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Texas Has Enough Sun and Wind To Quit Coal, Rice Researchers Say (houstonchronicle.com)

According to new research from Rice University, Texas has enough natural patterns of wind and sun to operate without coal. "Scientists found that between wind energy from West Texas and the Gulf Coast, and solar energy across the state, Texas could meet a significant portion of its electricity demand from renewable power without extensive battery storage," reports Houston Chronicle. "The reason: These sources generate power at different times of day, meaning that coordinating them could replace production from coal-fired plants." From the report: Texas is the largest producer of wind energy in the United States, generating about 18 percent of its electricity from wind. Most of the state's wind turbines are located in West Texas, where the wind blows the strongest at night and in the early spring, when demand is low. The resource, however, can be complemented by turbines on the Gulf Coast, where wind produces the most electricity on late afternoons in the summer, when power demand is the highest. Solar energy, a small, but rapidly growing segment of the state's energy mix, also has the advantage of generating power when it is needed most -- hot, sunny summer afternoons.

In the summer, Gulf Coast wind generation could overtake West Texas wind capacity from about 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. when sea breezes kick in, Rice research showed. From about 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., solar power average capacity also could exceed wind generation in West Texas, which increases as evening turns to night. In the winter, winds in West Texas strengthen and generation increases, dropping off about 9 a.m., when solar energy begins to ramp up. "It's all a matter of timing," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at the state's grid manager, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Weather, however, remains unpredictable. Texas would still need battery storage and natural gas-fired power plants to fill in gaps when, for example, winds might slacken earlier than expected.

280 comments

  1. Nicole Foss on renewables by js290 · · Score: 1

    Nicole Foss on renewables http://bit.ly/2rzS5Pq

    --
    "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
    1. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by dfghjk · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That was unbearably ignorant. Her logic could just as easily justify a future with no energy at all, and considering that she demonstrates no understanding of the complexities of which she comments, it's unclear how she decides between a future of locally generated power and one where we live in caves. Just how is local generation equipment made when we no longer have an industrial society? Seriously, she's an idiot.

    2. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by js290 · · Score: 1
      I suppose if advocating for the use of less energy is "ignorant", then technological salvation is faith based.

      "[Civilization] is all about living through our concepts... our idea we've imposed on reality & when reality doesn't behave according to our idea, what do we do? We input... we can never input enough to make our false concept correct." http://bit.ly/1GnbtAA

      --
      "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
    3. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      Completely representative of the kind of intellect that would disagree with my comments.

    4. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just tax pollution and renewables will pay for themselves.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    5. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by js290 · · Score: 1

      I agree that all externalities should be fully accounted for, but production of renewables does not pollute?

      --
      "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
    6. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by dfghjk · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If Nicole Foss advocated for using less energy in that video, I couldn't stand the ignorance long enough to see it. Fact is, she predicted a non-industrial future based on unsustainable energy production which she justified by junk science she didn't understand and who's numbers were old, out of date and did not support her claims. She didn't "advocate' for using less energy, she predicted the collapse of known civilization which would force it.

      Talking about faith based, to believe her you have as willfully ignorant as any religion.

      You know, technology improves. Perhaps Nicole Foss should realize that.

    7. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 5, Informative

      production of renewables does not pollute?

      Manufacturing can be clean or dirty, depending on how you do it but it's 100% pollution free after that.
      Fossil fuels also go through a manufacturing process which can be clean or dirty and it's 100% polluting after that.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    8. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by js290 · · Score: 1

      There's no pollution in the disposal after its life expectancy? What is the thermodynamic efficiency of renewables, 100%? If not 100%, can the byproducts of its use be used for something else or recycled, and what is the efficiency in those processes?

      --
      "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
    9. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by js290 · · Score: 2

      Talking about faith based, to believe her you have as willfully ignorant as any religion.

      touche...

      You know, technology improves.

      Can I get an "Amen!"?

      --
      "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
    10. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ^--- Mod parent up Shit. I meant to mark your post informative (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/externality.asp) but accidentally selected 'Flamebait'. Sorry.

    11. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 4, Informative

      There's no pollution in the disposal after its life expectancy?

      Well they are all made out of super recyclable materials, so it's another manufacturing cycle.

      What is the thermodynamic efficiency of renewables, 100%? If not 100%, can the byproducts of its use be used for something else

      Yes, light and wind (which are results of the laws of physics) are 100% efficient. The energy we harvest from these renewable energy sources are a sliver of what Earth gets from our star, Sol. That which is not collected is reflected (helping reduce the impact of excess CO2) or blows by and continues acting as part of Earth's global weather system.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    12. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your mom is an idiot.

      Citation needed.

    13. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by mnemotronic · · Score: 1

      Just tax pollution and renewables will pay for themselves.

      Tax + Pollution != Texas, my friend. We need ta be burnin Earl! That's what made Texas the great state it is. And natural gas too, buckeroo! Frac them puppies! Build them platforms!

      --
      The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
    14. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you seen the output of a fossil fuel power plant? There are hills and lakes of the spoils coming out of them in addition to the output into the air. In addition to the plant itself when it reaches its end of life. If you're going to talk about the downsides of an alternative, you have to show the downsides of the current solution in context.

    15. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I actually watched a good 10 minutes of the video. She’s just arguing about the loss on efficiency of needless energy conversion into electricity and the problems with centralized production and distribution. I don’t know about you, but I’ve dreamt of being off grid since I was a child. The idea of being off grid gives me a sense of security and simplicity. If you have food + shelter + energy + community you can tell the rest of the world to fuck off.

    16. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The idea of being off grid gives me a sense of security and simplicity. If you have food + shelter + energy + community you can tell the rest of the world to fuck off.

      Yes, and if everyone was always good and wise there would be no need for police or guns or child porn and anti-rape law.

      If you have food, shelter, energy and community, but I have a machine gun, I can take as much of your stuff as I want. If I have a mental illness and a pack of matches I can burn it all down. If I have a community of my own with a tank and a flame thrower, we can take all your stuff. Or just threaten to burn it all unless you harvest half and give it to me.

      Another community might offer to defend you with their anti-tank missiles in exchange for just 25%. And so on and so on until we end up with what we have, or s worse version.

    17. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Air pollution is not the only external cost. There's noise pollution from turbines. Both the noise and the blades can impact wild life. Solar farms cover habitat. Roof top can diminish that as those roofs would already exist, but they might not be in optimal locations. Energy harvested is energy that would have done something else. Using wind takes energy from the currents which impacts precipitation locally and not locally. It impacts atmospheric thermal transfer from one place to another. Wind migrates seeds, insects and other natural processes. It's not free and without impact. The question is whether the impacts of one form of energy is less an issue than another. Remember we used to think hydroelectric damns were wonderful. Then people started looking at how they impact salmon runs and other aquatic life as well as what happens when rivers stop running their natural course.

      This doesn't even account for decommissioning costs.

    18. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by edris90 · · Score: 1

      You still can do all those things now even if punished later would never give but life took from your victims. Any safety for preventing such are an illusion. And similar occurrence are in the news often. So the dangers you describe off grid exist at the same potential on grid, and so off-grid still represents higher value.

    19. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2

      Boy, that's stupid. Do you feel stupid? You should. Texas leads the nation in wind power. And the oilfields in the Permian Basin are about to give us more oil than Saudi Arabia. But please continue to spew your outdated, bigoted nonsense in public where people can see you.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    20. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      I suppose if advocating for the use of less energy is "ignorant", then technological salvation is faith based.

      The higher the energy use, the higher the standard of living, and the longer people live.

      So yes, its fucking ignorant. Nice club you are in.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    21. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by ilguido · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Manufacturing can be clean or dirty, depending on how you do it but it's 100% pollution free after that. Fossil fuels also go through a manufacturing process which can be clean or dirty and it's 100% polluting after that.

      What does that even mean? There are 100 years old hydroelectric power plants still in use today, the average coal plant in the USA is over 40 years old, the expected life span of a PV panel is 20-25 years, the expected lifespan of a wind turbine is still 20-25 years. You can NOT just say "heck, it is pollution free after manufacturing", that is like saying that a plastic fork is "pollution free" after manufacturing, so it is more environment friendly than a steel fork that you have to wash regularly (pro hint: in that case, it is exactly the other way around).
      Measuring the real environmental impact of a given process is very hard, even subjective to some extent (are there pollutants better than others?). Measuring the real environmental impact _per energy produced_ is even more complex; if you take into account non-measurable quantities, like energy quality, availability etc. it is all politics.

      Note: I did not delve into maintenance and upkeep costs. Usually, if it costs, it pollutes, so, no, nothing is 100% pollution free after manufacturing.

    22. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you don't exteract wind energy with a turbine, then air resistance from the ground/trees/buildings will waste that energy anyway. Wind is the one thing where you can take as much as you like with no ill effect. Other than getting a field full of ugly propellers, that is. But a coal plant isn't pretty either.

    23. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Luckyo · · Score: 3

      You're desperately arguing against a system that has been proven to work on societal level for many millenia, providing zero citations for your incredible claims. Because on the systemic level, no one cares about a handful of exceptions. It's the principle that rules.

      And in "everyone in their small tribal enclave" system, everyone is at constant tribal conflict with their neighbours. Citation: human history.

    24. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Can I get an "Amen!"?
      If you want an american pronounced Amen, no.
      Hint: Amen is a greek word ... very easy to pronounce correctly.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    25. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree that all externalities should be fully accounted for, but production of renewables does not pollute?

      That is included in "all externalities".
      If renewables are produced using non-renewables that will be included in the cost.
      If the pollutants are in liquid or solid from and therefore easier to contain the cost will be less than if they were in gas form.

      A local extinction event shouldn't cost as much as a global extinction event.

    26. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's no pollution in the disposal after its life expectancy?

      Oh, it exists, but is insignificant compared to fossil fuel.

      Just dumping things in a landfill might not look pretty but it is a lot better than burning it up.

    27. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that is like saying that a plastic fork is "pollution free" after manufacturing, so it is more environment friendly than a steel fork that you have to wash regularly

      Except that in this case we have "steel forks" that generates a lump of unusable plastic you need to dispose of every time you use it.

      The pollution of manufacturing renewable power plants exists, but is small compared to the pollution you get by running a coal power plant a day.

    28. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Japan is 32nd highest in energy use per capita, but it has the longest life expectancy in the world.

      Trinidad and Tobago has the 2nd highest energy use per capita, but they're 124th for life expectancy.

      I see some problems with you idea that energy use correlates to standard of living and longevity. You might want to re-evaluate your ideas before you call other people ignorant.

    29. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by dfghjk · · Score: 2

      Well so did I but I wouldn't call it good.

      "She’s just arguing about the loss on efficiency of needless energy conversion into electricity and the problems with centralized production and distribution."

      She argues about more than that and she makes more profound points than that, but she's also frequently wrong on that particular point. For example, she claims that local energy production could operate a home without an inverter. That's just stupid and it demonstrates her poor understanding of the technologies for which she pretends to have expertise. No one forces consolidation/centralization of energy production and it's not universally done. It happens because it works better, contrary to her arguments.

      Yes, there are problems with "centralized production and distribution". They've been known about forever, have received the benefit of enormous engineering effort, have been largely solved and are not new to renewable energy.

      "I don’t know about you, but I’ve dreamt of being off grid since I was a child. The idea of being off grid gives me a sense of security and simplicity. If you have food + shelter + energy + community you can tell the rest of the world to fuck off."

      Your fantasy world is dependent on an industrialized society that can afford to produce the conveniences that give you the illusion of independence and self-sufficiency. Accepting her fatally-flawed logic means that doesn't exist. Sure you will be "off the grid" because there will be no grid. Hope you enjoy your hunter gatherer existence since there won't be manufacturing, electric, transportation, etc.

      You know, there are problems with centralized processing of waste, too so perhaps you should dig a hole in your back yard to take a crap in. Problems like this are well understood and attract the efforts of professionals because they are important. Just because the internet enables kooks like this to present arguments doesn't make them valid.

    30. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      Nonsense. I don't fear predation in my life today. Not so in the existence predicted by Nicole. It's not just the neighbors, it's the bears.

      You assume the existence of a modern society whose vast umbrella you can live under and benefit from without directly engaging in. That's vastly different than life "off the grid" because no society and no grid exist at all.

      Also, your entire argument is based on the idea that law enforcement, and a society of laws, offers no benefit to quality of life. Absurd.

    31. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      "Well they are all made out of super recyclable materials, so it's another manufacturing cycle."

      Insert magic here!

      "Yes, light and wind (which are results of the laws of physics) are 100% efficient."

      You should stop talking here, you clearly have a lot of learning to do...if that's possible. An ICE is the "result of the laws of physics", is it 100% efficient? What can that possibly mean?

      It's good to know our star is named Sol, though. Thanks for that.

    32. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Freischutz · · Score: 2

      Manufacturing can be clean or dirty, depending on how you do it but it's 100% pollution free after that. Fossil fuels also go through a manufacturing process which can be clean or dirty and it's 100% polluting after that.

