Chris Martz writes on X:<\/p>\n
Okay. Study this chart. Look at it real hard. Look until your eyeballs fall out of their sockets.<\/p>\n
Materials requirements per terawatt-hour (TWh) of electricity produced for renewables:<\/p>\n
Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
\n4,050 tons\/TWh of concrete
\n7,900 tons\/TWh of steel
\n2,700 tons\/TWh of glass
\n850 tons\/TWh of copper
\n680 tons\/TWh of aluminum
\n210 tons\/TWh of plastic<\/p>\n
Hydroelectric Power
\n14,000 tons\/TWh of concrete
\n67 tons\/TWh of steel
\n1 ton\/TWh of copper<\/p>\n
Wind
\n8,000 tons\/TWh of concrete
\n1,800 tons\/TWh of steel
\n92 tons\/TWh of glass
\n23 tons\/TWh of copper
\n35 tons\/TWh of aluminum
\n190 tons\/TWh of plastic<\/p>\n
Geothermal
\n1,850 tons\/TWh of concrete
\n3,300 tons\/TWh steel
\n2 tons\/TWh of copper
\n100 tons\/TWh of aluminum<\/p>\n
Materials requirements per terawatt-hour (TWh) of electricity produced for nuclear and natural gas:<\/p>\n
Nuclear
\n760 tons\/TWh of concrete
\n160 tons\/TWh of steel
\n3 tons\/TWh of copper<\/p>\n
Natural Gas
\n400 tons\/TWh of concrete
\n170 tons\/TWh of steel
\n1 ton\/TWh of aluminum<\/p>\n
https:\/\/energy.gov\/sites\/prod\/files\/2017\/03\/f34\/quadrennial-technology-review-2015_1.pdf<\/p>\n
So, tell me again how clean \u201cgreen energy\u201d really is? Mining for these raw materials would have to increase by >300% to achieve \u201cnet zero\u201d goals, which would make that [arbitrary] target date by 2050 impossible.<\/p>\n
Nuclear is by far the most efficient energy source we have, and it is the most \u201ccarbon-free\u201d (and I use that term lightly) technology. Natural gas, while not carbon-free in the slightest, burns cleaner and is much more efficient than coal. If nuclear and natural gas aren’t a part of the \u201csolution\u201d to wane us off fossil fuels, then you, as an environmentalist, cannot be take seriously.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chris Martz writes on X: Okay. Study this chart. Look at it real hard. Look until your eyeballs fall out of their sockets. Materials requirements per terawatt-hour (TWh) of electricity produced for renewables: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) 4,050 tons\/TWh of concrete 7,900 tons\/TWh of steel 2,700 tons\/TWh of glass 850 tons\/TWh of copper 680 tons\/TWh of … <\/p>\n