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It is literally a problem of not having good enough alternatives. Fossil fuels have an energy density of 30-40MJ/kg. Also they provide power on demand. Ignoring
by flogic 10y ago
It is literally a problem of not having good enough alternatives. Fossil fuels have an energy density of 30-40MJ/kg. Also they provide power on demand. Ignoring climate effects, they are pretty close to ideal. Lithium ion batteries have less than 10% the density. Teslas only work by making up for the horrible inefficiency of passenger cars, and by devoting significantly more of the car's mass to energy storage. So far I haven't heard much at all about battery powered freight transportation.
- smt88 10y agoSolar, nuclear, hydrogen (for freight), hydro... Anyway, we don't need to use 0 fossil fuels to stop climate change.
- flogic 10y agoThose all have significant hurdles to be overcome. Wind and solar both require significant infrastructure along. Nuclear has political issues and even without them the build out would/should be slow. Hydrogen is horribly inefficient. Hydro is very dependent on the terrain and has environmental impact problems. I'm not saying they aren't part of the solution. But, we need to recognize the scale and complexity of the problem. Solving or at least weathering it will require multiple angles of attack, significant time, effort, engineering work and quite likely scientific advancement.