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Germany produced 50% of electricity for entire country via solar one day last month

well, ur a pretty sharp dude LK so i'm not surprised
 
Speaking of nuclear power, I'm pretty interested in the future of thorium as a fuel source. There's the usual array of folks who swear by it and folks who condemn it, but the possibilities that molten salt reactors using thorium present justify an honest, thorough look at it.

China is big on thorium reactor development, as is India.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100026863/china-going-for-broke-on-thorium-nuclear-power-and-good-luck-to-them/

"I have long been a fan of thorium (so is my DT economics colleague Szu Chan). It promises to be safer, cleaner, and ultimately cheaper than uranium. It is much harder to use in nuclear weapons, and therefore limits the proliferation risk."
 
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There are apparently problems in the storage and use of "uploaded" solar. It would help if you have a background in electrical engineering when viewing this:
 
I know nothing about engineering so this is probably dumb, but how is solar energy "stored" in the first place?
 
At the site, solar can be stored in batteries or any heat sink (water tanks for instance). The YouTube is referencing solar generated electricity that is pit in the distribution grid.
 
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Transmission and storage remain problems for solar. The research is promising, but nuclear really should be the gap filler until the technology for solar is where it needs to be. This won't happen though. For some reason Angela thinks earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis are a real threat in Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria.

Oil and gas should eventually be used purely for the production of chemicals and plastics. This is long way off though.
 
Wakeforest22890 said:
I know nothing about engineering so this is probably dumb, but how is solar energy "stored" in the first place?
Click to expand...

FUCKINGMAGNETS.jpg
 
WFU71 said:
There are apparently problems in the storage and use of "uploaded" solar. It would help if you have a background in electrical engineering when viewing this:
Click to expand...


That video is a perfect example of what happens when electrical engineers meet PowerPoint and public speaking.
 
ONW said:
That video is a perfect example of what happens when electrical engineers meet PowerPoint and public speaking.
Click to expand...

Meh just an example of someone in general. Some of the best presentations I've ever listened to were given by engineers. Some people just weren't made well to speak in public. Every field out there has employees with that issue.
 
There is a story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch from yesterday discussing a Dominion Power initiative regarding leasing rooftops for experimental solar panels on commercial buildings. They've already purchased several solar farms in Tennessee and California. I can't find the link, but it's interesting stuff.

Electrical engineers are a different breed of engineer though Tau.
 
ONW said:
There is a story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch from yesterday discussing a Dominion Power initiative regarding leasing rooftops for experimental solar panels on commercial buildings. They've already purchased several solar farms in Tennessee and California. I can't find the link, but it's interesting stuff.

Electrical engineers are a different breed of engineer though Tau.
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Guess I know a different breed of EE than you are referring to. Know quite a few that are extremely well spoken and great presenters.
 
You're an electrical engineer I assume. Agreed, you can find tremendous public speakers in any discipline.
 
Interesting article about how solar power + electric cars creates some really cool synergies and in the long term will change how we interact with the utility grid. Sounds pretty cool but also expensive, this will be adopted by the wealthy but i think it will be a long time before the bottom 50% of income earners can afford the capital outlays necessary to get into this system. Ultimately they may never be able to without some kind of government involvement.
http://time.com/2981460/electric-cars-home-solar/
 
"The theoretical potential of solar power is the integral of this average flux over the earth’s surface area (4πr2):

(4)
P = (174.7 W/m2) · (4πr2)
= (174.7 W/m2) · 4π · (6,378 km)2 · (106 m2/km2) · (10-12 TW/W)
= 89,300 TW.

This theoretical potential represents more energy striking the earth’s surface in one and a half hours (480 EJ)67 than worldwide energy consumption in the year 2001 from all sources combined (430 EJ)68.

This theoretical potential could be used to generate 15 TW of C-neutral power from 10%-efficient solar-conversion systems covering only 0.17% of the earth’s surface area,69 or

(5) A15TW = 0.168% · (4πr2)
= 0.168% · 4π · (6,378 km)2
= 858,792 km2.

This area is roughly the land area of Namibia (825,418 km2) or Venezuela (882,050 km2).70"

So much potential in this area. Collecting, storing, and distributing is the next hurdle.
 
Unfortunately, monetizing takes priority. No way does solar progress without someone figure out how to make a ton of money off what we all get for free.
 
Solar is already progressing, rapidly. A ton of private equity and oil/utility/gas company R&D is invested in its development right now. They'll figure out the profitability part of things later once they establish dominance.
 
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