Discussion:
World's biggest coal company bets on solar power
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Byker
2021-04-03 17:12:15 UTC
Permalink
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56506529
The world’s largest coal mining firm is to "aggressively" pursue solar
energy and continue to close smaller mines.
How many centuries will it be before anyone notices the difference?

https://www.google.com/search?q=india+smog
Phase3
2021-04-05 02:17:01 UTC
Permalink
Post by Byker
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56506529
The world’s largest coal mining firm is to "aggressively" pursue solar
energy and continue to close smaller mines.
How many centuries will it be before anyone notices the difference?
https://www.google.com/search?q=india+smog
Coal is not "forever" because alternatives ARE starting
to be competitive. Not quite there yet, but looking better.

So, time for oil and coal companies, while they still have
the money, to transform into ENERGY companies that
are invested in all parts of the equation. Hell, maybe
Exxon should open an e-auto plant so they have both
energy production AND the means of consumption
putting money in the bank.

There are still tons of uses for petrochemicals besides
pouring them in your tank, but coal .... its future will end
sooner than later unless some radically new use is
found for the stuff. Even then, expect the human miners
to be replaced by machines within a decade or so.
So much for the Unions. Remotely operated, semi-
autonomous and finally fully autonomous - the machines
will be "better" and a lot cheaper. Meanwhile, China
really loves coal, so there will be a big offshore market
for awhile yet.

Saw an article the other day about a whole different
kind of photoelectric (phys.org ?) that uses one
"2 dimensional" atomic layer over another. The
stuff mentioned was black phosphorus over some
boron compound - the crystal structure is ALMOST
the same, and apparently the slight mis-alignment
creates the photoelectric effect. The inventors
say they'll have higher efficiency than silicon and
be as cheap as those perovskite cells everybody
has been working on for a decade.
Unum
2021-04-05 04:02:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Phase3
Post by Byker
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56506529
The world’s largest coal mining firm is to "aggressively" pursue solar
energy and continue to close smaller mines.
How many centuries will it be before anyone notices the difference?
https://www.google.com/search?q=india+smog
Coal is not "forever" because alternatives ARE starting
to be competitive. Not quite there yet, but looking better.
So, time for oil and coal companies, while they still have
the money, to transform into ENERGY companies that
are invested in all parts of the equation. Hell, maybe
Exxon should open an e-auto plant so they have both
energy production AND the means of consumption
putting money in the bank.
There are still tons of uses for petrochemicals besides
pouring them in your tank, but coal .... its future will end
sooner than later unless some radically new use is
found for the stuff. Even then, expect the human miners
to be replaced by machines within a decade or so.
So much for the Unions. Remotely operated, semi-
autonomous and finally fully autonomous - the machines
will be "better" and a lot cheaper. Meanwhile, China
really loves coal, so there will be a big offshore market
for awhile yet.
Saw an article the other day about a whole different
kind of photoelectric (phys.org ?) that uses one
"2 dimensional" atomic layer over another. The
stuff mentioned was black phosphorus over some
boron compound - the crystal structure is ALMOST
the same, and apparently the slight mis-alignment
creates the photoelectric effect. The inventors
say they'll have higher efficiency than silicon and
be as cheap as those perovskite cells everybody
has been working on for a decade.
You are trying to talk sense to someone who quotes Mussolini.
Byker
2021-04-05 16:40:34 UTC
Permalink
Post by Unum
You are trying to talk sense to someone who quotes Mussolini.
At least he made the trains run on time...
abelard
2021-04-06 18:34:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by Byker
Post by Unum
You are trying to talk sense to someone who quotes Mussolini.
At least he made the trains run on time...
that's just another lefty myth!
Unum
2021-04-07 04:26:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by abelard
Post by Byker
Post by Unum
You are trying to talk sense to someone who quotes Mussolini.
At least he made the trains run on time...
that's just another lefty myth!
Actually it was fascist propaganda. And you assholes believed it.

https://www.thoughtco.com/did-mussolini-get-the-trains-running-on-time-1221609
abelard
2021-04-07 10:18:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by Unum
Post by abelard
Post by Byker
Post by Unum
You are trying to talk sense to someone who quotes Mussolini.
At least he made the trains run on time...
that's just another lefty myth!
Actually it was fascist propaganda.
and?
Post by Unum
And you assholes believed it.
https://www.thoughtco.com/did-mussolini-get-the-trains-running-on-time-1221609
Eric Stevens
2021-04-05 09:33:16 UTC
Permalink
Post by Phase3
Post by Byker
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56506529
The world’s largest coal mining firm is to "aggressively" pursue solar
energy and continue to close smaller mines.
How many centuries will it be before anyone notices the difference?
https://www.google.com/search?q=india+smog
Coal is not "forever" because alternatives ARE starting
to be competitive. Not quite there yet, but looking better.
So, time for oil and coal companies, while they still have
the money, to transform into ENERGY companies that
are invested in all parts of the equation. Hell, maybe
Exxon should open an e-auto plant so they have both
energy production AND the means of consumption
putting money in the bank.
There are still tons of uses for petrochemicals besides
pouring them in your tank, but coal .... its future will end
sooner than later unless some radically new use is
found for the stuff.
A lot of coal is used not as a fuel but a chemical reagent. For a
start, consider steel manufacture, cement, silicon (as in silicon
chips). There is no prospect that any of those will go away any time
soon.
Post by Phase3
Even then, expect the human miners
to be replaced by machines within a decade or so.
So much for the Unions. Remotely operated, semi-
autonomous and finally fully autonomous - the machines
will be "better" and a lot cheaper. Meanwhile, China
really loves coal, so there will be a big offshore market
for awhile yet.
Saw an article the other day about a whole different
kind of photoelectric (phys.org ?) that uses one
"2 dimensional" atomic layer over another. The
stuff mentioned was black phosphorus over some
boron compound - the crystal structure is ALMOST
the same, and apparently the slight mis-alignment
creates the photoelectric effect. The inventors
say they'll have higher efficiency than silicon and
be as cheap as those perovskite cells everybody
has been working on for a decade.
--
Regards,

Eric Stevens
Byker
2021-04-05 16:36:53 UTC
Permalink
Meanwhile, China really loves coal, so there
will be a big offshore market for awhile yet.
China, which produces more than 1/3 of the world's annual output of coal,
accounts for more than 2/3 of global mining deaths. Beijing figures "there's
more where they came from."

In China there are 7.29 deaths per million tons of coal produced, compared
to 0.04 deaths in the United States.

Life is cheap behind the Bamboo Curtain:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coal_mining_accidents_in_China
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