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  1. #326
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Team creates solar cells that are wearable, washable

    Japanese researchers said they have developed solar cells that are so slim that they can be used in clothing and still function after being cleaned in a washing machine.


    The team was led by Kenjiro Fukuda, a researcher at the Riken Center for Emergent Matter Science, and Takao Someya, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Tokyo.


    The research on the batteries, which are 3 micrometers thin, was published on Sept. 18 on the website of Nature Energy, a British science journal.


    The solar batteries were created by coating an organic compound with semiconductor properties onto a polymer membrane to create photovoltaics.


    The photovoltaic was about twice as efficient in converting solar rays into electricity than ordinary ultra-thin solar batteries.


    The stretchability and water resistance of the batteries were improved when the cell was sandwiched between two layers of transparent rubber film.


    The function of the cell did not decrease even after it was washed with detergent.


    Fukuda said the battery could be attached to clothing and used to power medical devices that constantly monitor the wearer’s blood pressure and body temperature to detect early signs of illness.


    The battery could also be used for an ultra-thin smartphone that is sewn into clothing, Fukuda added.


    photos here

    Team creates solar cells that are wearable, washable?The Asahi Shimbun

  2. #327
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    China to Phase Out Internal Combustion Engine Cars

    China will set a deadline for automakers to end sales of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, becoming the biggest market to do so in a move that will accelerate the push into the electric car market led by companies including BYD Co. and BAIC Motor Corp.

    Xin Guobin, the vice minister of industry and information technology, said the government is working with other regulators on a timetable to end production and sales. The move will have a profound impact on the environment and growth of China’s auto industry, Xin said at an auto forum in Tianjin on Saturday.

    The world’s second-biggest economy, which has vowed to cap its carbon emissions by 2030 and curb worsening air pollution, is the latest to join countries such as the U.K. and France seeking to phase out vehicles using gasoline and diesel. The looming ban on combustion-engine automobiles will goad both local and global automakers to focus on introducing more zero-emission electric cars to help clean up smog-choked major cities.: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...c-vehicle-push

    Starts at the 1:00 mark

    ____________

    Solar-to-Fuel System Recycles CO2 to Make Ethanol and Ethylene

    Berkeley Lab advance is first demonstration of efficient, light-powered production of fuel via artificial photosynthesis

    Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into fuels and alcohols at efficiencies far greater than plants. The achievement marks a significant milestone in the effort to move toward sustainable sources of fuel.


    Many systems have successfully reduced carbon dioxide to chemical and fuel precursors, such as carbon monoxide or a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen known as syngas. This new work, described in a study published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, is the first to successfully demonstrate the approach of going from carbon dioxide directly to target products, namely ethanol and ethylene, at energy conversion efficiencies rivaling natural counterparts.

    The researchers did this by optimizing each component of a photovoltaic-electrochemical system to reduce voltage loss, and creating new materials when existing ones did not suffice.

    “This is an exciting development,” said study principal investigator Joel Ager, a Berkeley Lab scientist with joint appointments in the Materials Sciences and the Chemical Sciences divisions. “As rising atmospheric CO2 levels change Earth’s climate, the need to develop sustainable sources of power has become increasingly urgent. Our work here shows that we have a plausible path to making fuels directly from sunlight.”: Solar-to-Fuel System Recycles CO2 to Make Ethanol and Ethylene | Berkeley Lab

    ___________

    Navajo Nations first solar project now producing enough electricity for about 13,000 homes


    A giant array of solar panels near the famed sandstone buttes of Monument Valley has begun producing electricity for the Navajo Nation at a time when the tribe is bracing for the loss of hundreds of jobs from the impending closure of a nearby coal-fired power plant.

    The Kayenta Solar Facility is the first utility-scale solar project on the Navajo Nation, producing enough electricity to power about 13,000 Navajo homes.

    The plant comes at a time when the area's energy landscape is shifting.

    The coal-fired Navajo Generating Station near Page is set to close in December 2019, leaving a site that both tribal and private entities say has the potential for renewable energy development.: Navajo Nations first solar project now producing electricity for the tribe

    ____________

    Dubai launches world’s largest Concentrated Solar Power project

    Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid launches world’s largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power project


    Dubai: The world’s largest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project, costing Dh14.2 billion, will be implemented in Dubai, state news agency Wam reported on Saturday.

    To be implemented by Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa), the largest single-site project will generate 700 megawatts (MW) of power when completed. Using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, it will include the world’s tallest solar tower, standing 260 metres tall, and a Dh100 billion fund to finance the plan.

    “We are steadily moving towards achieving Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 goals, which we have launched to turn Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy and become the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050. We are very proud to see our goals turning into tangible achievements by our national cadres who proved efficient and excellence in various fields.”

