General energy news

[PMZ]

Toyota Honda and others are offering hydrogen fuel celled electric cars this

next year

ends the battery problem that most consumers do not like

Except those of us who own them anyway.

Hard to understand people throwing away twice as much on gasoline, as they need to, waiting for perfect technology.

I expect that every new car that I buy from now on will be substantially different technology.

 

[jon_berzerk]

Toyota Honda and others are offering hydrogen fuel celled electric cars this

next year

ends the battery problem that most consumers do not like

Except those of us who own them anyway.

Hard to understand people throwing away twice as much on gasoline, as they need to, waiting for perfect technology.

I expect that every new car that I buy from now on will be substantially different technology.

as long as i can refill it quick and fast

and get at least a couple of hundred miles at a go

oh and have heat

i am all for it

 

[PMZ]

Except those of us who own them anyway.

Hard to understand people throwing away twice as much on gasoline, as they need to, waiting for perfect technology.

I expect that every new car that I buy from now on will be substantially different technology.

as long as i can refill it quick and fast

and get at least a couple of hundred miles at a go

oh and have heat

i am all for it

Prius. Volt. Corolla hybrid. Civic hybrid. Lots of choice.

 

[jon_berzerk]

Hard to understand people throwing away twice as much on gasoline, as they need to, waiting for perfect technology.

I expect that every new car that I buy from now on will be substantially different technology.

as long as i can refill it quick and fast

and get at least a couple of hundred miles at a go

oh and have heat

i am all for it

Prius. Volt. Corolla hybrid. Civic hybrid. Lots of choice.

all dependent on fossil fuel

a no go

battery lives to short

another no go

 

[PMZ]

as long as i can refill it quick and fast

and get at least a couple of hundred miles at a go

oh and have heat

i am all for it

Prius. Volt. Corolla hybrid. Civic hybrid. Lots of choice.

all dependent on fossil fuel

a no go

battery lives to short

another no go

Using less fossil fuel is a necessary step towards no fossil fuels.

 

[ScienceRocks]

More nuclear and fusion would end co2 emissions.

 

[RGR]

I expect that every new car that I buy from now on will be substantially different technology.

as long as i can refill it quick and fast

and get at least a couple of hundred miles at a go

oh and have heat

i am all for it

I can do all of those things. And...when I don't require ALL OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME, I can motor around for months not even needing to stop in at the local extortion store to buy liquid fuels.

 

[RGR]

Prius. Volt. Corolla hybrid. Civic hybrid. Lots of choice.

all dependent on fossil fuel

a no go

battery lives to short

another no go

My battery in the Volt is working just fine. Just like the ones in the two hybrids I had before it. And "dependent" is relative....I can motor around for months and not need to fill my tank up. The good news in all of this is that, obviously, we have plenty of fossil fuels around, but as good alternatives become available, we can CHOOSE to not use them for doing something so stupid as random personal transport with such a valuable chemical feedstock.

 

[RGR]

Using less fossil fuel is a necessary step towards no fossil fuels.

BINGO!! Not only necessary, but COMPLETELY NATURAL. For example, most folks won't jump right from their 12 mpg F350 dually into a Prius...maybe they try out something like an F150 with ecoboost first, using half the fuel. Then they move on to a Fiesta, using half the fuel again. Then they realize that when it is nice in the summer, they can bicycle or ride a scooter, eliminating even the use of the cage for months at a time.

And then one day they can graduate! Electric Focus, C-Max, plugable Prius or Fusion, Volt, Leaf, the choices on how NOT to use liquid fuels are piling up pretty fast as of late.

 

[PMZ]

Using less fossil fuel is a necessary step towards no fossil fuels.

BINGO!! Not only necessary, but COMPLETELY NATURAL. For example, most folks won't jump right from their 12 mpg F350 dually into a Prius...maybe they try out something like an F150 with ecoboost first, using half the fuel. Then they move on to a Fiesta, using half the fuel again. Then they realize that when it is nice in the summer, they can bicycle or ride a scooter, eliminating even the use of the cage for months at a time.

And then one day they can graduate! Electric Focus, C-Max, plugable Prius or Fusion, Volt, Leaf, the choices on how NOT to use liquid fuels are piling up pretty fast as of late.

People seem oblivious to the undeniable fact that we are pioneers in a huge change for all mankind that will be going on for 100+ years. The more we do now the less traumatic the change will be, but no matter what we do, it will not be easy.

Many of us can do things today that actually save us money. But before it's over there will be a dent in everyone's wallet.

