Reply #3: The same place that we're going to get the energy for making... [View All]

[phantom power]

PV panels, wind turbines, thermal solar plants, tidal turbines, etc. The energy can come from nuclear plants already on-line, or it can come from wind turbines or a solar plant, or any other renewable, carbon-neutral energy source you prefer.

I assume we all get this basic fact: bringing any energy source on-line requires an up-front investment in energy.

If I want to deploy wind turbines, I have to mine metals, smelt them, work those metals into gears, solenoid coils, etc, then I have to manufacture carbon-fiber blades, or whatever they're making them out of these days, and then ship the entire gadget to whereever I'm going to install it, and then spend more energy pouring concrete footers, welding supports, or whatever.

All of that requires lots of energy too. Where does that energy come from?

This argument about energy "having" to come from fossil fuels is idiotic. It would be idiotic if I made the same claim about renewable sources, and it's idiotic when it's made about nuclear.