I can't help thinking this is good news...

Posted by: balzaccom

I can't help thinking this is good news... - 05/17/20 10:20 AM

Cleaner air is a good thing...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/...mic-say-experts
Posted by: tramp

Re: I can't help thinking this is good news... - 05/17/20 11:32 AM

It's a nice thought but coal was on the way out far before this calamity. Biggest hole in that theory is it takes money to install and use many forms of renewables. We may find that in short supply for awhile and business will use whatever cuts into profits least. And if nothing else this has demonstrated (at least in the USA) that greed is alive and well in corporate thinking. Witness hospitals laying off worker because profits are down due to elective surgeries being curtailed. Heinous behavior in my opinion. Profit is not supposed to be a motivator in the running of a hospital. Not to mention grocery stores have taken this as an opportunity to gouge a little more.

I'll stop before it becomes a full fledged rant.
Posted by: Rick_D

Re: I can't help thinking this is good news... - 05/17/20 01:54 PM

Yup, eyes are being opened as far-down-the-road changes take place practically overnight. We shall see whether some of these changes become permanent; hopefully it will not be back to business as usual. I'll keep a close eye on Australia, who are the world's largest coal exporter and whose current leadership have proposed developing an entirely new coal source. The industry has considerable influence there, far more than in the States.

CAISO has a real-time supply tracker for California's electricity grid. At the moment, on this cloudy, rainy Sunday, 69% is from renewables and 7.3% from large hydro. Not bad for 40 million folks.

PV panel installation should jump once we rid ourselves of the tariffs slapped on them back in early 2017. Hard to guess why that was.

Cheers,