UK government must abandon road and airport expansion
Repost | 04.02.2008 14:08 | Analysis | Climate Chaos | Ecology | World
Transport expert says UK government must abandon road and airport expansion and initiate an electric transport ‘revolution’
Transport Revolutions
A Parliamentary Group heard on Monday (28.01.08) that governments worldwide must recognise the dangers of oil depletion and plan for an electric transport future. Addressing the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil (APPGOPO), Richard Gilbert, co-author of ‘Transport Revolutions: How to move people and freight without oil’, 
http://www.transportrevolutions.info/ suggested that oil shortages will force industrial economies to invest in an electric transport infrastructure powered largely by renewable sources of energy.
Gilbert stated that ‘peak oil’, the point at which global oil production peaks and begins to decline is likely to occur around 2012. He cited the analysis of oil geologist Colin Campbell of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO), whose oil supply fears have been echoed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in their Medium Term Oil Supply Report of July 2007, which predicts a ‘supply crunch’ by 2012. Just last week, Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer warned of oil shortages by 2015.
Gilbert argued that the most efficient transport fuel in an oil-constrained world will be electricity, generated largely from renewable sources. "Grid connected vehicles are going to see a resurgence", said Gilbert. He offered as an example the grid-connected light rail system in Calgary, which loses only 10% of its original energy input. Hydrogen fuel cells lose around 75%, while electric batteries lose around 30%.
He predicted that over the next twenty years the US and Europe will see increased investment in electrified rail, and in grid-connected trolley buses and trucks for intercity travel and freight. High oil prices would change the nature of aviation too, so that airlines would be likely to operate fewer flights carrying more people between fewer airports.
Gilbert suggested that the electric revolution will be driven by solar thermal electricity generation, where parabolic mirrors reflect the sun’s rays onto water, producing steam to run turbines. He said that 100 square km of Californian desert dedicated to solar thermal power plants could satisfy current US electricity demand, though if land-based transport in the US were fully electrified Gilbert suggested that electricity demand would increase 45% on existing levels. A similar size solar thermal plant in the Sahara Desert could supply all of Europe’s electricity. Tidal barrages, marine currents and wave energy would also contribute substantially to the UK’s grid.
You can listen to Richard Gilbert’s presentation to APPGOPO here:
http://www.appgopo.org.uk/events/04_280108/APPGOPO_4.WMA
http://www.transportrevolutions.info/ suggested that oil shortages will force industrial economies to invest in an electric transport infrastructure powered largely by renewable sources of energy. Gilbert stated that ‘peak oil’, the point at which global oil production peaks and begins to decline is likely to occur around 2012. He cited the analysis of oil geologist Colin Campbell of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO), whose oil supply fears have been echoed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in their Medium Term Oil Supply Report of July 2007, which predicts a ‘supply crunch’ by 2012. Just last week, Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer warned of oil shortages by 2015.
Gilbert argued that the most efficient transport fuel in an oil-constrained world will be electricity, generated largely from renewable sources. "Grid connected vehicles are going to see a resurgence", said Gilbert. He offered as an example the grid-connected light rail system in Calgary, which loses only 10% of its original energy input. Hydrogen fuel cells lose around 75%, while electric batteries lose around 30%.
He predicted that over the next twenty years the US and Europe will see increased investment in electrified rail, and in grid-connected trolley buses and trucks for intercity travel and freight. High oil prices would change the nature of aviation too, so that airlines would be likely to operate fewer flights carrying more people between fewer airports.
Gilbert suggested that the electric revolution will be driven by solar thermal electricity generation, where parabolic mirrors reflect the sun’s rays onto water, producing steam to run turbines. He said that 100 square km of Californian desert dedicated to solar thermal power plants could satisfy current US electricity demand, though if land-based transport in the US were fully electrified Gilbert suggested that electricity demand would increase 45% on existing levels. A similar size solar thermal plant in the Sahara Desert could supply all of Europe’s electricity. Tidal barrages, marine currents and wave energy would also contribute substantially to the UK’s grid.
You can listen to Richard Gilbert’s presentation to APPGOPO here:
http://www.appgopo.org.uk/events/04_280108/APPGOPO_4.WMA
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Homepage:
http://www.appgopo.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23
Additions
Poor sound quality... but worth a listen
04.02.2008 14:43
Far more sensible ideas than any that the government are coming up with -- an extra runway at Heathrow, another lane on the M1, more blood for oil in the Middle East... I wonder if many MPs attend these meetings...
A related electricity generation idea:
"A high voltage electricity grid connecting countries from the North Sea to the Bay of Biscay could provide almost a third of Europe's power by 2030, according to the company behind the idea. The system would improve energy security, cut emissions, and even reduce the price of power at times of peak demand."
http://globalpublicmedia.com/europe_supergrid
A related electricity generation idea:
"A high voltage electricity grid connecting countries from the North Sea to the Bay of Biscay could provide almost a third of Europe's power by 2030, according to the company behind the idea. The system would improve energy security, cut emissions, and even reduce the price of power at times of peak demand."
http://globalpublicmedia.com/europe_supergrid
Chris
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Some tips on recording
05.02.2008 16:33
2.) Get the microphone as close to the source as practically possible- the closer the source, the less washy reverb from the room. If you have more than one speaker and no PA system then stay further back from the "stage"... or get into a more complicated set up.
3.) try to get a close to a clear line of sight to the front of the speakers head as possible
4. If there is a PA then hook up your recording to either an auxilliary, parallel or stereo/tape output (always carrying a range of cables and adaptors helps). Plug the PA feed into the "line" input.
5.) get a copy of something like Wavelab or SoundForge and Waves plugins, use a Low Frequency roll off filter to get rid off extraneous bass, and in reverby rooms to suppress resonant MID frequencies and enhance voice High Frequencies.
5b.) Use a "brickwall" limiter like WAVES L3 Ultramaximiser to reduce volume spikes and thus increase overall sound level. Not too much as you are turning up background noise too.
5c.) If there is a lot of hiss (cassete recordings) then use a "denoiser"; the speech crackles or sizzles on loud bits use a declicker/decrackler and perhaps a de-Esser (or a combination). Carefull with the de-esser that you don't remove all brightness (treble).
6.) Avoid using really low data compression ratios (64kbps etc.) on files. It may seem to be amazing how small the file gets but the lower the ratio the crapper the sound and more AM radio artefacts.
7.) Think about chopping a long recording into cosecutive sections and using m3u to allow the files to be played one after the other with a single click.
Points 1-4 are a must! 5 Would make things better. All of them would be a pretty good system.
Edison