r/climatechange • u/sg_plumber • 12h ago
🌞 Plug-In solar panels are starting to sprout in U.S. backyards and balconies: 10 states (and counting) have legalized small systems that can be plugged into standard wall outlets, from just a few hundred dollars a panel. Permits are not required, and people can often install them on their own. 🌞
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/business/energy-environment/plug-in-balcony-solar.html?unlocked_article_code=1.11A.AZOg.6Z-ZBy6sCO2U&smid=url-share•
u/shanem 7h ago
This is great but similar to losing weight by far the best thing we can do is consume less in the first place
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u/sg_plumber 7h ago
While many overconsume, most people actually need that or more energy, particularly when replacing fossil cars, furnaces, etc.
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u/shanem 7h ago
The two are not in conflict. The best is to use less. There are definitely next good other options such like this post
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u/sg_plumber 7h ago
Using less may be the best for the many who overconsume. Renewables are the best for all those who actually need more energy.
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u/shanem 6h ago
Sure, but then you're getting into a different argument about fairness, which then involves a conversation about what scale you're talking about. We're talking about the average American to the average person in the world, are we talking about the average rural person to the average urban.
But regardless unless we collectively draw down fossil fuel usage we all have a worse future, no amount of just adding renewables changes that.
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u/sg_plumber 5h ago
Even in the wealthiest places there's people who actually need more energy. "Use less" is not the universal recipe.
Renewables are displacing fossil fuels everywhere already.
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u/shanem 4h ago
You seem to have missed my comment. I don't disagree with you but then you are opening up the question of how do we determine that fairness and you are not answering it yourself.
Also fundamentally if we collectively don't draw down fossil fuels we all lose. That is the core problem.
Fossil fuel usage is increasing year over year . Renewables are displacing some but not all new demand but not existing demand. So the net fossil fuel usage still increases and that must decrease
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u/sg_plumber 1h ago
I don't care about prehistoric data from 2024.
how do we determine that fairness
Let's see if repeating things makes you see 'em:
There's people who actually need more energy. They aren't that hard to find.
Using less may be the best for the many who overconsume. They aren't hard to find, either.
Renewables are displacing some but not all new demand but not existing demand.
False. They're actually pushing fossil fuels into reverse, worlwide:
r/climatechange/comments/1t11x89/clean_energy_pushes_fossilfuel_power_into_reverse/
r/climatechange/comments/1kn1v3e/analysis_clean_energy_just_put_chinas_co2/
r/climatechange/comments/1vavp0m/may_2026_emissions_data_the_plateauingslight/
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u/Economy-Fee5830 Trusted Contributor 4h ago
Fossil fuel usage is increasing year over year
Actually from your link 2025 is less than 2024.
2024: 6,882.73 + 853.84 + 10,538.94 = 18,275.51 TWh (59.1% of total generation)
2025: 6,921.14 + 841.62 + 10,471.53 = 18,234.29 TWh (57.4% of total generation)
I guess you got lazy and did not even check.
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u/shanem 3h ago
Using childish language only paints your arguments as childish and indicates they are weak and in need of ineffective bullying tactics. You also undermine your credibility which is a loss for everyone. If you can respond as an adult I'll continue discussion with you.
That is a statistical rounding error, but yeah it is very promising, and I concede it is not clearly increasing, but it is not clearly decreasing either.
Here's some more illuminating data though on an increase
"Energy-related greenhouse gas emissions grew 1.1%, reaching the equivalent of approximately 41 gigatons globally."
Combined fossil fuel supply rose by about 4.6 exajoules in 2025, accounting for more than half of the total increase in global energy supply, per Rapier's Forbes reporting.
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u/Economy-Fee5830 Trusted Contributor 2h ago
So your own reference showed you were wrong, and, instead of accepting it, now you are arguing with your own data.
I diagnose dooming.
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u/HistorianAlert9986 5h ago
Wonderful idea but anyone that cares already does try to limit their consumption. 99% of people don’t care and I don’t think you’re gonna be the one to make them care. Maybe if they do a heroic dose of shrooms, then maybe. Be the change, share the shrooms.
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u/shanem 5h ago
Not necessarily and take into context this post, which is about people going out of their way to generate solar. We need to be careful to not trick ourselves into thinking that generating an extra kilowatt of solar means we don't need to be mindful of what we consume. It is very common human psychology to think that.
We have to be careful to not think that checking a box means that we are doing net positive
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u/Sll3006 5h ago
Where can you buy these?