5 ms·
Last week I read a fascinating thesis in HN that steam engines only could have been invented on top of a flooded coal mine, because it was the only place where
by JackMorgan 3y ago
Last week I read a fascinating thesis in HN that steam engines only could have been invented on top of a flooded coal mine, because it was the only place where significant rotational energy could be used to acquire more energy in a virtuous cycle. Those two constraints happened to take place in the UK, starting the industrial revolution.
I wonder if we will find another such situation in a future where there might be an abundance of electrical energy due to renewables.
Perhaps there's another research area that just isn't worth pursuing unless electricity has a zero or negative cost.
- thelastgallon 3y agoWe already have an energy sink, bitcoin, just like /dev/null, but for energy. Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, currently consumes an estimated 150 terawatt-hours of electricity annually — more than the entire country of Argentina, population 45 million: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/05/04/cryptocurrency-energy/ https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/05/04/cryptocurrency-...
- jakewins 3y agoThis was tried in Texas though, and my understanding was the capital costs were too high to not run the units constantly. More likely the sink will be - as it already is in commercial steel projects like Hybrit - electrolysis.
- thelastgallon 3y agoThey were paid to use less. Texas Paid a Bitcoin Miner $31.7 Million to Use Less Electricity During the State’s Hottest Month: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-bitcoin-miner-riot-31-million-energy-credits/ https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-bitcoin-min...
- maxerickson 3y agoAs a society with an awful lot of existing infrastructure, it probably makes sense to subsidize the capital cost of methane synthesis plants that agree to consume only excess electricity. Of course such a thing hasn't been done on a industrial scale, but it's a great way to save the energy for later or transport it to another region.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> steam engines only could have been invented on top of a flooded coal mine One of my favourite reads [1]. (Darker if similarly-fascinating thread [2].) [1] https://acoup.blog/2022/08/26/collections-why-no-roman-industrial-revolution/ https://acoup.blog/2022/08/26/collections-why-no-roman-indus... [2] https://acoup.blog/2020/03/20/collections-why-dont-we-use-chemical-weapons-anymore/ https://acoup.blog/2020/03/20/collections-why-dont-we-use-ch...
- QuantumGood 3y agoFollows modern principles of disruption somewhat closely.
- brador 3y agoSmartphone spare parts leading to vr cheap enough to be commercially viable (initial displays were from old Samsung cellphones).
- Affric 3y agoThat was a great read. Thank you.
- thelastgallon 3y agoDesalination Can Beat Out Batteries for Excess Energy: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38685239 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38685239