Mark, I would suggest you are the one who needs to be acquainted with the facts.
- The proposed wind farm(s) could be up to 7gw, not 1gw.
- Offshore wind farms would generate power mostly when solar is dormant, thereby offsetting the peak in renewables we experience every day.. with most of the power getting used right away. In fact, the Cal Poly research team found that offshore winds are strongest when demand is greatest.
- The battery farm proposed in Morro Bay would also store much of that wind power and deploy it whenever it's needed, drastically reducing greenhouse gasses from other forms of energy production like gas peaker plants.
- Fossil fuel plants have historically overestimated their power production, making them cost prohibitive in the future. (https://www.rethinkx.com/energy-lcoe)
- Wind is the cheapest form of energy we can generate, period. Even if estimated costs were to skyrocket, as you claim, the price of that power would still likely be cheaper than fossil fuel plants and even Diablo, which isn't very cheap (contrary to popular opinion).
- The jobs generated by the proposed wind farms would be massive. CalPoly and REACH estimated that a 3gw field would generate $254 million in annual economic output JUST IN SLO COUNTY and $396 statewide. A 7gw field would be a $686 million boon for the county and over a TRILLION for the state, creating up to 2488 jobs. By comparison, diablo canyon creates more jobs (3557 vs 2488) according to this study, but generates MUCH less economic output ($244m v $686m)
If you'd like to dig deeper and educate yourself on this topic, here is the link to the study:
https://reachcentralcoast.org/wp-content/u…
First, Shatner didn't pay for that flight.
Second, this is the same argument people make with pretty much every endeavor to, or about space. It's not the individual's experience that matters... it's the collective awe that affects change.
Your cynicism is noted but mine was quelled by that flight and I appreciated the diversion from the terrestrial news.
Roundabouts are WAY better than stoplights as well as being better (and cheaper) than lane widening. They are NOT an inconvenience... they keep traffic flowing at any hour of day.
People need to accept these facts and let's start building them!
As an outspoken liberal, I appreciate your observations. I love a good debate with my conservative friends and I don't shame them for their views (except if they support Trump. That deserves ridicule)... but I generally try to understand them, find common ground and respect differences.
I'm even trying hard to push back on my illiberal liberal friends who want to shut down opposing viewpoints, cancel them or use the woke mob to have their way. This isn't the path to the progressive future I want to see.
Both extremes of the political moment are... well pretty extreme. I'd prefer we not paint "liberals" or "conservatives" with a broad brush they don't deserve. Talk to each other. LISTEN. You may learn something.
Desal and Nuclear are both technologies that sound really nice when you have only a cursory understanding of them. Once you dig deeper, however, the darksides of both become overwhelming.
I urge you to look further. The byproducts of both (and HUGE energy use of desal) are more dangerous and wasteful than they may seem to you. That poem above is brilliant and should be shared widely.
Re: “Which is it?”
Surprised to read this just a few days after Newsom and the democratic CA reps voted to keep Diablo open. Obviously the tides have shifted on this and most liberals agree that keeping Diablo open for at least a while is a good thing.
Why not acknowledge that liberal thinking has adapted to changing conditions and should be commended for that? As a conservative you should be welcoming our agreement, not decrying the few who still oppose nuclear.