New comment by grahamerwin in "Utah produced more power from solar than any other source in May, a new first"

grahamerwin — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 19:04:09 +0000

Vaclav Smil would be quick to replace the word power with electricity in the title of this article. It is why Germany can say renewables supply 56% of its electricity while renewables supply only about 21% of its energy. The rest of energy generation won't quickly be replaced with renewables: diesel and kerosene moving freight and people, natural gas in furnaces and boilers, coke reducing iron ore into steel, methane feeding the reactors that fix nitrogen to make fertilizer, and coal that turns limestone into cement.

I am fully on board with renewables! I have just found Smil's perspective quite useful here.

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New comment by grahamerwin in "Utah produced more power from solar than any other source in May, a new first"