Climate in the 21st Century

[cannabineer]

moving this to appropriate thread

Some farms are dairy and egg ranches are energy intensive with large barns that could be covered in solar panels which are becoming cheaper and better with each passing year. As I said batteries are the key and for a large farm, they might even use a future zinc chemistry in shipping container sized batteries for main storage. Lots of farming operations don't involve plowing huge sections of land, some kinds of gardening, grazing and animal husbandry can be done with solar panels in the fields when they are raised and spaced properly.

Depending on who needs power when, it might make more sense than previously to interleave grain farms with dairy, poultry, pigs etc. that are intensive, not like ranches. A group of ag growers and local processing facilities could incorporate around a local power concentration center. I have no idea if this would be practical, but on first glance it seems like a workable model.

for as long as the water holds out …

also, certain Diesel motors, especially fixed installations providing steady power, are as good as 55% thermodynamic efficiency. Large Diesels for freighters and supertankers are up there too.

Batteries iirc are 80 to 96% efficient, counting charge plus discharge.

 

[cannabineer]

Why Don’t We Have Solar Powered Cars?

The Truth About Solar Powered Cars.
Electric vehicles are gaining in popularity, but there are aspects of the user experience holding some people back. One of the big things is how long it takes to charge electric cars and access to plug in charging. If you live in an apartment building or the city, plug in charging can get a bit challenging. But what if you didn’t have to use a charger? Some companies have a solar powered car available for pre-order today, but what’s the reality behind these solar cars? Can they really provide enough power to fit the bill, and at a cost that won’t break the bank?

he made a basic math error

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

he made a basic math error

I didn't catch it, what was it?

 

[cannabineer]

I didn't catch it, what was it?

he applied 20% twice, leading to a figure 5x too small.

340 x 0.55 is about 187 watts/m squared, not 37.5

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

he applied 20% twice, leading to a figure 5x too small.

340 x 0.55 is about 187 watts/m squared, not 37.5

Sometimes I read the comments and people post about mistakes, he will usually correct them with an onscreen note or in the description.

 

[cannabineer]

Sometimes I read the comments and people post about mistakes, he will usually correct them with an onscreen note or in the description.

check my numbers … I only did one pass.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

check my numbers … I only did one pass.

For this kind of infotainment I don't usually check too closely and depend on the integrity of the presenter and this guy corrects mistakes later when they are caught. He has made errors, as do others, but to err is human and alright as long as they admit it and correct it. I watch this stuff for entertainment, not study and it's easier than reading technical papers which I also do.

Economical solar powered compact cars are something I think are possible, by that I mean charging to the average commuting range per day of around 40 miles. Better lighter batteries would make Aptura levels of efficiency possible in a compact more conventional design, light weight and aerodynamic though. Some cars don't require that much range, depending on what they will be used for and any solar charged car could be charged on 120 volts too. Solar cars aside, many experts have said what is needed is a small economical EV that lower income people can afford to buy, and government grants should max out on this kind of EV and solar ones, no rebates should be given for big expensive EVs that are very inefficient and suck up large amounts of power.

 

[cannabineer]

For this kind of infotainment I don't usually check too closely and depend on the integrity of the presenter and this guy corrects mistakes later when they are caught. He has made errors, as do others, but to err is human and alright as long as they admit it and correct it. I watch this stuff for entertainment, not study and it's easier than reading technical papers which I also do.

Economical solar powered compact cars are something I think are possible, by that I mean charging to the average commuting range per day of around 40 miles. Better lighter batteries would make Aptura levels of efficiency possible in a compact more conventional design, light weight and aerodynamic though. Some cars don't require that much range, depending on what they will be used for and any solar charged car could be charged on 120 volts too. Solar cars aside, many experts have said what is needed is a small economical EV that lower income people can afford to buy, and government grants should max out on this kind of EV and solar ones, no rebates should be given for big expensive EVs that are very inefficient and suck up large amounts of power.

I have 500-mile months and desert sun. An Aptera would be an off-grid option for me.

For a more car-y car, I’d need to have a coupla kW of solar and the right controller.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

I have 500-mile months and desert sun. An Aptera would be an off-grid option for me.

For a more car-y car, I’d need to have a coupla kW of solar and the right controller.

Considering how much of the mass of current EVs is battery, including Apturas, it should be possible to design something a bit more conventional in the same mass range as a current aptura using better batteries. Better batteries with double the power in a short-range commuter EV with a couple of hundred miles would keep battery mass very low allowing the required efficiency. This is not something we can do now without a lot of expense, but we should be able to do it in 5 years.

