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Why solar power is the only viable power source in the long run (www.newscientist.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/energy@slrpnk.net
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Solar power has been on the rise for years, and for good reason. It has become one of the cheapest ways to generate energy almost everywhere, and it is one of the best options for combatting climate change.

Yet it still has its detractors. US energy secretary Chris Wright has claimed solar couldn’t supply all the energy the world needs. This is wildly and embarrassingly wrong, as many have pointed out. In fact, in the long run, solar – including wind, which captures the sun’s energy through a different mechanism – is the only power source that can meet growing energy demand without frying the planet.

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[–] 9 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Obvs we need to move towards renewable energy, but let's be specific about our terms: solar energy and wind energy are not the same thing. Both are renewable but no, wind is not solar, despite their argument that solar energy "causes" wind. It's a nitpick sure but a weird thing to state in the article.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Ya, by that logic oil is solar energy too because the ancient algae photosynthesized to grow before it died and was converted into oil. Ridiculous! Nuclear energy is solar because the uranium was formed in a supernova!

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    It’s a nitpick sure but a weird thing to state in the article.

    I agree with both points in this sentence. I appreciate your feedback. The author cold have elaborated on that point more but it's such a minor part of the article and I'm surprised to see people focusing only on that one line and some being outraged by it. That one line seems a bit negligible to the larger points presented in my opinion.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Oh agreed 100%, people tend to speak up more about a perceived error than the rest of the article they would otherwise agree with. It's like that meme about how it's easier to get a correct answer on the Internet by first posting an incorrect one, heh.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago

    It's a bit disappointing to have this constructive conversation with you and then see what contradictory things you had to say in another community indirectly but you're certainly welcome to your opinions as is everyone else.

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