#Molten Salt Solar

[lies]

Sometimes when I'm birdwatching

[electronalytics]

Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage Market

[dailyoverview]

Thermosolar power plants are seen outside the city of Dunhuang, in northwest China. Also called “solar concentrators,” these plants use heliostat mirrors to focus the sun’s thermal energy on molten salt flowing through a central tower, which circulates into storage tanks and is used to produce steam and generate electricity. The larger circular array seen here is 1.7 miles wide (2.7 km), contains 12,000 mirrors and can displace 350,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Also seen in the bottom-right are parabolic trough collectors, another method of solar thermal collection.

40.073657°, 94.432896°

Source imagery: Maxar

[sabrondabrainrot]

Latest EP theory "Moon goes MISSING during his HALLOWEEN PARTY!!!"

🌃🌕🎃🚀

I currently have two theories, mostly on Sun's phone and I'll try to be eloquent but break is only so long and I have limited time!

I've been yelling @ikamigami for long enough on these theories XD but they did help me to refine my rambly ideas.

For starters, for those who haven't seen the ep, to avoid spoiling things for everyone I'm putting the theories under the cut!

Both of my theories are pretty outlandish so take them with a grain of salt, knowing how TSAMS can be, this might just be a straightforward situation where Moon was grabbed and will be used as ransom or bargaining for Sun. However, while I feel that is the course I like to overthink and come to with theories on what else might be going on.

So starting off, my first theory revolves around Sun, Dark Sun, and Sun's phone.

During the party, in my opinion, I think Sun was acting oddly. I propose, it wasn't Sun but instead Dark Sun doing his imposter work. So for starters, Moon leaves to get soda for the party and very shortly after 'Moon' calls 'Sun' to tell him the store is out of soda. Just completely out.

Then Sun, very loudly plays their phone conversation for everyone to hear, which is odd because he went into the other room to take Moon's call but then it got so loud the entire party could hear that Moon was now on his way back, and soda-less. (Kind of odd the store was completely out of sodas?). I will also add Sun abruptly hung up on Moon which seemed very out of character for him.

Furthering this odd behavior, Solar took Dazzle out to trick or treat, which seems innocuous at first but I need to remind everyone up until this episode Sun on record has been too worried and scared to even let Dazzle in the back yard even with Jack's protection. So it's just strange Sun was very.... uncaring? Unbothered? About Dazzle going out, without Jack too. Just with Solar.

Then when Sun met up with Solar later he panicky explained to Solar that Moon said he left the store but he still went there to look for him. The entire time Sun is this immediately scared and stuttering mess. Now, he is worried about Moon but we've seen a much calmer and more mature Sun as of late and I don't think he'd be a stuttering mess.

Now that I've laid the foundation, my idea is, I think Sun has already been grabbed. We've seen recently that Dark Sun, or D!Sun has been more aggressive with his space invasion. He's been coming in and out more and pretending to be Sun blatantly. We had a recent episode where for an indeterminate amount of time D!Sun was pretending to be Sun in their home, around Solar and the kids. Molten was also right there and didn't notice anything. He was full on acting strange and no one questioned it. Dazzle only thought he seemed sad. By the end of the charade, D!Sun just left while asking Solar to call his phone because he couldn't find it.

He gave away the fact their own home isn't safe. Solar knew after calling his Sun that the entire time he was with D!Sun.

Something interesting is the only thing that's so far gotten D!Sun caught when he's pretending to be Sun, is Sun's phone. Forever ago, D!Sun tried visiting Foxy and FC when he was living at his stormy beach house and was immediately caught as not Sun because Foxy was only moments ago texting Sun. While Foxy in particular is observational he would have fallen for the act if not for the prior text messages. Then, later on after the first encounter with Goliath, D!Sun showed up to give advice to, and check up on, Earth and Lunar. The entire exchange would have been innocuous if the real Sun didn't happen to call.

So, keep the timing and Sun's phone in mind.

In today's episode Moon shortly after his strange soda-less run, called Monty and let them know he could not get a hold of Sun, he was apparently trying to call him multiple times. Which, when we find Sun outside not only is the not worried about the missed calls but doesn't even state "I have no missed calls." On top of Monty's call suspiciously cutting off.

Now why would Moon keep trying to call Sun when less than 5 minutes ago he spoke to 'Sun'? I think the first Moon on the phone was actually Nexus pretending to be Moon. He's just not the best at pretending to be Old Moon, so D!Sun hung up before he could give too much away.

The second call I think was Moon, he was trying to get a hold of Sun but due to Sun not being available he called Monty instead. (Reminder, Monty is Moon's go to when he thinks anything might be wrong.) I think Moon calling Monty was not according to plan, him leaving to go to the store was not according to plan. D!Sun maybe sent a signal to Ruin to grab Moon before D!Sun could be caught again. The phone is his immediate give away so D!Sun at this point knows to eliminate that before it can cast suspicion his way.

I think he was at the Halloween party pretending to be Sun as an elaborate distraction scheme. The only people who could stop Sun's kidnapping are Solar and Moon so keeping them unaware something is occurring is the easiest option. However, Moon leaving to grab Soda at the store was very much an unprompted thing. I think this wasn't according to plan. So D!Sun had to improve with Nexus and Ruin.

At the party when D!Sun took the call it was more then likely an exchange of code. How can the store be completely out of Soda? However, if this is Nexus pretending to be Moon, he needed to make up some kind of code. Sun himself may actually be on the run? Nexus might have communicated 'no soda at the soda store' as a means to let D!Sun know Sun isn't secured and to keep stalling. Moments after the actual Moon called and raised suspicion that he couldn't get a hold of Sun, despite 'Sun' being right there at the party. So, I propose, he sent another signal or order to Ruin to grab Moon while on the call to stop Moon from further alerting the others something might be wrong with Sun.

