Flannery raving about German renewables

[eclipse]

Check out this misinformation!

Many think India will become the first nation to transition directly into solar and other renewables. The future of energy is seen most starkly in Germany. It has 10 times as much solar and wind as Australia. They provide the new baseload, and 60% of the nation's electricity on a slow day. Yet the German grid remains one of the most reliable on earth. The impact of renewables on the utility companies, with their vast fossil fuel assets, has been profound. European utility companies have lost a staggering half a trillion dollars worth of assets in the last five years. Some hope that the uptake of electric cars will help, but even if every car in Germany went electric, it would only add 20% to the demand for electricity – not enough to restore the utilities to health.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/22/cleaner-energy-revolution-warsaw

[Grant]

It's going to take a lot of alternative energy to overcome the momentum of history.

www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://gailtheactuary.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/world-energy-consumption-by-source.png&imgrefurl=http://ourfiniteworld.com/2012/03/12/world-energy-consumption-since-1820-in-charts/&h=453&w=754&sz=69&tbnid=FnfKg3gQpLoBXM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=150&zoom=1&usg=__Dfgpz69Dzt7jcv8M_zR4AOdPsko=&docid=54LbvGbi4tm5BM&sa=X&ei=MA2UUufhBMj1oASl9oK4DA&ved=0CDUQ9QEwAg

[jagdish]

Australia has five times the total area and three times the open desert as compared to total area of India. The sheer shortage of energy is the only reason for India to go for solar-India cannot miss any bet. It has 2.4% of land area and 17% of world population. There is, however no land to spare for solar fields.
Australians have only to learn to store energy to get a major energy chunk from solar. Concentrating it to heat some salts might help. They may also opt for concentrated power from their uranium. Indian PHWR's are the best bargain going @ $2000 per kW. Used fuel can be cheaply stocked for future use.
Let Germans import and burn gas till they can dig up their own shale gas.