Re: Solar power in fifty years?

[NT]

can possibly know what power gen techs we'll have in 50 years.

To claim knowlege of which one will be best is irrational.

NT

[geoff]

In message , harry writes

no mention of fusion, which, hopefully should have been cracked by then

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, it is as the poster there says, simply a political advertisement for subsidies: As such it is classed along with religious tracts like 'Jesus is coming' as being outside the remit of any criticism.

No adherence to facts is required in such documents.

Te use ofte word 'could' is enough.

Like 'harry could be a Good Fairy sent from the planet Zarg to lead us into the light'

I mean its unlikely, but, in a metaphysical way, possible.

[Peter Parry]

Problem of course is the light doesn't shine at night and in winter when we need it most, and even when it does shine in the UK it is pretty feeble.

As a method of getting the poor to subsidise the well off it is of course one of the best systems invented since the middle ages.

[Gib Bogle]

Hopefully, or hypefully?

[Gib Bogle]

long as oil and gas are much cheaper we will continue to consume them as fast as we can. In the very long run they'll be gone, and perhaps then renewable energy sources will dominate. Meanwhile we ride around in luxury in our ridiculously large chariots of steel, thumbing our noses at future generations. The harmful effects on life on the planet are manifold. I heard in a nature doco last night that during the war in Vietnam the US dropped half a tonne of high explosive per Vietnamese capita, and managed to destroy HALF of the country's forest (and it's inhabitants). Such atrocities will continue while carbon fuels remain cheap.

[Tim Streater]

We're not using them up "as fast as we can". If that was our aim, we'd just firebomb all the oil wells. We're using it up as fast as we feel we need to. If you think that's too fast, good luck trying to stop people.

We not thumbing our noses at future generations any more than previous ones did at us. I haven't seen any evidence that the Victorians or anyone else gave thought to future generations.

[Gib Bogle]

Have you not noticed that the oil companies are doing everything they can to develop new fields? If there is a way to increase the production rate, they will employ it. To me that qualifies as "as fast as we can". I didn't say anything about stopping people, but I firmly believe only depletion will stop this.

And? Previous generations laid waste to the forests, yes. The destruction continues, on land and in the rivers and oceans. Most people couldn't give a shit. You might consider yourself to be in good company.

[Chris J Dixon]

But gives a better return than the national lottery, which does much the same. ;-)

Chris

[Andy Champ]

Hopefully.

The oil won't run out, but it'll become damned expensive. Solar, wind and tide can't cope with our ever growing population. Fission is no more than a short term fix; it's dirty, and the fuel supply is ultimately limited.

There are two cases; the population collapses, or we get a better energy source. I have a nasty feeling it'll be the former, it won't be by abstinence, and my kids will have a very unpleasant retirement.

Andy

[Rick Hughes]

If it's just keeping warm that's crucial as EB put it "Being cold is just Gods way of telling you to burn more Catholics"

[The Other Mike]

EB?

Ettore Bugatti? Enid Blyton? Encyclopedia Britannica?

[tim....]

IMHO food supply will have a greater impact on population than fuel supply

tim

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. Since its dependent on massive energy input to get the yields we do at the moment.

[sm_jamieson]

(!) Edmund Blackadder at at guess. Simon.

[Andy Champ]

No fuel -> no tractors -> no food.

Lots of food -> biodiesel -> tractors.

It's a tradeoff. Current systems require a large fossil input in fertiliser, pesticides, and fuel.

Andy

[The Natural Philosopher]

So you think if we took 110% of the food we grow to supply 30% of the oil we burn, this is a solution?

[Huge]

I got out-accelerated by a Volvo T5R Estate on the M10 once. And I was in a Sierra Cosworth.

[RobertL]

very long? the world (since 1980s) burns more oil every year that we discover (currently 6x more) and we usually discover less every year than we did the year before (has been the case since the 1960s).

Robert

[Andy Champ]

Go read my previous post. Mostly we agree.

Andy