Stromhungriger Bitcoin

The Telegraph am 7. Juli 2022:

HSBC banker quits and declares ‚cancel culture destroys wealth and progress‘

Stuart Kirk was suspended in May after attacking climate change ’nut jobs‘

The HSBC banker who was suspended after attacking climate activists in a speech earlier this year has quit his role in protest at „cancel culture“ and „virtue signalling“. 

Weiterlesen in The Telegraph

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agrarheute im März 2022:

Getreidemarkt und Getreidepreise

Getreidepreise peilen 400 Euro an: Marktkrise wird immer schlimmer

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World’s Largest Hydropower Project Has Unit Installed

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Leserpost von Dipl. Ing. Martin Krohn

Betreff: Bedenkliche Situation

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

einige Anmerkungen zum Blog vom 08. 07. 22.

Ich halte die derzeitige Situation mit dem massiven Ausbau der Windenergie für sehr bedenklich. In den Nachrichten wurde berichtet, dass ein Ausbau der Windkraftanlagen auf 2 % der Landesfläche mit aller Macht vorangetrieben werden soll. Sollte der geforderte Ausbau mit Beibehaltung der in den Bundesländern gültigen Abstandsregeln nicht ausreichen, können die Windräder näher an Wohnbebauung erstellt werden. Gesundheitliche Bedenken für die Menschen, welche dann in der Nähe der Windräder leben, werden vollständig ignoriert. Ein solches, geradezu menschenverachtendes Gesetz, erinnert mich an dunkle Zeiten.

In dem Artikel im Blog wurden mögliche Vorgehensweisen dargestellt. Eine der Vorgehensweise war, statt Überschussstrom gegen eine Abnahmegebühr ins Ausland zu geben, sollte besser Wasserstoff aus dem Strom erzeugt werden. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob das wirtschaftlich zu bewerkstelligen ist. Elektrolyse zur Herstellung von Wasserstoff ist sehr Energieintensiv. Ob sich eine solche Elektrolyseanlage wirtschaftlich betrieben werden kann, wenn diese nur kurze Zeiten in Betrieb ist, halte ich für fraglich.

Eine weitere Vorgehensweise im Blog vermisse ich allerdings. In Deutschland lagern Einige Billionen m3 Erdgas im Boden in Tiefen von etwa 1000 m. Es sollte sofort die Förderung dieses Erdgases eingeleitet werden. Das ganze sollte mit Aufklärungskampagnen für die Bevölkerung begleitet werden, um die Horrorvisionen gegen das Fracking zu begegnen. Auch wenn der Förderbeginn noch einige Zeit dauern würde, könnte die Ankündigung den derzeitigen Preisdruck abbauen.

Ich habe den Eindruck, dass der Weg der Eiergieversorgung in Deutschland zurzeit in die völlig falsche Richtung läuft.

Viele Grüße
Dipl. Ing. Martin Krohn

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Alex Reichmuth im Nebelspalter:

Sehenden Auges ins Stromelend

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Fu et al. 2022:

Representation of the Mean Atlantic Subtropical Cells in CMIP6 Models

The Atlantic Subtropical Cells (STCs) consist of poleward Ekman transport in the surface layer, subduction in the subtropics, and equatorward transport in the thermocline layer that largely compensates the surface Ekman divergence and closes the STCs via equatorial upwelling. As a result, the STCs play an important role in connecting the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, in terms of heat, freshwater, oxygen, and nutrients exchange. However, their representation in state-of-the-art coupled models has not been systematically evaluated. In this study, we investigate the performance of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 climate models in simulating the Atlantic STCs. Comparing model results with observations, we first present the simulated mean state with respect to ensembles of the key components participating in the STC loop, that is, the meridional Ekman and geostrophic flow across 10°N and 10°S, and the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) at 23°W. We find that the model ensemble reveals biases toward weak Southern Hemisphere Ekman transport and interior geostrophic transports, as well as a weak EUC. We then investigate the large inter-model spread of these key components and find that models with strong Ekman divergence between 10°N and 10°S tend to have strong mixed layer and thermocline interior convergence and strong EUC. The inter-model spread of the EUC strength is primarily associated with the intensity of the southeasterly trade winds in the models. Since the trade-wind-induced poleward Ekman transports are regarded as the drivers of the STCs, our results highlight the necessity to improve skills of coupled models to simulate the Southern Hemisphere atmospheric forcing.

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Ding et al. 2022:

Distinct North American Cooling Signatures Following the Zonally Symmetric and Asymmetric Modes of Winter Stratospheric Variability

This paper compares surface signatures of the zonally symmetric and asymmetric modes of stratospheric variability, which describe the strength of the polar vortex and a planetary wave-1 pattern, respectively. Unlike a weak polar vortex followed by negative Arctic Oscillation–like anomalies, strong stratospheric wave activity features a polar vortex displacement with a deep planetary wave-1 structure, resulting in positive North Atlantic Oscillation–like North American cooling in about 10 days. Moreover, the linkage between the stratosphere and surface is examined in two reanalyzes and four models of different configurations, which show more robust North American cooling following the displacement of the polar vortex due to strong stratospheric wave activity than the zonally symmetric weakening of the polar vortex. This suggests strong stratospheric wave activity acts as a better predictor for cold spells in the northern U.S. and Canada compared with a weak polar vortex.

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The Conversation:

Bitcoin: Greenpeace says a code change could slash cryptocurrency energy use – here’s why it’s not so simple

Fewer and fewer people are using bitcoin for digital payments. Nevertheless, bitcoin transactions are consuming more energy than ever before – the same amount as the whole of Thailand. With a carbon footprint equivalent to the Czech Republic’s (around 114 million tonnes per year), bitcoin is cancelling out other climate wins.

The global take-up of electric vehicles, for example, is estimated to have prevented 50 million tonnes of CO₂ so far. That’s less than half of bitcoin’s emissions for a single year. And the problem’s getting worse. The growth of bitcoin “mining” powered by fossil fuels is outpacing greener alternatives, causing bitcoin’s carbon footprint to swell five-fold in just two years.

But, according to campaign groups Greenpeace and the Environmental Working Group, all this can be easily fixed with a simple update to bitcoin’s software. Their campaign, called Change the Code Not the Climate, launched recently and calls on bitcoin software developers to switch the network from its currently wasteful system for verifying transactions to a more climate-friendly alternative.

Weiterlesen bei The Conversation

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TechExplore:

New perspective highlights promise of hybrid approach for cellulosic biofuel production

The rapid pace of global climate change has added urgency to developing technologies that reduce the carbon footprint of transportation technologies, especially in sectors that are difficult to electrify. In response, researchers collaborating through the Center for Bioenergy Innovation make the case that scientific advances support a hybrid approach using biological and catalytic methods for producing cellulosic biofuel for use in airplanes, ships and long-haul trucks.

Weiterlesen bei TechExplore

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