The second part of the plan was probably enacted messily. Plus, a hasty kidnapping plot would buy Nexus enough time to grab and subdue Sun. While that happens, Ruin keeps Moon tucked away somewhere and D!Sun can lead Solar on a literal made up goose chase.

IS this convoluted? Yes. I feel like it's right up a Dark Sun plot though, the guy is a Sun. So, that's my first theory.

My next theory I feel doesn't have as much to it, but it is still solid. I find it a bit more boring? So the way this next theory goes is this, I think what we might be seeing as an audience is the occurrence when two individuals somehow just miss each other at the right moment.

We know Nexus and D!Sun have eyes and ears everywhere, D!Sun was literally able to touch Sun's bed and car. They know everything about their day to day schedules. So it wouldn't be hard to time things in their favor. We saw this recently from Nexus showing up with those drones to talk to Earth in the daycare and Sun at Atlas' study. (They even know where to find that). He also managed to show up and attack Moon while Moon was alone twice. Not to mention isolating Solar twice too.

So with the hyper-vigilance and D!Sun's methodical ways, I think he is orchestrating a trap. I was explaining how strange Sun was acting at the party, and while it is grasping at straws that he's D!Sun, another explanation could be maybe Sun is just stressed? He wants to be a good host to the party. He has a lot of guests to entertain and despite his protectiveness towards Dazzle he trusts Solar to keep her safe.

So with the theory I think the opposite happened, The first person calling Sun was Moon, the store was out of Soda and well....having anything go wrong for a party you planned carefully is stressful. So him snippily hanging up the phone on Moon can be believable, especially since it seemed like Moon was about to start an argument over nothing. Then, while they watch Moon leave the store Nexus called Monty, pretending to be Moon. Nexus just made up a lie about not being able to reach Sun to make Sun and Monty worry that something might be wrong. The only reason Moon would call Sun so much was if he needed help afterall.

Sun, being a good brother obviously would go to the store to see what's wrong. This is when the 'just missed each other' idea comes in. I'm thinking Moon left in advanced and Nexus summoned Sun with the false call, to lure him and hopefully Solar, away from the party and group. With how the timing should go down, Sun shows up to the store when Moon arrives back home to the party. Nexus probably made sure to time it so Sun and Solar would be in the same spot so he could lure them far away in a short amount of time. I think the kidnapping note is a red herring to lead them to a trap. What is the trap? No idea. Nexus is showing that he in particular wants Sun, Solar, and Earth to join him. He's offered a spot by his side to all three. Sun and Solar are right now together in an undisclosed location. It would be interesting to see if Earth is also lured away too.

To me, this theory is a lot more...boring? I think it also holds a bit of water. Let me know what you all think! Which theory did you like more?

[apod]

2023 September 21

Cosmos in Reflection Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)

Explanation: During the day, over 12,000 large mirrors reflect sunlight at the 100-megawatt, molten-salt, solar thermal power plant at the western edge of the Gobi desert near Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China. Individual mirror panels turn to track the sun like sunflowers. They conspire to act as a single super mirror reflecting the sunlight toward a fixed position, the power station's central tower. During the night the mirrors stand motionless though. They reflect the light of the countless distant stars, clusters and nebulae of the Milky Way and beyond. This sci-fi night skyscape was created with a camera fixed to a tripod near the edge of the giant mirror matrix on September 15. The camera's combined sequence of digital exposures captures concentric arcs of celestial star trails through the night with star trails in surreal mirrored reflection.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230922.html

[pudgy-planets]

TOP 5 moons

Ugggghhhhh Meep. That’s like choosing kids aldnsjsjsj

I can’t give a definitive top 5, but I can give you 5 that stand out the most to me personally.

With pictures of course!

Titan. The largest moon of Saturn. Slightly smaller than Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon and larger than Mercury in diameter! But only around 40% the mass due to Mercury being a world of rock, iron, and silicates compared to Triton which is mostly ice.

Titan is significant because it is the only moon in the solar system to have a significant atmosphere. Comparison of mostly nitrogen and methane, Titan has a geologically young surface with minimal impact craters. Combined with lakes of liquid methane and ethane adorning its surface. In fact, it mimics Earth’s water cycle with methane as methane is the triple point substance of the moon. It has dunes, lakes, ponds, rivers, and an atmosphere that obscures its surface. It is a simply magnificent world.

Europa. Jupiter’s smallest, but most significant moon to astronomers and geophysicists alike. Europa is a frigid satellite covered in a thick sheet of ice for a crust. Beneath its geologically young surface belays a global subsurface of salty, liquid water. Salt is an important building block, making it’s a key study for extraterrestrial life.

The reason Europa is capable of housing an ocean is due to the tidal heating caused by Jupiter’s powerful gravity, producing a heating effect. The cracks, ridges, and the reddish brown color of its surface back up these claims of flowing water AND salts and/or sulfur compounds. Which of course, oxidize.

Europa is a special world, one of the cornerstones of the belief that water, is not as uncommon in the universe as it may seem.

Io. Another one of Jupiter’s moons and the closest to the planet of the big four Galilean moons. It is the single most geologically and volcanically active body in the Solar System. This volcanism is due to the combined efforts of Jupiter’s magnetic field and the sheer bombardment of radiation due to the radiation belt it presides in.

