Sub's Alternative Energy Thread

[1972Shocker]

Energy Markets: Is Electricity The Next Black Swan?

https://www.cornerstoneglobalcommodities.com/post/energy-markets-is-electricity-the-next-black-swan

Simply stated, crude oil does not actually make electricity in today's environment (see power generation by fuel source here). However, power is needed to make oil. Said another way, a failing power grid COULD BE the next oil chain supply problem.

The loss of basic electricity services in Texas cascaded down to the production of energy, transportation systems, water distribution and the performance of telecommunications.

A recent assessment of summer electric grid reliability by the US Chamber of Commerce shows the clean energy transition may be getting ahead of the technologies available to keep the grid reliable.

A power grid failure on any scale larger than a local one like we saw in Texas, would be, and could be potentially catastrophic. The potential problem with power grids would be a catalyst for chaos in energy in general and oil specifically. The problem is systemic, but the solution is not. There appears to be no plan in place. The power grid, therefore may be the soft underbelly of the entire economy.

It doesn't come as much of a shock then that electricity futures have more than tripled across the country since the beginning of the year. Like other commodity futures, electricity futures represent the wholesale price of electricity. The price before additional costs like transportation, taxes and other production costs are assigned.

A recent report by the US Chamber of Commerce shines a spotlight on this issue.

The U.S. Chamber strongly supports the transition of our electric generation fleet and the overall economy to cleaner, less carbon-intensive energy sources. Recognizing that pretty much everything we make, sell, or do depends upon a reliable and affordable supply of electricity, we have also been clear that this transition must occur consistent with the pace of innovation so that American competitiveness can continue to flourish during this necessary evolution. Unfortunately, a recent analysis by the official watchdog of America’s electric grid indicates that the electric power transition may be getting out over its metaphorical skis.

This isn't just an isolated issue the US faces. In fact, the US is probably faring better at the moment than other countries.

As of Saturday morning there are new fears that Moscow could entirely halt all NatGas flowing through Nord Stream within weeks, which would cause energy chaos in Germany and across the continent.

Oil, Gasoline, Heating Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas are all markets with little room for supply-side error right now due to war, sanctions, and other supply chain impediments. Power isn't even mentioned. Electrical power is assumed even while the inputs that generate it trade at multi year highs and are constrained on several fronts. Power grid reliability is taken for granted. We have had a problem on almost every segment of the energy supply chain these past 6 months. So far there have not been problems at the last stop on the chain, power generation and transmission. Regardless, the supply chain is vulnerable.

[pinstripers]

Sean Davis @seanmdav

Ford’s new electric truck was only able to tow a trailer 85 miles before the battery died. 85 miles. And this is what the Biden regime wants to force on farmers, truckers, and everyone else who raises and transports food and goods in this country.

[SubGod22]

UK's Largest Carbon Capture Project Will Turn 40,000 Tons of CO2 into Baking Soda

The project will help unlock the future of carbon capture as it demonstrates the viability of the technology to remove carbon dioxide from power plant emissions and to use it in high end manufacturing applications.

The party trick is that in a world first, carbon dioxide captured from energy generation emissions is being purified to food and pharmaceutical grade and used as a raw material in the manufacture of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which will be known as Ecokarb®. This unique and innovative process is patented in the UK with further patents pending in key territories around the world.

Ecokarb® will be exported to over 60 countries around the world. Much of the sodium bicarbonate exported will be used in hemodialysis to treat people living with kidney disease.

It will also be used to essential items like glass, washing detergents, pharmaceutical products, food, animal feed and in water purification.

[MoValley John]

UK's Largest Carbon Capture Project Will Turn 40,000 Tons of CO2 into Baking Soda

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is carbon dioxide gas released from baking soda when you bake? Also, aren't powdered fire extinguishers really a form of baking soda, which extreme heat converts to carbon dioxide gas which displaces oxygen? Same when baking soda is used in glass manufacturing? Aren't the bubbles in Alka Seltzer simply Co2 being released into the environment? Again, I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure I must be wrong. Why else would we build something to help the environment by capturing Co2, only to market the material to once again be released into the environment? Sounds to me like carbon is in some sort of continual cycle. But I could be wrong.

[SubGod22]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is carbon dioxide gas released from baking soda when you bake? Also, aren't powdered fire extinguishers really a form of baking soda, which extreme heat converts to carbon dioxide gas which displaces oxygen? Same when baking soda is used in glass manufacturing? Aren't the bubbles in Alka Seltzer simply Co2 being released into the environment? Again, I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure I must be wrong. Why else would we build something to help the environment by capturing Co2, only to market the material to once again be released into the environment? Sounds to me like carbon is in some sort of continual cycle. But I could be wrong.

