[ExI] Michio Kaku makes 3 predictions about the future

[BillK]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2022 at 20:46, spike jones via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> BillK, the conclusion above assumes the generated power is used as electric
> power.  Problem: there is insufficient market for electric power in that
> area.  Note this is a persistent problem: areas well suited for wind and
> solar power generation are generally not densely populated.
>
> All is not lost however, for there are power-hungry processes which can be
> performed on-site, then the refined products sold.
>
> Consider a process used by South Africa in World War 2.  They had little oil
> but plenty of coal, so they used the coal to make fuel.  Problem: the
> process uses up most of the coal, for it burns coal to get the energy to
> convert the remaining coal to fuel.  The process is very inefficient.
> However... with sufficiently abundant supplies of electrical energy,
> supplied by solar panels, coal can be converted to liquid fuels, then the
> liquid fuels shipped to anywhere on the planet.  All that South African coal
> could be shipped to the Sahara, converted there using solar power, then off
> it goes to fuel vehicles or whatever else we need.
>
> spike
> _______________________________________________


Very large solar panel installations create a heat-island effect.
Covering over 20% of the Sahara (or the equivalent elsewhere) will
create so much heat that it will affect the world climate.
See:
<https://theconversation.com/solar-panels-in-sahara-could-boost-renewable-energy-but-damage-the-global-climate-heres-why-153992>
Quote:
If these effects were only local, they might not matter in a sparsely
populated and barren desert. But the scale of the installations that
would be needed to make a dent in the world’s fossil energy demand
would be vast, covering thousands of square kilometres. Heat
re-emitted from an area this size will be redistributed by the flow of
air in the atmosphere, having regional and global effects on the
climate.
-----------

Also:
<https://medium.com/predict/why-dont-we-cover-the-sharah-in-solar-panels-3692a5bf89bd>
Quote:
Why Don’t We Cover the Sahara In Solar Panels?
The answer to our power needs seems so simple, right?
Will Lockett    Mar 8, 2021
-------------------------------


Like most good things, some is nice but too much becomes a problem.


BillK