American Politics

[Elvis 2008]

I don't know why even the targets of pathological liar Donald Trump's lies use silly euphemisms for his blatantly obvious and easily debunked lies like "he is living in a disinformation space" or that he is merely promoting "alternate facts. ".

Donald Trump is a pathological liar who lies about everything; The terrific economies he inherited twice, his colossal economic mess he produced and handed Biden, what he is really up to now, the multiple wars that raged all during his first so-called presidential term that he did not lift a finger to end including the full-on USA Military combat War in Afghanistan he presided over for every day of his previous so-called presidency, the War Against America over which he led his violent mob of cop-killing insurrectionts into battle on American Soil, the proven reality of Russia Russia Russia, his Trump's Pandemic Part 1, everything..

Yeah, the whole Democratic playbook of Zelensky good and Putin bad is getting old. As for Zelensky.

He's in year 6 of his 5 year term.

Declared martial law Feb 2022 and has banned elections since then.

Banned 11 political parties.

Passed law in 2022 to censor journalists and combined all news into one gov't station.

Journalists investigating his corruption get conscripted and thrown on the front lines to die.

Zelensky's administration has card carrying Nazis in it, and one Jewish lawyer was on Tucker Carlson and saying Zelensky is throwing priests in jail. This lawyer was no Putin fan. In fact, Putin ordered his arrest. He and Trump are the only two with the balls to call out what Zelensky really is, a ruthless dictator.

So it is more like Putin bad and Zelensky is even worse.

And then there is Glenn Greenwald's take on things: There were all sorts of things that the United States knew that it could do that could provoke Russia to invade Ukraine. There were memos floating all around Washington for years saying, "These are the things that are the red lines for Moscow, not just for Putin but for everybody in Moscow, including his opponents and these are the things that if we do, we will force them to essentially invade eastern Ukraine."

The United States then proceeded to do all of them seemingly wanting Russia to invade Ukraine. In February 2022 they did that and the United States immediately announced, under the Biden administration, that we were going to fund this war, we were going to give Ukraine all the weapons and the money they needed to win.

So after had enough of the Covid scam, you Democratic douches pulled another scam to secure taxpayer money and started the Ukraine war.

If you were go to make a valid criticism of Trump, you could put to the huge budget deficits that he rung up, but Biden was fucking worse.

So while you advocated spending trillions on Covid with its 0.2% mortality and now this fucking stupid war, you kind of ignore the fact that we are $37 trillion in debt, racking up $2 trillion per year and are on the path to default. And while you Democratic douches bash Trump and Musk for cutting spending, which has to happen or it is inevitable we default on our debt, you have no plan outside of continuing to throw good money after bad.

Name one Democrat interested in cutting spending, Loony Tooms. You cannot.

If you actually brought out a candidate like Clinton who actually had a goal of a balanced budget, I might vote for them.

[Elvis 2008]

If it's a hybrid (HEV), PHEV it is classified as a sub category of EVs? Got it!

No, I do not "got it". Calling a car an EV when it has a combustion engine and a gas tank is pretty fucking stupid. I know you did not make this up yourself but that is a political definition not a real one. As for your praising BYD for not making ICE cars when they have engines and cars with gas tanks is likewise stupid and quite frankly is BS Democratic douche save the planet bullshit.

The problem with you Democratic douches is you do not see how science is manipulated. Because an asshole like Fauci wormed his way into controlling all NIH grants, he could fund the POV that he wanted. The same goes with global warming, which was converted to climate change once the data did not show warming. If you were against global warming, you got no funding. Hence, all scientists were pro global warming. And the reason environment was so important is that is an excuse to have power over others. You are hurting us all with your polluting.

And the notion that man has control over climate is the oldest fucking scam in existence and yet we have all these fucking "scientists" who swear by it. Give me a fucking break!

Thing is there are tremendous health costs to people who live and work around carbon based energy production. It is not like anybody or MAGA Republicans likes that. It is just that for all those negatives, the positives far outweigh them.

Mining for Lithium is good but mining for crude is bad? WTF is that? Well, someone finally put a pen to paper and looked at it, and the best cars in terms of pollution were not EVs but PHEVs, https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoice...full-evs-today.

That really shocked me.

Thing is the batteries in PHEVs are 1/6 the size of those in EVs. The batteries were only good for going 20 to 50 miles but now they have PHEVs that are up to 80 miles per charge. That is HUGE. The study estimates that people will use gasoline 30% of the time. If you can get 80 miles per charge, I bet you could do even better than that.

But more importantly, and this is what you missed, you do not have to build a whole new fucking infrastructure. You can just plug a PHEV into your wall socket after you come home. You do not need to do a huge fucking upgrade with your existing home electrical system.

