Yip! Money makes the world go round...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagwan
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Yip! Money makes the world go round...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagwan
You've overlooked the most pertinent point. None of the currently available alternatives are economically competitive with fossil fuel. Nor are most of them competitive from a daily practical point either. Change that equation and it won't make any difference what Big Oil wants.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagwan
It's because of economies of scale. Alternatives are still expensive because their market share is a fraction of the traditional power sources. Once they increase their cost of sale factors decrease dramatically.Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
It's big oil that's got you believing all that , though .Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
That's the propaganda machine at work .
For example , the poop I mentioned earlier(and not just poop , but any other compostable materials) could be providing more than enough natural gas to fuel the world .
The are already many examples of this already happening in rudimentary ways in some countries we like to call "third world" .
I've seen pictures of a toilet with a big tank , built with a mud brick collector on top , which funnelled the gas into a pipe , which heated the home .
Now , granted , it was in a warm climate , but it made a huge difference in many ways .
Of course , firstly , it heated the home when it was needed .
Secondly , it dealt with the sanitary issue of where it all goes , so to speak .
And thirdly , it all went to the fields afterwards , where it belongs , to grow more food to complete the cycle .
You don't need to "frack" when it's all right here on the surface .
But , you see , if you were big oil , and could see that every town and city , and even , every country house with a septic tank , has the inate capacity to be independent , if they could just poop , it might just scare the poop right out of you .
People with dirt floors use it .
So , big oil comes to my area (the name's T. Boone Pickens , son) , and tries to put up wind turbines , to enable the natural gas plants to be justified . And big oil looks green on the surface , while the gas flows in the background .
And , all the while , the government lauds the efforts , using the photo op to green itself as well , leaving one wondering if they are complicit , or just naive .
Oil is the largest traded commodity on the planet .
The end of that scares them , and why wouldn't it ?
Nah, there are far more important things to worry about, like is the curry I had yesterday going to come back and haunt me today :p :Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagwan
My friend, I will be long gone when this happens. I have decided to have my ashes scattered between Perisher Valley and Charlotte Pass.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rudy Tamasz
Should your worry come true, then the energy solution suggested just above your post will solve the world's problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by 555-04Q2
:D :eek: :eek: :D
:laugh: :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
It's one thing which sets human society apart, the ability to use external energy sources be it, coal, oil, gas etc.
You forgot to mention "cocking things up" as another human trait :p :Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark
You have is somewhat backwards. China’s rapid development is a direct result of mass consumption by western countries, particularly North America and Europe. China is merely the supply of cheap commercial goods demanded by the West.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark
But the consumption of those goods is giving rise to rapid economic development in China, with massive increases in the use of motor cars for example.
Only the second person I know that understands how it works!Quote:
Originally Posted by schmenke
Yes, but that is following the initial pattern mentioned by schmenke. It was an inevitable development in the chain of things :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark
The problem with hydrogen is that, although abundant, it is rarely available in its base element. It is invariably locked up in other materials, such as water, requiring large energy input to extract it.Quote:
Originally Posted by BleAivano
Quote:
Originally Posted by edv
The source of fresh water for several billion people is quickly diminishing, without any viable alternative.
Yes, but if we started to desalinate sea water in more countries for consumption, there would be no problem with fresh water for a hell of a long time to come!Quote:
Originally Posted by schmenke
Enter China , with it's "Golden Sun" incentive program and you have the cost of solar panels suddenly into the realm of being a viable energy alternative .
They had a million plus households that didn't have , and couldn't easily be provided with electricity , so they helped start companies that built solar panels .
As a result , prices have dropped from as much as $15.00/watt to $1.50/watt in five or six years across the world .
Trina Solar are a sponsor on the Lotus Renault . That's how well they are doing .
China is the wild card here , as they have the power(pardon the pun) to do it their own way .
Yes, but desalination on a mass scale, typically done by reverse osmosis, requires a huge amount of energy, and is a very expensive process.Quote:
Originally Posted by 555-04Q2
Just be careful how/where you dump all the brine...
I'd be more concerned with dumping the byproduct of Baggy's proposal... :erm:
On-Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV)
The OLEV system doesn’t need charging stations because the vehicle is charged wirelessly in real time while running on the road. Since its battery capacity also is reduced to 20% of that of a typical pure electric vehicle, the OLEV is regarded as an enabling technology to speed up the commercialization of electric vehicles.
