The Environment Thread

[JCon]

With the anti-science, alt-right now controlling the US gov't through the SC, you can expect environmental laws to be struck down left and right. It's a free for all down south on murdering our planet for profit. 

 

[Tracker]

3 hours ago, JCon said:

With the anti-science, alt-right now controlling the US gov't through the SC, you can expect environmental laws to be struck down left and right. It's a free for all down south on murdering our planet for profit. 

 

There is some reason for optimism regrading the SCOTUS. Firstly, it has emerged that Justice Clarence Thomas has comitted perjury several times and can be impeached, leaving the door open for a progressive, and the Democrats are actively considering an 18 year term limit for justices, which would remove another judge or two. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

17 minutes ago, Tracker said:

the Democrats are actively considering an 18 year term limit for justices, which would remove another judge or two. 

Is that retroactive?

[Tracker]

Just now, wanna-b-fanboy said:

Is that retroactive?

An open question, but I think so.

[Mr Dee]

 

[Wideleft]

NOVEMBER 19, 20208:32 PMUPDATED 18 HOURS AGO

China-led shift to electric vehicles to help end 'oil era': study

By Reuters Staff

 

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - An aggressive China-led shift to electric vehicles is expected to slash global oil demand growth by 70% by 2030 and will help bring an end to the “oil era”, according to research by the Carbon Tracker think tank published on Friday.

Within 10 years, China could save more than $80 billion in annual oil import costs as new-energy vehicles (NEVs) become increasingly competitive, Carbon Tracker said.

Its calculations were based on a “conservative” scenario by the International Energy Agency projecting that electric vehicles would account for 40% of China’s total car sales by 2030, and for 20% of sales in India and other emerging markets.

The cost of importing the oil required to fuel an average car is 10 times higher than the cost of solar equipment required to power an electric vehicle, Carbon Tracker said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-environment-autos-idUSKBN280094?taid=5fb76849f7584a000150113c&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

[Wideleft]

I've heard about a number of "Super Battery" technologies, but this one seems to top them all:

How Could Nano-Diamond Batteries Revolutionize Power Generation?

Researchers have claimed that nano-diamond batteries could last for 28,000 years. Such batteries would not only be beneficial to the world of electric cars and mobile phones, but their application would also be useful in aerospace and medical technology. This article discusses the development, commercialization, and application of novel nano-diamond batteries.

In 2016, at the annual lecture of the Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, researchers, for the first time, demonstrated a novel technology that could use nuclear waste to generate energy. They named their product “diamond batteries”. In 2020, a California-based startup company, NDB, has developed a highly efficient nano-diamond battery that could last up to 28,000 years without charging. This battery is also based on the utilization of nuclear waste. 

Diamond Batteries

Commonly available electricity-generation technologies utilize energy for moving a magnet via a coil of wire to produce a current. However, the diamond battery can generate current when placed close to a radioactive source. A team of researchers from the University of Bristol has developed a human-made diamond. This material can generate a low electrical power when put under the influence of a radioactive field. 

The researchers at the Cabot Institute have used Nickel-63 as a radioactive source for demonstrating a prototype 'diamond battery'. The radioactive source is encapsulated inside a diamond to produce a nuclear-powered battery. However, the team envisioned using radioactive carbon-14 to obtain a battery with greater efficiency. Tom Scott, Professor in Materials at the University of Bristol, explained the advantages of the technology. He said that this technology would involve the long-term production of clean energy from nuclear waste and not require any maintenance as there are no moving parts or emissions.

Development of Nano-Diamond Batteries by NDB

In 2020, NDB announced two proof-of-concept tests conducted at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. As stated above, the nano-diamond battery from the NDB used nuclear waste to generate power. The radioactive core is protected with multiple layers of synthetic diamonds or polycrystalline diamond.

The polycrystalline diamond is an exceptionally thermally conductive material. This material also can contain the radiation within the device. The use of a polycrystalline diamond makes the nano-diamond battery immensely tough and tamperproof.

Technologies behind the development of nano-diamond batteries that ensure radiation, thermal, and mechanical safety are discussed below:

• Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV) is a device that consists of a semiconductor. Individual units are connected to form a stack arrangement and fabricated to create a positive and negative contact surface analogous to a standard battery system. This design improves the system's overall efficiency, which includes the generation of a substantial amount of electricity and a multi-layer safety shield for the product. 
• All radioactive isotopes can produce high amounts of heat energy. A single crystalline diamond (SCD) in the DNV unit and the strategic placement of radioactive source between the DNV units prevents self-absorption of heat by the radioisotope. 
• NDB technology has utilized alpha, beta, and neutron radiations using boron-10 doping, helping to convert the extra neutron into the alpha ray. This design also enables the rapid conversion of radiation to usable electricity.
• The advanced flexible structural design enables it to take any shape based on its application. This feature makes NDB extremely market-friendly.
• The utilization of radioactive waste is a subject that many have not researched. NDB uses radioactive waste and reuses them by reprocessing and recycling. This technology ensures sustainability and gives rise to a clean energy source, and Achieving this has the added advantage of ensuring environmental safety.

