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Figures like this one from Carbon Brief are what make me optimistic that our society is ALREADY on the path to being much greener.
This is the distribution of the fossil/non-fossil fuel mix for electricity for every half hour in a year in Britain, and it's absolutely clear that a HUGE shift away from fossil fuels is taking place.
Yes, there's lots more to do, but we are already making great progress. We just need more of the same.
#energy #climate #sustainability
Chart: How British electricity supplies are shifting decisively away from fossil fuels - Carbon Brief
Carbon Brief analysis recently showed that fossil fuels supplied a record-low 2.4% of electricity on the island of Great BritainCarbon Brief Staff (Carbon Brief)
Yesterday I met a very smart friend, a data scientist / mathematician. We talked a lot about energy consumption, society and #ourWorldInData. Looking at my notes I realize that I owe him a link to the brilliant and uplifting talk “The Magic Washing Machine” by the wonderful presenter #HansRosling of #Gapminder.
So if you’d like to watch something interesting and positive for your sunday afternoon, I suggest to watch this.
#youtube #dataViz #society #energy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoKfap4g4w
The magic washing machine | Hans Rosling
http://www.ted.com What was the greatest invention of the industrial revolution? Hans Rosling makes the case for the washing machine. With newly designed gra...YouTube
The Looming Electrical Power Shortage
The green energy transition will be sacrificed in favor of generating enough electrical power.Watts Up With That?
Solar panels: so our newly installed solar panels are now producing electricity.
The complete installation isn’t done just yet as we are still waiting for the battery to be installed, but currently I can see, as a trend, that the solar panels seem to produce about 60-65kWh/day, which is quite good I think.
At this time of the year they start producing at around 05:00 (that is 5 AM) and they stop producing around 20:30 (that is 8.30 PM) but those hours will shift as we get in to summer.
For comparison: A transatlantic flight of a regular passenger jet uses 80t to 100t of kerosene. At about 9MWh/t that’s 720MWh to 900MWh of energy.
So the training of a LLM uses the energy of 1 to 10 transatlantic flights of a plane (double that for Carnot if you may.)
There are currently ~600 #transatlantic #flights from western Europe per day.
Solar is now being installed faster than any technology in history | RenewEconomy
At current installation rates, solar will pass fossil gas in 2024 and coal in 2025. Technologies like nuclear would require "magical growth rates" to compete.Andrew Blakers (RenewEconomy)
"Lithium-ion battery prices have declined from USD 1,400 per kilowatt-hour in 2010 to less than USD 140 per kilowatt-hour in 2023, one of the fastest cost declines of any energy technology ever, as a result of progress in research and development and economies of scale in manufacturing."
https://www.iea.org/reports/batteries-and-secure-energy-transitions/executive-summary
#Energy #EnergyTransition #Batteries #Grid #Power
Executive summary – Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions – Analysis - IEA
Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions - Analysis and key findings. A report by the International Energy Agency.IEA
#California exceeds 100% of #energy demand with renewables over a record 30 days
Source: https://electrek.co/2024/04/15/renewables-met-100-percent-california-energy-demand-30-days/
#usa #environment #climate #news #Solar
California exceeds 100% of energy demand with renewables over a record 30 days
In a major clean energy benchmark, wind, solar, and hydro exceeded 100% of demand on California's main grid for 30 of the past 38 days.Michelle Lewis (Electrek)
DAVID BLACKMON: Having Biden Declare A Climate Emergency Is A Crazy Idea
This is indeed a crazy idea, but it would be a mistake to assume it is not being seriously considered, and for all the wrong reasons.Watts Up With That?
🌞 400,000 ‘solar balconies’ boost German home energy harvesting capacity
"The solar balcony generates only a tenth of the power output of a rooftop solution, but it is portable if the homeowner wishes to relocate.
👉 Unlike a rooftop system that requires professionals for installation, a balcony solar system consists of panels and a mounting structure, and the assembly can be completed by anyone using the instructions provided."
#Engineering #ClimateCrisis #Energy
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/solar-balcony-boom-germany
400,000 ‘solar balconies’ boost German home energy harvesting capacity - Interesting Engineering
German cities have a new trend. Individuals living in smaller apartments buy plug-in solar systems and install them on their balconies.Ameya Paleja (Interesting Engineering)
Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal
https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/internet-data-centers-fueling-drive-150206807.html
Utility-related fires are wreaking havoc across the United States. Since 2017, fires related to electricity transmission have burned at least 3 million acres.
New today: A closer look at the #Texas Panhandle fire, and why it's a grim preview of our near future. From our friends at Sierra Club magazine ... https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-panhandle-fire-climate-environment/
#wildfire #ClimateChange #environment #news #politics #USpol #weather #fire #drought #energy
The Epic Texas Panhandle Fire Is Just a Preview
Texas officials go to bat for oil and gas while the climate-fueled Smokehouse Creek Fire still rages.Christopher Collins (The Texas Observer)
For those of you who (rightly) think that a key element in the world's response to climate change would be the retiring of coal-fired energy capacity & the halt to new building of plant will be concerned by the current record on both.
While we fret (rightly) about oil & gas, we shouldn't forget that coal continues to be a major problem.
Once again our political leaders are making pious pronouncements, but doing too little for a green transition!
For anyone who still thinks that biofuels are going to be better than electrification, here's a couple of statistics from the World Resources Institute:
- Producing just 2% of the world's energy needs from liquid biofuel would require agricultural production to increase by another 30% by 2050.
- Even on the best lands, a hectare of modern solar voltaics can generate 40-100 times more usable energy than biomass
Here's how we use our land already.There just isn't room for that.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/09/england-could-produce-13-times-more-renewable-energy-using-less-than-3-of-land-analysis
#ukpolitics #renewables #energy #inequality #ToryCorruption
England could produce 13 times more renewable energy, using less than 3% of land – analysis
Onshore wind and solar could provide 226TWh of electricity without impairing food production, says Friends of the EarthFiona Harvey (The Guardian)
High seafood diets may come with a hefty side of ‘forever chemicals’: Study
People who frequently consume seafood may face a heightened risk of exposure to toxic “forever chemicals,” a new study has found.Sharon Udasin (The Hill)
How Genome Mapping Can Transform Sugarcane Into Green Fuel
https://scitechdaily.com/how-genome-mapping-can-transform-sugarcane-into-green-fuel/
#science #biology #genetics #botany #agriculture #farming #energy #environment #biofuels
How Genome Mapping Can Transform Sugarcane Into Green Fuel
Unveiling sugarcane's genome, scientists set the stage for innovative breeding and renewable carbon sourcing, heralding a new era in agricultural research and sustainability.Mike O'Neill (SciTechDaily)
The new thermal energy networks will utilize the same types of pipelines that traditionally carry planet-warming gasses to buildings, but they will carry water or other liquids that transfer heat from underground or other buildings to power heat pumps.
Utility scale district heating and cooling can save a lot of energy. Ground-source heat pumps can reduce energy consumption and emissions by up to 44% versus air-source heat pumps and 72% compared to standard air-conditioning equipment.
#Energy
