XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science
From: rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor) wrote
> Doc O'Leary wrote
>> Greg Goss wrote
>>> Modern North Americans just cannot fathom the scale of a horse-based
>>> society.
>> s/horse-based/sustainable
>> And, sadly, the problem isn't just limited to North American. The
>> majority of sci-fi hand waves abundant energy into the future, but the
>> reality is that, so far, that appears to be the hardest hurdle we have
>> facing us.
> Only hardest in a political sense. There are designs for (relatively)
> inexpensive and easily-manufactured safe nuclear reactors which wouldn't
> require the super-billions of dollars or the many, many years to
> construct, but NOOKYOULAR PHEEER! pretty much kiboshes those.
I doubt it will if energy does become hard get.
> Solar power has come a **LONG** way in the last 20 years, and the ONLY
> real hurdle it has left is storage.
That is no hurdle now with national and sub national
grids and others that are close to that like the EU etc.
> If someone figures out a high-density storage medium,
We already have, pumped water.
> or is willing to install 2-3x base capacity so that the "storage medium"
> is synthesized hydrocarbon fuel of some sort,
I doubt that will ever make sense.
The most that is likely is that for the most convenient
transport fuel once natural gas and coal seam gas is
no longer economic as a transport fuel.
> the energy issue would be settled pretty well.
It already is if you don't mind using coal and brown coal.
> Farther into the future you have SPS, which has the advantage of no
> interruptions of service and no losses due to atmosphere or clouds. And
> the standard designs avoid the MICROWAVE DEATHRAY!!! problem.
Cant see solar power satellites being viable myself.
Bet we use safe thorium nukes instead. MUCH cheaper.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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