    Dewa has revealed that it has awarded the contract for the construction of the CSP project using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model with a consortium that includes Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and China Shanghai Electric. It has also guaranteed to achieve the lowest cost price of energy with 7.3 US cents per kilowatt.: Dubai launches world?s largest Concentrated Solar Power project

    _________

    THE ELECTRIC MOTORHOME

    Electric cars are already poised to take over our roads, but anyone looking to buy a motorhome is still stuck with only fossil fuel-powered options. That could soon change thanks to Dethleffs.

    The German motorhome manufacturer has just unveiled their e.home concept. The exterior of this futuristic RV is blanketed in 31 square meters (334 square feet) of solar panels, generating electricity to help fuel the vehicle’s electric powertrain. Its electric 80-kilowatt (107-horsepower) motor can be paired with several battery options.


    According to Dethleffs, the e.home’s maximum range is 280 kilometers (174 miles) rated on the New European Driving Cycle, while an EPA rating would likely put it closer to 225 kilometers (140 miles). However, both of those ranges are set without hauling weight. Dethleffs claims a fully outfitted e-home that’s hauling weight would have an estimated range of 165 kilometers (103 miles).

    The battery pack lasts for approximately 1,500 charges — about 250,000 kilometers (155,000 miles) — before needing replacement. The e-home supports both level 2 and DC fast-charging, and the solar panels provide 3 kilowatts of supplementary battery-charging electricity.: https://futurism.com/take-a-look-at-...-battery-pack/

    _________

    Solar now costs 6¢ per kilowatt-hour, beating government goal by 3 years


    Cost goals met, the DOE is moving on to address grid reliability in solar.

    On Tuesday, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that utility-grade solar panels have hit cost targets set for 2020, three years ahead of schedule. Those targets reflect around $1 per watt and 6¢ per kilowatt-hour in Kansas City, the department’s mid-range yardstick for solar panel cost per unit of energy produced (New York is considered the high-cost end, and Phoenix, Arizona, which has much more sunlight than most other major cities in the country, reflects the low-cost end).

    Those prices don’t include an Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which makes solar panels even cheaper. The Energy Department said that the cost per watt was assessed in terms of total installed system costs for developers. That means the number is based on "the sales price paid to the installer; therefore, it includes profit in the cost of the hardware," according to a department presentation.

    According to NREL, “Approximately 13.7 gigawatts (GW) of new PV systems were installed in the US last year, with the largest share coming from 10.2 GW in the utility-scale sector.”: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017...ampaign=buffer

    _________

    Hinkley nuclear power is being priced out by renewables


    Hinkley Point C nuclear power station was conceived in the days when offshore wind cost £150 per megawatt hour and a few misguided souls, some of them government ministers, thought a barrel of oil was heading towards $200.

    Successive governments swallowed the line that Hinkley represented a plausible answer to the UK’s threefold energy conundrum – keeping the lights on, reducing carbon emissions and producing the juice at affordable prices for consumers and business.

    Hinkley still scores on reliability and low carbon (if one ignores the effect of spoiling the Somerset countryside with so much concrete), but the extent to which its costs are obscene is now plainer than ever. In Monday’s capacity auction, two big offshore wind farms came in at £57.50 per megawatt hour and a third at £74.75. These “strike prices” – a guaranteed price for the electricity generated - are expressed in 2012 figures, as is Hinkley’s £92.50 so the comparison is fair.: https://www.theguardian.com/environm...for-renewables

    __________

    A conservative-leaning court just issued a surprise ruling on climate change and coal mining

    In a rebuke to Trump, the federal court said greenhouse gas emissions need to be considered in lease approvals.


    Late last week, a federal court knocked down plans to expand coal mining in the Western US, adding to a growing body of rulings against the Trump administration’s efforts to push climate change off the agenda.

    The surprising decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, which has jurisdiction in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, told the Bureau of Land Management to redo its math on greenhouse gas emissions from coal leases and sent the approval of these leases back to a lower court.

    Under the National Environmental Policy Act, federal agencies have to consider how a given proposal both affects climate change and is affected by climate change.

    The 10th Circuit is the highest court to rule on climate change accounting so far, and its opinion undercuts President Donald Trump’s efforts to resuscitate the dying US coal industry.

    “It’s reaffirming what a lot of people already knew: Government has to take a hard look at what their environmental impacts are,” said Sam Kalen, a law professor at the University of Wyoming. “Cases like this are sending signal that regardless of what the administration wants to do, the law says you have to take a look at these issues.”

    In March, President Trump lifted President Barack Obama’s moratorium on coal leasing and stopped a comprehensive review of federal coal policy, with the goal of spurring more coal mining.

    However, the courts are once again standing in the way of Trump’s agenda.: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-envir...climate-change
    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  3. #328
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    FIRST UP ... A LITTLE ABOUT ME - MY FOSSIL FUEL ALTERNATIVE

    In the West I have an average home, bit like the one below ...



