Questions tagged [energy]
the sustainable use, production, and storage of energy, through efficiency, conservation and renewable resources. Use this tag for questions on energy in general.
150
questions
2
votes
2
answers
83
views
How do buildings with eco-electricity know their electricity is eco?
Walking around the city centre of Warsaw I saw a poster placed by a construction zone of a new skyscraper. The poster said something along the lines "our building will use electricity from ...
- 129
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Gravity assist as energy source
The Gravity Assist allows for a spacecraft to gain more speed and energy ("stealing" it from the planet).
Can this approach be used for creating power plants that generate "cheap" ...
- 53
2
votes
3
answers
71
views
Why would the smallness of Alaska's population be a factor in its per-capita energy consumption ranking?
PBS NewsHour segments often end with little fact-blurbs as text overlays, and the January 22, 2023 How an Alaska village’s switch to renewable energy helps local Native economies ends with the printed ...
- 370
1
vote
0
answers
22
views
How does the overall energy balance of freeze dried food compares to food frozen and transported over long distances?
I remember reading somewhere that freeze dried food is not common apart from coffee because the process is energy intensive and expensive. But I just thought that some food is frozen, transported for ...
- 151
5
votes
2
answers
123
views
Is there enough total Lithium in the Earth's crust to make sufficient grid storage to meet total global Winter energy demand?
I'm fact checking the statement: "There isn't enough Lithium in the planet (Earth) to store enough energy to make it 4 months through the Winter" here: https://youtu.be/fzzWVLSPgK4?t=192
...
- 153
1
vote
4
answers
118
views
How to express solar generator capacity in MWh if I have MW?
I have this dataset that is simply the nameplate capacity of different generators for a specific year in MW. I'm hoping to get a sum of all nameplate capacity for all solar generators for that year, ...
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
68
views
The EU made its top priority to stop buying Russian fossil fuels, even if it involves less sustainable energy sources. Is net-zero under threat?
With Putin having invaded Ukraine, Europe made getting rid of Russian hydrocarbons a more urgent priority than phasing out fossil fuels and other unsustainable energy sources. They now intend to ...
- 1,653
2
votes
1
answer
131
views
How much energy would it save to park cars in the shade in summer?
tl;dr: Cars get hot in the sun and it takes a lot of energy to cool them off. But most car trips are short, so the cars may not even get cool during that time. If they were parked in the shade, they ...
- 11.8k
1
vote
1
answer
143
views
Renewable energy gravity storage
How would you calculate the gravimetric & volumetric energy density of a gravity based system like Energy Vault ?
2
votes
2
answers
132
views
Can oil be used as a fuel source without contributing to global climate change?
I just posted this other question regarding oil, and as a follow-up, I would like to ask if oil can be used as a fuel source for energy without contributing to global climate change?
2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is oil actually a renewable and sustainable resource, but we just use much too much of it?
Wouldn't it be great if we could just drill into the ground and find pools of a natural energy source? Sure. Well, that's oil.
Oil is generally considered a non-renewable resource. But if humans ...
0
votes
0
answers
17
views
How much methane is lost in extraction and transmision from different sources? [duplicate]
In recent years there has been a significant move towards electricity generation from natural gas. This has in large part been driven by the desire to reduce green house gas release. However methane ...
- 356
1
vote
1
answer
65
views
Is environmentally-driven purchasing of coal mines a good idea?
Is environmentally-driven purchasing of coal mines a good idea? Certainly environmental non-profits won't have enough funds to do it on a large scale. Governments have, but they are corrupt. There's a ...
- 1,653
1
vote
2
answers
128
views
What do we do with all the coal mines?
Coal is going to be the first victim of the green energy revolution as the least sustainable kind of fossil fuel. What do we do with all the mines, both surface and underground ones? You can do quite ...
- 1,653
1
vote
2
answers
90
views
If we can capture landfill gas, why can't we capture cows' burps and use them as a source of energy too?
If we can capture landfill gas, why can't we capture cows' burps and farts and use them as a source of energy too? It's the same methane after all
- 1,653
3
votes
2
answers
73
views
Is burning wood for energy less bad than forest fires?
Forest fires are considered a contributor to global warming, but using firewood is considered carbon-neutral. I'm not sure I understand it. In both cases, only the carbon that had been captured ...
