[QuickTidal]

Oh yeah that's right, you lot got snow in old blighty today didn't you?

How often do you get snow? I recall my grandma saying it wasn't too often.

[Tiste Simeon]

It's rare enough that it becomes top news story and grinds most of the country to a halt.

Foreign concepts to a Canadian I'm sure haha

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 19 November 2024 - 04:36 PM, said:

It's rare enough that it becomes top news story and grinds most of the country to a halt.

Foreign concepts to a Canadian I'm sure haha

eh, one of the Toronto mayors once called in the army to help deal with a big snowstorm, and Toronto has never lived that down with the rest of Canada. LOL


But yeah, we get lots of it.

I'll see more of it at the new house as it's in the snow belt and Toronto is known as the "vortex" in that when it snows elsewhere it usually rains in TO...so getting a big storm in Toronto was not as often as elsewhere.

[BK (NTS no politics)]

Oh man so happy this massive AYPA solar farm project was fought off! Hard to actually grasp how big this bitch was planned to be. Community came together and fought successfully.

[Macros]

And here we are lamenting that ours didn't go through

[Tsundoku]

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 07:25 AM, said:

Oh man so happy this massive AYPA solar farm project was fought off! Hard to actually grasp how big this bitch was planned to be. Community came together and fought successfully.

Can I ask what was the problem with it?

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 07:25 AM, said:

Oh man so happy this massive AYPA solar farm project was fought off! Hard to actually grasp how big this bitch was planned to be. Community came together and fought successfully.

It would have blotted out the sun, like the arrows of Iran?

You'd have barely had any more public wilderness on which to do drone and bicycle battle with the meth dealers?

Or is it like the host of COP29 said---"fossil fuels are a blessing from Go*." (Which of course is why Trump loves immigrants from Norway.)

Sunlight is a Communist conspiracy. Libertarian Vampires of the MAGAverse, unite!

In all seriousness though I do know a bunch of libertarian vampires. As in fangs, sleeping in coffins, etc.

[QuickTidal]

I looked into it (because being a Solarpunk boy I'm ALL for solar future)....it appears BK's Parish in Lake Charles had these issues with it:

- They assumed (incorrectly) that the farm would create electricity noise and interrupt their rural calm. Solar panels do not emit sound, inverters are the only primary component of a solar project that produces sound, it is 38decibels (the hum of a quiet fridge) and rules state that they must be at least 100ft from dwellings...this project seems like it was more than that away from dwellings, so it's a moot worry.

- They also assumed (incorrectly) that the solar panels would make summers hotter...studies done have found that on average, the temperature around even a large a solar farm was about 0.72 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the surrounding area. So less than a degree difference. Not worth the squawk IMHO.

- They thought it would worsen flooding and be a huge hazard in a hurricane. Not sure about the flooding concern, but it's 2024, solar panels have been designed to withstand hurricanes, so "huge hazard" is a silly thought.

- They talked about it lowering property values...I'm not sure that it would Lower them more than region is already low from inclement weather, and natural rural aspects.

- Damage to wildlife?....better tell all the other solar farms around the world that are killing mass amounts of animals, I guess?

Landowners supporting the project said it’s also about their property rights, and they predict it will be good for the economy, generate millions in taxes and help grow clean energy. So there do seem to me some people who aren't fearing these things, but they lost out to the ones who are scared how it will affect them, I assume BK included.

Quote

AYPA released the following statement:

“As one of the nation’s leading energy developers, we recognize the value of strong community engagement. The project, which will contribute more than $87 Million in incremental local tax, is sited within existing mature tree farm that’s inland, on high ground, and tucked away from public view.

This kind of kiboshes some of the above concerns, but apparently to no avail.

I'm not saying BK's wrong to oppose such a thing, but I think most of the concerns are relatively frivolous "what ifs" would and do apply to nearly ANY infrastructure project. I would have hoped the 87million $ boost to the local economy and the need to invest in clean energy would have won out, but alas.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 21 November 2024 - 01:10 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 21 November 2024 - 01:08 PM, said:

I looked into it (because being a Solarpunk boy I'm ALL for solar future)....it appears BK's Parish in Lake Charles had these issues with it:

[...] I think most of the concerns are relatively frivolous "what ifs" would and do apply to nearly ANY infrastructure project. I would have hoped the 87million $ boost to the local economy and the need to invest in clean energy would have won out, but alas.

From Forbes (notable bleeding-heart crunchie-Commie bastard magazine):

Quote

proposed wind and solar projects have faced an avalanche of local opposition in recent years, often based on misinformation or outright fallacies. Opposition groups, following a playbook organized by a fossil-funded think tank, spread fallacies about impacts to wildlife, property values, health, and more, sowing fear and anger.

Credible, peer-reviewed research refutes almost all of these spurious claims, but once the misinformation spreads, it's often too late. That has slowed progress, killed projects, and made renewables more expensive, jeopardizing our ability to quickly transition to clean energy and mitigate climate change.

[...] a network of individuals tied to fossil fuel-funded think tanks [...] tour the country and give misinformation-filled presentations to communities where renewable energy projects are proposed.

