Questions tagged [power-generation]
41 questions
154
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Do wind turbines consume more energy than they produce in a lifetime?
A rumor in my region states that a wind turbine consumes far more energy while being built and setup than it can produce in a lifetime.
The debate is about modern, freshly built turbines in Southern Germany.
Is there evidence that this is true?
OddDev
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Do solar panels create 300 times more toxic waste per unit of energy than nuclear-power plants?
From Slashdot:
A new study by Environmental Progress warns that toxic waste from used solar panels now poses a global environmental threat. The Berkeley-based group found that solar panels create 300 times more toxic waste per unit of energy than…
user5341
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Have 1.5% of all nuclear reactors ever built melted down?
During a June 28, 2012, "Talk at Google", Stanford professor Mark Jacobson made the following claim:
One and a half percent of all nuclear reactors ever built, and there have been about 440, have melted down to some degree.
Details of the talk…
LShaver
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52
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During Great Britain's coal-free day, were coal plants shut off, or active and generating power GB didn't use?
On Friday 21st April, the UK National Grid announced the following on twitter:
National Grid can confirm that for the past 24 hours, it has supplied GB's electricity demand without the need for #coal generation.
They further clarified in a…
doppelgreener
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48
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Can the US be powered by a 100 miles x 100 miles solar grid?
In this article Elon Musk is quoted to say that the US can be powered by a solar grid shaped as a square (in video he says "a corner of Utah or Nevada") 100 miles x 100 miles big.
“If you wanted to power the entire United States with solar panels,…
Paul Smith
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47
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Can fracking help reduce CO2?
The Guardian reports that the UK fracking tsar, Natascha Engel, has resigned and blamed anti-fracking activism for "fear-mongering", saying:
“There is much to be optimistic about how developing technologies – including fracking – can help us…
krubo
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45
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3 answers
Did wind and solar exceed expected power delivery during Winter Storm Uri?
From The Independent, "Why on earth would right-wing people with connections to the fossil fuel industry lie about ‘frozen wind turbines’ in Texas?"
Sure, some wind turbines and solar facilities have also been affected [during Winter Storm Uri],…
Evan Carroll
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At the current rate are we going run out of fossil fuels by 2060?
British energy company Octopus Energy claims on their blog:
If we keep burning fossil fuels at our current rate, it is generally estimated that all our fossil fuels will be depleted by 2060.
This doesn't seem very far away. Is this true?
Stupid_Intern
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27
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Is it possible to obtain current indirectly from power lines?
Can one obtain a sufficient amount of energy for a household's needs by indirect means (induction or otherwise) from nearby high-voltage power lines? Are there any documented cases of such attempts (successful or not) and are there any negative…
luvieere
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23
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3 answers
Does electromagnetic radiation from high energy power installations have negative effects on health?
Note that I'm not asking about high energy RADAR and telecommunications installations or similar systems which can cook small animals alive.
I've heard lots of stories about negative health effects of electromagnetic radiation generated by…
AndrejaKo
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23
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3 answers
Can Genesys' solar amplifier generate 40kW of power from a 200W solar panel?
Genesys currently has a press release on their home page discussing a new US patent:
Genesys, LLC has demonstrated a working prototype generating up to 40 Kilowatts from one standard solar panel with certified third-party validation along with…
Don Branson
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23
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2 answers
Do wind turbines kill many birds each year?
It has been claimed that due to their large size, and the velocity of their blades that wind turbines kill large numbers of birds that run into them at night, or in fog, and die.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wind-farm-birds112011.html#cr
Do…
Clatoon Adour
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20
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Can thorium end the energy crisis?
It seems that, as of lately thorium is steadily increasing in popularity, as an alternative to traditional nuclear fuels. Here's Mr. Kirk Sorensen in a TED video advocating the use of thorium. Thorium even has a nice, green website, among other…
Mihai Rotaru
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Is "peak wind" coming?
The concept of "peak oil" has been bandied about for some time (see this question: Is peak oil still set for 2013?) by people who believe the world hydrocarbon stocks will soon be so depleted that annual production will soon decline whatever we do…
matt_black
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Are wind farms profitable without subsidies?
In this 2015 Financial Times article, Warren Buffett talks about a onshore wind farms and their profitability.
“For example, on wind energy, we get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That’s the only reason to build them. They don’t…
daniel
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