The world's next energy revolution is probably no more than five or ten years away. Cutting-edge research into cheap and clean forms of electricity storage is moving so fast that we may never again need to build 20th Century power plants in this country, let alone a nuclear white elephant such as Hinkley Point.
The US Energy Department is funding 75 projects developing electricity storage, mobilizing teams of scientists at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the elite Lawrence Livermore and Oak Ridge labs in a bid for what it calls the 'Holy Grail' of energy policy.
You can track what they are doing at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). There are plans for hydrogen bromide, or zinc-air batteries, or storage in molten glass, or next-generation flywheels, many claiming "drastic improvements" that can slash storage costs by 80pc to 90pc and reach the magical figure of $100 per kilowatt hour in relatively short order.
“Storage is a huge deal,” says Ernest Moniz, the US Energy Secretary and himself a nuclear physicist. He is now confident that the US grid and power system will be completely "decarbonised" by the middle of the century.
The technology is poised to overcome the curse of 'intermittency' that has long bedevilled wind and solar. Surges of excess power will be stored for use later at times when the sun sets, and consumption peaks in the early evening.
Ambrose is back again on the prospects of revolutionary advances on battery storage.
Not sure what to think about this. There is no doubt some interesting and positive developments on the way but can it transform and save us from the post-peak oil realities we face?
I am not so sure myself.
Suspect that some of these technologies, if commercialised, will soften the blows of decline but won't be able to replace our dependence on fossil fuels.
What do you think?
Peace always has been and always will be an intermittent flash of light in a dark history of warfare, violence, and destruction
I think it's another of these 'technology can save us' things that makes us hope we can carry on as usual - bit like all the hooha with electric cars. Am I allowed to use the word 'bullshit' in this forum?
boisdevie wrote:I think it's another of these 'technology can save us' things that makes us hope we can carry on as usual - bit like all the hooha with electric cars. Am I allowed to use the word 'bullshit' in this forum?
A catastrophic collapse would be better for everything else on earth. If it was slow and "controlled" it gives more time for these ******* humans to **** up even more of the planet.
To become an extremist, hang around with people you agree with. Cass Sunstein
woodburner wrote:A catastrophic collapse would be better for everything else on earth. If it was slow and "controlled" it gives more time for these ******* humans to **** up even more of the planet.
