[extropy-chat] FWD (SK) Nuclear Energy: A Fallacious Response tothe Oil Crisis (renewable fuels)

[Mike Lorrey]

Large engined vehicles could save dramatically on fuel if they were
merely reprogrammed for variable piston ignition and refitted with
solenoid controlled valves. Varying the number of pistons firing at any
given time is a huge help. Other things that can be done cheaply:
platinum coated piston heads, to move catalytic burning to the engine,
and water condensation from exhaust for electronically controlled
reinjection.

As for the nuke article: France does consume 50% of its electricity
needs from nuclear power. Once you factor in all non-electric energy
uses (heating, transportation), it drops to 17% of the total energy
budget. They still use three times more nuclear power than the global
average.

As for her pooh-poohing the 30 Chinese reactors, the point is that the
Chinese are not huge consumers of electricity compared to, say, France.
They can put ten million people on a given reactor that would only make
one million French happy. So, 30 Chinese reactors is the same as 300
French ones.

--- spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Terry W. Colvin
> 
> Subject: [extropy-chat] FWD (SK) Nuclear Energy: A Fallacious
> Response to
> the Oil Crisis
> 
> http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3232,36-683369,0.html
> 
> 
>     Nuclear Energy: A Fallacious Response to the Oil Crisis 
>     By Stéphane Lhomme 
>     Le Monde 
> 
>     Monday 29 August 2005 
> 
>     The price of oil takes off and global warming gets worse...
> 
>     Rich countries must make major reductions in their energy
> consumption
> and, at the same time, finance the development of renewable energies
> on the
> planet...
> 
> 
> 
> This article sounds a bit extreme, does it not?
> 
> In any case, I have been thinking a lot about 
> renewable fuels lately.  Last time I pointed out
> that our Detroits could be dramatically smaller
> than they are, someone pointed out to me that
> the poor might have a difficult time of changing
> out their rolling stock, that it would be a major
> impact to all advanced nations to replace their
> entire automotive infrastructure.
> 
> It occurred to me that this would not be necessary.
> Modern cars could be reworked with engines less
> than half the size of current ones.  V-8 SUVs could
> have small four cylinder engines installed.  Accords
> could have two cylinder motors adapted to their
> current transmissions.  A new industry would be
> born, with adapter kits for new, small engines
> going into existing Detroits.
> 
> Of course, the re-engined vehicles would be too
> slow to get out of their own way.  I could imagine
> the average car having the same performance as that
> yellow school bus we used to ride, you remember
> that, do you not?  It was slower than Christmas,
> but it got us there eventually.  A re-engined
> Detroit could get half again the mileage, and as 
> an added bonus, it would be so unpleasant to drive 
> that proles would be hesitant to use it at all
> whenever possible, saving even more fuel.
> 
> Higher fuel costs will make a number of home
> technologies viable: more insulation in the walls
> and ceilings, higher tech air conditioners and
> automated attic venting systems, solar water
> heating, white LED lighting systems and so 
> forth.  We have all these technologies today, 
> but cheap oil has kept them from full viability.
> 
> Having slower cars will seriously suck, but it
> is not the end of the dream.  We still have 
> motorcycles, which allow one to tear around 
> like one's ass is on fire if one must, yet 
> still get 50 miles to the gallon.  We will
> use the phone and cable more, the pistons
> and tires less.  Technology will continue 
> its forward march.
> 
> spike
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
Founder, Constitution Park Foundation:
http://constitutionpark.blogspot.com
Personal/political blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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