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Post by mtrstudent on Jul 18, 2024 16:59:03 GMT
It was cheers 👍 I've seen more "ancient grains" or different types of bread in the supermarkets recently but they're always in the premium section. About £4-5 a loaf! Relying on a few commercial types seems dumb to me, maybe something in this collection will work out cheaper.
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Post by mtrstudent on Jul 18, 2024 17:07:20 GMT
Berkeley Earth project - "Globally, June 2024 was the warmest June since directly measured instrumental records began in 1850. It broke the previous record by 0.14 °C (0.25 °F), a relatively large margin clearly outside the range of the uncertainties." Really quite surprising that we're still smashing records given the El Nino wasn't very strong and it's gone. I expect this will be the last record month this year though. The UK's been avoiding it so far somehow. ![](https://berkeleyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Month_only_time_series_combined-1-1536x865.png)
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Post by iancransonsknees on Jul 18, 2024 20:19:38 GMT
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Post by mickeythemaestro on Jul 18, 2024 20:22:07 GMT
Yeah and the main culprits for that trend are now donning orange jackets asking that we give up oil now. Ffs...
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Post by mrcoke on Jul 19, 2024 8:19:59 GMT
Thanks for that. I am quite happy with the UK situation. It might be deduced that the UK has led the way and then slipped down the league table, but I am happy because: 1. Renewables is the long term solution - wind, solar, tidal, hydro, geothermal, etc. for most of our needs The UK has potential to produce more than any other country in Europe given our geographical position and a large proportion of our population are sitting on top of redundant coal mines, from which geothermal energy can be recovered.. 2. Conservation is another major area for growth - insulation, increased efficiency of use, batteries, turning renewable energy into hydrogen to replace natural gas and diesel, etc. 3. We are wise to take our time on nuclear: designs improve, there is fusion to be developed, "mini" small modular reactors, etc. I think some countries have created a huge legacy for future generations lumbered with decommissioning old reactors. I've not seen an assessment of what is the optimum amount of nuclear needed to meet base demand when the sun isn't shining and the is no wind. Has anyone else?
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Post by mtrstudent on Jul 21, 2024 16:59:43 GMT
Yeah and the main culprits for that trend are now donning orange jackets asking that we give up oil now. Ffs... I'm a fan of nuclear power especially in the UK when we're not on a volcano or tectonic rift or whatever. But what's gone wrong at Hinkley Point?? A mate used to work for one of the companies and he made it sound like there were just loads of fuckups in the build and they had to keep re-doing stuff. He moved onto submarine reactors though so I can't get any updates from him now. Hinkley Point is obscenely expensive and I thought maybe they'd learn from mistakes and do it cheaper next time, but I think I read something about how the companies wanted even more money and guarantees to build at Wylfa.
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Post by mtrstudent on Jul 21, 2024 17:02:10 GMT
Rising cooling demand to keep coal plants online this year, IEA says. "Global electricity demand is set to grow at its fastest pace in nearly 20 years this year, spurred by increasing demand for air conditioning as temperatures rise...The trend, expected to continue into 2025, will support ongoing use of coal power, even as renewable energy production increases" Well that's grand.
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Post by mickeythemaestro on Jul 21, 2024 17:05:27 GMT
Yeah and the main culprits for that trend are now donning orange jackets asking that we give up oil now. Ffs... I'm a fan of nuclear power especially in the UK when we're not on a volcano or tectonic rift or whatever. But what's gone wrong at Hinkley Point?? A mate used to work for one of the companies and he made it sound like there were just loads of fuckups in the build and they had to keep re-doing stuff. He moved onto submarine reactors though so I can't get any updates from him now. Hinkley Point is obscenely expensive and I thought maybe they'd learn from mistakes and do it cheaper next time, but I think I read something about how the companies wanted even more money and guarantees to build at Wylfa. Just Googled it and EDF reckon the cost overruns and delays are down to inflation, brexit and covid. Estimated completion date 2031. I'm no expert in this area whatsoever but it seems we missed the chance to do what the French did. That said never too late I don't suppose. We sure need cleaner energy and lots of it 👍
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Post by Davef on Jul 21, 2024 17:07:05 GMT
I see the completion of the Maldives' £600M+ airport expansion is nearing completion.
That's a lot of money to spend for an island that's apparently sinking and will be virtually uninhabitable in 25 years' time.
