Not feeling the irony

Unfortunately, climate change is a global problem requiring global solutions.

Maybe now that people are seeing the harsh effects of climate change up close and personal, they will be more inclined to act.

Still trying to get my head around the scope of the disaster down there.

>>> Unfortunately, climate change is a global problem requiring global solutions <<<

Unfortunately, it's been thrown out the window by this President.

RIP Paris Climate Agreement.

It's been thrown out the window for decades, TOD; ignored to the point of catastrophe by a generationally inept band of leaders from both parties (all parties, globally) incapable of large scale problem solving.

This is only a "political" issue insofar as partisans pretend it is. The global sea level rise will not discriminate in its destruction. Wake up, folks. We're past the "tipping point"; the Kracken has risen.

As the climatologist of the group, i've never seen conservatives rebut any of the math, chemistry, or physics behind climate change (which goes back to the 1890's).  

(The term climate change was put into high use by a conservative think tank that didn't like the term global warming).

They've been fighting against alternate energy systems (including green energy) since at least the 70's.  We had one of the most comprehensive solar radiation field labs at Oregon State back then, but the Reagan administration eliminated all funding for research, so that all got wiped out, such great science stopped due to political hacks (and this includes elimination of the State climatology center, etc).  

This was in retaliation to Jimmy Carters National Energy Act of 1978, and the Energy security act of 1980.  These acts not only gave tax breaks to individuals / companies who were switching to, or using green energy, but allowed folks to sell their energy back to the grid.  ( I was doing wind energy research in the early 80's, before the republicans wiped out all the funding, the tax credit, etc).    

It's a shame too, so many grass roots companies were being created for home energy systems back then...   the conservatives crushed them!  What's ironic, is now all those survivalists are using similar systems to get off the grid, my, how things come full circle....    

Mark - Agreed 100%...

People are demanding world leaders to huddle up now more then ever, it's come to their doorstep also at break neck speed.

Paris Climate Agreement could've been a good starting point, we won't know now.

Solar panels, guns, and non perishable canned goods.

Welcome to the the 21st century.

If you can make renewable energy profitable, even conservatives who have been resistant to the idea will get on board.

Texas got 18% of its energy from wind and solar last year:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/texas-got-18-percent-of-...

Some folks down there are starting to realize that there is money to be made off all those sunbaked, windy expanses of West Texas. 

Be nice if green energy got the same subsidies the other "dirty" industries got...   a simple tax break 40 years ago made a huge difference 

Absolutely Noodler.

>>>>Be nice if green energy got the same subsidies the other "dirty" industries got... 

My girlfriend installed solar panels on her home a couple of years ago using some nice Obama era tax incentives that were around at the time.  The tax credits, spread out over a number of years, will make the ultimate cost of installing the panels around $1,500 when all is said and done (down from a retail price of around $12k).  Plus, the panels are big enough to power the entire house during most of the year (including kiln firings).   The panels are on a "net meter" system that sends excess production out to the grid where it earns a credit.   So in the winter, when the house is drawing power off the grid, the credit kicks in and the power bills year round consist of only a basic $10 per month infrastructure charge!

The only downside of the net meter system is that when there is a power outage, the system shuts down to avoid power surging out to the grid and shocking workers or damaging infrastructure.   There is an upgrade available that will switch off the power going out to the grid during an outage, but allows the panels to still supply power to the house and store power using some heavy duty Tesla batteries.  However, the cost of that is almost the same as the panels themselves, but with no tax credit.  Hopefully, with advances in battery technology, the cost will go down in the near future.   

It's amazing how much of the solution is decentralization...   getting folks off the grid!  The more solar, wind, stream / tidal, cogeneration, digesters, etc, that can be used,  the less our need for commercial energy.  Works good with gardening too...   old school (with high tech) for the win!

What do they do differently in the neighborhoods that are gone and the neighborhoods that this can still happen to going forward? 

Ken I am not sure why a transfer switch like the ones that are used with homes that have back up generators couldn’t be used to cut you off from the grid when there is an outage. I am not an electrician but it seems like it would do the same thing.

the price of solar systems has dropped quite a bit recently. we've been putting together simple off grid systems for well under 5k that can put out 1k-3k watts and will keep a bunch of greenhouses lit under 12-1am, plus power my house thru the night, which is only a minifridge, led lights, tv and computer, but still...theres lots of great off grid options these days. none of these are grid tied and are rechargable by gasoline generator...so there is still some progress to be made in truly affordable off grid systems...i think, if possible, a further drop in battery cost plus advancement in consumer wind power could bridge that gap

Daylight --

Curious regarding your thoughts in cost / life expectancy with Lead-Acid batteries vs. large Capacitors. (Storage of voltage / amp-hours).

>>>>I am not sure why a transfer switch like the ones that are used with homes that have back up generators couldn’t be used to cut you off from the grid when there is an outage.

We will have to look into that.   I am not an electrician by any stretch of the imagination, but makes sense.   Perhaps the people who explained how you need an expensive upgrade to keep the panels working in case of an outage were just trying to drum up more work.