• Researchers believe that this technology would reduce the costs and challenges of storing nuclear waste in the most useful form. NDB envisioned the coexistence of innovation and restoration of a healthy environment. Implementing their innovative technology would improve the standards of living and pave the way towards the development of eco-friendly, green, and sustainable energy.

  Applications of Nano-Diamond Batteries

• Automotive: This battery could bring about a revolution in the world of electric cars. Researchers believe that this technology will benefit the electric car industry due to its immense longevity and efficiency, unlike any other existing batteries. 

  Medical Technology: These batteries could immensely contribute to medical devices, especially implantable devices, for example, pacemakers and hearing aids. The long battery life of nano-diamond batteries would be extremely beneficial for patients using such medical implants.

• Aerospace: Recent advancements in space technology include electric aircraft development that has created the demand for batteries with longevity and safety. Space vehicles and satellites are currently supported by solar power, which is subjected to an unsettling space environment. NDB powers electric aircraft, drones, and space stations for a more extended period.

  Electronics: The use of NDB for powering standard electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones negates the need to charge such devices continually. NDB claims the use of their product would benefit the consumers by providing them with power outlet independent devices and increasing personal quantum computing and the device’s computational power.

  Defense: NDB can be used in surveillance systems and electronics.

• The Future of Nano-Diamond Batteries

  As our day to day life is heavily dependent on mobile battery-powered devices, there is a rapid increase in the demand for efficient and cost-effective batteries. Conventional batteries have several concerns that include global warming and waste accumulation. The nano-diamond batteries overcome these limitations of conventional batteries in terms of longevity and widespread applications. Dr. John Shawe-Taylor, University College of London, stated that this technology could be the solution to the world's energy crisis with 'close to zero environmental impact and energy transportation costs.'

  The team at NDB announced that the first commercial prototype battery would be available later this year. They further expressed the high demand for their product by stating that many organizations, including aerospace companies and a leader in nuclear fuel cycle products, are lined up as customers.

• https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5591

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/un-fossil-fuel-production-1.5824858

Quote

The world's governments plan to produce more than double the amount of coal, oil and gas in 2030 than would be consistent with curbing global warming, the United Nations and research groups said on Wednesday in the latest warning over climate change.

Some of the largest fossil fuel producers in the world, including Australia, China, Canada and the United States, are among those pursuing major expansions in fossil fuel supply.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries have committed to a long-term goal of limiting average temperature rise to below 2 C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it even further to 1.5 C. The United States is expected to rejoin the agreement when Joe Biden becomes president on Jan. 20.

This requires fossil fuel production decreasing by around six per cent per year between 2020 and 2030.

Instead, countries are planning and projecting an average annual increase of two per cent, which by 2030 would result in more than double the production consistent with the 1.5 C limit, the report said.

Between 2020 and 2030, global coal, oil, and gas production would have to fall annually by 11 per cent, four per cent, and three per cent respectively to be consistent with a 1.5 C pathway. But government plans and projections indicate an average two per cent annual increase for each fuel.

Claim to commit to one thing but then do the opposite. 

And the fact coal is still used to produce energy in the 21st century is actually absurd.

[Mark F]

u

43 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Claim to commit to one thing but then do the opposite. 

Governments can plan  to do this, but bases on what Ive read, it wont happen, article at forbes even oil companies are admitting we have reached peak oil demand.

"

COVID-19 has dried up growth in worldwide oil demand. And perhaps could reverse it. A new report from BP surmises that we may already have passed the point of Peak Oil demand. 

Only a year ago, BP was assuming that oil demand would grow at least until the 2030’s. Now, with BP’s 2020 Energy Outlook(considered market leading analysis by many), the company is warning that oil demand may never outstrip the 2019 (consumption)"

 

renewable is cheaper.... this is one instance where the fabled market will work. trump tried to keep coal going... no longer possible.

maybe alberta provincial fantasy world will try to defy the world trend.

