Tobberone
@Tobberone@lemm.ee
- Comment on US‘s wind and solar will generate more power than coal in 2024 2 days ago:
Which, in the end will make a “no renewables”-stance untenable, since renewables are the only way of growing the energy sector fast enough.
- Comment on China installed 8 GW of solar in ‘Belt and Road’ countries in 2024 3 days ago:
No, not at all. Pure geopolitcs. In this case a double win, where china ties these countries closer to itself through investment and electricity produced west of China can benefit china directly after sundown.
This is how the long game is played.
- Comment on Norway on track to be first to go all-electric 2 weeks ago:
Not surprising. Norway seems to be driving a lot of development away from excess energy use and oil. Not only in transportation, but also in real estate.
I know little of all projects there, but what I do know makes me want to go there and learn how to do better. When (not if) electric uptake nears 100%, like in Norway, things will start to happen in the market. Petrol stations, refineries etc. will see a very different demand, which will propel much needed change!
- Comment on Fossil Fuel Interests Ramp Up Their “Solar Makes Electricity More Expensive” Falsehood 3 weeks ago:
North Sea oil is called Brent and wti is an American oil. Short for West Texas Intermediate.
- Comment on Fossil Fuel Interests Ramp Up Their “Solar Makes Electricity More Expensive” Falsehood 3 weeks ago:
They are also more desperate. US oil needs the price to stay above 50$/barrel, and the price of WTI had been in decline for the last 3 years, trending downwards. These are desperate plees for help from an industry backed into a corner.
- Comment on Dark Doldrums Overshadow Europe’s Energy Markets | Periods of low sun and wind, a weather pattern known as a Dunkelflaute, can increase electricity prices and stoke political tensions. 4 weeks ago:
In a way, EUs fit-for-55 already lays out a plan for this. By demanding solar panels on all civic buildings in the union, solar production from the Mediterranean countries will provide an electricity boost during these spells.
For the northern countries and eastern countries, the demand for renewable energy sources in the district heating will push prices and incentivies development and other heating sources, like thermal storage, or other storage solutions, like hydrogen. In the short term, even batteries storing nuclear and hydro power from night to day time will make a huge difference.
But in the end: we need more storage!
- Comment on Baseload power generators not needed to guarantee supply, say science and engineering academies 1 month ago:
Well, demand is low, supply is little and inefficiency in production is high. With that said, EUs fit for 55 will soon provide plenty of solar power, so summer days will see practically limitless electricity. At least enough to brute force the inefficiencies. maybe then.
- Comment on A surprise solar boom reveals a fatal flaw in our climate change projections 1 month ago:
Yeah, don’t get this idea that everyone else will be somehow better than the western world if given the chance. People are people no matter where we live. We are about equally lazy on average and the ability to pay for power is down to circumstances.
- Comment on Agrivoltaics can increase grape yield by up to 60% 1 month ago:
Heard positive numbers from a farmer connected to EV research as well. He provided the "Agri-"part of the experiment😊 No numbers from any paper yet, though.
- Comment on Battery Electric Vehicles still being shunned by EU buyers 2 months ago:
Long haulers usually prefer to gas up at their own private facilities to keep costs down, as I’ve understood it, using gas stations more as an emergency refilling. I’m not sure if that market is big enough to carry the entire infrastructure itself.
Construction is another big sector for diesel, but in both transport and construction there is a lot of work being put into moving the sector to electrification. Which is well, because given how fast the automotive market has turned change might be fairly quick.
There are other uses as well, but will they be able to carry the market? Driving the need for supertankers and trillions worth of investment in oil infrastructure with fuel cans at the chemistry shops? With rising production costs for big oil? I don’t know if I’m more relieved or more anxious about the idea…
- Comment on Battery Electric Vehicles still being shunned by EU buyers 2 months ago:
Well, I may be cynical, but I’m asking two questions:
- Who owns media?
- What happens in a society when EV reach 90-95% market share? What happen when the last petrol station goes bust? Which infrastructure will follow?
I see a huge interest in not letting incumbent infrastructure fail. That’s what electrification is up against
- Comment on Australia struggling with oversupply of solar power 2 months ago:
Due to the other comment below, i spoke with the guys that run our panels and they answered “well, in theory…” Why that is, if its because of rules/standardisation issues, or that’s it previously been inconceivable that there would ever be so much panels about that one would want to, I don’t know. But that is the word from a production team counting the yearly production in GWh and running MW-range batteries.
- Comment on Australia struggling with oversupply of solar power 2 months ago:
Interesting! Is the idea to use excess electricity to heat the sand and then reproduce power via Steam turbine? Any idea how the heat is extracted ?
I’ve heard of a similar plant, but that used mirrors to heat up the sand directly, rather than using it as a way to use excess electricity.
Same idea, different material is thermal storage in sand.
- Comment on Australia struggling with oversupply of solar power 2 months ago:
Please expand! Why is this not an issue with solar?
If i remember correctly the person i learnt from works as an aggregator for “small” (typically <1MWh) batteries that cooperates on the frequency regulation market.
- Comment on Australia struggling with oversupply of solar power 2 months ago:
Unfortunately it is a problem that needs solving. Electricity needs to be used as it is produced and if its not, it will be a problem. Where i live, the de facto solution today is to heat the oceans. That’s not a viable long term solution and why we urgently need to find a way to store energy!
