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People Are Okay With Wind & Solar Installations In Their Neighborhoods, Studies Say
(cleantechnica.com)
this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
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Technology
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Widespread personal installations won't be sustainable in most situations. Instead, we should be working to create microgrids for higher resiliency and more efficient electricity transmission. While we're at it, geothermal heat pumps should be installed in a similar microgrid method for more efficient energy consumption
Why do you think that?
It makes grid planing an absolut nightmare. We need to overbuild by a lot so a few days with less wind and sun doesn't lead to blackouts. Big windparks can be turned off reliably if there is too much energy produced, but the same can't be said for personal installations.
While it's possible to disconnect personal solar cells from the grid by increasing the frequency a bit, you can't just do that if the village is still connected to the entire grid. You first have to switch the whole village manually into island mode. Not to mention that a lot of times they don't restart automatically.
You can store energy, it's not a use it and lose it situation. EVs do this. On your second point, things that are absolutely necessary like you're refrigerator, could be on the grid but everything else isn't or it's a mix or hybrid.
Also, why is everyone only talking about what's on the market? Americans are extremely inventive, there are ways to add personal power in that could be hybrid and smart so you could control all that. You wouldn't have to make it an island but readjust your wiring to handle both. How are Europeans doing it?
As I understand it, the efficiency of a wind turbine increases with blade size, so multiple smaller personal wind turbines are less efficient than fewer, larger turbines that serve a neighbourhood, as well as costing much more and using more overall resources.
I had a friend of a friend put up a mini turbine when it first started, it was mostly DIY. I'm pretty sure there could be some basic DIY ways in a form that isn't blades, that are efficient enough and could be done with recycled materials. The batteries I guess would have to be new. Still a step in a great direction.
I'm thinking more along the lines of this: https://rubinmuseum.org/collection/artwork/wind-powered-prayer-wheel-20.406 , but stacked with maybe 5 rows each depending on how much one could hold. You could add on as needed and have walls of them.
I'm sure there are local engineers that could come up with new ways other than what I mentioned that make a personal wind power as efficient as a giant turbine. I'm surrounded by Boeing people, I'll ask around.
They’re just isn’t enough roof area/roof space per person in dense urban settings. Not by a long shot.
I'm going to respond to this because I think it's necessary. Not everyone is going to want to live in an urban, 15 minute city. For example, people with families or people who need nature. The 15 minute city is a great idea for some and should be planned for, but it isn't the one size fits all, especially in America.
Instead of forcing it down everyone's throats, build for it but also make suburbia more environmentally friendly. Encourage rain gardens, natural and local ground cover instead of grass, white metal roofs if it can be done in that environment as an efficient solution, and personal wind and solar power.
Nice parks are one of the amenities that can be put in a "15 minute city"; the nicest city I've ever lived in, Brisbane (in Queensland, Australia), had beautiful large parks within easy access of the downtown areas.
By contrast, currently I live in a suburb, but it doesn't really give me a nature fix when I need it so I have to go to elsewhere anyway.
Oh for sure, suburbs have to be fixed as well, but having a loud family with thin walls isn't so great in the city either. There's a balance that needs to be struck.
If that is what you are worried about, then isn't the easy solution to build thicker walls?
You paranoid idiots can shut the fuck up about 15 minutes cities.
Only the truly gullible are afraid of OTHER PEOPLE having shops within walking distance.