    Some time ago, maybe 5/6/7 years, the Government decided that a subsidy should be paid to assist in funding a basic Photovoltaic Cell (PV Cells) set-up.
    That was the Federal/Commonwealth Government.

    Simultaneously the State Government said it would pay a decent feed in Tariff, well above what you would pay to buy their electricity.

    Win/Win for the Consumer. Well, almost. I bought a 1.5 KW System and it ties into the grid.
    Eight 190 Watt panels facing North-West. The North-East roof profile is heavily shaded by my neighbours trees.

    At the time, after reading the feed-in tariff explanation, I presumed that I would be paid only the high tariff for that electricity that I generated
    over and above what I used.

    I was WRONG

    They paid the High Tariff on everything I produced. Had I known, I would have bought a 5 kw system !

    The difference between the Solar Tariff (what I produce) and what I buy in is double.
    I other words, I get paid twice as much per kilowatt hour then what it costs me to buy.

    Had I known the full details of the generous scheme, my roof would have looked more like this ...



    Hindsight is a wonderfull thing.


    So, 5 years later, you can't upgrade your inverter. I can't keep the generous feed-in tariff, buy a 5KW system and make my roof look like the one above.

    The current feed-in tariff is 1/4 of what I get. So, I'd have to go to a 6KW system to maintain the financial status-quo.

    Still, the good news is that we don't actually have any Power Bills

    By spending 6 months a year in Thailand and judicious use of the elec switch when home ... we currently have a modest credit with the Power Company.

    Should/when the current Hot Water unit craps itself (it's one of the old storage devices) we might get a Solar Hot Water or a Heat Exchanger,
    don't know just yet.


    Are we Green, or just Greedy?

    Since the solar Meter installation, we have produced about 10,000 KWH and consumed 13,000 KWH ... a fair effort I reckon.

    Do we have a Green conscious? Yes, but we are not tree huggers.

    Are we Greedy? No, I don't believe so.
    We take care of the bills and, if we can do that in a green way, all the better.

    ---

    Now, my background is that I'm a Sparkie, but I did my time with the distribution network. 415/11,000/33,000 volt stuff.

    This next bit isn't written for the likes of S Landreth et. al.

    I'm all for renewables ... brilliant stuff ... and it's only going to get cheaper and more efficient.

    Wind, Solar, Tidal, Wave action etc.


    But what happens when it's night and the wind sock resembles a dick in need of Viagra?

    You need a 'Base Load' Generator, be that coal fired, gas fired, nuclear or, potentially Battery Back-up (grid or domestic).

    More below ...
    Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago ...


  4. #329
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    I'm not an Electrical Engineer, just a high voltage sparkie and it's been more then 2 decades since I was in the game.
    Disclaimers over.


    I'm all for renewables ... brilliant stuff ... and it's only going to get cheaper and more efficient.

    Wind, Solar, Tidal, Wave action etc.

    But what happens when it's night (no solar) and the wind sock resembles a dick in need of Viagra?

    You need a 'Base Load' Generator, be that coal fired, gas fired, nuclear or, potentially Battery Back-up (grid or domestic).

    Think of a Base Load Generator as a Metronome ...
    It sets the beat that everyone plays to.

    AC electricity cycles, in Thailand 50 times a second between positive and negative and the voltage constraints.

    It does this ...

    To complicate things, there are 3 phases of electricity so, imagine 3 of the above, 120 degrees apart which have to be in perfect sync,
    50 times a seconds.


    Now imagine thousands of roof top solar cells, wind generators etc all trying to be in perfect sync, 24 hours a day,
    whether you have just turned the Air-Conditioner on or it's 1/2 time during the FA Cup Final*


    The BIG turbines in coal/gas fired stations act like the fly-wheel in your car, lot's of kinetic energy (energy of motion)
    and smooth out each firing of the individual cylinder.
    Takes a lot to start them up, and a lot to slow them down.

    The BIG turbines in coal fired stations are excellent source of base load power.



    Clear as mud? Still not sure ... think of this.
    You've got 20 paddlers in a canoe. Some are facing forward, some facing back, some have big paddles, some only their hands to dip in the water.

    The base load power station is the Cox sitting at the back yelling "All right you lazy lot, face the same way and, on the count
    of three, paddle ... STROKE, STROKE, STROKE ... and canoe moves forward.



    Nicked that from the OP

    Now, that old, smoke bellowing coal fired generator/Power Station has to replaced with something.

    You need a 'Base Load' Generator, be that 'clean' coal fired, gas fired, nuclear or, potentially Battery Back-up (grid or domestic) and,
    you also need a conductor, a coxswain which keeps everyone in sync. This bit apparently can be done artificially through
    electronic control, but I don't know how that works.