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Post by Northy on Jul 22, 2024 15:53:29 GMT
I see the completion of the Maldives' £600M+ airport expansion is nearing completion. That's a lot of money to spend for an island that's apparently sinking and will be virtually uninhabitable in 25 years' time. I'm not sure where you get your information from but I'd widen your search a bit. The Maldives have already started planning and implementing for what may happen, the difference of how much will go is between the 1.5c and 2.0c rise; they have already been pumping sand from the sea to form new compacted islands and have already built quite a few high rise blocks of flats, about 25 floors high, on them, and moving residents into them, and are continuing to build more islands for the 1/2 million residents to live on, also a Dutch design firm plans to build 5,000 floating homes on pontoons anchored in a lagoon across the capital, they are floating homes. So the new airport is not going to be a waste of money. They are doing something about what is going to happen to their islands, pumping sand, not sticking their head in it.
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Post by mtrstudent on Jul 22, 2024 16:01:34 GMT
Just Googled it and EDF reckon the cost overruns and delays are down to inflation, brexit and covid. Estimated completion date 2031. I'm no expert in this area whatsoever but it seems we missed the chance to do what the French did. That said never too late I don't suppose. We sure need cleaner energy and lots of it 👍 My mate wasn't working on it directly but he said something about needing to redo a bunch of pipes and repour concrete. I think maybe it was that project where the ground was too soggy or something as well? There's already a plant there so you feel like builders should have known if that was the case. Don't believe what I say though, I'm trying to dredge up memories from a pub night years ago! I just think engineering and construction are dead interesting and would like to know the story. Looks like they're shopping around the Wylfa site still.
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Post by Northy on Jul 23, 2024 6:50:22 GMT
Yeah and the main culprits for that trend are now donning orange jackets asking that we give up oil now. Ffs... I'm a fan of nuclear power especially in the UK when we're not on a volcano or tectonic rift or whatever. But what's gone wrong at Hinkley Point?? A mate used to work for one of the companies and he made it sound like there were just loads of fuckups in the build and they had to keep re-doing stuff. He moved onto submarine reactors though so I can't get any updates from him now. Hinkley Point is obscenely expensive and I thought maybe they'd learn from mistakes and do it cheaper next time, but I think I read something about how the companies wanted even more money and guarantees to build at Wylfa. A lot of things have delayed it, EDF have had similar problems in other countries like Finland, Covid, inflation, global supply chain issues, and there's a technical labour shortage as people left the industry after the lull following Fukushima, plus it's a new type of reactor and then the electromechanical systems installations had difficulties. EDF supply our energy at work, I'm a member of the Major Energy Users Council, my boss and a colleague were up at Blyth a couple of weeks ago looking at their offshore testing environments, quite impressive apparently.
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Post by mrcoke on Aug 13, 2024 9:39:59 GMT
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Post by elystokie on Aug 13, 2024 11:50:11 GMT
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Post by mtrstudent on Aug 13, 2024 12:28:08 GMT
Fucking love it. I knew you'd be on anything that hits both types of green 😂
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Post by mrcoke on Aug 16, 2024 10:30:06 GMT
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Post by mtrstudent on Aug 17, 2024 8:49:58 GMT
This is fantastic stuff. Dirty, noisy diesel sucks in cities. Every time I used to go down to London I'd end up blowing out chunks of grey snot at night. I went down to Reading for work recently and the bus system they've got is fantastic. A serious pity that SoT can't get something similar. £14/week unlimited rides and I used it 2+ times/day.
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Post by Vadiation_Ribe on Aug 17, 2024 20:38:29 GMT
Do you know much about why hydrogen seems to be being completely ignored when it comes to cars? Is it because the world's richest man has invested loads into electric cars? It isn't being completely ignored in cars. JLR, to name just one manufacturer I have dealings with, are investing heavily in hydrogen technology and see it replacing EVs in a couple of decades. The issue is that H2 requires extreme refrigeration to make it liquefy and therefore storable and pumpable at garages, which is costly in energy terms and potentially difficult to store and transport safely. Technically it is currently feasible but there is a large cost gap, just as there was with electric vehicles 20 years ago. That's come down year on year. EVs are expected to be cost equal with ICEs by 2025, especially as the second hand market for them takes off. That doesn't mean EVs won't bridge that gap until hydrogen becomes a viable fuel, nor that it's a 'green con'. Eek. I happened to click to a random page and saw that. Expected by who I wondered.
