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hypnobunny asked in EnvironmentGlobal Warming · 1 decade ago

If solar and wind power generation were judged on 40 year old models?

Like nuclear power is. How would they compare?

4 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    100 years ago people had windmills to pump water out of wells.

    Then the windmills were modified to generate electricity so people could have electric lights and refrigerators.

    Then people chucked out their windmills and got connected to the national electricity grid.

    Now there is a beginning of a move in the opposite direction.

  • 1 decade ago

    They would still be unable to compete against conventional methods of generating electricity.

    Nuclear power OTOH is economically viable. I don't think it's wise to build nuclear power plants on fault lines though.

    Edit: Well said, j. Solar and wind are still expensive curiosities

  • flaig
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    certainly, i have not in any respect heard any liberal mission a "step ahead" in such technologies at any given aspect in time. Breakthroughs have befell, and could proceed to, because the technologies get carry of more advantageous study concentration. "Primitive" in connection with technologies that are a thoughts more advantageous more advantageous (and sophisticated) than exploding gasoline engines (sure, that's certainly what inner combustion engines do) is a extreme misuse of the note. in all danger, what we see immediately as straightforward wind/photo voltaic/and so on. will finally change into waiting to furnish a needed area of the international's skill needs, as we study the thanks to apply the resources more advantageous effectively (more advantageous volts in accordance to sq. inch of panels, and so on.). Couple this with more recent technologies that would want to decrease call for (like LEDs), and think ofyou've got a formulation for making some headway. more recent technologies would ought to fill the finest hollow. What do you recommend quite to those? all of us comprehend we've a restricted furnish of fossil fuels. In its contemporary state, nuclear technologies isn't lengthy-time period supportable (extreme priced, plus the storage complications). with any success advances will make nuclear skill more advantageous available as a first source contained in the subsequent 50 years. sure. I said 50 years. Technological advances are shifting more advantageous right now, yet tremendous ameliorations do not take position contained in the timeframes you're supposing. tremendous ameliorations take longer circumstances: seem how lengthy it took for inner combustion to thoroughly eliminate horses and steam engines.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    40 years ago, people thought that solar and wind power were to expensive to be more than curiosities.

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