PV Gap

Luis Said:

Which renewable energy source (solar, wind, hydro, etc. is the most efficient (most power for the lowest cost)

We Answered:

Clearly it is hydro - far more energy is currently being derived from it than any other renewable source, and since economics is the driving factor, it must be the cheapest per kilowatt-hour. BTW, that is not necessarily the most efficient - efficiency is power out divided by power in. But hydro is definitely doing pretty well in that catagory too, if not overall the most efficient. I would guess it's the best of the 3, with wind being second and solar third.

Ricardo Said:

What are some challenges using and managing renewable energy resources?

We Answered:

I think one of the biggest challenges is just getting enough renewable energy to replace a good portion of energy generated by fossil fuels. Right now I think renewable energy accounts for only about 1-2% of the total energy produced. Sources like solar and wind power are good at adding capacity to the grid during peak usage, but they're not good base load power generators.

Also another problem is that they are more expensive to produce. The cost gap is closing, however, because the new technology is getting better and better, and also it's starting to cost a lot more to drill for oil and even mine coal. Of course, renewable would be a lot cheaper than fossil fuels if the true cost of obtaining coal and oil were calculated, like using our military to secure a steady supply of resources overseas.

Andrea Said:

Power Plant With Renewable Energy?

We Answered:

Renewables are a diffused form of energy and require a large footprint. It would not be possible for one power plant to make power for the grid because that would require the plant to be very large and transmissin cost would be high too. Also renewables are intermittent, meaning they are not always available. A typical windmill is only available 28% of the time during the year. If one plant was making power for the grid that would mean it would be dark everywhere. It will not talk about the economics of the renewables here. Have a nice day

Rachel Said:

Liberals: Where do you intend to find enough clean renewable energy to power major US cities?

We Answered:

By burning the contents of our secret FEMA camps. Why do you think Obama hired all those census workers?

Curtis Said:

Is it true Bill Gates is selling all of his shares in microsoft in order to buy up renewable energy stocks?

We Answered:

Bill has been slowly divesting his Microsoft shares for years. It's part of a prudent investment strategy -- don't have all your eggs in one basket.

However, he's not into renewable energy stocks because their performance is poor. It's very tough to make money in those stocks because there's no return on investment. The only money in them is government subsidies which are notoriously unreliable.

Bill is giving his money away, mostly to his foundation which is fighting poverty and disease in Africa.