Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

Solar surpasses hydro & policy headwinds

• Commenters highlight strong solar growth (and batteries) as effectively “unstoppable” on economics, even under a hostile federal administration.
• Offshore wind is seen as badly delayed by federal interference, with claims of a 4+ year setback and higher perceived political risk for future projects.
• Some note the article only counts utility‑scale solar; others point out hydro is largely “built out” and even shrinking due to dam removals and low reservoir levels.

Economics, oil, and the energy transition

• Many argue markets are now decisively favoring solar, wind, and storage: panels are cheap, batteries are falling in cost, and coal is increasingly uneconomic.
• Others counter that global and US oil consumption are still rising, EVs have not yet reduced overall oil use, and fossil fuels remain central for heavy transport and aviation.
• There’s debate over whether oil is “over” (due to oversupply, EVs, and refinery attrition) versus just slowing in growth.
• Several emphasize energy security: once installed, solar and batteries greatly reduce exposure to global fuel shocks compared with gasoline or gas.

Grid reliability, storage, and curtailment

• Strong consensus that solar growth must be matched by transmission expansion and storage (batteries and/or pumped hydro).
• Examples cited: Texas and California’s rapid battery build‑out; California’s negative prices and heavy curtailment; Cyprus curtailing up to ~50% of solar output due to balancing limits.
• Hydropower is valued as dispatchable and for pumped storage but constrained by water availability, environmental impacts (fish, river ecosystems), tourism, and reservoir levels.

Politics, democracy, and capture

• Large subthreads debate how US institutional design, money in politics, and partisan identity have shaped climate and energy policy.
• Proposals discussed include ranked or approval voting, restrictions on political money, and even controversial ideas about limiting suffrage; others stress no system is immune to demagogues.
• Fossil‑fuel lobbying and “culture war” framing are widely seen as key reasons renewables became a left–right issue.

Analogies, history, and moral framing

• Multiple analogies compare phasing out fossil fuels to abolition of slavery: technology and economics enabling (or delaying) moral change, and entrenched elites fighting to preserve assets.
• Long, contested historical side‑threads explore whether industrialization weakened slavery, how quickly it ended, and how power structures adapt.

Local solar, land use, and “photon farming”

• Participants discuss rooftop/off‑grid DIY systems, community projects, and utility‑scale “photon farming,” including in US deserts and on parking lots.
• Some counties are passing ordinances that effectively block new solar/wind, while others promote agrivoltaics or coexistence with grazing.