VERY OT, DO NOT READ THIS! (wind power, was Re: OT Humidity,…

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Author: Rusty Carruth via PLUG-discuss
Date:  
To: plug-discuss
CC: Rusty Carruth
Old-Topics: Re: OT Humidity, was time off
Subject: VERY OT, DO NOT READ THIS! (wind power, was Re: OT Humidity, was time off) Do not read, do not follow up! ;-)
Ok, we are SO FAR off-topic that I shouldn't say anything, and I
apologize for adding to the noise!

However, I have one comment.  For many years I was a BIG fan of wind power.

Now, however, I've realized that nobody has calculated the effect of
removing MEGAWATTS of power from the wind.  Think about it - what is one
of the major 'causes' of rainfall (especially around mountains)?  Wind. 
Pushing the air and water up the mountain, where it cools, condenses,
and rains. But we're removing MEGAWATTS of power from the wind!  What
effect is that extremely likely to have?  Um, less rain!

If I thought it would make any difference in our mad rush to fulfill the
predictions of drought and global (whatever-ing), I'd spend time doing
research, but I'm pretty sure 'nobody really cares'.  Or whatever.

Ok, sorry for adding to the noise.  You may now return to your regularly
scheduled flame-fest!


On 6/20/24 20:11, Matthew Crews via PLUG-discuss wrote:
> On 6/20/24 6:16 AM, Ryan Petris via PLUG-discuss wrote:
>>> And what are you guys going to do about the coming lack of water?
>>
>> It's all FUD. If anything, agricultural land uses more water than
>> residential land, and agricultural land is what's getting converted
>> to residential. So every acre converted means /less/ water use.
>>
>> I think they're making a big deal out of it to make sure we don't
>> lose some water rights from the Colorado river, as California is
>> trying to take a larger portion of it.
>
> I disagree that it is FUD, but there is certainly a lot of blame to go
> around.
>
> The fact of the matter is, the Colorado River has been drying up due
> to both over-consumption and drastically reduced snowmelt caused by
> global heating, and it's affecting the entire region. One wet winter
> does not magically undo a couple decades of drought (Lake Mead still
> isn't even remotely close to pre-2000 levels). Just as significantly,
> other major sources of water in the geographical area are also drying
> up (word is that the Great Salt Lake will become the Great Salt
> Puddle, then the Great Arsenic Flats, in less than a decade).
> Underground water tables are being pumped like there's no tomorrow
> (similar to oil), with very limited means of replenishing them. And
> did I mention that snowmelt over the long term and rainfall over the
> long term are WAY lower than historic norms?
>
> Wreckless and wasteful water use by agriculture is a major problem, to
> be sure, and certainly the low hanging fruit that we can attack. But
> to say that agriculture should be taking the brunt of it, and not
> addressing ALL sources of increased water consumption, is foolish.
> Maybe the impact won't be as high, but it's still meaningful in
> aggregate. Per-capita, Arizonans consume more water than most states,
> and we must do better as a state.[1] And of course California, Nevada
> and Utah need to do their part too.
>
> 1. https://mapazdashboard.arizona.edu/article/arizonas-water-use-sector
>
> And depending who you ask, Phoenix (and Las Vegas) should not exist at
> all! Having lived here my entire life, I'm starting to agree with that
> sentimet.
>
> But that's just my 2 cents.
>
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