The Energy Thread

[Moliere]

Never trust anyone that thinks they know where crude prices are headed.


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[creekster]

Never trust anyone that thinks they know where crude prices are headed.


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thats right up there with never fight a land war in central asia.

[Uncle Ted]

Obama claims that wind power is cheaper in Texas than power from oil and coal... and he is right (when the wind is blowing):

Barack Obama says wind power cheaper in Texas than power from 'dirty fossil fuels'

Barack Obama, exhorting Dallas Democrats during a March 2016 Texas swing, called Republican claims that the country and planet are in sorry shape a "false narrative."


"America is pretty darn great right now," the Democratic president said.


And among great things, Obama said, Democrats believe in science and that climate change is real -- and that wind is a better bargain in Texas than traditional oil and gas.


Come again? "Right now, here in Texas," Obama said, "wind power is already cheaper than dirty fossil fuels."

Wind power sure has sizzle. In 2015, PolitiFact in Washington, D.C., found Mostly True Obama’s claim that "America is No. 1 in wind power." China led in overall wind-power capacity but the U.S. was generating more electricity from the wind. Earlier, in 2010, we rated True a declaration that Texas had "installed more wind power than any other state, and all but four countries." As of 2009, Texas boasted 9,410 megawatts of wind power — enough to power two million homes.


More recently, FactCheck.org, based at the University of Pennsylvania, dug into Obama’s claim in his 2016 State of the Union address that "in fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power." Nationally, average coal and gas prices were running less than average wind power costs. Yet in Iowa and Texas, wind energy proved cheaper, according to an Energy Information Administration analyst.


Meantime, an American Wind Energy Association blog post talking up Obama’s Iowa-Texas SOTU claim noted a 2015 study by Lazard LLC, a financial services firm, stating the cost of wind production in Texas, not counting government subsidies, runs from $36 to $51 per megawatt-hour while an average national cost for coal-fired electricity ranges from $65 to $150 per MWh and for gas, depending on the type of plant, from $52/MWh to $218/MWh.
[...]
Wind-generated electricity is offered for sale in Texas at lower prices than power fired by coal or natural gas. Unsaid: wind power, unlike electricity fueled by oil or gas, isn’t always available.


We rate Obama’s claim True.

http://www.politifact.com/texas/stat...texas-power-d/



http://cleantechnica.com/2015/04/13/...-power-prices/

Of course, storing that power generated from wind (e.g., with battery storage for when the wind isn't blowing) makes it very expensive.

[Uncle Ted]

That cool bike rack on your car is no as cool as you think it is...

What a drag: Roof racks wasted 100 million gallons of gas last year

If you live anywhere near a dirt road or a Subaru dealership, you've likely seen your fair share of roof racks on the road. Whether laden or unladen, racks are great for hauling more crap than your vehicle normally could carry. But they're not perfect. In fact, they're actually burning through gasoline at a ludicrous rate.


Researchers from Berkeley Lab and the National Renewable Energy Lab teamed up for a first-of-its-kind study that looks at the environmental impact of roof rack use in the US. The group relied on a wealth of data, including forums, highway video surveys and crowdsourcing.


According to the study, published in the journal Energy Policy, roof racks were responsible for 0.8 percent of annual light-duty vehicle fuel consumption in 2015. While that might not sound like much, it amounts to about 100 million gallons of gas, just to move roof racks down the road. It's only going to get worse, as well, as the study estimates roof rack use will increase by 200 percent by 2040.


"For comparison, the additional fuel consumption caused by roof racks is about six times larger than anticipated fuel savings from fuel cell vehicles and 40 percent of anticipated fuel savings from battery electric vehicles in 2040," the group wrote in a press release.

The reasoning is simple -- aerodynamics. Roof racks create drag, which requires the car to exert more effort to cut through the air, wasting fuel in the process. The study notes that roof racks can reduce fuel economy by up to 25 percent.
[...]

http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ro...gas-last-year/

[Pelado]

That cool bike rack on your car is no as cool as you think it is...


http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ro...gas-last-year/

That's why I went with a hitch-mounted bike rack:



https://www.rei.com/product/854829/s...c:cse_PLA_GOOG

[Uncle Ted]

Tesla is now in the Solar business...

Musk Says Tesla’s Solar Shingles Will Cost Less Than a Dumb Roof

It’s official: After Tesla shareholders approved the acquisition of SolarCity, the new company is now an unequivocal sun-to-vehicle energy firm. And Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk didn’t take long to make his first big announcement as head of this new enterprise.


Minutes after shareholders approved the deal—about 85 percent of them voted yes—Musk told the crowd that he had just returned from a meeting with his new solar engineering team. Tesla’s new solar roof product, he proclaimed, will actually cost less to manufacture and install than a traditional roof—even before savings from the power bill. “Electricity,” Musk said, “is just a bonus.”


If Musk’s claims prove true, this could be a real turning point in the evolution of solar power. The rooftop shingles he unveiled just a few weeks ago are something to behold: They’re made of textured glass and are virtually indistinguishable from high-end roofing products. They also transform light into power for your home and your electric car.


“So the basic proposition will be: Would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof, lasts twice as long, costs less and—by the way—generates electricity?” Musk said. “Why would you get anything else?”
[...]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...an-a-dumb-roof

I suspect that Musk's solar shingles will cost less than high end marble slate or imported Italian tile roof but maybe not less than your dumb asphalt shingle roof.

[Surfah]

Tesla is now in the Solar business...


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...an-a-dumb-roof

I suspect that Musk's solar shingles will cost less than high end marble slate or imported Italian tile roof but maybe not less than your dumb asphalt shingle roof.

Yeah. No way is that cheaper than what I consider a dumb roof. And then you have installation costs.

[creekster]

Yeah. No way is that cheaper than what I consider a dumb roof. And then you have installation costs.

Maybe if you amortize the cost over twice as long.

[Jeff Lebowski]

It doesn't have to be cheaper than a dumb roof to be cost effective.

[old_gregg]

It doesn't have to be cheaper than a dumb roof to be cost effective.

true but they're making it a point to say before savings on energy costs the tesla roof is still cheaper. which can't be right.

[Uncle Ted]

true but they're making it a point to say before savings on energy costs the tesla roof is still cheaper. which can't be right.

And Telsa sells cars that costs less than dumb Fords... Musk just did say which one.

[falafel]

true but they're making it a point to say before savings on energy costs the tesla roof is still cheaper. which can't be right.

May factor in replacement costs, since it allegedly lasts longer than traditional roofs.

[Topper]

If anybody knows, I read in arguments that each energy sector receives subsidies.

Does anybody have a handle on what form these "subsidies" take form?

[myboynoah]

Well then, they should sell like hotcakes!

[falafel]

If anybody knows, I read in arguments that each energy sector receives subsidies.

Does anybody have a handle on what form these "subsidies" take form?

I'm guessing cash, check, or perhaps even wire transfer.