Humanity has been the beneficiary of a huge but temporary gift of low cost energy from the sun's past.

It's nearly over.

 

[ScienceRocks]

US Solar PV Pipeline Grows To 43 GW

The United States currently has in excess of 43 GW currently waiting in its solar PV project pipeline awaiting completion, up 7% during the past 12 months and — upon completion — enough to power 6 million US homes. Furthermore, where previously it was large projects sized over 100 MW that dominated the US PV pipeline, that has shifted, according to research done by NPD Solarbuzz, shifting to smaller projects up to 30 MW in size.

“The increase in new solar PV projects being planned or under construction is driving double-digit annual growth forecasts for PV adoption within the United States,” said Michael Barker, senior analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. “Large-scale PV projects exceeding 20 megawatts continue to dominate the pipeline, in terms of installed capacity, stimulated by state-based renewable portfolio mandates. Projects of all sizes have become increasingly viable, due to declines in solar PV system pricing in the past year.”

Read more at US Solar PV Pipeline Grows To 43 GW | CleanTechnica

 

[ScienceRocks]

Japan Attains 3.9 GW Of PV Installations Since FiT Introduction

Since Japan’s feed-in tariff (FiT) was introduced (July 2012), its solar photovoltaic generation capacity installed has amounted to 3.9 GW. In all, approximately 4.086 GW of renewable power generation capacity was added since July 2012, including solar, wind, small and medium-sized hydroelectric, biomass, and geothermal.

Solar accounted for 90% of the renewable energy capacity added in that time period, according to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), which sees this is an indication that its adoption of solar power is proceeding smoothly. 3.9 GW of growth over 16 months is at the top of the league. (This is an average of about a quarter of a GW per month).

Read more at Japan Attains 3.9 GW Of PV Capacity Since FiT Introduction

 

[jon_berzerk]

Prius. Volt. Corolla hybrid. Civic hybrid. Lots of choice.

all dependent on fossil fuel

a no go

battery lives to short

another no go

My battery in the Volt is working just fine. Just like the ones in the two hybrids I had before it. And "dependent" is relative....I can motor around for months and not need to fill my tank up. The good news in all of this is that, obviously, we have plenty of fossil fuels around, but as good alternatives become available, we can CHOOSE to not use them for doing something so stupid as random personal transport with such a valuable chemical feedstock.

My battery in the Volt is working just fine

im sure it is

for the first 40 miles

then it is done for the rest of the trip

until a several hour recharge

if it is good for you great

not for me though

im going to go with the hydrogen fuel cell

zero harmful emissions

does not use fossil fuels

refills as quick as a jack rabbit

the advantages of hydrogen/electric fuels

far out weigh the volt

 

[PMZ]

all dependent on fossil fuel

a no go

battery lives to short

another no go

My battery in the Volt is working just fine. Just like the ones in the two hybrids I had before it. And "dependent" is relative....I can motor around for months and not need to fill my tank up. The good news in all of this is that, obviously, we have plenty of fossil fuels around, but as good alternatives become available, we can CHOOSE to not use them for doing something so stupid as random personal transport with such a valuable chemical feedstock.

My battery in the Volt is working just fine

im sure it is

for the first 40 miles

then it is done for the rest of the trip

until a several hour recharge

if it is good for you great

not for me though

im going to go with the hydrogen fuel cell

zero harmful emissions

does not use fossil fuels

refills as quick as a jack rabbit

the advantages of hydrogen/electric fuels

far out weigh the volt

Your choice. Enjoy it.

 

[RGR]

Humanity has been the beneficiary of a huge but temporary gift of low cost energy from the sun's past.

It's nearly over.

If by "nearly over" you mean "we've only used 1/6 of the stuff we can build gasoline with" then okay…sure. But it took us more than a century to go through the first 1/6, that other 5/6 laying around might look "temporary" but "temporary" will reach well beyond your lifetime, or mine.

 

[RGR]

My battery in the Volt is working just fine

im sure it is

for the first 40 miles

Yup. And fortunately, in America where 75% of folks are commuting less than 40 miles a day, this isn't just a touchdown, its a win!

And this is good.

then it is done for the rest of the trip

Yup. Which is why it only solves the commuting problem for 75% of Americans. The other 25% should KNOW better than to live far away from work, it WASTES fuel!

im going to go with the hydrogen fuel cell

zero harmful emissions

does not use fossil fuels

refills as quick as a jack rabbit

the advantages of hydrogen/electric fuels

far out weigh the volt

You know what they make the hydrogen from, right? Mostly natural gas. Sorry about your dreams of not using fossil fuels.

