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Brookings Study Calls Solar, Wind Power the Most Expensive Fossil Alternatives
turkeydance (1266624) writes A new study [PDF] from the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, argues that using solar and wind energy may be the most expensive alternatives to carbon-based electricity generation, even though they require no expenditures for fuel.....Specifically, this means nuclear power offers a savings of more than $400,000 worth of carbon emissions per megawatt of capacity. Solar saves only $69,000 and wind saves $107,000. An anonymous reader points out that the Rocky Mountain Institute finds the Brookings study flawed in several ways, and offers a rebuttal.
Similarly, the amount of radioactive material released by burning coal is rarely mentioned.
.: Semper Absurda
120V service is derived by adding a center-tapped-neutral to a 240V single-phase system. Residential power is calculated based on that 240V number. So, 240V at 200A is my max power capacity before tripping the main breaker.
I have to look at both while-running max load and have to consider startup demand. Breakers for individual circuits are supposed to be sized for startup demand (though apparently there's a tiny bit of room for fudge here, with slower-acting breakers so that a peak draw at startup could theoretically exceed a breaker rating for a very short time without either tripping the breaker or being especially dangerous) but by and large, that's what I have to do. I can rule-of-thumb the breakers for the 240V devices to figure out approximate max startup demand if everything kicked on at the same time.
If I add up the startup demand for the three HVAC units, the two hot water heaters, and probably 20A for all of the various residential 120V circuits for lighting and devices, I'm well over the 50A of a solar system, and I expect that with all of that running at the same time I'm probably over 50A there as well. That's the biggest concern, and I know that I've had all three HVAC units running at the same time before. The air compressor doesn't run very often, but it also draws 30A while it does.
We're probably going to put a couple inches of foam insulation on the outside of the house and have it stuccoed, and we're going to change the windows. Unfortunately there are a lot of windows to change, and it'll be close to five figures to change them all.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
It is a process called dumping and China has been hit with tarrifs because of it by the EU. The US is investigating also.
In case you didn't know, dumping is where you sell a product in a particular market below costs usually with the intent of harming the players already in that market.
No, it is a claim that has been made, investigated, and punished in some areas in Europe over a year ago and recently in the US.
The problem is their prices to not cover their costs. If a normal company did that, they would become bankrupt and fail into historical reference. When the Chinese companies do this, they are being supported by the Chinese government and as long as their government is willing to funnel money into them, they can sell cheaper than anyone can acquire the raw materials for- let alone produce and sell something from it.