Fossil-Fuel Funded Opposition Is Blocking America's Clean Energy Transition. Permitting Reform Can Help.

... granted, that article's from 2022, but I'd imagine it's only gotten worse with Trump's ascension...

(For any not familiar with Forbes---it's basically a business magazine, pro-business, traditionally pro-Republican)

[QuickTidal]

Azath Vitr (D, on 21 November 2024 - 01:24 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 21 November 2024 - 01:08 PM, said:

I looked into it (because being a Solarpunk boy I'm ALL for solar future)....it appears BK's Parish in Lake Charles had these issues with it:

[...] I think most of the concerns are relatively frivolous "what ifs" would and do apply to nearly ANY infrastructure project. I would have hoped the 87million $ boost to the local economy and the need to invest in clean energy would have won out, but alas.

From Forbes (notable bleeding-heart crunchie-Commie bastard magazine):

Quote

proposed wind and solar projects have faced an avalanche of local opposition in recent years, often based on misinformation or outright fallacies. Opposition groups, following a playbook organized by a fossil-funded think tank, spread fallacies about impacts to wildlife, property values, health, and more, sowing fear and anger.

Credible, peer-reviewed research refutes almost all of these spurious claims, but once the misinformation spreads, it's often too late. That has slowed progress, killed projects, and made renewables more expensive, jeopardizing our ability to quickly transition to clean energy and mitigate climate change.

[...] a network of individuals tied to fossil fuel-funded think tanks [...] tour the country and give misinformation-filled presentations to communities where renewable energy projects are proposed.

Fossil-Fuel Funded Opposition Is Blocking America's Clean Energy Transition. Permitting Reform Can Help.

... granted, that article's from 2022, but I'd imagine it's only gotten worse with Trump's ascension...

(For any not familiar with Forbes---it's basically a business magazine, pro-business, traditionally pro-Republican)

Not surprised really. Hell, we'd have had electric vehicles 20 years earlier if the fossil fuel lobbies weren't so strong and didn't lie through their fucking teeth about the damage to the climate.

Even now the electric vehicles in North America are under the stranglehold of Musk leading the way and charging way too much for Tesla's and not investing enough in diversifying it (other companies make EV's obviously, but the uptake is slow and Musk sets market pace with overexpensive Teslas), while across the world EV's are being made more economical and spreading much faster, with infrastructure spread following. But apparently China = bad, and Musk = good? I dunno.

[worry]

They should make a solar power pinwheel hat where the brim is the panel and it spins the propeller.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 21 November 2024 - 02:25 PM, said:

They should make a solar power pinwheel hat where the brim is the panel and it spins the propeller.

You joke, but I would wear the shit out of that.

[BK (NTS no politics)]

Yep and I can find sites that say the exact opposite so you can take your incorrectly away from me and us. Believe me I’ve seen both but I’ve seen way more to oppose then support. Not willing to test out noise, heat, $, loss of habitat with a many x square mile project starting a 20 sec golf ride away to be proven right or wrong esp in a residential area vs industrial. Put solar in space where it belongs. It’s funny that that $87 million was going to all that stuff *cough bribe but yet not one thing on site or in person saying it will decrease people’s bills it’s parked by.

Being in hurricane land is another reason we fought it.

This post has been edited by Briar King: 21 November 2024 - 06:24 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 06:20 PM, said:

Yep and I can find sites that say the exact opposite so you can take your incorrectly away from me and us. Believe me I've seen both but I've seen way more to oppose then support. Not willing to test out noise, heat, $, loss of habitat with a many x square mile project starting a 20 sec golf ride away to be proven right or wrong esp in a residential area vs industrial. Put solar in space where it belongs.

You mean... outer space?

Like, shoot it into the sun? That would be fitting... solar energy belongs in the sun. As Go* intended (and Trump, Our Lord Go*-President, willeth...).

But it's good that people there are at least worrying a little about the climate warming.

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 06:20 PM, said:

It's funny that that $87 million was going to all that stuff *cough bribe but yet not one thing on site or in person saying it will decrease people's bills it's parked by.

Those bribes should be going to you! And the other good citoyens of Spicybayouland... (but only the good ones)

Quote

Being in hurricane land is another reason we fought it.

Got to give whichever fossil fuel company crony came up with the petition some credit for a rousing bit of vivid imagery to close it out with:

Quote

due to climate change, the chance of us having another major hurricane in that time is very high. Imagine thousands of solar panels becoming airborne and the chemicals from the broken solar panels leaching into the ground and atmosphere, which would have devastating effects, not only on our generation, but for generations to come. We ask, as a community, NOT to approve the construction of this solar panel farm. Thank you!

https://www.change.o...olar-panel-farm

Climate change is a very real and present danger... which is why we can't have clean energy. Not around here. It's the devil's work. So makes things hot. And noisy. Plus where's my cut?

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 21 November 2024 - 06:45 PM

[BK (NTS no politics)]

Dyson sphere

[amphibian]

The wildlife damage is insignificant in comparison to what oil drilling, coal mining, and fracking do.