 

[cannabineer]

Considering how much of the mass of current EVs is battery, including Apturas, it should be possible to design something a bit more conventional in the same mass range as a current aptura using better batteries. Better batteries with double the power in a short-range commuter EV with a couple of hundred miles would keep battery mass very low allowing the required efficiency. This is not something we can do now without a lot of expense, but we should be able to do it in 5 years.

Aptera. The root is -pter- meaning wing. Pterosaurs, y’know

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Aptera. The root is -pter- meaning wing. Pterosaurs, y’know

I might get the spelling wrong, but the idea of getting an average commute from the sun intrigues me and even if it only generated half its daily needs, it would still reduce charging costs. The government promoting such cheap vehicles with subsidies would have large impact on grid demand. The idea is very appealing to many people, free transportation energy for their daily needs and many have needs of about 40 miles a day or less and a range of 200 miles or less would be ok.

 

[cannabineer]

I might get the spelling wrong, but the idea of getting an average commute from the sun intrigues me and even if it only generated half its daily needs, it would still reduce charging costs. The government promoting such cheap vehicles with subsidies would have large impact on grid demand. The idea is very appealing to many people, free transportation energy for their daily needs and many have needs of about 40 miles a day or less and a range of 200 miles or less.

Selfishly I think it would be lovely if the subsidy were strongly scaled to the vehicle’s miles-per-kWh performance.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

Selfishly I think it would be lovely if the subsidy were strongly scaled to the vehicle’s miles-per-kWh performance.

It would make sense to have the best or a special subsidy for certain classes of vehicles based on efficiency and the ability to self-solar charge to the average commuting distance per day on average. It would have the biggest impact and encourage more efficient transportation, just because we go EV is no excuse to live like pigs without paying a premium. Even if power densities go up to 1kWh/kg, you still have the physical problem of dumping huge amounts of power into the pig over a short period of time. If the SUV or half ton gets 3 miles to the kWh, you will need to dump 100kWH into it to go 300 miles. However, doubling the power of the battery per kWh/kg will more than double the range by reducing the mass of the EV.

 

[cannabineer]

It would make sense to have the best or a special subsidy for certain classes of vehicles based on efficiency and the ability to self-solar charge to the average commuting distance per day on average. It would have the biggest impact and encourage more efficient transportation, just because we go EV is no excuse to live like pigs without paying a premium. Even if power densities go up to 1kWh/kg, you still have the physical problem of dumping huge amounts of power into the pig over a short period of time. If the SUV or half ton gets 3 miles to the kWh, you will need to dump 100kWH into it to go 300 miles. However, doubling the power of the battery per kWh/kg will more than double the range by reducing the mass of the EV.

This could happen.

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

I'd characterize this fellow as a real EV fanatic, and he looks kinda crazy too!
All the latest news on EVs and batteries, he stays on top of things.

Battery prices fall 80%; tipping point to the end of ICE cars is VERY close

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

This could happen.

View attachment 5328619

You can weld thick steel with 60 volts and 100 amps DC cables and connectors will be an issue for 10-minute charging a big half ton EV to 100kWh capacity. A restaurant charging place that took longer to charge such vehicles would need onsite batteries to accommodate multiple vehicles charging and a 1 megawatt electrical entrance from the grid!

 

[cannabineer]

You can weld thick steel with 60 volts and 100 amps DC cables and connectors will be an issue for 10-minute charging a big half ton EV to 100kWh capacity. A restaurant charging place that took longer to charge such vehicles would need onsite batteries to accommodate multiple vehicles charging and a 1 megawatt electrical entrance from the grid!

But but but luminescent pigs!!1!

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

But but but luminescent pigs!!1!

Pig plasma and he'd be gone in a flash.

 

[cannabineer]

Pig plasma and he'd be gone in a flash.

Electron, muon … bacon

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

The UK is pretty far north, even by Canadian standards and that is a place that might benefit in winter from south facing house walls covered with solar panels mounted vertically. Energy prices went through the roof in Europe and the more power you can make yourself the cheaper it is for grid power.

Roof Not Suitable For Solar? Here's The Solution!

23,798 views Sep 20, 2023
The demand for solar panels has soared in the UK in recent years with 2022 recording the biggest uptake of domestic solar panels mainly due to the increase in energy prices.

But what options are available to you if you can’t have solar panels on your roof?