    This leads me to what, for Australia is potentially the most exciting concept for large scale, clean, green, cheap Base Load Power Generation.

    Pumped Storage Hydro ... linked to a Solar/Wind Farm.

    More on it below (when I get time to write).


    * It's (apparently) a measurable event because there are a lot of kettles being flicked on to make a cuppa

  5. #330
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Global electric shock has lessons for Southeast Asia

    Southeast Asia is at the forefront of a global energy-market transformation that is outpacing even the most ambitious predictions. In the last few days, a report from analyst Wood Mackenzie stated that the ASEAN nations will need to double their energy capacity in the next 20 years, at a cost of more than US$500 billion.




    WoodMac also concluded that half of the new capacity within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc will come from renewables, a very different profile to what energy markets were assuming only a few short years ago.




    The WoodMac forecast for this region is unexpected, and highlights that ASEAN states have the opportunity to learn from both the successes and failures of other parts of the world that are further down the energy-transition path, and at the same time leverage the enormous cost deflation achieved in renewables in the past two years.


    In Europe, the rise of cheap renewable energy has combined with falling electricity demand thanks to the impact of energy efficiency to pull down wholesale electricity prices to unprecedented lows, causing financial pain for utilities that have delayed their transition from fossil fuels to renewables.


    Over the 2010-2016 period, European utilities have made US$150 billion in asset write-downs. Investors from Goldman Sachs and UBS have been warning for years that coal has reached retirement age and that solar will become the “default technology of the future”.


    Similar trends have been apparent now for some time in China and more recently in India, where drives to install both thermal and renewable capacity concurrently have seen utilization rates for coal-fired power stations drop to 47% in China and 56% in India in 2016. This is despite electricity demand growing in these countries.


    While some utilities such as Italy’s Enel and the United States’ NextEra are world leaders in positioning themselves for electricity systems dominated by renewables, there are many examples of utilities suffering significant shareholder-value destruction as a result of resisting the inevitable or belatedly making their transition.


    Once Germany’s biggest utility, E.On’s belated response was to spin off its struggling coal, gas and hydro generation assets into a separate company. Germany’s RWE has been affected in the same way. By failing to refocus their businesses toward renewables sooner, these major players have suffered significant continuing reductions in shareholder value compared with Enel, which made its strategic move earlier.


    In Australia, where thermal power is being progressively replaced by a growing base of renewable-energy plants, AGL appears to be another utility leader. Even despite continuing policy uncertainty, into 2017, Australia is seeing an A$11 billion (US$8.6 billion) wave of investments in renewable-energy infrastructure projects.


    In accepting a future dominated by a succession of closures of end-of-life coal-fired power plants and one in which expensive domestic gas is no longer an option as a transition fuel, AGL is working to ensure the closure of its last coal-fired power stations ahead of target.


    In fast-developing countries like India, increasing electricity demand means the large coal-fired generation fleet cannot be quickly abandoned. However, the global energy transition backed by the biggest financial players has not gone unnoticed by state utility NTPC, which is becoming a key linchpin of the Indian government’s emerging leadership in renewable energy. This transformation is economically logical given that, as of 2017, solar is cheaper than existing coal-fired power generation.


    A key economic imperative is that renewables are deflationary. The equation is simple. Technology gains and economies of scale have seen renewable generation consistently outbid fossil fuel-based generation in an ever-wider number of markets from Brazil and Mexico, to Dubai and South Africa.


    While countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar currently face the offer of relatively cheap international export credit agency (ECA) finance for thermal power, this is in effect a manufacturing and engineering capacity fire-sale, with China, Japan and South Korea seizing a final opportunity to offload old technology produced by domestic manufacturers even as it becomes completely obsolete.


    But around the world, the biggest financial institutions such as the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Bank of England, BlackRock, Deutsche Bank, CalSTARS, JPMorgan Chase, Macquarie Group and Swiss Re, plus AXA and SCOR of France, have all come out in support of a renewable transition and/or changed investment policies to avoid stranded asset risk and expand low emissions investment capacity.


    Notably, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, stated this year that “coal is dead”.


    Put simply, electricity utilities need to accelerate their path toward renewable energy to avoid the financial risks and shareholder-value erosion incurred by being a late mover.


    This is the clear global lesson, and it’s one that should be heeded by the fast-growing economies of Southeast Asia, because the decisions they make now will have repercussions for decades to come, delaying the inevitable transition to a more sustainable, lower-cost energy system, and missing out on strong investment flows and job creation in industries of the future.