The OLEV technology was successfully applied and demonstrated in Seoul Grand Park by installing about 400m of power cables on 2.2km circular track and operating an OLEV tram. Furthermore, KAIST Wireless Power Transfer Research Center has decided to launch the electrification projects in Park City, Utah, United States and Kuala Lumpur Airport, Malaysia.
Is this a possible answer to charging station problems with electric cars... don't have any?
Sure, it's going to require a massive investment in infrastructure but it at least addresses the issue of transportabilty of energy.
Clarkson pointed out that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric, couldn't go very far on a charge but if it was constantly being charged whilst being driven - problem sorted.
True, but if everyone in the world was going to die due to a lack of fresh water, would we say to ourselves "well we will have to die then because it costs too much money to save ourselves"? I don't think so, when the chips are down there is always money to be found.Quote:
Originally Posted by schmenke
Elevate the water using a wind turbine , and use gravity for the reverse osmosis .Quote:
Originally Posted by 555-04Q2
That's a cute , throw away comment .Quote:
Originally Posted by schmenke
The byproduct of the poop is rich soil .
The only thing missing from the mix is a little poop to make it the perfect medium to grow the world's food .
Let's call it a second product .
The cost of that would far outweigh the cost of having charging stations. However you could see it working for the likes of public transport which follows set routes. However the cost of putting the cables under the road is a problem for cost and maintenance, better to have the wires overhead, and the easiest way to make sure the vehicle stays in line with the wires is to run it on tracks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
Perhaps, but reverse osmosis requires forcing sea water at high pressure through filters. I’m not convinced that gravity alone will provide sufficient pressure. Not to mention that likely hundreds of wind turbines would be required to power the pumps needed to move the huge amount of water.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagwan
Don't you have the old Beatty Pumper squeaking away in your area ?Quote:
Originally Posted by schmenke
That's all that was needed to elevate the water in the old days .
The old farm homesteads around here often have the relics still standing , and the remnants of the old water tanks as well .
Reverse osmosis is used in many home water filtration systems , and it is fed with water from the old standard , the water tower .
But then , if you don't believe in gravity , then , well , I'm not sure what to say .
You do realize most of the nations of Western Europe and developed world are not having enough kids even to replace themselves? The only reason most nations are growing at all is massive influxes of immigrants from places like India, the Middle East and all of THOSE people within a generation will likely do what we are doing. Not have enough kids to replace themselves....Quote:
Originally Posted by 555-04Q2
Technology and democracy in First world nations are bringing the planet population control, the problem is poorer nations are going to have lots of kids because if you are farming in a low tech manner, you need workers...hence all the kids.
Stop making sense now....this is the biggest myth going. That BIG oil wants to supress good ideas. The fact is, they likely are working on new technologies themselves. They may not want to give up selling us oil, and wont have to, but don't be foolish kids, they are working on the next big thing as well. The other reality is other multinational giants would love to take some of the money going to big oil. You think General Electric, Boeing, the Car Makers and utility companies wouldn't love to find a working electric car that kicks ass? Safer nuclear reactor systems? How about plastics companies such as Dupont finding cheaper ways to make their product? Oil is so cheap relatively to where it will have to be before WE are begging to get off the treadmill that there is no urgency yet. As the oil prices rise above inflation, the market will be there for alternatives and people will find ways to fill it. That is the capitalist system, and the oil companies will not be able to stop it....Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
Yes we know the West is pretty much stable with regards to population growth. But areas like Africa, India etc are ballooning at ridiculous growth rates. I still can't fathom why anyone would want so many bloody kids :crazy:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
Basically from a survival point of view you want your offspring to survive you. However when there is a high chance many of them won't make it into adulthood, you want to have more kids as just having 1 or 2 is too risky, as they might not survive.
But the main problem is that this isn't thought about logically, it's ingrained into culture and cultural norms and expectations. So even when infant mortality is low, it takes society a long time to catch up with not having quite as many children.
I'm not sure those kids are really wanted. They just happen to be born because their parents either are too uneducated to think of contraception or belong to a culture where contraception is forbidden.Quote:
Originally Posted by 555-04Q2
And so it comes to pass ;) BBC News - South Korean road wirelessly recharges OLEV busesQuote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
agreed and the previous popes and the vatican have been a big cause to it as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo
Were they influent in Africa and India? :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by BleAivano
Some places in Africa, yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo
Beyond logic and certain cultures I think it's great to have a large family....Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark
yes they are/were:Quote:
Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo
Roman Catholicism in Africa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catholic Church by country - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia