Smelting #Steel Without Fossil Fuels: #Solar Power Shatters the 1,000°C Barrier for Industrial Heating
"Swiss researchers have developed a solar energy method using synthetic quartz to achieve temperatures above 1,000°C for industrial processes, potentially replacing fossil fuels in the production of materials like steel and cement."
I decided to roll the dice, that my CV joint on my car wouldn't blowup, for a run up north out of city lights to see the aurora--& I'm so glad I did! Two shots from northern California: First is from Doyle & the second is from Frenchman Lake. What an amazing display! For a time the aurora covered a 180 degrees from east to west & was overhead & could be seen in the south! I shot these photos with a 15mm f/2.0 30sec ISO400.
Seit wir unsere PV-Anlage in Betrieb haben, beobachte ich unseren Stromverbrauch und da fallen einem Dinge auf, die, nun ja, eigentlich offensichtlich sind. Man weiß sie schon, aber es hat mir nochmal die Größenordnungen von Leistung vor Augen geführt.
Exciting! This is the next level of #solar biodiversified #agrivoltiacs farms: solar panels spaced among agricultural crops & planted with plant species that increase biodiversity. 👏
The parcel of land will have a 54 MW agrivoltiacs facility that will:
— host #wildflowers species
— provide as a wild animal shelter
— feature amphibian ponds, #bird baths, nesting boxes, & breeding places to protect endangered Lesser kestrel #birds
Brilliant article on the challenges facing transition to renewables, and why its unlikely
"while the cost of renewable power is now lower than that of fossil fuels, renewables are not a profitable business. The particularities of the .. market structure are the causal factors here... Making sure that capital gets its pound of flesh has crippled the country."
Continuing the theme - why despite hitting #Pakistan's rooftop #solar target half a decade early the Gov is being forced to somehow put brakes on the renewables transition.
" this rapid growth in rooftop solar is creating costs that have to be passed on to poorer segments of the population"
The world’s biggest solar plant has come online in China, capable of powering a small country with its annual capacity of more than 6 billion kilowatt hours.
The facility in a desert region of the north-west province of Xinjiang covers 200,000 acres – roughly the same area as New York City.
The 5GW complex, which was connected to China’s grid on Monday, is powerful enough to meet the electricity demands of a country the size of Luxembourg or Papua New Guinea.
My #homeassistant produced this nice image, because today was totally clear sky and my solar panels were providing full power. It's funny how doing things at home is so clearly visible in power usage.
Now that's fascinating. While everyone's talking about all the active #Solar activity, I just worked PJ2/W4IPC on 28.012.1 MHz CW. #AmateurRadio#HamRadio
The world's biggest renewables & storage project, in northern Australia, will have 12 GW of wind, 12 GW of solar, and 32 GWh of storage. It will supply both Singapore & Australia. The project will likely be rolled out in two stages – with the first sized at 12 GW of wind & solar and 16 GWh of battery storage.
"New portable solar power plants make it easier than ever to go off-grid. An entire plant of solar panels can be folded into a single shipping container.The power plant is easily deployed – and folded up again when it needs to move on."
The chart in this article illustrates the "bang for buck" for electricity generation options. Unsurprisingly, renewables come out ahead, fossil fuels come in the middle, and nuclear is the worst. Don't take my word for it; this comes from scientists who've been working on it for decades at the CSIRO. Another takeaway: don't take Peter Dutton's word for it, either.
Been finalizing the design and layout of my #solar panel array, which will be a post and beam structure topped with ironridge hardware.
Current interesting problem: The front of the array is currently set at only 1 foot above ground. This will make one corner very hard to keep clear of plants, and there is also a small hillock in the way.
I'd raise the array 3 feet or so, but the back is also on a slant, and the longest back post is currently maxxing out the size of 6x4" posts, at 16 feet.
This Friday, June 7, in “La Criolla”, Santo Domingo, in the province of Villa Clara, the official ceremony of handing over three photovoltaic parks to Cuba took place, journalist Bernardo Espinosa reported on his Facebook profile....
Cuba receives three photovoltaic plants donated by China (www.evwind.es)
This Friday, June 7, in “La Criolla”, Santo Domingo, in the province of Villa Clara, the official ceremony of handing over three photovoltaic parks to Cuba took place, journalist Bernardo Espinosa reported on his Facebook profile....