    Global electric shock has lessons for Southeast Asia | Asia Times

  6. #331
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Lapeer Solar Park, Michigan: Largest solar array east of the Mississippi – 200,000 solar panels – enough clean power to power 9,000 homes


    _________

    Time to shine: Solar power is fastest-growing source of new energy

    Renewables accounted for two-thirds of new power added to world’s grids last year, says International Energy Agency



    Solar power was the fastest-growing source of new energy worldwide last year, outstripping the growth in all other forms of power generation for the first time and leading experts to hail a “new era”.

    Renewable energy accounted for two-thirds of new power added to the world’s grids in 2016, the International Energy Agency said, but the group found solar was the technology that shone brightest.

    New solar capacity even overtook the net growth in coal, previously the biggest new source of power generation. The shift was driven by falling prices and government policies, particularly in China, which accounted for almost half the solar panels installed.

    The Paris-based IEA predicted that solar would dominate future growth, with global capacity in five years’ time expected to be greater than the current combined total power capacity of India and Japan.: https://www.theguardian.com/environm...-energy-agency

    __________

    Airline plans to use electric airplanes in 10 years—is that possible?

    Startups plan to make hybrid airplanes, and eventually purely electric ones.


    One of Europe's largest airlines, EasyJet, announced on Wednesday that it is aiming to begin service with electric-powered airplanes within the next decade. EasyJet will be collaborating with an aviation startup called Wright Electric to make this vision a reality.

    The companies have ambitious goals: they want to build airplanes with room for 120 and 220 passengers and a range of 335 miles. That's so ambitious, in fact, that I was a little skeptical that anyone should take it seriously.

    The fundamental problem is a matter of physics: the energy density of jet fuel is way, way higher than the energy density of batteries. As a result, while a conventional airplane can travel thousands of miles before refueling, electric airplanes can only travel a fraction of that distance before they run out of juice.

    Yet there's significant room for improvement in electric airplane technology, argued NASA scientist Sean Clarke in a Thursday email to Ars.

    "Electric propulsion systems may be relevant in the marketplace sooner than you might expect, because they can be much more efficient," Clarke told Ars.: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/10...that-possible/

    __________

    A new way to harness wasted methane - Approach could help curb needless 'flaring' of potent greenhouse gas.


    Methane gas, a vast natural resource, is often disposed of through burning, but new research by scientists at MIT could make it easier to capture this gas for use as fuel or a chemical feedstock.

    Many oil wells burn off methane -- the largest component of natural gas -- in a process called flaring, which currently wastes 150 billion cubic meters of the gas each year and generates a staggering 400 million tons of carbon dioxide, making this process a significant contributor to global warming. Letting the gas escape unburned would lead to even greater environmental harm, however, because methane is an even more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide is.

    But now, MIT chemistry professor Yogesh Surendranath and three colleagues have found a way to use electricity, which could potentially come from renewable sources, to convert methane into derivatives of methanol, a liquid that can be made into automotive fuel or used as a precursor to a variety of chemical products. This new method may allow for lower-cost methane conversion at remote sites. The findings, described in the journal ACS Central Science, could pave the way to making use of a significant methane supply that is otherwise totally wasted.: https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...1017114328.htm

    __________

    Australia adds 97MW rooftop solar in September, set for record 1GW in 2017


    Australian households and businesses added another 97MW of rooftop solar in 2017, setting a record for the first nine months of the year of 780MW and putting it on track to break through the 1,000MW, or 1 gigawatt, mark for the first time in 2017.

    The record level of installations is clearly a response from consumers – household and business – to the soaring cost of electricity from the grid, which jumped around 20 per cent in July due to the rise in wholesale prices caused by an increase in the cost of gas, and the big players exercising their market power.

    Australia has now installed some 6.1GW of small-scale rooftop solar since 2010, but the current boom – which has seen households and business invest around $2 billion in their own solar installations – is bigger than the investment surges prompted by overly generous feed in tariffs.: Australia adds 97MW rooftop solar in September, set for record 1GW in 2017 : RenewEconomy

    __________

    How Lakes Can Generate Electricity - Scientists develop new ways to harness energy from evaporation.

    When the conversation turns to sources of clean renewable energy, evaporation usually isn’t the first thing to come up, if at all.

    Yet scientists think evaporation from U.S. lakes and reservoirs could generate almost 70 percent of the power the nation produces now. Even better, it could meet demand both day and night, solving the intermittency problems posed by solar and wind.

    “Evaporation occurs day and night, all year round,” said Ahmet-Hamdi Cavusoglu, a graduate student at Columbia University and lead author of a new study published in the journal Nature Communications that calculated the possible future impact of evaporation as a renewable energy source. “By controlling evaporation, we can store and control the power output, allowing us to potentially provide reliable energy on demand without needing batteries and other energy storage methods.”