- 1,653
-2
votes
2
answers
91
views
Can energy be both sustainable and reliable? [closed]
The sun doesn't shine brightly enough everywhere and is sometimes clouded. Winds don't blow always and are expected to become, overall, even weaker (that's what the IPCC report says anyway). Can ...
- 1,653
4
votes
1
answer
80
views
Is it more ecological to take a diesel ferry or drive an EV the longer route?
I'm trying to figure out my daily dilemma: whether it's less polluting to take a diesel ferry that hops me over the river (roughly 160 m) or to drive my electric vehicle (EV) on a 15 km detour to take ...
- 143
5
votes
3
answers
144
views
Electricity need to switch all cars from fossil fuel
For purely hypothetical discussion, I was asking myself how big electrical production increase would be needed for a first-world country when switching all cars from fossil fuel to EV only.
I made the ...
- 53
2
votes
1
answer
781
views
Renewables vs Fossil Fuel Cost Comparisons, without Subsidies
They said that Solar and Wind are now cheaper than fossil fuels. One of the primary reasons is subsidies and new technologies. Does anyone know the comparison research using No Subsidies. If we ...
- 121
1
vote
0
answers
238
views
What darknet would you choose (or is it not justifiable)?
I want to know if there are any darknets that are sustainable. I have my doubts about Tor due to their apparent interest in Proof of Work.
https://blog.torproject.org/stop-the-onion-denial
In ...
- 11
4
votes
3
answers
120
views
What quantity of basalt would power NYC with power for a day?
Some companies are refitting steam power stations to hot basalt, where many tons of rocks are heated to 750°C by wind power and the thermal energy is used to generate steam in power stations.
How much ...
DeltaEnfieldWaid
6
votes
2
answers
735
views
Saving energy in the dryer: short and hot, or long and low?
Where I live, cold winters and humid summers rule out line drying for bulky items like blankets and towels for a few months out of the year. When I put them in my electric clothes dryer, which ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
3
answers
166
views
Is Hygenic Earth Energy feasible?
This company:
https://proton.energy/
Is trying to inject oxygen into old oil wells for it to combust and extract only hydrogen using steam reforming and a filter. Making steam reforming happen ...
- 121
2
votes
0
answers
29
views
Long-run marginal energy cost of my water use?
As a residential water consumer on US city water, I am used to thinking about the marginal environmental cost (particularly energy cost) of my additional water use, based on considerations like ...
- 743
1
vote
1
answer
36
views
How does the cost of wastewater treatment scale?
Is it the case that some of the energy expenditure associated with wastewater treatment is more proportional to the amount/type of waste than to the amount of treated water (meaning that my water has ...
- 743
0
votes
1
answer
40
views
Where in the US water system does most chilling occur?
A few studies I've seen investigating the energy intensity of water use in the US specifically enumerate the energy use of chilling*.
Where in the system does most of that happen?
How common/for what ...
- 743
3
votes
2
answers
84
views
Is residential water pumping common?
Is it common for people on city water in the US to have their own on-site pumping as part of the "standard" delivery system, or is the pressure usually entirely supplied by the municipal ...
- 743
5
votes
2
answers
151
views
Is an incrementalist approach to decarbonisation feasible?
There seem to be two broad approaches to the climate crisis.
One centres around technological progress, where efficiencies, a gradual switch to renewables, and CCS enable a broadly similar model of ...
- 1,042
3
votes
3
answers
168
views
Biomass plants. Why do we use them?
I've recently read they are classified as "clean energy", and some nations do not count the CO2 emissions it produces towards a national CO2 quota/limit. At this point I am a little confused. Won't ...
- 133
-1
votes
1
answer
93
views
Is the cost of non-fossil fuel LCOE misleading?
Natural gas is a waste product. Its "cost" is almost entirely profit. All renewables can do is compete down this margin, they can never beat gas. If renewables are cheaper that just means some ...
- 7
3
votes
4
answers
208
views
Will a warmer climate reduce energy demand and increase solar PV production?
Nowadays, everyone talks about it: climate change, and more importantly, how to stop it from happening. Although there's a lot of debate around the topic, the consensus is that by inventing a way of ...
- 141
2
votes
3
answers
135
views
How to reduce indoor humidity in the summer time?
I own a home in southern Wisconsin, USA, where we have a humid continental climate (emphasis on humid!).
There is no central air conditioning. This summer we are experimenting with cooling strategies ...
- 11.8k
4
votes
1
answer
260
views
What is the energy payback time of portable solar panels, in hours?