The friction melts rock creating lakes of molten silicate and resurfacing the moon every couple of thousand years in the process. Compared to other bodies orbiting the planets, Io is not only the densest moon, but has the strongest gravity despite being so small on account of its metallic nature granting an iron core.

The intense radiation combined with its heat, means Io has the single lowest water to atomic ratio of any object in the solar system. It’s this proximity to Jupiter that prevents any ices from forming anything significant of its mass.

Enceladus. One of the smaller moons of Saturn, its surface is covered in clean ice, making it one of the most highly reflective surfaces in the solar system. Despite its small size of 500 kilometers, it’s a significant world with its features.

It had a thin atmosphere comprised of mostly water vapor. Its southern pole houses a plethora of cryovolcanoes that blast geysers of water vapor, molecular hydrogen, and other volatiles (volatiles being substances and compounds that would evaporate at normal temperatures and therefore only persist in the extreme.). Some of the molecules fall back to the planet, while others contributes to Saturn’s E ring’s composition.

It is a geologically active world with its surface showing signs of reshaping due to escaping internal heat and a subsurface ocean of liquid water. It’s generally colder than most of Saturn’s moons, but it too shows signs of conditions that would be favorable to simple organic life.

And finally, Triton. The largest of Neptune’s moons and the only one with enough mass to be rounded out into a spherical shape. It harbors a thin, but sturdy atmosphere and like Enceladus and Io, is geologically active.

It is the largest moon in relation to its parent planet (if we were to go off every celestial body, then it would be Pluto and Charon.), furthermore it is larger than all of the known dwarf planets in our solar system. Being 1.7 times bigger in diameter than Pluto and Eris. Triton is the only moon in the solar system to have a retrograde rotation, meaning it orbits the opposite way compared to the planet’s rotation. In addition, Triton is tidally locked to Neptune, always displaying the same face no matter what.

Due to its composition, properties, and retrograde orbit, Triton is thought to have originally been a dwarf planet that was ensnared by Neptune’s gravity from the Kuiper Belt. However, due to the laws of conservation of momentum, Triton is slowly getting closer to the planet and will eventually reach the Roche Limit. By which it will succumb to Neptune’s gravity and crumble, forming a new beautiful ring system.

Triton is unique. It is a differentiated (meaning that heavier particles sink inwards and lighter particles remain outwards.) world with ices on the surface, and a liquid ocean below it and a rocky, metallic core. It’s covered in cryovolcanoes, has a surface of frozen nitrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and minimal impact craters. Its atmosphere pressure is capable of increasing and supports thin clouds and a haze.

A wondrous world indeed.

These are my “Top 5” Moons. I hope this answers your question.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Yale Environment 360:

Can metals that naturally occur in seawater be mined, and can they be mined sustainably? A company in Oakland, California, says yes. And not only is it extracting magnesium from ocean water — and from waste brine generated by industry — it is doing it in a carbon-neutral way. Magrathea Metals has produced small amounts of magnesium in pilot projects, and with financial support from the U.S. Defense Department, it is building a larger-scale facility to produce hundreds of tons of the metal over two to four years. By 2028, it says it plans to be operating a facility that will annually produce more than 10,000 tons.

Magnesium is far lighter and stronger than steel, and it’s critical to the aircraft, automobile, steel, and defense industries, which is why the government has bankrolled the venture. Right now, China produces about 85 percent of the world’s magnesium in a dirty, carbon-intensive process. Finding a way to produce magnesium domestically using renewable energy, then, is not only an economic and environmental issue, it’s a strategic one. “With a flick of a finger, China could shut down steelmaking in the U.S. by ending the export of magnesium,” said Alex Grant, Magrathea’s CEO and an expert in the field of decarbonizing the production of metals.

“China uses a lot of coal and a lot of labor,” Grant continued. “We don’t use any coal and [use] a much lower quantity of labor.” The method is low cost in part because the company can use wind and solar energy during off-peak hours, when it is cheapest. As a result, Grant estimates their metal will cost about half that of traditional producers working with ore.

Magrathea — named after a planet in the hit novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — buys waste brines, often from desalination plants, and allows the water to evaporate, leaving behind magnesium chloride salts. Next, it passes an electrical current through the salts to separate them from the molten magnesium, which is then cast into ingots or machine components.

While humans have long coaxed minerals and chemicals from seawater — sea salt has been extracted from ocean water for millennia — researchers around the world are now broadening their scope as the demand for lithium, cobalt, and other metals used in battery technology has ramped up. Companies are scrambling to find new deposits in unlikely places, both to avoid orebody mining and to reduce pollution. The next frontier for critical minerals and chemicals appears to be salty water, or brine.

Brines come from a number of sources: much new research focuses on the potential for extracting metals from briny wastes generated by industry, including coal-fired power plants that discharge waste into tailings ponds; wastewater pumped out of oil and gas wells — called produced water; wastewater from hard-rock mining; and desalination plants.

Large-scale brine mining could have negative environmental impacts — some waste will need to be disposed of, for example. But because no large-scale operations currently exist, potential impacts are unknown. Still, the process is expected to have numerous positive effects, chief among them that it will produce valuable metals without the massive land disturbance and creation of acid-mine drainage and other pollution associated with hard-rock mining.

According to the Brine Miners, a research center at Oregon State University, there are roughly 18,000 desalination plants, globally, taking in 23 trillion gallons of ocean water a year and either forcing it through semipermeable membranes — in a process called reverse osmosis — or using other methods to separate water molecules from impurities. Every day, the plants produce more than 37 billion gallons of brine — enough to fill 50,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. That solution contains large amounts of copper, zinc, magnesium, and other valuable metals.