      What does that even mean? There are 100 years old hydroelectric power plants still in use today, the average coal plant in the USA is over 40 years old, the expected life span of a PV panel is 20-25 years, the expected lifespan of a wind turbine is still 20-25 years. You can NOT just say "heck, it is pollution free after manufacturing", that is like saying that a plastic fork is "pollution free" after manufacturing, so it is more environment friendly than a steel fork that you have to wash regularly (pro hint: in that case, it is exactly the other way around). Measuring the real environmental impact of a given process is very hard, even subjective to some extent (are there pollutants better than others?). Measuring the real environmental impact _per energy produced_ is even more complex; if you take into account non-measurable quantities, like energy quality, availability etc. it is all politics. Note: I did not delve into maintenance and upkeep costs. Usually, if it costs, it pollutes, so, no, nothing is 100% pollution free after manufacturing.

      Assume that you build a wind park that lasts 25 years during which it has an almost inconsequential carbon footprint. If you then renew that wind park after 25 years and replace it with one that lasts 35 years because of improvements in material science during the proceeding 25 years the old one was chugging along, whatever carbon footprint those two wind parks had from production to recycling will be dwarfed by the carbon footprint of operating a coal fired power plant for 60 years. There is just no way you can argue that building coal fired power plants causes the same or even less of a carbon or other pollution footprint than wind and solar. Plus, our problem is not the carbon footprint caused during production or recycling. It is the carbon emissions generated during decades of service life that is the problem and here a wind park has undeniable advantages. The carbon footprint of a wind turbine in production is about 11 g CO2/kWh, the carbon footprint of a coal fired plant is 870 g CO2/kWh (Source: https://www.factcheck.org/2018...). The carbon footprint of a coal fired power plant is almost two orders of magnitude greater than that of a wind turbine alternative. That makes the choice between the two types of power plant kind of a no-brainer especially since the wind turbine generated electricity is cheaper than coal generated electricity.

    33. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      the expected life span of a PV panel is 20-25 years

      Doubtful, given that many manufacturers offer 30+ year warranties. In fact experience tells us that 40+ years is not unreasonable to expect.

      Wind turbines are in the 20 year range, but now the technology is more mature we are at a point where we will want to replace them rather than remove them.

      But in any case, the manufacturing process is far less polluting than the lifetime pollution created by any other source of electricity.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    34. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please stop breathing.

    35. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      Can I get an "Amen!"?

      Amen!
      Hallelujah!

      Preach it br... Errr. I think I am in the wrong building.

    36. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by haruchai · · Score: 1

      "Solar farms cover habitat.Roof top can diminish that as those roofs would already exist, but they might not be in optimal locations"

      Roof tops exists where people live, work, visit or go to school. Producing power locally means less wear on or less need for the distribution network.
      Solar canopies for sun-absorbing blacktop parking lots would also work very well

      "Using wind takes energy from the currents which impacts precipitation locally and not locally. It impacts atmospheric thermal transfer from one place to another"
      Not to any significant degree. And the bigger & more powerful the turbine, the more widely spaced a farm of them must be.
      "Wind migrates seeds, insects and other natural processes. It's not free and without impact"
      Wind farms have reportedly been good for some crops as the evaporation inhibits mold growth.
      "Remember we used to think hydroelectric damns were wonderful. Then people started looking at how they impact salmon runs and other aquatic life as well as what happens when rivers stop running their natural course"
      There's no one alive who can remember that because it's not true.
      The implications were known but it was judged to be worth the risk - when done right, unlike the Banqiao Dam

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    37. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Precisely. Itâ(TM)s an absurd, reductionist argument that doesnâ(TM)t take into account efficiency. In fact a person with more efficient systems often experiences the same events with more comfort. Example: A high efficiency A.C. system with a variable speed compressor creates temperature and humidity levels that are far more consistent and comfortable than a low efficiency single stage system.

      Similarly driving from LA to New York in a V8 car is no more comfortable than driving there in a Tesla.

    38. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by bobbied · · Score: 1

      There's no pollution in the disposal after its life expectancy?

      Oh, it exists, but is insignificant compared to fossil fuel.

      Just dumping things in a landfill might not look pretty but it is a lot better than burning it up.

      I'm curious what you think pollution is here..

      Fossil fuels, natural gas, oil, coal, have varying levels of waste though their life cycles as does Wind, Solar and other forms of "green" energy. Until we actually define what is pollution and what's not we are all playing an apples and oranges game anyway.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    39. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by bobbied · · Score: 1

      Manufacturing can be clean or dirty, depending on how you do it but it's 100% pollution free after that. Fossil fuels also go through a manufacturing process which can be clean or dirty and it's 100% polluting after that.

      What does that even mean? There are 100 years old hydroelectric power plants still in use today.

      Can you imagine the environmental impact statement of Hoover Dam today? Just the manufacturing of the concrete would be a non-starter based on the C02 it would release and I cannot imagine what they'd say about the river wildlife it would disrupt.

      Yes, I'm being tongue in cheek a bit here, but EVERYTHING we do to generate electricity on an industrial scale is dirty business in some way.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    40. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by js290 · · Score: 1

      I suppose a "Halleujah!" for techno salvation would be ok, too.

      --
      "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
    41. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      The thing is, Texas just does these things with no fanfare. We should be more like California and hold loud press conferences of plans to switch to newables (in 10 to 20 years.)

    42. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry your personal attack rant on a technology site didnâ(TM)t go over better :(

    43. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by currently_awake · · Score: 1

      Tax everything based on Ecological Harm, including the production of equipment used for (all forms of) energy production. If you set the rate high enough you could eliminate income tax (that the rich appear to largely avoid, causing our current global fiscal problems).

    44. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      "Well they are all made out of super recyclable materials, so it's another manufacturing cycle."

      Insert magic here!

      You do know you just need to clean, melt down and then re-purify metals to recycle them, right? What do you think solar cells and wind turbines are made of?

      "Yes, light and wind (which are results of the laws of physics) are 100% efficient."

      You should stop talking here, you clearly have a lot of learning to do...if that's possible.

      Or perhaps it's possible you don't realize that renewable energy (light and wind) is simply harvested and that which is not is still part of our ecosystem.

      An ICE is the "result of the laws of physics", is it 100% efficient? What can that possibly mean?

      It would mean you are utilizing the heat that it produces as well as the chemical byproduct. However, we do not usually utilize the heat put of by an ICE nor the chemical emissions it expels.

      It's good to know our star is named Sol, though. Thanks for that.

      Glad you learned something. Sol is the name of Roman personification of the Sun. The Latin postfix -ar means "relating to" which is where you get "solar". Likewise Earth's moon is named Luna after the Roman personification of the Moon again postfixed you get "lunar".

      Now you can also be annoyed when people/movies refer to other star systems as "solar systems". You're welcome. ;)

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    45. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Wind turbines will change the local climate, and if large enough farms are used, the article concludes it could affect the global climate.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    46. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Actually, it appears the wind turbines wear out sooner than the expected lifespans. Now that study was in the UK, and maybe it's related to the great legacy of Lucas wiring systems, but if it's correct - typical turbines will need to be replaced every 12-15 years.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    47. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Manufacturing can be clean or dirty, depending on how you do it but it's 100% pollution free after that.
      Fossil fuels also go through a manufacturing process which can be clean or dirty and it's 100% polluting after that.

      What does that even mean?

      It means that once it's manufactured, there is no part of it's operation that pollutes.

      the expected life span of a PV panel is 20-25 years, the expected lifespan of a wind turbine is still 20-25 years. You can NOT just say "heck, it is pollution free after manufacturing",

      PV panels produce less than 80% of their original electrical output after 20-25 years but they still produce electricity. However, they are also made of highly recyclable materials, so it's really just re-manufacturing the panels when you are done with them.

      Measuring the real environmental impact of a given process is very hard, even subjective to some extent (are there pollutants better than others?). Measuring the real environmental impact _per energy produced_ is even more complex;

      It's only complex if you want an exact number for a specific situation. However, in general less waste is produced when using renewable energy by several orders of magnitude.

      it is all politics.

      Only in the imaginary world where science doesn't matter and Earth gets warmer because it feels loved.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    48. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Tax everything based on Ecological Harm, including the production of equipment used for (all forms of) energy production.

      Exactly. Then use that tax money to pay another company to reverse the ecological harm done. This cyclical system is called a feedback loop and it's how everything in nature works.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    49. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      Uh, centralized power generation and storage is a relatively new thing to society, and has not extended back as far as "millenia."

    50. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      I'm not quite sure that's what he's arguing here. I think he's arguing that centralized electricity generation and storage is not a technical prerequisite for law enforcement or society.

      Also, I fear predation in my life today, and not from bears; From abuse of power by law enforcement working in tandem with organized crime. This is also a situation that I believe is fundamentally unrelated to the state of the electricity grid.

    51. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by ilguido · · Score: 1

      It means that once it's manufactured, there is no part of it's operation that pollutes.

      Which is a non sequitur as in the example of the plastic forks and steel forks. By the way, in the European Union plastic cutlery will be banned by 2021 (steel cutlery is still fine).

      PV panels produce less than 80% of their original electrical output after 20-25 years but they still produce electricity. However, they are also made of highly recyclable materials, so it's really just re-manufacturing the panels when you are done with them.

      So highly recyclable that the US still lack an infrastructure to recycle them. In the EU, PV panels are recycled because it is mandatory by law. In the US, an expert of solar energy technology at the Electric Power Research Institute said: "Either [PV recycling] becomes economical or it gets mandated. But I’ve heard that it will have to be mandated because it won’t ever be economical."
      There is also a peer reviewed article[YanXu 2018] on the matter. It states: "At present, from the technical aspect, the research on solar panel recovery is facing many problems, and we need to further develop an economically feasible and non-toxic technology".

      it is all politics.

      Only in the imaginary world where science doesn't matter and Earth gets warmer because it feels loved.

      Yawn... politics.

    52. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah so true! Fucking Romans were clueless!

    53. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The term "lunatic" derives from the Latin word lunaticus, which originally referred mainly to epilepsy and madness, as diseases thought to be caused by the moon.

      Example: You are a fucking lunatic who believes that it's possible for a system to operate with 100% efficiency.

    54. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Which is a non sequitur as in my straw man argument.

      FTFY.

      PV panels produce less than 80% of their original electrical output after 20-25 years but they still produce electricity. However, they are also made of highly recyclable materials, so it's really just re-manufacturing the panels when you are done with them.

      So highly recyclable that the US still lack an infrastructure to recycle them. In the EU, PV panels are recycled because it is mandatory by law. In the US, an expert of solar energy technology at the Electric Power Research Institute said: "Either [PV recycling] becomes economical or it gets mandated. But I’ve heard that it will have to be mandated because it won’t ever be economical."

      Sure, it's not done because it's economical and it's not economical because pollution isn't taxed and therefore costs less to just pollute and make new ones. Tax pollution and recycling suddenly becomes economical. Are you seeing a trend here? Pollution is the problem.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    55. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Two data points proves absolutely fuck all.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    56. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      STFU, Ivan.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    57. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      She argues about more than that and she makes more profound points than that, but she's also frequently wrong on that particular point. For example, she claims that local energy production could operate a home without an inverter. That's just stupid and it demonstrates her poor understanding of the technologies for which she pretends to have expertise.

      .Er... She's not wrong. You can, in fact, run an electric oven off of 3.3 volts DC. It'll be hooked up to the battery bank with giant copper bus bars more commonly seen in aluminum factories, but it would work. It would be silly, but it would function fine.

      More to the point, an entire house can run on DC without even changing the wiring, as long as the voltage is high enough. Everything else would have to be changed out, including appliances, but the cost of wiring could remain unchanged. DC lighting is obviously easy, since LEDs are DC. DC motors are readily available as well. They're just not commonly used right now because AC is so prevalent. Kitchen gadgets, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, and washing machines could all run with DC motors.

      If you're willing to change wire specifications, there are options. At 48 VDC, the house would need to be wired with 2 AWG to match the former AC capacity. That's a bit silly too, since 2 AWG is damn stiff. At 120 VDC, the house would need to be wired with 10 AWG instead of 12 AWG. That would result in no more than 3% losses over 30 m runs and would keep conductor temperatures below 85C at full load. That's not completely out of the realm of possibility. It's probably more dangerous, but it's financially and physically viable even if nothing else in our current economic situation changes.

      If we project current usage pattern changes into the future, we don't need to replace the 15 A 120 V AC circuits like for like with DC. Of all the portable things in my house that I plug into a wall socket, the only two that use anything approaching the rated power of the socket are the vacuum cleaner and the hair dryer. The only two fixed things in my house that use anything approaching the rated power are the washing machine and the refrigerator. Both of those could tolerate substantial increases in conductor size to keep the DC volts down. If my vacuum cleaner becomes a robot powered by a lithium ion battery pack, its charging bay would similarly be a fixed installation that can accept a heavy wire gauge.

      With the one change of the vacuum cleaner, every wall socket in my house that isn't permanently occupied by a fixed installation appliance could be converted to USB-PD and everything would still work. Lights, TVs, and all the myriad gadgets and gizmos operate off of 100 watts or less.

      So yes, it's quite possible to run a whole house off of DC, and not even compromise safety. It's possible to run a whole house off of DC using current wire gauges while compromising safety somewhat. In many states it's not legal—occupancy permits are predicated on the presence of the familiar 120 V AC sockets we're familiar with. But it's possible.

      Now as for decentralizing everything, that's obviously stupid. Scale allows things that are physically impossible any other way. A backyard rocket can't get into orbit. A PET scanner can't be run in your basement, nevermind a surgical theater. Those are just three examples among many of things that don't work without groups of humans larger than a family group cooperating. Anybody proposing eliminating that is proposing eliminating the species, and should be shouted down.

