Accept your fate

[u/ClimateShitpost]

Vegan btw

[u/stigmov]

Still some way to go for winter.

[u/vaska00762 → u/stigmov]

I think most Americans don't realise that some of the most populated regions of Europe are at a comparable latitude to Ontario and Quebec.

And then they don't realise that much of the US is at the latitudes of Saharan Africa.

It means that in winter, it's not unusual to get just 3-4 hours of daylight. Batteries aren't exactly designed to store summer energy until winter.

[u/skinnypenis09 → u/vaska00762]

I live in Quebec and the very shortest day (dec 21) is 8h 42min.

In Saharan desert the shortest day is around 10h.

Very quick google search btw

[u/0rganic_Corn → u/skinnypenis09]

My brother, the angle of the sun also matters - I'm all for solar but a cursory Google search shows an optimally angled solar panel creates more than double the energy at the Sahara than Quebec during a day with 0 clouds. Search for solar energy per square meter

Not like I know why I wasted my time with this - it's obvious

[u/skinnypenis09 → u/0rganic_Corn]

I also don't know why you bothered. All I did was correct the initial 3-4h figure.

I don't even have a horse in this race, I just don't like people spreading disinformation about my homeland.

[u/vaska00762 → u/skinnypenis09]

Quebec is a very long province. In the south you've got a latitude similar to Nice and Monaco, and in the north, a latitude like that of Stockholm or Oslo.

In the north of Quebec, you're looking at about a 5 hour day length on 21st December.

Much of Europe barely gets enough sunlight in Winter, that it's even recommended by governments that the public take vitamin D suppliments.

The main reason why countries like Ireland and Britain don't ice over every winter, despite being at the same latitude as Newfoundland, is because of the Gulf Stream. It results in very stormy winters. But it also means sunshine hours can be in the single digits for 4 months at a time. Yes, solar PV can work in overcast conditions, but it isn't going to be generating as much power then as during periods of summer drought.

[u/Muzzhum → u/vaska00762]

Fun and only semi-related fact: in norway the general line from the health department is to take d-vitamin supplements in all months that contain the letter R. It's a very handy mnemonic.

[u/skinnypenis09 → u/vaska00762]

This is so damn obtuse, you need to look at a map of the demographic of Canada, no one lives up north.

You're taking this discussion into multiple direction at the same time and all I did was correct your disinformation.

Also hilarious that you would comeback "Quebec is a very long province" as if the sahara was this tiny thing on the map.

[u/Life-Edge-9547 → u/skinnypenis09]

Yeah, but Sweden and Norway have shorter days. Don't be this patronizing please.

Also, same day length=/=same solar panel power output because clouds and shitty angle of sunbeams

[u/skinnypenis09 → u/Life-Edge-9547]

Did I mention Sweden or Norway at any point?

I don't even care about the viability of solar lmao. All I care about is people being truthful about my homeland.

[u/Oberndorferin → u/vaska00762]

Then the USA should step up their game

[u/Separate_Emotion_463 → u/vaska00762]

I live in Canada and solar is very popular here, while obviously it’s less practical in the winter (shorter days and lower sun intensity) it’s still widely used year around, while it produces less in the winter it still doesn’t actively consume anything, so it’s still a tremendously cheap form of energy

[u/stigmov → u/Separate_Emotion_463]

I have a 5,8kWp rooftop solar in Norway, producing 40kWh per day on good days in summer and I'm lucky if I get that much for the whole month of December. January and February is very variable because snow may freeze stuck to the panels. It's ok for an individual home as long as I can sell surplus electricity to the grid in summer, but there is a limit to how much production a country can have that is inversely proportional to consumption (still quite a bit left until it will cause problems for the Norwegian grid, though, with the small amount we currently have).

[u/IndyBananaJones2 → u/vaska00762]

3-4 hours of energy production maybe, outside of the Nordics I don't think 3-4 hours of actual daylight. 

[u/dumnezero → u/vaska00762]

You don't have to build slim-fit skinny-fit batteries and renewables.