What transition away from fossil fuels for generating electricity would require Don Bogard October 28, 2019 Available, affordable energy is a key argument for getting attention of the public. They understand the need and cost of energy, when they understand little of climate science. Having available energy part-time (solar and wind) or at much higher costs impedes both industrial development as well as directly effects personal lifestyles. Germany, England, South Australia, and China are examples of issues that arise, much of it at the expense of poorer people, when available and affordable energy is not available. Few people have a good concept of how huge the world energy production system really is or what would be required to replace it. One new nuclear reactor per day would have to be constructed up until year 2050 in order to replace all CO2 production from fossil fuels. That is a mind-staggering number. Another consideration is how much space is required for different energy production types. Not only would replacing fossil fuel energy with wind + solar require enormous effort and expense, but much more land would also be required (but not nuclear). The average U.S. residential customer uses about 11,000 kWh (kilowatt hour) per year. At 12.5 acres per MW (megawatt), all fossil fuel power (coal mines and oil plus gas wells, along with power plants) utilize about 163,000 acres, or about 154 sq-miles. Producing that power using wind would require about 1440 square miles (nearly the size of Deleware). But wind plus solar would produce power only part time, thus requiring the existence of gas power plants (and the space and infrastructure they require) alongside the wind. And the practicality of solar power is limited to sunny locales. Further, fossil fuel power plants produce concentrated power in one place (typically 1 giga-watt plants), and power distribution lines move from there to where power is used. Wind power is produced in a widely distributed fashion, so much additional (and expensive and land-grabbing) infrastructure for power collection would be needed. Few people have any concept as to what a massive and expensive undertaking it would be to change the U.S. power source in a relatively short time period. And because there is NO way currently to store significant power practically, natural gas power would continue to be required. 1
Any significant change to the US power infrastructure MUST be a measured and long-term endeavor. And, more research into better and cheaper means to produce and store power must be included. Some photo examples of 1000 MW power plants.
Nuclear power plant
Coal fired plant 2
The size of land for equivalent 1000 MW wind power farm can’t be captured in a photo.
The size of land for an equivalent 1000 MW solar power farm can’t be captured in a photo. Furthermore, wind and solar electric generating stations have nowhere near the design hardening to survive extreme weather events, earthquakes, terrorist attacks etc. 3