    58. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It didn't work for the Romans well once they got to a certain size. The cost of upkeep was part of the reason for their downfall.

    59. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      You are a fucking lunatic who believes that it's possible for a system to operate with 100% efficiency.

      Physics ensures everything is 100% efficient because energy is neither created nor destroyed. If you fail to specify the what the bounds of system are then it's up to speaker to decide. I chose to define the system bounds as being our ecosphere. It is unproductive to turn to anger when some explains something beyond your comprehension.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    60. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      >"Technology wasn't there yet, so I'll pretend your point was limited to that".

      Any resource management on societal level. A good Roman example would be water management with those magnificent and highly costly aqueduct systems. Literally any societal management mechanisms that go against your argument. It is in no way limited to a single technological breakthrough.

    61. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      driving coast to coast in a Tesla means lots of stops with long charging times. it might be faster to take a bicycle one you count the charge time.

      whatever engine a grey hound bus has seems to do the job.

    62. Re: Nicole Foss on renewables by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      two data points that contradict the original conjecture totally disproves everything.

    63. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      Nicole Foss may have a point; her thesis lacks support numbers. Personally, I stopped believing folks that talked convincingly without offering proof when I learned to do basic math.

    64. Re:Nicole Foss on renewables by js290 · · Score: 1
      Foss' point is to consume less energy. Consuming less energy does not require any numbers. Your monthly utility bill will be a good marker.

      "what would the correct policy be if we had no reliable models?" http://fooledbyrandomness.com/...

      --
      "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
  2. but how by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    how exactly is wind a proper substitute for rice.

    1. Re: but how by jd · · Score: 1

      Burning sake (rice wine) just doesn't generate much energy.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    2. Re: but how by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      But you could use it to run your home without an inverter!

    3. Re: but how by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      I would rather drink it to run my weekend.

  3. And there is zero upfront cost to build this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course

    1. Re:And there is zero upfront cost to build this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Versus the cost(s) we face will undoubtedly face later.

      Want to place a bet on which one will be greater?

      Or will you just plug your ears and sing "la la la la la...." ?

  4. Testicular fortitude? by tgrigsby · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yes, but do they have the balls?

    --
    *** *** You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to me... ***
    1. Re:Testicular fortitude? by gtall · · Score: 2, Funny

      Texas? Of course not, they are so scared of everything they think they need guns everywhere. A bunch of he-boys with no guts.

  5. So Rice is donating the money then? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, thanks Rice! Building all those solar panels and windmills will NOT be cheap! So awesome of you to step up!

    1. Re:So Rice is donating the money then? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know what else isn't going to be cheap?

      I'll give you one guess.

    2. Re: So Rice is donating the money then? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      V
      >O
            ^

      That?

    3. Re:So Rice is donating the money then? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Finding Hillary's emails?

  6. Finally... by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Funny

    A use for west Texas.

    1. Re:Finally... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2

      Finally? The Permian Basin is out there. It's the Saudi Arabia of America.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    2. Re:Finally... by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Funny

      Both have oil and both are mired in 17th century mentality. ?

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    3. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I mean...you're not wrong? Maybe a bit too generous with the time period if anything.

    4. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      T Boone Pickins figured this out more than two decades ago and gave up on the idea about one decade ago.

    5. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, that scumbag wanted to monopolize water rights and use renewable energy as a ploy to do it. He was rightly rejected.

      Look it up, you'd be surprised.

    6. Re:Finally... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      DURR HURR HURR HOW ACCURATE HURR Fuck those fellow Americans in the Outgroup!

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  7. Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As the Gulf Coast tends to see tropical systems of varying strength from time to time.

    Unlikely wind turbines will be running during the storms and, if damaged, will need repair before resuming operation.

    Same for transmission lines that would be carrying said energy across the State.

    1. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn wind turbines destroying the transmission lines... that would never happen with good old, clean, reliable coal.

    2. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by slack_justyb · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Unlikely wind turbines will be running during the storms and, if damaged, will need repair before resuming operation

      This is a very odd argument. I'm not aware of any infrastructure that holds up well to storms. So the same can be pretty much said for anything versus nature. I get that there's degrees of repair, but pretty much everyone has to take the whole nature versus things distinctly not natural into the equation. That's part of the operating cost... Or at least I would hope that operators are banking some back in the event nature does damage to their operations.

      It's like saying that buying a low to the ground car is a bad idea because it might flood in the area, but that's essentially true for anything except for vehicles that are overtly raised and even then that raised vehicle, because it is raised, has a different set of challenges to handle. At any rate, that doesn't negate the whole point of why one ought to invest in insurance that is correctly matched to the investment placed into their vehicle.

    3. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by sfcat · · Score: 1, Informative

      Unlikely wind turbines will be running during the storms and, if damaged, will need repair before resuming operation

      I'm not aware of any infrastructure that holds up well to storms.

      Seriously? All of them except wind and solar do well in storms.

      --
      "Those that start by burning books, will end by burning men."
    4. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by dfghjk · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do the "transmission lines" for wind and solar not "do well" while the "transmission lines" for everything else "do well"?

      How well do refineries, fossil fuel storage and transportation do in serious storms? Better than wind and solar? Really?

      In typical /. fashion, people just make stuff up. Renewal infrastructure largely doesn't exist yet, it's not a given that it can't withstand weather.

    5. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, the problem is the rest of the State would be relying ( partially ) on electricity generated from wind turbines located along the Gulf Coast during particular periods of time throughout the day. This would impact a far greater area vs the same storm taking out power locally to the event.

      In some parts of Texas, it took one or two MONTHS to get the electricity back on after Hurricanes Ike and Harvey.

      Imagine if the power went out over the entire State of Texas because a storm landing on the Gulf Coast takes down part of the power grid that is relied upon to generate power during the evening hours. Since the article is talking about direct generation vs storing it.

      Similar to the Fukushima problem in that you don't build critical infrastructure where nature has a tendency to beat the shit out of things.

    6. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      "Similar to the Fukushima problem in that you don't build critical infrastructure where nature has a tendency to beat the shit out of things."

      Or you build the infrastructure properly...similar to the Fukushima problem...and you operate it correctly.

      They call the people who address these challenges engineers, not /. posters.

      A proper solution includes more than just wind turbines not able to sustain high winds but placed in vulnerable areas, but you couldn't tell otherwise from from the geniuses here.

    7. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by TheRealQuestor · · Score: 4, Informative

      Seriously? All of them except wind and solar do well in storms.

      Just ask all the folks over in Puerto Rico who are STILL without electricity/potable water/food/etc how well "all of then" held up against a hurricane. I live in south Texas fairly close to the gulf and having grown up in the mid west, NOTHING scares me as much as the thought of another hurricane. Nothing stands up well against them.

    8. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by Khyber · · Score: 2

      " All of them except wind and solar do well in storms."

      Better go tell that to Haiti, the Phillippines, Indonesia, etc.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    9. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Producers shut 19 percent of Gulf of Mexico oil output as storm looms
      https://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-michael-energy-production/producers-shut-19-percent-of-gulf-of-mexico-oil-output-as-storm-looms-idUSKCN1MI21M

      Hurricane Michael Shutters 700,000 Bpd Of Oil Production
      https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Hurricane-Michael-Shutters-700000-Bpd-Of-Oil-Production.html

      US refiners brace for more punishment from Tropical Storm Harvey
      https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/29/us-refiners-brace-for-more-punishment-from-tropical-storm-harvey.html

      "damaging large stretches of power lines that left about 230,000 people without electricity"
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew

    10. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      As the Gulf Coast tends to see tropical systems of varying strength from time to time.

      If they buffed up the wind turbines sufficiently they could power North America when a hurricane came through.

    11. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anecdotal: Last summer a few months after hurricane Harvey i went on a vacation down to the Texas gulf coast.

      The town i went to (Port Aransas) was still largely wrecked from the storm... but the hundreds of windmlls i drove past to get there all seemed to be working fine.

    12. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Ironic you would mention Puerto Rico since its power plants were largely powered by fossil fuels.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico_Electric_Power_Authority#Power_plants

    13. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Unlikely wind turbines will be running during the storms and, if damaged, will need repair before resuming operation

      This is a very odd argument. I'm not aware of any infrastructure that holds up well to storms.

      Which is why it is often wise to have your primary infrastructure located in places that don't bear the full brunt of the storms. Imagine putting your power generation hundreds of miles inland, where it won't have to deal with sustained hurricane forces...

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    14. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Imagine putting your power generation hundreds of miles inland, where it won't have to deal with sustained hurricane forces...

      All of the places where there's lots of wind power also have a lot of high wind events. Those are fundamentally the places you want to put the wind turbines. Off shore, for example. But you want them distributed. In the USA you can accomplish that without even looking to other nations.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Or you can use other power generation sources - like nuclear.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    16. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Or you can use other power generation sources - like nuclear.

      Right, but that would be more costly per MWh generated, and it would also produce waste that we currently have no plan for managing, so only a moron or a corrupt piece of shit would do that.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    17. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Fossil fuel power plants can function in a hurricane. But the distribution infrastructure often cannot, making it a moot point.

      Wind and solar can't function in a hurricane, but their backup batteries can. But the distribution infrastructure often cannot, making it a moot point.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    18. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Or you want reliable, consistent, massive-scale power in a few locations. And we have a plan for managing, if the Democrats would just let us use the resource that had been planned for decades. But Politik Uber Nation!

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    19. Re:Be sure to factor in the hurricane variable by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      And we have a plan for managing, if the Democrats would just let us use the resource that had been planned for decades. But Politik Uber Nation!

      Well, I'm not a big fan of the Dems either, although I have a lot more love for them than for the Repubs. I've got reservations about Yucca; I'm more in favor of using it than not using it at this point, but it's still not a long enough-term plan with current plans and designs. They need to spend even more on containment, and plan for the containers (or whatever) to be retrievable so that the waste can reasonably be processed with future technologies. Hopefully there will be some.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  8. They could probably power it with bullets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just set up road signs on generators and allow the locals to shoot at them (like they would anyway)

  9. Until by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    The sun goes down.
    The wind stops.
    Then its time for that really big natural gas-fired power plant to fill the gap.
    Then its sunny again and the wind works as expected again.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    1. Re:Until by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 4, Informative

      Because there's no such thing as batteries.

    2. Re:Until by sfcat · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Because there's no such thing as *Grid Scale* batteries.

      FIFY

      --
      "Those that start by burning books, will end by burning men."
    3. Re:Until by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Pay for extensive battery storage too? Who is going to pay for all this?
      Low cost energy that stays on 24/7 at a low price is what a productive and export friendly state needs.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    4. Re:Until by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Pay for extensive battery storage too? Who is going to pay for all this?

      Who's going to pay to clean up after fossil fuels?

      Low cost energy that stays on 24/7 at a low price is what a productive and export friendly state needs.

      A predictable climate is what humanity needs.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:Until by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 1

      Low cost energy that stays on 24/7 at a low price is what a productive and export friendly state needs.

      Sure, it's not like those jerks in Europe export anything.

    6. Re:Until by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Then its time for that really big natural gas-fired power plant to fill the gap.
      Na, I sit outside with a jacket and a cover and have a char coal fire and a candle and read my ebooks ... or switch to paper books :D

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    7. Re:Until by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Only our "Weltanschauung", but you don't like it :P

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    8. Re: Until by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you think youâ(TM)re goddamn clever at all with your faggot snark?
      Batteries are too expensive for grid scale especially if you have to account a few days of bad weather.

    9. Re:Until by AHuxley · · Score: 2

      Re "climate" won't keep the power on day and night at a low price.
      Only having low cost power when the sun is up and then wind is blowing results in changes in power costs.
      Thats when the natural gas-fired power plant gets to set any price it wants.
      Thats no good for a state that wants to export to the world and needs low cost energy production 24/7.

      Who is going to pay for new solar, wind and extensive new battery storage?
      Thats going to add to the cost of power. Power that's only low cost when then sun is out and the wind speed is correct.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    10. Re:Until by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      They pay taxes and pay for energy. That makes what they export expensive.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    11. Re:Until by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > A predictable climate is what humanity needs.

      Are you god? Can you know control the climate?

    12. Re:Until by dunkelfalke · · Score: 2

      Any hydroelectric power station with a dam can function as a battery. Low flow during the day, high flow during the night.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    13. Re:Until by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the river below warms when the flow is too low and the fish die and algae bloom.

    14. Re:Until by Ichijo · · Score: 1

      Low cost energy that stays on 24/7 at a low price is what a productive and export friendly state needs.

      If you can predict via weather reports when electricity will be cheapest, you can do your energy intensive manufacturing then, and let your less flexible competitors waste money manufacturing at night when there's no wind! Or your competitors can move close to a hydroelectric dam or geothermal or nuclear plant where the electricity flows 24/7. It will be interesting to see what happens. (And it will, one way or another. The coal and natural gas won't last forever.)

      So renewable energy will certainly be disruptive, but not necessarily destructive, to the export industry.

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
    15. Re:Until by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      It doesn't happen that quickly, and besides, algae bloom is caused by the fertilizer runoff.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    16. Re:Until by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 1

      Honestly, I just can't follow this logic.
      You're ok with your grandchildren living underground and eating spiders to survive, but not with raising the cost of exports a tiny bit?

    17. Re:Until by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Basically correct.

      Even the large utility scale batteries are generally installed for power system stability and balancing purposes rather than bulk storage of power.

      There is a little bulk storage in pumped storage in a few locations.