I'm interested in knowing the typical energy pay-back time of a solar photovoltaic panel, in terms of hours operating under an ideal scenario.
Energy pay-back time (EPBT) is usually quoted in terms ...
- 2,849
2
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What is the typical embodied energy of a solar photovoltaic panel?
What is the typical embodied energy of a solar photovoltaic panel, in terms of nominal power output or panel area? The ideal answer would be in kWh/WP, but kWh/m2 would also be acceptable.
I ...
- 2,849
2
votes
0
answers
46
views
Objective Index of environmental impact of consumer goods and food [closed]
I often hear arguments from people around me, about the environmental impact of certain consumer behaviours like:
eating meat
using plastic bags
travelling via car instead of plane
and many others.
...
- 433
3
votes
1
answer
68
views
Costs of transportation
I assume that it makes sense to ask for the energy costs of transportation of different goods per weight and volumetric mass density, depending on the means of transportation (truck, train, ship, etc.)...
2
votes
1
answer
186
views
Using LEDs to generate electricity
I recently saw the Wired article You Can Power a Calculator With Some LEDs that said that LEDs can use electricity to produce light or they can turn light into electricity. If this is true, could the ...
- 21
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is marginal energy?
I answered to a question and used the term "marginal energy". The answer wasn't understood by all, so I'm going to expand on the term to illustrate how it works. So, what is marginal energy?
- 4,786
0
votes
2
answers
178
views
Is hydrogen a good way of storing energy from excess hydroelectric generation? [closed]
Referring to hydro electricity generation, a lot of what we produce is wasted as the buyer buys only the minimum generation.
What would be the appropriate measure to use that excess energy?
Is ...
1
vote
1
answer
200
views
Is it possible to harvest energy from the storm?
My idea of a device for harvesting energy from wind
If used in reality, this device will harvest significant amounts of energy from wind, waves and storms. This not only solved the problem of energy ...
6
votes
1
answer
263
views
Is Tesla Powerwall a good investment?
I'm trying to determine if investing in a couple of Tesla Powerwall units to store solar energy is a wise financial decision.
My energy cost is $0.1649/kWh. The installed price of the two Powerwall ...
- 259
3
votes
1
answer
121
views
The least sustainable pathway of the IPCC SR15 report
Looking briefly at the recent IPCC report it presents a number of pathways for keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees celsius by 2100. These follow a spectrum from enormous reductions in consumption ...
- 345
3
votes
3
answers
176
views
Energy use for monitor vs pc tower
I work in a few schools where children have been taught to turn off the monitors to save energy. Unfortunately, this is all that they turn off. Every Monday morning I find 30+ computers running with ...
- 31
-1
votes
1
answer
124
views
Why does wind just track the economy
Whenever oil booms, wind booms too. Whenever oil production crashes wind crashes too. The US added about 5GW or 2 million barrels of oil equivalent this year of wind and 300 million barrels of oil in ...
- 11
3
votes
2
answers
176
views
What is the energy and greenhouse gas footprint of Skysource/Skywater water generator?
The Water Abundance X-Prize was recently awarded to the Skysource/Skywater alliance for:
... developing an easily deployable high-volume water generator that can be used in any climate, meeting the ...
- 2,849
4
votes
3
answers
89
views
What sort of pellet mill can be used for biofuels?
I'm thinking that it would be useful to have a pellet mill at home to turn biowaste into fuel pellets. It would be nice to turn sawdust and wood shavings into fuel pellets as well but that I think is ...
- 708
3
votes
2
answers
730
views
Differences in efficiency between oven, toaster oven, and stove?
Wondering how efficient different cooking methods are (for the sake of example, assume a dish in a cast iron pot heated by stovetop vs. oven).
Stove seems to use less energy than an oven (as the ...
- 31
4
votes
3
answers
211
views
Can the heat generated in a data center be used to heat households and offices?
I've just read the article Microsoft sinks a data center off the Scottish coast (The Verge, 6 June 2018)
I understand that the cooling of a data center is a problem. Data centers produce huge amounts ...
- 143
5
votes
1
answer
462
views
What are the Energy Return on Investment (EROI) values like for biogas?
Biogas seems to be a really great idea but I'm wondering how much energy you get out vs. what you need to put in. I know natural gas is around 10.0 and I was wondering how biogas stacks up by this ...
- 275