Climate Change

[Slim]

That's interesting, I would have thought it's increased due to EVs, the increasing prevalence of tech in particular and (in the last year or two) AI based in UK datacentres which uses frightening quantities of juice (as well as an increased population as you say). However:

Highslide Image Viewer

https://chatgpt.com/

[David L]

That's interesting, I would have thought it's increased due to EVs, the increasing prevalence of tech in particular and (in the last year or two) AI based in UK datacentres which uses frightening quantities of juice

I guess you didn't read the BBC story from the link I posted:

" "Nowadays we're switching to renewables, and that means there's a lot of power being injected into the grid in the outskirts of the network where there are only relatively small power lines."
And these small power lines are struggling to cope with all the electricity coming in from wind turbines and solar panels scattered around the country.

"We have an enormous amount of solar panels being installed, and they are installed at a rate that is much, much too high for the grid to be able to accommodate."

It referred to The Netherlands.

[David L]

From the BBC website, of all places 

'Amazon forest felled to build road for climate summit'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vy191rgn1o

[dom]

Did a little dive into this and typically domestic solar power systems in the Netherlands do not include batteries. At the beginning of 2024 only 4% of solar power systems included a battery. This is because the state was very generous in the rates it paid individuals for feeding electricity back to the grid. Reducing the money paid to users for sending electricity to the grid allied to an incentive to purchase a 5 or 10kw battery should help to reduce some of the strain on the Dutch grid

[David L]

Japan has unveiled its first hydrogen-powered train from East Japan Railway Company (JR East), developed with Toyota Motor Corporation and Hitachi Ltd., marking a major step toward sustainable transportation.

Unlike diesel engines, this train runs on electricity generated from hydrogen fuel cells and emits only water vapor — effectively eliminating carbon dioxide emissions along its route.

Hydrogen trains like this are well-suited for both rural and urban lines, offering a cleaner, quieter solution that aligns with Japan's goal of decarbonizing mobility by 2050.

With this innovation, Japan signals a shift from conventional fossil-fuel transport to an era of active clean mobility — where trains, buses and even ships may one day harvest hydrogen for emission-free travel.

Source: East Japan Railway Company / Toyota Motor Corp. / Hitachi Ltd.,

[Slim]

That's good but I remember watching a video about hydrogen fuel cells a couple of years ago. At the moment the hydrogen is mostly made from fossil methane in a process that gives off a lot of CO2 (comparable to petrol for the same energy). So even though you may not get "carbon emissions along its route" the bad stuff goes into the atmosphere somewhere else.

It's possible to make hydrogen from sunlight and water, but it's several times more expensive per kg still at the moment.

[David L]

BESS gone wrong in Australia

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/waratahs-1-billion-super-battery-failure-throws-coaltorenewables-transition-into-disarray-experts-warn/news-story/a63cfd25482854693314b57dffec47d4