish government-owned company that is developing the Southfork Wind and Sunrise Wind projects off Long Island — as well as the Ocean Wind project off the New Jersey coast — last week announced that, without additional subsidies and higher contract prices, it will have to write-off billions of dollars in potential losses. 
 
The result: Even though Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch insists that “energy transition without wind energy does not work,” 2022 saw 16% less new wind-power capacity than in 2021, according to the American Clean Power Association. 
 
In New Jersey, the legislature passed a law in July, which is likely unconstitutional, to bail out Ørsted.   
 
The legislation will award the company with several billion dollars of investment tax credits that were supposed to go to consumers.
 
But now Washington State has the highest gas prices in the entire country.
 
Back on dry land, opposition to siting land-gobbling wind and solar projects continues to grow. 
 
Local governments in Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio have all rejected or restricted projects. 
 
Rural communities, it seems, do not want to host massive turbine farms  — nor the high-voltage transmission lines needed to deliver electricity to power-hungry cities.
 
Then there are electric vehicles. 
 
German manufacturer Siemens's wind-turbine business Siemens Gamesa has lost almost $5 billion over the past year.
 
AFP via Getty Images
 
Ford, which has bet heavily on its electric Lightning pickup and Mustang and received a $9.2 billion government-subsidized loan in January, revealed that it has lost $60,000 for every EV it sold in the first half of this year. 
 
Rivian, another EV company, managed to reduce its losses per EV to around $33,000, a big improvement over the $67,000 loss per EV in the first quarter of the year. 
 
Proterra, a Bay Area-based manufacturer of electric buses and
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Msg 692 of 732 to WALTER784WALTER784 
In reply toRe: msg 691
Showtalk
Host

From: Showtalk

Sep-20

They are finding they can’t afford it.  Even home solar, which most people think is a good idea, is so expensive that most households in the U.S. can’t afford it. I’ve been following the discussion on a local community forum and many people also have to get a new roof in order to handle the weight of solar.  That can run anywhere from$15,000-40,000 and up depending on how much work must be done and type of materials used.

Installing solar panels in California costs an average of $10,000 to $13,000 after the 30% solar federal tax credit. Costs vary depending on where you live, your system size and which company you use. When considering the cost of installing solar panels, it’s also important to keep in mind how much money you could save in electricity costs in coming years—in many cases, solar panels can pay for themselves within five or six years of installation.

https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/solar/solar-panel-costs-california/

 
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Msg 693 of 732 to Showtalkshowtalk 
In reply toRe: msg 692
WALTER784
Staff

From: WALTER784

Sep-20

I wonder how many of those "supposed" roof must be replaced quotations actually required a roof replacement? Or was that just a scam to up the cost of installing the solar panels. 

My home was built in 1991. I had Toshiba solar panels installed on my roof in 2016. My roof didn't need any type of replacement or additional support to hand the weight of the solar panels on the roof either. 

Before they installed the panels, they required access to the attic in my home to see where the support beams on the roof were, how they were spaced, etc. They installed/bolted rail mounts exactly where the cross beams on my roof were. Once those rails were bolted to my roof, they mounted the solar panels to those rail mounts. My roof structure was more than adequate to handle the weight of the solar panels, so why wouldn't most roofs? Unless they were either under par... or it was a scam to jack up the installation price. Me believes the latter was the case in most of those instances! 

Sure, it ain't cheap... I paid $12,000 for my entire solar system... less charging batteries, that would have upped the price another $8,000. So I went for the use what I generate and sell off the amount I don't use back to the electric company. 

Mine paid off after the 6th year of installation. 

FWIW

 
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Msg 694 of 732 to WALTER784WALTER784 
In reply toRe: msg 693
Showtalk
Host

From: Showtalk

Sep-20

A roof must be replaced if the structure under it is not sound. It doesn’t need to be replaced if the current roofing can hold the weight. But a lot of houses in certain cities have tile style roofing which breaks if any weight is put on it. Clay tiles can last hundreds of years as long as they don’t break, but older roofing was not designed for that. If they have an asphalt roof, it’s not a big deal. If it is a type that can break, it needs to be replaced. 

 
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Msg 695 of 732 to Showtalkshowtalk 
In reply toRe: msg 694
WALTER784
Staff

From: WALTER784

Sep-20

It just doesn't make any sense to me no matter what angle I look at it from other than "a cheap house"!

Usually, people buy a home and live in it all or a good part of their life. Why would they want a weak roof structure?

If you live in hurricane prone Florida, where strong winds blow large objects through the air, you would NOT want a weak roof structure.

If you live in an earthquake prone area, where shocks and after shocks often occur, you would NOT want a weak roof structure.

If you want to put a solar panel on the roof, you would NOT want a weak roof structure.

Etc. 

