Comment by areyouevenreal@lemm.ee on bUt BoTh SiDeS dA sAmE

Without hydrogen or battery storage how exactly do you want to store energy?

Until renewable energy inputs approach the base load, there’s nothing to store.

After that, hydrogen is an awful storage medium because it’s so permiable. Even if you’re focused on long term energy storage needs, sodium and nickel batteries are proving far more efficient than hydrogen cells. We’ve known that since the 90s, but continue to invest wasted billion after wasted billion in a dead end technology.

You were also decrying them spending money on battery storage. Yes there will be batteries needed if you want to implement large scale renewables, which it seems is happening even without subsidies. We need batteries for battery electric trains and cars too. Hydrogen isn’t necessarily good enough for grid storage, though maybe it could be one day. It seems it might be an option for vehicles in the cases where batteries don’t work such as in cold weather or for vehicles that need to travel great distances. Batteries also aren’t an option for planes yet and hydrogen could help here too.

You also complain about them spending money on advanced nuclear reactors. You need nuclear until you have sufficient grid storage. That’s an unfortunate fact.

I am against them using money on carbon capture from fossil fuel plants. Direct air carbon capture could actually be useful technology though. If not today then someday in the future. We won’t know if we don’t put money towards it.

You were also decrying them spending money on battery storage.

Relative to the volume spent on generation, yes.

You also complain about them spending money on advanced nuclear reactors.

Given the abject failure of Westinghouse to produce a reliable mass production model, it’s an enormous waste of investment.

If nothing else, we’d be better of someone buying existing designs from Areva. But we don’t do that, because we insist on “Buy American” legislation that doesn’t get us any actual product.

Direct air carbon capture could actually be useful technology though.

Not relative to simply reducing the volume of carbon produced, by shifting the composition of the grid.

Not relative to simply reducing the volume of carbon produced, by shifting the composition of the grid.

You understand that there are already too many greenhouse gases, right? By the time we do all of this there will be even more. It’s not like the grid is the only (or even the majority) of greenhouse gases. How do you account for both all the past emmisions and all the future emissions plus emissions from other sources?

Given the abject failure of Westinghouse to produce a reliable mass production model, it’s an enormous waste of investment.

If nothing else, we’d be better of someone buying existing designs from Areva. But we don’t do that, because we insist on “Buy American” legislation that doesn’t get us any actual product.

The main alternatives being French and Chinese reactor designs. I can understand why the USA doesn’t want to use Chinese reactors, we in the UK made a similar decision and went with French designs instead if I am remembering correctly. I wouldn’t be against the USA using French designs. The thing is though I can’t see how more research could possibly be a bad thing, we have much work to do in both fission and fusion technologies. Putting all our bets in China or France might not be the best idea.

You understand that there are already too many greenhouse gases, right?

The rate at which we produce green house has exceeded the rate at which it is absorbed and fixed.

Carbon capture attempts to accelerate the rate of carbon fixing at a very high per-ton economic cost. Meanwhile, turning off fossil plants and replacing them with renewable energy reduces the rate of per-ton generation at a comparably low cost.

If you’re on a sinking ship, there’s little point in bailing when you haven’t plugged the hole.

I can understand why the USA doesn’t want to use Chinese reactors

Pure reactionary xenophobia. Chinese thorium reactors are cutting edge, and we’re adding degree points to the global average by not adopting it ASAP.

Putting all our bets in China or France might not be the best idea.

Putting money on Westinghouse has consistently cost us enormously.

We need to be doing both. Once the grid is fixed or close to it then we will need carbon capture to reverse the damage. It’s either that or massive reforestation or using algae or something (liquid trees anyone?).

Pure reactionary xenophobia. Chinese thorium reactors are cutting edge, and we’re adding degree points to the global average by not adopting it ASAP.

If they own the plant they could theoretically sabotage it. Would they in practice? No idea but so long as the USA believes they might they won’t use Chinese technology.

Neither the USA or China are good regimes. To be honest I want to see them both either broken or re-formed.

Westinghouse aren’t the only people in the USA doing nuclear research afaik. I believe the DOE national laboratory does research on fusion for example. There are private companies like NuScale also working on fission designs in the USA.

Batteries on trains are not really needed if the rail is electrified. In Europe we have them everywhere. And better public transport reduces the need for cars. And ebikes can be the solution for many uses. It only takes thinking outside the car box.

Electrified rail is expensive and has safety issues. It’s the best option for long distances for sure, but here in the UK we are still trying to electrify the main rail lines, the branch lines and city lines aren’t even in the cards. Being able to recharge trains at stations with rapid charging is the best option for branch and commuter rail services not already on electrified rail (most of them). If we can do that using something other than lithium batteries that would be great. Sodium seems promising. Also I am in Europe you muppet. It also doesn’t solve grid scale storage, which is something we need. I am hoping iron oxide batteries work out for the grid scale storage tbh.

UK has a problem with rails since Thatcher (IIRC).I

PS: stop insulting people. Thank you.

Yeah thatcher caused issue when ahe privatized rail operators. She didn’t privatize network rail though, which are the guys responsible for building and maintaining the track including electrification projects. So I don’t think you can pin this one on her. Electrification is prohibitively expensive and incomplete in pretty much every country with older rail networks including the USA, UK, and parts of the EU.

Also if you don’t want to get insulted maybe stop assuming where I live and what I know about. It’s insulting when people go “In Europe we do x”, like brah I live in Europe and I know about x. X isn’t always the solution to every problem. This is becoming a hammer nail thing.

It only takes thinking outside the car box.

I don’t even drive and even I know cars, lorries, tractors, and so on are all necessary in some parts of society. You can’t use public transport if you are miles away from the next house or the nearest town. Rural areas need transport too.

I know the problem in rural zones. I live in one. But if they can reduce the car dependency in cities and to some extend in big towns that’s a lot of car batteries that don’t have to be build.

And just as a note, there are electric tractors. Still small but…

The point is there is still a point in funding battery technology. Not that you shouldn’t try to use public transport where necessary. Things like buses will also need batteries in order to operate if we are getting rid of fossil fuels.

Welcome to politcal memes!

These are our rules:

Be civil

Jokes are okay, but don’t intentionally harass or disturb any member of our community. Sexism, racism and bigotry are not allowed. Good faith argumentation only. No posts discouraging people to vote or shaming people for voting.

No misinformation

Don’t post any intentional misinformation. When asked by mods, provide sources for any claims you make.

Posts should be memes

Random pictures do not qualify as memes. Relevance to politics is required.

No bots, spam or self-promotion

Follow instance rules, ask for your bot to be allowed on this community.

bUt BoTh SiDeS dA sAmE(lemmy.world)

Political Memes

!politicalmemes@lemmy.world

Community stats

Community moderators