Peak oil wedding list

[emordnilap]

Feck. Jealousy. (Not about the marriage, of course, just having such understanding and generous friends.)

Good luck and long life to the newlyweds.

[adam2]

Now that numerous generous gifts have been received, a little shopping is in order.
New and bigger inverter.
New and bigger battery.
Re-wiring
2 washing machines.
Saw bench.
Large workbench.
Electric cycle.

BTW these are not the ones whom recently purchased the small woodland, but they are nearby, know each other, and will be assisting in managing the wood.

[adam2]

New battery now installed 24 volt, 2,800 A/H, with a center tap to give both 12 volt and 24 volt supply.
The wind turbine and 2 large PV modules charge the whole 24 volt battery.
Two smaller PV modules, each 115 watts, each charge one half of the battery so as to ensure that both halves are correctly charged.

New inverter installed, 24 volt input, 5,500 watt output. Ample for heavy power loads, though these are usually run from the generator.

The electric saw bench has proved very unsatisfactory, the supplied motor being very inadeqaute.
A very large DC motor is being sourced instead.

Rewiring to a rather better standard than originaly is largely completed.

New generator (unexpected and very generous wedding gift) installed in a purpose built shed. Normally run for an hour or two on alternate days.

The only recent mishaps have been a chimney fire, and subsequent collapse of the chimney.

[RenewableCandy]

The only recent mishaps have been a chimney fire, and subsequent collapse of the chimney.

So that's why sweeps are considered good luck at weddings

[adam2]

Update, after 5 years.

Still happily married.
A second chimney fire, despite regular sweeping, prompted a complete new chimney.
The market gardening operation was not profitable and has been downsized.
They have leased extra land and keep sheep on this, profitably.
Pigs did poorly and they no longer keep them as a business, but still fatten the odd one to eat.

The PV modules and wind turbines have given complete satisfaction, the battery works well but must be at least half way through its life.
DC refrigeration works perfectly.

The shotguns have seen a lot of use, mainly to kill the wretched Canada geese, of which there is a plague.

They are fostering children, normally two, but they did have a third one short term. This was a bit of a struggle despite the need for more foster parents.
The authorities take a very dim view of shotguns, livestock, wood stoves, lead acid batteries, and lack of mains electricity.
The fostered children are disabled and have coped far better with rural life than was expected, they cant walk any distance but get around just fine on electric quad bikes.
An additional wind turbine ensures plenty of current for charging these vehicles.

[Potemkin Villager]

Update, after 5 years.


The shotguns have seen a lot of use, mainly to kill the wretched Canada geese, of which there is a plague.

They are fostering children, normally two, but they did have a third one short term. This was a bit of a struggle despite the need for more foster parents.
The authorities take a very dim view of shotguns, livestock, wood stoves, lead acid batteries, and lack of mains electricity.

Good for them. I never told his mother but our eldest had his first experience driving a tractor on a neighbours farm when he was 11.

[kenneal - lagger]

Our five year old grandson, and his sister when she was that age, regularly sit on there Dad's lap and steer the car up our drive. Their Dad was a very nervous driver to start with and I think he wants them to feel confident about driving asap. Seems very sensible to me.

[clv101]

Five years old? What chance self driving cars being commonplace a decade or so from now?

[vtsnowedin]

Five years old? What chance self driving cars being commonplace a decade or so from now?

At the rate things change today I expect self driving Uber cars to dominate inner city traffic in just five years. They will spread out from there but the truly rural driver will be the last to move to self driving or electric powered cars. That is just a matter of each driver/ passenger making their own decisions in their own best interest.

[woodburner]

Not a snowball's chance in a very hot place of having the majority of cars in inner cities being self driving (if you mean the cars do the driving). There has been talk for decades of having flying cars for commuters, that hasn't got very far.

Problems now will still be around in 5 years

[vtsnowedin]

Not a snowball's chance in a very hot place of having the majority of cars in inner cities being self driving (if you mean the cars do the driving). There has been talk for decades of having flying cars for commuters, that hasn't got very far.

Problems now will still be around in 5 years

Flying cars is a physics problem which may not ever have a practical solution. Autonomous self driving cars on the other hand is a problem of sensors and controls, all of which seem to have been recently worked out satisfactorily. Considering the cost of parking spaces and cab drivers salaries in urban areas a fleet of driver-less cabs controlled by a central mainframe computer has a tremendous competitive advantage.

[clv101]

Yes... Yes... of course.

The eventual automation of work leading to a situation where nobody need be employed any more, thus maximising profits to their maximum extent, sounds like an absolutely capital idea. One in which there seems to be no downside whatsoever apart from the fact that there will be no-one left with any money to purchase the good or services, of course.

Clearly this is where some form of universal basic income becomes inevitable. It's not in anyone's interested, least of all the capitalists for no one to have any money.

The 'profits' can still be generated (with a lot less work due to automation) the challenge is the the tax system and social politics to keep up with change, heading off the scenario of a few thousand trillionaires and a few billion paupers.

[woodburner]

Not a snowball's chance in a very hot place of having the majority of cars in inner cities being self driving (if you mean the cars do the driving). There has been talk for decades of having flying cars for commuters, that hasn't got very far.

Problems now will still be around in 5 years

Flying cars is a physics problem which may not ever have a practical solution. Autonomous self driving cars on the other hand is a problem of sensors and controls, all of which seem to have been recently worked out satisfactorily. Considering the cost of parking spaces and cab drivers salaries in urban areas a fleet of driver-less cabs controlled by a central mainframe computer has a tremendous competitive advantage.

Sensors and controls are also a physics problem, and the sensor is the interface between the world and the control system. In many years of experience, it is this physical interface where many of the problems and lack of reliability lie.

[vtsnowedin]

Sensors and controls are also a physics problem, and the sensor is the interface between the world and the control system. In many years of experience, it is this physical interface where many of the problems and lack of reliability lie.

A physics problem perhaps but a much smaller one then a vehicle in flight or hoovering looking for a landing spot.
They are not asking the car to do anything it cannot already easily do, just changing who or what is at the controls. I do expect they will have trouble getting them safely through northern snow storms with mud and slush covering camera lenses and radar sensors but given the rate of progress they are currently making five years will see second and third generation control systems deployed that solve even these most difficult problems.

[PS_RalphW]

I can see self driving cars, but I don't see a significant fall in car ownership or congestion. Cars are primarily used for two things, driving to the office and taking the kids to school. These are both time critical and simultaneous and not optional in our current social structure. Most cars are used for one or both jobs, and very few owners would ditch their car and risk an Uber or other taxi not turning up at the right time. If there were enough cars available, they then would either have to park up, or cruise round waiting for customers until it was time to take their customer home again. That would not make economic sense, and would increase overall congestion as well as increasing total miles travelled.