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Mark F

[Mark F]

https://interestingengineering.com/new-offshore-wind-turbine-to-power-a-house-for-2-days-with-a-single-spin?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

The new 13 MW turbine could soon produce 312 MWh in a day, 8% more than the previous 12-MW GE Haliade-X generated at the port of Maasvlakte-Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This turbine already set a global record by becoming the first one to ever produce 262 MWh of power in 24 hours, enough to supply 30,000 homes in the area.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Mark F

[FrostyWinnipeg]

 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/12/14/ecosia-now-a-default-search-engine-option-on-ios-ipados-macos

Ecosia is a search engine that promotes privacy first and plants trees around the world, and with Mondays updates, it is now available as a default search engine setting on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2263165-landmark-ruling-says-air-pollution-contributed-to-death-of-9-year-old/

[Tracker]

5 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2263165-landmark-ruling-says-air-pollution-contributed-to-death-of-9-year-old/

Nothing new here. Sarnia, Ontario in the 50's and 60's was referred to as "chemical valley" due to the high number of refineries and chemical plants. The number of kids that contracted COPD (formerly known as asthma ) was 10-20 times higher than the national average and rare cancers appeared there as well. My wife grew up    there and suffers from it as well as frequent bouts of bronchitis and even pneumonia.  She has also had two occurrences of cancer, which she has beaten, thank God. We all cannot live up upstream.

[Mark F]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/25/global-ice-loss-accelerating-at-record-rate-study-finds

 

The melting of ice across the planet is accelerating at a record rate, with the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets speeding up the fastest, research has found.

The rate of loss is now in line with the worst-case scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading authority on the climate, according to a paper published on Monday in the journal The Cryosphere.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/tundra-buggy-to-go-electric-573669652.html

[JCon]

 

 

 

[Bigblue204]

11 minutes ago, JCon said:

 

 

 

Better horribly ******* late then never i suppose.

[JCon]

10 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Better horribly ******* late then never i suppose.

They've gone all-in on EV. It's been quite the transformation in the last 12 months. 

[Bigblue204]

6 minutes ago, JCon said:

They've gone all-in on EV. It's been quite the transformation in the last 12 months. 

20 years ago I would have been impressed. Today? It's nothing but changing with the market. There's no responsibility behind this decision besides the ones to their share holders. But like I said, better super super super late then never.

[blue_gold_84]

17 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

20 years ago I would have been impressed. Today? It's nothing but changing with the market. There's no responsibility behind this decision besides the ones to their share holders. But like I said, better super super super late then never.

This. GM was way, way ahead of the curve back in late 90s with its revolutionary EV1 but GM's own shortsightedness at the time, coupled with influence from the fossil fuel industry* on the US gov't, ultimately led to its demise. GM could've been a global leader in electric vehicles but greed snuffed out that possibility.

GM only put its foot in its mouth further by pretending it made the right call back then (after Who Killed the Electric Car was released), until Rick Wagoner admitted he'd made a mistake by canceling the EV1, albeit in hindsight. For that, I say **** General Motors.

* based on fear and stupidity, IMO

[Tracker]

You may not know that in the 1920's, Los Angeles had a widespread fully functional electric bus system. GM bought it and then shut it down, leading to a proliferation of automobiles and triggering a massive urban sprawl.

[Mark F]

DETROIT - In about three years, Navistar plans to start selling low-emission hydrogen-powered heavy trucks under a partnership with General Motors and a small distribution company called OneH2.

The venture announced Wednesday is an early commercial deployment of the technology in U.S. long-haul trucking. Navistar hopes it will start widespread use of hydrogen-electric trucks, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions that come from burning diesel fuel.

GM will provide fuel cell “power cubes” to Navistar, while OneH2 will set up fueling stations either by trucking hydrogen to terminals or through small hydrogen generation units, the companies said in a statement.

800 k range 15 minute refill for sale 2024. 

next... farm machinery.

https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/business-technology-alternative-and-sustainable-energy-products-and-services-fuel-cell-technology-bcc25797d37d1e1636e42383f425a510

[pigseye]

46 minutes ago, Mark F said:

DETROIT - In about three years, Navistar plans to start selling low-emission hydrogen-powered heavy trucks under a partnership with General Motors and a small distribution company called OneH2.

The venture announced Wednesday is an early commercial deployment of the technology in U.S. long-haul trucking. Navistar hopes it will start widespread use of hydrogen-electric trucks, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions that come from burning diesel fuel.

GM will provide fuel cell “power cubes” to Navistar, while OneH2 will set up fueling stations either by trucking hydrogen to terminals or through small hydrogen generation units, the companies said in a statement.

800 k range 15 minute refill for sale 2024. 

next... farm machinery.

https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/business-technology-alternative-and-sustainable-energy-products-and-services-fuel-cell-technology-bcc25797d37d1e1636e42383f425a510

I believe the future is in HFC's but they still don't work when it's too hot or too cold (-30 forget it) and you better not get a spark where it don't belong, remember the Hindemburg!!!!

[Tracker]

5 minutes ago, pigseye said:

I believe the future is in HFC's but they still don't work when it's too hot or too cold (-30 forget it) and you better not get a spark where it don't belong, remember the Hindemburg!!!!

I seem to recall that in Sweden, when they tested hydrogen tanks but for cold weather,  they installed a low-output electric  heater on the outside of the tank(s) to keep the contents from gelling.