      To a first approximation there is no storage. This is less of a problem than it seems though. Usually the answer to having too much or too little power in an area is to build more transmission assets. I I were to guess though I would expect that currently every MWh of renewable generation displaces about 1 MWh of gas generation so we aren't even in the period of diminishing returns to installed solar and wind capacity where the question of constrained transmission capacity and limited storage is a real issue.

    18. Re:Until by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Who's going to pay to clean up after fossil fuels?
      Wrong analogy. But interesting that people as your parent always see costs, but ignore the sunk costs. Obviously sunk costs can not really be recovered ... most of the time.

      But if they talk about batteries as storage, and ask about costs, well: how much does the stored oil in a country cost? The coal? The coal on ships, the ships carrying it. The oil on ships, the ships carrying it, same for gas.

      Obviously there never was a question if you need a pipeline, a tanker ship, a train with oil tanks, storage place, rail tracks, ports etc. for said oil or coal etc. It simply grew with demand. Someone decided to build a new coal plant and some one else decided to buy/build two new coal haulers.

      But now when we shift to alternatives everyone yells: who is going to pay for it? Because people are simply stupid, and easily scared. The same guy as in the example above who built coal haulers or oil tankers, or the guy who bought and operates them will build storage. As soon as you "fix the market", that storage can be integrated into the grid and the market, there will one providing it and profiting from it. May it be a classical battery, a flow battery or pumped storage, or pressured gas in old mines, or simply thermal storage ...

      Most gains are to be made by reduction of consumption of energy, then comes higher efficiency ... before we stored oil, gas and coal etc. Now we need to store "electricity" itself ... or as ersatz use pumped storage and other gravity based alternatives. There is basically no difference.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    19. Re: Until by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So says the iTard.

    20. Re:Until by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1
      The utilities will pay for it. Because it is cheaper to use batteries to handle peak load power than to fire up the boilers and the natural gas powered gas turbine.

      Green technology is usually more expensive, so there is a lot of resistance to it from the operators and the users. But the moment Green becomes cheaper, the utilities will adopt it en masse and you could not do a thing to stop it.

      PG & L 1.2 GWh batteries, and 750 GWh batteries to replace three natural gas peak power plants. It costs very little to store electricity in a battery now.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    21. Re:Until by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      A predictable climate is what humanity needs.

      Are you god? Can you know control the climate?

      Reaction the first: Thou art god. We humans have controlled the climate, to a degree. Now we need to do it intelligently.

      Reaction the second: Of course not. We humans can't literally control the climate, we can only actually alter it. Which is why we need to stop doing things which are throwing it out of whack, because if we break it, we probably can't fix it.

      The truth lies somewhere in between these two extremes. I think it's closer to the latter than the former, which is why we should stop screwing it up.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    22. Re:Until by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      Wind doesn't stop when the sun goes down. Weather doesn't take nights off.

    23. Re:Until by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      Except for the ones in Hawaii, and Australia, and Japan, and Europe, and a bunch of other places.

      Wikipedia has a nice overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    24. Re:Until by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >we can only actually alter it

      How? By trying to tweak .04% of the earth's trace gas?

    25. Re:Until by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      How? By trying to tweak .04% of the earth's trace gas?

      The size of a change is irrelevant if it crosses a tipping point. I can see this is a confusing point for you and yours. We have a saying in English, "The straw that broke the camel's back". Meditate upon it until you comprehend this simple concept.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  10. Cube power law is a bitch by raymorris · · Score: 1, Informative

    > the Gulf Coast tends to see tropical systems of varying strength from time to time.
    > Unlikely wind turbines will be running during the storms

    Worse than that, the power of wind is proportional to the the velocity CUBED. That means wind turbines are great where you have steady, sustained wind.

    Suppose you build a turbine to start generating power with a 10mph wind. Obviously that has implications for the design, how sturdy vs "lightweight" you make it, if you want the power of a 10mph breeze to both spin it (overcoming inertia, friction, etc) and have extra power you can draw off as electricity.

    When a 100mph tropical storm / hurricane comes to the coast, the turbine will have to withstand 1,000 times as power as it's designed to spin with. A stronger hurricane would require withstanding over 4,000 times as much power.

    It's entirely likely they'd be not working because they'd be strewn across the beach in many pieces.

    1. Re:Cube power law is a bitch by dfghjk · · Score: 4, Funny

      If only someone could invent the idea of two modes of operation!

      Humanity owes you a debt of gratitude for identifying this issue that no engineer ever thought of before.

    2. Re:Cube power law is a bitch by flatulus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If only someone could invent the idea of two modes of operation!

      I guess nobody has ever heard of variable pitch turbines or "prop feathering" (which works as well for wind turbines as it does for propellor driven aircraft).

    3. Re:Cube power law is a bitch by guruevi · · Score: 0

      I don't think you understand this is not an issue of engineering but rather physics.

      You can't build something that moves with a certain amount of force to suddenly increase or change its mass (and size/structure) to withstand a force 4000 times as large.

      How about we invent a motorcycle with two modes of operation - one optimized for high speed driving and one that suddenly reinforces itself while you are crashing.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    4. Re:Cube power law is a bitch by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      "I don't think you understand this is not an issue of engineering but rather physics."

      I understand that it is both.

      "You can't build something that moves with a certain amount of force to suddenly increase or change its mass (and size/structure) to withstand a force 4000 times as large."

      First off, anyone who says "moves with a certain amount of force" shouldn't be lecturing others on physics. It's not your specialty.

      Second, I've never argued that a device could be built that would "suddenly increase or change its mass".

      Third, no device was ever designed to fail at an intended load level but spontaneously "fix itself" when placed under that load.

      "How about we invent a motorcycle with two modes of operation - one optimized for high speed driving and one that suddenly reinforces itself while you are crashing."

      You're getting warmer. Things like this, only intelligent and useful, are done all the time.

  11. If Only It Weren't Texas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This might be a tremendous boon in a state where people gave a shit about anything other than themselves, but here in the good ol' Lone Star State, home of rollin' coal, I don't think this is going to make a damn bit of difference. Texans are going to keep burning coal long after all of the states that surround it have switched to nuclear fusion, just because fuck you, hippy.

  12. They won't do it by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 0

    For you are not a real man if you don't burn fossil fuel.

    1. Re:They won't do it by flatulus · · Score: 1

      Now I used to think that I was cool,
      Runnin' around on fossil fuel,
      Until I saw what I was doin'
      Was driving down the road to ruin.

      -James Taylor

    2. Re:They won't do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For you are not a real man if you don't burn fossil fuel.

      Actually, you are not a real American if you don't burn fossil fuel.

  13. Reality versus academics by Texmaize · · Score: 2

    We get a great deal of hurricanes in the gulf coast, making the real world utility of that much coastal based wind impractical.

    --
    "Liberalism is a very noble idea, currently controlled by some very bad people. Be sure you do not get the two confused.
    1. Re:Reality versus academics by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      Prove it.

      We get a great deal of hurricanes in the gulf coast, making the real world utility of that much fossil fuel-based energy impractical.

  14. So what? by Vanyle · · Score: 2

    This is all about the potential. It is also has the potential to run the state on nuclear without coal. How about algae power? Gerbil power?

    1. Re:So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is all about the potential. It is also has the potential to run the state on nuclear without coal. How about algae power? Gerbil power?

      And if we're talking Texas, don't forget the methane from cattle farts. Totally renewable by the way. If only someone would invent a collection system.

      capcha: discuss

    2. Re:So what? by JustNiz · · Score: 1

      You'd probably have to burn an awful lot of gerbils to compete with nuclear.

    3. Re:So what? by Vanyle · · Score: 1

      Lets see, assuming you get 150kcals for a gerbil, and you burn them at 100% efficiency, that is about 600 btu. Texas used 12,898 trillion BTU in 2015 (https://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=13163312&cid=57903968) That would be 21.5 trillion gerbils.Texas is approximately 7.48 Trillion square feet. This would only be 3 gerbils / square foot. Totally doable.

  15. Texas has enough natural gas, for now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The variability of wind and solar will ensure a lasting market for natural gas, which will produce most of the energy, and must be ready to support 100% of demand on a moments notice. Wind and solar will produce "low-cost" and low-value energy, for purposes of green-washing indispensable natural gas, which people appear to have forgotten, is still a fossil fuel. The major propaganda campaign by natural gas and the "environmental" groups they fund has been quite effective.

  16. Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by raymorris · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's the airspeed indicator of a very popular plane, one I studied thoroughly, the Cessna 172:

    https://fsxtimes.files.wordpre...

    The stall speed (minimum speed Vni) of the 172 is listed at 48 or 53 (flaps up or down). The Vr, minimum speed for level flight, is 55.

    The green arc, extending to 129, is the normal operating range. 129 is Vno, the Maximum structural cruising speed.

    The yellow arc is speeds that must only be hit in smooth air, and with great caution. "Maximum structur cruising speed"" means this in this range, above 129, turbulence can break the aircraft apart.

    So the airspeed at which the aircraft may break is 2 1/2 times it's minimum speed. Hurricanes are 150MPH - a heck of a lot more than 2.5 times the 10mph sea breeze! (Hurricanes are turbulent, btw).

    The red line is the Velocity Never Exceed, Vne. At 158 structural failure of the aircraft is to be expected.

    So you want to make an analogy to prop-driven planes? They are destroyed at three times their minimum operating airspeed.

    If you want to stick to the prop plane analogy, that suggests that a turbine designed for 10MPH would have structural failure at 30MPH. Still like that analogy?

    1. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by someoneOtherThanMe · · Score: 1

      The stall speed (minimum speed Vni) of the 172 is listed at 48 or 53 (flaps up or down). The Vr, minimum speed for level flight, is 55.

      What's that got to do with the propellers? The propellers can surely propel the plane just fine from 0 mph up; otherwise, how do you start the damn thing? Off a cliff?

    2. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by serviscope_minor · · Score: 0

      Th cessna is cheap, lightly built aircraft therefore wind power can't work. what the fuck?

      There are prop planes much faster than the Cessna, like the TU 95. People even figured out how to make propellers o supersonic though it turned out to be a somewhat poor idea due to the continuous and destructive sonic boom from the propellor.

      And here's an interesitng factoid: wind turbines do not have to fly! Crazy I know but they can be somewhat more heavily built than planes.

      Also, they don't have to fly! Crazy I know but that means they can operate a speeds where the wind doesn't generate much power so comparing to aircraft stall speed is utterly irrelevant.

      It's a tradeoff. We can build wind turbines that will survive even the stronges hurricaine easily. We won't do so. What we will do is build them so that the tradeoff between the extra cost of building them tough matches the extra risk of then being downed by an unusually big storm plus the insurance cost.

      IOW they will optimise the economics just like any other bit of engineering.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    3. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're applying the structural limit of the entire plane to the limit of the prop. That's not sound logic. Yes the plane fuselage/wings might break up at that speed but the propeller wouldn't. The structure for a turbine is fixed and doesn't have to be lightweight with large wings and other flexible parts such as flaps as in a plane, so structurally it's far stronger.

    4. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      I do not disagree with the general message, it's just that a factoid is something that looks like a fact, but isn't.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    5. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by raymorris · · Score: 1

      > There are prop planes much faster than the Cessna, like the TU 95.

      And you'll find that the maximum speed of the TU-95 is about four times it's minimum speed. Not fifteen times. As a matter of fact, no matter WHICH plane to look at, you'll find the maximum speed speed is 2.5-5 times it's minimum speed. This isn't a coincidence. It all has to do with the loading - the forces being the cube of the velocity. The load difference between 3X and 15X is a factor of a hundred.

    6. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Tu-95 has swept wings, it simply cannot fly that slow lest it stalls. Has nothing to do with the load factor. Swept wing aircraft have far larger differences between their minimum and maximum speeds.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    7. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      "So you want to make an analogy to prop-driven planes? They are destroyed at three times their minimum operating airspeed."

      The only "analogy to prop-driven planes" is your straw man. Planes are required to be lightweight, required strength is an engineering input to the problem, not an inherent limitation.

      "Still like that analogy?"

      No, but you do! It is, after all, only your analogy.

    8. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Which plane? You mean like the Concorde which has a maximum speed of about 10x the stall speed? Unless of course you reckon it stalls at 450 miles per hour.

      The A380 lands at about 130 knots compared to a top speed of 550. That's already 4.2x.and they don't land at full stall, and that's a loaded plane (not fuel). They can go slower when completely empty. The maximum versus stall speed for a BAe146 plane is 4.2.

      I noticed you bumped it up groom 3x to 5x quietly half way through this debate.

      You've massively confused a trade-off with a physical law. Making large fast planes have low stall speeds is expensive. There's just not much point in really dropping that speed very low. And for many planes, trans sonic effects limit the top speed.

      And here's the incredibly important bit you missed: wind turbines don't fall over if the wind speed is too low. They do not have a minimum speed.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    9. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by raymorris · · Score: 1

      > The A380 lands at about 130 knots compared to a top speed of 550. That's already 4.2x.and they don't land at full stall, and that's a loaded plane

      Actually the 130 knot touchdown speed is stalled. A stall means your wings non longer hold you up - which is pretty much the definition of landing. Approach speed I a tad higher, fast enough that with the nose down you don't stall. It would stall in level flight at approach speed.

      > That's already 4.2x.

      Actually about 4X since you used the touchdown speed, which is a stall, but certainly not 15X. It might seem like there isn't THAT much difference between 4 and 15, but remember the difference in loads is 4^3 vs 15^3. That's a huge difference.

    10. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Actually the 130 knot touchdown speed is stalled. A stall means your wings non longer hold you up - which is pretty much the definition of landing.

      Look, as someone who has actually done some flying, if you think controlled descent is the same as stalling then please please never get behind the controls of an aircraft.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    11. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by raymorris · · Score: 1

      As someone who actually HAS flown a aircraft, not a video game, if you think that the touchdown flare (nose up) is the same as the descent (nose down), please never get behind the controls of an aircraft that isn't pixels.

      Funny you'd claim to be a pilot and in the same breath demonstrate that you don't know the difference between touchdown speed in a flare (nose up) and descent (nose down).

    12. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      As someone who actually HAS flown a aircraft, not a video game, if you think that the touchdown flare (nose up) is the same as the descent (nose down), please never get behind the controls of an aircraft that isn't pixels

      Lolwut? Flare is not the same as stalling! On a powered craft you flare mostly to slow the descent so you don't land too hard (and also to hit the rear first if applicable), and as a bonus you trade some of your velocity for the extra lift you get. End result: that means getting MORE lift not less, so you are certainly not stalling.

      But if you try that sort of nose up tomfoolery on the aircraft I've spent most of my time flying you'll fnd yourself overshooting the field and landing in a hedge.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    13. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stall speed is the speed at which the wings stop producing enough lift to fly not the minimum speed the prop can rotate safely, And the maximum structural speed is for the whole plane and also likely determined more by the wings which are relatively large, fragile , and important not juts the propeller.

    14. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The aircraft would be destroyed by airframe failure, not propeller failure, so your criticism fails here.

      But nice try.

    15. Re:Or Maximum Allowable Air Speed (Never Exceed) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The structural never exceed speed is because of the wings, not the prop. Wind turbines don't have wings, and their design isn't limited by the requirements of flight (low weight, doesn't have to generate lift, prop must spin or you'll crash eventually). You can feather the blades to nothing, and the tower itself is crazy heavy and durable.

      You bet your ass they were designed to take a hundred year storm. It's well within the possibility of material science, so insurance would require it.

  17. Btw I didn't create it, don't like it by raymorris · · Score: 1

    By the way, I didn't create the cube power law. I don't even like it, hence the title "the cube power law is a bitch". It's a pain in the ass when designing planes because the cube power bitch tries to rip the control surfaces and wings off. It did rip the nose off of one of my prototypes. So don't blame me if you find the cube power law inconvenient. I didn't create it, or even like it, I just have to know it.

    1. Re:Btw I didn't create it, don't like it by flatulus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      At the risk of escalating this "debate":

      Could wind turbines withstand Category 5 hurricanes"
      This is one of many articles about wind turbines handling high winds. They actually have a "hurricane mode" into which they can be placed.

      Article in NewScientist" on failure of wind turbine in the North Sea. And I quote:.

      Much of the evidence was burned, and Infinis and Vestas disagree on which was the key initial cause of the destructive fire: Infinis believes it was the loss of yaw control, while Vestas thinks brake drag more the root cause. While Vestas has produced its own report, an expert was not available to discuss its findings with New Scientist. Vestas has since fixed the brake problem. In future, the feathered rotor will not have the brake applied in high winds; it will be free to turn if it needs to. “Vestas no longer do this and have modified all turbines at Ardrossan to prevent application of the parking brake, which is now only applied during maintenance,” says Infinis spokesman Andrew Dowler."

      Guess what? The article also says: When wind speeds reach 88 km/h turbine blades of wind turbines are usually twisted, or “feathered” ...

      I stand by my assertion. I will agree that airframes are susceptible to failure at airspeeds that are only modestly higher than normal operating airspeeds, however propellers (l.e. turbine blades) are much more robust - again, like propellers on aircraft.

      For grins, I tried calculating tangential velocity of propeller tips on a Cessna 172, given a prop diameter of 76" and an RPM of 2800. My math may not be correct, but I've checked it in Excel and I think it works out to 622 MPH. By your reasoning, you wouldn't even make it off the runway before the propeller self-destructed.

      Airframes and propellers have totally different strength characteristics, no?

    2. Re:Btw I didn't create it, don't like it by raymorris · · Score: 1

      Quotes about actual cases of wind turbines getting destroyed by high winds, and then ...

      > I stand by my assertion.

      Based on the fact that wind turbines are in fact destroyed by high winds, you're going to assert that wind turbines can't be destroyed by high winds? Okay.

      > For grins, I tried calculating tangential velocity of propeller tips and I think it works out to 622 MPH. By your reasoning, you wouldn't even make it off the runway before the propeller self-destructed.

      Awesome. Did you calculate the maximum speed, or the minimum speed at which the prop will do its job, pulling the airplane at minimum speed? Have a look at the factor between those two and I think you'll find a number that looks familiar.

      I didn't assert "things can't go fast". What I said is that because the load from wind is proportional to the velocity CUBED, a small multiple of wind speed (15X) will make a big difference in the power / loading (4,000 times more load). A prop designed to work well at velocity V is going to have some problems when loaded 4,000 times higher, at velocity 15V.

    3. Re:Btw I didn't create it, don't like it by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      With the ignorance you display here, it seems unlikely that you are a structural engineer, aero engineer or an engineer of any sort. Certainly not a good one. It's more likely you are a guy capable of using Google but not really understanding the results.

      One thing I'm sure of, the solution to renewable energy won't be coming from your "creative mind". Good luck with your nose cones.

    4. Re:Btw I didn't create it, don't like it by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      You are a moron.

      Ratios of loads don't matter, only maximum loads do. If you build a device to withstand a maximum load it will not fail under no load because the load "ratio" is too great. It may fail, though, if the load exceeds what it is designed for. That's what engineering is, something you pretend to be knowledgeable in but demonstrate time and again that you are not.

      Airplanes can be designed for a wider range of speeds than you think they are capable of...and often are. Not that it's relevant.

    5. Re:Btw I didn't create it, don't like it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love how raymorris always gets called out for the fraud he is by people who actually know wtf they're talking about. Thank you for saving me the trouble. I was about to rip his hideous argument to shreds.

      He's essentially saying "human flight is completely impossible". Simple observation proves him wrong.

    6. Re:Btw I didn't create it, don't like it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, most of us at /. that actually do things know that raymorris is full of shit. He has a following of retards that are as impervious to logic and fact as he is though, so he's kind of the butt of all jokes.

      Note that not a single engineer here takes him seriously.

  18. Please, stop the ignorance by Texmaize · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Sad you got modded up for that thoughtless tripe.

    Guessing by your comment, you are not a real engineer or involved in the energy sector at all. If there were truly a magic bean that we could use to reliably supply power at a competitive cost, it would be done. In fact, in regions where it really is possible, such projects as solar, wind etc are put into place. The bald truth is that the energy density of fossil fuels is really high, the level of engineering of the generators is really good and highly efficient, and the reliability of production is amazing.

    The idea that there is a cartel of evil men twirling their mustaches saying, "WE LOVE TO POLLUTE AND WILL CRUSH ALL IN FAVOR OF CHEAPER, CLEANER POWE, mu hahahahahah." is just the stuff of (bad) cartoons. Perhaps, you need to grow up and leave such trivial thinking, like the cartoons behind.

    --
    "Liberalism is a very noble idea, currently controlled by some very bad people. Be sure you do not get the two confused.
    1. Re:Please, stop the ignorance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The idea that there is a cartel of evil men twirling their mustaches saying, "WE LOVE TO POLLUTE AND WILL CRUSH ALL IN FAVOR OF CHEAPER, CLEANER POWE, mu hahahahahah." is just the stuff of (bad) cartoons. Perhaps, you need to grow up and leave such trivial thinking, like the cartoons behind.

      See, it seems like real life shouldn't actually have people like that... Then Trump opens his mouth.

    2. Re:Please, stop the ignorance by Texmaize · · Score: 1

      The president took a few million dollars and turned it into billions. He ran a successful campaign against the largest political machine of the century, and won. You....make trivial posts with no thought behind them. I am pretty sure you are the cartoon. Get off the jimmies and grow up, son.

      --
      "Liberalism is a very noble idea, currently controlled by some very bad people. Be sure you do not get the two confused.
  19. Companies increasingly move to Texas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The companies are moving to Texas with increasing numbers. Along comes renewable energy to Texas. The new silicon valley?

    1. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by guruevi · · Score: 1

      Well, all the people are moving from California to Texas due to high taxes and regulations promptly forget why they got there and vote again for high taxes and regulations.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    2. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by dfghjk · · Score: 0

      This entire post is garbage.

      Few people move from CA to TX literally "due to high taxes and regulations". Some move due to high cost of living but most move for actual life reasons, not political ones. Those remaining that qualify don't change the politics of the state and often move to urban areas that are progressive already.

      No one votes for "high taxes and regulations", that's just inflammatory rhetoric.

      TX has a different political system than CA, TX residents don't vote directly to enact laws.

      Lastly, if this were occurring there would be evidence. Where is the evidence of "higher taxes and regulations" in TX caused by this influx of ex-CA voters? Does not exist. TX becomes more progressive as urban populations grow and the state becomes more ethnically diverse, just like everywhere else.

    3. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by penandpaper · · Score: 2

      Few people move from CA to TX literally "due to high taxes and regulations"

      Based on Census data, people moving out of CA are families with kids with only a high school education and lower-income are going to TX. High costs of living including housing are the chief reason people are leaving.

      Those costs are, in part, because of government regulation and taxes that limit supply and increase building costs for new housing.

      No one votes for "high taxes and regulations", that's just inflammatory rhetoric.

      The entire government apparatus that makes people leave CA wasn't put forward by a single vote. People do vote for high taxes and regulations. Some are proud of being "civilized" to have such government services. It's a choice and they are free to make it just as other people are free to leave that state because of those costs.

      It is accurate to say that people, particularly poor families, are leaving CA to places like TX because of taxes and regulation that make it too expensive for them to live there. There is evidence and data to support that statement.

      What bothers me the most about CA migration is that the people leaving CA bring CA with them. They are increasing housing costs and in many instances (that I have seen personally) bring the politics and culture that created CA that they left.

    4. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What bothers me the most about CA migration is that the people leaving CA bring CA with them. They are increasing housing costs and in many instances (that I have seen personally) bring the politics and culture that created CA that they left.

      From your link, it's not the people who left CA who are asking for rent controls, being against new housing, and other CA politics and culture. It's actually long time residents of Nevada or whatever state that is receiving the ex-Californians who are asking for more taxes and regulations.

      It's not "people leaving CA bring CA with them". It's just that TX and other states always had a little CA in them all along

      Contrary to popular partisan belief, the US isn't divided into red and blue states. Most of the the US is shades of purple.

    5. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by guruevi · · Score: 1

      I think you just made my point that although you are blind to the realities, you support the nanny-state, high taxes (healthcare for all) and more regulations which increases costs of living. The "progressives" would love to decouple the politics from the cost and the policy but it's undeniable that wherever you go, if you want universal x you are going to pay for x and you are going to pay for it through taxes and it's going to be highly inefficient because the government is bad at everything.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    6. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      I should clarify. I made 2 statements one supported by evidence and one my opinion that I should have mentioned was my opinion based on personal observation.

      Neighboring western states are having the housing markets dramatically impacted by CA migration which is what the NYTimes link is supporting. Because CA has a messed up housing market, people leave and it is causing housing market problems in other cities outside of CA. I don't fault people for this. Whether those places handle those problems the same way CA did only time will tell.

      The second, "bring the politics and culture that created CA that they left", is my opinion based on my own personal interaction with CA migrants. This isn't restricted to housing per say and a good example is gun control. I don't like it when CA migrant come to a gun friendly state and push for CA politics on the issue. Or flood elections with cash to support a very liberal candidate/policy. Yes, all those smaller states have a little CA in them as you put it but many are now facing a complete change in the state culture and body politic because of those migrants bringing CA with them. I don't like that.

    7. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > per say

      Look folks! We got us one of them thar inty-lekty-chulls!

    8. Re:Companies increasingly move to Texas by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      per say per se per my god man who gives a shit

  20. embers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well enough for Nancyboi energy energy ... wind and sun , but where do hellish burning red embers come from to toast Trotsky-slut warmists into tiny black specks of carbon ? Coal ... it's what's for dinner! Love that BBQ Texas style !

  21. What do Rice Researchers by t0qer · · Score: 1

    know about energy? It's not like there's a lot of unknown science around rice. It's one of the oldest cultivated plants.

  22. OK.. but what about hurricanes/tornadoes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So when the next 'weather event' takes 20-40% of the renewables grid off line because of damage/destruction then what?

    Localized power generation and a distributed grid provides redundancy.

    Don't be surprised when all your power generation is massed in two or three areas and then get wiped out by a disaster.

    1. Re:OK.. but what about hurricanes/tornadoes? by shilly · · Score: 1

      It's very very sweet, if slightly amazingly stupid, that you think that fossil fuel power plants represent a more distributed form of energy generation than PV.

  23. AHEM by SuperKendall · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because there's no such thing as *Grid Scale* batteries.-> FIFY

    Or... maybe there is now.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:AHEM by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1
      South Australian grid is an earlier generation. Next generation grid scale batteries are in the US of A.

