Ed Hoskins: “Weather-Dependent “Renewables” | Tom Nelson Pod #435

<p>Ed Hoskins presents slides comparing renewables (onshore/offshore wind, solar PV, plus biomass and hydro) with gas, coal/lignite, and nuclear on productivity, EROEI, CO2 embedded in construction, land use, materials, build time, service life, and costs adjusted for capacity factors. He cites European capacity factors since 2010 (offshore ~32%, onshore ~20s, solar ~11%), a combined renewables average near 15% and declining since 2020, and a 2023 wind lull leaving large multi-day deficits. He argues storage to cover such gaps is infeasible, renewables require backup and expanded grids, wear out faster, and become far costlier once productivity is included; nuclear is most energy-productive. He criticizes Germany’s nuclear shutdown and questions CO2-driven policy.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Renewables Reality Check</p><p>02:17 Capacity Factors Since 2010</p><p>05:33 Dispatchability And Grid Backup</p><p>08:42 Wind Drought Case Study</p><p>11:43 Storage Costs And Scale</p><p>13:25 Energy Return On Investment</p><p>16:19 Germany Nuclear Shutdown</p><p>17:35 Embedded CO2 And Biomass</p><p>21:38 Land Use And Grid Sprawl</p><p>25:01 Build Times And Lifespans</p><p>29:16 Cost Comparisons With Productivity</p><p>41:00 2025 Installations And Conclusions</p><p>46:48 CO2 Warming Diminishing Returns</p><p>49:34 Q&amp;A Grid Reliability And China</p><p>56:06 Wrap Up And Resources</p><p><br></p><p>About Ed: <a href="https://edmhdotme.wpcomstaging.com/">https://edmhdotme.wpcomstaging.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://edhoskins.substack.com/">https://edhoskins.substack.com/</a></p><p>CO2 concentration Ed Hoskins 2014: <a href="https://edmhdotme.wpcomstaging.com/co2-concentration-ed-hoskins-2014/">https://edmhdotme.wpcomstaging.com/co2-concentration-ed-hoskins-2014/</a></p><p>=========</p><p>Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: <a href="https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries">https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries</a></p><p>My Linktree: <a href="https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1">https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1</a></p>