Planners and governments keep denying vulnerability.
Europe is still considering massive solar energy plants along sun-rich North Africa to produce hydrogen gas that could be piped over the European mainland, despite having concluded 10 years ago that such projects wouldn’t pay off. [emphasis, links added]
In the latest push, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck (Greens) visited Algeria earlier this month. The focus was on a “southern H2 corridor”, according to the Frankfurter Rundschau here.
The move highlights how desperate Germany has become in terms of energy supply.
Not only is the North African region politically unstable, but it is plagued by extremely harsh climatic conditions and sandstorms.
Green energy dogmatists have a habit of unrealistically thinking green energy systems are robust and low maintenance.
In fact, they are very vulnerable to weather events, as they cannot be protected by a statically sound roof.
Largescale solar parks are pie-in-the-sky
Check out the fate of this one billion-dollar Nevada project:
Though it appears to be operating today, the costs have been extremely high.
And recall how back in June 2023, hailstorms in Nebraska smashed a 14,000-panel 4.375 MW ac solar facility to pieces, thus underscoring the fragility of solar power generation systems:
You’d think planners would have learned by now.
Read more at No Tricks Zone
Solar Panels take up too many acres of land and their eyesore as well
Xcel Energy here in Colorado has recently installed yet another solar “farm” just east of Denver (I drive by it regularly when going into Denver). The entire Front Range is susceptible to frequent hailstorms during the summer months so it is just a matter of time before one hits Xcel’s solar installations. As this column states it seems that these people just don’t learn.