And if you are running low on electricity, you can rely on gasoline or just pull into a gas station if you are low on gas and fill up in 5 minutes.

Thing is Avis stuck me with an EV once and it stressed me out. First off, the AVIS guy had to show me how to put it in gear, but there were no instructions on where to go to power up, how much of a charge I had to leave on the vehicle, how to charge it up, and how to pay or how much it would be. I knew nothing, and it was stressful, and it would have been a hundred times more stressful if I had to travel a long distance, and I had zero interest in waiting an hour for a car to charge when on the road.

But with a PHEV, I can plug into any fucking outlet. That is easy. I can fill it up with gas if I am worried about a lack of juice or if I can go on the road. With a PHEV unlike an EV, the entire infrastructure that has been built up over a century is at my disposal.

So that left reliability and this really shocked me. In a UK survey of drivers, PHEVs required FEWER repairs than EVS or traditional combustion engines.

And Spidy, this is why you are such a fucking idiot. You come to this as if EVs are great and anyone who disagrees with you is just a MAGA knuckle dragging idiot, and we need alternative power, and we need to build out our infrastructure. Blah, blah, blah. I tried an EV. It sucked, and the AVIS attendant was telling me that AVIS planned on going 35% EV and indicated they were crazy for doing so. I was like, well, if they do that, I am not using AVIS. The renal car companies got the message, and they have pulled back on EV purchases as customers hate them.

In comparison, if AVIS has a PHEV, they can say your first 20 to 80 miles are free fuel wise but you have to return it full if you use the gasoline, I would be fuck yeah. Sign me up. I would seek out a PHEV.

I want a car with a little more juice than the BYD Song, and I looked up the BYD PHEV Han.

https://en.byd.com/news/byds-flagshi...-goes-on-sale/

The four-wheel-drive high-performance version possesses an acceleration of 0 to 100 km / h (approximately 62 mph) in just 3. 9 seconds, making it China's fastest EV in production, while the DM (Dual Mode) plug-in hybrid model offers 0 to 100 km / h in 4. 7 seconds, making it the country's fastest hybrid sedan. The Han DM hybrid model comes with 50 miles of pure-electric cruising range and over 500 miles of integrated range.

The 4 WD high-performance version will sell at 279,500 (about $40,000) RMB. Besides, the PHEV version, Han DM, will sell at 219,800 yuan (about $31,400).

And if you look at the Han sales, the PHEV version is outselling the EV version 2:1, and the gap is widening every day.

It is $30 to 40,000, has 4 wheel drive, goes 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds, the car is more reliable than ICE or EVs, and most of the time I pay way less for fuel costs. Yeah, I would buy that fucking car yesterday. You do not need to do tax breaks for a car like that. You do not need to bring politics into it. This car sells itself. The only issue people have with it is that this car looks on the outside like a Honda Accord.

[EihTooms]

I don't know why even the targets of pathological liar Donald Trump's lies use silly euphemisms for his blatantly obvious and easily debunked lies like "he is living in a disinformation space" or that he is merely promoting "alternate facts. ".

Donald Trump is a pathological liar who lies about everything; The terrific economies he inherited twice, his colossal economic mess he produced and handed Biden, what he is really up to now, the multiple wars that raged all during his first so-called presidential term that he did not lift a finger to end including the full-on USA Military combat War in Afghanistan he presided over for every day of his previous so-called presidency, the War Against America over which he led his violent mob of cop-killing insurrectionts into battle on American Soil, the proven reality of Russia Russia Russia, his Trump's Pandemic Part 1, everything.

And now this:

Fact check: Trumps barrage of lies about Zelensky and Ukraine.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/polit...ine/index.html

President Donald Trump is on a lying spree about Ukraine.

In remarks to reporters on Tuesday and in a social media post on Wednesday, Trump made numerous false claims about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian war on Ukraine some of which echoed inaccurate talking points from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Of course they do. It isn't an "echo" so much as it is Putin's actual voice being thrown over to his dummy's empty-head and mouth. Russia Russia Russia wasn't nearly enough Russia for Trump. Now he's moved on to Russia Russia Russia Russia.

Has this particular interlude gone so far into blatantly obvious pathological lies that even his fellow pathological liars in the Repub Party have run out of energy to keep up with the Gish Gallop firehose of Trump Lies and tapped out for a short break?

Amazingly enough, Pious Liar Mike Pence and other Fellow Repub Liars have actually pushed back on this one. Not hard. Just a little bit. But at least it shows evidence of a heretofore utterly missing spine somewhere among them for all of them to share.