 

[PMZ]

Humanity has been the beneficiary of a huge but temporary gift of low cost energy from the sun's past.

It's nearly over.

If by "nearly over" you mean "we've only used 1/6 of the stuff we can build gasoline with" then okay…sure. But it took us more than a century to go through the first 1/6, that other 5/6 laying around might look "temporary" but "temporary" will reach well beyond your lifetime, or mine.

We have used up all of the affordable to obtain supply of fossil fuels. We are working down the back side of the supply curve while developing countries are driving demand to record levels every year.

I don't have that many years left but it is going to take 100+ years to completely retool the entire energy system to sustainable. I personally think much longer. It takes nearly 20 years to design, permit, construct and commission one nuke plant.

So doing more nothing will be catastrophic to civilization.

 

[PMZ]

My battery in the Volt is working just fine

im sure it is

for the first 40 miles

Yup. And fortunately, in America where 75% of folks are commuting less than 40 miles a day, this isn't just a touchdown, its a win!

And this is good.

then it is done for the rest of the trip

Yup. Which is why it only solves the commuting problem for 75% of Americans. The other 25% should KNOW better than to live far away from work, it WASTES fuel!

im going to go with the hydrogen fuel cell

zero harmful emissions

does not use fossil fuels

refills as quick as a jack rabbit

the advantages of hydrogen/electric fuels

far out weigh the volt

You know what they make the hydrogen from, right? Mostly natural gas. Sorry about your dreams of not using fossil fuels.

If you make hydrogen from natural gas the carbon in it ends up in the atmosphere just like burning it.

A better supply is the electrolysis of water using more electricity than is needed to power the same electric cars from batteries.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Citing Too Many Deaths From Air Pollution, Polish City Says Goodbye To Coal

From the years 1038 to 1569, the ancient city of Krakow was known as the capital of Poland. In 2000, it became known as the official European Capital of Culture. Now, it known for having some of the most polluted air in Europe.

This is largely because of emissions from coal, a fuel that makes up about 90 percent of the country’s electricity. The majority — about 50 percent — of Krakow’s winter air pollution comes from coal-powered domestic stoves. The other half comes from traffic and power plants.

But despite winter fast approaching, Krakow has taken an unprecedented step of banning coal for the purpose of home-heating. On Monday, local Krakow officials voted to ban residential wood and coal-burning come 2018. As of now, 35,000 households in the central area of Krakow use coal for heating, according to the BBC.

“Hundreds of people are dying each year because of air pollution,” Deputy Marshal of the assembly Wojciech Kozak said in a statement. “This resolution is a precedent on a national scale, it will introduce many changes in Poland and the region.”

The vote was a partially a result of a two-year campaign by the Krakowski Alarm Smogowy, a human health advocacy group dedicated to improving air quality in the city. But they were not the only ones fighting against coal use and air pollution.

“People in Krakow actually hate coal,” Andrzej Gula, a campaigner for cleaner air in the city, told the BBC. “They know it is the major source of the problem, they are demanding that politicians do something about this.”

Citing Too Many Deaths From Air Pollution, Polish City Says Goodbye To Coal | ThinkProgress

 

[RGR]

We have used up all of the affordable to obtain supply of fossil fuels.

Bullshit. Or, if you prefer, a comment that even the 3rd grade level understanding of resources peak oilers employ would be embarrassed to make, and they are REALLY stupid.

We are working down the back side of the supply curve while developing countries are driving demand to record levels every year.

To which supply curve do you refer?

I don't have that many years left but it is going to take 100+ years to completely retool the entire energy system to sustainable. I personally think much longer. It takes nearly 20 years to design, permit, construct and commission one nuke plant.

So doing more nothing will be catastrophic to civilization.

Whoever confuses the transition happening all around us Americans as "nothing"? A decade ago I was forced to buy mid sized sedans that only got only 30mpg. Nowadays I can buy multiple forms of transport from multiple manufacturers that don't even NEED liquid fuels to transport my butt around town, and my newest mid sized car is returning 38mpg and isn't even broken in yet.

It is difficult to see change while it is happening all around us, and I suppose those who haven't been to a car dealership to see the transition laid out before joe consumer, or who hasn't driven through Kansas to see the horizon to horizon windmill construction, could be fooled into thinking nothing is happening.

But that is it…you are being fooled if you think a transition isn't already afoot, and some of us early adopters are quite happy with how much we can reduce our fossil fuel consumption without even a change in lifestyle, while saving money at the same time! And this is good! Please sir, don't throw me into the transition briar patch again!