[ExI] [hackers-l] LinkedIn weirdness

[Keith Henson]

I read through the website, and the only mention they have for scale is 300 MWh.

That's not very much; California fires up something in the range of 30
GW of natural gas turbines when the sun goes down.  I am proposing to
make syngas from renewable energy and waste to replace natural gas for
this use.  Or we could make about twice as much jet fuel from LA trash
as LAX uses.  The fully built-out system is huge.  LA could soak up 20
GW for 8 hours during the day and make enough syngas to produce 20 GW
for 12 hours.

Keith

Best wishes,

Keith

On Sat, Mar 21, 2026 at 1:27 AM <vid.beldavs at fotonika-lv.eu> wrote:
>
> What I find fascinating about organic redux flow batteries (ORFB) is that costs can be expected to decline as implementation is scaled.  Use widely available materials. Minimal use of critical materials.  A early pilot was implemented in Austria in 2023.  https://www.cmblu.com/en/press-and-media/first-solidflow-energy-storage-system-delivered/.  The concept appears ideal for decentralized, micro-grid power, for wind farms, solar farms and data centers in combination with super capacitors for instant response to power fluctuations.
> Partners are welcome to join us in developing innovative solutions.  Vid Beldavs
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: power-satellite-economics at googlegroups.com <power-satellite-economics at googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Keith Henson
> Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2026 6:53 AM
> To: Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com>
> Cc: The Hackers Conference - members-only discussion list <hackers-l at lists.hackersconference.org>; ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>; extropolis at googlegroups.com; Inventor's Lunch <inventors-lunch at googlegroups.com>; Power Satellite Economics <power-satellite-economics at googlegroups.com>
> Subject: Re: [hackers-l] LinkedIn weirdness
>
> On Fri, Mar 20, 2026 at 8:49 PM Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > This is what All Power Labs in Berkeley is doing
>
> I looked, and they are a biochar project, not making syngas out of mixed waste.
>
> Keith
> > On Fri, 20 Mar 2026, 02:57 Keith Henson via Hackers Discussion, <hackers-l at lists.hackersconference.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> I posted this on LinkedIn.
> >>
> >> The biggest problem with renewable energy is large scale, long term storage.
> >>
> >> "A Victorian gas-making technology might solve this problem. About
> >> 1860, they made gas by burning coke till it got white hot, then
> >> shutting off the air and blowing steam through the mass of coke. This
> >> made CO and hydrogen, which was distributed as town gas.
> >>
> >> "For carbon, we can use municipal waste, which is 40% carbon. For
> >> heat, renewable electricity from wind or solar. 4 MWh will vaporize a
> >> ton of carbon in steam, making about 11 MWh of syngas. The syngas can
> >> be stored and then burned in a combined cycle turbine, giving over 6
> >> MWh of electricity.
> >>
> >> "This scales to a rather large size. LA makes 100,000 tons per day,
> >> of which 40% is carbon. Run 1/3rd of the day, the gasifiers could
> >> absorb
> >> 20 GW, producing 240 GWh of syngas. This sounds like a lot until you
> >> realize California is putting in 13 GW over the canals."
> >>
> >> According to LinkedIn, almost 1000 people read it, including people
> >> in the utility industry.  There were no comments except my comment,
> >> giving my email.  No emails.
> >>
> >> Is the idea so strange that people can't understand?  75 years ago,
> >> the US made town gas from coke at a similar scale.  Is invoking
> >> chemical reactions from the Victorian era simply rejected?
> >>
> >> Any thoughts on the results?  I am mystified.
> >>
> >> Keith
> >>
> >> PS March 24, I am giving a talk on this topic to the local IEEE
> >> chapter.  If it is not closed, I will let you know.
> >> --
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