Originally Posted by
Phideaux
Good to note that there's a green awareness on this thread.
I admit, after the election result - and yet more 'corruption by another word' coming to light now, after the election (google Frydenberg) I was wondering whether the 'only stupid people are breeding' (and voting) was our dumb new Post-Truth-Era world.
You give me hope.
As background: my daughter did her PHD in renewables - and all the complications that come from converting from point sources of energy generation from point-sourced of non-renewables to distributed renewable sources. It Ain't Simple! She was head-hunted by the NSW govt before she'd quite finished her PHD, crunches their numbers.
And was telling me about how some lobbyist at a conference was BS-ing her (not knowing who she was) about the recent near-collapse of the Victorian coal-fired stations on a hot day (3 power-stations - all coal - nearly 'fell over' on that day. On super-hot days - coal-fired is more likely to collapse, not less). He said, "Yeah - it's all the fault of the renewables - if they hadn't withdrawn on that day, there would have been no problem."
And she said, "They did not withdraw. They were at peak capacity (which is currently 2%, grid-wise, Victoria - I think she said). And getting 4X the usual spot-rate for those crucial few hours. A moment of profitability! - if they hadn't been present, then the system would have collapsed - it was that close. Don't BS me - I did the research and wrote the report." The A-hole fled. Probably then spun the same line to someone less informed and more gullible.
The dirty-coal/dirty-energy industry is fighting even dirtier.
Two things she mentioned. In our warming climate - more people are dying from heat-stress than are dying from all other natural causes combined; snake-bite, lightning-strike, shark-attack, etc... In NSW, last year it was 500 people (about 5X my guess). In context - road toll NSW last year was ~300. Category: 'premature deaths'.
Now to EVs:
She also mentioned: "If you're going to get an EV, make sure you get a 'smart charger'. One that turns on when the load system-wide is less, and the renewable generation is higher. The worst thing is when people come home at sundown, plug in the EV, then go in and turn on lights, electric stove, etc..." Smart chargers are (currently!) a grand or two more expensive.
Also context - the new 'superchargers' (350kw or whatever) use more power than a dozen homes - but do charge a car in the same sort of time as a leisurely cup of coffee.
We are at an adventurous time of change - it is a pity we've got citizens and corporates with a clearer view of the future than 'the Moonlight Feds'. Governments should lead, not be dragged kicking and screaming, held back by their lobbyists.
Just think what might-have-been if an enlightened government had gone to Dear Elon and said: "We've got this auto-industry closing down - how about we work together and we build your Tesla Y?" (Which I think might be my next car/wife's car - still at prototype stage).
Anyways... good to meet IQ on this forum. Perhaps my grandchildren won't inherit a burning planet after all.
Phideaux.
Regarding the heat stress point - a friend who is a paramedic told me of a conversation he had with a doctor who had recently attended a symposium in the USA on the shifting causes of fatalities in children and the elderly.
He claimed that one of the speakers claimed that the presence of air-conditioning in cars, homes, and businesses/schools seems to have resulted in a lowering of the human tolerance for major variations in temperature.
Food for thought.
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1999 Disco TD5 ("Bluey")
1996 Disco 300 TDi ("Slo-Mo")
1995 P38A 4.6 HSE ("The Limo")
1966 No 5 Trailer (ARN 173 075) soon to be camper
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