Comments on: ‘Major discovery’ from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution — NOT! http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/ The Latest on Climate Science, Solutions, and Politics Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:16:11 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: şanlıurfa http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-34234 şanlıurfa Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:32:24 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-34234 thank you thank you

]]> By: mevlana http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-34233 mevlana Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:32:06 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-34233 thanks thanks

]]> By: şişme bebek http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-32982 şişme bebek Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:16:06 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-32982 It’s hard to convince a blogger to send traffic your way if they’re not sure that you are going to routinely post fresh compelling content It’s hard to convince a blogger to send traffic your way if they’re not sure that you are going to routinely post fresh compelling content

]]> By: porno http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-31219 porno Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:36:47 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-31219 If you’re going to use ICE, then you might as well make synthetic fuels. Could be hydrogen, methanized. We have excellent natural gas infrastructure and methane is easy to handle plus the ICE is easier to use with methane. Hydrogen embrittles the engine so you need expensive materials. And since there’s no infrastructure for hydrogen you have to build it. Which will be expensive and take lots of time. Plus it is wasteful to pump hydrogen around as it doesn’t have a lot of energy, you have to pump loads of it around to get reasonable amounts of energy. The pumping losses are severe. If you’re going to use ICE, then you might as well make synthetic fuels. Could be hydrogen, methanized. We have excellent natural gas infrastructure and methane is easy to handle plus the ICE is easier to use with methane. Hydrogen embrittles the engine so you need expensive materials. And since there’s no infrastructure for hydrogen you have to build it. Which will be expensive and take lots of time. Plus it is wasteful to pump hydrogen around as it doesn’t have a lot of energy, you have to pump loads of it around to get reasonable amounts of energy. The pumping losses are severe.

]]> By: shop http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-28839 shop Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:56:37 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-28839 As we’ll see, they have not developed an efficient storage process — and we have no idea if it’s cheap because they don’t have anything near a commercial prototype As we’ll see, they have not developed an efficient storage process — and we have no idea if it’s cheap because they don’t have anything near a commercial prototype

]]> By: sesli chat http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-26875 sesli chat Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:19:27 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-26875 It has been done, but because daytime power fetches a higher price than nighttime power, there is little incentive for companies to do more than prototype thermal storage. That will change when CSP becomes a much larger portion of the grid. The challenge will then to make the nighttime generation from thermal energy storage cost competitive. Ausra claims the storage of heat deep underground, where the Earth provides containment for the pressures required, will solve that problem, but as far as I know, it has not yet been prototyped. It would certainly be helpful if the DOE contracted with Ausra to prototype it. It has been done, but because daytime power fetches a higher price than nighttime power, there is little incentive for companies to do more than prototype thermal storage. That will change when CSP becomes a much larger portion of the grid. The challenge will then to make the nighttime generation from thermal energy storage cost competitive. Ausra claims the storage of heat deep underground, where the Earth provides containment for the pressures required, will solve that problem, but as far as I know, it has not yet been prototyped. It would certainly be helpful if the DOE contracted with Ausra to prototype it.

]]> By: Steve Johnson http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-25705 Steve Johnson Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:53:16 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-25705 Here's the core problem we face from an energy strategy standpoint. There are some vehicle applications that will be well-served by batteries and electric motors; and there are some that won't. Think ocean freighters. Think aviation. Think even long-haul trucks. Liquid fuel is essential for ocean freighters and airplanes and almost essential for long haul trucking. So the relevant societal question is not the one Romm focuses on - batteries vs hydrogen - because that compares two dissimilar applications - battery vehicles vs liquid fuel vehicles. Instead we need to know what's the best liquid fuel for vehicles that need liquid fuel. The comparison is really biofuel vs hydrogen. Corn ethanol for biofuel? Not. Sugar cane ethanol? Algae based biofuel? Or hydrogen as a liquid fuel, with the most economical method one can find for extracting hydrogen from water? I don't know if MIT has the beginnings of an economical answer for hydrogen - I'm only an MBA, not a scientist - but I think one key focus has to be on liquid fuel applications such as ocean freighters and aviation, and when that issue is being discussed, then we get to comparisons of biofuel strategies and hydrogen strategies. Here’s the core problem we face from an energy strategy standpoint. There are some vehicle applications that will be well-served by batteries and electric motors; and there are some that won’t. Think ocean freighters. Think aviation. Think even long-haul trucks. Liquid fuel is essential for ocean freighters and airplanes and almost essential for long haul trucking. So the relevant societal question is not the one Romm focuses on – batteries vs hydrogen – because that compares two dissimilar applications – battery vehicles vs liquid fuel vehicles. Instead we need to know what’s the best liquid fuel for vehicles that need liquid fuel. The comparison is really biofuel vs hydrogen. Corn ethanol for biofuel? Not. Sugar cane ethanol? Algae based biofuel? Or hydrogen as a liquid fuel, with the most economical method one can find for extracting hydrogen from water? I don’t know if MIT has the beginnings of an economical answer for hydrogen – I’m only an MBA, not a scientist – but I think one key focus has to be on liquid fuel applications such as ocean freighters and aviation, and when that issue is being discussed, then we get to comparisons of biofuel strategies and hydrogen strategies.

]]> By: Total Solar Energy http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-19343 Total Solar Energy Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:06:32 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-19343 surely if its more efficient, it becomes cheaper, which drives demand, which makes it cheaper still surely if its more efficient, it becomes cheaper, which drives demand, which makes it cheaper still

]]> By: Eoin http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-17226 Eoin Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:19:27 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-17226 I wrote about this in the Christian Science Monitor's environment blog, and after reading your post I totally had to go back and reread my piece to see if I bunged up this story in the way that you said many news outlets did. I think I managed to avoid most of the hype (the Monitor's editorial process has a patented, built-in desensationalizer), but I wish that I had been able to find out how much MIT's process would actually cost and compare it to current technologies. But I think what saved me was that I linked to an article in the Onion that for me captures the MIT researchers' tone: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30990 I wrote about this in the Christian Science Monitor’s environment blog, and after reading your post I totally had to go back and reread my piece to see if I bunged up this story in the way that you said many news outlets did.

I think I managed to avoid most of the hype (the Monitor’s editorial process has a patented, built-in desensationalizer), but I wish that I had been able to find out how much MIT’s process would actually cost and compare it to current technologies.

But I think what saved me was that I linked to an article in the Onion that for me captures the MIT researchers’ tone: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30990

]]> By: Cyril R. http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-17223 Cyril R. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:42:13 +0000 http://climateprogress.org/2008/08/02/major-discovery-from-mit-primed-to-unleash-solar-revolution-not/#comment-17223 However, we should realize that most automotive transportation be done with direct electric traction. No hydrogen. The remainder can be synfuels and advanced biofuels. The latter happen to be more viable and cheaper than either hydrogen or synfuels. However, we should realize that most automotive transportation be done with direct electric traction. No hydrogen. The remainder can be synfuels and advanced biofuels. The latter happen to be more viable and cheaper than either hydrogen or synfuels.

]]>