hI-OOPS-CAPS Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 im sure oil companies whack brain boxes behind alternative energy sources Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I liked the sound of the hydrogen stuff that was shown on Top Gear. There was that honda, they said it could be used with the current infrastructure, of petrol stations. What I liked about it the most was that they said the price (given that virtually nowhere was supplying it) was about that of petrol. So if it became as widespread as petrol use, it would cost pence! I also like the sound of nuclear fusion, but when I did a bit of research into it at school, years ago, it seems not to be practical, we don't have the technology to maintain such a thing. It's more of a dream solution than a practical solution. Clearly something should be done to gain energy from the trillions of gallons of water that surround the planet. The best thing about getting energy from hydrogen is that it turns back into water, ready for use again. So it's a virtually infinite source of energy. im sure oil companies whack brain boxes behind alternative energy sources They do, but it's going to be more like enough to make it look like they're doing something, rather than enough to actually do something in the time there is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Gray Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I think that the people with minds and brains will grow there own food, stop using cars and transport, live for your family and friends and we may eventually go back to a much different but better civilization than we live in now. this will be a good film to watch: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualjoe Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Reading about new breakthroughs in technology always make me feel warm inside, 15-20% energy efficiency for solar panels has never been that great but this may one day help. Sustainable living and renewable energy sources are a large part of any student engineers curriculum nowadays, for years engineers and businessmen in positions of responsibility have known sustainability is something that has to be included into a design. So if you're not involved I wouldn't worry, there are plenty of awesome people with the tools to take care of it. It would certainly help things along though if the masses were a little bit more open minded to change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Just did the ground investigation for 20 solar parks around the south west each creating around 5 MW power if thats good enough for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Reading about new breakthroughs in technology always make me feel warm inside, 15-20% energy efficiency for solar panels has never been that great but this may one day help. Sick! From what I gather, it allows the use of a solar panel to split water... which is great! The sun's free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualjoe Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Just did the ground investigation for 20 solar parks around the south west each creating around 5 MW power if thats good enough for you? If they generate just under 5 MW they qualify for a generation tariff funded by the government which means they get paid money for every kW energy they generate. http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/FITs/ And you can get the same benefits if you install a PV system on your house so it would pay for itself within 12 years and earn you money afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Werd, they're looking at around 25 years lifespan for this particular development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casualjoe Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 25 years is the guideline for a solar panels lifetime but there are space satellites that were launched in the 70s fitted with solar panels that still operate fine to this day. Sounds like a well interesting project you were working on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 I think the guys I'm working with will be near on dead in 20 years and will certainly have made their money, once the 25 years is up the process of re-leasing the land starts and if the panels still work then thats all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Vandart Posted January 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Even if we believe what we're being told, what do you expect us todo about it? It's not my job. My job is doing my job. Which doesn't involve giving a toss. I'm not expecting you to do anything, I am asking if anyone is. Just did the ground investigation for 20 solar parks around the south west each creating around 5 MW power if thats good enough for you? And someone is Successful thread if you ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1a2bcio8 Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) It still astounds me quite how selfish people are. Selfishness blantantly flows from certain misunderstandings about the nature of being human and what achieves the greatest happiness and sanity. But then, of course, we've all grown up conditioned by various media forms which have told us and narrowed our belief that happiness is found in the short term gains of having this or that be it an object, an activity or convenience. "Having is the most important thing" is a dominant philosophical presupposition of our time. However, this also says something about the general stupidity with which people haven't been able to step back and recognise their blind conformance to the social trends (greed, selfishness, short sighted, etc.) within which they're being carried. All you retards that can't see that you're probably going to end up bringing children into a world that can't sustain them and that you'll massively regret that when it happens should take a moment to think. Of course it's a shame that people can't extend their compassion beyond the socially constructed ties of family but it's better, at least, than absolute selfishness. And of course we can do something. Is anyone really that stupid to think otherwise? People that don't want to admit it do so because it means facing a loss of their current state of, often superficial, having. edit: Ummm, perhaps excuse the form in which my points have taken.... Although the points still stand regardless of the mood which they've been expressed in. Edited January 14, 2011 by Ben Rowlands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Vandart Posted January 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 f**kin epic statement Ben. 