79 replies to this topic

[Mullerstainz]

It’s totally right that in winter solar doesn’t produce electricity but it’s also true that when in the boreal hemisphere there’s winter, in the austral hemisphere there’s summer. This doesn’t help with rooftop solar systems but the energy produced in the austral should be shared with the world and the same for the boreal and this must be applied to all energy sources.

[eds]

Which brings us back to:
ECOLOGY: Solar radiation is by far the most important source of energy,
. . . for it represents 99% of the energy balance of our planet.
. . . Even energy furnished by fossil fuels,
. . . is nothing more than solar energy in storage.

If Solar is the source of 99% of our planets energy,
. . . why are we blocking it out with pollution from burning Fossil Fuels,
. . . which are nothing more than Solar energy in storage?
That's Crazy!

Why don't we collect energy directly from the Sun,
. . . store it, and use it directly.
. . . Some countries are,
. . . Some Companies are,
. . . Some Investors are,
. . . Some Electric car owners are,
All of which is bringing Solar costs down,
. . . to the "Tipping Point" where we will soon be able to use,
. . . affordable/distributed/storable/self-consumable/non-polluting energy
. . . directly from the source of all energy.

Who wouldn't want that?  
. . . Apparently, NOT enough people, that have Fossil Fuel STUFF!
. . . . . . they have too much money, tied up in old sources of energy,
. . . . . . can't afford to just throw them out, and start over, and
. . . . . . will fight to prevent changes from happening.
But People that do NOT have Fossil Fuel SUFF,
. . . like 3rd World people with cellphones (communication), bicycles (Transportation) and
. . . . . . No source of Fossil Fuel electricity,
. . . . . . are leapfrogging over Centralized "Poles and Wire" systems.

ECOLOGY, doesn't care:
. . . if we select to use renewable energy, or use Fossil Fuel energy,
. . . if we believe in Climate Change, or NOT,
. . . if rich people spend billions to invest in renewables, or spend billions to fight against them,
. . . ECOLOGY, doesn't care . . . but I do.

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[Mullerstainz]

For a great shift to solar it’s necessary to change the thought that some people have about solar, i.e. it's expensive source of energy. The shift starts from actions that people do every day: buying an electric car or installing a rooftop solar system but shift needs also big actions, companies actions. Only combining these two kind of actions we will reach the shift that Earth and people need. I believe in this change because it’s possible, expensive but possible. Money shouldn’t be a brake to changing, it’s an obstacle that we must climb over. People can do it and companies can do it.

[eds]

Bangladesh, is the fastest growing Solar Home program in the world.
. . . 2 Million Solar Homes have been installed,
. . . with 60,000 new homes being added each month.

2013-11-14 Source:  Bangladesh

[Mullerstainz]

These are excellent news. It’s a spectacular phenomenon how developing countries are adapting perfectly to renewables. In recent years some countries have started to produce electricity independently and it's great that they have started to produce it through renewables.

[eds]

In Bangladesh, there are many problems like,
. . . . . . poor infrastructure,
. . . . . . political instability,
. . . . . . corruption,
. . . . . . insufficient power supplies etc,
but the Bangladesh economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996.

However, Bangladesh still remains a
. . . . . . poor,
. . . . . . overpopulated, and
. . . . . . inefficiently-governed nation with about
. . . 45% of the Bangladeshis being employed in the agriculture sector.

Bangladesh are NOT Rich, yet they can afford Solar Systems and
. . . that create's a Return on Investment, that is lifting them out of poverty.
. . . Germany create's a Return on Investment,
. . . Japan create's a Return on Investment,
. . . Italy create's a Return on Investment,
. . . China create's a Return on Investment,
. . . India create's a Return on Investment,
How can they afford Solar Systems,
. . . yet Solar systems are considered too expensive?
Is it because the US WASTE's almost 2/3rds of it's energy generated?
. . . are these countries more efficient (Smarter) than the US?
Example: they use LEDs(90% light/10% heat) and
. . . the US use's incandescent(10% light/90% heat)?

Source:  Solar Home System(PDF)  Rural Business(PDF)  Solar & Batteries(PDF) US energy waste

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[Besoeker]

Mullerstainz, on 11 November 2013 - 07:15 AM, said:

This doesn’t help with rooftop solar systems but the energy produced in the austral should be shared with the world and the same for the boreal and this must be applied to all energy sources.

Transporting renewable energy from one hemisphere to the other would need a bit of thought.

[Mullerstainz]

The development of poor countries will certainly benefit also the development of renewable energy. Renewables are objectively more expensive than non-renewable sources and for this reason most advanced economies have the opportunity to develop renewables more efficiently. It isn’t only a task of nations but it’s also for private companies. Regarding world energy sharing certainly it’s an expensive, very expensive project, but in the future it will be more accessible. Currently our only problem is to develop renewable energy in every country. Energy sharing will come later.

