Sub's Alternative Energy Thread

[wufan]

Wait a minute I thought this was settled science?

There is no climate change emergency!

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog...emergency.html

Those heretics aren’t REAL scientists.

[wufan]

BTW, any actions humans take do lead to changes in local weather. Now, the degree to which that impacts local climate, and how multiple actions impact regional or global climate is certainly up for debate.

[Kung Wu]

Everytime someone pees in the ocean, it rises.

[SubGod22]

It's no secret that I'm a big proponent of nuclear energy, and the fact that we don't need to build massive facilities like we have in the past can only bring up front costs down, which in turn, keeps the expense to consumers down. Small nuclear reactors can be built in half the time as their massive counterparts.

Nature - Exploring small nuclear to plug the energy gaps

If we are to successfully limit climate change, nuclear may be a better alternative than increased oil prospecting. As fossil-fuel prices rise, the cost of nuclear power, which was once deemed too high, is now competitive. Even countries that withdrew from nuclear energy use after the 2011 Fukushima accident, such as South Korea and Japan, have stated their desire to recommit to the technology. In light of this, could we see modern versions of the Messmer plan being implemented?

In the near term, new reactors will be built from existing designs. These large, water-cooled reactors produce between 600 megawatts electric (MWe) (such as Canada’s CANDU reactor), and 1,650 MWe (France’s EPR). They have excellent operational characteristics with very low down time, meaning they generate electricity more than 90% of the time and have design lives of 60 years. But, they take an average of nearly eight years to construct, and sometimes longer — Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 reactor, for example, took 16 years. The large up-front costs (in the order of billions of dollars) and long delay before investment is returned has deterred investors who want assets that can be built more quickly and cheaply.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) aim to address these issues, and could be deployed by the end of the decade. The SMR concept puts an emphasis on factory construction, which enables advanced manufacturing methods and a reduction in on-site construction and consequent weather delays. These reactors target power levels of 200–500 MWe. Because construction timelines are half that of large reactors, SMRs reduce unit price to levels suitable for private investment — although multiple units will be required to produce the same output as a larger plant.
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SMRs can support processes such as desalination, paper production and drying, as well as domestic water heating through district-wide heating schemes. There is a long history of nuclear district heating in countries such as Switzerland, Sweden and Canada, but their high infrastructure cost has deterred widespread use.

It could become competitive, however, if gas prices fail to fall significantly. Recent projections for a scheme to heat Paris from large reactors estimated a cost of €42 per MWh (US$44.86 per MWh). This compares well to current gas prices. Cost could also be reduced further through the use of SMRs, which aim to allow siting closer to population centres, reducing the length and cost of the heat transmission network.

New-generation high-temperature reactors are also being developed by several countries, which suit applications such as iron smelting and efficient hydrogen production via steam electrolysis and thermochemical routes (the latter having been demonstrated at pilot scale already, with Japan’s high-temperature test reactor).

[SubGod22]

And back to hydrogen as a fuel source; we might just be on to something here.

New Solar-Powered Invention Creates Hydrogen Fuel from the Air

A high-tech sponge can absorb water vapor from the air and convert it to pure hydrogen for use in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and machines.

This sponge uses electrolysis to extract pure hydrogen, and can be powered by solar or wind energy, producing renewable fuel from renewable electricity.

The only portable green fuel source that could replace diesel or kerosene at scale, pure hydrogen is not abundant in nature, and finding ways to produce it sustainably is the key to expanding its use in industry and transportation.

Vehicles can be equipped with hydrogen fuel cells, which combust the pure hydrogen with oxygen to create an effect similar to when fossil fuels are combusted, except the only emission is hydrogen plus oxygen—water.

Similar to those silica gel sachets you find in packaged goods, a team of chemical engineers in Australia have developed a hygroscopic gel which absorbs moisture from the air. Once inside the gel, it’s split via electrolysis into hydrogen and oxygen.

Ten square feet of the material can produce 24 gallons of pure hydrogen every hour, and the scientists calculate that 100 square feet can replace natural gas for an entire family home.

“This module can work under a bone-dry environment with a relative humidity of 4%, overcoming water supply issues and producing green hydrogen sustainably with minimal impact to the environment,” the authors write. “The modules can be easily scaled to provide hydrogen to remote, (semi-) arid, and scattered areas.”

[SubGod22]

I guess I'll throw this one in here. While I'm not a huge fan of EV cars right now, I do understand the need for better access to chargers for those that go that route and travel at all.

WBJ - With plan approved, KDOT set to land $39.5 million in federal funding for EV charging

"This funding will enable the buildout of an EV corridor network, and (direct current fast chargers) gives EV drivers quick and convenient fueling options for long-distance travel," said Tami Alexander, KDOT transportation electrification manager, in a news release. "With the vast amount of wind energy in the state, much of the fuel for EVs will be locally produced and benefit the Kansas economy."

Last year's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established and funded the NEVI formula program, with the goal of creating a nationwide electric vehicle charging network.