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Post by mtrstudent on Aug 17, 2024 21:13:23 GMT
It isn't being completely ignored in cars. JLR, to name just one manufacturer I have dealings with, are investing heavily in hydrogen technology and see it replacing EVs in a couple of decades. The issue is that H2 requires extreme refrigeration to make it liquefy and therefore storable and pumpable at garages, which is costly in energy terms and potentially difficult to store and transport safely. Technically it is currently feasible but there is a large cost gap, just as there was with electric vehicles 20 years ago. That's come down year on year. EVs are expected to be cost equal with ICEs by 2025, especially as the second hand market for them takes off. That doesn't mean EVs won't bridge that gap until hydrogen becomes a viable fuel, nor that it's a 'green con'. Eek. I happened to click to a random page and saw that. Expected by who I wondered. I've seen a few Mirai hydrogen cars around California. Toyota have invested a lot but to me batteries just make more sense. I think they'll win for cars. Hydrogen is just way more energy intensive. But as well as Toyota, it has natural gas companies on side pushing for it and that's a load of financial firepower.
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Post by iancransonsknees on Aug 19, 2024 5:40:24 GMT
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Post by Northy on Aug 19, 2024 6:40:15 GMT
that's pretty sad that its been going on for 10 years without getting started.
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Post by Northy on Aug 19, 2024 6:41:20 GMT
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Post by Northy on Aug 23, 2024 17:05:08 GMT
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Post by iancransonsknees on Sept 2, 2024 2:30:19 GMT
Playing at it. Say all the right things, no clue how to do it.
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Post by mtrstudent on Sept 2, 2024 2:34:38 GMT
Playing at it. Say all the right things, no clue how to do it. There's been tons of plans made etc through the CCC and other groups. Seems a waste not to just notice we have all those lying around. The Germans seem to have sorted out some of the big bureaucracy problems and installed a ton of renewables over the last couple of years. Can't see us getting any new nuclear reactors by 2030 (except Hinkley), so that sounds like a real challenge.
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Post by Northy on Sept 2, 2024 6:56:29 GMT
Playing at it. Say all the right things, no clue how to do it. There's been tons of plans made etc through the CCC and other groups. Seems a waste not to just notice we have all those lying around. The Germans seem to have sorted out some of the big bureaucracy problems and installed a ton of renewables over the last couple of years. Can't see us getting any new nuclear reactors by 2030 (except Hinkley), so that sounds like a real challenge. The smaller more local Rolls Royce units are the way to go.
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Post by mrcoke on Sept 2, 2024 9:22:36 GMT
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Post by mtrstudent on Sept 2, 2024 16:02:47 GMT
The reports all talked about transmission too, it sounds like it's crucial to solve? Over here in California there were headlines about how terrible things were back in 2022 (e.g. this one) and there's still some wasted solar (e.g. here), but I don't think it's as bad as some people make out because of batteries. In 2022 they had curtailed 8.9% and so far in 2024 it's... 8.9%. That's some waste but all the new panels have generated 30% more solar power than in 2022. They added more panels and got almost all of the additional power.
Some people on principle seem angry about the idea of wasting a single % but I think it's more important to weigh up all the costs and benefits and in that case there are ways around it. Offshore wind seems way harder to solve though, are the government pushing through enough network upgrades?
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Post by mtrstudent on Sept 2, 2024 16:12:02 GMT
They turned on all four instruments on ESA's EarthCARE satellite and they're working! I think the Doppler radar is particularly cool, it measures speeds of droplets and ice particles in clouds. From the ESA announcement, the picture on the left is a "normal" radar picture of a cloud and the one on the right is the new Doppler reading of particle movement. It's from a real cloud they measured in the first days, and it goes up to 14 km or 46,000', so way above normal flight heights
The right picture is exactly what we're used to seeing irl. Rain drops fall faster than snow crystals, so the lower bit where it's warmer is blue (falling faster) while the higher bit where it's all frozen is lighter colour (smaller speed). This data is eventually going to allow loads of science ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/800541/images/KYqg3pYeaerc5lD_P7BR.gif)
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Post by wannabee on Sept 3, 2024 17:46:41 GMT
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