      PG&L, the California utility is shuttering three peak power plants fired by natural gas and replacing them with batteries. Four projects, two of them experimental 10 GWh systems. Biggest system (not Tesla) 1.2 GWh, (300 MW times 4 hours), next one (Tesla) 700 MWh (175 MW x 4 hours).

      The grid scale batteries are expected to damp down the peak power costs in the spot market. In fact, they are likely to make the price of electric power in the spot market as predictable and as non volatile as the price of base load power.

      This development is good and bad in some sense. Since solar PV produces maximum power during peak demand, it gets better return on investment. Loss of peak power price would hurt it a little. But solar PV and wind are cheaper than natural gas, which means no new natural gas power plants are going to come on line. No new coal plants since 2014. Most likely no new natural gas plants after 2020. That is a good development.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    2. Re:AHEM by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      It is a good development! Once solar crosses that line in value, uptake will be rapid and replace a lot of older forms of power generation.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  24. High bullshit factor here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People get REALLY upset by *any* outages so the power grid needs to be very reliable to not have a lot of political backlash.

    Texas might be able to drop coal but they'd need significant storage to ensure the reliability they have now. Keeping the existing coal plants going is likely the cheapest option right now.

  25. As long as Texans... by BeCre8iv · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...have Red Dead Redemption 2 and soy sauce, they will never give up rice.

    --
    This perpetual motion machine Lisa made is a joke, it just keeps getting faster and faster. - Homer
    1. Re:As long as Texans... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but does Texas have enough rice to give up potatoes?

  26. Planes vs Windmills by aberglas · · Score: 2

    Planes fly. Windmills do not.

    So planes have to be built fairly lightly, but windmills can be much more solid. More like the propeller, which on a 172 is near supersonic at the tips.

    The windmills simply feather their blades much like the variable pitch prop on the plane you move to after you have mastered the 172.

    There are issues, mainly that the wind does not blow steadily from one direction.

    For small wind systems, the tower itself is typically hinged so that it can be dropped in a storm. Probably not practical for the bigger systems.

    1. Re:Planes vs Windmills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      p>For small wind systems, the tower itself is typically hinged so that it can be dropped in a storm. Probably not practical for the bigger systems.

      The big systems shuts down in a storm. They are built to withstand the storm/maximum hurricane when standing still. The load is a *lot* lower when the blades aren't spinning. They don't try to extract energy from storms; storms are so rare that the extra energy doesn't pay for the much sturdier windmill needed to survive spinning in storms.

    2. Re:Planes vs Windmills by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      "wind was never meant to be practical"

      How do you know? Did you ask the inventor of wind?

      "i like how todays policay's are feelings driven, no time for studies and all that real crap"

      Indeed, just like your posts.

  27. horrible mistake to depend 100% on wind/solar by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Texas needs to have not nat gas, but nuke power (or geo-thermal or hydro) to depend on. ALL nations have to stop using fossil fuels.
    It is one thing to switch from coal to nat gas (cuts CO2 emissions by nearly 1/2), BUT it is foolish to ADD more nat gas plants.
    Texas has nuclear power plants. A smart move is to add NuScale reactors in various locations, ideally, within 50 miles of the ocean, using ocean water for cooling.
    At the same time, it is easy to add heat based desalination for next to free. Then the water can be piped 50 miles around.
    All states have CO2 and water issues. Time to address both.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:horrible mistake to depend 100% on wind/solar by Magius_AR · · Score: 1

      Texas needs to have not nat gas, but nuke power (or geo-thermal or hydro) to depend on. ALL nations have to stop using fossil fuels. It is one thing to switch from coal to nat gas (cuts CO2 emissions by nearly 1/2), BUT it is foolish to ADD more nat gas plants.

      No, that couldn't be further from the truth. Texas is rich in gassy oil fields from which it generates an enormous amount of associated natural gas while it drills for oil. They have so much natural gas in their market that they can't get rid of that producers are literally paying people to take it (that's right...it's selling for less than zero). Whatever gas they don't use, they "flare", which pretty just means "waste by lighting it on fire." Natural gas power couldn't be any more ideal for Texas.

    2. Re: horrible mistake to depend 100% on wind/solar by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Yes, Texas is loaded. But pipe it up to Maine and then export to Europe. We can send our excess northeast America and Europe. That would enable them to drop imports from russia.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re:horrible mistake to depend 100% on wind/solar by raymorris · · Score: 1

      > No, that couldn't be further from the truth. Texas is rich in gas

      It just so happens that I read that while in Texas, farting. Literally emitted Texas gas while reading that sentence. Made me smile.

    4. Re: horrible mistake to depend 100% on wind/solar by Magius_AR · · Score: 1

      Yes, Texas is loaded. But pipe it up to Maine and then export to Europe. We can send our excess northeast America and Europe. That would enable them to drop imports from russia.

      Few things...there's no point to piping Texas gas to Maine since they could get it from the Marcellus at a shorter transport distance (pipelines have leaks, and transporting gas all the way across the country is non-ideal). Secondly, the northeast dependency on imported natural gas is a problem of their own making. They stubbornly refuse to install any natural gas pipeline infrastructure (https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenrwald/2017/12/27/in-bad-trade-off-new-england-forsakes-natural-gas-for-petroleum/#e71d3de2bfa9) that would provide them incredibly cheap access to Marcellus gas. So instead, they import it and also burn polluting and expensive oil during cold winters. Buncha morons up there.

  28. An wat about . by bn-7bc · · Score: 1

    Ovecast, calm cold days in winter? Let me see little or no energy from solar, no energy from wind and higher than normal demand due to lover than normal tempratures, wher do they get the difference between suply and demand from ? Neucler ... hold on no one wants a reactor near by, ok natural gas well co2. I’m not defending coal here but renewables seem to have there chalanges, or dou you just import ftom other olaces and let them deal with the co2 qoutas or other negatives connected to production. Not trolling here renewables is the future but ar present there are stil chalanges, I’m shore they will be solved in time, how m well that will be up to people way smarter thsn me to figure out

    1. Re:An wat about . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In a state as big and geographically and climatically varied as Texas, a time that the entire state would be becalmed and sunless all at the same moment is pretty impossible.

    2. Re:An wat about . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well this is covered by natural gas.

      In principal it could be bio-gas, landfill gas, sewage gas, bio-mass e.t.c.

      The real point here is that this is not a problem we are facing yet- and actually it's not even the first problem you face when moving to a renewable dominated system.

      Right now each extra MWh of renewable generation displaces a MWh of gas- but we do need to keep the gas plants around for reliable generation and balancing purposes.

      One day- we will have to replace the last 10% of fossil fuel generation- and it will be a hard problem. It's not the problem we face today though. Don't let the fear of achieving the last bit of the problem prevent you tackling the bulk of it.

      It's like you have a car engine to overhaul- and you can replace the crank-shaft and cylinder seals to get 500% more performance and change the carburettors out for a fuel injection system for an extra 25% more performance but replacing the carburettors seems hard and not necessarily possible because you can't get the parts so you just give up.

      Don't let the best be the benefit of the good. Lets do what we can- and that is a lot- and worry about the last problems later.

      Actually- the first problem we hit with more renewables will be power system stability. The renewable technologies are all non-synchronous so system inertia falls a long way and frequency stability drops making the system fragile such that any power imbalance rapidly causes overspeed or stall in the system. Also solveable and also a problem for another day and most importantly not a reason to slow down renewable installs at the present moment in time.

  29. All nations do, but America needs to the most. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All nations do, but America needs to the most.
    You see per person, Americans use much more power/electricity/gas than regular people. Americans like to pretend they are clean, using 50% cleaner energy. But it's pointless if they are using 6x more total electricity.

    Some simpleminded people think if America uses 6GW of clean energy and $other country uses only 3GW, so America must be better, right?
    Wrong if that other country uses much less energy in total.

    Let's try some numbers. Say America is 50% clean, 20 clean units and 20 dirty units for a total of 40 units.
    Random example country is only 10% clean, 1 clean unit and 9 dirty units for a total of 10.
    Simpleminded people will point out America is 5x cleaner!! 50%v10%
    Even sillier people will claim they are 20x cleaner !!! 20v1
    But you can dismiss those people as WindBournes. It's the dirty part that pollutes. So America's 20 units are much worse than the other countries 9 units. In this example America is over twice as polluting.

    TLDR - Americans are the most polluting because they use the most energy in total.

  30. Rice researchers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I didn't know rice could be grown using coal in the first place. Frankly, I would rather eat rice that was grown using the sun instead of using coal. It tastes better that way.

    (Sorry for the lame joke. That's why I am Anonymous Coward.)

  31. Reduced down to 2x China and EU, good, keep going by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Per person you are still 2x most developed countries.
    When you catch up (you won't) we can talk about all the cleaner developing countries you will need to drop even further to match.

  32. Wind works by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wind power has been used to power ships for a millennia. The Dutch have been using wind to pump water for centuries. So wind, in the right places, which includes west texas, is a feasible source of power.

  33. Just saying... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pretty sure paying for grid scale batteries is cheaper than paying to change the weather/climate...

  34. It's a rice cartel conspiracy! Never trust ricers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those rice researchers, what do they know anyway? Besides, rice is just a fake theory invented by China! What, you wanna tell me those little pieces of plastic are good for anything? Naah, we'll have good old American coal etc.

  35. Ps, wind turbine blades are actually airfoils by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > comparing to aircraft stall speed is utterly irrelevant.

    FYI, the wind turbine blades actually are airfoils. Just like airplane wings. In fact, technically they are wings. Like an airplane wing, they have a stall angle which implies a stall speed.

    1. Re:Ps, wind turbine blades are actually airfoils by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      FYI wind turbines don't have to stay in the air under their own lift.

      FYI you've also confused aircraft stall to the related aerofoil stall. Aerofoils which are not supporting their own weight do not have a minimum speed under which they stall.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    2. Re:Ps, wind turbine blades are actually airfoils by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      They are not "technically wings", and airfoil does not define a wing. A propellor is a screw, the airfoil makes it work better.

      And so what? What does a "stall" in this context matter?

      Furthermore, "stall" is irrelevant to the entire point you're trying to make, it's just used by you to establish a minimum speed for which to produce a relatively low speed range. The minimum speed of an aircraft is not a fundamental property of its strength so the entire basis of your argument is nonsense.

    3. Re:Ps, wind turbine blades are actually airfoils by raymorris · · Score: 1

      > aerofoils which are not supporting their own weight do not have a minimum speed under which they stall.

      When flow separation (turbulent vs laminar flow) hits the calculated center of lift at about 25% of the chord from the LE, the airfoil is stalled. It has nothing to do with weight.

    4. Re:Ps, wind turbine blades are actually airfoils by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Wow you're just flinging concepts at the page and hoping they stick aren't you!

      Firstly stall is not turbulent versus laminar. Many aerofoils have turbulent flow.

      The definition of a stalled aerofoil has nothing to do with your criteria, no matter how technical you think they sound. Stall is that point at which lift starts to decrease with increasing angle of attack.

      For aircraft but not aerofoils, it's a speed because you have to balance out the weight with lift, so as you slow (decreasing the just) you have to increase the aoa (thereby increasing lift to match) until eventually you stall. Guess what happens if you forget to do that with a wind turbine? Nothing because its held aloft with a honking great pole.

      Wind turbines do not have a minimum speed and are much more heavily built than aircraft. This is why your comparison is utterly invalid.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    5. Re:Ps, wind turbine blades are actually airfoils by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Most wind turbines are attached to the ground. Their maximum speed is the same as their minimum speed - zero.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  36. OMG look up a fact if you don't know it by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > . Swept wing aircraft have far larger differences between their minimum and maximum speeds.

    Stall speed of a (swept like the TU) Boeing 737: 140 knots
    Maximum speed: 473 knots
    Factor: 3.38

    I said 2.5-5 and sure enough, it's right in the middle of the range at 3.38.

    1. Re:OMG look up a fact if you don't know it by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Yes, that was supposed to be swing wing instead of swept wing. Take your F-14 as an example. Must be at least 10x difference.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  37. They're actually long and skinny, like glider wing by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > So planes have to be built fairly lightly, but windmills can be much more solid.

    I don't know if you've ever seen a wind turbine, but the blades are actually long skinny things, much like the wings on a glider, and for the same reason. We call that "high aspect ratio" when we're designing airfoils, and the aspect ratio needs to be high for a reason. It makes a HUGE difference in efficiency. Wind turbine blades need to have a much higher aspect ratio than airplane wings.

    Long skinny things get broken easily, because of the leverage and certain mechanics of geometry that I don't a laymen's term for. The force of the wind pushing near the tips is far from the hub, having a lot of leverage that multiplies the force trying to break it off the hub. At the same time, the airfoil isn't very thick, and thin things break easily. I'm not sure how to explain why this is so, but you intuitively know that it's a lot easier to break a thin piece of wood than a thick one - even if the thick one is a hollow truss.

    So you have a weak shape (long and skinny) and high loads due to high leverage between the turbine tips and the hub.

  38. Yeah let's just jump right into it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What happens when the sun is absorbed in larger amounts, cooling the area

    And the wind is obstructed in unnatural ways upsetting the ecosystem?

  39. so manufacturing is magic to you.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    given we already recycle almost all of the materials in one way or another, then it's not magic unless you don't understand what you're bleating on about.

    But even if you were not merely clueless, in what way is your asinine sneer "what about EOL?", the FACT that there's an EOL on all machinery, including all fossil fuel generators, this is sufficient to make your whinge null and void: never head YOU whinge about the waste of EOL'd fossil fuel generators for all its 200 year history.