For Kansas, the NEVI money will be matched with local funding to build fast-charging stations along designated corridors. Those corridors include I-70, I-35, I-135, I-335, U.S. 400 and U.S. 81 from I-70 north to the Nebraska line.
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That guidance is expected by the end of the year and is focused on "increasing EV charging access in rural, underserved and overburdened communities," according to the Biden administration. The funding is anticipated to provide additional opportunities to build EV charging infrastructure in the Wichita metro and other communities throughout the state, including areas outside the designated charging corridors.

According to KDOT, there are more than 3,100 electric vehicles registered in Kansas. While that's a small percentage of the total number of vehicles on the road in the state (2.6 million, according to 2020 FHA data), EV adoption continues to increase.

Despite supply chain issues and elevated prices, U.S. battery-electric vehicle sales in the second quarter set a record, according to Cox Automotive, as sales rose 13% from Q1 to 196,788 vehicles sold.

I was also talking to some friends recently, who have friends that drive a Tesla. They live somewhere in NE Kansas but also have a residence in Colorado. They said that their friends love their Tesla, but hate traveling back and forth in it because it takes so much longer, even though I-70 has a pretty decent amount of charging stations. I don't recall how many times they have to stop, but they said something about an 8 hour drive now takes 10.

So, obviously we still have things we need to improve on, but EVs are establishing a bit of a foothold in the market and we need to be setup for them.

[wufan]

EVs are great! The gov should stop subsidizing them and the tech should continue to develop in the market.

[Kung Wu]

If EV charging stations are needed, why is the government building them and not private enterprise?

Why are we transitioning our transportation industry over to the government?

Why are my taxes and electrical bills paying for YOUR transportation expenses?

[SubGod22]

If EV charging stations are needed, why is the government building them and not private enterprise?

Why are we transitioning our transportation industry over to the government?

Why are my taxes and electrical bills paying for YOUR transportation expenses?

Because government is going to government. The people keep voting for people who are going to continue doing things like this, regardless of party.

This is actually one of the lesser abuses of government and spending, even though I still don't agree with it (in regards to charging stations).

[ShockerPrez]

If EV charging stations are needed, why is the government building them and not private enterprise?

Why are we transitioning our transportation industry over to the government?

Why are my taxes and electrical bills paying for YOUR transportation expenses?

Because if we don't get to 100% EVs within the next 6 months the Earth is literally going to spontaneously combust and or become Venus. Consider your taxes a small price to pay for living. You don't need to thank the Dems, their customary graft is enough.

[WstateU]

Because if we don't get to 100% EVs within the next 6 months the Earth is literally going to spontaneously combust and or become Venus. Consider your taxes a small price to pay for living. You don't need to thank the Dems, their customary graft is enough.

Looks like fun…

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Looks like fun…

Welcome to our future. CA has about 79K charging stations currently and will need an estimated 1.2 million charging stations by 2030. No way in heck this state will be able to meet this pie in the sky dream of EV's for everyone. It's so beyond stupid. But it looks shiny politically for Captain Hair Gel.

[ShockerPrez]

Looks like fun…

These people were all able to buy a Tesla, but too cheap to charge them at their house? It is possible to charge them at your house, on your own dime, right? I know it is. Just another irony of the rich "I'm doing my part to save the planet" lefty.

Clown World. I can't wait until I can go be a hermit somewhere.

[wufan]

These people were all able to buy a Tesla, but too cheap to charge them at their house? It is possible to charge them at your house, on your own dime, right? I know it is. Just another irony of the rich "I'm doing my part to save the planet" lefty.

Clown World. I can't wait until I can go be a hermit somewhere.

Maybe they were traveling more than 200 miles?

[SubGod22]

Vovlo makes it sound like Hydrogen is more practical in large vehicles (trains/semis) than the typical car. Sounds like there's still potential value in it.

Volvo Launches 3 New Massive Electric Truck Models for Heavy Duty Uses, Representing 2/3 of Company's Sales

“We have been developing this technology for some years now, and it feels great to see the first trucks successfully running on the test track,” said Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks division.

“The combination of battery electric and fuel cell electric will enable our customers to completely eliminate CO2 exhaust emissions from their trucks, no matter transport assignments. This is a milestone and proves that we are leading the transformation of the industry.”

The fuel cell electric trucks will have an operational range comparable to many diesel trucks—up to 600 miles (1,000 km)—and a refueling time of less than 15 minutes. The total weight can be around 65 tons or even higher, and the two fuel cells have the capacity to generate 300 kW of electricity onboard.

Hydrogen fuel cells are much more practical for freight or high-tonnage transport for several reasons. First, a regular passenger sedan would be over-weighted by the addition of the fuel cell apparatus, so any theoretical 4-door model would have to be much bigger and heavier.

Secondly, pure hydrogen is not something most citizens can easily get their hands on, and it requires much more time to refuel than normal gasoline or diesel.

For freight vehicles or trains that run on schedules and stop at designated facilities, all three of these problems are easily surmounted.

Though based on previous post about the tech that now exists that can pull hydrogen out of the air for this purpose could potentially in the future make it easier to access hydrogen to fuel vehicles. Though that doesn't do anything for the extra weight and size that would have to be added to a typical car. But we'll see what the future says about that. I'll never count out the ingenuity of people and their ability to find solutions to such problems.