"Secretive energy startup backed by Bill Gates achieves solar breakthrough"

[MJG-90]

If a volcano blocks the sun for a "long time," electricity is going to be the least of your worries.

Do you just watch for someone to say something you can nitpick and pounce? I clearly stated it was a "crazy" example.

That said, if the sun is blocked for a lengthy period of time, wouldn't it be much better for us humans if we had lots of other power that isn't supplied by the sun? You know to power artificial "sun" light sources to help grow food.

But that wasn't really my point. Just like an investment portfolio, clean energy supplies should be diversified to protect against any one catastrophic situation. Whatever it is. If for whatever reason, suddenly solar or wind is no longer viable, there are already alternatives on the grid.

 

[Op2]

Do you just watch for someone to say something you can nitpick and pounce? I clearly stated it was a "crazy" example.

That said, if the sun is blocked for a lengthy period of time, wouldn't it be much better for us humans if we had lots of other power that isn't supplied by the sun? You know to power artificial "sun" light sources to help grow food.

But that wasn't really my point. Just like an investment portfolio, clean energy supplies should be diversified to protect against any one catastrophic situation. Whatever it is. If for whatever reason, suddenly solar or wind is no longer viable, there are already alternatives on the grid.

In Japan they have a (maybe many by now) indoor lettuce farm that is half the size of a football field and that produces 10,000 heads of lettuce per day and part of the trick is artificial light.

https://ggs-greenhouse.com/blog/world’s-largest-indoor-farm-produces-10000-heads-lettuce-day-japan

 

[The Spin Meister]

In Japan they have a (maybe many by now) indoor lettuce farm that is half the size of a football field and that produces 10,000 heads of lettuce per day and part of the trick is artificial light.

https://ggs-greenhouse.com/blog/world’s-largest-indoor-farm-produces-10000-heads-lettuce-day-japan

Next year, Carnegie Melon and a new start up is going to build one of these in a 'burgh suburb called Braddock.

 

[heckmans]

Do you just watch for someone to say something you can nitpick and pounce? I clearly stated it was a "crazy" example.

That said, if the sun is blocked for a lengthy period of time, wouldn't it be much better for us humans if we had lots of other power that isn't supplied by the sun? You know to power artificial "sun" light sources to help grow food.

But that wasn't really my point. Just like an investment portfolio, clean energy supplies should be diversified to protect against any one catastrophic situation. Whatever it is. If for whatever reason, suddenly solar or wind is no longer viable, there are already alternatives on the grid.

No dude. It's not nitpicking. Your entire premise is mistaken. If the Earth was plunged into darkness, it doesn't matter how much energy could be generated by other means. Most people would starve, before anything could really be done about it. The amount of energy the sun puts on this planet can't be replicated by artificial means

 

[interrobang]

In Japan they have a (maybe many by now) indoor lettuce farm that is half the size of a football field and that produces 10,000 heads of lettuce per day and part of the trick is artificial light.

https://ggs-greenhouse.com/blog/world’s-largest-indoor-farm-produces-10000-heads-lettuce-day-japan

That's neat, but how much does it cost to produce that lettuce, which has nearly no nutritional value?

 

[uhlerlion]

From the article:

“One problem with solar is that the sun doesn't always shine, yet industrial companies like cement makers have a constant need for heat. Heliogen said it would solve that issue by relying on storage systems that can hold the solar energy for rainy days.”

Companies already using solar have storage systems for this precise reason--Did the person asking the question really think hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested and that question wasnt asked like 20 years ago? Asking for a friend.

 

[91Joe95]

Actually, although I may have read the article too hastily, the part about the nuclear power plants sounds very promising.

There was a retrospective documentary about three mile island, I think in the 90's, that mentioned they already had the technology. "Spent" nuclear rods are still about 98% active, it just isn't politically or financially worth pursuing given existing ample purified stocks.

 

[SUPERTODD]

Capitalism is going to save the world if we don’t kill it first. Whenever a society becomes affluent they immediately began to care about the environment, mostly because they have the means to not have to worry about subsistence. Without government intervention we will solve our world’s energy problems within the next 20 years.