[your-god-empress-lavender]

Calcium sulphur batteries (uwu)

Okay, so, i've become interested in z-pinch studies for aerospace purposes (i'm really excited about the prospects, everything works on paper, but i naturally want to actually witness p+N14 fusion for above 0.01% of available protons before i go trying to get the materials to build a real liquid fueled SSTO fusion rocket, especially since there are thousands of folks way smarter than me who have presumably thought of this before and we don't have it yet, so yeah). Anyways, if i want the extremely large electricity input without making my electricity bill higher than a whole month's rent and getting my roommates mad at me, i'll need to collect solar or wind in a battery bank. Since lithium batteries are just about all immoral and expensive (yes i am writing this on a device powered by lithium batteries, it would be lovely if capitalists would take a hint and switch to things that just objectively perform better and are cheaper, but whatever), i figured this would be a nice excuse to experiment around with some new battery designs. Since all of them will require sulphur, i won't be able to really get into it before mid may due to some concerns about the smell and risks of getting sulphur powder everywhere (it's very yellow and hard to clean out), but i felt i might as well share my preliminary ideas. First off, in order to make the organic sulphur polymer, i'm looking to explore mostly citrate based polymers, perhaps with phenylalanine mixed in in order to both give more bulk as well as providing nitrogens for sulphenamides to form. Since i'll need urea later, i was also considering partially polymerizing urea with citric acid and adding that into the molten sulphur mix, but i'm less confident in the stability of that and a bit concerned about the potential noxious fumes produced. Regardless, that's the short of the sulphur cathode, details will definitely change after i refind that paper which went over a great way of preventing insoluble polysulphide production. I'm also gonna experiment with anode material and even the ions i use. I know i said "calcium sulphur batteries" in the title, but due to how common aluminium is and how much easier magnesium is to work with (and the fact that their specific energies are higher), i'll also be considering those two. Even beyond that, there are so many potential anode materials, including even amorphous carbon and carbon nitrides which i'd love to test since there's just so much to improve on and i'd rather do a lot of experiments with cheap to make materials and potentially land on a great solution than accept something subpar because it took less effort. Anyways, of the materials i plan on using, there's magnesium sulphate, aluminium sulphate, calcium chloride, potentially other calcium salts (is the salt with taurine soluble in water? IDK, can't find an answer so i'll test it), charcoal, vegetable oil, urea, and phenylalanine. Those may seem like an unrelated hodgepodge of compounds, but they've been chosen because they're what i have/will soon have and they're also all extremely cheap. If the urea works out well in the battery, i may have to make this project a meme and attempt to make a z-pinch device with as much urine as possible (use it to make ammonia for the plasma, to make the batteries, and i'm sure there's some way to use urine in a capacitor (maybe just distilling off the water to use as a dielectric? idk, it's been a while since i tried making a capacitor)).

Anyway, i really didn't expect this long trainwreck of a post to end with discussions of urine, but what can you do? This is all probably nonsensical, even by my standards, but basically i want batteries and i think i can make them cheaper per megajoule of stored energy than the ones i could buy, even accounting for the inevitable failed experiments.

[warsofasoiaf]

Of all the green tech options available, which do you think is the best for getting us out of the climate crisis?

That's the wrong way to look about it. If you're hoping for a miracle technical solution to any problem, you might as well give up.

Energy generation varies wildly depending on environmental circumstances. Wind turbines aren't very effective in areas without wind. Solar power doesn't work well in areas with high jungle cover unless you clear-cut. Nuclear power is safe and effective but takes a long time to build and has serious security requirements (and until the environmental movement owns up to its culpability for this, I will continue to heap scorn upon them). All of these require a stable and well-maintained grid to distribute power, especially if energy is being generated off-shore. Short-term, solar looks to be getting very cost effective per kilowatt-hour. Long-term, investing more into nuclear options (thorium reactors, molten salt, small modular reactors) with the ultimate goal of fusion, the last of which I know is still decades away. But you’ll need a comprehensive solution, do not disregard any source of clean power.

If you want one thing though to reduce emissions that people don't really think about, we'll need to consistently find ways to reduce the install and operating costs of green energy. Industrializing nations aren't going to take the hit to GDP and risk an inflationary crisis printing money to operate expensive power for their growing populations and industrial centers. If we don't find ways to reduce the cost in everything from production to maintenance, all we'll do is move emissions generation from one country to another, which doesn't actually reduce emissions and so doesn't actually produce anything worth a damn. The goal at the end of the day is reduction of total carbon output through producing less and capturing more. Anyone who does not accept this as a fundamental truth (which is not insignificant) is a distraction and thus, completely worthless.

Thanks for the question, Speedy.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[mitigatedchaos]

So if a billion dollar range project is a megaproject (Three Gorges Dam cost ~$31B), then a trillion dollar project is a gigaproject (continent-scale molten salt solar thermal in the desert), so a one quadrillion dollar project, like adding another UK to the world map, would be a ...teraproject?

[its-just-luci]

Children of Apollo Part III: The Birth of an Icon.

“In the past ten thousand years- an instant in our long history- we’ve abandoned the nomadic life; We’ve domesticated the plants and animals; Why chase the food when you could make it come to you? For all its material advantages, the sedentary life has left us… edgy, unfulfilled; Even after four hundred generations in villages and cities, we haven’t forgotten. There are now people on every continent and the remotest islands, from pole to pole, from Mount Everest to the Dead Sea, on the ocean bottoms and even, occasionally, in residence 200 miles up: Humans, like the gods of old, living in the sky. These days, there seems to be nowhere left to explore. Victims of their own success, the explorers now, pretty much, stay home. Maybe it’s a little early, maybe the time is not quite yet, but those other worlds, promising untold opportunities, beckon.  - Carl Sagan

Interlude 1: Those Untold Worlds…

(Pink Floyd, Is There Anybody Out There?)

