Post by
materialsgirl on Jul 10, 2015 11:58am
Facebook Tesla etc
Many major new companies make a lot of marketing noise to create a suitable image.
Facebook is choosing to buy AXY power for a number of reasons; PRICE being the key reason.
Elon Musk likewise promotes the idea that he wants to buy lithium cobalt and graphite locally. And yes that is true BUT his reason is that there would be less transport cost and he will save money.
If you are a local producer of graphite try getting a 1% price premium and you will be "out".
Pronouncements from Facebook or Tesla about being green are done mainly to polish their image in the minds of consumers. They have no intention of pursuing high cost green power.
It is wonderful for the world that solar energy costs have dropped so much over the past 5 years to where it is competitive with carbon sources in places where the sun shines a lot and there are intense rays. Parts of Texas and parts of California are good examples.
Wind in some cases may be able to provide cheaper electricity but it is less predictable. In fact, there is often more wind at night at exactly the times that you do not need it.
Geothermal is of course superior to solar or wind in that it runs 24 hours a day. But so far, geothermal has not caught on in many places. Iceland Philippines California Italy yes but geothermal does not have legs in many other places. Canada still has zero geothermal power and no company has any plans to initiate production in Canada as far as I know. Pity!