this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2026
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[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 175 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

When your nation falls apart and your city becomes an extensive warzone for years, the main power grid probably isn't top notch. But the sun works just fine!

If it wasn't for oil making the middle east insanely rich, imagine what they could do with solar

[–] huppakee@piefed.social 30 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They can still go all out on solar, it's not like they're pumping all that oil for themselves only

[–] YellowParenti@lemmy.wtf 18 points 2 months ago (3 children)

there is the idea of exporting solar from Morocco to UK.

There's others where it's proposed to build a a high voltage line from Morocco to Spain, France, Germany. Eventually, they'll upgrade the grid to be able to move power from one region to another.

Same thing in the states, southern states generate for the north in the winter and in the summer the north to the south to help with high demand from AC.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 7 points 2 months ago (3 children)

The western countries are just needlessly delaying energy independence. They are hostile to life itself.

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[–] antrosapien@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 months ago

If god would like us all to have unlimited free energy, wouldn't he put a giant nuclear reactor in sky

[–] SARGE@startrek.website 108 points 2 months ago (6 children)

And STILL I hear dumb shits in the US say "solar isn't feasible"

Motherfuckers then why does literally every other country have tons of solar plants, rooftop installations, balcony installations and some packed away they can pull out when the power cuts out? Why do major companies put massive solar farms next to their new factories? Why are people interested in fossil fuels spending so much goddamn money telling people solar sucks? If it sucked, people wouldn't use it.

[–] RamenJunkie@midwest.social 34 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Because oil people don't make money from solar.

[–] WanderingThoughts 25 points 2 months ago

They do make money from solar. Just not enough to their liking.

Returns on investments in fossil fuels typically range between 10-20 percent, while for a renewables project, 5-8 percent is the norm, Reuters reported in June 2023. “It’s also about the volatility of profitability,” Christophers says. Meanwhile, if the price of the feedstock falls, that usually means fossil fuels are cheaper – and thus the level of profitability can still be maintained. Renewable energy projects in contrast must contend with costs which are largely upfront and have to be met regardless of fluctuations in electricity prices. That makes investment riskier – and therefore costlier, cutting profitability. (source)

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 16 points 2 months ago

People against rooftop are the craziest to me. Not only does it give you essentially free energy, it also shades the roof, cooling the building just by existing. Every factory on earth should cover their roofs with solar panels. It just makes too much sense not to. Even from a capitalist perspective, it's stupid not to. And lost hours due to heat stress are common in manufacturing, throw up some solar panels and lower your indoor temps while shoving money in your pockets from energy savings. Heat stress injuries go down, OSHA rating goes up, insurance goes down. It just doesn't make sense to fight solar.

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 months ago

I just let them spout off for as long as they want. Then I calmly tell them I haven't paid an electric bill for over five years. Whatever their argument was is moot.

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[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 48 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)
[–] artifex@piefed.social 30 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Plant some more trees and rooftop gardens and you’ve got an official Solarpunk setting

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[–] Allero@lemmy.today 38 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, this is more likely pushed by acute necessity than anything else.

Hopefully, we all won't require a massive war to figure out solar should be invested into.

[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 17 points 2 months ago

Hopefully, we all won’t require a massive war to figure out solar should be invested into.

The Iran war is kinda doing just that, though renewable was going up pretty steadily even before it.

[–] dansemacabreingalone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Oh hey, something not completely depressing!

[–] faust0@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (4 children)

It just needs some trees to make it not depressing. Still, it's far better than oil and gas.

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[–] DivineDev@piefed.social 26 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's probably driven by an unreliable power grid, but still great. A lot of solar should help getting a proper grid online anyways

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[–] IEatDaFeesh@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Eventually we'll so be doing this out of necessity. Just not any time soon, not until something big breaks.

Big things are breaking regularly. Monsters are making choices to keep them less visible to regular people.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The Strait of Hormuz is something big.

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[–] lefaucet@slrpnk.net 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Well things are all going great. Can't imagine anything breaking. Can't imagine electrical grids getting overwhelmed from infrastructure neglect and a surge in demand or fossil fuels becoming scarce or their flows being interrupted. When was the last time any of that stuff happened?

[–] m3t00@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

maybe the data-center upgrades will payoff when the ai bubble pops and everyone drives ev because of gas prices. infrastructure pre-built. ev charging cheaper at night so off peak already best on existing grid.

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[–] swagmoney@lemmy.ca 19 points 2 months ago

all hail the sun 🖐️☀️🖐️

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 16 points 2 months ago

You guys this makes Coalie cry 😩 🪨

[–] Snoopy@tarte.nuage-libre.fr 14 points 2 months ago

Impressive, thank for sharing this amazing picture 😳👍

[–] rimu@piefed.social 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

In Google maps you can use satellite mode to look at their roofs. There are some panels but nothing like this.

edit: satellite mode is out of date, see further conversation below.

[–] LikeableLime@piefed.social 10 points 2 months ago (6 children)

Google Earth has data up through June 27, 2024. Check around the Salloum Hospital and Syrian Arab Red Cross Hospital. That area around the hospitals and to the NNE looks like nearly every roof has panels. Could also be a more recent picture and more panels may have been installed in the past year or two.

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[–] Linearity@piefed.zip 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Implements taxes on solar energy

[–] merdaverse@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 months ago

Citizen, you have an outstanding debt for the 2 hours of sunlight you've enjoyed yesterday.

[–] Harvey656@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (5 children)

Offtopic:

An usually

This feels odd, it seems like proper English, with the An since the next word starts with a vowel, but something about it feels off and I might be too dumb to realize what it is.

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

I'm guessing the title is a typo, and I'm guessing was meant to be "An UNusually...."

And the "a vs an" rule is more based on the sound that the next word starts with, rather than just the actual letter.

So for "usually", it's a "You-" sound

But for "unusually" it's an "Uh-" sound

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[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Because the u in usually is pronounced like the consonant y, like “yew”. We use “a” before consonant sounds.

The u in unusually is pronounced like the vowel sound u, like “uh”. We use “an” before vowel sounds.

This is because two vowel sounds in a row is somewhat awkward and doesn’t flow as easily with how you move your mouth to pronounce things. Using “an” puts an extra consonant sound in between the two vowel sounds.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

It’s odd because wide adoption of rooftop solar is still unusual, so I think the wrong word was used. It should read:

“An unusually wide adoption of rooftop solar…”

[–] GoodStuffEh@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 months ago

I think it's because "usually" starts with a Y consonant sound (yoo-sually), instead of a vowel sound

[–] cerement@slrpnk.net 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

because while “usually” starts with a ‘u’, we typically pronounce it as if it started with a ‘y’

[–] SorryQuick@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 months ago

Look at all these teeny tiny humans with their teeny tiny solar panels. All that just to catch the occasional stray photon. What are they compared to the sun almighty?

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

This will be a sort of "duh" moment in human history, won't it.

[–] moonshadow@slrpnk.net 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

How similar most of the panels are makes me think someone there's actually doing distributed infrastructure right :)

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[–] Mwa@thelemmy.club 9 points 2 months ago (4 children)

oh cool, maybe they did this cause a long time ago during the civil war there was frequent power cuts?

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[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I wonder if they use batteries and what kind.

Also whether the local electricians have jury rigged some kind of bottom up grid of their own.

Does anyone have information?

[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 7 points 2 months ago

This video goes into Syria's electric grid, and how people have setup their solar installs. It shows batteries are used quite thoroughly, and doesn't appear to be grid-tied or formed into a micro-grid, AFAICT.

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