War in Iran could accelerate global energy transition - FRANCE 24

[TexasTowelie]

The Iran war has exposed vulnerabilities of countries reliant on Middle Eastern fossil fuels. Ramon Mendez, former Uruguayan Energy Secretary and President of REN21, tells France 24 that a drastic shift to renewable energy is possible with the right strategy in place, and other nations can follow Uruguay's footsteps - the South American country now gets 98% of its electricity grid from low-carbon sources.

[NNadir]

1. The existence of an "energy transition" is a myth, as the reaction to the cut off of fossil fuels demonstrates.

So called "renewable energy" remains a trivial form of energy that cannot even grow as fast as fossil fuel growth when measured in units of energy, the Exajoule.

[thought crime]

2. Renewable energy is growing faster than anything else.

Super-abundant renewable energy is the cheapest and safest source of energy and its use is accelerating. The war is a stark reminder that fossil fuels are the very worst form of energy to depend on.

[hunter]

3. Uruguay's grid was hydroelectric.

Their base load was supplied by their own dams and peak loads were supplied by imported hydroelectric power from neighboring nations.

When their domestic demand began to exceed the capacity of this system they began to build gas and biomass fueled power plants.

Then, in a much celebrated move, they started building large wind "farms" and increased the capacity of their grid connections to neighboring nations.

When the wind blows they can export electricity and/or release less water through the turbines of their dams.

It's disingenuous to claim they've made any kind of "transition." They've simply supplemented their existing hydroelectric resources with wind power. There are limits to how far they can take this. Droughts or disputes with neighbors could take down the entire system.

As it stands today, Uruguay's carbon intensity is about five times that of nuclear France.

I also take issue with calling biomass power plants "green." They are notorious sources of air pollution. Running them cleanly adds significantly to costs and there are too many incentives to cheat. Uruguay get's about 18% of its electricity from biomass incinerators.

Uruguay's experience is not applicable to regions that do not have substantial hydroelectric resources or neighbors willing to take their excess wind energy when the supply exceeds demand.

[NNadir]

4. The carrying on about Uraguay is assinine.

I've been exposed to this nonsense about this country of three and a half million people on a planet with over 8 billion people.

I'm very happy DU has an ignore list. I have a low tolerance for this nonsense on the burning planet.

Suggesting this country as an example for the entire planet demonstrates exactly how delusional the "renewable energy will save us" cults are, how weak the rhetoric of this cult is.

I'm amused when the cultists act as if criticizing so called "renewable energy" is a kind of sacrilege - ignoring the data on it's grotesque failure to address fossil fuels, the trillions of dollars squandered on it, the ruined landscapes, the short lifetimes of the junk or when these pathetic types try to attach me to the orange pedophile in the White House.

They post in my threads saying "This guy is attacking renewable energy" as if I were a guy pointing to atheism at a fundie prayer meeting.

The analogy is pretty solid I think.

Of course I am attacking so called renewable energy, because it doesn't fucking work, where I define "working" as addressing fossil fuel use with any hope of eliminating it.

it's not only useless, it's environmentally odious. We can't afford the mineral depletion nor the land use changes.

The real problem is they have never given a flying fuck about fossil fuels, and some come here to promote fossil fuels by rebranding them as "hydrogen."

The fact is the cultists are disinterested in the collapse of the planetary atmosphere. They'd rather chant than observe reality.

Their real interest is attacking nuclear energy, since in their cult of ignorance they think that if they yell "radioactive" everyone will fall on their knees and worship their unsustainable junk. This chant does nothing other than expose their ignorance.

In these ways they strike me as being rather like fundies.

They're useless people, as useless as the MAGA cults, the religious cults, antivax cults, any of the other cults destroying the future.

Uruguay...

Excuse my irreverance but being a New Yorker all I can say is "Jesus fucking Christ."

[thought crime]

6. Renewables are a safe and economical clean energy source

Renewable energy use is accelerating because it is becoming relatively cheap and faster to develop. Looking at achievements in smaller countries like Uruguay or in states like Hawaii (Aloha) shows how it can be developed.

Want a larger example?

UK electricity generation sources
• Natural Gas: ~30–31%
• Wind: ~29%
• Nuclear: ~13–14%
• Bioenergy/Biomass: ~10–12%
• Solar: ~4–5%
• Imports & Other: ~7–10%
• Coal: < 1%

This is a huge success story for the UK and it will get better as the commitment to a transition to renewable energy continues and innovation continues to bring prices for renewables down. I can't think of a reason to attack any safe and economical clean energy source except some kind of petty tech-bigotry, which I know is a thing.

[thought crime]

5. The wonderful problem of excess Wind Energy

Hydrogen fueled technology is being pursued as part of an effort to develop a "Hydrogen Economy" with healthy market demand for hydrogen that can be produced using excess wind energy or dedicated Wind or Solar Farms.

Wind and Solar energy is super abundant - effectively limitless - so producing "excess energy" becomes very possible and can be exploited by the engineered systems.

This is a great problem to have.

Uruguay and its neighbor Argentina are close to a vast continental shelf and windy zone that includes the Malvinas/Falkland islands. It should be possible to partner with the UK (as investor and technology provider) to develop large Offshore Wind Farms (including Floating Offshore Wind Farms) that could massively produce hydrogen for export to markets in the UK, EU and elsewhere.