As spring came to an end, Voyager 1 and 2 reached the most massive and ever present planet in our solar system, Jupiter. As they arrived, they brought with them a new pair of eyes, able to see the planet in new levels of detail. When Pioneer 10 flew by Jupiter over half a decade prior, the small probe screamed by, transmitting  a small number of photographs from the giant before disappearing into the interplanetary void once more. However, as with most space missions, this left scientists with far more questions than answers, and this time, the voyager spacecraft were making a more targeted approach.

As the Voyagers approached, they began targeting specific flybys of the Jovian moons. Of interest to Voyagers 1 and 3 would be Europa and, assuming sufficient data had been collected, Voyagers 2 and 4 would target Io. The moons were special in the solar system, marking the only real evidence that scientists had for both liquid water, and geological activity present in the modern solar system outside of Earth. This made the two moons ideal for scientific observation, allowing the scientists at NASA to gain a greater understanding of these untold worlds.

(Jupiter loomed as the Voyagers approached.)

As Voyager 1 screamed by Europa, the probe began capturing photographs and taking measurements of the moon's properties. The eerie, veiny surface could be seen. Covered in scars and brownish-orange deposits, the moon looked unique, alien even. These deposits were theorized to be salt deposits, later confirmed by Voyager 1, underneath the icy crust and perhaps atop a subsurface ocean of liquid water. This promised the potential for life, an elusive potential to say the least. Scientists waited with bated breath as the remaining images from Voyager 1’s encounter rolled in.

(Voyager 1 imagery of the Europan Surface.)

Months later, Voyager 2 would reach the giant, flying by the gaseous world and approaching its moon, Io. Io was found to have far more actively volcanic sites than previously theorized, and as voyager 2 was flying away from the molten moon, it turned to catch one final glimpse of the planetoid beneath it. Voyager 2 was already facing difficulties, having a number of communications problems that threatened to plague the entire mission. With this a known issue, mission planners uploaded an automated sequence that would capture less scientific data, but ensure the probe would reach Saturn, and gather observations as long as it could. From Saturn, the first two voyager probes were to part ways, and if funding was received as predicted, they would reach planets even further than that of the Pioneer probes in the coming years. 

(Active Volcanism as captured by Voyager 2.)

As Voyagers 3 and 4 approached Jupiter, they too received special commands. These sent Voyager 3 on a close flyby of Titan in just under 2 years, and Voyager 4 to a flyby of Enceladus, both trajectories ending the two latter probes missions in the solar system. All the while, Pioneer 11 had reached Saturn, and the images it transmitted back on its slow antenna were that of a quiet, almost featureless world surrounded by moons, and a number of rings and bands. Pioneer 11 flew a dangerous trajectory, but one that must have been tested before the Voyager probes could safely reproduce the maneuver. This trajectory sent the probe screaming by Saturn’s upper atmosphere and through its ring-plane. NASA initially gave the probe a 50/50 chance of survival, and many on the Pioneer team breathed a sigh of relief as the probe slowly began transmitting after its dive of faith.

(Pioneer imagery from Saturn.)

By 1974, following the announcement and early development of the American STS rocket, Soviet military officials began fearing that the US shuttle may be more than it seemed. Potentially used as a weapon of war, the Shuttle could lay in wait, sitting overhead the Soviet Union, ready to deliver nuclear weapons in but a moment's notice. This terrified many in the Soviet government, and almost immediately upon making this realization, a decree into the development of a high-cadence response to the American shuttle was delivered to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. 

It passed with flying colors, and before long, work on a soviet shuttle was underway. As American documents regarding the shuttle’s design had been made public upon their creation, much of the shuttle’s design was stolen directly from the American shuttle. This allowed the soviets to rapidly prototype, implementing features they needed in their orbiters, as well as focus development on the N1-M. The N1-M was to be able to launch as many as 6 times a year by 1985, allowing the soviets to launch a counter-response in the event of a nuclear skirmish in space. Getting the massive N1 to be flyable at this pace proved an immense challenge however, and many in the OKB design bureaus saw it as a near impossibility. Nevertheless development marched on, regardless of the engineers’ pleas, as always.

[norcal4g]

“Hi I would like to talk to you about Thorium”

I am passionate- I want to fight global climate change and stop the in situ destruction of our planet, break the dependence on foreign oil which dictates policy in Europe and the world in favor of despot dictators and religious fanatics. I want to work on something meaningful, physical and real that will further mankind to greater heights- heights such as leaving this rock and expanding to the edges of the universe. All of these can be addressed by nuclear power, specifically thorium molten salt reactors.

Talking with friends over the past few weeks, I have found both hope and struggle. Universally all the things I have talked about are equally desirable- only those motivated by other agendas such as power would even try to argue the opposite. However, the way forward in communicating vision and generating support for real courses of action is the current battle field. Everyone is informed one way or another, and have each their own proposed solution of varying thoroughness and efficacy. But at heart, these are ideas and when people come together for dinner or anime conventions- these things are not the top thing on their mind, not even remotely the top 20 things they want to talk about.

