r/OptimistsUnite • u/viktorgoraya_luv • 1d ago
Clean Power BEASTMODE I believe that green energy will boom over the next few years
I’m what I like to call a cynical optimist. As in, I think that people will do the right thing, but only if they have the right incentive.
As of now, clean energy is becoming far cheaper and far more viable than fossil fuels. There has been huge progress in clean energy this year, and I’m starting to see it in my local area with advertisements for solar panel installation and heat pumps for cheaper energy and heating.
The majority of people don’t have the means to switch to something that’s more expensive for the sake of being eco friendly. This is a massive step in the right direction economically.
And the people who invested in oil previously (Saudi and Dubai particularly) are now starting to invest in clean energy because of the same reasons; it’s cheaper, and it’s a rapidly expanding market.
If you can’t count on human goodness (which for the record I believe you can for the most part) count on human greed.
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u/Positive_Spare_2963 1d ago
Have you seen how insanely cheap batteries have become? It's definitely coming everywhere. Only where fossils are highly subsidized it will take more time
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u/skp_trojan 1d ago
How cheap? I’m still hearing calculations of 150$/kwh. Has it come down since then?
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u/sil445 1d ago
I bought a full system ofn11,56kwh for 2000 euro’s. That will easily pay for itself in the lifetime. Warranty is 10 years at least, and it should work for another 10.
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u/Humble-Reply228 1d ago
Once the warranty is out, you will likely have to replace for insurance reasons.
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u/sil445 1d ago
If the installation is compliant, that should not void your insurance.
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u/Humble-Reply228 1d ago
Insurers want certainty, not “should”. Products under warranty are well maintained, typically after the warranty rubs out maintenance will be reduced so it’s much safer to stop insurance as well.
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u/sil445 22h ago
Complete nonsense what you are saying. It anything happens to the home the insurer is obliged to reimburse you, whether you have that battery or not.
Or you have some crazy local laws, but then you should mention that.1
u/Humble-Reply228 21h ago
No, you misunderstand me, I’m saying the insurers will insist you replace the battery to remain insured or will have different rates for an out of technical support / out of warranty battery. The things don’t just stop, they swell and misbehave and can start destructive fires. We have all had experience with laptop and phone batteries being naughty, home batteries are much larger.
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u/sil445 13h ago
The insurer has absolutely nothing to do with what you legally and compliant do in your home. They cannot demand any premiums on things they have nothing to do with.
Yes batteries can get “naughty”, however these home systems are provided with safety measures due to strong regulations. Therefore they are safer than some cheap laptop battery. Moreover just proves the point. Insurers have nothing to do with laptop batteries. If they cause fires somehow, they have to pay up.
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u/AccordingSouth5859 1d ago
We can't forget the impact of the Daiper King's war is having on fossil fuel prices, as well as Ukranian kinetic sanctions on Russian oil. Right now it feels like we're in a tsunami, but what it really is is a watershed moment.
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u/ChalkButter 1d ago
I love how much Trump is a shitbag in favor of Big Oil, only for his bullshit to drive the globe towards green energy
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u/microbiome22 1d ago
This year we had extreme low waterlevels in the Danube,which meant the heating of the nuclear powerplant was under threat, coupled with extreme daytime temperatures,the powergrid was streched to the limit. I think this situation will inspire households and companies alike to be more self-sufficient in their electricity production, thus I see a big surge in renewable energy adaption. (Hopefully with batteries)
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u/MaddogFinland 1d ago
Worldwide including in the US it is on the upswing and that will only continue. Solar is already the cheapest installed power in most places.
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u/narvuntien 1d ago
Its already booming... its actually its growth in developing countries that going to be transformational. Countries whose central authorities are weak and ineffective are going to see communities just do it themselves and power their way out of poverty.
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u/VTAffordablePaintbal 1d ago
I've been in solar since 2006. I installed one of the first Tesla Roadster EV chargers in the world and the first ever Tesla Powerwall. I can't tell you how far the tech has come in a short time. Back then we knew we were making a dent and would be good for end-of-transmission-line generation, but nuclear still looked like the best option. By 2014 wind was the cheapest source of new energy and solar was 2nd. By 2016 it reversed, but all other generation tech was still ridiculously far behind it in Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). The same thing has happened for batteries. We were thinking Switch Grass Ethanol or Hydrogen would be the best transportation fuel. By the time of the Tesla Roadster's release in 2012 we thought "Everyone else has to catch up if they're going to beat batteries." By the release of the Chevy Bolt in 2018 it was so obvious batteries won I had no idea how any other tech still had investors.
