Tanis8472
Guru
So we dedicate all farmland to rapeseed production and still not have enough to supply demand?
Die Diesel
- Thread starter nickr
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Dayvo
just passin' through
- Location
- 59° 50′ 5.55″ N, 10° 47′ 41.89″ E
Haven't read through the whole thread, so apologies if anyone has mentioned it already, but felling, and not replacing, MILLIONS of trees EVERY year, doesn't help much either.
Especially if the chainsaw uses Diesel!
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
But, if we're not going to use diesel for cars, boats, trains or domestic heating oil, what should we do with it?
It's a fundamental part of crude oil.
As long as we're making petrol, we'll be making diesel as well. That's how fractional distillation works.
It's a fundamental part of crude oil.
As long as we're making petrol, we'll be making diesel as well. That's how fractional distillation works.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
OK. I'd actually go along with that - I'd far sooner have an electric car at a sensible price.
And while we're waiting for that to happen?
And while we're waiting for that to happen?
Dayvo
just passin' through
- Location
- 59° 50′ 5.55″ N, 10° 47′ 41.89″ E
If only it was as slow as a chainsaw.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGnDzE9mfUc
Those modern dinosaurs need to become extinct as soon as possible, IMO.
NorthernDave
Never used Über Member
- Location
- The real Northern Powerhouse
Maybe we could burn it to generate electricity to power all the electric cars we're going to need to charge up..?
NorthernDave
Never used Über Member
- Location
- The real Northern Powerhouse
Well, we're often told that the national grid is running at 98 or 99% of capacity, so if there is a big switch to electric cars, that will almost certainly result in demand exceeding the available reserves - so the extra juice will need to come from somewhere and it will need to be instantly available.
As things stand, the contingency is lots of diesel powered generators.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
Those with oil central heating systems in urban homes will be penalised when I'm in charge in order to encourage provision of district heating systems.
Which goes back to the original..... stop scapegoating Diesel and accept it as the red herring it is and look at the wider reality that needs to be addressed
Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
9 said:
Another issue is that the grid and transmission is incredibly lossy. I read that somewhere between 25 and 50% of generated lecky is lost in transmission. Listening to my local Ht network crackling on a moist day I can believe it.
For those who like a bit of geekyness
You can see currently demand and generating outputs here.
http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk
http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk
Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
I've actually just researched this and transmission losses are more like 5% I think the 25% - 50% figure must relate to the lump of coal to boiling water out of kettle efficiency.
Slick
Guru
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Nothing like. Energy loss in the grid itself is about 2.3%, made up mostly of resistive heating in the cables and corona discharge when it's wet - that's the crackly noise you hear. There's more loss in the lower voltage bits that run to houses, but even so, it's around 7.7% lossy in total.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Grid_(Great_Britain)#Losses
EDIT - too slow
Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
Nothing like. Energy loss in the grid itself is about 2.3%, made up mostly of resistive heating in the cables and corona discharge when it's wet - that's the crackly noise you hear. There's more loss in the lower voltage bits that run to houses, but even so, it's around 7.7% lossy in total.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Grid_(Great_Britain)#Losses
EDIT - too slow
Has it much improved in the last 50 years? .. I suspect my figure comes from talking to great uncle Ken who worked on the grid back in the days of mercury arc rectifiers.