[Besoeker]

Mullerstainz, on 17 November 2013 - 07:51 AM, said:

Energy sharing will come later.

How do you envisage happening in practical terms?

[Mullerstainz]

I know it sounds fictional to ship a certain amount of energy from one part of the world to another but it isn’t. The first step to take would be energy sharing among neighboring countries or through energy infrastructure and then the extension of this infrastructure network that will include as many countries as possible. We are talking about a project that would take years and years to be realized but in a future world where renewable energies are the only source of electricity is necessary to share energy because not all countries have access to renewables every day.

[Besoeker]

Mullerstainz, on 17 November 2013 - 08:46 AM, said:

I know it sounds fictional to ship a certain amount of energy from one part of the world to another but it isn’t. The first step to take would be energy sharing among neighboring countries

That already happens. Even UK, with no neighboring countries has HVDC links to other Europen countries. The distances aren't huge. The cross channel link to France regularly runs at, or close to its 2GW capacity.

But how, in practical terms, would you get it from one one hemisphere to the other?

[eds]

Jeremy Rifkin doesn't think it's expensive

[Mullerstainz]

The solution is to proceed in small steps. Carry energy from Australia to Indonesia, from there to Malaysia and from there to China for example. The solution isn’t to create one big infrastructure from a far place to another but to use more infrastructures to carry energy from one hemisphere to another.

[Besoeker]

Mullerstainz, on 17 November 2013 - 12:58 PM, said:

The solution is to proceed in small steps. Carry energy from Australia to Indonesia, from there to Malaysia and from there to China for example. The solution isn’t to create one big infrastructure from a far place to another but to use more infrastructures to carry energy from one hemisphere to another.

In practical terms how exactly would implement that?

[Mullerstainz]

Energy sharing between hemispheres is an ambitious project and more that money requires diplomacy. To better understand the idea it’s necessary to expose an example. A certain amount of energy is produced in the Sahara (which in the future will become a superpower regarding solar energy) and must be destined to Europe. It is an accessible project to build a HVDC from North Africa to Europe. In the end it’s all a matter of diplomacy. HVDC will pass through several States but should be controlled by international organizations to avoid any kind of diplomatic problem.

[Besoeker]

Mullerstainz, on 18 November 2013 - 03:53 AM, said:

Energy sharing between hemispheres is an ambitious project and more that money requires diplomacy.

I agree that it will require diplomacy. I was thinking more in practical terms. The "how to" bit of the equation.

Mullerstainz, on 18 November 2013 - 03:53 AM, said:

To better understand the idea it’s necessary to expose an example. A certain amount of energy is produced in the Sahara (which in the future will become a superpower regarding solar energy) and must be destined to Europe.
It is an accessible project to build a HVDC from North Africa to Europe.

Desertec have been proposing that for a while now.And it may be practical with a few intermediate booster stations. HVDC has merits for long distance transmission. It reduces voltage drop along the conductors and removes the inductive volt drop associated with AC transmission systems.

To date, it has been used for distances up to about 2,000km and powers of up to a few thousand MW. For the Sahara to  peovide a significant contribution to Europe would need both those being upped by a considerable margin. Yes, there could be miltiple HVDC links crossing the desert, the Med, and being landed in southern Europe for further transmission to more northerly parts of Europe and across the Channel to UK.
Technically doable? Possibly so, but certainly a challenge. And that's for two regions in the same hemisphere and sharing the same meridians.  And rather more of a challenge for regions on opposides of the globe.

[Mullerstainz]

It could pass dozens of years before we can see the HVDC linking the United States to Australia, but links between Australia and Asia or between South America and North America are possible. We can compare energy network to any type of infrastructure, such as train infrastructure, many years ago with a few links but today there is a dense network of links. What we need is patience, we have to wait for the construction of these links, one by one, they're going to create a network that will allow renewable energy to be shared in the entire world.

[Besoeker]

Mullerstainz, on 18 November 2013 - 02:14 PM, said:

It could pass dozens of years before we can see the HVDC linking the United States to Australia,

But back to that point about "how to".
In practical terms, how exactly would you implement it?

[Mullerstainz]

What do you mean with practical terms? I suggest to apply the same construction method of HVDC that links UK and France to other places, like Africa and Europe. The Strait of Gibraltar could be a place for a HVDC, its length is very short.

[Besoeker]

Mullerstainz, on 20 November 2013 - 12:21 PM, said:

The Strait of Gibraltar could be a place for a HVDC, its length is very short.

Both in the same hemisphere.
How would you do it between hemispheres?