Climate Change

[Bunion 2020]

50 billion in losses from Ida so far.

This is totally normal.

[muted reborn]

Good summary, but I'll add that there are not that that many places in the US anymore that are powered primarily by coal. And ain't nobody building new coal plants these days
https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-h...es-electricity
I clicked through every state, and here are the states where coal is the largest source of power: Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
In most of them, gas (or some other form) is a very close second and the overall grid is likely clean enough that EVs have the overall advantage over ICE vehicles. If you're in WY or WV though, your electricity sucks.

Battery disposal is IMO the biggest problem right at the moment, but one that I expect will be solved sooner than later as there are a lot of smart people working on it.

That page is great in many many ways. But how prevalent is electric interstate trade when it comes to electricity? For example, how does it factor coal power from Utah that is sold to California? I've been told here in SLC we are lectured by the power companies to save electricity when we can and the hidden reason is so they can sell the extra power to CA which is more profitable than selling locally (I have no source for this btw).

And how do I know if my EV car in SLC is recharged from coal, gas, or hydro specifically in my location? I'm far from a coal plant but I'm pretty sure my EV is mainly coal powered here in SLC. Showing a bunch of coal plants on a map doesn't tell the whole story.

[muted reborn]

Jesus Christ on a stick, I just googled the biggest coal plant in Utah which is in Delta. It's owned by the City of LA and produces 1/5 of LA's power every year. Unfortunately that website isn't relevant if it shows how UT is mainly coal powered but a large amount of that power never is used in UT. I didn't realize how much CA is leeching from here.

[Bunion 2020]

Want another pisser? Was at a jobsite today where they are putting in a solar array. Curious I asked about the output. 65 KWs, but the guy mentioned that in Montana you are only allowed to produce 50 KW. I asked who came up with that stupid rule? Our Public Service Commission as an aid to Northwest Energy (main power producer in Montana). BTW our PSC is very much Republican and very Pro- NWE.

[SumJongGuy]

As far as I can tell, folks aren't allowed to store any excess energy their solar arrays bring in.. i.e. no off the grid power wall type battery backups allowed with solar arrays. Anything that exceeds your immediate draw goes back on the grid for a meager credit for the array owner and big energy marks that way up selling it to other customers.. In short, you're carrying big energy's water for them. I guess there is some green gain that the solar going back to the grid replaces the coal or nuclear or natty generated grid power.. But, Big energy essentially gets it for free (a credit to someone) then sells it at full price to others. WIN for them. You eat all the costs of maintaining the panels and your rotting roof under them..

[Skrilla Gorilla]

Clean and safe nuclear power is the only way to reduce the electricity sector's GHG emissions profile while maintaining what most of us consider an acceptably normal standard of living.

But what would I know?

[k2skier112]

Clean and safe nuclear power is the only way to reduce the electricity sector's GHG emissions profile while maintaining what most of us consider an acceptably normal standard of living.

But what would I know?

One of those words don't go with the other

THERE IS NO PERMANENT SPENT FUEL STOAGE FACILITY

[PB]

Send spent material into sun, prey for no launch glitches?
A space elevator would help reduce the risk of that first 5 minutes, but Musk would rather build subterranean roller coasters.

[Squirreljam]

for those wondering what their area's generation fuel is, you can search for your ISO (indep. system operator) and fuel mix, should be an easy find that shows you in 5 minute increments what's powering you.

ISO map is here (note, not in the business so I have no idea why much of the intermountain west isn't shown): RTOs and ISOs | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (ferc.gov)

example (midwest iso, i'm in missouri): https://api.misoenergy.org/MISORTWD/...d.html?fuelMix you can see our coal reliance is high so no electric car for me yet. The other one with high coal reliance is the spp (~ SD, Neb, Kan, OK). All the rest are much cleaner, even TX.

Edited to add - for muted, above about California imports, their iso shows the percentage of import electricity but not by where it comes from - but it's a start.

[Skrilla Gorilla]

One of those words don't go with the other

THERE IS NO PERMANENT SPENT FUEL STOAGE FACILITY

That is funny, then what is this?

[k2skier112]

A 2002 proposed plan.
Still empty and doesn't have public or government support now
Most of the waste is stored on site at Nuke plants

[adrenalated]

Here's a link from MIT researchers comparing lifecycle carbon emissions of various cars/trucks to climate targets and cost of ownership:

https://www.carboncounter.com/#!/explore

I didn't look into every detail in great depth but at a glance and playing with the customize tab it appears to factor in a LOT of data.

[Skrilla Gorilla]

A 2002 proposed plan.
Still empty and doesn't have public or government support now
Most of the waste is stored on site at Nuke plants

Still viable and the public (who are hip [not you]) are behind it.