[Spidy]

You brought up many good points and laid out an excellent critical analysis to the problems with nuclear energy. I have no plans to dispute what it is you have to say about it. But, what is your solution for base input into the grid?
…

As the articles laid out the need for more energy is growing. The long game requires a look at what is actually sustainable. I don't believe that sustainability is in fossil fuels. Cold fusion has a long way to go. I still put my vote on Nuclear Power in the short term. Because it is not possible to power an electrical grid without a consistent base input of 40% of the grid output needs.

I was afraid you were gonna to ask me this question! (...kkkk!) BTW, thanks for the kudos!

Truth is, I’m really enjoying the mental exercise, and have learnt a few more things along the way. But may have bitten off, more than I can chew, in my solution and its presentation….oops!

So your question really strikes at the heart of my long standing dilemma and my love/hate relationship with nuclear/SMRs. So while nuclear has its many issues (see my caveats), huge cost overruns, long build times, project delays, permitting, NIMBY…etc, when all is said and done, it does make for a compelling case, as a strong reliable and sustainable long-term clean energy solution for base load power…and therein lies the rub!

Introduction to the Base Power (or Base Input) Solution:

Since I like your analysis, case study and proposal for the Dominican Republic (DR), entitled “Power Generation in the Dominican Republic” ttp://www.internationalsexguide.nl/f...=1#post2956503, I thought I’d kill two (2) birds with one stone and answer your question, in the style of your own case study on the DR and how I’d go about proposing a similar solution.

Challenges for DR:

Caveat: I don’t have expert inside knowledge of DR, or the bona fides, like you do, and have never been there, so please excuse any overreach or overstep, in areas, I may not be up to speed on, since my many of deductions on DR, will be based on Google searches and/or related to similar islands, with similar power challenges.

Is it fare to say, the DR face several energy challenges, like high electricity prices, the cost and reliance on imported fossil fuels and geo-topographical obstacles with their land and ocean geo-location, that make energy solutions for the island difficult ?

But also have several advantages, due to their geographical location as an island nation, situated in the Caribbean sunbelt, with a favorable environment for wind power.

What is DR’s Current Energy Situation? Establish Baseline:

Annual electricity consumption (2023)*: 22,193 GWh (Note: Your 20 billion watts is also correct and in the ballpark, as number varies +/- 2K GWh)
Peak demand: 3,662 MW (megawatts)
Annual Cost of Fossil Fuel in the DR: Between $2.55 - $3.47 billion { $1.84 to $2.76 billion (Oil/Coal) } + 0.71 billion (LNG) {…see notes…}
DR’s Energy Mix: Heavy fossil fuels at 83.1% (oil: 12.3%, natural gas: 40.6%, coal: 30.2%) and some renewables at 16.9% (solar: 5.7%, wind: 4.3%, hydro: 6.1% and bio-fuels: 0.8%) *Note: Also in 2023, DR produced (24,580 GWh) more than they consumed (22,193 GWh).
Base Load (or Baseload or Base Input) for DR: 2,197 MW (or 0.60 x 3,662 MW Peak Load).

• Note1: Annual Cost of Fuel Calc: Fossil fuels account for 83% DR’s electricity (22,193 GWh) in 2023, so that’s about 18,420 GWh (18.42 billion kWh). Using an average cost of 0.10–0.15 per kWh for fossil fuel-based electricity generation, equals about $1.84 to $2.76 billion for fossil fuel electricity.
  
  The DR in 2023, imported approximately 1.47 million metric tons of LNG (Nat. Gas). The cost was about $707 million, depending on global LNG prices.

• Note2: The 40% SubCmdr used, seemed reasonable, but I was read countries with significant coal capacity may have a higher base load percentage, so I went with 60%.

Recap of Nuclear Power Reactors/SMRs Pros and Cons:

Since, you’ve already made the case (and I agree), that a large nuclear plant/reactor won’t necessarily work for DR, it comes down to making the case to consider SMRs or something else?

Nuclear Reactor Power Output: 1000 MW to 1600 MW (at $6K to $9K per kW )
SMR Power Output: 50 MW to 300 MW (at $5K to $7K per kW )
SMR Build Time Lines: For example, a 500 MW SMR build would take between 5 to 9 years.
Pros: High Energy Output, Low Carbon Emissions, Energy Independence and Long-Term Cost Stability.
Cons: Extremely High Costs (incl. cost overruns), Long Times for Builds (incl. large time overruns), Technical Expertise, Waste Management, Public Perception and sometimes Eco-Geo-Political Risks

Base Load Calc and Cost for # of Nuclear Reactor (NR) and SMRs:

Base Load for DR is: 60% of peak load is 2,197 MW. Rounded up is 2200 MW

Nuclear Reactor(s) Costs for Base Load: Most likely for a base load of 2,200 MW, consider two (2) reactors (ie. 2x 1,100 MW reactors, or 1 x 1,600 MW reactor and 1 x 600 MW reactor).

