multiplier of fossil energy and fossil energy driven extraction of fossils
Yes cheap solar makes oil cheaper because it’s not needed. Just like coal made wood cheaper. However Germany is at 59% renewable and increasing.
Biofuels allow you roughly Edo era Japan technology
Given that Edo era Japan did not have biofuels that’s a self contradictory statement. Biofuels allow PV panel manufacturing which are a self sustainable energy production. That is the cost to produce a PV panel is less than than the energy it generates over its lifetime.
You don’t need rare earth magnets for windmills or water wheels, but it limits us to milling grain, pumping water and running blacksmith forges.
You don’t need rare earth magnets at all for generators or motors. They are used today to give efficiency improvements. We had generators and motors over 150 years ago without any rare earth magnets. Rare earth magnets date back to the 1970’s. And the minerals needed to make them aren’t scarce.
“The term ‘rare-earth’ is a misnomer because they are not actually scarce, although historically it took a long time to isolate these elements.[4][5]”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_element
Edit: The Tesla model S doesn’t use rare earth magnets for its motors.
given that Edo era Japan did not have biofuels
Wood is biofuel.
to summarize in a different way the arguments of the person you are debating with i would say just look around you, how much have we weaned from fossil fuels.
in 1993 the sum of nuclear and renewables in our global energy mix was 14%, 30 years later in 2023 it is 18.5%. our total energy usage is massively higher and fossil fuel use is massively higher over those 30 years.
Its too little too late scenario. Sure its technically possible we could replace FFs with renewables and nuclear but thats not where we are at yet or in the next 50 years at this pace. Now depending on what you think the depletion curve of FFs looks like will tell you if it will be possible or not. the data doesnt look good for a smooth transition. At best the scenario is a severe bottleneck unless we pull some unprecedented exponential changes in renewable and nuclear deployment.
Uh. You’re missing way more puzzle pieces than I thought. Little point in continuing this conversation.
I refuted your points. That’s what a debate is.
You claimed a lack of rare earth magnets would send technology back to milling grain and pumping water. But they weren’t invented until the 1970’s. The Tesla model S doesn’t even use them.
You claimed PV solar isn’t self sustainable but we already know it’s cost, which includes profit margins at every stage of manufacturing and transportation, is lower than the energy output over a panels lifetime. That means it is not only self sustainable but makes enough surplus energy for people to live off the jobs of manufacturing the PV panels.
No, you consistently fail to understand the whole mode of the argument. Rare earth magnets is a red herring which you brought up. Cost of PV is another such.
I gave up because what you said towards the conversation tail made me realize you’re missing too much on your end to be worth my time and are unwilling to investigate on your own. If you “refuted” something, be my guest. I wish it was that easy with reality.