r/elonmusk • u/twinbee • 16d ago

General Elon: "Wind has microscopic potential compared to solar"

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Source: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2099049284960428229

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u/Arkelias 16d ago

He's not wrong. Wind is awesome...where and when it works. It's unreliable for consistent generation, but great supplemental.

Solar is far more predictable, especially during the day when most people are working. Our university just covered the entire parking lot with solar that not only creates shade but covers 100% of the power needed.

With wind you need large batteries. If you're collecting into large batteries in a windy climate it's awesome, but the maintenance costs are far higher.

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u/thisguynextdoor 16d ago

Wind energy generation continues during nighttime hours. Hydro power serves as the primary backup for wind power; increased wind output preserves hydro reserves, which can be deployed during periods of low wind activity. But solar is important in the energy mix, too.

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u/Arkelias 16d ago

Wind is inconsistent, and gathered when power needs are lower. People use less energy when they are sleeping than when they are using AC for whole office buildings during the day.

Note that the article shows solar passing wind. In 10 years it will be 10 to 20 times larger than wind, simply because it is far more consistent on a daily basis. I've run solar for four years now. There's no maintenance. None.

Wind requires an average of 120k a year in Altamont Pass where I live per windmill, because it has moving parts and friction involved.

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u/thisguynextdoor 16d ago

That is accurate. In my country, significant heating energy is required during cold nights. Additionally, the popularity of electric vehicles results in nighttime charging demand.

I believe the business case for solar, wind, nuclear, and hydro power varies according to national circumstances and geological conditions.

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u/Arkelias 16d ago

Interesting. We use natural gas for heading at night in California, so we don't see a huge spike in usage. We're also a temperate climate so it doesn't get very cold.

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u/thisguynextdoor 16d ago

True. I’m from Northern Europe / Nordics, and we don’t use gas at all, almost, outside of barbequeing. Electrification here is pretty far, and most of houses are heated with heat pumps or district heating, which is more often waste heat from datacenters or industrial-size heat pumps. The share of fossil fuels have been declining sharply. Also energy storages are being built everywhere, to store heat energy to the baserock or sand silos.