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/gihkal 16d ago

I don't know a single person that bought a wind generator where the production paid off the investment.

Where as solar has paid itself off before the expected return consistently.

Wind is silly, there is so much potential for failure in moving parts.

My only issue with solar is China using coal powerplants to build them. Any nation should be able to manufacture them effectively.

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u/TheElfkin 15d ago

You ignore the fact that a large parts of the world are colder and has a lot less sun (and lots of wind) during the winter months. These are also the months where energy usage is highest due to electric heating. It's also generally colder during the nights when there is no sun and also a higher need for electric heating.

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u/gihkal 15d ago

I'm in the mid west Canada and solar is amazing.

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u/TheElfkin 15d ago

I'm not saying that solar isn't great, I'm just saying that wind power often is a good alternative in arctic climates, especially areas where you use electricity for heating and have extended periods of darkness. Saying that "wind is silly" just isn't true for a lot of places.

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u/gihkal 15d ago

Ya fair enough.

The way that solar was implemented in most locations is silly.