I don't personally see CO2 as evil as some of the environmentalists as nature requires it. But, repackaging and essentially recycling it to be dispersed at a slower rate isn't necessarily a bad thing either. The slower rate also allows nature a better opportunity to capture and use it as opposed to letting it go and become the problem that environmentalists scream about.

[SubGod22]

Revolutionary Filter Uses Moss to Capture Pollutants And Microplastics Before You Drink Them

Water is crucial to life, and clean drinking water for less developed areas is always a concern.

Design students in Colombia have harnessed the porousness of moss to design a water filter that can trap microplastics.

Over the two-month product life of the filter, it can trap 80 grams of microplastics, sparing the drinker’s biology from consuming the equivalent of 16 credit cards.

The design comes from the remarkable ecosystem high in the Andes Mountains called the Paramo. Hiking in this mountainous region is done either on rock, or what feels like marshmallows. The biosphere is covered in layers of moss species which absorb, filter the water, and send it down mountain streams where it’s scientifically found to be good to drink for around 40 million people across northern South America.

Called MUS(T)GO, the filter, designed by students at the University of the Andes, won the annual Biodesign Challenge Summit.

While microplastics so far haven’t been proven to be harmful when ingested by humans, scientists aren’t waiting for confirmation. Researchers around the world are testing new methods to recapture the bits—from Texans using ocra, to robots that can vacuum them from beaches.

MUS(T)GO uses a steel spiral shaped like an Archimedes screw, inside which is a variety of sphagnum moss grown in nurseries outside the internationally-protected Paramo zone.

[SubGod22]

This actually seems to be a good use of space for solar collection and distribution.

DC Subways Will Have $50M in Revenue From New Solar Panels Covering Parking Lots With Shade

The transit agency for the Washington, DC Metro area announced Friday a deal worth up to $50 million over 25 years to install solar panels atop buildings and parking structures at four subway rail bus stations.

Combined, Metro says the four sites will generate 12.8 megawatts of electrical capacity and make this “the largest community solar project in the National Capital Area and one of the largest in the nation”.

It will also provide Metro customers who park their cars at the stations with new shaded parking and protection from the elements.

Under the agreement, SunPower Corp. will install photovoltaic solar panels over carports and canopies that shade surface lots and above parking garages. The four Metro sites are: Anacostia, Cheverly, Naylor Road, and the Southern Avenue stations.

This also, at least to me, seems better than taking up acres upon acres of land for nothing but collection. I know having huge solar farms allows for more capture of solar power, but it also takes away a lot of land for other uses, and even some environmentalists have issues with them because of their potential impact on wildlife. Utilizing already constructed facilities (rooftops) or creating shaded parking which is a benefit to customers, seems to be a smart and more efficient way to do it while providing for customers.

I don't know the costs that would come, but it would make a lot of sense I think for a lot of new construction to maybe have solar panels atop the structure, unless there are other uses planned for the space. Even if you're not 100% solar, which would be quite difficult in most areas, supplementing fossil fuel energy is a positive and eases the usage of fossil fuels as well as the burden of the grid if you can mostly take care of your own needs without it.

[MoValley John]

I don't personally see CO2 as evil as some of the environmentalists as nature requires it. But, repackaging and essentially recycling it to be dispersed at a slower rate isn't necessarily a bad thing either. The slower rate also allows nature a better opportunity to capture and use it as opposed to letting it go and become the problem that environmentalists scream about.

I get that, and I agree. Slowing down the carbon cycle can be a good thing. That said, the article read like they were capturing carbon, specifically Co2, and packaging it in a way that the carbon would never again be in the atmosphere. You would be surprised to know that there are many people that don"t understand that carbon is an element that man doesn't create any carbon, but that carbon is in a cycle. The article does little to educate about the carbon cycle.

[SubGod22]

I get that, and I agree. Slowing down the carbon cycle can be a good thing. That said, the article read like they were capturing carbon, specifically Co2, and packaging it in a way that the carbon would never again be in the atmosphere. You would be surprised to know that there are many people that don"t understand that carbon is an element that man doesn't create any carbon, but that carbon is in a cycle. The article does little to educate about the carbon cycle.

I agree. That site tends to focus more on the technology in something like this. I personally care more about the actual technology or discovery of these things than the carbon cycle but I get what you're saying.

My goal in sharing most of these things is simply that we don't need massive government mandates and the taxes that go with them to accomplish a cleaner and more environmentally friendly society. I enjoy finding and sharing all the different areas and research that is being put in by mostly private companies to do better. A lot of little things can go a long way to making greater impacts. And do so while we utilize the things we have now that may be less friendly, but are cheaper and allow us to transition into a friendlier world without kicking the poor while doing so.

I'm sure I could find articles written by actual science based sites that would go into more detail of the things you mentioned, but personally, I feel I have a general understanding of what I need to know and I'm not interested in too much science jargon which is where a lot of those things end up.