'I'm too cool to care' is the cry of the mass retarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsmax04 Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Im deffinatly with Matt and Ben on that one. Its that attitude that got the global population in trouble. Ben - I salute you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Vandart Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OD404 Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Your link to a graph showing oil production levels can be a little misleading as availability of oil and cost of extraction are only a couple of factors which determine amount of oil produced in a year. Global demand, storage and other factors can have an effect and wouldn't necessarily be an indication of an on going or impending 'crisis'. I'm hoping that's not your only source? I manage to sit on both sides of the fence with this. Developing new engines and power generation equipment that use less fuel/oil as well as utilising waste heat to reduce the need for heating mean's that I am helping to reduce our consumpsion of fossil fuel. But on the other hand my car does 17mpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyseemonkeydo Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I don't really get why people don't install acres of tracking solar panels in places like death valley, deserts and Africa, Australia to produce craploads of power for 'free'. Saying that I'm still a firm believer that Nuclear is one of the major ways forward and also Hydrogen also has a major role to play in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Vandart Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Your link to a graph showing oil production levels can be a little misleading as availability of oil and cost of extraction are only a couple of factors which determine amount of oil produced in a year. Global demand, storage and other factors can have an effect and wouldn't necessarily be an indication of an on going or impending 'crisis'. I'm hoping that's not your only source? I manage to sit on both sides of the fence with this. Developing new engines and power generation equipment that use less fuel/oil as well as utilising waste heat to reduce the need for heating mean's that I am helping to reduce our consumpsion of fossil fuel. But on the other hand my car does 17mpg It isn't no and admittedly that graph is pretty shite. You can take into consideration that the economy is flat so production is going to be down, I am going on a mass of information that is out there and to which I will not link because of the volume of shite that needs to be waded through. I am also getting my information from personal experience. It's a bit of a moot point really as it will happen one day even if it hasn't happened already, this may not happen in our life time or our childrens lifetime but it will happen, the sooner it is dealt with the better. So can we get off the subject of whether it has happened or going to happen soon and just move onto positive stuff like things people are doing themselves (like yourself) what people know is going on (by other people) etc. What does it matter if it is an impending crisis or one for the future anyway? How does that effect your opinion on it? If it isn't going to happen in your life then do you care at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm not going to spend my life worrying about what might happen to other people... Sounds harsh, but there's nothing we can do as individuals, so why worry about it? If it was something I could directly control then of course I'd make sure it was fixed for future generations... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann2707 Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm not going to spend my life worrying about what might happen to other people... Sounds harsh, but there's nothing we can do as individuals, so why worry about it? If it was something I could directly control then of course I'd make sure it was fixed for future generations... This. Bang on Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun H Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 The eventual energy crisis will mostly be down to developing countries with ever increasing populations (China and India being the biggest players) and their domestic and industrial energy demand accelerating massively. For every bit ourselves, the US and other major energy consumers save through renewables etc developing countries require more and more. I see the energy problem as quite similar to the world's wealth "problem". I think it goes something like 5% of the world has 95% of the wealth, I wouldn't be very surprised if the same was true of domestic energy demand. Imagine now, if every person on the planet consumed as much energy as YOU do. It's an impossible situation and one which is fast approaching us as more and more countries transition to the lifestyle we ourselves are now accustomed to - fridges, microwaves, electric ovens, central heating, air conditioning. Not to mention industrial demands. Ultimately, unless the problems being discussed in this thread are solved comprehensively, the only option that would allow continuation of the life we know today, would be a restriction on birth rates. There are too many mouths to feed and eventually the human race as a whole could suffer for it. Another parallel to this is the increasing occurrence of water shortages, even in this country we are beginning to have issues, with hosepipe bans almost a certainty every summer. It genuinely frightens me a bit, after studying a module basically revolving around this last term, that the world is fairly happy to just ignore the impending issues to some extent. Even worse that people, as evidenced in this thread, refuse to take any responsibility themselves despite being educated on the issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1a2bcio8 Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 I'm not going to spend my life worrying about what might happen to other people... Sounds harsh, but there's nothing we can do as individuals, so why worry about it? If it was something I could directly control then of course I'd make sure it was fixed for future generations... You're right Mike; stupid people are annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 You're right Mike; stupid people are annoying. Which part of my comment was stupid, out of interest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Ok, I'm now definitely either stupid, or the rest of you are insane. Or perhaps it's 50/50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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