General Discussion

hunter

(40,767 posts)

20. Low wind and no sunshine cause renewable energy shutdowns constantly.

Wed Apr 8, 2026, 05:12 PM

Apr 8

My own neighborhood has so much solar we export electricity on sunny days.

At night everyone's power is dirty. You can watch the ins and outs of California's electric grid here:

https://www.caiso.com/todays-outlook/supply

The shutdown of solar occurs nightly. We've got huge battery plants and everything. (Sometimes the batteries catch on fire... )

What say you of the chart I posted previously? I'll post it again here:

https://app.electricitymaps.com/map/zone/FR/12mo/monthly

Nuclear France is solidly green. It exports electricity to the United Kingdom. The price of electricity is low compared to non-nuclear power grids.

It's no coincidence that places with the most aggressive "renewable" energy programs have some of the most expensive electricity in the developed world. Much of that burden falls upon the people least able to afford it.

Renewable energy is just as much a "cash cow" as any other energy resource. People in my neighborhood who don't have solar systems are frequently harassed by people selling solar power systems. It's not cheap either. Sunshine and wind may be "free" but the cost of integrating this energy into a reliable electric grid is high.

I used to be a radical anti-nuclear activist. Now I'm not. I've written about it some here on DU.

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Scotland temporarily ran entirely on wind power as turbines generated over 200 percent of national electricity demand. [View all] Swede Apr 8 OP

We could learn a lot from our European friends if we would get our head out of our ass. walkingman Apr 8 #1

It has NOTHING to do with our heads up our asses. Conjuay Apr 8 #2

Both are true. yardwork Apr 8 #6

Scotland regularly generates an electricity surplus over its own requirements Emrys Apr 8 #3

Decades of these kinds of momentary 100% reports demonstrate... NNadir Apr 8 #4

This isn't a "momentary" surplus, nor is it unreliable. Emrys Apr 8 #7

Nonsense. It isn't rocket science to understand that the wind doesn't blow continuously. NNadir Apr 8 #9

I was just thinking the other day I hadn't seen an NNadir pro-nuke post in awhile AZJonnie Apr 8 #10

Wind power will only prolong our dependence on fossil fuels. hunter Apr 8 #13

Yes I've read many dozens of NNadir's posts over the years, you don't have to get me up to speed AZJonnie Apr 8 #15

The best ways to halt human population growth are not coercive. hunter Apr 8 #16

Nuclear power will have a similar effect Emrys Apr 8 #18

Low wind and no sunshine cause renewable energy shutdowns constantly. hunter Apr 8 #20

Hence my emphasis throughout on a MIX of resources Emrys Apr 8 #23

Trashing coastal environments with tidal power schemes isn't going to save the world. hunter Apr 8 #25

This is now getting tiresome. I didn't realize a good news story about Scotland would bring on the nuclear fanboys. Emrys Apr 8 #28

Bullshit. Hickley C will be saving lives half a century after every wind turbine in Scotland has become landfill. NNadir Apr 8 #21

Oh, bullshit yourself. Emrys Apr 8 #24

Thank you. I chose to respond to your question in a new thread over in E&E. It's:... NNadir Apr 11 #29

Nonsense yourself. I think you fit very well the description of an ideologue Emrys Apr 8 #12

Could it be that's what the fossil fuel industry wants you to think? hunter Apr 8 #17

I don't know why you think that. Emrys Apr 8 #19

Human ingenuity sometimes (not often, but sometimes) Torchlight Apr 8 #5

really good DoBW Apr 8 #8

They will need to be bombed over this and their regime changed. Too threatening to Big Oil. (SARCASM). artemisia1 Apr 8 #11

Gee. Who WOULDN'T want that for the USA and planet earth? Kid Berwyn Apr 8 #14

Wouldn't it be great to read, United States of America temporarily ran entirely on wind power... Passages Apr 8 #22

And we get coal natural gas and oil. Klarkashton Apr 8 #26

he hated wind power becuase Turbines were in view on the golf course he acquired. Acccording to the Clown-in-Charge, OAITW r.2.0 Apr 8 #27