  40. No we don't have 100 year old facilities. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    We have 50 year old stuff, and that's after almost all of it has been replaced many times meaning about all that is still original is the foundations for the original plant footprint.

  41. Really, because the numbers don't work out. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I live in an area with no gas mains. That means my HVAC, water heater, 1.5hp well pump and 1.5hp septic system pump all require electricity. When I figure out how much solar I need for replacement, I get numbers that would require a second mortgage.

    1. Re:Really, because the numbers don't work out. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was my experience too, up here in PA. I had one installer quote me $12K out of pocket and then never return my calls. After the subsidies dropped, I had a second installer quote $70K plus the cost of removing every tree from my property. I really wanted to give solar a shot, even as a supplemental power source, but it didn't seem like anybody wanted to do the work.

  42. We've lost coal power stations to high winds. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's a FACT too. Yet somehow you dont see this fact as a problem for coal...

    Indicating the problem isn't the wind destructibility but the production vehicle itself.

  43. Floods and hurricanes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sandy took out several coal and gas powered stations. It appears that fossil fuels don't do well in storms.

  44. Actually no, I was replying to the analogy by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Actually if you click, you'll see I was replying to someone who said basically:

    A given wind turbine design can easily function at both 10MPH and 150MPH, because airplanes do.

    Well no, they don't. An airplane that flies at 10uV suffers structural failure at about 30-40uV, because the forces on the structure are so much higher - proportional to velocity cubed.

    1. Re:Actually no, I was replying to the analogy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually if you click, you'll see I was replying to someone who said basically:

      A given wind turbine design can easily function at both 10MPH and 150MPH, because airplanes do.

      Well no, they don't. An airplane that flies at 10uV suffers structural failure at about 30-40uV, because the forces on the structure are so much higher - proportional to velocity cubed.

      Lol what?
      I can slow motion walk at v1=0.001mph. I can sprint at about 20mph briefly. By your math, I am traveling at 20,000v and should explode into microparticles due to wind shear or some other word you think means something it doesn't actually mean.

      Pro Tip: big jets taxi on the runway at under 1mph while idling. They fly at about 600MPH. They are capable of both wind resistance loads on the wing. They are designed for a MAXIMUM load, not an average load.

      As for windmills, they are designed to EXTRACT energy from the wind. The opposite of a plane's propeller. That's why giant windmills don't spin faster than an overclocked CPU's fan.

      RayMorris keeps posting bullshit and digging himself in deeper on something he clearly doesn't understand but can't admit he is wrong on. So business as usual.

  45. Show the Way by sycodon · · Score: 0

    You will note that Texas isn't telling anyone how to generate power. They aren't sending people to Congress to preach renewable energy. They aren't grandstanding at some international conference (after flying there on private jets) and trying to shame anyone into using renewable energy.

    Nope. We just fucking do it.

    Take that as a lesson. Don't go trying to force shit on someone. Just do it yourself and set the example.

    BTW, when you are in trouble, you call men with guns. Same thing applies. Take responsibility for yourself.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Show the Way by thrich81 · · Score: 2

      Those wind farms in Texas aren't there due to some rugged, individualistic, pull yourself up by your bootstraps get'er done Texan ethos. They are there because some Texas businessmen found a stream of money in the Federal budget. So perhaps they weren't exactly told how to generate power, but were sure encouraged by Federal dollars.

      "Federal Alternative Energy Subsidies’ Expiration Date Causes ‘Wind Rush’ in Texas", https://www.texasstandard.org/...

      and from 2013, so a little dated:
      "Texas Ranks #1 for Federal Wind Subsidies", https://www.texaspolicy.com/te...

    2. Re:Show the Way by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      Well based on the article that you hopefully read, that makes sense, right?

      The thing is, you assume that Texas is anti clean energy and a backwards state on almost all social issues and your wrong. But nothing will ever convince you of that.

    3. Re:Show the Way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The thing is, you assume that Texas is anti clean energy and a backwards state on almost all social issues and your wrong. But nothing will ever convince you of that.

      Outside the major cities, Texas is pretty darn backwards.

    4. Re:Show the Way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you say that?

      Because people aren't fucking each other up the ass like in your cosmopolitan cities?

    5. Re:Show the Way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what?

      You think people will pass up free money?

      Texas STILL did it. Texas hasn't said shit about whether your should do it or not.

      We are walking the walk while you people simply talk.

    6. Re:Show the Way by thrich81 · · Score: 1

      I didn't say that Texas is anti-clean energy, I said that those Texas wind farms wouldn't have been built without lucrative encouragement from the Feds. Without getting into a further discussion of the issues, I'll say that my credentials to comment on Texas are pretty strong -- born here, raised here, two university degrees obtained here, 40+ years of living here, family tree which goes back to the Texas revolution; I've seen Texas and live it every day. Its got pockets of enlightenment, sure, and those pockets are getting larger, but as long as guys like Gov Greg Abbott and Lt Gov Dan Patrick keep getting elected statewide you can't say that TX isn't backwards on almost all social issues.

  46. Yeah that's very different by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > Yes, that was supposed to be swing wing instead of swept wing.

    Ah yes. That's very, very different. A swing wing greatly changes the aspect ratio, becoming a very different wing.

    > Take your F-14 as an example. Must be at least 10x difference.

    The F-14 has swinging wings, full-length leading edge slats, trailing edge slots, and bleed vanes that can be opened and closed. These significantly change the camber of the wing, the aspect ratio, the total wing area ... two totally different wings. Still, the F-14 was called the turkey due to its low-spwed handling. Coming in for a landing with its low-spwed wings, it flew like a turkey does. Very, very different from its high-speed configuration. With the totally different wing configurations, it is indeed about a 10X difference in speed. Not with the same wing, of course. You can't do Mach 1 with the slats open and you can't land with the bleeds open.

    1. Re:Yeah that's very different by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Still, it kind of kills your point of "no matter which plane to look at". Anyway, there are also swept wing aircraft that can do almost a 10x difference, Su-27 for example (stall speed 130kts, max speed 1240 kts).
      The reason why passenger aircraft doesn't is more economical than anything else, they are designed for flying with the best compromise between speed and fuel efficiency, that's all.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  47. Also density altitude cuts speed by 65% by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Btw another thing to consider is that drag (and therefore airframe loading) is proportional to air density. At 56,000 feet, the is 65% less air than at sea level. The same plane can go ~ three times as fast at that altitude than it can at sea level.

    Wind turbines don't fly at 56,000 feet.

    1. Re:Also density altitude cuts speed by 65% by currently_awake · · Score: 1

      They are working on kite wind turbines, to get power from the high speed winds at high altitude. They would have to be built like airplanes (big and light).

  48. Ps 66% less air at Concorde altitude by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Btw you mentioned the Concorde.

    Drag (and therefore the forces the structure must withstand) is proportional to air density. At 60,000 feet where the Concorde reaches top speed, the is 66% less air than at sea level. The same plane can go ~ three times as fast at that altitude than it can at sea level.

    If you factor that in, looking at the Concorde's top speed at sea level, you'll find it's top sea level speed is about 3.3 times its minimum sea level speed. Similarly, its minimum speed at 60,000 feet is - one third of its maximum speed at that altitude. Again, this isn't a coincidence.

    Wind turbines don't switch between sea level and 60,000 feet. As someone mentioned, wind turbines don't fly*. :)

    * Though actually you can do the math as if they do - the airfoil bears a load - the generator, which is analogous to the load borne by the wings of an aircraft. It's all airfoils.

    1. Re:Ps 66% less air at Concorde altitude by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      If you factor that in, looking at the Concorde's top speed at sea level, you'll find it's top sea level speed is about 3.3 times its minimum sea level speed.

      Sigh fine OK. Keep moving the goal posts and I'll keep scoring. The Eurofighter typhoon can hit 1470 km/h at sea level and has a inimum speed of 203 km/s. That's 7.2x the speed at the same air density. Similar for the F14. And the F104.

      That's more than your original claim of 3 and still more than your original claim of 5.

      * Though actually you can do the math as if they do

      No you don't. Well you clearly are but actual engineers don't. Here's a free example for you. What happens if you stick a 300 tonne block in the hold of an A380? Now what happens if you attach a 300T block of concrete to a wind turbine?

      You keep acting like there's a minimum speed for wind turbines. THERE IS NOT.

      Also, you keep forgetting that wind turbines can feather and simply stop if the air gets too fast. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING PLANES CAN DO.

      Being (a) heavy and (b) bolted to the ground is a massively different design space from being light enough to fly.

      which is analogous to the load borne by the wings of an aircraft

      Not in the case you're talking about because in an aircraft you need enough force to lift off the ground. If you manage that with a wind turbine, then it doesn't remain being a wind turbine.

      Oh here's another example for you. F1 cars use aerofoils to get down force. They have a top speed of about 230 miles per hour. They have a bottom speed of 0. That like wind turbines and completely unlike planes gives them an infinite ration of minimum to maximum speed. Because liek wind turbines they don't fall out of the sky when they stop what with not being in the sky in the first place.

      It's hard to make a jet exceed 3x the landing speed because of the tradeoffs of fuel economy, structural weight and engine size. Because a plane has to stay in the air ideally for more than 5 minutes. Turbines do not suffer from that constraint.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  49. Just one example will do by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > Airplanes can be designed for a wider range of speeds than you think they are capable of...and often are.

    I'll believe you if you can give one single example. Go ahead, I'll wait.

    Btw keep in mind that the forces (induced and parasitic drag) on a plane are proportional to air density. At 60,000 feet, there is 66% less air than at sea level. So the structural maximum speed at sea level will be about 1/3rd the maximum speed at 60,000 feet. Conversely, the minimum speed at altitude will be about three times the minimum speed at sea level. If you forget that and compare minimum at sea level vs maximum at altitude you'll accidentally get a factor that is three times too large. Wind turbines don't fly up to 60,000 feet.

  50. By yor numbers, SU-27 would be 3.3X by raymorris · · Score: 1

    The SU-27 can do 1240 kts at 62,000 feet.

    Induced and parasitic drag (load on the aircraft) is proportional to air density. At that altitude, the air density is less than a third of what it is at sea level. That makes the structural load 1/3rd. You're accidentally comparing velocity at sea level with velocity at 1/3rd the density and thinking you're calculating the load factor at 10. To get the load factor you'd need to divide by the density difference, so 10X / 3 = 3.3X. Hey there's the same number AGAIN. That keeps coming up about the same for every aircraft we try, from a Cessna to a jet fighter and a 737 . Maybe that's not a coincidence.

    1. Re:By yor numbers, SU-27 would be 3.3X by raymorris · · Score: 1

      By the way, you found the maximum speed at altitude and the minimum speed at 3X air density, it might be fun to see if you can find or calculate the minimum speed at the same density / altitude.

      I'd be willing to bet it's just about 1240 / 3 kts. That is, max speed / 3 (for the same altitude, since wind turbines don't fly).

  51. The role of government by Shotgun · · Score: 2

    I lean libertarian, but this article indicates that there really is a role for government to play in renewables that does not boil down to the President writing big checks to his political donors. IMHO, one of the proper roles of government is to enable markets. Building a road system enables farmers to bring their crops to the cities, and for cities to sale their manufactured goods to farmers. It doesn't make sense for either group to build the roads by themselves, and having a third party build, own and control the roads puts to much power in the hands of individuals, and creates innefficient roads since the builder would have to negotiate terms with individual land owners to build the roads in the first place.

    The current situation with renewables is that small amounts of power are created at different times of the day in different areas. Getting the power from the western plains to the eastern factories to take advantage of all that wind is problematic (drive across Indiana and you see a large portion of the windmills stopped even though the wind is vigorous). The biggest boost the Feds could give to renewables is to put the federal electricity distribution grid on steroids. Once I can sell my wind produced energy on an open market the size of the US, I'd never let them to stop. And I'd probably put up more for even more passive income.

    I know there is currently a federal grid, but it should be beefed up and anyone allowed to participate in the market in the same way that anyone can set up a trucking company.

    --
    Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
    Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
  52. Texas has been moving in a good direction by theendlessnow · · Score: 2

    I think that long term this is going to happen. We've already seen a drastic reduction on coal as natural gas took over and wind has helped make that story even better. I'm looking forward to some great things happening in the state of Texas.

    But, alas, as a coastal state with a lot of refinery operations, not sure that's going to change much.... there's just too much money there today (emphasis on today).

    It's difficult to make any drives on I-45 without seeing many many fan blades in transit.

    Solar? Well, I think that we'll see advancements there and the possibility of solar farms.... it's just more of a "land grab" than wind is. But who knows? If a power company sees enough profit, they'll pay the big bucks to get the land required. If Democrats take the White House next election, maybe they'll coerce the power companies so that they'll have no choice, either go solar (major) and earn less money or die completely (a precarious position given that even Democrats love electricity).

    1. Re:Texas has been moving in a good direction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, because coercion is the Democratic Way...

      "Step in-line, Comrade. Or you will be deplatformed and disenfranchised!"

    2. Re:Texas has been moving in a good direction by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Well, I think that we'll see advancements there and the possibility of solar farms.... it's just more of a "land grab" than wind is.