- Comment on Australia clears the way for EVs to help save the grid with V2G this summer 2 months ago:
Don’t get me wrong, setting up homes to be more energy efficient also needs to be done and may be a bigger issue, but the V2G has been in the horizon for years but has been held back by lack of standardisation and support. That steps are taken in this regard are also great!
- Comment on Global Installed Solar Capacity To Blow Past 2 Terawatts, USA Or Not 2 months ago:
Well, wind, sun and fossil free heating spells the terms of divorce with the oil industry. No wonder they fight so hard to block it.
What happens when a nation like Norway goes 92% EV? There will not be any demand for the oil infrastructure, so within the time these last fossil fueled cars goes to the scrap yard, so will the market for fuel stations etc.
Don’t get me wrong, the market for rest stops and charging will be the same, but the costs of servicing the pumps and the risks of varying fuel prices will not cover itself. So it will not be carried along.
What about heavy transport? It will take longer, but in time it will go the same way. And prices will increase. With falling demand, perhaps not the price of the fuel, but the costs of keeping the service running. That will be a big upheaval in the automotive service industry.
Geopolitically? Unless you can produce your own oil, it’s a big win on independence. It is also a big win in regards to availability. Instead of knocking out 1 plant, an aggressor would have to knock out 10000 small, private production facilities on roof tops. Also a big win.
And if you are able to produce your own oil, it will instead become a liability when those still dependant on oil needs to secure their supply…
- Comment on A 30-Megawatt Space Solar Power Plant Is Scheduled For 2030 2 months ago:
On one hand: this will reduce the Sunshine reaching earth which will lead to lower temperatures despite the added insulation from the CO2 in the air. On the other hand: this will be the first of many blocking out the sun beneath them. Since the Collector station needs to be so large, many satellites will be pointed to the same stations, clustering in space and create dark spots on land. Guess where the rich won’t be living…
- Comment on No backing down on CO2 targets, says EU's next transport head 2 months ago:
I usually don’t agree with “hardliners”, but this one seems to have an agenda I can actually live with.
Literally…
- Comment on Vertical solar panels help farmers produce both energy and crops 3 months ago:
In the article the panels look miniturised. The farmer i visited had his start 60-80cm up. Else they would be shadowed by the crop. So the height of the panels are closer to 2m.
None of that changes anything in regards to neither your math nor your reasoning, which is both enlighting and interesting😃
- Comment on Vertical solar panels help farmers produce both energy and crops 3 months ago:
The shade and the wind hindrance also helps with crop yield, I’ve been told by a farmer that is part of an experiment using these. The vertical panels help with moist retention, which is what is beneficial.
- Comment on Sweden switches on largest battery energy storage system in the Nordics - Energy Storage 3 months ago:
It’s the only chemistry possible to source unfortunately. I read about other chemistries, but they are hard to find.
- Comment on Sweden switches on largest battery energy storage system in the Nordics - Energy Storage 3 months ago:
There is usually a 1:1 between MW:MWh at these capacities, to the point where the 1:2 presented on the article was the first time I’ve heard of another set up in Sweden.
- Comment on What inspired you to get into clean energy? 3 months ago:
Nah, just about anything except climate change. Economical, less blackouts, better resilience and sticking it to the man (as in the incompetent power companies) I’d imagine would be the go-to arguments…
- Comment on ‘You basically have free hot water’: how Cyprus became a world leader in solar heating 3 months ago:
As with all heating relying on water for energy transport, absolutely when building new buildings, but will cost an arm if you add it in a remodeling.
As for solar capture in Sweden, there are a few places that try to store heat in sandpits, among others a high school in Stockholm. And on that subject the Finns must be mentioned😊 Will be interesting to follow!
- Comment on ‘You basically have free hot water’: how Cyprus became a world leader in solar heating 3 months ago:
Where I’m from the heating utility was turned on last week and will remain on until April. To me, running a heater for 30 minutes/day during winter seems acceptable:D
- Comment on ‘You basically have free hot water’: how Cyprus became a world leader in solar heating 3 months ago:
The question is: is it efficient enough during the cold season? Cyprus, situated in the middle of the Mediterranean heat reservoir and with plenty of daylight during the off season seems to be well situated.
As for the need: I’m from up north, our houses are built to keep heat inside as that is most positive for our energy consumption. In the south, houses try to limit the need for cooling. The effect of which became very clear to me when I went to the Mediterranean in November. Heating? Yea please.
- Comment on Mozilla launches privacy friendly AI addon called "Orbit" 4 months ago:
Well, that’s been the basis for some other products. AMD and Intel comes to mind😊 They both have IP the other need and historically Intel has been the dominant one, but now the tables have turned somewhat.
- Comment on Solar will get too cheap to connect to the power grid. 4 months ago:
As long as we find a way to make use of the excess electricity produced, yes. Today we don’t have enough intermittent energy users. For storage, or otherwise.
There are initiatives calling for/demanding an expanded hydrogen infrastructure, for instance, so that could be one thing. I believe Germany is the leading country of such initiatives.
- Comment on Solar will get too cheap to connect to the power grid. 4 months ago:
That’s what we are reduced to. That is what I mean. I also say that in the EU directive called EED, the union demands that, starting 2026, every public body needs to put PV-cells on the roofs of the buildings they use.
That will be noticeable.