The only time I could think of to WANT a weak roof structure is if it would drop the price of the entire house! (i.e. a cheap house... cutting corners on the roof.)

FWIW

 
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Msg 696 of 732 to WALTER784WALTER784 
In reply toRe: msg 695
Showtalk
Host

From: Showtalk

Sep-20

They don’t want a weak roof structure but the roof that holds up what is on there now may not hold up with the extra weight.  As an example, clay tile is extremely heavy and needs a roof base specifically made for tile. If someone decides to remove a lighter asphalt roof and replace it with tile, the roof and the frame have to be strengthened.  The same could be true with the added weight of solar.  Not all houses are new.

  • Edited September 20, 2023 9:58 pm  by  Showtalk
 
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Msg 697 of 732 to Showtalkshowtalk 
In reply toRe: msg 696
WALTER784
Staff

From: WALTER784

Oct-5

GREEN MIRAGE: World’s biggest offshore wind farm developer warns industry is in serious trouble

09/14/2023
Cassie B.

The offshore wind industry is in trouble both at home and abroad as it fails to live up to expectations as a dependable source of "green energy."
 
The world's biggest offshore wind farm developer, the Danish energy firm Orsted, has seen its value fall by 31 percent since declaring $2.3 billion of U.S. impairments last month. The company, which is a key player in the American market, is struggling amid high interest rates and delays in supplies, along with a lack of new tax credits.
 
CEO Mads Nipper issued a warning to investors during a conference call, cautioning: "The situation in U.S. offshore wind is severe.”
 
Other energy firms that have been attempting to construct offshore wind farms in America have also been struggling, and this has led to serious doubts about the future of offshore wind.
 
President Joe Biden believed that offshore wind was a good way to address climate change, with his administration setting a target of deploying 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind in just seven years’ time from the current level of 41 megawatts. Several subsidies have been enacted to help companies in their efforts to decarbonize power and give domestic manufacturing a boost. However, these subsidies and favorable regulations have not been enough to keep the industry afloat.
 
One major problem is inflation. At first, the American offshore wind industry lagged behind its European rivals because subsidies and regulations related to the industry were slow to get off the ground. Once things turned around, however, several developers revealed ambitious offshore wind farm plans, many of which were situated off the East Coast.
 
However, the pandemic and its related supply chain issues led to higher equipment and labor costs, which made the projects that were in the works significantly costlier than initially believed. Although many companies may have taken an aggressive approach to bidding on early projects in order to get their foot in the door, rising costs eventually forced them to reconsider.
 
Interest rate hikes and insufficient subsidies affecting offshore wind farming industry
 
In addition, interest rate hikes implemented by the Fed to help stem inflation made the situation even worse as many offshore wind project contracts did not have any mechanisms in place to allow for adjustments should interest rates or costs rise. As a result, some developers found that it made more sense to pay the penalty needed to get out of their contract instead of moving forward with their plans and dealing with potential losses. A pair of offshore wind developers in Massachusetts were among those who took this path, paying termination fees on deals that could have provided enough energy to power more than a million homes.
 
For its part, Orsted informed utility regulators earlier this summer that they couldn't move forward with plans to build a 924 MW project unless their agreement was revised to factor in the effects of inflation.
 
Another issue at play is insufficient subsidies. While solar and electric vehicle batteries have benefited from initiatives such as the Inflation Reduction Act, offshore wind has not been receiving the same level of help, with developers complaining that the bonus incentives they need to move their projects forward are too difficult to obtain.
 
Meanwhile, it was recently announced that no new offshore wind farms will be moving forward in the U.K. after none of the businesses that were hoping to build large offshore wind farms there participated in the U.K. government's recently-held yearly auction that provides contracts for creating renewable electricity at set prices for 15 years. The companies that might otherwise have participated said that the auction price was unreasonable given the fact that costs in the sector have risen by 40 percent due to inflation throughout their supply chains.
 
Some experts have said the auction’s inability to secure offshore wind farms is the country's most significant clean energy policy failure in nearly a decade.

GREEN MIRAGE: World’s biggest offshore wind farm developer warns industry is in serious trouble – NaturalNews.com

FWIW

 
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Msg 698 of 732 to WALTER784WALTER784 
In reply toRe: msg 697
Showtalk
Host

From: Showtalk

Oct-5

Poor planning of a product that doesn’t work very well.

 
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Msg 699 of 732 to Showtalkshowtalk 
In reply toRe: msg 698
WALTER784
Staff

From: WALTER784

Oct-5

Yep, and they don't even mention the 10~15 years down the road problem of how are they going to dispose of all these broken down wind turbines and blades and solar panels as a good majority of their components are NOT recyclable. 

FWIW

 
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Msg 700 of 732 to WALTER784WALTER784 
In reply toRe: msg 699
Showtalk
Host

From: Showtalk

Oct-5

More landfills.

 
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