    The evaporation engine sits on a shallow pool of blue-colored water. When water on the surface below evaporates, it drives the flaps to move back and forth. When connected to a generator, that motion produces electricity.: https://nexusmedianews.com/how-lakes...y-21f95e511817

    __________

    China halts more than 150 coal-fired power plants


    China is to stop or delay work on 151 planned and under-construction coal plants as Beijing struggles to respond to a flat-lining of demand for coal power.

    The newly released list implements a target announced by premier Li Keqiang in March to stop, delay and close down at least 50,000 megawatts of coal-fired power plant projects in 2017.

    The list affects coal power plants with capacity equal to the combined operating capacity of Germany and Japan (95,000 megawatts) costing around US$60 billion (389 billion rmb).

    The amount of capacity affected hence exceeds the target set for this year but is still well short of the total of 150,000 megawatts the government says is needed by 2020.: https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/201...-power-plants/

    __________

    Catholic church to make record divestment from fossil fuels


    More than 40 Catholic institutions will make largest ever faith-based divestment, on the anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi

    More than 40 Catholic institutions are to announce the largest ever faith-based divestment from fossil fuels, on the anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.

    The sum involved has not been disclosed but the volume of divesting groups is four times higher than a previous church record, and adds to a global divestment movement, led by investors worth $5.5tn.: https://www.theguardian.com/environm...m-fossil-fuels
    ________

    The war on coal is over. Coal lost. - Coal can’t compete with cheaper clean energy.: https://www.theguardian.com/environm...over-coal-lost

    Aerial view of an industrial base consisting of wind turbines, solar panels and fish ponds at tidal flats on July 25, 2017 in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province of China.

  7. #332
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Hydrogen power plant pilot highlights resurgence of humble chemical element

    Fossil Fuel Alternatives-10003800-3x2-940x627-jpg
    An example of the hydrogen fuel cell that will power Northern Oil's Gladstone facility.

    It is often associated with nuclear bombs and overzealous hype in the 1970s, but now the idea of hydrogen as a clean energy source
    is making a comeback in Australia.

    In central Queensland, there are now several hydrogen energy projects in the pipeline.
    The Australian company Northern Oil is set to build the first hydrogen fuel cell in Queensland at its pilot biofuels refinery in
    Gladstone in early 2019.

    What is renewable hydrogen?
    • Hydrogen is a carrier of energy
    • Renewable hydrogen is produced by purifying seawater, then separating the hydrogen and oxygen via electrolysis
    • The process of separation is powered by solar or wind energy
    • The hydrogen becomes a vehicle for storing renewable energy such as solar or wind
    • It is converted into transportable forms for export


    Announcing it this week, the company's Troy Collins described this as "no small feat".
    "It's something everybody in Gladstone should be very proud of," he said.
    The State Government has also been in talks with Japanese experts about building a solar-to-hydrogen plant in central
    Queensland that would export hydrogen gas out of Gladstone's port.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Fossil Fuel Alternatives-10003800-3x2-940x627-jpg  

  8. #333
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Fossil Fuel Alternatives-hydrogen-sun-data-jpg

    What is hydrogen power?

    Hydrogen alone is not actually a fuel source in itself — it is carrier of energy.

    Usually it is produced by splitting water molecules, H2O, into hydrogen and oxygen atoms through the
    process of electrolysis.


    It can then be condensed into a liquid fuel source, which can be used to power cars in a similar way to diesel,
    or it can be used to generate conventional electricity.


    RMIT University's renewable energy hydrogen systems expert Professor John Andrews said this comes with
    environmental benefits.

    "At the point of consumption in a fuel cell the only by-products are water, which is no problem environmentally,
    and electricity," Professor Andrews said.




    ^ That's not the video in the News Item.

    To view that, Google "ABC farming-hydrogen-with-solar-power/9935924"
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Fossil Fuel Alternatives-hydrogen-sun-data-jpg  

  9. #334
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    GMC HUMMER EV

    Highlights: 60 mph in 3 seconds
    fast charging of up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes
    achieve more than 350 miles of electric range
    1,000 horsepower

    Starting price: $112,595

    GM unveils Hummer EV as '''world'''s first supertruck''' for $112,600

  10. #335
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    Hinkley nuclear power is being priced out by renewables
    Nuclear has been priced out because of the opposition to it by well intendent but misinformed interests.
    I agree that there were, inherent dangers associated with legacy nuclear installations. but we were trapped in these "legacy" installations because of because of these misinformed environmental,and political interests and the costs they imposed in the creation and implementation of new , safe nuclear technology.
    Newer nuclear technology, where the reaction shuts of if the system loses power. In other words the default position is off.
    Then there is the disposition of waste.
    A- , newer generations of nuclear reactors generate less waste, and such waste can not be used in the creation of nuclear weapons.
    B- the argument is made that such waste will last 5,000 years!! Yeah it would if our generating ,and disposing technology remains at 1972 levels for the next 5,000 years.
    The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

