One other factor many people advocating wind & solar at high percentage
do not take into account is the effects of unreliability.
They say that we do not need "Gold Plating" of electricity.
They advocate every house have batteries. Good idea actually.
However it means that EVERY building over three floors will immediately
be devalued by perhaps 75% or some even 100%.
Think think think, I can hear the cogs ticking over.

Philip S,

"Is Mise on a bicycle with a generator that picture will be priceless"

I already do, I have an exercise bike that drives a generator to help charge batteries for our 'night light' system.

Got the idea years ago at a commune in the Bellinger Valley (NSW) where they had a system that required those who wished to watch TV at night did a stint of pedalling on the generator bike during the day.

Their main power came from a bank of batteries (recycled car batteries) that were charged by a floating water wheel in the local river.

Bazz,
"One other factor many people advocating wind & solar at high percentage
do not take into account is the effects of unreliability."

There's a very good reason for that:
Unlike you, they're not so stupid that they assume that using wind and solar at a high percentage means having a less reliable electricity supply.

"They say that we do not need 'Gold Plating' of electricity."

Don't you even understand that the "gold plating" of electricity infrastructure meant its owners making it cost far more than it should due to the incompetent regulation authorities effectively letting them charge their customers on a cost plus percentage basis?

"They advocate every house have batteries. Good idea actually."

No, that's actually a bad idea. We certainly need more batteries, but having them in individual houses only really makes sense when it can be used to avoid infrastructure upgrades. Elsewhere it's better to pursue economies of scale.

"However it means that EVERY building over three floors will immediately
be devalued by perhaps 75% or some even 100%."

Struth, what a huge non sequiter! You seem to be assuming both an unreliable supply and a lack of batteries in the buildings.

//Their main power came from a bank of batteries (recycled car batteries) that were charged by a floating water wheel in the local river.//

Water wheels are wonderful pieces of technology, but they run on water and we live in Australia where water is less abundant than it is many countries.

We do have quite a lot of yellowcake, though... just sayin'. Also quite a lot of coal, but I'm of the opinion that mankind should save their coal so they have it to make steel with into the future, and look to nuclear (and hydro, where the geography is suitable) for baseload power generation.

Further to producing rain in the Sahara,

http://sciencing.com/average-yearly-rainfall-sahara-desert-5097814.html

Seems that if the rainfall in the Sahara was doubled it wouldn't make a measurable difference.

Don't show your ignorance Aiden.