Solar power

wind power - uses wind to spin a turbine which in turn moves a generator. Currently not enough studies have been done on the effects that these large wind impellers have. Has issues with birds/flying creatures. Somehow it affects a bat’s sonar, kills lots of bats and birds. Very environmentally friendly aside from that. Is not consistant enough for base load of a power grid (do you know when the wind will blow? Yeah neither does anyone else)

Solar Power - direct power from the sun via solar cell. excellent way to suppliment power supply, like wind power. One cloudy day screws things so, so base loading is not possible. Requires large amount of space for solar cells. These cells are expensive and while more resiliant than past versions are still delicate.

Hydro Power - Tons of issues with just building dams. Repair of said dam is also expensive. I live in Washington, #1 problem with hydro power is fish. PSE (local energy provider) spends a ton of money just moving fish from point A to Point B. This is generally considered in newer plant designs. In my experience these plants are not baseloaded because the reservior that the dam creates requires a certain level in order for the turbine to provide power. Since a drought would affect this level, or possible ice in winter, these plants are not baseloaded full time, though may run during the warmer parts of the year. In Washington they run about 6 months out of the year at full capacity. Turbine is similar to a pinwheel.

Geothermal - these plants can be baseloaded. People have different opinions on them, essentially you are using heat from the earth to heat steam and drive a steam turbine. The earth’s heat is fairly consistant, so there is little change in the ability to create this steam. Still essentially the plant is cooling down the earth to creat power for people. Is this by a large amount? In the grand scheme, no. Could it be an issue if all power became geothermal? Possibly. I believe that there are certain local conditions have to be around in order for these plants to be successful.

If you have anymore questions just ask. I don’t know if I’ll get to them today though.