Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: PLANET OF THE HUMANS' STREAMING: HOW TO WATCH THE MICHAEL MOORE-PRODUCED DOCUMENTARY ONLINE FOR FREE [View all]Finishline42
(1,091 posts)10 years from today there will be people that look at today's latest wind and solar installs and say how horribly inefficient they are.
Economies of scale are at work. Just like flat screen tv's and the first personal computers, it's easy to look back and see how lacking they are compared to what's available today. But it's part of the process. Buying wind and solar 10 years ago got us to today and what we do today will get us to the future. But just like Loveless above - buy some today - buy some in a couple of years and buy some a couple of years after that. Unless your space is limited the first set will still be making electricity for decades to come.
The biggest driver for wind is a simple formula - as you double the diameter of the blades you cube the output. But we are also seeing improvements in design to take advantage of lower wind speeds.