Energy Security

[Sean K]

Can you imagine an electric tank in battle, that would be funny, they would have to have a dedicated person on battery watch so they knew when to high tail it.
At least you could push the E.V away from the charge point, or just park on it. ?

Perhaps the battery charging issue will be solved by having removable batteries? Once you're short on charge just switch in a fresh one and plug the flat one into a socket. Will take a significant change in the design of the tank so the battery is accessible via a hoist, but it's not inconceivable if you start with a fresh design. Could even imagine a regular EV with the batteries as part of a slide out module from the bottom of the car. Or, maybe the electronics of it are more complex than I imagine.

 

[sptrawler]

Perhaps the battery charging issue will be solved by having removable batteries? Once you're short on charge just switch in a fresh one and plug the flat one into a socket. Will take a significant change in the design of the tank so the battery is accessible via a hoist, but it's not inconceivable if you start with a fresh design. Could even imagine a regular EV with the batteries as part of a slide out module from the bottom of the car. Or, maybe the electronics of it are more complex than I imagine.

It's already happening, NIO have been doing it for a coupe of years.

 

[Sean K]

It's already happening, NIO have been doing it for a coupe of years.

So, perhaps on the freeways between the major cities there could just be swap out stations instead of chargers?

 

[sptrawler]

So, perhaps on the freeways between the major cities there could just be swap out stations instead of chargers?

That's the way they are going in China, it's an either or, you can charge it from an external source, or just swap out the battery.
It makes a lot of sense in high density places where on street parking is the norm, or as you say between major cities.
In the next 5 years I think there will be a lot of fine tuning to E.V's and the infrastructure, especially in the U.K where space is at a premium.

 

[Sean K]

Why Gina Rinehart wants Peter Dutton to get a bigger budget​

Julie-anne Sprague
Mar 7

The nation’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, has lambasted successive governments for “grossly inadequate defence spending”, calling for budget spending to be reprioritised to bolster military industries and equipment.

“We have had a wake-up call in recent weeks of the importance of a country being able to defend itself, and I have been advocating for a long time that the Australian government take its primary responsibility to Australians far more seriously, and that this be reflected in how taxpayers’ money is spent. Less wastage of taxpayers’ money, and more spent on actual defence,” Mrs Rinehart said.

She sounded the alarm on energy security, warning that Australia should heed the lessons of Germany, which she said was too reliant on Russia for its energy needs. She said it was critically important Australia was self-sufficient in fuel and energy supplies.

“We need to learn from Germany closing its nuclear power and coal-fired power stations, so that it is now primarily dependent on Russia, despite then president [Donald] Trump’s strong warning,” Mrs Rinehart told The Australian Financial Review.

“Germany is faced with rising power costs and shortages, and you can see its resultant initial aid to help Ukraine – 5000 helmets! We must learn that being self-sufficient in fuel and energy supplies is of critical importance.

“For a short time under its previous president the US was fuel and energy sufficient, which means that important economic sanctions could be effectively employed.

“Instead, we see the US sending Russia tens of millions each day to get fuel, which helps to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, and whichever nearby country may be next, because [President Joe] Biden is too frightened to put on more effective economic sanctions, given his far-left-driven policies to cut off oil and gas supplies from Canada, and restrictions against new oil and gas and coal supplies in the US.”

 

[Sean K]

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

I just came across this article on oilprice.com which seems extensive and well argued by Felicity Bradstock.

It seems pertinent to Australia covering geopolitics, Russia, Oil, Hydrogen and solar.

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/The-Energy-Transition-Will-Transform-Geopolitics.html

gg

 

[orr]

I just came across this article on oilprice.com which seems extensive and well argued by Felicity Bradstock.

It seems pertinent to Australia covering geopolitics, Russia, Oil, Hydrogen and solar.

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/The-Energy-Transition-Will-Transform-Geopolitics.html

gg

Maybe a standing 'Commission for the Future' at a federal level would be useful as to guide national policy in this type of regard.
Wonder if that's ever been tried before?...
(B. Jones is 90 this year)

 

[Sean K]

I wonder how far energy security in Europe is going to go in stopping, or escalating, the war in Ukraine? I think it's clear that the EU didn't do anything to stop Russian aggression over the past decade due to their reliance on Russian gas. Russia thought they could get away with attacking Ukraine due to this. Now Russia have pushed the Finns and Swedes to join NATO. But, energy security for Europe is at risk. Where does the EU replace 1/3 of their gas supplies from? I think they're going to have to come up with a solution very quickly, or they're going to have an extremely cold winter this year.

In the Fin:

including:

Wednesday’s move by Ukraine to cut off Russian gas supplies through territory held by Russian-backed separatists was the first time the conflict has directly disrupted shipments to Europe.

Gas flows from Russia’s export monopoly Gazprom to Europe via Ukraine fell by a quarter after Kyiv said it was forced to halt all flows from one route, through the Sokhranovka transit point in southern Russia.

Ukraine accused Russian-backed separatists of siphoning supplies.

Should the supply cut persist, it would be the most direct impact so far on European energy markets.

Moscow has also imposed sanctions on the owner of the Polish part of the Yamal pipeline that carries Russian gas to Europe, as well as Gazprom’s former German unit, whose subsidiaries service Europe’s gas consumption.

The implications for Europe, which buys more than a third of its gas from Russia, were not immediately clear.

