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The Forum > Article Comments > What is environmentally sustainable is up for debate > Comments

What is environmentally sustainable is up for debate : Comments

By Peter McCloy, published 8/9/2015

If the Greens are going to achieve their target of 100% renewable energy there are a few obstacles to overcome, as our mutual experience indicates. Certainly it can never be achieved by relying on solar and/or wind power.

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Luciferase,
"Shouldn't the industrial process be a needed one (hence come under the heading of need rather than excess), or, do we just make up something to waste energy on to justify the whole mad caper?"
Obviously the industrial process should produce something of value, but not something we need the constant production of. We must be able to time the start and finish of the process according to the availability of cheap electricity.

100% renewables is not something we have to worry about how to get any time soon, but it is far from farcical.

What's farcical is the idea that nuclear makes renewables redundant on the grid. It hasn't done so yet anywhere in the world!
Posted by Aidan, Tuesday, 8 September 2015 5:21:25 PM
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"Obviously the industrial process should produce something of value, but not something we need the constant production of."

Anything we produce is for consumption. How can something have value if it's not needed/wanted/consumed, constantly or not? Isn't that inefficiency/wasted energy?

If going 100% renewables needs an energy sink, it's a boondoggle to overbuild then sink the output.

With regard to supplementing the grid's nuclear output by anything more expensive than nuclear, or more GHG emitting, the only reason that situation might exist is because nuclear expansion is nobbled by government, and/or, governement heavily subsidizes renewables. Germany is a case in point, which would rather burn coal than free nuclear from its hobbles.
Posted by Luciferase, Tuesday, 8 September 2015 6:09:13 PM
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Luciferase,
"How can something have value if it's not needed/wanted/consumed, constantly or not? Isn't that inefficiency/wasted energy?"
Obviously you did not understand what I just said. I did NOT suggest making anything that's not needed/wanted/consumed. I said we should produce something of value.

"f going 100% renewables needs an energy sink, it's a boondoggle to overbuild then sink the output."
Possibly, but that's not a safe assumption. It depends on the cost of renewable energy, the cost of finance, and the cost and price of the end product. Future conditions may be very different from present conditions.

"With regard to supplementing the grid's nuclear output by anything more expensive than nuclear, or more GHG emitting, the only reason that situation might exist is because nuclear expansion is nobbled by government, and/or, governement heavily subsidizes renewables. Germany is a case in point, which would rather burn coal than free nuclear from its hobbles."
You are ignoring the possibility that building more nuclear is significantly more expensive than expected (as is turning out to be the case in Britain).

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plantagenet,

"China's economic downturn is forcing China away from China's highly publicised greenhouse gas goals - which were supportable in better Chinese economic times."
What is your source for that claim?
Posted by Aidan, Tuesday, 8 September 2015 8:02:29 PM
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Aidan

My razor sharp eye and wit matey.

I don't need to be reminded by economic experts what is happening.

Come see my blog Submarine Matters http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/ . I can't claim to be ex Navy or submariner either.

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Tuesday, 8 September 2015 8:20:38 PM
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