Quote:
Originally Posted by UFO
It's a step in the right direction. By converting to the grid, we gain a tremendous efficiency. Turbine generation of electricity on large scales is at least 60% to 70% more efficient than motorized ICEs. And the grid allows us to add in renewable sources as they become available, like wind, hydro and solar.
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As of 2009 hydro only supplied about 6.9% of the US electrical generating capacity (and that percentage is dropping). All other renewables (Wind, Solar, Geothermal, etc..) composed about 3.6% . Nuclear power supplies about 20% of US needs. When you consider there are no more rivers that can be dammed, people oppose nuke, the fact that wind and solar aren't consistent and cost a lot, and by 2027 we will only have a fusion reactor that will run for 1000 seconds at a time, there isn't anyway we are going to ween ourselves from fossil fuel energy production anytime soon .