Dave, I am not opposed to wind turbines and solar as you suggest and I'm not trying to be disparaging or pick a useless fight. My opposition to solar and wind is strange because it is non-existent.
However, I am trying to point out that all options should be on the table since we only have a limited time and severe engineering and production challanges. We do not have the time or resources to electrify everything just using wind and solar. Period.
The energy density is just not anywhere near what we need.
20 years is approximately 1.6 billion seconds. We will still be shy 48.5 billion panels if we manufactured a panel a second for 20 years. Then there is the sacred cow of "growth" to think about. 3% growth equals a doubling in 20 years. Double our energy need of today, double the panels, double metal. What about the CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process just when we need to reduce all emissions. Magical thinking is not going to capture all that carbon and neither is Direct Carbon Capture. Also consider the emissions caused by mining and transport of the metals needed as well as the construction of enormous farms to the detriment of agriculture, biodiversity not to mention the politics involved. Whose land? Is the "free market" going to steal some more? From whom? How? Military intervention a-la Bolivia?
https://medium.com/politically-speaking/why-we-need-nuclear-energy-as-a-bridge-efdb4f9a3318
Please also review the world bank's assessment on future metal needs. Consider that the Lithium needed for all those vehicles will compete with the metals needed for solar and wind power storage. or Cobalt that is being mined in the Congo by kids which all of the world's nations will clamor for.
How much is the "free market" going to profit from the misery and potential destruction of countless species and possibly us?
This is a complex problem where human ingenuity needs to be applied to ALL possible solutions. It is a luxury we do not have to dismiss any energy production source that does not emit green house gasses into the biosphere.
