Re: Fossil Fuel ending.
Originally Posted by
The Artful Todger
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With the projected load there is no way that renewables could meet the projected needs.
Jet engines driving electric generators? No. Jet fuel is a hydrocarbon. Fuel cells driving electric motors - yes.
The bottom line is that energy use must be cut considerably. That means a huge change to lifestyle. Our profligate energy use HAS to end. And it will.
I doubt energy usage will decline per se. SA has already had 100% of its power needs met by renewables abet for a short period but that is the future.
In the 1980s NSW was running short of power and started campaigns to get people to use less electricity. What happened was that people responded by using their appliances more responsibly and more economically. The coal fired power stations built to cover that shortfall are now reaching the end of their life, it is unlikely they wlll be replaced using the same fuel (much as Scotty would like them to be)
At the same time manufacturers started to produce more efficient goods Tungsten lights were abandoned, there is no less lighting now it just uses less power.
Solar panels are being installed like there is no tomorrow to the point that electricity companies are trying to get the right to turn them off because too much power is flowing into the grid during the day. The idea of 'off peak' has been turned on its head
Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro will provide an additional 2,000 megawatts of dispatchable, on-demand generating capacity and approximately 350,000 megawatt hours of large-scale storage to the National Electricity Market. This will be completed in 2025.
I used to work at the local coal fired power station which produced 320Mw of electricity using 6 steam turbines it has been replaced by a state-of-the-art combined cycle, natural gas power station producing 485Mw in one machine. Its capacity is about to be doubled.
No doubt there will be changes but it is an evolving situation, let's face it who predicted the fax machine or that computers would be used to write letters?
I agree that the motorcycle idea is a pipe dream, if motorcycles had just been invented they would be banned as too dangerous for people transport.