My background is from the military. The foundation of military thought is “decisiveness” ie making critical and broad reaching decisions in a timely matter- a good plan now is better than the perfect plan never. So having researched and committed to this nuclear track I feel a sort of “militancy”- it is at its core a revolution. We are upending the world order dominated by petroleum politics. But the opposition we are fighting are not the “anti nuclear” rabble who are mostly ignorant and fear mongerers. By psychological functions, despite having common aims we sometimes create walls between us that fracture the movement and it’s important to realize that we are all in this together and we all desire the same thing.

In two separate instances, I am talking to new and old friends and we have reached this part of the conversation- how to go forward. One friend insisted that solar was the way ahead, and the other was not convinced that specifically molten salt reactors were worth the effort. In the context of the social setting, the temptation is to throw down and begin tearing down their argument’s. But it’s important to note that the original sources are not handy even in this digital age, the time amount and setting are not appropriate or conducive to even review it if they were, and that the more ardent and militant you hold a position the more repulsive you come across. I bite my tongue and just nod and propose to “agree to disagree” which while not bad in itself denies me some of the chains of ideas and discussions that I wanted to reach. There must be a balance, there is a world order to overthrow but to do so requires arriving at knowledge sometimes controversially.

My focus at this time is not the technological side of nuclear engineering but rather formulating the social and messaging side. There are different messages and themes that have to be tailored for each audience- be it friends, family, academics, professionals, and political personalities all hear different things in different ways and have to be tailored for the message to resonate just right. Some of the ideas that help me shape this messaging is having a BLUF- the bottom line up front. This is the elevator pitch that what you want and what you need from the person you are telling it to. The temptation for me is to go into the minutiae that’s where I feel comfortable and passionate but that’s not where others are at. At the end of the day, 99% of people either don’t care [as much as you do] or don’t have any power or sway to affect the outcome anyways. As for navigating some of these conversational pitfalls, there are some techniques I have pondered on.

When a point comes to a conflict, know that a decision will not be created there.

Look and talk about the problem, not the other person, talk about it as if it were chess- poking from different angles, entertaining possibilities and different paths and at the end resolving “we will see”.

Read up on different discussions and be generally read on the different arguments.

Anti nuclear- this is generally shooting down arguments. WHO report demonstrated that More people die every [day]from cancer and other diseases from fossil fuels than all the people who have ever died in nuclear accidents. Radiation is not magic or evil spell.

Costs and nuclear waste. There is no nuclear waste problem, it’s a policy problem declaring it as nuclear waste and restricting its use. Only 4% of the energy potential of fuel is used in a reactor before it becomes “waste” which is a label to prevent it from being refined into plutonium bomb material.

Solar/“renewable energy”- nuclear is renewable energy. Thorium is so abundant we wouldn’t even need to open a new mine to extract it- it’s a byproduct of other mining processes. Solar has 3 problems- heat efficiency (30% lost to heat), real estate competition and maintenance costs, and lack of storage options for the limited window. The problem with solar is that there’s not enough to meet the demand required, it does have a place.

The movement for nuclear energy is still growing, the conditions are ripe and the public is willing to entertain. It’s all about offering the good news as informatively and as engaging as possible so that one day, if it ever came to a ballot or something they could actually influence, they remember your face and your smart and kind words. The view point to push are the good talking points that I want to discuss, but at the end of the day for this conversation, we are all on the same team with the same goal in mind. Let the chains up and let the technology be built at scale, and they will all speak for themselves.

[electronalytics]

Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage Market Report Includes Dynamics, Business Strategies and Huge Demand by 2032

Market Overview of Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage:

Growing Renewable Energy Sector: The molten salt solar energy thermal storage market is witnessing significant growth due to the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy. Governments and organizations worldwide are investing heavily in renewable energy projects, including solar power plants, which drives the demand for molten salt thermal storage systems.

Efficient Energy Storage Solution: Molten salt thermal storage systems offer efficient energy storage capabilities, allowing solar power plants to store excess energy generated during peak sunlight hours. This stored energy can then be utilized during periods of low sunlight or high energy demand, enabling a more consistent and reliable power supply from solar energy sources.

Cost-Effective Energy Storage: Molten salt thermal storage is considered a cost-effective energy storage solution compared to other technologies like battery storage. The relatively low cost of molten salt materials, combined with their high heat storage capacity, makes them an attractive option for solar power plant operators looking to store large amounts of energy.

Enhanced Power Plant Performance: The integration of molten salt thermal storage systems with solar power plants enhances their performance and efficiency. The ability to store and dispatch energy as needed enables solar power plants to operate at a higher capacity factor, maximizing their electricity generation and revenue potential.

The global molten salt thermal energy storage market is poised to grow at a CAGR of 9.95% from 2022 to 2030.

Key Factors Driving the Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage Market:

Rising Awareness of Energy Storage Benefits: The awareness and understanding of the benefits of energy storage, including molten salt thermal storage, are increasing among utilities, project developers, and policymakers. The ability to store renewable energy and provide dispatchable power is recognized as a valuable asset in the energy transition.

Technological Advancements: Ongoing technological advancements are driving the development of more efficient and cost-effective molten salt thermal storage systems. Improvements in heat transfer efficiency, thermal insulation, and system integration are enhancing the performance and reliability of these systems.

Environmental Concerns and Climate Change Mitigation: The urgency to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is pushing governments and organizations to adopt cleaner energy alternatives. Molten salt thermal storage enables the efficient utilization of solar energy, which significantly reduces carbon emissions compared to fossil fuel-based power generation.

Demand for Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage:

Solar Power Plants: The primary demand for molten salt thermal storage systems comes from solar power plants. These plants utilize the thermal energy stored in molten salt to generate electricity continuously, even during non-sunlight hours, thereby increasing their operational flexibility and overall efficiency.

