Recent comments in /f/newhampshire

P0Rt1ng4Duty t1_jdl5qjt wrote

Yeah the chances that a person is going to snap and resort to burning something down is directly proportionate to the the amount of options they can see moving forward.

Most evictions don't end that way despite the inherent stress involved. Most people can find a place to go or aren't so entrenched in debt that they simply collapse.

There should be a way for landlords to get these tenants out but give them someplace to go and recover.

Also, people should have an unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of something beyond that. Life requires shelter.

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TurretLauncher OP t1_jdl0pdp wrote

Researchers: Floating solar panels could provide over a third of global electricity

> The cost of solar power has dropped dramatically over the past decade, making it the cheapest source of electricity in much of the world. Clearly, that can mean cheaper power. But it also means that we can potentially install panels in places that would otherwise be too expensive and still produce power profitably.
>
> One of the more intriguing options is to place the panels above artificial bodies of water, either floating or suspended on cables. While more expensive than land-based installs, this creates a win-win: the panels limit the evaporation of water, and the water cools the panels, allowing them to operate more efficiently in warm climates.
>
> While the potential of floating solar has been examined in a number of places, a group of researchers has now done a global analysis and find that it's huge. Even if we limit installs to a fraction of the surface of existing reservoirs, floating panels could generate nearly 10,000 TeraWatt-hours per year, while keeping over 100 cubic kilometers of water from evaporating.
>
> Obviously, that potential is not evenly distributed, with countries like Canada and the Nordics getting less sun exposure to benefit from. The biggest winner in floating solar would be the US, which has the potential for 1,900 TWh under the 30/30 limitations. The US is using about 3,900 TWh a year, so that works out to be just under half its electricity consumption.

Scientific paper here

Abstract

Growing global energy use and the adoption of sustainability goals to limit carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning are increasing the demand for clean energy, including solar. Floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems on reservoirs are advantageous over traditional ground-mounted solar systems in terms of land conservation, efficiency improvement and water loss reduction. Here, based on multiple reservoir databases and a realistic climate-driven photovoltaic system simulation, we estimate the practical potential electricity generation for FPV systems with a 30% coverage on 114,555 global reservoirs is 9,434 ± 29 TWh yr−1. Considering the proximity of most reservoirs to population centres and the potential to develop dedicated local power systems, we find that 6,256 communities and/or cities in 124 countries, including 154 metropolises, could be self-sufficient with local FPV plants. Also beneficial to FPV worldwide is that the reduced annual evaporation could conserve 106 ± 1 km3 of water. Our analysis points to the huge potential of FPV systems on reservoirs, but additional studies are needed to assess the potential long-term consequences of large systems.

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TurretLauncher OP t1_jdkzzq0 wrote

50 MW of generation daily is about 1500 MW / month, which is about 1/10th of the 14.40 GWh/month. Pretty sure there’s a missing zero there (i.e., 500 MW of generation daily). As for the weather, any energy generation figure for solar already incorporates weather considerations, so this is 500 MW daily, on average, with weather conditions already accounted for.

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BigMax t1_jdkyfmy wrote

Solar saves a LOT more carbon from being used than the same land area of trees could ever sequester. It’s a very big net win for the environment, even if there is a bit of an odd feeling at first glance since land does get cleared.

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sphennings t1_jdkwesl wrote

As someone local to Old Gilsum Road I'm going personally feel the impact of loosing those woods. The whole region benefits from the amount of contiguous woodlands around the ridge. It's a shame that I won't be able to take my kids through those woods.

I appreciate the benefits of solar but every time I see the woods of my youth getting clear cut it leaves an ill taste in my mouth.

Big projects like this are easy for people in Boston to fund. They aren't loosing anything. Installing solar over a parking lot is far more complicated and more expensive. I can see why they would want to avoid that when undeveloped land is cheaper out this way.

The great thing about solar is that it can be put anywhere there's sun. I wish that would more often result in something other than rural land getting cleared in the name of environmentalism or progress.

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