  11. #336
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    Nuclear has been priced out because of the opposition to it by well intendent but misinformed interests.
    I agree that there were, inherent dangers associated with legacy nuclear installations. but we were trapped in these "legacy" installations because of because of these misinformed environmental,and political interests and the costs they imposed in the creation and implementation of new , safe nuclear technology.
    Newer nuclear technology, where the reaction shuts of if the system loses power. In other words the default position is off.
    Then there is the disposition of waste.
    A- , newer generations of nuclear reactors generate less waste, and such waste can not be used in the creation of nuclear weapons.
    B- the argument is made that such waste will last 5,000 years!! Yeah it would if our generating ,and disposing technology remains at 1972 levels for the next 5,000 years.
    Fusion is the way forward.

  12. #337
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Fusion is the way forward.

    Fusion, if they can ever make it work in a commercial reality is an exciting proposition.

    ---

    Below, sadly the USA (bottom line) is going in the wrong direction.

    Renewables:- Decreasing

    Nuclear:- Unchanged

    Gas*:- Decreasing

    Coal:- Increasing


    Fossil Fuel Alternatives-screenshot_2020-10-23-future-energy-pdf

    Link


    *Gas is derisive alternative. In wholesale generation, they do burn fuel (carbon emissions), but they are quick to get started and quick to shut down so a good alternative when there are shortfalls in the National Grid. For and against

  13. #338
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Natural and unlimited heat, not generated by the sun but from the earth. Only a matter of time.

  14. #339
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    Natural and unlimited heat, not generated by the sun but from the earth. Only a matter of time.

    Geothermal is awesome tech, but only commercially available in a handfull of countries.

    Iceland is one such favourably predisposed.

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    Trump was great tonight on wind power. He alerted us all to the fact that wind turbines are known to kill "the birds" perhaps all the birds.

  16. #341
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    That doesn't take into account all the coal-fired power stations they are getting third world countries to build thanks to their "Belt and Owed" horror.

  18. #343
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    GMC HUMMER EV
    Got some attention (maybe reselling it?)……

    GM says preorders for its electric Hummer filled up in 10 minutes

    Reservations for the first edition of GM's new electric Hummer revealed Tuesday night filled up in 10 minutes, according to spokesperson Mikhael Farah.

    Driving the news: The page where you can plunk down $100 to reserve the $112,595 first edition, which arrives in late 2021, offers a waitlist. You can still reserve the less souped-up and less pricey versions going into production in 2022–2024.

    But we don't know exactly how many reservations they took and, by extension, how many of the expensive first editions GM plans to produce. The company isn't saying, offering only that thousands are on the waitlist.

    Our thought bubble: GM's refusal to disclose planned production volumes is likely a sign that the expensive, high-performance first edition is meant to build buzz and show off some technological concepts. It's probably not destined for high volume production.: GM says preorders for its electric Hummer filled up in 10 minutes - Axios

  19. #344
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    ^ Chances are that GM will be talking it up. Most of their products are shite.

    Hopefully these guys will kick their arse. Rivian

    Ford have already invested a $500 mil and Amazon $700 mil in Rivian

  20. #345
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by aging one View Post
    Trump was great tonight on wind power. He alerted us all to the fact that wind turbines are known to kill "the birds" perhaps all the birds.
    Probably because he read:

    The research shows that cats are the No. 1 killer by a long shot, racking in roughly 2.4 billion bird deaths each year, according to median estimates. Buildings take second, with nearly 600 million kills, and cars follow with nearly 200 million deaths.

    Wind turbines come in far behind power line collisions, communication towers and power line electrocutions with just over half a million avian deaths.
    Donald Trump, Windmills and the Truth About Bird Death | Politics | US News.

  21. #346
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by David48atTD View Post
    Eight 190 Watt panels facing North-West.
    how are they with hail storms ?

  22. #347
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    I’ve been on a few different electric bicycles and they can be fun. The Harley below might be hard to find in the rental shops even years from now. Shhhh,..they need a cover for the sprocket.

    Harley-Davidson officially spins off new electric bicycle company with stunning first model


    This is it. Harley-Davidson has been teasing us with the prospect of their own in-house electric bicycles for over two years. And today the bar-and-shield motorcycle manufacturer has finally announced its new dedicated electric bicycle brand known as Serial 1 Cycle Company.

    The brand’s name is an homage to the very first motorcycle ever built by Harley-Davidson in 1903, named “Serial Number One.”

    Back then, motorcycles were essentially just bicycles with a small engine placed in front of the pedals.

    And so it is fitting that the company’s first electric bicycle is a nod to that very first H-D motorcycle. Check out both in the video below to see how well they nailed the tribute.

