Things are Starting to Heat Up - Part XII 23

[dik]

For earlier threads, see:
thread1618-496010
thread1618-496614
thread1618-497017
thread1618-497239
thread1618-497988
thread1618-498967
thread1618-501135
thread1618-504850
thread1618-506948
thread1618-507973
thread1618-510266


-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[dik]

Summer vacations have been 'messed up' a tad... airlines and private jets could be affected in the long term... This also raised the question about maintaining infrastructure... will there come a time when it might become a matter of throwing good money after bad? The money might be better spent looking after the effects of AGW...

"From the litany of bad headlines surrounding the world of travel, you could be forgiven thinking it’s been the summer from hell for vacationers.

Environmental disasters, aviation industry mishaps and strikes, dirty beaches, soaring temperatures, deluges, price hikes and overcrowding all seem to have conspired to ruin getaways for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people this year.

For the most part, the inconvenience of travelers has been nothing compared to the tragic impact some of these situations have had on communities around the world.

But, for many people, a summer break is a much-needed annual highlight that offers respite from the stresses not just of everyday life, but other often extreme hardships.

Of course, huge numbers of lucky people enjoyed trouble-free vacations around the world. For every angry thread of tweets from airport departure lounges, there were likely many more smiling poolside selfies.

It’s the bad news that travels furthest. Here’s a roundup of some of the adversity that vacationers have faced over the past few months:"

https://www.cnn.com/travel/2023-summer-from-hell

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[dik]

Electric roads...

"Sweden is exploring the possibility electric roads which charge electric vehicles as they drive. Adrienne Murray paid a visit to a demonstration project in the south of the country where a new type of technology is being put through its paces."

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0gcbkjs/sweden-s-innovative-solution-to-powering-electric-cars

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[TugboatEng]

Would electromagnetic charging create resistance to motion on the car?

 

[dik]

From the clip, it's actually by contact and shuts off the juice when the vehicle goes over it.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[TugboatEng]

Oh my. It's dumber than I thought. Or, is it? Create an idea so stupid it has to fail, name it in such a way as to create a false association with a other brand, scam some investors and governments while you're at it, and voila... "Elonroad".

 

[dik]

I have no idea... but there will likely be a couple of 'oops' in the future when it comes to addressing AGW.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[TugboatEng]

Do they not know what happens to 650 VDC contacts when they get wet? Are the engineers really that dumb or are they taking advantage of your fear?

This works for rail, most of the time, because the contacts are elevated and have protection from the weather.

Do they think people are going to tolerate major roadways being shut down for regular rail replacement?

How long is each section going to be? The maximum length for 3rd rails appears to be about 1 mile. Can a car accept a reasonable amount of charge within 1 minute?

It really is a stupid idea.

 

[dik]

We'll have to find out... it's experimental at this point.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[dik]

On a positive side, Sweden's power is mostly hydro and nuclear...

"Majority of electricity production in Sweden relies on hydro power and nuclear power. In 2008 the consumption of electricity in Sweden was 16018 kWh per capita, compared to EU average 7409 kWh per capita.[1] Sweden has a national grid, which is part of the Synchronous grid of Northern Europe. A specialty of the Nordic energy market is the existence of so-called electricity price areas, which complicate the wholesale Nordic energy market."

A great place for electric vehicles...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[JoshPlumSE]

It’s the bad news that travels furthest. Here’s a roundup of some of the adversity that vacationers have faced over the past few months:"

What's not mentioned is that this was THE summer of travel for many places. Huge boon to the economies of those countries seeing lots of visitors. I think just as much of the travel issues can be blamed on this as can be blamed on "climate change".

Why were so many people traveling and traveling longer distances? Well, because people basically didn't travel in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. Then, for 2022, people pretty much just traveled short distances (visiting family they hadn't seen in a couple of years and such). But, it was still difficult to travel internationally. There was something of a backlog for getting passports and visa's processed. Plus, you still had to navigate various protocols depending on where you went. What kind of proof of vaccination did you have to show? Were you required to wear masks in airports, on planes, at hotels, in museums or cathedrals?

But, this summer was finally a return to normalcy and A LOT of people took advantage of it. And, the airports, cruises, hotels, tourist attractions and such had to accommodate not just the regular numbers, but a big increase in tourism.

Personally, I've done a lot more traveling this summer than normal. My family went to Europe for a two week vacation. I've traveled to Northern California (nieces baby shower) and Oregon (dropping my daughter off to college). The only issues I've experienced were the following:

a) VERY hot weather in Rome (104 degrees).
b) Uncomfortably hot weather in Florence (mid to high 90s). But, that's mostly based on the fact that I'm the fattest and most out of shape I've ever been in my life.
c) Brutally long customs line when we got back to the USA.

