Such things are fun, yes, since many (far from all of course) eco warriors are scientifically challenged. I was once doorstepped by a Green parliamentary candidate, who told me that nuclear generated electricity made my power points radioactive.
Similarly an EU directive banned the sale of electric kettles greater than xWatts (can’t remember the figure) as this would “save” electricity.
Lots of people used to say that about climate change and CO2. The science is pretty simple, the amount of power involved is well understood, and the amount we need far exceeds that. The numbers you quote are not correct, the moon's tidal energy is in the 10's of terawatts. You also overestimate how much change we need to affect to have an impact, and underestimate the effect tiny changes have globally. The article in #1 demonstrated this nicely. Lack of understanding always gets humanity in trouble, but for some reason every time we close our eyes and run headlong into the next problem.
on a slightly serious note, we are generating terrabits (sp) power from the wind? What did that power do before?
Dissipate its energy through friction, ie heat the earth. Gathered as electricity, we use it and, ultimately, that energy is itself dissipated as heat. No net gain or loss.
But that doesn't mean it's sustainable or that it has low impact. That wind was also doing useful things for nature, moving stuff about in the atmosphere. The earth has usually (I think) 3 layers of weather in each hemisphere. If we slow the middle one down in the UK we will also affect the tropics and polar regions, and this will have a knock on effect to the southern hemisphere. There's no free lunch. As an example if we prevent moisture being moved to where it usually goes from the atlantic there will be droughts, crops will fail, etc. all over Europe. CO2 and global warming affected climate, wind power could very well have a more direct and drastic effect on weather.
That's fair enough - global no gain or loss doesn't mean that local effects don't exist, or are not necessarily significant, I already mentioned that tidal power may affect local tides. But you did start by referring to the orbit of the moon, and that's definitely a global phenomenon, not local, so you are rather changing your definitions and premise part way through the debate!
All solar generation is fine. As is wind. Both of them generate their power directly or indirectly from radiated solar energy. Absorbing that energy has no effect on the rest of the planet except naybe a very sight cooling. But using the power puts that straight back. Admittedly, that too will run out one day. but not in the next billion years.
In the words of Sam Ryder, it’s up in space man, and it wants to come home.
If we generate the solar in the Sahara and consume it in the uk it would certainly cause issues if done at scale.
I thought that but Prof Brian Cox said it will fly outwards as energy is removed. He is orders of magnitude smarter than I am so I assume he’s right.
Anyone who has such a small understanding of celestial mechanics isn’t in a position to tell me how climate science works.
Thats what I suspect is happening, here in Portugal the wind pattern seems to have changed, I note that the Azores high doesnt seem to have settled this year. Is this an indication of what we might be doing by gathering "free" energy? Discuss?
OK now will l put on my nuclear attack suit, crash helmet and retreat to ..... Mars??
