Renewable energy propaganda vs real life - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 12:48:51 am
content: I accedentally heard that "germany gets 100% of it's energy from renewables".Ok it was Bill Maher that said it with the former EPA lady Gina McCarthy nodding appropriately as seen here:at 2:26My gut told me to "go look it up".Then, on purpose I found out two things:A) Germany's power from "renewables" is at best less than 50% (https://www.dw.com/en/german-renewables-deliver-more-electricity-than-coal-and-nuclear-power-for-the-first-time/a-49606644)andB) prices are going up up up(https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-energy-retail/german-consumers-paying-record-prices-for-power-portal-idUSKCN1P9233)So what's really going on in Germany?Have electricity prices gone up reaching "record highs" as the reuters article describes?What % of Germany's consumed energey is from "renewables"?Was Bill Mahers' statement nothing more than a sort of "flamboyant exaggeration" / "poetic license statistic" and if that were true why is Gina MCCarthy nodding ?I don't mind being lied to, as long as I don't have a reason to doubt it!

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 12:58:51 am
content: 'Green' propaganda, it's everywhere !Some latest findings:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/windpower/9889882/Wind-farms-will-create-more-carbon-dioxide-say-scientists.html

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 02:17:55 am
content: Quote from: DimitriP on September 30, 2019, 12:48:51 amThis is one of the most annoying things when people talk about percentages of renewable energy. Obviously Germany doesn't get 100% of its energy from renewables. One obvious factor is we all know they have a high percentage of gasoline and diesel powered transportation. All that people are usually talking about when they say renewable energy is renewable electrical energy, and they ignore everything else. In many countries the percentage of non-electrical energy is huge. Until people start focussing on the total energy consumption we won't get very far with understanding the true scale of the problems in moving to all renewable energy. Besides that, Germany is nowhere near achieving 100% renewably sourced electrical energy. In some areas they are actually going backwards with their carbon footprint, as they run away from nuclear power.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 07:27:58 am
content: Its likely a researcher condensing the situation to little "bytes" that the presenter then mis-interpreted, while there is enough installed renewable generation in Germany to run 100% green:https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/renewables-cover-about-100-german-power-use-first-time-everIt happens very rarely at the moment and with the import/export complexities the "green" part could have been traded to who knows where (including trading to other times when the renewables weren't generating). The person being interviewed should really have corrected that in the interview.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 07:57:45 am
content: Especially annoying, that they could very well just not lie. They could say that 99% of mainland Norway electricity production is renewable.It is hydro, which is "not that sexy". And you need oil to fund it.Ah well, lets just be ignorant until we boil the oceans.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 08:39:25 am
content: Quote from: Someone on September 30, 2019, 07:27:58 amHmmm...sounds like those "new elements" they keep adding to the periodic tablehttps://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/04/461904077/4-new-elements-are-added-to-the-periodic-tableQuote

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 03:00:32 pm
content: He probably mixed up Norway (mostly Hydro, population: 5.3 milion) and Germany (Wind and Solar, population: 83 million).It is true that electricity costs more in Germany, but this comes from a situation where local coal mining was subsidized 1985-1995 by 8,25% on the electricity bill on average in former West Germany... to keep coal mining "competitive".The feed-in by renewables was and still is subsidized, itwent down significant (e.g. solar)in recent years and recent changes provide yearly degradation of feed-in compensation based on type of renewable.I however would not agree that a journalist mixing up facts should lead to abandoning the idea itself as propagandistic rubbish or would change the forming of opinions as drastically as proposed. It is pretty much foul play to go ad hominem, instead of the facts themselves - until someone continously spreads misinformation of course.Quote from: tautech on September 30, 2019, 12:58:51 amYeah, on peat soil if you remove the peat to build one. You know that peat was used as coal substitute for heating not too long ago by burning it (therefore releasing its Carbon content)? This is the kind of nonsense news no one needed, the comparison is on par with the question if rotors from windfarms kill more birds than the domesticated cat.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2019, 06:51:33 pm
content: QuotePropaganda being the "information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view", seems to fit here.You find out about issues, that have existed for "a long time". Some companies or individuals or both, keep on going, producing untold wealth for themselves or their companies and then it seems when the markeat reaches some kind a plateau ....suddenly"This is a realy bad thing an we all must stop doing it!".Case in point.A) Pollution in Los Angeles,B) Cell phones and textingC) Santa Clarita Valley / Los Angeles water shortages.A) Beckman, (of Beckman Instustries fame) , was called in to measure pollution in Los Angeles in ---wait for it...1954. And yes the air was "bad".The EPA was convenently established in 1970.B) Cell phones. Started in late 80s..and once e v e r y o n e has one AT&T and Verizon start buying radio time toplay a public service announcement about not texting and driving, interrupting the radio station program where if you are the 32nd caller you get a prize. Where are these callers calling in from, a payphone? No...they are calling from their car. I'm sure they all dial using hands free mode ...Riiiightand My favoriteC) Los Angeles Water issues.Saint Francis dam, (that faied misearlbly in 1928 - that's twenty eight of last century - was built to meed the deamnds of a growin population in Los Angeles - because there wasn't enough water. Fast forward to the present there are quite a few more people in "Los Angeles" and guess what...there is always a water shortage concern, while for the last 90 years a few individuals made mega millions building and building and building and building and building ...you get the idea.My water shortage policy goes like this. I turn on the faucet and there is no water coming out, there is a water shortage. Until then I'll use as much water as I "need".So no I will not play the game of "we have financially exploited a situation up to the breaking point, now everyone needs to "help" heal the break".Nope. Go get your own supreglue!Time to go drive my gross polluter classified car around the block . C'ya