    As Serial 1 Cycle Company’s brand director Aaron Frank explained in a statement provided to Electrek:

    When Harley-Davidson first put power to two wheels in 1903, it changed how the world moved, forever. Inspired by the entrepreneurial vision of Harley-Davidson’s founders, we hope to once again change how cyclists and the cycling-curious move around their world with a Serial 1 eBicycle.

    The new e-bike brand from H-D actually began life as a skunkworks project in Harley-Davidson’s Product Development Center.

    As the company explained, they began with “a small group of passionate motorcycle and bicycle enthusiasts working with a single focus to design and develop an eBicycle worthy of the Harley-Davidson name.”

    Ultimately, they decided along with H-D to spin off the brand into a dedicated electric bicycle company that could focus purely on delivering a premium e-bike product and experience.

    In addition to Aaron Frank, other major players from H-D’s in-house e-bike program that made the jump to Serial 1 Cycle Company include Jason Huntsman, president; Ben Lund, vice president; and Hannah Altenburg, lead brand marketing specialist.

    Serial 1 will officially debut its first electric bicycle models for consumers in March 2021. For now, the company is showing off its first prototype model, which the brand describes as “a styling exercise, not necessarily intended for mass production.”

    This prototype has been styled after that original 1903 Serial Number One motorcycle from Harley-Davidson. But interestingly, we can see that it shares the same frame as one of the original three electric bicycle prototypes that I spied last year at the 2019 EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show.

    That means that while this specific styling likely won’t see showroom floors, the bike it is based on very well may be here this spring.

    As we’ve previously seen, the design includes a mid-drive motor, a belt drive system that looks very much like a Gates Carbon Drive setup (which would make sense, as Harley-Davidson’s other belt-driven motorcycles including the all-electric LiveWire also uses belt drive systems from Gates), frame-integrated headlights and taillights, thru-axle wheel hubs, what appear to be Tektro dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes on 203 mm rotors, a Brooks leather saddle, and beautifully wrapped leather handgrips.

    I’m still left with many questions. Will these parts make it onto Serial 1 Cycle Company’s production models? What power level is the motor? What is the battery capacity? How much will the e-bikes cost?

    For these questions and more, we still have no answers. But at least now we have a better idea of when to expect answers, and who we will be receiving them from. Stay tuned, because as soon as Serial 1 has more details for us, we’ll be back to share them with you.: Harley-Davidson spins off new electric bicycle company Serial 1 Cycle Co


  23. #348
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    how are they with hail storms ?
    Been lucky thus far, over a decade on the roof and so far, sweet.

    But, you're right, a decent hail storm and they will be cactus.

    So far we've had the inverter replaced 4 times though, thankfully all under warranty.

  24. #349
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    GE's huge wind turbines to power 'world's biggest offshore wind farm'


    American manufacturing company General Electric (GE) will supply new wind turbines for a 1.2 gigawatt portion of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the world’s largest offshore wind farm that will help make renewable energy options accessible.

    Located in the northeast coast of the U.K., the Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture between companies SSE Renewables and Equinor, and is expected to be finished by 2026. GE will install their turbines in 2025.

    The turbine model GE will be supplying to Dogger Bank will be the Haliade-X, and the order will consist of a total of 190 units.

    “Dogger Bank C will use a 14 MW version of the Haliade-X, the most powerful offshore wind turbine in operation today,” John Lavelle, the President & CEO of Offshore Wind at GE’s Renewable Energy branch, said in a press release. “In doing so, this unique project will both continue to build on the UK's leadership in offshore wind and serve as a showcase for innovative technology that is helping to provide more clean, renewable energy.”

    GE’s Haliade-X reports a capacity factor — or the ratio of actual energy produced over the maximum possible output — of 60 to 64 percent, a reported five to seven points above the industry standard.

    Using power from a single turbine can save roughly 52,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of emissions generated by 11,000 vehicles annually.

    The Dogger Bank will be capable of powering up to 6 million homes by the time of completion.

    But what about the birds? : GE's huge wind turbines to power 'world's biggest offshore wind farm' | TheHill - https://twitter.com/Alpha_Bronze/sta...96690615132161

  25. #350
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Fusion is the way forward.
    Fusion could be a way forward once it becomes a viable option, until then, in combination with , wind, solar, and other renewables, I wish the politics that gave us dangerous nuclear and have driven it's cost to levels making it economically attractive, were reconsidered.
    The well intended but misguided IMO activism against nuclear, played a big part in giving us expanded use of coal ,petrochemicals ,and global warming.
    The technology exists for safe, economical nuclear reactors,that produce little waste , and little danger .
    The red herring scare tactic was " nuclear waste will last for thousands of years" !! Yea because our technology of how to deal with them will remain static for the next 50, 100 years or..............

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