O Base Load of 2,200 MW, using NR Low-End Cost = (2,200,000kW × $6,000/kW) = $13.2 billion
O Base Load of 2,200 MW, using NR High-End Cost = (2,200,000kW × $9,000/kW) = $19.8 billion

SMRs Costs for Base Load: Units of SMR can come in various sizes and apparently there is a difference in cost between a 100 MW and a 300 MW unit, both in terms of total cost and cost per kW. So while, on paper the cost calculation will be the same, the larger 300 MW units, will have a lower cost per kW and benefit from economies of scale, this will ONLY be realized during the manufacturing, construction and operation phases of implementation. So with that in mind, I used 8 x 300 MW units.

The cost of SMRs is generally runs about $5-7K per kW. Since costs are rising, I’ll go with the middle of that range and $6K per kW ($6,000/kW).

O Cost per 300 MW SMR = (300,000 kW × $6,000/kW) = $1.8 billion for each
O Base Load Costs for 2200 MW, using SMRs = $14.4 billion (8 x 300MW SMRs x $1.8 billion). Note: With 8 x 300MW SMRs you get an extra 200 MW capacity.

Additional Costs for NR/SMR:

Site Preparation: Land acquisition, environmental studies, and site preparation can add $1–2 billion.
Grid Integration: Upgrading the grid for the new load capacity, can cost $500 million to $1 billion.
Regulatory and Licensing: Extensive regulatory approvals, can add another $500 million to $1 billion.
Fuel/Waste Management: Initial fuel costs and long-term waste management can add yet another $1–2 billion over the reactor's lifetime.

So what does all this mean and does the DR have a NR or SMR in its future?

SubCmdr, perhaps you can answer this question, better than I, if a NR or SMR could be still in DR’s future, because after crunching the numbers, it’s not as bad as I first thought. But before you answer, also take a look at the “Cautionary Tale”.

Cautionary Tale: The only 3 SMRs currently in production and a fourth now being built in Argentina, went miles over budget. The SMR in China went over budget by 300%, the two (2) in Russia went over by 400% and the one in Argentina by 700% (Source: IEEFA, “SMRs: Still Too Expensive, Too Slow and Too Risky”)

The nearly $10 billion dollar SMR industry valuation, is a bit overvalued (to me) and has yet to prove themselves, in any sustainably or cost effective way, that would bring any great deal confidence, IMHO.

Look, if you cannot build “junior”, a reactor significantly smaller, less complex, with less manpower and with less materials, on time and on budget, than it’s “big brother”, doesn’t this just play into the hands of the naysayers, that say nuclear/SMRs, take too long, cost too much, too complex and are too risky?

Conclusion for NRs and SMRs in DR:
Naturally, financing any big energy projects in the DR, is gonna require assistance from international partnerships (e.g., World Bank, IMF, NGOs…ect) for its critical to success. But the NR and SMR options for DR, look insidiously interesting, considering DR spends like $2.55 - $3.47 billion annually, for importing 83.1% fossil fuels, in electrical energy.

However, while the SMR the industry, IMHO, isn’t mature enough yet, it still suffers from many of the afflictions of their nuclear reactor “big brothers”. For a country with DR’s economic output/GDP and access to funding, it’s far too early for them to be at the vanguard, of SMR nuclear tech.

I think, at this time the answer is still NO (for me anyways), but perhaps a tad bit softer, after crunching the numbers!


So what does all this mean: So what now?

Sorry, but after doing a bit of a deep dive and establishing an energy cost baseline for DR and how to solve the base load problem, other than using NRs or SMRs, as clean energy sources, or go back to using fossil fuel plants, opened up my eyes, and caused me to take a step back and re-think and re-evaluate what I was looking to propose.

That was my point, that there are only two current ways to have reliable base input into the grid: Gas Fired Plants or Nuclear Plants. Otherwise you are back to coal and although the cheapest certainly not the best for the environment.

Yes, you’re quite right! After my deep dive, I may NOT as I earlier thought, be able to provide, a solution that addresses this truth you’ve stated, about our current energy predicaments, and the lack of alternative options, we have for weaning off fossil fuel generated base load power plants.

I still have several things to checkout, but I will get back to you. Feel free, BTW, to ask questions about the numbers and proposal for NRs or SMRs in DR?

BTW, I’m still loving the brain tease!

[Sirioja]

Here's reason #74 and #75, why you just might want to consider, buying an EV (BEV / PHEV) over an ICE vehicle.