An issue Donald Trump and Joe Biden both agreed on incorrectly.

And one that has impeached you.

Sent from my moto g stylus (2021) using Tapatalk

[LongShortLong]

Jesus Christ on a stick, I just googled the biggest coal plant in Utah which is in Delta. It's owned by the City of LA and produces 1/5 of LA's power every year. Unfortunately that website isn't relevant if it shows how UT is mainly coal powered but a large amount of that power never is used in UT. I didn't realize how much CA is leeching from here.

I don't know exact details, but I think UT gets no power from there. That is 100% owned by and for LADWP. And has a dedicated transmission line to LA. So, "leached" is the wrong word. LA built its power plant in UT. The word you want is "invested" or "created" (good paying jerbs for Utahns). LA plans to shut that down soon and is deciding what to do with the site, and the transmission line. They also have some old dirty gas plants in LA they'd like to shutter and are figuring out how to close both and keep the lights on.

That coal plant is accounted in LA's and CA's energy use. I see it in my energy mix here in northern CA.

[Dantheman]

X-post from the Cool Science thread. MIT's SPARC team is predicting sustained net-energy fusion by 2025.

[skaredshtles]

X-post from the Cool Science thread. MIT's SPARC team is predicting sustained net-energy fusion by 2025.

Sure would be nice if they can pull this off.

This and advances in battery tech and we could actually make a dent in this whole thing... maybe.

[k2skier112]

Still viable and the public (who are hip [not you]) are behind it.

An issue Donald Trump and Joe Biden both agreed on incorrectly.

And one that has impeached you.

Sent from my moto g stylus (2021) using Tapatalk

Wrong
I'd be for Yucca Mtn. Since the DOW fuct that whole area up with over 800 nukes, it's a wasteland...too bad the mtn is so far away from the Flats test site


https://www.yuccamountain.org/
What exists today (2021) at Yucca Mountain: A 5-mile exploratory tunnel, no waste disposal tunnels (Over 40 miles are needed), no waste handling facilities, no state water permit, no license (construction authorization), no railroad and an expired BLM land withdrawal.

And there is more going on than we'll ever be let know, the military is running it...
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...a13-story.html

[spanghew]

Wrong
I'd be for Yucca Mtn. Since the DOW fuct that whole area up with over 800 nukes, it's a wasteland...too bad the mtn is so far away from the Flats test site


https://www.yuccamountain.org/
What exists today (2021) at Yucca Mountain: A 5-mile exploratory tunnel, no waste disposal tunnels (Over 40 miles are needed), no waste handling facilities, no state water permit, no license (construction authorization), no railroad and an expired BLM land withdrawal.

And there is more going on than we'll ever be let know, the military is running it...
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...a13-story.html

and trucks filled with radioactive waste would be driving highway 395 and up past the bristlecones . . . maybe powpig would think this would be fine, since there hasn't ever been an accident in the owens valley associated with nuclear waste in a fire ring on a forest campground, or some such idiocy.

Yucca Mtn isn't a wasteland yet, and shouldn't be made into one. There is a good roadside army surplus station where you can buy really good ammo cans en route to a Canyon trip, though.

[k2skier112]

Yucca Flat isn't healthy is what I was inferring
I saw that area around Hawthorne and knew those bumps were munitions bunkers

[altacoup]

X-post from the Cool Science thread. MIT's SPARC team is predicting sustained net-energy fusion by 2025.

I’ve been following developments in fusion energy for a while. There’s a bunch of companies that say they have commercially viable systems up and running in about that time frame. I believe Northrop Grumman said they’d have a reactor that good in the back of a pickup ready for the military by 2030. Fusion technology is our best shot at getting the climate change issue under control. There’s zero political will across the world to turn the clock back on economic development. When I worked on the solar industry the last job I did was 4000 panels for a Cisco server in SLC. That system was half a percent of their energy usage at just that one site. Unless the world shuts down major industries we’re going to need a new way of producing power. Fusion is without a doubt our best shot at maintaining current standards of living and rising the standard of living for millions. If the potential of fusion is realized we’re going to need a crap load of electricians and linemen to electrify the world. Currently solar on your roof charging an EV and a vegetarian diet are probably the most impactful things that an individual can do, if one feels personally obligated to immediately contribute to decreasing carbon emissions.

[TonyC]

Just drove halfway across the country. Could not imagine that in an EV unless it was an RV and self driving. Waiting for a recharge would suck.

Been there and done that twice in 2020:
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/4839256/ 3,260 miles, SoCal to Florida
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/5006604/ 5,009 miles, return trip via Lake Superior
Charge stops averaged around 20 minutes. 600+ miles a day during daylight hours is easy; not many people want to do more than that.

