Good points. Here is a post someone else wrote on the approximate size/cost of two supposedly valid alternate energy schemes. Any disagreement with these numbers?
Most alternative methods will work. I repeat, most alternative methods of energy will work. Just what would it take, and how much would it cost?
Sunlight hits the earth at about 1 kilowatt per square meter. You would need 750,000 square meters of solar cells to generate 750 megawatts if the sun shines 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We all know that doesn’t happen, so considering nightfall, cloud cover, dust, snow cover, and considering when you put energy into a battery you never get that same amount back out. I will allow a very generous estimate of 8 hours per day of optimum solar collection. That means the area of solar cells must be multiplied by a factor of 3 to generate the target of 750 megawatts. I choose this number because that is the size of a coal plant operating south of my town.
We now need 2,250,000 square meters of solar cells. That’s 2250 square kilometers. That’s 869 square miles to equal a 750 mega-watt power plant!! That is just the collection half of a solar station. You still need a huge storage facility involving corrosive and toxic battery technology.
It’s going to take millions of tons of concrete, glass, steel, and aluminum to construct such a power plant. Imagine what it would take to build a coal plant. It would take roughly 1,000 times that to build a solar facility to equal the output. Consider all the extra CO2 from all that extra concrete. Then consider the army you would have to hire to maintain and clean 869 square miles of glass? Solar power on a large scale is many times more expensive then fossil fuel methods.
Wind power is another popular form of alternative energy. Wind experiment by Southern California Edison was scraped. The farm on the Colorado, Wyoming boarder has huge maintenance problems,and is not operating most of the time. Wind farms in North Carolina and Vermont were closed down by court suits. Goodnoe Hills in Washington state closed because of mechanical failure. A purposed wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts was squashed in court by the wealthy residence of that state. A study conducted by Lockheed indicates that 19 percent of the countries energy output could be done with windmills. 63,000 windmills, 300 feet tall, with 100 foot blades, steady wind supply, and no mechanical breakdowns. Where are we going to put them? How much will the land cost? Each one of these windmills costs roughly 30 million dollars. This would cost the taxpayers 1.89 trillion dollars.
When another form of energy comes along it will not be because of government mandate, referendum, amendment, or political pressure, or enough people scream about it. A new energy will come when it’s economically feasible, and not when the old energy source runs out. Wood was in abundance when coal came along. Coal was cheaper and better. Gasoline came along because it was better and cheaper to fuel various vehicles with it. Something cheaper and better will come along. It’s not here yet.