Reason #74: If you just haven't quite yet figured out, that sitting in your snowed-covered ICE vehicle, waiting for it to warm up, in a blizzard or winter storm, probably isn't the best way to understand how carbon monoxide poisoning works...it's probably to late. (...kkkk!)

Jan 25th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning suspected in deaths of man, 84, dog found in car stuck in snow. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...ning-1.7441783

Feb 18th, 2025: Man found dead in snow-covered car with engine running ... When emergency services arrived, they found the 57-year-old man in cardiac arrest and his vehicle was reportedly stuck in a snow bank, blocking the vehicle's exhaust pipe. His death was confirmed in hospital. https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/02...ide-poisoning/.

Reason #75: This reason is more EV/Battery adjacent. When all you really need, is a long power cord to your EV (V2L) or a portable battery power station.

Jan 7, 2025: Why the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning grows after a winter storm. It's a silent killer responsible for more than 500 deaths every year across the country. https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2025...-winter-storm/

Feb 18th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning likely caused deaths of two men in ice fishing tent ... the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning "likely resulting from a heating source used inside the tent," https://ca.news.yahoo.com/carbon-mon...190516022.html.

Just saying, 2-more reasons you may wanna CONSIDER an EV/Batteries...Yes!

So many thermic cars, best brands don't want to stop on 2035 . When batteries explode and it happens, impossible to stop fire. I feel more safe in a quality thermic than in a chinese EV, when I don t trust China.

[Spidy]

Here's reason #74 and #75, why you just might want to consider, buying an EV (BEV / PHEV) over an ICE vehicle.

Reason #74: If you just haven't quite yet figured out, that sitting in your snowed-covered ICE vehicle, waiting for it to warm up, in a blizzard or winter storm, probably isn't the best way to understand how carbon monoxide poisoning works...it's probably to late. (...kkkk!)

Jan 25th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning suspected in deaths of man, 84, dog found in car stuck in snow. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...ning-1.7441783

Feb 18th, 2025: Man found dead in snow-covered car with engine running ... When emergency services arrived, they found the 57-year-old man in cardiac arrest and his vehicle was reportedly stuck in a snow bank, blocking the vehicle's exhaust pipe. His death was confirmed in hospital. https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/02...ide-poisoning/.

Reason #75: This reason is more EV/Battery adjacent. When all you really need, is a long power cord to your EV (V2L) or a portable battery power station.

Jan 7, 2025: Why the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning grows after a winter storm. It's a silent killer responsible for more than 500 deaths every year across the country. https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2025...-winter-storm/

Feb 18th, 2025: Carbon monoxide poisoning likely caused deaths of two men in ice fishing tent ... the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning "likely resulting from a heating source used inside the tent," https://ca.news.yahoo.com/carbon-mon...190516022.html.

Just saying, 2-more reasons you may wanna CONSIDER an EV/Batteries...Yes!

[Sirioja]

Elon Musk is a racist and Trump has a history of being involved in racist policies denying housing to his fellow Americans. That being said:

There is plenty of Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Government. I have no doubt. But if you are really trying to have an impact you would start in the Defense Department.

People act like Trump / Musk Co-Presidency is doing something new. I will simply say that Musk and Trump must follow the law of the land. The moment either one of them does not and receives no sanctions for their actions, grab your guns and and your go bag because kinetic civil war will start and the first step towards dictatorship will have been taken in the United States of America.

No, Musk is facist and stupid Trump is dangerous. Our world have to resist to him, except Putin he is ready to suck for business, and fucking Ukraine and Palestinians where no business, except robbering Ukraine.

[Sirioja]

Nah, Bro. I do not love cars. I do not love things. I love people.

As for my knowledge about cars, why would I have knowledge about something that I don't use? So, everyone who has superior knowledge of vehicles over me I will stipulate to that. I actually have not operated a vehicle of any type for almost two years. I feel my mental health is better because I have stopped. My flow is strong and my stack is so big I pay people to drive me around!

Why don't you own a Bugatti?

https://youtube.com/shorts/va1cm5NZP...LFqkIjxC3rveQB

https://youtube.com/shorts/675djomWh...H961M_0EgPRDrx

ROTFLMAO!

You really know nothing about cars and Bugatti price, too expensive for me, but far higher quality than chinese and USA, and french hands made. About asian quality, when Japan is above China, but japanese airbags TAKATA are dangerous and can kill. Dodge, Chrystler and Teslas use these airbags, better to go to service to check, before explosion projecting metal pieces.

[SubCmdr]

Hey, by all means, please do "geek out" on anything solar, wind, nuclear, or clean/dirty energy related. I don't mind at all and enjoy a good amateur "geeking" in this space, myself.