Energy Storage Projects: The growing demand for energy storage projects, including standalone storage facilities or hybrid systems integrated with renewable energy sources, contributes to the demand for molten salt thermal storage. These projects aim to enhance grid stability, improve renewable energy integration, and ensure a reliable power supply during peak demand periods.

We recommend referring our Stringent datalytics firm, industry publications, and websites that specialize in providing market reports. These sources often offer comprehensive analysis, market trends, growth forecasts, competitive landscape, and other valuable insights into this market.

By visiting our website or contacting us directly, you can explore the availability of specific reports related to this market. These reports often require a purchase or subscription, but we provide comprehensive and in-depth information that can be valuable for businesses, investors, and individuals interested in this market.

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Market Segmentations:

Global Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage Market: By Company • BrightSource Energy • Solar Millennium AG • Abengoa • Orano • Siemens • Acciona • ESolar • SolarReserve • Schott • Wilson Solarpower • Cool Earth • Novatec • Lointek • Acciona Energy • Shams Power • ZED Solar • Absolicon • Rioglass Solar • Greenera Energy India Pvt • Focus solar • BrightSource Energy • NREL • Evergreen Solar Services • Suntech • Thai Solar Energy • BP Solar • Trina Solar Energy • Sunhome Global Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage Market: By Type • Tower-type Solar Power Tower System • Dish Concentrating Solar Power Systems • Other Global Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage Market: By Application • CSP System • Generate Electricity • Industrial Heating • Other Global Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage Market: Regional Analysis All the regional segmentation has been studied based on recent and future trends, and the market is forecasted throughout the prediction period. The countries covered in the regional analysis of the Global Molten Salt Solar Energy Thermal Storage market report are U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Rest of Europe in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Argentina, Brazil, and Rest of South America as part of South America.

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[dailyoverview]

Cerro Dominador Solar Thermal Plant in María Elena, Chile, was constructed between 2014 and 2021. The plant uses 10,600 heliostat mirrors — arranged in a circle roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) across — to concentrate solar radiation on a central tower receiver, where heat is transferred to molten salts. Heat is then passed on to water, generating superheated steam that feeds a turbine and generates electric energy. Chile has set a target to produce 20% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2025.

-22.771910°, -69.479940°

Source imagery: Planet

[manusialangkah]

Shanghai Electric Pamerkan Sederet Inovasi Energi Hijau di Enlit Asia 2024

 Senin, 14 Oktober 2024 08:49 WIB

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, (ANTARA/PRNewswire)- Shanghai Electric (SEHK:2727, SSE:601727) menghadirkan inovasi energi terbarunya di Enlit Asia 2024, konferensi dan pameran terkemuka di sektor kelistrikan dan energi Asia Tenggara, yang berlangsung di Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pada 8-10 Oktober. Shanghai Electric memamerkan portofolio inovasi energi secara lengkap di stan pameran yang mencakup teknologi energi hijau, terutama dalam bidang energi batu bara bersih, tenaga surya, energi hidrogen, serta teknologi multienergi. Lewat pameran ini, para pengunjung acara dapat mengeksplorasi berbagai produk mutakhir Shanghai Electric yang memfasilitasi transisi global menuju energi yang lebih bersih.

Di tengah pesatnya pertumbuhan tenaga surya di Asia, Shanghai Electric Power Generation Group memamerkan berbagai produk terkini Hency Solar. Di antaranya, panel surya heterojunction seri Creator 210R dan panel surya TOPCon seri Pioneer 210R yang memiliki bifacial rate hingga 90% dan daya keluaran maksimum 640 W. Shanghai Electric juga melansir solusi tenaga surya seri "Intellectual" dan "Edgeless" yang pertama kali dilansir di 17th SNEC PV Power Expo. Seri produk ini memprioritaskan aspek keselamatan, optimalisasi seketika (real-time), serta pemeliharaan cepat yang meningkatkan efisiensi operasional.

Di sektor energi hidrogen, Shanghai Electric mengusung sejumlah inovasi pada seluruh rantai nilai hidrogen, mulai dari aktivitas produksi hingga penyimpanan, pengisian bahan bakar, serta penggunaan. Di stan pameran, Shanghai Electric juga memamerkan teknologi alkaline water electrolysis dan PEM water electrolysis yang terdepan di industri. Lebih lagi, alkaline electrolyzer seri Z generasi baru Shanghai Electric juga menjadi sorotan setelah menjadi standar industri yang baru dengan densitas arus maksimum sebesar 10,000A/m², serta konsumsi energi DC yang sangat rendah, yakni 4,1kWh/Nm³ pada 4.000A/m.

Pada segmen penyimpanan energi, Shanghai Electric menghadirkan berbagai jenis teknologi mutakhir, termasuk compressed air storage, lithium battery storage, flow battery storage, flywheel energy storage, serta molten salt thermal storage. Teknologi-teknologi canggih ini dilengkapi sederet fitur agar fasilitas pembangkit listrik memasok listrik yang reliabel, terjangkau, serta berkelanjutan sekaligus menjamin keamanan dan daya tahan sistem transmisi listrik dalam jangka panjang.

Di pameran tersebut, Shanghai Electric juga memamerkan berbagai jenis peralatan inti dan produk inovatif, seperti compressed air energy storage systems, molten salt heat storage, dan exchange systems, serta solusi yang dirancang khusus untuk penyimpanan energi di segmen residensial, komersial, dan industri. Produk-produk ini turut dilengkapi suplai energi cadangan dalam bentuk UPS. Dengan demikian, koleksi produk ini menarik perhatian pengunjung pameran yang ikut berbincang-bincang bersama Shanghai Electric guna menjajaki peluang kemitraan dan kolaborasi.