      There's really no benefit to large solar farms, and there are numerous drawbacks. Solar by its nature lends itself to distributed installation. And by putting it on commercial roofs (which are harder to fall off of than residential ones, as a rule) and over parking lots you actually gain efficiencies. Large power installations require new grid improvements, while small power installations installed at points of use require none. It's just foolish to build large solar installations.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  53. PS it's okay to not be a pilot by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Btw, it's OKAY to not be a pilot, or an aeronautical engineer. Nobody knows everything. It's interesting to talk about things we don't know about because that's how we LEARN.

    Or, we can pretend to be a pilot when it's plainly obvious we would have never passed ground school, and stubbornly refuse to learn anything. That's the way to guarantee everlasting ignorance.

    You seem to think saying "hey that's cool, I didn't know that" means a huge failure on your part. It does not. The huge failure is the stubborn refusal to learn anything, claiming to be a pilot while also saying that approach velocity is the same thing as touchdown velocity. Which shows you probably haven't even flown an *RC model* aircraft. I have my FAA log book here. I've got my hours as pilot in command of an actual airplane, not pixels. That doesn't mean you have to. You probably know 1,000 times as much about sports as I do. That's okay.

    1. Re:PS it's okay to not be a pilot by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Or, we can pretend to be a pilot

      Says the guy trying to convince me that you're supposed to stall during flare. If you are a pilot then your landings are rough as all hell, but at this point wet both know you're not.

      Hell you don't even seem to realise that planes actually stay in the air rather than being held up on a giant pole like wind turbines. At least that's what your reasoning is predicated on even if you haven't figured that out yet...

      while also saying that approach velocity is the same thing as touchdown velocity

      Another reason you aren't a pilot: you actually need to be able to read to get a license and it's clear you have failed to do so. I made no such claim.

      I have my FAA log book here.

      Any yahoo can get an empty log book. As for your hours? Technically, zero is a number of hours.

      You probably know 1,000 times as much about sports as I do.

      I say this as a nerd: that's the saddest bit of nerd bigotry I've seen all week.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  54. Coal???? You must mean OIL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Texas ain't got no coal -- they got OIL! and lots of it. Ahhh! Texas Tea.

  55. Much above VSO is actually an FAA fail by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > On a powered craft you flare ... trade some of your velocity for the extra lift you get.

    You are correct that the flare reduces your velocity. You do NOT want "extra lift" when you're two feet off the tarmac! You want to set the plane down. Anyway, you're aware that the flare reduces airspeed below the approach speed. Now let's have a look at what the approach speed should be, before you slow with a roundout and flare.

    Here's the FAA pilots license test requirements:
    http://www.kingschools.com/pts...

    Which says that to pass your test and get licensed you must:
    5. Maintains a stabilized approach and recommended
    airspeed, or in its absence, not more than 1.3 VSO

    Anything over 1.3VSO (stall speed) on approach is a fail. Maybe that's why you don't have your license? After the approach, which must be less than 1.3 X stall, you then slow in the roundout, and slow more in the flare. What do you think you get when you start with "less than 1.3â, then reduce it twice? You get about 1.0.

    > you'll fnd yourself overshooting the field and landing in a hedge.

      Sounds like you need to work on your roundout, and probably your approach speed. Again, your approach needs to be not much above stall, per FAA license requirement. Then you slow in the roundout to have a nice sink rate rather than descending by having your nose down. Finally, 1-2 feet above the deck, flare to scrub further speed as the main gear touch down. Hold the stick back to further reduce speed so you don't go off the end of the runway or have to stomp on the brakes - you don't have much traction at this point since you still have airspeed.

    1. Re:Much above VSO is actually an FAA fail by raymorris · · Score: 1

      By the way, you're welcome to disagree with the FAA about the right way to fly a plane. You're just not going to get your license until you slow the fuck down and get that stall horn sounding at the end of your roundout.

    2. Re:Much above VSO is actually an FAA fail by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      You do NOT want "extra lift" when you're two feet off the tarmac!

      There's not eally another way to decrease your descent rate.

      You want to set the plane down.

      Yes set it down. Not smear it across the tarmac.

      What do you think you get when you start with "less than 1.3a, then reduce it twice? You get about 1.0.

      Kinds of depends on how much you reduce it by, really.

      Sounds like you need to work on your roundout, and probably your approach speed.

      Tell you what you try flaring an ASK21 on the way in and let me know how it goes for you. You might find the airbrakes more useful otherwise they have a bit of a tendency to not quite manage to hit the ground, preferring instead to hit higher obstacles shortly past the end of the field.

      Again, your approach needs to be not much above stall, per FAA license requirement.

      Yes, not much above, which is not the same as below. It's not really an FAA requirement that you don't stall into the ground, it's more that it would only be something you tend to do only once.

      Finally, 1-2 feet above the deck, flare to scrub further speed as the main gear touch down.

      Which also drops your descent rate further to give a nice gentle landing. Here look someone made a nice graph:

      https://www.aeroskytech.com/en...

      you see how in phase 3 (flare) your descent rate is a bit lower than in round out? How d you think that happens?

      Hold the stick back to further reduce speed so you don't go off the end of the runway

      And that works by transferring your speed to the air, by blasting it downwards, i.e. increasing lift. But you don't have enough speed to take off again and the engine is off so it bleeds your velocity instead.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    3. Re:Much above VSO is actually an FAA fail by raymorris · · Score: 1

      > Tell you what you try flaring an ASK21 on the way in and let me know how it goes for you.

      Here a couple ASK21's:
      https://youtu.be/Cj2wsJ5Wbqw
      https://youtu.be/zsT9KXkQ-JY

      Of course a glider is a tad different than a powered plane. The same ideas apply, but sometimes to a much different extent. I only have to be generally aware of *strong* thermals, for example.

      I wonder if perhaps we have slightly different definition of "flare", as well as the extent of flare being very different in a glider with a 16:1 (!!!) aspect ratio, vs say 5:1. Anyway, about the videos ...

      The ASK21 has, of course, a tail wheel which doesn't touch the ground when the aircraft is sitting level. The tail wheel would only touch if the aircraft were nose up. In the videos, we see the nose well below the horizon during the approach. Then just before touchdown we see the nose rise, the tailwheel touch, then we see the nose drop to level. The drop may be easier to see than the rise, but we know that we started nose down, and we ended with a nose drop to level, so obviously we had to go nose up in between. Not by much at 16:1, but we definitely went nose up.

      Here's the terminology I was taught:
      Nose down : descent
      Nose to level : round out
      Nose up, planting rear gear : flare
      Nose drops to level and main gear on the ground : landed

      Maybe you think of the nose coming up (a bit) and then back to level as "an extended roundout" and don't think "flare"? Either way, I assume you know the tail wheel on the ASK21 typically touches, which means the aircraft is nose up. Some of us call going nose up to touch down a "flare". :)

    4. Re:Much above VSO is actually an FAA fail by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      The ASK21 has, of course, a tail wheel which doesn't touch the ground when the aircraft is sitting level. The tail wheel would only touch if the aircraft were nose up. In the videos, we see the nose well below the horizon during the approach. Then just before touchdown we see the nose rise, the tailwheel touch

      The main wheel (centre) touches first right at this time point:

      https://youtu.be/Cj2wsJ5Wbqw?t...

      Then the front wheel touches. The tail wheel never touches down. It's a pretty level landing, but you see the glider wobbling up and down in angle a lot on the approach.

      Either way, I assume you know the tail wheel on the ASK21 typically touches

      I wouldn't say typically. You can. Tend to land on the middle wheel though if you can though as a beginner it's better to err towards the back than the front. Remember the ASK21 has airbrakes (really combined airbrakes and spoilers, they do both) so you jut hit them to drop more with the nose level. Avoids picking up too much speed as well.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    5. Re:Much above VSO is actually an FAA fail by raymorris · · Score: 1

      Cool. I see in that video the person landed on the middle wheel, with the nose wheel maybe, what 10" - 12" up? Then the nose came down as speed went down.

      I would never pilot a glider. I like to have plan A, plan B, and plan C. "No such thing as going around" isn't my style when my life is on the line. I'll keep my Rotax as long as I'm in the plane. My favorite RC is my motor glider.

  56. As usual, the press report is misleading by magzteel · · Score: 1

    The press report makes declarations the study does not make. The study claims and conclusions are very measured.

    The full conclusion:

    "West Texas wind produced the most total power annually, followed by South Texas wind production and then solar. Over the year, solar production is complementary with both WT and ST wind. WT wind paired with solar provided the highest levels of firm capacity at an 87.5% threshold. Accordingly, combining solar resources with WT wind might increase reliable power production on an annual basis. On a daily basis, however, WT wind, ST wind and solar all have different peak production times with ST wind peaking in the later afternoon, when demand for power is highest. This suggests that combining solar with ST wind might increase reliable power production over the course of a summer day during hours of high demand.

    Directly comparing the sites’ hourly production with times of greatest demand throughout the year yielded further insights. Solar production was the highest during summer hours when load on the ERCOT grid was highest, and WT and ST wind productions were the highest during winter peak hours. WT wind showed greater production during both the summer and winter peak hours than the ERCOT estimate, suggesting ERCOT’s approach is conservative in this case. Our results also suggest a need for ERCOT to re-evaluate its estimates of ST wind availability during seasonal peak hours. We estimate that these coastal sites provide more output during winter peak load than summer, contrary to ERCOT’s assumptions in its resource assessments.

    Comparisons of different solar configurations show that, though a west-facing fixed-tilt system yields less than half the output of a dual-axis tracking system, it can produce almost as much power during the peak load hours for summer. This suggests that a relatively low-cost system could play a valuable role in meeting summer peak demand.

    Areas for further investigation include expanding the scope of measurements from seven sample sites to locations throughout the state in order to pinpoint specific locations that maximize complementarity (thus reliability) and best meet demand over the course of each day. Further research could also explore alternatives to the ERCOT resource adequacy factors that might more fully characterize the reliable production potential of Texas renewables. These results might suggest ways to organize future renewables projects to maximize reliability with minimal investment in expensive storage technologies. Such analyses will become increasingly important as the mix of Texas variable renewable electricity supply shifts from predominately West Texas wind to include more solar power and a broader mix of wind locations."

    1. Re:As usual, the press report is misleading by haruchai · · Score: 1

      Texas and the others states across the South / Southwest should get together and get the proposed Tres Amigas Superstation / interconnect built, perhaps more than one.
      That should allow for much greater penetration of renewables and less frequent curtailment as overproduction could be shifted from Florida to California

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
  57. Also has enough hot air by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Texas also has enough hot air to eliminate their need for fossil fuels.

  58. Btw how fast do you land that ASK21? by raymorris · · Score: 1

    If you fly an ASK21, I'm curious about your speeds during approach, roundout, and touchdown.

    The manufacturer says the ideal speed for the approach descent is 53, then you slow a bit during the roundout to level, then just before you touchdown you slow a bit more by raising the nose a tad.

    Given the approach speed of 53, I figure after the roundout to level you'd be going maybe 48-50. A touch of backstick to touchdown would put you somewhere around 45-49?

  59. proven, now by Texmaize · · Score: 1

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...–present)

    Now, since you ask such simplistic, juvenile questions, prove that you do not self mod or get a friend to do it. Such trivial things should not be modded up by any thinking human.

    --
    "Liberalism is a very noble idea, currently controlled by some very bad people. Be sure you do not get the two confused.
  60. Re:They're actually long and skinny, like glider w by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There is a lot of energy in the wind, so windmills do not have to be particularly energy efficient. Unlike a propeller which is being driven by the engine.

    The efficiency that counts for windmills is cost per kilowatt extracted, not percentage of wind energy captured.

    That said, they do look rather fragile, although I presume made of steel (as weight is no issue). I presume that strength vs energy capture vs cost of manufacture is the design trade off.

  61. Re:They're actually long and skinny, like glider w by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > So planes have to be built fairly lightly, but windmills can be much more solid.

    At the same time, the airfoil isn't very thick, and thin things break easily. I'm not sure how to explain why this is so, but you intuitively know that it's a lot easier to break a thin piece of wood than a thick one - even if the thick one is a hollow truss.

    So you have a weak shape (long and skinny) and high loads due to high leverage between the turbine tips and the hub.

    Is that why you think commercial airliners can't fly faster than the Cesna in your earlier example? Or are you saying that the jet turbine tip is is spinning at 300,000kph?

    Maybe you could think of the wind turbine blade as the wing of the 600mph plane instead of the thing that pulls the plane through the air by spinning at what amounts to a few orders of magnitude within relativistic speeds.

  62. No the fuck you don't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    COMPLETE BULLSHIT. You do precisely that, but not necessarily in the generation method. You have an army of oil shills in DC doing your own anti-renewable campaign. You may not care how your hydrocarbons are burned, but by god, they're gonna be burned, consequences be damned. You fuckers own all the goddamned school text books. Every manufacturer around that wants decent sales write books to your backasswards standards regardless of where the intended audience is. There's other examples I don't feel like typing. I do know one thing though, Y'ALL DON'T DO SHIT. You piss and moan until you get your way, just like every other fucking state.

    1. Re:No the fuck you don't by sycodon · · Score: 1

      Speaking of pissing and moaning...

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  63. Yeah ya do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bullpussy. I fucked 2 or 3 bitches outside Nacogdoches in the ass, for free I might add but not at the same time sadly. One of them could have been your mom or your sister. I wouldn't know exactly though, cause bitches don't have names.

  64. Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm sure Texas is going to listen to a university in Illinois when their entire economy is based on fossil fuels and hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Illinois for Texas.

  65. One Thing About Texas by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

    Everything is bigger in it.