Petrol and Diesel Cars 2035

[Dave2002]

Incidentally, although wind and wave power is on the increase, I doubt it will ever produce anything like the amount of energy needed to power 30 million electric cars. Sadly, nuclear would be the only answer.

I tend to agree.

[oddoneout]

from UK Energy Statistics, 2018 & Q4 2018 (DfB, E & IS Statistical Press Release Date: 28 March 2019)

The proportion of electricity generated from renewables has increased year on year, recently, and that trend is projected to continue apace.

Generating it is the 'easy' bit. How to ensure consistency of supply(nighttime, unsuitable wind etc) is another matter and one which doesn't seem to be getting addressed.

[Bryn]

Generating it is the 'easy' bit. How to ensure consistency of supply(nighttime, unsuitable wind etc) is another matter and one which doesn't seem to be getting addressed.

https://www.electricmountain.co.uk/Dinorwig-Power-Station

[cloughie]

I think driving to York from Lincoln is nearer 75-80 miles than 55. Google maps gives the drive time between Aberdeen and Lincoln as over 7 hours. I do generally agree with mrgg's comments re train travel, and gettting back in the evening.

However ....

The last train to leave Aberdeen for LIncoln which completes the journey on the same day seems to be the 14:52, with a change at Doncaster. Later trains seem to take around 16-17 hours with 2 or 3 changes. Also, travel on Saturday is sometimes even harder.

It is quite a long way - over 400 miles, so maybe it really is too difficult to do reasonably. Perhaps running the trains so that mrgg can get home from his gigs like this is just a little unreasonable.

Are there any flights from Aberdeen to Robin Hood?

[Dave2002]

Are there any flights from Aberdeen to Robin Hood?

Micro-lights?

[Dave2002]

https://www.electricmountain.co.uk/D...-Power-Station

There are several more, though perhaps less well known, in Scotland. However, these approaches are surely limited in the amount of energy which can be stored, and are intended to smooth out short term surges, not extended blackout periods.

[Sir Velo]

I think driving to York from Lincoln is nearer 75-80 miles than 55. Google maps gives the drive time between Aberdeen and Lincoln as over 7 hours. I do generally agree with mrgg's comments re train travel, and gettting back in the evening.

However ....

The last train to leave Aberdeen for LIncoln which completes the journey on the same day seems to be the 14:52, with a change at Doncaster. Later trains seem to take around 16-17 hours with 2 or 3 changes. Also, travel on Saturday is sometimes even harder.

Granted. However, it is perfectly feasible to leave Aberdeen relatively late in the day and still take the train for at least the majority of a long journey. If nothing else, the risk of an accident on an 8 hour, 400 mile drive would be enough to make me look for alternatives!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There are several more, though perhaps less well known, in Scotland. However, these approaches are surely limited in the amount of energy which can be stored, and are intended to smooth out short term surges, not extended blackout periods.

None of this apples to tidal power, which is relentless.

[ahinton]

'Fixing' public transport is surely the number one priority? For those who live in fairly remote rural areas it is just a joke. Even in a country town such as Beaminster (Dorset) they are just about to remove the bus service...which was a couple a day at best.

Where I live at the moment the nearest public transport is a sporadic bus service that is just over 3km away and there's no car park at that point; car dependency is thus unavoidable and I have noticed these buses on occasion running around the area, always empty. I have no idea who funds these unused services but it seems unlikely that they're fully subsidised out of the profits from school, tourist and city services run by the company that operates them.

[MrGongGong]

Granted. However, it is perfectly feasible to leave Aberdeen relatively late in the day and still take the train for at least the majority of a long journey. If nothing else, the risk of an accident on an 8 hour, 400 mile drive would be enough to make me look for alternatives!

With 4 bags of equipment and instruments ?
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions
BUT the reality is that, sadly, driving long distances is necessary.

I have flown from Aberdeen to Humberside airport
costs not much less than last weeks trip to India

Trains used to run much later between cities.
Not just for musicians

[Dave2002]

None of this apples to tidal power, which is relentless.

Yet so far, AFAIK, the UK hasn't seriously exploited that. Governments have been doing not a lot since at least 1965 - https://api.parliament.uk/historic-h...be-bay-barrage

Proposals for barrage near the Severn date back a century or more, though were given a more detailed examination around 1981 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Barrage

There are several ways to use tidal power - either with dams or generators in estuaries. If using a dam, it is possible to increase the output by using "spare" electricity from other generators to pump additional water up, and I believe that by careful management of the levels and the release of water to the generators, the output can be increased significantly. This only works if there is some excess output from other renewable sources available from time to time.

I'm not holding my breath before any such project takes off in the UK.

[Dave2002]

Cool it, please. (No pun intended)

Doesn't work well with hot air balloons - they tend to come down more quickly with a bump if not heated, which would spill out all the kit, though I suppose some could be thrown out "as relief of ballast"!

[Serial_Apologist]

Many of the suggestions to "save the planet" are based on choosing between options, none of which are really good, but some are less bad than others.
Perhaps the biggest impact the UK might have would be in foreign politics and foreign developments. The USA still uses/burns about four times a sustainable amount of energy per capita per year, compared with the UK's "mere" two. China and India have large populations, and while the per capita use of energy is lower than the UK, it is rising. Unfortunately China in particular is using coal fired power stations to meet demand.

While we can take steps in the UK to reduce the effects of CO2 equivalent emissions here, and we should do that, we might also do more good by persuading other countries to adopt different strategies, and even help them to develop the necessary infrastructure, though that would be very hard to do.

One of the main problems consisting in that countries like India and the post-Communist states have decided on building capitalism by the same energy-greedy means we did - "You did it that way, why shouldn't we?" sort of thing. Were such countries to place themselves at the forefront of sustainable emergy means for sustainable development this would be the answer to so many of the world's problems, and be one in the eye for America. Getting there is something for the Powers that be to address.

[ardcarp]

There are several ways to use tidal power - either with dams or generators in estuaries. If using a dam, it is possible to increase the output by using "spare" electricity from other generators to pump additional water up, and I believe that by careful management of the levels and the release of water to the generators, the output can be increased significantly.

Whilst I'm all in favour of harnessing wave-power (which is unfortunately variable to some extent depending of the wind and weather) I think that in a small country such as ours, we should think twice before damming up the Severn/Bristol Channel*. It would have devastating consequences for wildlife and biodiversity. Things are slightly different in the very long and mountainous country of Norway where 'hydroelectric' has worked for decades with minimal disturbance to ecosystems.

* Submerged tidal turbines might work though.

[eighthobstruction]

....wondering ref affects of Lithium extraction in mainly Chile, Bolivia and Argentina....the affects on South American economies and Global investment....and what of Lithium poisoning??....https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...entina-bolivia

Ed: 2016 article....