Prices of the electricity we use to charge

[Woosh]

I've been on this forum for 14 years. Every month or so during that time, we get a thread about some new breakthrough in battery development. Some forum members even invested in them. Not one of those breakthroughs has been realised. Instead, we see a small percentage improvement each year from small changes to the battery construction or material. In 10 years time, we'll have 20ah 48v batteries that weigh 3kg for our ebikes.

unfortunately, most of the important progress is only for cars and trucks' batteries: rapid cost reduction, durability, fast charging, standardised connectivity and energy density.
e-bike batteries are left in a mixed bag with tool batteries.
Just look at how little you'd pay for a car that can do 0 to 60mph in under 4 seconds.

 

[Ghost1951]

it's 40.8% - not 4%.
Renewables contribute about 40% of our electricity (cheapest), 18% come from nuclear (eye wateringly expensive) and 40% from fossil fuels.

Sorry - NO.

At the time I posted the message the total fossil fuel input into the UK electricity grid was 4%.

As you know, it varies. Perhaps you misread my message. It is easily done.

Right now the fossil fuel component is 3.9%



The current energy mix is shown here:

National Grid: Live

Shows the live status of Great Britain’s electric power transmission network

grid.iamkate.com

National Grid: Live

Shows the live status of Great Britain’s electric power transmission network

grid.iamkate.com

 

[lenny]

"First sodium-ion battery storage station at grid level opens with cells that can be charged in 12 minutes
Clean electricity generation paired with the first grid-level sodium battery energy storage system can bring costs down to just $0.028 per kWh. The 10 MWh storage capacity is executed with sodium-ion cells that can be charged in just 12 minutes.
In them, instead of using the more expensive lithium for the cathode, the battery manufacturers employs cheap and abundant sodium."

https://www.notebookcheck.net/First-sodium-ion-battery-storage-station-at-grid-level-opens-with-cells-that-can-be-charged-in-12-minutes.836720.0.html

Energy Insider: Major Sodium Energy Storage Station Enters Operation, Battery Giant CATL Taps Into Shipping - Caixin Global

Energy Insider: Major Sodium Energy Storage Station Enters Operation, Battery Giant CATL Taps Into Shipping -Beijing aims to make EV charging ‘green’, China generated over one-third of wind and solar power in 2023 as capacity soars, coal hub Shanxi province faces $14 billion hurdle to achieving...

www.caixinglobal.com

BYD's sodium battery joint venture formed

The joint venture is 51 percent owned by BYD's battery unit FinDreams, with local conglomerate Huaihai holding the remaining 49 percent.

cnevpost.com

 

[Woosh]

I watched recently a YT video about some thermo-electric engines. The idea is simple enough: you burn fuel to heat up some salt like table salt in a jet engine. The sodium in the salt emits an intense yellow light. At the closed end of the chamber, you place a photo-electric cell whose band gap matches the yellow light of the sodium. Theoretically, you can convert as much as 60%-80% thermal energy into electricity. It's like James Bond stuff.

 

[lenny]

UK election 2024: What the manifestos say on energy and climate change - Carbon Brief

On 4 July, the UK will head to the polls to elect new members of parliament in the general election.

www.carbonbrief.org

General election 2024: What news story is the public hearing about the most? | YouGov

YouGov have developed a tracker using an in-house large language AI model which allows us to capture and model people’s written responses to the question: ‘Thinking back over the past week, which news story did you hear about the most?’.

yougov.co.uk

 

[lenny]

"(MIT) have found a way of creating an energy storage device known as a supercapacitor from three basic, cheap materials – water, cement and a soot-like substance called carbon black.

For now, the concrete supercapacitor can store a little under 300 watt-hours per cubic metre – enough to power a 10-watt LED lightbulb for 30 hours."