I really do like hearing/debating what other BMs views are, on our worlds energy problems and solutions.

BTW, thanks for sharing, those are great inspirational back-stories, with regards to, how you were introduced into the world of nuclear and solar energy. BTW, your setup in the Dominican Republic, sounds pretty good. Sure you have some interesting tales to tell about it. That would definitely be my off-grid vision for living in Brazil, depending on remote or poor gird reliability!

Abashedly, but unapologetically, its only been since Tesla popularize the EV and opened up the choices for powering a vehicle, virtually for free (if you had like rooftop solar), was when my interests first perked up. Anything to avoid the big oil companies (...kkkk!). So my recent foray into learning about various aspects, that make up the U.S./worlds energy mixes, was more about being thrifty at first, and has since became slightly more political. So nothing quite as inspirational, but here I am nonetheless!

Yes, I definitely agree with your assessment of producing Green Hydrogen and definitely a topic for another day, as many still think hydrogen is a good use case for many forms of transportation. I do not.

I think, the next generation of batteries (solid state, Li-Sulfur, Silicon-Anode, Graphene...etc) will render the use of hydrogen, with people strictly sticking to the upper tiers of the of the Hydrogen Ladder. https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/01...hopium-part-1/

You brought up many good points and laid out an excellent critical analysis to the problems with nuclear energy. I have no plans to dispute what it is you have to say about it. But, what is your solution for base input into the grid?

That was my point, that there are only two current ways to have reliable base input into the grid: Gas Fired Plants or Nuclear Plants. Otherwise you are back to coal and although the cheapest certainly not the best for the environment.

As the articles laid out the need for more energy is growing. The long game requires a look at what is actually sustainable. I don't believe that sustainability is in fossil fuels. Cold fusion has a long way to go. I still put my vote on Nuclear Power in the short term. Because it is not possible to power an electrical grid without a consistent base input of 40% of the grid output needs.

[Spidy]

LOL. Maybe if you keep saying that you will think it is true. The specs on the most popular BYD car are listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Song_L_DM-i#Powertrain.

As you can see, there is a 1.5 liter internal combustion engine in this car. Say what? I thought you said BYD was not making combustion engines.

Do you really not know how to READ? Or just too lazy to educate yourself? Get a clue man!

In your Wiki page, the BYD Song L DM-i, is classified as a plug-in hybrid, with a hybrid drivetrain...DUH!

BYD and all other websites, classify the Song L DM-i, as a PHEV. It would behoove you to do your homework, before spouting off at the mouth!
https://carnewschina.com/2024/06/13/...dy-for-launch/
https://db.carnewschina.com/byd/l-dm/2025/params

If it's a hybrid (HEV), PHEV it is classified as a sub category of EVs? Got it!

Wiki:
Powertrain: Petrol plug-in hybrid: 1.5 L BYD472QC I4 Atkinson cycle
Electric motor: Permanent magnet synchronous
Transmission: E-CVT
Hybrid drivetrain: Plug-in hybrid
Battery:
12.9 kWh BYD Blade LFP
18.3 kWh BYD Blade LFP
26.6 kWh BYD Blade LFP

As for your study on reliability, hybrids historically have been less reliable than pure EVs or pure ICE cars.

You sound like Sirioja, denying the hard cold FACTS, with lots annoying wrongheaded opinions, with nothing and no FACTS to back them up. You both should get together and try having a debate...I'll bring the popcorn! (...kkkk!)

[EihTooms]

Trump's Pandemic Part 2 is probably coming at us, on steroids!

And, please, no more ill-informed bullshit about how "gee, that Covid pandemic would have happened no matter who was president. It just came out of nowhere"!

No. THIS happens because Repub Donald Trump is so-called president.

And without THIS happening, Trump's Pandemic and all the deaths, worldwide economic and global supply-chain collapse, millions upon millions of jobs wiped out, the business and school Closures, hyper-inflation and skyrocketing prices for everything that naturally followed doesn't happen either.

CDC 'disease detectors' among hundreds fired as Trump administration ramps up agency cuts.
Administration officials last week informed CDC leaders of plans to cut up to 10% of its workforce as it targeted federal probationary employees.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...oge-rcna192420

"We have come up with a new slogan for LLS: the disease detectors. If youre not testing, you dont know what disease is there, a current fellow, who was among those who received termination notices, told NBC News.

Termination emails, which were sent to LLS staff members Saturday evening, cited poor performance as the reason for the firings, even though most of the dismissed employees have excellent performance reviews, a midlevel CDC official said.