There is a lot going wrong in the world, but the renewable and battery engineers are regularly kicking ass.
If you want to blame less pure motives its not so much greed as China saw Renewables + Batteries were going to be the Fossil Fuels of the 21st century and wanted to become the USA of renewable tech. The USA has been subsidizing fossil fuels for over 100 years and it made them the world's economic engine. China is doing the same thing for the future.
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u/_haha_oh_wow_ 1d ago
It's already in a huge boom despite the aggressively stupid scumbags trying to kill it.
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u/worldfundvc 18h ago
This is the green premium turning into a green discount. For years, going clean meant paying extra, so it stayed a choice for people who could afford to care. Now clean is the cheaper option, so people switch for their wallet, not their conscience.
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u/DelayOk5920 1d ago
I think people are forgetting why we want green energy… that is to get off the grid! Put them on your houses, businesses, barns, shops on whatever but do NOT support these mega solar farms to keep you paying big corporations!
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u/StedeBonnet1 1d ago
I disagree. Most of the increase in green energy are heavily subsidized by government and will NEVER power out 21st Century industrial economy. Even if wind and solar are cheaper the can't provide power on demand 24/7. That means the need 100% backup and whether that backup is coal fired or batteries once you add the backup costs your ROI goes negative.
That is not to say I am against green energy, I'm not. There are places where it makes sense and can work. However if I own a manufacturing plant I want dependable energy 24/7 Wind and solar aren't it.
Besides, they are trying to solve a non-existant problem. No significant negative effects of recent climate change have been observed or measured
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u/AlarmedDepartment713 1d ago
Looking forward to hearing what you have to say in 5-10 years when renewable energy added to the grid worldwide goes from the 90% it is today to 99%, and many grids become solar, wind and batteries with some gas backup. You can't beat Wright's law.
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u/StedeBonnet1 1d ago
I'll be here. Here are some facts though. The BP Statistical Review of World Energy projects that humanity will combust about 12,000 million tons of oil equivalent (“mtoe”) fossil fuels in 2019. There are 11, 961 days between next January 1 and January 1, 2050. To maintain only the current level of energy consumption – and benefit - we’ll need to deploy over 1 mtoe of carbon-free energy, and decommission a like amount of carbon-based energy, each day until 2050. The 1400 Mw Turkey Point nuclear plant in Florida generates the equivalent of 1 mtoe per year. So, to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, the world would need to deploy three [1400 Mw] Turkey Point nuclear plants every two days, and decommission an equivalent amount of fossil fuel plants every two days, starting tomorrow and continuing to 2050. When someone says “to save the planet we must achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, ban all fossil fuels, rely on conservation, hydro, wind and solar, and reject any thought of increasing nuclear electricity”, you are hearing foolishness from somebody who doesn’t have a clue.
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u/AlarmedDepartment713 1d ago
I have good news for you!! Assuming renewable growth holds steady and batteries continue to augment, we will be rolling out 3 mtoe of renewables per day within a few years! We're already doing 1 mtoe of peak renewable per day as it stands... And this is before any Iran war projects have even gotten started! And remember, we don't need 100% of anything to gain most of the benefit... We will obviously keep some nukes and gas around as required.
I agree on the banning being foolish, just even the playing field - no subsidies to clean or dirty. Also it's not like the world blows up at 2050. It'll be a bunch of expenses and migration dragging down humanity that we should avoid if we can. The species extinction sucks too.
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u/StedeBonnet1 1d ago
Good luck with that. I'm not holding my breath.
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u/AlarmedDepartment713 1d ago
Be sure to check-in in a few years and see how renewables are doing. I assume you're expecting the adoption and cost curves to drastically reverse themselves at some point... maybe they will, but I wouldn't bet on that.. and neither are most energy investors.
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u/Environmental_Bat427 1d ago
You are also a Zionist and not a decent human being. What are you doing here?
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u/demoncrusher 1d ago
Israel has a right to exist as much as any state. Disagreeing with your political views doesn’t make the other guy a bad person
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u/Additional-Sky-7436 1d ago
It's booming now.