albion
Guru
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/12/12/us-scientists-reportedly-make-fusion-energy-breakthrough/
A 20% net gain. Best wait on the ifs and buts.
A 20% net gain. Best wait on the ifs and buts.
Climate Crisis: Are we doing enough?
- Thread starter Banderill
- Start date
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winjim
Welcome yourself into the new modern crisis
I think it's a 20% net gain in terms of energy put into the reactor but less than that in real terms because for example it doesn't take into account the efficiency of the lasers used to provide the energy. That's what I read somewhere anyway.
Anyway, promising results. Needs more work obviously, give it say forty years or so?
BoldonLad
Old man on a bike. Not a member of a clique.
- Location
- South Tyneside
mudsticks
Squire
Meanwhile we could do really boring stuff like conserve energy, insulate homes, encourage more public and human powered transport .
Encourage more sustainable business, and land use.
And facilitate and encourage already existing renewable technologies..
Stop new fossil fuel exploration and extraction.
No so 'exciting' as whizz bang 'new' tech ..
But quite likely much more effective, and we can do it now..
Encourage more sustainable business, and land use.
And facilitate and encourage already existing renewable technologies..
Stop new fossil fuel exploration and extraction.
No so 'exciting' as whizz bang 'new' tech ..
But quite likely much more effective, and we can do it now..
winjim
Welcome yourself into the new modern crisis
I hit the jackpot last month when I found a load of unused insulation in the loft. Laid it down, a bit of old carpet across the hatch, our house is nice and toasty and the climate crisis is solved.
Meanwhile, about that fusion story...
View: https://twitter.com/Camila_Vergara/status/1602306640992247813?t=RKVnabFuS49RrvCRMpKVVg&s=19
mudsticks
Squire
Quite right too..
Bits of old carpet just don't have the same degree of glamour do they??
Burst pipes here (under the uninsulated mobile) and a bit too much twice daily defrosting of chicken waterers for my liking.
Whither? (wither?) the darling buds of May?
😟🌱🐞
winjim
Welcome yourself into the new modern crisis
The good news is that with all the spare carpet and insulation redistributed to more useful areas there's a load more useable space up there and I was actually able to find the Christmas decorations. It's about a fortnight early for me actually but the family insisted.
mudsticks
Squire
I'm pretty sure there's some faerie lights hereabouts..
Youngest is returning from Scotland for Xmas type shenanigans - he'll be impressed if I've managed to get some decorations up..
Keep general expectations low I say, that way you're less likely to dissappoint anyone 👍🏼
Wobblers
Member
We need to be doing both the boring stuff and developing fusion. Not least that improving energy efficiency can only go so far - thermodynamics is a harsh master - nor that transport and agriculture are, and will continue to be, major energy users.
Less money has been spent on fusion research, by all nations, ever, than was spent bailiing out the banks in 2008. Out of that investment seen significant improvements in scientific understanding plus have been able to train up tens of thousands of scientists and engineers who've then gone on to apply their expertise onto many other problems we're facing. I don't think you can say the same about the bank bailouts.
mudsticks
Squire
I understand that processes such as fusion may be of help for clean power generation in the future, and that there could be other spin offs.
i don't have a problem with resources going on research as such.
But it's this attitude that there will be some amazing new tech that will come along and save us all from climate disaster at the eleventh hour, that is a part of the larger problem, it can deflect us from doing what is possible and achievable now.
In agriculture for instance we could greatly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and their products, often with fairly straightforward methodologies, and understanding of natural systems already existing that harvest energy from sunlight.
.
It doesn't have to be such an enormous energy user at all, it's just ended up that way, mainly through extractive capitalism and short termism..
Completely agree about bank bailouts, I'm no cheerleader for any of that. There are many better things that that money could and should have been spent on, but that's another subject in itself.
But we also need to look at who owns the new energy generating tech who will get to control and profit from it, who loses out.??
Ideally it would be like Iceland with their geothermal heating going to nearly all households.
But given the relatively high cost of developing (and running??) fusion there is a danger thats perhaps not so likely - I don't know.
However the socio-politics of high tech and who owns benefits from it is important, to scrutinise, as well as the nature of the technology itself.
albion
Guru
dutchguylivingintheuk
Über Member
in the last year, after declaring an ''climate emergency'' at least 3 high rises have been approved by the local and a other few still pending. None of the applications says anything about insulation, sustainable fuels etc.
As long as politicans get away with hollow phrases nothing will change.
mudsticks
Squire
I quite agree more needs to be done re building control and retroffiting of insulation and other energy saving measures on both new dwelling and business premises.
.
That has all been the case for many decades. The building industry has on the whole lobbied for, and got away with the bare minimum up til now.
But insulation standards and other building regulation measures on new builds has been tightened up a lot on in the last couple of years..
It may not be explicitly stated in those planning applications, but it will be mandated by building regs anyhow.
I'm particularly up on all this right now as we are starting a new build dwelling this coming year - and it will (quite rightly) have to come up to a high spec in terms of energy conservation / insulation etc.
It's a bit late in the game, but things are changing.