Multiple outlets reported that a larger sister program at CDC called the Epidemic Intelligence Service, or EIS, known as the agencys disease detectives, was expected to be cut significantly, as well. As of Sunday, though, the two officials who spoke to NBC News had not heard of firings at EIS. One, a senior CDC official, said everyone who was going to be terminated had been notified by Sunday.

"Even if EIS was spared, there are multiple other fellowships that were not, and that's a pipeline for the next generation of CDC leaders," the senior official said. "We're being cut off at the knees. It is going to cripple public health for decades."

Tuberculosis, HIV / AIDS, Ebola, Covid-25, something else new and terrific? What will Trump's Pandemic Part 2 be about this time? All of the above?

[Spidy]

Not trying to go energy nerd on you, but Nuclear and Solar has been my interests ever since I learned that we could put a nuclear plant on a ship and could get sent to the bottom of the ocean. Still trying to figure out why we don't worry about the environmental impacts of that. My interests in solar occurred as a kid when I learned that how they power space vehicle electrical systems.

Hey, by all means, please do "geek out" on anything solar, wind, nuclear, or clean/dirty energy related. I don't mind at all and enjoy a good amateur "geeking" in this space, myself.

I really do like hearing/debating what other BMs views are, on our worlds energy problems and solutions. Personally, its a nice break from the American Fuhrer and the Repub admin clown show and shit show, currently on display!

BTW, thanks for sharing, those are great inspirational back-stories, with regards to, how you were introduced into the world of nuclear and solar energy. BTW, your setup in the Dominican Republic, sounds pretty good. Sure you have some interesting tales to tell about it. That would definitely be my off-grid vision for living in Brazil, depending on remote or poor gird reliability!

Abashedly, but unapologetically, its only been since Tesla popularize the EV and opened up the choices for powering a vehicle, virtually for free (if you had like rooftop solar), was when my interests first perked up. Anything to avoid the big oil companies (...kkkk!). So my recent foray into learning about various aspects, that make up the U.S./worlds energy mixes, was more about being thrifty at first, and has since became slightly more political. So nothing quite as inspirational, but here I am nonetheless!

Hydrogen sounds good until you look at the energy necessary to produce Green Hydrogen.

Yes, I definitely agree with your assessment of producing Green Hydrogen and definitely a topic for another day, as many still think hydrogen is a good use case for many forms of transportation. I do not.

I think, the next generation of batteries (solid state, Li-Sulfur, Silicon-Anode, Graphene...etc) will render the use of hydrogen, with people strictly sticking to the upper tiers of the of the Hydrogen Ladder. https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/01...hopium-part-1/

In US Nuclear Plant News
Two articles below. I think it is a good start. I don't live in the United States of America. So I don't think I am in the position to debate the issues. But hard choices are going to have to be made in the future. The best to ways to provide a base input to the grid with the current technology available are Nuclear and Gas.

The United States of America is losing it's influence in the world. There is a lot of land mass available. As a society we need to be thinking about how to become self sufficient energy wise, now and into the future.

https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...ot-2024-10-22/
https://www.technologyreview.com/202...and-microsoft/

Just so you know, my love/hate (or rather mixed feelings) for nuclear, SMRs and hydrogen (whether its grey, blue or green hydrogen, is a topic for another day), all come with a several harsh caveats. These sources of energy, I think, are more applicable or better suited, to specific instances, where the use case and circumstances, are clearly defined, as being more advantageous over solar, wind and BESS.

My Nuclear/SMRs Caveats:

• High Upfront Costs: Cost overruns are very common, as much as x3 to 5x the initial cost.

• Long Build Times: As much up to 1.5x to 2x initial time estimates.

• Technical Expertise: Is there local talent to maintain the technical and regulatory aspects of a nuclear facility? Short-term and long-term?

• Waste Management: Disposal of nuclear waste, requires high level expertise and logistical challenges

• Public Perception: What are they, on nuclear energy? NIMBY or can they be overcome?

Those caveats IMHO, makes nuclear and SMRs, a whole lot less desirable, as to what I would consideration as the first or second choice, as the least expensive, least complex or time sensitive and cleaner energy solution, for almost any place, anywhere in the world.

That said, I'm totally in agreement with restoring, refurbishing or upgrading any off-line, shut-down or decommissioned nuclear power plants/reactors, providing it can be done with little to minimal tax-payers dollars. If large amount of tax-payers dollars are involved, then ROI/Cost viability studies should be considered, alongside today's other cheaper, clean energy solutions.

I think its a great idea, for Microsoft and Constellation Energy (CEG) to champion the 3-Mile Island nuclear plant restore project. I'm surprised Microsoft isn't putting some of their money in the pot, on the upfront costs or shares in CEG, for the rebuild and then take a sweeter deal on the 20 year back-end. They've got the billions, they certainly can afford it, especially if the project is primarily for their benefit, why does CEG need govt dollars?

