Posted on 01/31/2021 10:41:59 AM PST by DFG
For the longest while I have been asking, “Where do environmentalists and Democrats think all these batteries for our oil-free transportation fleet are going to come from?” It seems they think there is a Battery Fairy out there somewhere who will magically supply the ginormous battery capacity, and additional supply of electricity to charge them, in order to deliver us to our blessed fossil-fuel-free future.
So kudos to Wired magazine on “The Spiraling Environmental Cost of our Lithium Battery Addiction,” which reminds us that there are, you know, tradeoffs between various kinds of energy systems we might use:
Demand for lithium is increasing exponentially, and it doubled in price between 2016 and 2018. According to consultancy Cairn Energy Research Advisors, the lithium ion industry is expected to grow from 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of annual production in 2017, to almost 800 GWhs in 2027. . .
But there’s a problem. As the world scrambles to replace fossil fuels with clean energy, the environmental impact of finding all the lithium required to enable that transformation could become a serious issue in its own right. “One of the biggest environmental problems caused by our endless hunger for the latest and smartest devices is a growing mineral crisis, particularly those needed to make our batteries,” says Christina Valimaki an analyst at Elsevier. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at powerlineblog.com ...
There are only so many electrons that can be packed into a container in a safe manner. The more tightly you pack electrons, the greater the chance of a gigantic discharge in the event of battery breach. That’s why lithium batteries haven’t changed much in terms of how far you can travel in the last thirty years
It is a limit imposed by physics.
My guess is the muggles will be left stranded when they regulate/outlaw the combustion engine and need to rely on mass-transit.
Therein lies the Left's big conflict. Public transportion is only effective in sizeable urban centers; yet the policies of the Left and their only "tolerance" (that being the destruction of the cities) are driving people out of the cities into suburban and rural areas where public transportion is, at best, highly inefficient.
I might be waiting in line for my ration of $6 gasoline, but I will be laughing at the electric car snobs stranded because the blackouts from unreliable solar and wind energy won’t allow them a recharge of their batteries.
ya really can’t tell a Leftist much of anything...
I often wonder what happens to all those old depleted batteries.
THIS is the biggest problem facing “green power”. Energy source is unstable by the minute, it’s completely out for hours per day, and weather can block sufficient energy harvesting for longer than any battery backup can prep for.
Batteries have a hard limit: when drained, there is no more energy until recharged. It’s a “brick wall effect”.
Batteries are not cheap. Plan roughly $1 per 1 Wh of storage. Got a 100W solar panel? need 1000 Wh (1kWh) of storage to last 10 hours without sun ... which is daily need. Storm coming thru, dropping that panel to sub-5W output? gonna last all day? better have >3500 Wh storage handy to maintain 100W usage. Lingering heavy clouds for a week? 17 kWh storage needed ... at the same $1 per 1 Wh. Oh, and you’ll need panels x time to recharge that alongside normal use. Winter? yeah, that’s gonna hit your capacity for months, needing more panels and more storage for extended dark & snow. Oh, will only _rarely_ need _that_ much power stored (however much)? odds of needing one more day aren’t that low, compared to impact of total blackout when drained.
Nice to have a grid to fall back on ... except everyone else will be using it too, and everyone paying for it being there for full use even when not used when the sun is shining.
Ballpark number: for such reason, “green” power can only supply about 10% of regional power needs before cost & reliability become untenable.
Physics is a math thing. Democrats don't do math. Note that all the humanities degrees that the Left loves do not need math. "Educated" does not include quadratics, (How to establish a statistical curve.), 'cause math is hard...
Just for you to know, I’m an Electrical Engineer......over 40 years .......
Obviously, any new battery has to be safe from random full discharge.....
However, Lithium has run its gamut... there are new technologies emerging at nano-level chemistry and engineering (way beyond my abilities)that are close to production level service...
Some of these innovations are truly amazing.....
No solar cell and windmill fairy either.
But we should keep in mind that most politicians went in that direction after they encountered their third grade science course and couldn’t figure it out.
Global warming...the biggest lie since “democrats are for the little guy”.
and in many places no one takes public trans
i see empty buses all the time
The real goal is to force everyone into mass transit by making cars so expensive that only the rich can afford them. Going all electric furthers that goal.
How so, please?
Batteries come from the battery mine. Same as the hydrogen for fuel cells come from the hydrogen mine.
Don’t you know your economics, silly?
Prague University: Electric Cars Are Really Coal-Powered Cars
“They know all that. Even Musk has said there’s not enough power generation.”
I guess that is why Musk is invested in EV’s and batteries ...
I thought you just put up a wall with a electric socket in it and you have electricity.
Yep, and China is in Africa for the same reason. I think some of the price rise in Lithium and other rare earth minerals is due to China constraining it exports. They’re trying to corner the market on rare earth minerals.
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