Well done wind

[carmanmemoranda]

patriot

No I think he spelled it correctly

 

[IT Minion]

Mining space, eh. Google's working hard for you today. Give a rundown on how we can 'mine space' using windmills and solar panels.


Oh yes, loads of power. We'd only need to cover an area around the size of a billion football pitches to equal the theoretical output of a small fusion reactor. (OK, we couldn't use 99.9% of it, but still, it's greeeeeeeeen!)

A football pitch sized PV array would generate around 3MW in orbit.

So 1000 of them would be 3GW, a very large fission reactor. No one has a designated for a fusion reactor so who knows how big it would be. But youre roughly a million times out.

 

[Si_]

A football pitch sized PV array would generate around 3MW in orbit.

So 1000 of them would be 3GW, a very large fission reactor. No one has a designated for a fusion reactor so who knows how big it would be. But youre roughly a million times out.

The fact you asked AI to work it out for you says everything. The point is, it's impossible. It doesn't matter if it's a thousand or a million or a quadrillion, it is impossible to implement.

 

[Justin Passing]

If you haven'theard of it, EGS is interesting. All these things are findable on an AI LLM. YOu can make them speak to you, so 5 minutes listening covers a huge amount.
eg:
" What is EGS?

• EGS is a type of deep geothermal technology that mimics some aspects of fracking but is used for heat extraction rather than fossil fuel recovery.
• It involves injecting water into hot, dry, porous rock formations deep underground to create or enhance fractures, allowing water to circulate and absorb heat.
• The heated water is then pumped back to the surface, where its thermal energy can be used directly or via a heat pump for heating buildings or generating electricity.

How it's different from traditional ground source heat pumps (GSHPs):

• Traditional GSHPs typically use shallow closed-loop or open-loop systems in soil or aquifers.
• EGS operates at much greater depths (often >3 km) and targets hot dry rock that lacks natural water flow.
• While GSHPs are passive and rely on existing ground temperatures, EGS actively enhances the subsurface to improve heat extraction.

EGS is still emerging in many regions but holds promise for expanding geothermal energy access beyond naturally occurring hydrothermal reservoirs. Let me know if you'd like diagrams or examples of EGS projects! "


It's 5-10x smaller output than a small fission plant, but still quite useful

 

[Knave of Hearts]

I've just found Pete's first letter home during his spell in the Army:

An Australian Army Recruit sends home a letter...​

Dear Ma & Pa,

I am well. Hope youse are too. Tell me big brothers Doug and Phil that the Army is better than workin’ on the farm - tell them to get in quick smart before the jobs are all gone! I wuz a bit slow in settling down at first, because ya don’t hafta get outta bed until 6 am. But I like sleeping in now, cuz all ya gotta do before brekky is make ya bed and shine ya boots and clean ya uniform. No cows to milk, no calves to feed, no feed to stack - nothin’!! Ya haz gotta shower though, but its not so bad, coz there’s lotsa hot water and even a light to see what ya doing!

At brekky ya get cereal, fruit and eggs but there’s no kangaroo steaks or possum stew like wot Mum makes. You don’t get fed again until noon and by that time all the city boys are dead because we’ve been on a ’route march’ - geez its only just like walking to the windmill in the back paddock!!

This one will kill me brothers Doug and Phil with laughter. I keep getting medals for shootin’ - dunno why. The bullseye is as big as a possum’s bum and it don’t move and it’s not firing back at ya like the Johnsons did when our big scrubber bull got into their prize cows before the Ekka last year! All ya gotta do is make yourself comfortable and hit the target! You don’t even load your own cartridges, they comes in lil' boxes, and ya don’t have to steady yourself against the rollbar of the roo shooting truck when you reload!

Sometimes ya gotta wrestle with the city boys and I gotta be real careful coz they break easy - it’s not like fighting with Doug and Phil and Jack and Boori and Steve and Muzza all at once like we do at home after the muster.

Turns out I’m not a bad boxer either and it looks like I’m the best the platoon’s got, and I’ve only been beaten by this one bloke from the Engineers - he’s 6 foot 5 and 15 stone and three pick handles across the shoulders and as ya know I’m only 5 foot 7 and eight stone wringin’ wet, but I fought him till the other blokes carried me off to the boozer.

I can’t complain about the Army - tell the boys to get in quick before word gets around how good it is.

Your loving daughter,

Petula

 

[IT Minion]

The fact you asked AI to work it out for you says everything. The point is, it's impossible. It doesn't matter if it's a thousand or a million or a quadrillion, it is impossible to implement.

Who needs AI for basic maths?

 

[Si_]

Who needs AI for basic maths?

You do.

 

[pete01]

I've just found Pete's first letter home during his spell in the Army:

OMG....I wrote that

 

[IT Minion]

So given that scientific consensus is that we'll see fusion power generation within 30 years, despite the fact it has received almost no government funding, would you like to reconsider your statement that 'Fusion is just a dream'?

You can't even read that summary right. AT LEAST until the 50s or 60s. That's a not earlier than time.

 

[securespark]

Reported

I mean, what spiffing facial hair, old bean!

Tickety-boo!

 

[pete01]

I mean, what spiffing facial hair, old bean!

Tickety-boo!

OMG I thought you could see me then as I've grown a beard.....

 

[securespark]

I can.....I've hacked your CCTV....

 

[Si_]

You can't even read that summary right. AT LEAST until the 50s or 60s. That's a not earlier than time.

I can reveal to you that 2025 + 30 = 2055, and 2055 is at least 2050. Not that it's remotely relevant to my argument, which you appear incapable of understanding.

 

[IT Minion]

I can reveal to you that 2025 + 30 = 2055, and 2055 is at least 2050. Not that it's remotely relevant to my argument, which you appear incapable of understanding.

No, it is hard to understand why you think we should be spending billions every year on a technology that is so absurdly far off being practical nor how it has anything to do with the power options we invest in today.

Think about it, we've got at least 30 years of power to supply before any Fusion plants are built. That's the lifespan of a fission plant. A wind farm will have been upgraded to more powerful turbines at least once in that time.

 

[Si_]

No, it is hard to understand why you think we should be spending billions every year on a technology that is so absurdly far off being practical nor how it has anything to do with the power options we invest in today.

It's hard for you to understand, clearly, but very easy for anyone capable of following a basic line of reasoning.

1) Fusion research has had very little funding.
2) Despite this, fusion research is on track to produce world-changing results in 30 - 50 years.

...hold on, this is the part you struggle with...

3) Fusion research would achieve this much quicker if it were funded to a greater extent.

...and gird your loins, because there's more...

4) If significant levels of funding had been available for the past 70 years, we'd likely already have fusion reactors producing our energy.