Solar farms are generally huge boosts for cheap energy regionally and act mostly to get people to be less beholden to keeping the mega companies like Shell, Exxon etc happy.

I'd be thrilled to get a big one in my area. California, Texas, Arizona are going bananas with their solar expansions both in commercial and for individual homes. This stuff is working and it's working well even with the Texas utilities/energy distribution being mismanaged to an unbelievable degree.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 21 November 2024 - 07:14 PM

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 06:20 PM, said:

Yep and I can find sites that say the exact opposite so you can take your incorrectly away from me and us.

Bk come on man, you and I both know that "I can find sites" means nothing in the face of actual data though. The internet is filled with mis and disinformation.

You live in Big Oil country. It's no surprise that the fossil fuel industry planted the usual lies about renewables and clean energy into the media.

No one is blaming you though, least of all me.

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 06:20 PM, said:

Believe me I’ve seen both but I’ve seen way more to oppose then support.

Yeah I get that, but that doesn't make them right either. It just makes them fearful. Which is the point of the fossil fuel industries lies.

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 06:20 PM, said:

Not willing to test out noise, heat, $, loss of habitat with a many x square mile project starting a 20 sec golf ride away to be proven right or wrong esp in a residential area vs industrial. Put solar in space where it belongs. It’s funny that that $87 million was going to all that stuff *cough bribe but yet not one thing on site or in person saying it will decrease people’s bills it’s parked by.

Right, but I think the overall point is that "testing it" was not required. Tonnes of solar farms exist across the planet and that data is freely available and I expect was part of their presentation.

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 06:20 PM, said:

Being in hurricane land is another reason we fought it.

7 hurricanes in 25 years in your region it appears. So let's say that such a solar farm existed already during that time, and the panels were destroyed every single time (which is probably not the case since the newest panels are designed to handle weather) that would still only 7 company-led cleanups in 25 years. I'm not going to lie, those numbers are well within the margin of error for such a project in such a region. But that's really besides the point because in China, where there are more than a few much larger Solar Parks than the one proposed, they have been shown to withstand Typhoon's (what they call Hurricanes) very well with only one notable incident of destruction (when Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall in Hainan Province) worth noting in all the years those parks have existed in a similarly-in-the-path-of-weather place.

But the rejection in your region also seemed to also hinge on one pretty major myth:

That when solar panels break, they become hazardous to human and environmental health. This was found to not be true at all in modern panels, and cleanup is pretty easy and happens quickly.

Shrug.

Briar King, on 21 November 2024 - 06:20 PM, said:

It’s funny that that $87 million was going to all that stuff *cough bribe but yet not one thing on site or in person saying it will decrease people’s bills it’s parked by

So hang on, you don't think an $87million infusion into your economy would help you individually? Solar allows homeowners, businesses, and municipalities alike to keep their energy sources local and invest money into their economies by investing in locally produced solar. Your energy would be able to come from that solar farm VS where it currently comes from, your electricity bills would drop, and it would make you less dependant on other grids that could fail under strain. Query: Do you know how much money your state spends on out of state energy production VS how much a solar farm would produce and cost? That's math I would have done because I would put good money down on solar saving you every month just by dint of it being a cheaper thing to produce.

Not to mention that with the state not needing to spend as much out of state on energy, they could spend that on everything else you might need fund infusions in (schools, roads, parks, ect.)...unless your concern is that those govt bodies would not spend that savings well and THAT in turn would not help you individually...which ...I mean all of them appear to be Republicans. So I can understand not trusting Republicans to have your best interests at heart. That tracks.

I'm not trying to come down on you man, just saying maybe the place with the 7th largest US refinery of petrochemicals has a vested interest in making sure Clean Energy never catches on there.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 21 November 2024 - 08:01 PM

[Tsundoku]

Well, that escalated quickly.

I'm thinking maybe every post from BK's #19514 should go into the IPCC climate report (& general climate change thread?)

Also, QT - I propose the opposite: A pinwheel hat with a propeller that is wind-driven and lights up a panel! Especially effective when you're moving faster than a dawdle.
Or, even better - por que no los dos?

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 21 November 2024 - 08:42 PM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Signed up for a waiting list for an autism assessment this morning.

Feels good to have made the decision. Work are becoming more corporate and less individually caring in their approach to staff as the company grows, so I think having something official to bring to requests for reasonable adjustments may well (sadly) be necessary. I also think it will allow me to have conversations with certain people in my life (partner's family, for instance) if I have something on paper. It won't change any preconceptions and they are still free to think whatever they like, but it feels like it will enable me to say "I've explained why this is difficult for me" more freely, and how that is received is on them.

One huge positive is the doctor has a specific interest in presentation in women, which makes the wait justified. I could probably find someone who could see me quicker, but someone who knows what they're looking for in terms of how differently women can present from the basis in research (all based on men) feels much more comfortable.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 22 November 2024 - 10:06 AM

[worry]

That's pretty great news. Hugely under-diagnosed (and invisiblized) in women and girls.


Everyone here should probably book an assessment. Maybe just bring in some photos of your bookshelves and see if that's enough.