Note: My my wife caught covid in the customs line at the end of our trip and gave it to the whole family within the next week or so. She'd been double vaccinated and double boosted (she a nurse who works in a hospital). No real problems from Covid. Though my lungs may still be recovering as I can't seem to get rid of this occasional cough. Maybe it's just allergies, but it feels worse than that.

 

[dik]

Another take... see attached.

[URL unfurl="true"]https://res.cloudinary.com/engineering-com/image/upload/v1695149726/tips/World_s_Energy_Problem_is_Far_Worst_than_we_re_Being_Told_di2r8r.pdf[/url]

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[dik]

I suspect there will be a lot more of this in the future... This approach will likely slow any progress in reversing the effects of AGW.

"Rishi Sunak is considering weakening some of the government's key green commitments in a major policy shift.

It could include delaying a ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars and phasing out gas boilers, multiple sources have told the BBC.

The PM is preparing to set out the changes in a speech in the coming days.

Responding to the reported plans, he said the government was committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 but in a "more proportionate way".

The aim of net zero is for the UK to take out of the atmosphere as many greenhouse gas emissions - such as carbon dioxide - as it puts in.

The prime minister said: "For too many years politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade-offs. Instead they have taken the easy way out, saying we can have it all.

"This realism doesn't mean losing our ambition or abandoning our commitments. Far from it."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66857551

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[BridgeSmith]

Another take... see attached.

Really? You're reduced to posting a year-old 'we're running out of coal, gas, and oil' meme? Of course, you can find stories just like it going back at least 50 years, and the known fossil fuel reserves have continued to grow over that time.

Anyway, we will never actually run out of fossil fuels. Eventually, the cost of extraction may exceed the cost of other sources of energy. Consumption will (naturally) decline, as use of other energy sources gradually increases. That's if we let the market take its natural course. If we artificially push fossil fuels out of the market, we will create economic hardship and suffering for millions and billions of people unnecessarily. That's the one part of the picture the article you linked to got right.

 

[GregLocock]

Make that 51-67 years. The first time I came across Peak Oil was a 1972 National Geographic, on a pile of old magazines in a climbing hut in New Zealand. Hubbert's original prediction was published in 1956 and said that global production would peak in about 2006. Predicting the future is hard, as Yogi Berra said. Of course the entire climate panic industry is littered with failed predictions, this one is pretty harmless.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[GregLocock]

Well not quite harmless, it sort of encouraged this

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[JoshPlumSE]

Really? You're reduced to posting a year-old 'we're running out of coal, gas, and oil' meme? Of course, you can find stories just like it going back at least 50 years, and the known fossil fuel reserves have continued to grow over that time.

Anyway, we will never actually run out of fossil fuels. Eventually, the cost of extraction may exceed the cost of other sources of energy. Consumption will (naturally) decline, as use of other energy sources gradually increases. That's if we let the market take its natural course. If we artificially push fossil fuels out of the market, we will create economic hardship and suffering for millions and billions of people unnecessarily. That's the one part of the picture the article you linked to got right.

My perspective on this:
1) Yes, these stories have been written continuously for +50 years. They were alarmist drivel then for certain.
2) I'm not convinced that they're quite as alarmist now. My perspective is that the reason why we have more known fossil fuel reserves now is because we have advanced our technology for extraction so much since then. Without that, our reserves would NOT be larger.
3) Like you say, at some point the cost of extraction will make these types of energy less used in comparison to other energy sources. However, that will likely be related to a large increase in energy costs.... at least in the short term.
4) Our "transition" from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources (nuclear, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal) is an excellent way to kill two birds with one stone. Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions AND prepare for a day when fossil fuels are less abundant / affordable.
5) The key to me (as it always has been) is how to do this with the least amount of economic and political pain. The left believes we need to go Carbon Neutral NOW, which is economic suicide. The politicians want to "virtue signal" by throwing money at the least efficient and scalable methods of electricity production. They are afraid of clean and safe nuclear solely because of the politics, not the science or reality. The environmentalist also dislike nuclear.... because it's not 'natural' or something. Even though it is safe, clean, and carbon free.

 

[SnTMan]

#5 all the way...

The problem with sloppy work is that the supply FAR EXCEEDS the demand

 

[BridgeSmith]

#5 all the way...

I agree! Even modern Uranium-fired nuclear power plants are very safe, and Thorium-fired plants are even safer, with Thorium molten salt reactors being the safest because in addition to being immune to meltdowns, it's also impossible to steal the materials to make weapons.

 

[dik]

#5... if it can be done in time...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik