Comment We're going to miss .... (Score 1) 204
On the other hand, think of the employment opportunities for people operating the coconut shells.
Comment Re:Storage (Score 1) 504
You are correct that there is no good way to store grid-level amounts of power. The best we have is pumped hydro, but we will never build any more of that. (Environmentalists are working hard to try to tear down existing dams, so good luck building new ones to make pumped hydro storage. And the best sites have already been built anyway.)
I do have hopes that the Ambri liquid-metal batteries will work as promised. I'm not an expert on this stuff, but the technology does seem to make sense as far as I can tell.
Practical grid-scale energy storage would really help solar and other renewable energy sources become practical and dependable.
Comment Re:Use news instead of using gut feeling (Score 1) 234
Ah the "so you are telling us" trick for something you have provided yourself as a distraction? I'd hoped you were more interested in the topic than playing some silly attention seeking game. Disappointing.
Comment Re:Not Reinvented, Hyperspecialized (Score 1) 217
"Here's Johnny!"
Comment Re:Animal rights? (Score 2) 204
the horse did not understand English.
A dog was brought in to translate.
Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power 504
Hugh Pickens DOT Com (2995471) writes "Paul Monies reports at NewsOK that Oklahoma's legislature has passed a bill that allows regulated utilities to apply to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to charge a higher base rate to customers who generate solar and wind energy and send their excess power back into the grid reversing a 1977 law that forbade utilities to charge extra to solar users. 'Renewable energy fed back into the grid is ultimately doing utility companies a service,' says John Aziz. 'Solar generates in the daytime, when demand for electricity is highest, thereby alleviating pressure during peak demand.'
The state's major electric utilities backed the bill but couldn't provide figures on how much customers already using distributed generation are getting subsidized by other customers. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma have about 1.3 million electric customers in the state. They have about 500 customers using distributed generation. Kathleen O'Shea, OG&E spokeswoman, said few distributed generation customers want to sever their ties to the grid. 'If there's something wrong with their panel or it's really cloudy, they need our electricity, and it's going to be there for them,' O'Shea said. 'We just want to make sure they're paying their fair amount of that maintenance cost.' The prospect of widespread adoption of rooftop solar worries many utilities. A report last year by the industry's research group, the Edison Electric Institute, warns of the risks posed by rooftop solar (PDF). 'When customers have the opportunity to reduce their use of a product or find another provider of such service, utility earnings growth is threatened," the report said. "As this threat to growth becomes more evident, investors will become less attracted to investments in the utility sector.''"
The state's major electric utilities backed the bill but couldn't provide figures on how much customers already using distributed generation are getting subsidized by other customers. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma have about 1.3 million electric customers in the state. They have about 500 customers using distributed generation. Kathleen O'Shea, OG&E spokeswoman, said few distributed generation customers want to sever their ties to the grid. 'If there's something wrong with their panel or it's really cloudy, they need our electricity, and it's going to be there for them,' O'Shea said. 'We just want to make sure they're paying their fair amount of that maintenance cost.' The prospect of widespread adoption of rooftop solar worries many utilities. A report last year by the industry's research group, the Edison Electric Institute, warns of the risks posed by rooftop solar (PDF). 'When customers have the opportunity to reduce their use of a product or find another provider of such service, utility earnings growth is threatened," the report said. "As this threat to growth becomes more evident, investors will become less attracted to investments in the utility sector.''"
Oklahoma Moves To Discourage Solar and Wind Power 504
Hugh Pickens DOT Com (2995471) writes "Paul Monies reports at NewsOK that Oklahoma's legislature has passed a bill that allows regulated utilities to apply to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to charge a higher base rate to customers who generate solar and wind energy and send their excess power back into the grid reversing a 1977 law that forbade utilities to charge extra to solar users. 'Renewable energy fed back into the grid is ultimately doing utility companies a service,' says John Aziz. 'Solar generates in the daytime, when demand for electricity is highest, thereby alleviating pressure during peak demand.'
The state's major electric utilities backed the bill but couldn't provide figures on how much customers already using distributed generation are getting subsidized by other customers. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma have about 1.3 million electric customers in the state. They have about 500 customers using distributed generation. Kathleen O'Shea, OG&E spokeswoman, said few distributed generation customers want to sever their ties to the grid. 'If there's something wrong with their panel or it's really cloudy, they need our electricity, and it's going to be there for them,' O'Shea said. 'We just want to make sure they're paying their fair amount of that maintenance cost.' The prospect of widespread adoption of rooftop solar worries many utilities. A report last year by the industry's research group, the Edison Electric Institute, warns of the risks posed by rooftop solar (PDF). 'When customers have the opportunity to reduce their use of a product or find another provider of such service, utility earnings growth is threatened," the report said. "As this threat to growth becomes more evident, investors will become less attracted to investments in the utility sector.''"