There are 5 factors that reduce range, and unfortunately all of them affect skiers.
1) High speed: you lose about 9% for every 5mph over 60mph.
2) Cold weather: Range starts decreasing below about 50F. I’ve read 13% at 32F, 25% at 15F, and probably 40% at 0F.
3) Long distance: You get 200-250 miles to start the day with a full charge, but you’re stopping every 90-130 miles after that for the most efficient charging. See more details of that in the links above.
4) Climbing hills: You lose 10 miles of rated range for every 1,000 feet climbed. You get 6 miles of that back coming down. For a 50 mile one way drive 7,000 feet up the Angeles Crest I used 124 rated miles going up and zero coming down.
5) Remote areas like SW Colorado with inadequate supercharger coverage.

In California 1) and 2) tend to be offsetting. To be cold in California you need to be high altitude and that generally means driving mountain roads at 45mph or so. Just as you lose range above 60mph you gain range below it. But if you’re driving on an Interstate when it’s 15F your range will probably take a 40% hit.

My 2016 Model S had 272 rated miles when I turned it in June 2019. Supercharging was max 6 rated miles per minute but decreased to 4 at 140 rated miles, 3 at 180 rated miles and 2 at 220 rated miles. My 2019 Model S (current rated range 360 miles) charges at a max rate of 8 rated miles per minute and is still 6 at 180 rated miles and 5 at 220 rated miles. FYI the lighter Model 3 with a newer battery design has a max charge rate of 10 rated miles per minute.

For those 90-130 mile legs between chargers I like to charge to 180-220 rated miles for a comfortable margin. You can see this would take much longer on the old car and that’s why I never drove that car farther than home to Reno in one day. The drive to my Snowbird timeshare week requires about 2 hours in charge stops but it would have been 3.5 hours in the 2016 car.

[SumJongGuy]

I still like the concept of roads as solar cells and cars pulling current directly from them as we drive.. Every parking lot is a giant wireless charging pad, etc... Might even charge the phone in my pocket and make me sterile LOL!

[spanghew]

Yucca Flat isn't healthy is what I was inferring
I saw that area around Hawthorne and knew those bumps were munitions bunkers

Yes, Henderson is hellhole. Bunkers that look just like those near Umatilla (KQ country) contain nerve gas.

But Yucca Mtn is a lot closer to Beatty than Henderson, and if you haven't read "My Undertaker, My Pimp," a tale of spending time in Yucca Mtn's shadow, here is your big chance:

https://longreads.com/2015/08/05/my-undertaker-my-pimp/

[WMD]

"Climate scientists are not fucking with us" from Jimmy Kimmel:
https://youtu.be/W_xq9FTPxxk

[d542east]

I’ve been following developments in fusion energy for a while. There’s a bunch of companies that say they have commercially viable systems up and running in about that time frame. I believe Northrop Grumman said they’d have a reactor that good in the back of a pickup ready for the military by 2030. Fusion technology is our best shot at getting the climate change issue under control. There’s zero political will across the world to turn the clock back on economic development. When I worked on the solar industry the last job I did was 4000 panels for a Cisco server in SLC. That system was half a percent of their energy usage at just that one site. Unless the world shuts down major industries we’re going to need a new way of producing power. Fusion is without a doubt our best shot at maintaining current standards of living and rising the standard of living for millions. If the potential of fusion is realized we’re going to need a crap load of electricians and linemen to electrify the world. Currently solar on your roof charging an EV and a vegetarian diet are probably the most impactful things that an individual can do, if one feels personally obligated to immediately contribute to decreasing carbon emissions.

https://youtu.be/JurplDfPi3U

Fusion isn't going to be here in time to save us. Same goes for every other moonshot tech venture capital slush fund. Not saying we should stop researching that stuff, but it's way too late to depend on unproven tech.

You're exactly right about needing a huge army of electricians, technicians and other skilled laborers. But they need to be building hundreds of thousands of wind turbines, solar farms, energy storage and 20 or so new HV transmission lines to move the power around the country. This needs to start ramping up right now.

Get a bunch of free 6 month tech schools going, pay starting wages at $30/hr and your army will show up.

Biggest hurdle is going to be NIMBies for the transmission lines and wind turbines. The next biggest hurdle is the supply chain for copper and steel for wind turbines and all the raw materials for solar panel and batteries. We're going to need to open new mines, mills, etc. to keep up with it. Think WW2 mobilization on a global scale. And yeah, we're going to need to stop spending so many resources on luxuries like beef and cheap flights.

Of course we should've started all of this in the late 80s and of course none of this is going to happen fast enough if at all, so enjoy the snow while it lasts and definitely don't have kids if you give a shit about their quality of life.