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| Sowell, speaking in Houston, TX a few years ago. |
The topics on SLB include nuclear power, climate change, engineering, energy policy, renewable energy, defamation, fresh water, and a few others. The most popular, by number of views, are the engineers’ view of climate change, peak oil and energy policy, and the 30-article series of Truth About Nuclear Power. The TANP series now has more than 25,000 views.
Very interesting things have occurred in the past ten years, which will influence the direction of a few key industries. In no particular order:
Wind turbines’ cost to install has declined, while efficiency has improved. This will see large inroads on conventional power plants in the next 10 to 30 years. Offshore wind is increasing as turbines reach 8 MW and soon, 12 MW capacity each.
Grid-scale storage batteries are now economic in many applications; this will increase as batteries continue to decline in cost and improve in performance.
Nuclear power plants in the US cannot compete with low-cost natural gas and wind power, so the nuclear plants are either closing or crying for government handouts to stay operating. This is entirely as written on SLB in the Truth About Nuclear Power series.
New nuclear power plants in the US are hopelessly uneconomic, again as predicted on SLB, with two reactors under construction stopped, while two more are forging ahead at a ridiculous cost and years of delay. The British are embarking on their own nuclear folly, with a twin-reactor behemoth and financial fiasco underway at Hinkley Point C. The French are tottering with their aging reactor fleet, and almost zero plan to replace 75 to 80 percent of their power generating capacity. It's about to be a long, dark night in France.
Climate change science has been proven to be so shaky as to be nearly fraudulent in many cases, with several articles on SLB discussing the shaky foundation of what passes for climate science. In short summary, the false-alarmists are blaming increased atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, CO2, for warmer temperatures that are actually due to heat radiating off of buildings in cities, more sunshine penetrating the air as air pollution laws took effect, more energy use per capita in cities, and especially the impact over large regions from El Niño warming. What little Arctic ice is or has melted is due to black soot from power plants, jet aircraft, and wildfire ash. We finally have some sanity in the White House on climate change, but engineers must remain vigilant and keep pressing the issue.
Another big issue facing the US is how to replace almost 50 percent of the power generating capacity over the next 20 years. Most of the 99 Nuclear plants will be shut down by then, representing approximately 19 percent of power generation. Most coal plants will likely be shut down also, representing approximately 30 percent of power generation.
It has been great fun writing SLB these past 10 years, and I look forward to the next 10 and more.
Roger E. Sowell, Esq.
Houston, Texas
copyright (c) 2018 by Roger Sowell - all rights reserved
copyright (c) 2018 by Roger Sowell - all rights reserved
Topics and general links:
Nuclear Power Plants.......here
Climate Change................here and here
Fresh Water......................here
Engineering......................here and here
Free Speech.................... here
Renewable Energy...........here Nuclear Power Plants.......here
Climate Change................here and here
Fresh Water......................here
Engineering......................here and here
Free Speech.................... here
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