>>21380863As to solar and wind even becoming a big thing in China, I have no doubt they will build out some capacity -- which for them, will be a lot of capacity, given their enormous manufacturing power -- but it remains to be seen whether they will stick with wind and solar, and these will be the way of the future, or if green energy will fizzle out there -- and here as well.
There is a decent chance, I admit, that this is the final century of hydrocarbon fuels dominating the world's energy mix, but if this is so, then it has more to do with pauperizing the masses than with improving anything, since the low energy density of green energy modalities guarantees a lower standard of living for all of us who will be forced to subsist off these energy supplies.
If we want real progress, meaning continually rising living standards, then we need traditional hydrocarbon fuels, of which supplies remain abundant and sufficient for this century and many beyond, and we need nuclear power as well.
Being a humanist, I favor the latter case. And as you can probably tell from what I've written, I do not go in for the climate change puffery.