[SubGod22]

Here's one that at first look I'm still trying to wrap my head around, but it's apparently a thing that works, and works well. At least for this Finnish community.

Innovative 'Sand Battery' is Heating Small City, Storing Green Energy for Months at a Time

A town in Finland is using sand to store heat from renewable energies to provide home heating during winter.

Water heating can only store 100°C of heat, obviously, while sand can reach 500°C, or nearly 1000° Fahrenheit.

Tens of thousands of cubic meters of sand are heated from the generation of electricity with solar panels or wind turbines. Packed tightly in insulated silos, the sand can retain this heat for months without losing it. For Finns living through a 5-month long winter, it’s a vital load off the power grid.

A town in Finland is using sand to store heat from renewable energies to provide home heating during winter.

Water heating can only store 100°C of heat, obviously, while sand can reach 500°C, or nearly 1000° Fahrenheit.

Tens of thousands of cubic meters of sand are heated from the generation of electricity with solar panels or wind turbines. Packed tightly in insulated silos, the sand can retain this heat for months without losing it. For Finns living through a 5-month long winter, it’s a vital load off the power grid.

There's a BBC YouTube video at the bottom of the article. I can't watch/listen at work but it might provide a little more information. I think I kind of get what they're saying, but not having the scientific mind of some I'm still processing how this all actually works. I think the whole sand storing energy for months on end is still trying to be accepted in the noggin.

Regardless, if this legitimately works, it sounds like a fantastic technology, especially for those who may benefit from solar during parts of the year, but less so during the winter. We often talk (in general) about the ability or lack there of, of storing renewable energy for later use. I believe there was an article about Hawaii and Telsa batteries last week, and this is quite interesting on its own.

[1972Shocker]

The global warming fraud revealed in one graph

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/07/the_global_warming_fraud_revealed_in_one_graph.html

Two highly distinguished emeritus professors — William Happer, Professor of Physics, Emeritus of Princeton and Richard Lindzen, Professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Emeritus of MIT — have called out the corruption of science in the global warming/climate change fraud.

Their emeritus status is vital in giving them the freedom to speak frankly, because they are not dependent on a continuing flow of research grants to fund their work.

These two top-level American atmospheric scientists have dismissed the peer review system of current climate science literature as "a joke". According to Emeritus Professors William Happer and Richard Lindzen, "it is pal review, not peer review". The two men have had long distinguished careers in physics and atmospheric science. "Climate science is awash with manipulated data, which provides no reliable scientific evidence," they state.

They refer to the recent comments on climate models by the atmospheric science professor John Christy from the University of Alabama, who says that, in his view, recent climate model predictions "fail miserably to predict reality", making them "inappropriate" to use in predicting future climate changes.



As Happer and Lindzen summarize their conclusion:

Misrepresentation, exaggeration, cherry picking or outright lying pretty much covers all the so-called evidence marshalled in support of the theory of imminent catastrophic global warming caused by fossil fuels and CO2.

[SubGod22]

It's good to see some people of apparent status say what many have known for a long time, in that the data has been corrupted. There's a reason that every time the alarmists raise hell and make dramatic statements of what the world will be like in 10 years, that they're never close to reality.

I've never been much of a believer in the doomsday climate belief. It's mostly used for funding and power, depending on who you are. Though some of the goals, within reason, of those that are concerned are good. There are definitely steps that can be taken to better our surroundings and take care of our environment. There's no doubt that there are things we have done in the past, and probably continue to do, that has negative impacts on the world around us. Not sure warming is that impact, but I don't much care about that part.

I'm sure these two will be talked down upon by the community that can't ever stand to hear dissenting view points or evidence. It will be interesting to see how that goes, or if their statements find some solid ground and create real debate, or at least more honesty and transparency. Probably too much to ask for as so many people are already so heavily invested in doomsday science.

[Kung Wu]

Just a couple of right-wing conspiracy kooks paid off by big oil.

[ShockerPrez]

The question that always pops in my head when looking at any chart is "why/how did you determine your starting point for the data?" And what does it look like if we go back farther. To me, it always confuses me why we start 30 or 40. Why are we not looking at data from as far back as possible? The Earth is 4 billion years old. 30 years means nothing. We are standing on a place that was covered with a mile of ice just 10,000 or 20,000 years ago. There is no 'normal'. The climate always changes and we adapt or move.

If you want to make a difference, recycle, don't litter, keep your space as clean as you can. The climate will be fine. Don't be an idiot and let people who mean to rule you trick you or make you live in fear.

[pinstripers]

Daniel Turner @DanielTurnerPTF
At 1pm central Texas was generating ~8,000mw of wind power from its 30,000mw "capacity". So about $50billion of "investment" was just sitting there idle while people were told to turn off the power. Fossil fuels work with still air. And in the dark, too. Billions wasted.