The transition

[kevinmccune]

A Man after my heart! (This is not political) does anyone else have trouble communicating with a "dyed in the wool" "Red or Blue" ? independents are few and far in between(what's their color,pink or turquoise?-love both of these shades,or gasp gray( not so much) I am patiently waiting for the affordable EV,everytime I pull the trigger on my 40 volt yard tools,I say go electric! Now just waiting for a decent electric chainsaw.

 

[kevinmccune]

The drive up here past Glasgow, Stirling Perth... Scotland is absolutely covered in turbines and a few massive battery storage banks, as much as I can see from the main roads.
And they were all going like the clappers which is proof of the countries wind potential, but only 5m people live here so generation of 100% of electricity at certain times isnt exactly unexpected.
4700 turbines, only 500 offshore surprisingly.
I dont find them jarring to the scenery, but obviously they are a stark reminder that wilderness is conquered and farmed for the modern world.
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The transmission lines are far less asthetic and unfortunately will have to be massively increased for a balanced renewable grid.

living on a hill these days just makes you a target( better to burrow in that "bump")

 

[kevinmccune]

even see one around here occasionly not as "shocking as the "cybertruck"( the CT looks like a refugee from a crusher in a wrecking yard-)no offense"Muskovites" what really soured me I couldn't get my deposit back!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Just like I learn from my brother's EV usage (which he loves), I've seen people get poked in the eye wit a stick and am confident I don't need to try it to see if I like it.

Smart people observe and learn from others.

Yes, that is true that observing and learning from others is part of the process of gaining new knowledge.

But it isn't the only part. Otherwise the world would be full of martial arts experts who learned their craft by watching Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. A lot of things in the real world can only be learned and discovered by experiencing them first hand.

 

[Roamers]

A lot of things in the real world can only be learned and discovered by experiencing them first hand.

Wow, something we agree on. EV suitability is not one of them.

I offer that experiencing sex gives better idea if it is something you want to do long term than watching a video; but a video (or any observation technique) can help explore choices. Over the years, I have watched many videos that influenced my decision on sexual preferences.

Is it obvious how an intelligent person can use that analogy to decide on deciding vehicle suitability?

 

[Roamers]

Otherwise the world would be full of martial arts experts who learned their craft by watching Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. A lot of things in the real world can only be learned and discovered by experiencing them first hand.

I have watched many martial arts movies and live fights. Without participating in a fight, by observing, I know it's not a direction I want to go.

Becoming an expert in a craft is different than deciding on if you want to start doing it.

 

[Roamers]

Now just waiting for a decent electric chainsaw.

Depends on your needs. My brother has been very satisfied with his Ego battery saw. I think it's a 12" bar.

I switched to a Husqvarna plug in when I stopped cutting in the field. 100' cord does everything I've needed for over 15 years. 16" bar.

Neither do what my early 70s Homelite with 24" or Dad's 60s Craftsman with 28"?? bar did.

 

[kevinmccune]

Don't forget, Mad Max is set decades after the collapse of industrial society and by that time all the solar panels would be junk. So they'd be fighting over rare earths, bauxite, silicone and silver deposits hey. And Coal! Lots of coal and Diesel used in the manufacturing processes.

It's what's missing from this brain dead corporate think tanks picture...


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China accounts for over half of global coal consumption, using 92.16 exajoules annually.
Then there is all the mining spread across the globe that feeds the furnaces and factories.

there has been a decrease in demand for coal,am told there are now only half the CSX coal trains,even the local paper mill has halved usage of coal since the installation of the "Biomass" boiler.

I pulled into a charging station in Riverside County a couple of months ago and both chargers were severed right at the connectors. 2 new charging stations useless. I've also pulled into numerous chargers and they are out of order or I've had to call the 800 number to get them back on line. It really makes one appreciate gas...

copper thieves they should start making charging cables oui of relatively low cost aluminum(if they can be made limber enough) or start induction charging and camera monitors right to the police station.

 

[LandoftheGiants]

there has been a decrease in demand for coal,am told there are now only half the CSX coal trains,even the local paper mill has halved usage of coal since the installation of the "Biomass" boiler.

copper thieves they should start making charging cables oui of relatively low cost aluminum(if they can be made limber enough) or start induction charging and camera monitors right to the police station.

Yes, but the US isn't exactly the manufacturing hub it once was and coal for electricity is only one of it's uses. Over half the steel in the world is made in China, it exports to the US and Britain now England has shut down much of it's traditional steel works, and their concrete works too I believe.

15 Sept 2025 — UK cement production is back under the spotlight after data from the Mineral Products Association (MPA) showed production reached a 75-year low in 2024.

To make clinker, the basis for cement, you need very high temperatures and coal is the preferred method used.

The Australian government has agreed to invest almost $53 million in a north Tasmanian company that will upgrade its coal-fired kiln to burn wood “waste” and used tyres for cement manufacturing.

Doesn't sound like much of a solution to carbon emissions to me?

The UK is shifting to electric arc furnaces for steel production but they are only good for recycled steel, which is not any good for the serious structural steel used in construction. Too many contaminants, like copper! If you're making steel from iron ore you need coal to extract the oxygen (iron-oxide) Why mention Steel and Cement? Because it's the cornerstone of all construction, especially in wind power. It's the two indispensables.

Global coal consumption has continued to rise over the past decade and last year alone the number of new coal-fired power plants built around the world hit a “10-year high”. Mostly in India and China. Get off Coal? Only if we go back to the dark ages. There has been a lot of chatter in the media for well over a decade about "De-carbonization" but it's just that, chatter. Behind the scenes the world is continuing as it did in the 20th century burning endless coil, oil and natural gas. Scotland? It has a population of 5.5 million, the same as Norway roughly. What they do there is statistically irrelevant as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Jakarta, the Indonesian capital has 42 million residents. Over seven times the population in a single city. They use Coal to generate power and probably always will.