Returning With Great News via Mr Stefan P M Chantrel of the Fraunhofer Institute - The European Power Sector in 2019

I have not been very active with this blog in recent years, and that was something that I decided to remedy. Friends who have been following my efforts from way back when I started writing here, told me that I was crazy to let something that they had come to enjoy, die. And then came a stimulus that I am grateful for. I connected on LinkedIn with a number of experts whose help I plan on taking to revive a much needed initiative from 2006 or so. I reached out to some of my new LinkedIn connections for help with information. That came immediately! The world of Energy Research scientists is a very supportive one, and I have to sincerely thank Mr Stefan P Chantrel of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research in Freiburg, Germany, for this and several of the forthcoming posts here. He has given me a treasure-trove of information to post, and I hope to do this carefully, and after reading through the very interesting links that he was kind in compiling for me. I must also give credit to the scientists at Agora Energiewende in Germany and at the Ember Coal to Clean Energy Policy think tank in the UK for the report that Mr Chantrel has so kindly provided. I cannot recommend reading this brilliantly compiled report on the European electricity / power sector enough. There is powerful momentum on the European continent towards moving away from traditional fuels to renewable energy, and that is the transition that the transition that the two bodies involved in producing this report have worked hard to map. What blew me away was the fact that coal's share in generation in the EU shrank by 24% in 2019. That is nearly a quarter less coal burned on this huge continent in just one year! While industrial emissions declined only slightly, overall emissions are declining rapidly in a Europe that now generates 35% of it's electricity via Renewables. This is a longish report, certainly, but it is fascinating reading and is beautifully presented for both technical and non technical readers. Most of the information included is very positive, and it certainly warms the heart of a blog that is aimed at Showing Fossil Fuels the Fist. There is a little disappointment over Biomass generation, because my company has long been looking for appropriate biomass gasification technologies for our own use in Europe, but then, you can bet that there are some very enthusiastic and brilliant geniuses working away on something that we shall soon have good news about. Keep checking us out, and please comment / write in. If you would like to communicate privately like some friends prefer, that is also most welcome. Best wishes, and happy reading!

An Excellent Electric Car Review Channel

When I started this blog about eleven years ago, there were a smattering of cheap electric scooters available, and the only electric cars sold were Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, effectively fancified golf carts built for driving inside gated communities. How much the world has changed since then! A new carmaker called Tesla Motors introduced a little convertible based on a Lotus sportscar followed by a sedan and several other models, and while the company has still not become profitable, it has a cult following that could ensure it's survival. On the other hand, Tesla's opening broadside met a response at the lower priced end of the car model spectrum from Nissan-Renault and General Motors. There are more than a dozen new manufacturers of electric cars now, some legacy manufacturers, some startups, and some old names revived by investors from China for the major part. If you are interested / considering buying an electric car, the selection is big enough to bewilder all but the most diehard electric-mobility enthusiast. Fortunately, several entrepreneurs have come forward with dedicated electric vehicle reviews for the public, and in my opinion, Driving Electric is easily the best of the currently available efforts. The lady who reviews cars for this channel has a practical approach that will appeal to the vast majority of buyers: enough technical details to hold your interest while ignoring the silly "my favorite brand is better than..." arguments on some other channels, combined with a fantastic analysis of what it would be like to live with each model that she reviews. There is a practical approach minus the bulls**t that you get on some other channels, that is especially appreciable. Do check it out, and let the hard working people who put a lot of effort into this channel, what you think.

Sometimes, You Come Across Assholes - It is Good to See Them Fail

There is always an exception to the rule - a cheap shit entrepreneur who believes that he has the sole solution to some issue that deserves to have attention paid to it. This jerk is doomed to flop - my Zero motorcycle costs way less than his contraption, and it will do highway speeds for short hops without difficulty. For longer runs, you can buy a Chevy Bolt for not much more than his glorified bicycle. The idiot also has an attitude that makes it worthwhile rooting for him to fail. It will be good watching this outfit collapse.

Iceland's Ice Wind Uses an Ancient Wind Turbine Design to Power Cellphone Towers

Ice Wind's website is interesting: http://icewind.is/en/ Several countries have struggled to deal with the costs of the diesel that they currently use to power cellphone towers in remote areas. In some cases, solar panels have worked, but they use a lot more land than the Ice Wind turbine design does. This VAWT Savonius design does look like the wind turbine design of the future.

Bringing Rotor-Sails Back on Conventional Cargo Ships

An old German technology from the 1920s is now being revived both in the country of it's birth, as well as in Finland. I like the idea of rotor sails to supplement conventional propulsion and reduce fuel consumption, but cannot help wondering if this tech will be beaten in overall efficiency and costs by the Dyna-Rig.

An Important Reason to Use More Solar and Wind Power - Dwindling Water Supplies for Cooling

Wartsila, one of the world's most important generation system manufacturing companies, points out a huge problem facing conventional generation systems around the world - dwindling water supplies for cooling. This is especially important in the case of nuclear power and in coal fired thermal powerplants. While locating powerplants on the coast in order to use sea water for cooling would help to some extent, the problem would be in investments, maintenance and more in supplying the electricity generated deep inland in different parts of the world. The problem becomes worse in capital-short countries like India that have huge problems with power. The solution, then, is to use localized sources of energy that do not require water for cooling, which means wind and solar power. Wind energy is not cheap, and it may not be practical everywhere. In regions that receive more than 4 hours of sunlight for 325+ days a year, current solar PV prices are certain to help. There would also be a need for smart grids to integrate the solar / wind power with whatever baseload source is used, but that is something that could be addressed when the wind / solar generating systems are being installed. PS I do know that water use could be reduced by using sodium or other coolants, but have to wonder about the added complexity and costs involved.

