YOU!: Fix the US Energy Crisis

mheslep

1. Was that mileage life for the Volt battery (future), or some other, generic, LG CPI battery? 2. Did you get her ph number?

Topher925

1. Yes, the vehicle life of the Volt. 2. No, I kept getting cock-blocked from people going up to her and asking stupid questions.

PhilKravitz

Issue as I see it is lack of energy independence.

My favored solution is what some call the Matt Simmons plan (see Ocean Energy Institute) which is
1) off shore wind powered electrical generators up and down both the west and east coast
2) on shore wind up and down the middle of the country
3) PV solar in the southwest
4) oil from algea in the southeast

I am also interested in Thorium based nuclear.

Where will the money come from to do this? I do not see a politically doable way to make this happen. If we could divert money from the two major federal expenses health and military to pay for this then we could do it. But that seems unlikely.

mheslep

Before paying them, have you given any thought to how those sources work technically, e.g. when the wind doesn't blow, when the sun doesn't shine?

PhilKravitz

I like storage of the energy in the form of hydrogen from water+electric+catalyst. Which is getting easier thanks to the work of the folks at MIT.

Topher925

While I do firmly believe in a hydrogen based economy, there are still a lot of issues to be worked out. The folks at MIT did (somewhat accidentally) find a way to electrolyze water efficiently but that doesn't mean its applicable to full scale industrial applications. AFAIK, things like durability, cost, and purity still need to be addressed with that technique.

As of right now, the only commercially available methods of large scale energy storage is with flywheels and thermal reservoirs used by solar thermal power plants.

Interesting factoid: Humanity doesn't have an energy supply problem. By constructing solar thermal or photovoltaic solar energy farms over just 1% of the land in the Sahara Desert, we could supply all of the worlds energy with essentially no pollution. The problem that we needs to be solved is an energy distribution problem.

mheslep

And hydro.

Topher925

Woops, forgot about that one.

PhilKravitz

Yes hydro is fine but pretty much fully developed in the US. Some options in Canada if you are willing to violate the rights of the original owns and push them out.

mheslep

With regards to hydro electric power and storage:
1) All existing hydro, some 8% of total US electric power capacity, can be used to store energy. That is, while solar or wind is online hydro can be (and is) simply idled, allowing water to backup and its potential energy is used later when needed.
2) Pumped-storage hydro, ~3% of US electric power capacity, can be installed nearly anywhere there's a hill large enough hold a lake, i.e. with sufficient elevation. It does not require a large natural water source.

This is not say that pumped storage hydro is a blanket solution to the energy storage problem presented by large scale use of intermittent power sources likes wind and solar, but it certainly can help.

PhilKravitz

#1 is a super good idea that I have never heard before. Is it yours? If so get it out in the public it is good.

#2 yes I like pumped hydro storage. In fact Astor (yes the guy who drowned on the Titanic) wrote a book in 1895 (yes 18!) that proposed pumped hydro storage!!! The book is "A Journey in Other Worlds" it is mostly about a trip to Saturn and the dinosaurs they find there but along the way he make some comments on energy systems that are 100 years ahead of his time.

mheslep

Storing power until needed later through hydro has been around as long as there has been hydro.

PhilKravitz

So between hydro and hydrogen we have storage taken care of. :)

Now all we have to do is figure out how much money (work and natural resources) it will take to build the system. ;)

mheslep

You didn't here that from me; again:

PhilKravitz

OK how much of the storage issue is covered by hydro and hydrogen? Anybody know? How will we find out?

Topher925

Probably not. We will find out when someone does a study of it.

olguinma

Towards Nuclear Fusion: Cobalt properties (specifically of its usage at different temperatures, not the usual).