Alex Epstein

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

RT @AlexEpstein: The focus by @elonmusk and others on the *space* taken up by solar panels and batteries dodges the real issue: cost-effect… — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Get #FossilFuture: https://t.co/KvYDUsAy35 Watch the full interview with Brad Carr: https://t.co/8WUeIILV01 — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

“the whole world we live in is produced by machines doing work for us. If you increase the price of energy, that means the cost of powering the machines. And that's not just the machines we use, it's all the machines” With Brad Carr https://t.co/wdLbT4REXM — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

RT @AlexEpstein: For those who think $590 trillion in batteries will somehow soon become cheap due to economies of scale, consider this: Te… — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

“Observe that 'green' activists are now successfully opposing the massive mining, transmission-line-building, and development involved in solar and wind—because of the large impact these have on nature.” https://t.co/AiKpNP9dSH — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

RT @AlexEpstein: The world uses over 165k TWh of energy annually, or ~1.36 billion MWh in 3 days. 1000 Tesla Megapacks (3916 MWh of storage… — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

RT @AlexEpstein: Musk says that "to power the whole Earth" we need just solar panels and "some batteries." What is "some batteries"? To s… — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Get #FossilFuture: https://t.co/KvYDUsAy35 Watch the full interview with @jordanbpeterson: https://t.co/fur0VMjxvZ — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

“If you look at my work, The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, Fossil Future, it's really stressing the goodness of fossil fuels. Not just fossil fuels aren't as bad as you think, but they're an actual positive good.” With @jordanbpeterson https://t.co/LiAW0F3nfp — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

RT @ScottAdamsSays: What’s the counter argument? — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

@WTIBull 🤣 — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Thanks to Gov @DougBurgum for introducing me for my keynote this morning in North Dakota. The governor was a wildly successful tech entrepreneur before going into politics. And he has really learned a ton about energy. Very impressive guy. — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

"We need more, not less, voices in the climate marketplace, capable of thoughtful engagement and critical analysis. Alex proffers both in Fossil Future" - @ScottPruitt_OK https://t.co/zGm7ibRDVc — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

If you're new to my work, follow me @AlexEpstein for extreme clarity on energy, environmental, and climate issues from a humanist perspective. Also, subscribe to my newsletter, featuring lots of concise, powerful, well-referenced energy talking points. https://t.co/NS8O3mAu51 — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Elon Musk has dramatically improved his energy rhetoric over the last year, acknowledging the need for oil and gas and walking back his past climate catastrophism. But he and others need to stop spreading the deadly idea that solar+batteries can power the world. https://t.co/fivOPtscNd — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

The idea that the world can be powered by a small area of solar panels and batteries has been a major cause of today’s global energy crisis. The world artificially restricted fossil fuel supply because smart people like @elonmusk told us we could use solar + batteries instead. — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Summary: While we are told that the world can be powered by a small area of solar panels + batteries, the storage costs involved are impossibly high (hundreds of $trillions) and the panels involved would take up more area than all the world’s cities, towns, and villages combined. — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

If 1.8 million sq km of solar panels doesn’t seem like much, note that it is *more than all cities, towns, villages, and human infrastructure combined* (~1.5 million sq km). And this excludes the huge footprints of solar/battery mining, manufacturing, and transmission. — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

The world uses >165,000 TWh of energy per year, which requires ~19 billion kW of power output on avg. An optimistic, real-world power density for solar projects is 10 W/m^2. To power the world, you’d need ~1.8 million km^2 of solar PV projects—about the size of Libya. https://t.co/iCvwVPtIJT — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

The main lie of "Just a small area of solar panels can power the world": it ignores the insane cost of the necessary batteries. But it also drastically underestimates how much space solar panels require. For example, this viral Twitter post underestimates the area by some 25X. https://t.co/JvFaOn2vcB — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Another reason the world can’t be powered by solar panels and batteries: these only provide electricity—currently 1/5 of the world’s energy. Electricity can’t power many uses of energy (flight, cargo ships) and is very costly for others (many forms of industrial process heat). — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Arguing that solar panels + batteries can provide energy to 8B people using modest space is like arguing that Rolls-Royces can transport 8B people using modest space. Yes, there’s *space* for 8B Rolls-Royces—but the human *time* it would take to produce them is cost-prohibitive. — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

The focus by @elonmusk and others on the *space* taken up by solar panels and batteries dodges the real issue: cost-effectiveness. Due to stratospheric battery storage costs, no amount of solar panels can *cost-effectively power* the world. — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

For those who think $590 trillion in batteries will somehow soon become cheap due to economies of scale, consider this: Tesla Megapack prices have been increasing, not rapidly decreasing, lately. And efforts to scale batteries on an artificial timetable drive up prices. https://t.co/xco16rIlfZ — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

The world uses over 165k TWh of energy annually, or ~1.36 billion MWh in 3 days. 1000 Tesla Megapacks (3916 MWh of storage) have a price over >$1.7 billion. This would mean 3 days of storage using Tesla batteries would cost >$590 trillion. That's 6X world GDP! https://t.co/aKAXXxoMfY — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Musk says that "to power the whole Earth" we need just solar panels and "some batteries." What is "some batteries"? To store a mere 3 days of world energy, to be prepared for weeks (let alone seasons) with lower-than-usual sunlight, takes >1335 terawatt-hours in batteries. https://t.co/sBmfrK8gDP — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

We often hear just a small area of solar panels plus storage batteries can power the world. "Such an obvious move" says @elonmusk about this idea, adding "Even solar plus batteries on a small section of Spain would solve EU energy needs." This is dangerously false. — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

Myth: Just a small area of solar panels plus storage can power the world. Truth: Storing just 3 days of global energy would cost $590 trillion at @elonmusk’s current prices. And the panels would take up more space than all the world’s cities, towns, and villages combined. 🧵👇 https://t.co/CKmLKUePe5 — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

“fossil fuels give us an incredible ability to master climate. Most people have no idea that fossil fuels have not only contributed to 1° C of warming in the last 100+ years, but also to a 98% decline in climate-related disaster deaths!” https://t.co/e7utaZeyYM — PolitiTweet.org

Alex Epstein @AlexEpstein

#FossilFuture https://t.co/E78zQ72v1x — PolitiTweet.org