The Hyperloop As a High Speed Transportation System That Avoids Fossil Fuel Use

There are many articles on the internet about the proposed Hyperloop, as Tesla Motors's Chairman Elon Musk calls it. Popular Mechanics mooted the idea in the 1950s, but Musk is to be commended for reviving it, even though he isn't building a Hyperloop train himself. As this blog titles itself "Showing Fossil Fuel the Fist," the angle of reducing fossil fuel use is what makes the Hyperloop most interesting. Unlike aircraft that cannot fly without fossil fuels at today's state of the art, the Hyperloop could easily be powered by nuclear power, or bywind, solar, or other non fossil power. The ability to travel at near aircraft speeds with no fossil fuel being used in larger numbers than are typical for today's airliners, is a most interesting prospect. This blog hopes that the various teams building hyperloop trains will succeed beyond their wildest expectations!

US and UK Firms Join Hands to Work on Small and Modular Nuclear Reactors

It is interesting how US and British firms are now working hard to bring SMRs to the market, with a UK Pounds 250 million grant available from the British government to a company that could demonstrate capabilities in this area. I know from talking to a relative who is a scientist with the Indian Atomic Energy Commission, that Russia and India are working on modifying a nuclear submarine / aircraft carrier engine to achieve the same results. It will be interesting to see where these experiments go, because they will help expand electric mobility substantially in areas where solar or wind energy may not be easy to tap. Watch this space!

A Great Product If Your Home Has a Solar Roof

Popular Mechanics calls this a "generator," though it is a very advanced rechargeable battery pack, and does not generate electricity, itself. That, though, does not alter the fact that a home with a solar roof could charge this pack quite efficiently, especially in the US sun belt, or in countries that enjoy exposure to sunlight for much of the year. The initial price of this pack is high. But then, once you buy it, if your home does have a solar roof, you will not have to spend any money for the life of the pack. Ditto for states like Texas that have highly efficient wind power systems, and where utilities offer free electricity at night. Plug it in when you have free electricity, and use it when the billing cycle starts . . .

Congratulations, Philippines!

Congratulations, Philippines! The largest commercial solar rooftop array in the world, deserves kudos!

Brazilian University Email Hacked by a Mugu Son of a Diseased Whore: iciccricket@consultant.com

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Nigerian Mugu Lump of Pig Shit Uses a Hacked Australian Realtor's Email: barralexamos@outlook.com

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Scamming Lump of Pig-Shit From Los Angeles IP: 155.94.226.58 Hacks Brazilian University Email

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Parcel Scamming Indian Son of a Pig-Fucked Whore from IP 103.225.206.134 in Sikar Rajasthan

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CA Lumps of Shit Enable Grove City College Email Hackers in Panama: www.mspashopper.com

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Courtesy Business Insider: Canadian Foot Powered Washing Machine

Business Insider has a lovely feature on a canadian company's design for a foot powered washing machine. This lovely little invention could be used to save electricity, and it should also help keep fit if you have multiple loads of clothes to wash. The Yirego website has ordering information, as well as a video. These guys are remarkably inventive and deserve kudos. Do check them out.

New Solar Desalination Tech for Drinking Water in Desert Regions

Desert countries especially in the Middle East, have major problems supplying drinking water to both their own subjects, and to foreign workers. The past trend has been to use combined cycle gas or crude derived fuel in a power generation and desal plant. This new technology described by the Inhabitat blog, offers a much cleaner, much more environmentally friendly alternative. I am not sure of the costs involved, but, with solar power becoming cheaper by the day, and with the deserts being a venue for abundant sunlight for as many as 12 hours a day, the Solar Cucumber technology should have very interesting potential.

If you're Interested in Submitting an Abstract for Solar 2015

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Reduced Oil Consumption in the US is a Fantastic Development

Whatever the analyses might conclude - though Bloomberg typically does not say anything conclusive about why US oil consumption is sliding, beyond making some guesses - this is a great development. What is even more significant is the fact that a proper study of what is happening in the US, might have answers for the rest of the world, especially countries like India and China, where oil and gas use is on the increase. It is particularly interesting how Bloomberg are dismissive of nuclear energy, while China rushes ahead to build as many new nuclear powerplants as it can, and India tries to work with foreign nuclear powerplant suppliers and works at fighting its own anti-nuclear activists' propaganda. In any case, the US has a lot of knowledge that it could use to help the rest of the world become more efficient with how it uses fossil fuels. It will be interesting to see how this happens - some entrepreneur WILL take the challenge up in the years ahead.

Sailships are back - Hooray!

My friends know how big an advocate I am of bringing sailships back especially as cargo carriers. There was a time in the 70s when the then oil crisis prompted thinking in this direction, but, these days, environmental and cost concerns in a time of plentiful oil are forcing a renewed interest in this area. The Smart Planet website has this link to a Businessweek article which describes a new generation of "clippers" being designed by Rolls Royce and B9 Shipping to design a thoroughly modern sailship capable of carrying "4500 MT of cargo." From the drawings on the page, it looks like these would be Dyna Rig equipped container carriers, "augmented by Biomethane engines." I personally feel that the ideal place to put sails (and even Sky Sails) would be on oil tankers. Oil is still going to be sold, and it will have to be shipped by sea. Oil tankers are enormous and they would have a lot of room to put more masts up for an even larger Dyna-Rig system. There would be no need to have winches or grabs on an oil tanker, which would make it even easier to install just such a system on them. Shipping is a very conservative industry, though, and it will take a while to bring these old designs (albeit in a thoroughly modernized form) back.