The cement that could turn your house into a giant battery

Concrete is perhaps the most commonly used building material in the world. With a bit of tweaking, it could help to power our homes too.

www.bbc.com

 

[lenny]

"Researchers have developed a new nanotube crystal that enables the direct observation of electron transfer in solids"

Towards Next-Gen Functional Materials: Direct Observation of Electron Transfer in Solids | Tokyo University of Science

Researchers have developed a new nanotube crystal that enables the direct observation of electron transfer in solids ...

www.tus.ac.jp

 

[lenny]

"As the world turns to green hydrogen and other renewable energy sources, scientists have discovered that archaea – the third form of life after bacteria and eukaryotes – have been making energy using hydrogen gas and 'ultraminimal' enzymes for billions of years."

Third Form of Life Makes Energy in 'Remarkable' Ways, Scientists Discover

As the world turns to green hydrogen and other renewable energy sources, scientists have discovered that archaea – the third form of life after bacteria and eukaryotes – have been making energy using hydrogen gas and 'ultraminimal' enzymes for billions of years.

www.sciencealert.com

 

[lenny]

"Kemmerer will soon be home to the most advanced nuclear facility in the world."

We just broke ground on America’s first next-gen nuclear facility

TerraPower just started construction on the Natrium plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, which will soon be home to the most advanced nuclear facility in the world.

www.gatesnotes.com

 

[lenny]

"The encounter and related increased radiation from Galactic cosmic rays might have had a substantial impact on the Earth’s system and climate."

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02279-8

"An interstellar cloud may have caused an ice age on Earth. Here's how"

https://www.space.com/earth-dense-interstellar-cloud-solar-protection-lost

 

[lenny]

How Gogoro’s swap-and-go scooter batteries can strengthen the grid

An interview with Gogoro’s CEO gives insight into how the battery-swapping company is planning for the future.

www.technologyreview.com

 

[lenny]

"bringing new hope to an electrifying world with a growing appetite for powerful magnets."

AI discovers new rare-earth-free magnet at 200 times the speed of man

As some entities identify new (or at least overlooked) sources to meet the growing demand for rare earth materials, others are looking toward new tools. UK deep-tech company Materials Nexus announced on Tuesday that it has designed a new rare-earth-free permanent magnet with the help of its AI…

newatlas.com

Google still recommends glue for your pizza

Google bombing is back, but now with AI.

www.theverge.com

"AI Detectors Get It Wrong. Writers Are Being Fired Anyway"

https://gizmodo.com/ai-detectors-inaccurate-freelance-writers-fired-1851529820

Meta to give EU users an opt out for AI data training

What's German for 'thank goodness for actually useful privacy regulations'?

www.theregister.com

 

[lenny]

"Researcher suggests that gravity can exist without mass, mitigating the need for hypothetical dark matter"

Researcher suggests that gravity can exist without mass, mitigating the need for hypothetical dark matter

Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is implied by gravitational effects that can't be explained by general relativity unless more matter is present in the universe than can be seen. It remains virtually as mysterious as it was nearly a century ago when first suggested by Dutch...

phys.org

 

[lenny]

China is distorting its stockmarket by trying to prop it up

State purchases of shares are bad enough, but other measures are far more destructive

www.economist.com

 

[lenny]

"Harmful gases destroying ozone layer falling faster than expected, study finds"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/11/harmful-gases-destroying-ozone-layer-falling-faster-than-expected-study-finds

 

[lenny]

"EU to put tariffs of up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles as trade war looms"

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jun/12/eu-import-tariffs-chinese-evs-electric-vehicles-trade-war

 

[lenny]

"Norway discovers Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth metals"

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/11/norway-discovers-europes-largest-deposit-of-rare-earth-metals.html

 

[lenny]

Fjords are effective carbon traps regardless of oxygen levels, finds study

The fjords on Sweden's west coast act as effective carbon traps regardless of whether the bottom water is oxygen-rich or not. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers from the University of Gothenburg.

phys.org

 

[lenny]

How Much Energy Would It Take to Pull Carbon Dioxide out of the Air?

A physicist runs the math on direct air capture and warns: This tech won’t save us from climate catastrophe.

www.wired.com

 

[lenny]

"Tesla Threatens Customer With $50,000 Fine If He Tries To Sell His Cybertruck That Doesn’t Fit In His New Parking Spot"

https://jalopnik.com/tesla-threatens-customer-threatened-with-50-000-fine-i-1851521421