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So if given the choice which car do you think you would choose to be batter for the environment, economy, and most importantly our future generations yet to be born. The one you are proud to say and want own.
One that gets 5 mpg, 8 mpg, 20 mpg, 40 mpg, 50 mpg or even 100 mpg?
Sounds like a silly question doesn’t it? Well it is, but fact is many of you chose 5 mpg unknowingly. You did so because you did not apply critical thinking and asking the tough questions. Don’t believe me? Well I can prove it. If you advocate solar energy you chose the 5 mpg model.
How can I prove this to be true you ask? Real simple you chose Solar Energy as you preferred source of electric energy. Solar EROI is pathetic. Solar is one the lowest EROI of all the alternate sources. It is not even a fuel source. Depending on what source you want to believe as low as 2 in a residential application and as high as 7 to 8 in a commercial application in a prime location over the 25 year life expectancy. At most the best case argument you can make is an EROI of 4 or 5 overall and that is bit optimistic.
Wind is a little better at an EROI of 7 to 16 depending on who’s numbers you want to use. EROI of 7 is the common EROI most agree is the minimum number to be economically feasible. Hydro is King of Renewable with EROI's of 30 to 50 depending on who’ numbers you want to use and spin. Of course the problem with hydro, at least in the USA, was all built out during WW-II era. All water ways are pretty much tapped out in the USA.
That leaves us with conventional sources of Coal, Natural Gas, and Nuclear. Again depending on who you want to believe and spin the numbers those fuel sources run as low as 30 and up to 100+ EROI’s. One of them at 100 is completely emission free if you exclude the mining and processing, and several million years of cheap fuel laying around not being used.
Which brings us to a point of asking ourselves do we really want to waste our precious resources into such a low returns? Solar panels do not fall out of the sky. They take massive amounts energy to turn silica sand into glass plus aluminum to frame them. All that energy being used to make Panels can be saved for later use, and better utilized when the power is used.Far less fuel burn and far less emissions. In other words you chose the 5 mpg car. You got so wrapped up in your passion for clean renewable energy you cannot see the forest because you focused on a single tree. So much so you failed to ask simple questions and apply critical thinking.
Something to think about
One that gets 5 mpg, 8 mpg, 20 mpg, 40 mpg, 50 mpg or even 100 mpg?
Sounds like a silly question doesn’t it? Well it is, but fact is many of you chose 5 mpg unknowingly. You did so because you did not apply critical thinking and asking the tough questions. Don’t believe me? Well I can prove it. If you advocate solar energy you chose the 5 mpg model.
How can I prove this to be true you ask? Real simple you chose Solar Energy as you preferred source of electric energy. Solar EROI is pathetic. Solar is one the lowest EROI of all the alternate sources. It is not even a fuel source. Depending on what source you want to believe as low as 2 in a residential application and as high as 7 to 8 in a commercial application in a prime location over the 25 year life expectancy. At most the best case argument you can make is an EROI of 4 or 5 overall and that is bit optimistic.
Wind is a little better at an EROI of 7 to 16 depending on who’s numbers you want to use. EROI of 7 is the common EROI most agree is the minimum number to be economically feasible. Hydro is King of Renewable with EROI's of 30 to 50 depending on who’ numbers you want to use and spin. Of course the problem with hydro, at least in the USA, was all built out during WW-II era. All water ways are pretty much tapped out in the USA.
That leaves us with conventional sources of Coal, Natural Gas, and Nuclear. Again depending on who you want to believe and spin the numbers those fuel sources run as low as 30 and up to 100+ EROI’s. One of them at 100 is completely emission free if you exclude the mining and processing, and several million years of cheap fuel laying around not being used.
Which brings us to a point of asking ourselves do we really want to waste our precious resources into such a low returns? Solar panels do not fall out of the sky. They take massive amounts energy to turn silica sand into glass plus aluminum to frame them. All that energy being used to make Panels can be saved for later use, and better utilized when the power is used.Far less fuel burn and far less emissions. In other words you chose the 5 mpg car. You got so wrapped up in your passion for clean renewable energy you cannot see the forest because you focused on a single tree. So much so you failed to ask simple questions and apply critical thinking.
Something to think about
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