The state's major electric utilities backed the bill but couldn't provide figures on how much customers already using distributed generation are getting subsidized by other customers. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma have about 1.3 million electric customers in the state. They have about 500 customers using distributed generation. Kathleen O'Shea, OG&E spokeswoman, said few distributed generation customers want to sever their ties to the grid. 'If there's something wrong with their panel or it's really cloudy, they need our electricity, and it's going to be there for them,' O'Shea said. 'We just want to make sure they're paying their fair amount of that maintenance cost.' The prospect of widespread adoption of rooftop solar worries many utilities. A report last year by the industry's research group, the Edison Electric Institute, warns of the risks posed by rooftop solar (PDF). 'When customers have the opportunity to reduce their use of a product or find another provider of such service, utility earnings growth is threatened," the report said. "As this threat to growth becomes more evident, investors will become less attracted to investments in the utility sector.''"
Comment Re:Awesome (Score 1) 217
The original poster did:
3D printed guns and powerful computers
Comment Re:A chilling EMP scenario (Score 1) 271
I think the big concern is power lines picking up huge voltage spikes that fry power supplies everywhere. It would be interesting to see how good surge protectors are all over the country. I suspect a lot of them will fail to deliver on their stated promises. I do think these scenarios where an EMP goes off and suddenly everybody has to hunt for game in the woods with bows and arrows is silly though. It would damage a lot of equipment and require a lot of work to repair, but society is more resilient than people think.
Comment Re:One word: FUD (Score 1) 271
Actually, most Boeings do still have a mechanical connection between the stick and the control surfaces. The most modern ones are fly by wire only, but older planes like 737s, 747s, 757s, and even 767s still have a mechanical link that the pilots can attempt a hail mary with. Airbus planes have been fly by wire only for some time though. Also note that these vehicles are rated for lightning strikes, which is not terribly dissimilar than a EMP and they don't fall out of the sky when hit by lightning bolts.
Comment Re:One word: FUD (Score 1) 271
I think that article is counting every infant in an ICU, everybody on medical devices, and maybe every pacemaker in the US? I guess this assumes the EMP is strong enough that it actually damages the equipment (and that surge protectors are worthless) so the normal backup power generators are not effective. It's sometimes hard to figure out where the numbers are coming from when talking about scaremongering articles like this.
Comment Re:TSA-like Money for Fear (Score 1) 271
Most cars power breaks are powered by engine vacuum and a completely mechanical linkage. Tesla owners and some people with Hybrids might be in trouble, but even then the e-brake should still work. They'll be able to stop even in the event of a total computer shutdown in the car. Loss of power steering won't kill too many people either, the mechanical linkage is still there and while your steering is heavy, you probably weren't making sharp rapid maneuvers when the EMP hit anyway. Even an old grandma can muscle her car over to the side of the road while it's still moving (steering once stopped maybe not, but by then who cares?)
Aircraft have the biggest problem. They're highly computerized and the failure mode is fatal. Plus, even if the aircraft aren't disabled, the loss of ATC in todays crowded skies would be a huge issue. Trying to get all of the planes down safely would be a monumental task.
Aircraft have the biggest problem. They're highly computerized and the failure mode is fatal. Plus, even if the aircraft aren't disabled, the loss of ATC in todays crowded skies would be a huge issue. Trying to get all of the planes down safely would be a monumental task.
Comment Re:Awesome (Score 1) 217
Where do you 3D print computer chips? Use the right technology for the job man.
Comment Re:Neat (Score 4, Informative) 217
My experience with splitters is that they were much faster than doing it by hand, but we were always splitting stuff that required a wedge and multiple strikes because the interlocking fibers would hold the log together (and snap back if you pulled the wedge) until you had pounded practically all the way through the wood. Of course sometimes we got some nice dry poplar and we would be finished with the whole tree in a couple of hours, but usually the wood we were splitting was just awful.
I can't imagine the guy in this video doing the same with some choke cherry logs.
I can't imagine the guy in this video doing the same with some choke cherry logs.
Comment Re:Neat (Score 2) 217
Yeah, my impression of the video is that he's making wood that's easy to split even easier. On something like scrub pine, that axe would probably be a nightmare. I really don't need a breathtakingly expensive maul to split dry birch.