 

[sptrawler]

I wonder how far energy security in Europe is going to go in stopping, or escalating, the war in Ukraine? I think it's clear that the EU didn't do anything to stop Russian aggression over the past decade due to their reliance on Russian gas. Russia thought they could get away with attacking Ukraine due to this. Now Russia have pushed the Finns and Swedes to join NATO. But, energy security for Europe is at risk. Where does the EU replace 1/3 of their gas supplies from? I think they're going to have to come up with a solution very quickly, or they're going to have an extremely cold winter this year.

In the Fin:

View attachment 141643

including:

Wednesday’s move by Ukraine to cut off Russian gas supplies through territory held by Russian-backed separatists was the first time the conflict has directly disrupted shipments to Europe.

Gas flows from Russia’s export monopoly Gazprom to Europe via Ukraine fell by a quarter after Kyiv said it was forced to halt all flows from one route, through the Sokhranovka transit point in southern Russia.

Ukraine accused Russian-backed separatists of siphoning supplies.

Should the supply cut persist, it would be the most direct impact so far on European energy markets.

Moscow has also imposed sanctions on the owner of the Polish part of the Yamal pipeline that carries Russian gas to Europe, as well as Gazprom’s former German unit, whose subsidiaries service Europe’s gas consumption.

The implications for Europe, which buys more than a third of its gas from Russia, were not immediately clear.

I think Trump spelled that out to them, but the EU and the media put paid to that, as an exaggeration on Trumps part. ?

 

[Dona Ferentes]

I posted a link up in a climate thread yesterday, but realised it was more about energy security.

This is a significant topic, that has lead to major geopolitical affects, and is about to.

and this is an interesting viewpoint:

‘How The World Really Works’ by Vaclav Smil

Give Smil 5 minutes and he'll pick apart one cherished scenario after another. Germany's solar revolution as an example for the world to follow? An extraordinarily inefficient approach, given how little sunlight the country receives, that hasn't reduced that nation's reliance on fossil fuels. Electric semitrailers? Good for little more than hauling the weight of their own batteries. Wind turbines as the embodiment of a low-carbon future? Heavy equipment powered by oil had to dig their foundations, Smil notes, and kilns fired with natural gas baked the concrete. And their steel towers, gleaming in the sun? Forged with coal....."

Meet Vaclav Smil, the man who has quietly shaped how the world thinks about energy​

Science | AAAS

www.science.org

 

[sptrawler]

and this is an interesting viewpoint:

‘How The World Really Works’ by Vaclav Smil

Give Smil 5 minutes and he'll pick apart one cherished scenario after another. Germany's solar revolution as an example for the world to follow? An extraordinarily inefficient approach, given how little sunlight the country receives, that hasn't reduced that nation's reliance on fossil fuels. Electric semitrailers? Good for little more than hauling the weight of their own batteries. Wind turbines as the embodiment of a low-carbon future? Heavy equipment powered by oil had to dig their foundations, Smil notes, and kilns fired with natural gas baked the concrete. And their steel towers, gleaming in the sun? Forged with coal....."

Meet Vaclav Smil, the man who has quietly shaped how the world thinks about energy​

Science | AAAS

www.science.org

Terrific article @Dona Ferentes , well spotted.

 

[Knobby22]

Nuclear is the future for Europe.

 

[Smurf1976]

and this is an interesting viewpoint:

‘How The World Really Works’ by Vaclav Smil

The one thing I'll disagree with is the chart.

The precise figures vary depending on the source but all credible statistics show hydro as substantially larger than nuclear at the global level whereas the chart shows the reverse.

Not only that, but nuclear has seen a substantial decrease in its % contribution from around 17% 25 years ago to around 10% today (varies slightly with the data source).

 

[orr]

A deeper reading of Prof Smil's work is well worth the effort, not least his understanding of the uncertainties of the future.

plus his advice ....
the Low hanging fruit...
*insulate your house
*consume less as an indvidual
*Know that 35-40% of world food production is wasted
*eat less meat

or don't (not Smil's advice) but your choice.

And things are really really complex... now, over to 2GB, so you can know what to really think..

 

[Smurf1976]

A deeper reading of Prof Smil's work is well worth the effort, not least his understanding of the uncertainties of the future.

If there's one thing I think people could gain by reading his work it's to understand just how long energy transitions take.

There's no precedent for doing it quickly and there's no precedent for completely ending the use of any existing energy source. Every transition we've ever seen has been slow and incomplete with some failing to get far off the ground at all.

Australia's in a relatively fortunate position in terms of resources if we choose to take advantage of it. All we need do is get the politics and ideology out of the way.

For Europe, and in that sense I'm referring specifically to the EU and UK, there's no quick and easy fix for a situation that has taken almost 40 years of consistently bad policy to create.

 

[Sean K]

Australian smelters are also going to have a problem if hydrogen doesn't work out. This would be a disaster for indigenous capability during an external security crisis.

 

[qldfrog]

https://www.2gb.com/the-scoreboard-doesnt-lie-closing-coal-plant-sparks-major-concerns/
Let's see how NSW survives in a few months

 

[Sean K]

https://www.2gb.com/the-scoreboard-doesnt-lie-closing-coal-plant-sparks-major-concerns/
Let's see how NSW survives in a few months

Some expert on energy from the Grattan Institute on the news this morning saying it won't be a problem. LOL.

 

[SirRumpole]

Some expert on energy from the Grattan Institute on the news this morning saying it won't be a problem. LOL.

Maybe it won't be an immediate problem, but the trend is worrying.

gWh out, how much in ?