Pewarta: PR Wire Editor: PR Wire Copyright © ANTARA 2024

[jcmarchi]

Startup turns mining waste into critical metals for the U.S.

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/startup-turns-mining-waste-into-critical-metals-for-the-u-s/

Startup turns mining waste into critical metals for the U.S.

At the heart of the energy transition is a metal transition. Wind farms, solar panels, and electric cars require many times more copper, zinc, and nickel than their gas-powered alternatives. They also require more exotic metals with unique properties, known as rare earth elements, which are essential for the magnets that go into things like wind turbines and EV motors.

Today, China dominates the processing of rare earth elements, refining around 60 percent of those materials for the world. With demand for such materials forecasted to skyrocket, the Biden administration has said the situation poses national and economic security threats.

Substantial quantities of rare earth metals are sitting unused in the United States and many other parts of the world today. The catch is they’re mixed with vast quantities of toxic mining waste.

Phoenix Tailings is scaling up a process for harvesting materials, including rare earth metals and nickel, from mining waste. The company uses water and recyclable solvents to collect oxidized metal, then puts the metal into a heated molten salt mixture and applies electricity.

The company, co-founded by MIT alumni, says its pilot production facility in Woburn, Massachusetts, is the only site in the world producing rare earth metals without toxic byproducts or carbon emissions. The process does use electricity, but Phoenix Tailings currently offsets that with renewable energy contracts.

The company expects to produce more than 3,000 tons of the metals by 2026, which would have represented about 7 percent of total U.S. production last year.

Now, with support from the Department of Energy, Phoenix Tailings is expanding the list of metals it can produce and accelerating plans to build a second production facility.

For the founding team, including MIT graduates Tomás Villalón ’14 and Michelle Chao ’14 along with Nick Myers and Anthony Balladon, the work has implications for geopolitics and the planet.

“Being able to make your own materials domestically means that you’re not at the behest of a foreign monopoly,” Villalón says. “We’re focused on creating critical materials for the next generation of technologies. More broadly, we want to get these materials in ways that are sustainable in the long term.”

Tackling a global problem

Villalón got interested in chemistry and materials science after taking Course 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry) during his first year at MIT. In his senior year, he got a chance to work at Boston Metal, another MIT spinoff that uses an electrochemical process to decarbonize steelmaking at scale. The experience got Villalón, who majored in materials science and engineering, thinking about creating more sustainable metallurgical processes.

But it took a chance meeting with Myers at a 2018 Bible study for Villalón to act on the idea.

“We were discussing some of the major problems in the world when we came to the topic of electrification,” Villalón recalls. “It became a discussion about how the U.S. gets its materials and how we should think about electrifying their production. I was finally like, ‘I’ve been working in the space for a decade, let’s go do something about it.’ Nick agreed, but I thought he just wanted to feel good about himself. Then in July, he randomly called me and said, ‘I’ve got [$7,000]. When do we start?’”

Villalón brought in Chao, his former MIT classmate and fellow materials science and engineering major, and Myers brought Balladon, a former co-worker, and the founders started experimenting with new processes for producing rare earth metals.

“We went back to the base principles, the thermodynamics I learned with MIT professors Antoine Allanore and Donald Sadoway, and understanding the kinetics of reactions,” Villalón says. “Classes like Course 3.022 (Microstructural Evolution in Materials) and 3.07 (Introduction to Ceramics) were also really useful. I touched on every aspect I studied at MIT.”

The founders also received guidance from MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) and went through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program. Sadoway served as an advisor for the company.

After drafting one version of their system design, the founders bought an experimental quantity of mining waste, known as red sludge, and set up a prototype reactor in Villalón’s backyard. The founders ended up with a small amount of product, but they had to scramble to borrow the scientific equipment needed to determine what exactly it was. It turned out to be a small amount of rare earth concentrate along with pure iron.

Today, at the company’s refinery in Woburn, Phoenix Tailings puts mining waste rich in rare earth metals into its mixture and heats it to around 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. When it applies an electric current to the mixture, pure metal collects on an electrode. The process leaves minimal waste behind.

“The key for all of this isn’t just the chemistry, but how everything is linked together, because with rare earths, you have to hit really high purities compared to a conventionally produced metal,” Villalón explains. “As a result, you have to be thinking about the purity of your material the entire way through.”

From rare earths to nickel, magnesium, and more

Villalón says the process is economical compared to conventional production methods, produces no toxic byproducts, and is completely carbon free when renewable energy sources are used for electricity.

The Woburn facility is currently producing several rare earth elements for customers, including neodymium and dysprosium, which are important in magnets. Customers are using the materials for things likewind turbines, electric cars, and defense applications.

The company has also received two grants with the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program totaling more than $2 million. Its 2023 grant supports the development of a system to extract nickel and magnesium from mining waste through a process that uses carbonization and recycled carbon dioxide. Both nickel and magnesium are critical materials for clean energy applications like batteries.

The most recent grant will help the company adapt its process to produce iron from mining waste without emissions or toxic byproducts. Phoenix Tailings says its process is compatible with a wide array of ore types and waste materials, and the company has plenty of material to work with: Mining and processing mineral ores generates about 1.8 billion tons of waste in the U.S. each year.

“We want to take our knowledge from processing the rare earth metals and slowly move it into other segments,” Villalón explains. “We simply have to refine some of these materials here. There’s no way we can’t. So, what does that look like from a regulatory perspective? How do we create approaches that are economical and environmentally compliant not just now, but 30 years from now?”