Unfortunately, as the article mentions, CEG were looking to get some of that Biden IRA money. So who knows, if they'll even get the funding to continue, if the American Futhrer, puts the kibosh on the IRA?

Finally, CEG are investing $1.6 billion and its unclear how the federal tax breaks will pan out for them or taxpayers and as I understand it, nuclear power plant reactor restores and/or refurbishing, suffer from the same affliction as new builds, outlined in my nuclear caveats above.

So while this may be, the very first nuclear plant/reactor brought back to life, from a decommissioning, its not the first attempt in the U.S. The Crystal River (FL) plant in 2009, that was shutdown and decommissioned, due to structural damage during a maintenance project, should serve as a cautionary tale. Attempts to repair and refurbish the plant ($1.2 billion) were abandoned due to high costs and then had to be decommissioned again ($1.2 billion). Total cost $2.4 billion dollars.

Again as per my nuclear caveats, whether its a new build, refurbishing or restore, any nuclear project should not be taken lightly and is almost always guaranteed to have cost overruns. So the CEG and Microsoft, 3-Mile Island nuclear restore project, may wanna double (2x), if not triple (3x) their project estimates.

[Elvis 2008]

Yet you manage to hallucinate, fuck-it-up and twist the article's reporting on EVs, into a rant about the biggest Chinese automaker still making huge ICE sales, when they'd stopped making ICE vehicles some two (2) years ago

LOL. Maybe if you keep saying that you will think it is true. The specs on the most popular BYD car are listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Song_L_DM-i#Powertrain.

As you can see, there is a 1.5 liter internal combustion engine in this car. Say what? I thought you said BYD was not making combustion engines.

As for this.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the complexity of two commingling propulsion sources, more can go wrong, so PHEVs fare worse than their hybrid brethren in reliability metrics.

That was taken directly from Car and Driver. So you pull the Democratic douche move of attacking me versus attacking the fact.

As for your study on reliability, hybrids historically have been less reliable than pure EVs or pure ICE cars.

And the hybrids not the pure EVs are dominating Chinese sales right now. And hybrids have combustion engines in them.

So to your point, Spidy, if EVs were so fucking great, why are the hydrids outselling them now? And if EVs were so fucking great, why did China start putting combustion engines in their electrical vehicles?

I cannot say this is a surprise given your binary thinking. EV, China, Biden good. Trump, ICE, USA bad.

[SubCmdr]

Nah, Bro. I do not love cars. I do not love things. I love people.

As for my knowledge about cars, why would I have knowledge about something that I don't use? So, everyone who has superior knowledge of vehicles over me I will stipulate to that. I actually have not operated a vehicle of any type for almost two years. I feel my mental health is better because I have stopped. My flow is strong and my stack is so big I pay people to drive me around!

Why don't you own a Bugatti?

https://youtube.com/shorts/va1cm5NZP...LFqkIjxC3rveQB

https://youtube.com/shorts/675djomWh...H961M_0EgPRDrx

ROTFLMAO!

Because You just don t know about cars. Best quality cars, Bugatti are built in France by french hands, not chinese robots. A Megane RS or an Alpine would fuck almost all American cars, even most powerful and for sure all chinese, when they are real sporty efficient cars. I choose Germans, even I drove legend RS500 Cosworth for more than 20 years, because more powerful than french cars, but not always better quality. Many Mercedes Benz used Renault engines. But better to know a bit. For car balance and grip, USA cars are far behind french cars and many Germans can t compete. Just better German engines when free speed culture in Germany. Good point is my beloved for my holidays Italy and also NL are increasing speed on motorway, when they found not more pollution with thermic cars. China just build connected little busses to move not far, not what I call quality cars. Moving far with plane pollute a lot, and risky with Boeing. I won t learn chinese, because not my standard for quality and I hate to waste my money and would feel shameful to support such no human rights government making big pollution, fucking our world with their pollution and low quality products. Only cheap.

[Sirioja]

So shameful USA new government: when USA never protected Ukraine, they now try to robb poor Ukrainians who are in misery. I really wish Ukraine and EU will refuse such robbery. Trump really has to BJ Putin to swallowing. Shame, shame, shame.

I wish, even making a lot of noise for everything with his mafia Vance and Musk, but Trump may understand he is not king of the world, even he dreams about, so he should stop to BJ dictator Putin who attacked Ukraine and will have to face Canada, Mexico, Panama, China, EU, UK and Ukraine. Need big balls, when he more behave like a small size with women and criminal Putin who can t travel because of international law prosecution as criminal.