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Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

spiegel.de

341–350 of 423 posts

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#341

The EU and the US need to have been building new nuclear power plants yesterday. Not everywhere in the world is ideal for nuclear due to the potential for significant natural disaster, but much of Western Europe and the United States are perfectly safe with the latest nuclear reactor designs.This was known before the current energy crisis and there has been complete inaction for decades. Coupled with solar, wind and…

Everyone wants to build nuclear. People get quiet when they realize that the energy investors won't pay for it so you end up with Uncle Sam footing the bill. Any analyst just looks at the financial disaster that is Vogtie and it becomes impossible to justify investment. Unless the government bankrolls you. In the US, we need to get comfortable with the government owning large swathes of energy production capacity. Un…

How does China build 24 Gen III+ reactors in 10 years, and we spend billions in court arguing about environmental reviews.

We F ourselves because we don't allow construction companies to do their jobs.

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#342
post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a lot of fuel and energy trades denominated in the dollar, and all fuel and energy trades in competition with one of the largest economies which happens to be dollar denominated, these are not separate issues. The ‘stronger’ (relatively) the dollar, the more expensive energy will be in every other currency.

Yes, but the USD is not the driving factor. It's a coefficient, for sure. I mean, yes, it's very concerning. But what's even more concerning is the perspective of the consequences on the next few years. We'll perhaps get a difficult winter and social/political troubles because of that, yes. But on the balance is: the current Russia powers overcoming this and succeeding to establish something completely different in E…

Well, it isn’t THAT different. Ukraine was part of the USSR after all, and it wasn’t that long ago that most of Eastern Europe was too - because of war.

That Stalin wasn’t the most aggressive aggressor that started it THAT time being cold comfort for everyone under the Russian thumb.

Europe has a long history of wars of conquest, extermination, religious intolerance, etc.

We did recently have a nice sunny spell though.

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#343

Related content "Trump: Germany 'Totally Controlled By Russia'" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LLZBVTid4I German bureaucrats laugh at Trump after he says the country could become totally dependent on Russian energy: https://twitter.com/marcusgilmer/status/1044604107997237249

What's the explanation for this? I mean, surely the explanation isn't that Trump is secretly a well informed and thoughtful person?

My explanation is that it doesn’t actually take a lot of deep thought to understand this dynamic. The guy who runs your local hardware store could’ve figured this one out, given the information.

The problem is that the over “educated” and credentialed class of political elites weren’t ever taught elementary common sense in their textbooks, and have never operated within institutions that have held them accountable for it.

Ergo the outsized elite hatred for Trump among the managerial elite caste, who shone a spotlight on the astonishing triviality of their ineptitude.

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#344
post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Still me and all of my friends are still fine with this. There is no alternative anyway There is an alternative: heat pumps. The problem is the upfront cost, which needs to be lowered through economies of scale.

Heat pumps are not an alternative in the next few years because there are not enough available on the market. I know someone who wanted to buy one for his house in Germany and the waiting list is more than 1-2 years right now.

Presumably this means that every available heat pump and heat pump installer is booked for the next two years, in which case they are an alternative and will make a difference.

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this not an emergency?

It is an emergency lasting at least 8-10 months starting now so as to not deplete the reserves. I don't think the turbines can last that long without regular heavy maintenance. Also, I highly doubt some of these can run on crude oil. Before this claim the only type of device capable of such fuel ranges I knew of is the main battle tank. It makes more sense to me that a tank is designed for versatility, and a gas turb…

[deleted]

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#346
post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Genocide has a specific definition, and Russian actions meet that definition. This is genocide, and it is immoral for you to avoid accepting that. The accepted definition is in Article 2 of https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-... Russian propaganda amply demonstrates their intent. The physical part is also well-established. For example Russian filtration camps have been use to "process" then r…

This isn't genocide, even by your very strained definition. It maybe becomes something like that though if this keeps up. Maybe we in the west should stop being stupid. Just a thought.

You seem really defensive about this for some reason.

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this not an emergency?

It is an emergency lasting at least 8-10 months starting now so as to not deplete the reserves. I don't think the turbines can last that long without regular heavy maintenance. Also, I highly doubt some of these can run on crude oil. Before this claim the only type of device capable of such fuel ranges I knew of is the main battle tank. It makes more sense to me that a tank is designed for versatility, and a gas turb…

[1]. https://www.ge.com/gas-power/products/gas-turbines/7e

> Its multiple-fuel combustion system allows switching from one fuel to another while running under load.

Note that gas turbines are very flexible with fuels because it's a continuous combustion process and done at very high temperatures. That means you don't care about flamefronts, knocking, octane figures, etc. All that matters is that whatever you burn ends up hotter that when it started, which is kinda the definition of a fuel. Also, no expensive high precision parts of the engine touch the flame - all combustion is over by the time you get to the turbine blades (which are film cooled anyway, so even the combustion gases don't touch the blades)

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#348

The whole Ukraine/Russia conflict underscores how poor the strategic position of Europe and the US is with respect to Europe. We’ve been phoning it in since the Clinton era and assuming that “norms” and oligarchs would keep Russia at bay. End of the day they got tanks, nukes and are learning what they can get away with.

USA past couple decades involvement with NATO has led us here. John McCain and Lindsey Graham went to Ukraine a few years ago and cheered this on.

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't genocide, even by your very strained definition. It maybe becomes something like that though if this keeps up. Maybe we in the west should stop being stupid. Just a thought.

You seem really defensive about this for some reason.

[deleted]

Re: Looming natural gas shortages has the EU scrambling for solutions

#350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't genocide, even by your very strained definition. It maybe becomes something like that though if this keeps up. Maybe we in the west should stop being stupid. Just a thought.

You seem really defensive about this for some reason.

That seems to be a veiled accusation. Maybe you have heard about Russian bots on TV or something.

Let me clarify my motives for you.

I am not happy with the approach the West has taken in towards this conflict. Most particularly the coup in 2014 and the urging of non settlement early. It has cost the lives of thousands of young Ukrainian men. And for very little purpose. The formerly Russian/ high Russian population areas are going back to Russia. Full stop. This was extremely obvious from the beginning. There was an equitable path forward early, even the return of formerly Russian territories did not have to happen. But the West has become blind and stupid as well as belligerent. Reality is going to smack them squarely in the face soon I think and no amount of propaganda will prevent it.

It did not have to go down like this. A lot of lives could have been saved and suffering prevented. I don't control what Russia does (and I agree, they are looking for geo strategic and economic gain, not to "defend poor Russian speakers"), but anyway, I expect a whole let better from nominal liberal democracies. If you are going to be callous and continue with the murder and deception that has been the defining characteristic the Western order, at least be smart about it. But we have been both callous and stupid. I'm not happy about it. I'll be even less happy if it heats up even more killing millions.

Also, I don't really like extreme bullshit propaganda. I try to see the truth and proclaim the truth best as I can understand it.

Hopefully that clarifies my position.

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