Aaaaand I was 100% WRONG About China

[David Horn]

(08-31-2022, 06:15 AM)JasonBlack Wrote:

Quote:And we are more energy independent because of the potential of renewable energy. 100 square miles of solar power alone (to say nothing of wind onshore and offshore), spread out over the country and on rooftops, can supply ALL our energy needs. Coal is no longer an option, period! That, my friend, indeed needs to be shut down ASAP! Republicans and their Supreme Court resist this, and thus keep the climate crisis accelerating, which creates feedback loops to make the crisis worse and shut down our hydro power.

1) You'll have to forgive me for being skeptical. What are you basing this claim off of?
2) Solar power is only able to provide power during the day time. That's fine for much of the year, but not for electric cars which need to be charged at night or during the Winter months when you're without light or power after 5am
3) The carbon footprint of the creation of solar panels is a lot higher than what most people realize, especially given most have a relatively short lifespan. 
4) China has 3-4x the population of America with a fraction of the open space. Easier said than done. 
None of this is to say we (or, in this case, China) shouldn't use solar panels. The point is we aren't currently at a point where we can rely on them as the dominant fuel source. We can and should expand their usage, but necessary does not equal sufficient.

Surprise! I fully agree.