Good story about batteries on Oil Price: Trump's Grid Battery Ban Leaves Developers Guessing
I'm not quite sure what to think about China. They have made great strides since Nixon changed the rules. Now they are competing with us much the way the Rooskies were doing back in the sixties.
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| DRAM Spot Price |
Looks like the price for computer memory chips has gone up by a factor of ten in the last year. Some people are betting heavily that the Artificial Intelligence / Data Center boom is somehow going to pay off big time.
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| Evergreen Substation and Constable BESS |
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| TCP LT814B2CCT LED Light |
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| WAGO Triple Connector |
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| Devastation of the Palisades Fire at sunset in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 14. Ethan Swope/AP Photo |
For the last week (at least), Los Angeles has been on fire. Is it still on fire? Maybe, I haven't heard anyone saying the fire is out. No matter. Obviously, California did this to itself. Whether it was politicians or the government or the courts, it doesn't matter. Somebody should have been paying attention and raised a stink, and I'm sure that some people were doing just that. But not enough people listened, and the political clout never developed far enough to do anything about the risk of fire, and so it rained fire.
You know another thing that California is know for? Green energy. Green energy often means batteries, and those batteries are often lithium-ion, and when a lithium-ion battery catches fire it can be the very devil to put out. So if it was raining fire, now it's pouring.
While car batteries are the biggest, they are used in most every electronic do-dad we have:
Lithium-ion batteries are used in cellphones, tablets, laptops, wireless headphones, electric cars, and solar panel storage. - Jill McLaughlin at The Epoch Times
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| Electrical Power Grid |
Inside the Interconnection Queue by Brian Potter
Electric power in the US is provided by the electrical grid, a huge network of power plants, transmission lines, and transformers that moves electric power from where it's generated to where it's consumed. Before connecting a new power plant (or a very large consumer of electric power, like a semiconductor fab) to the grid, operators must evaluate whether the existing system has enough capacity to handle the change and determine what upgrades might help handle the increased load — new transmission lines, transformers, switchgears, etc.
Here's another:
As of this writing, there are over 11,000 projects in the interconnection queue, with a combined generation and storage capacity of around 1,900 gigawatts. This is close to twice as much generation capacity as currently exists in the US (which was 1,189 gigawatts at the end of 2023).
In this video I'll demonstrate the incredible power of electricity when it's stored at high voltage in a large capacitor bank.This device uses five 10,000 uF 400-volt capacitors in series, forming a bank with 2,000 uF and a maximum voltage of 2,000 volts. At full charge, it stores 4kJ of energy, which is approximately equivalent to the chemical energy in one gram of TNT.When the switch is closed, the capacitors dump more than 10,000 amps of current through an extremely thin wire, causing it to heat so rapidly that it explodes with tremendous pressure, causing a bright flash, a shockwave, and tremendous noise. This type of electrical explosion can be used in lieu of a chemical blasting cap, and in fact, was used to detonate the compression charges in plutonium-based nuclear weapons. Unlike a chemical blasting cap, an exploding wire can have its timing controlled down to the nanosecond-level, making it suitable for nuclear devices.Exploding wires are also used for plasma research, since the circuit can be configured to create a "Z-pinch" or "X-pinch" effect that generates large X-ray bursts and other interesting high-energy phenomena.For a given energy, an exploding wire circuit should have the largest voltage practical with the lowest capacitance possible to minimize RC time constant and discharge time, and maximize current rise time and peak current. This means, ideally, the capacitor bank should use high voltage film or oil capacitors. In reality, cost and logistics made electrolytic capacitors the most practical for this project. These have the best energy density, but suffer from relatively large series resistance and inductance.The circuit shown in this video is initially triggered using an Thyristor (SCR), but the extremely high peak current and short rise time caused the device to be destroyed, so I revered to a mechanical switch, which actually worked pretty well.I tried exploding Copper, Aluminum, Nichrome, and Magnesium. Aluminum and Magnesium had the most dramatic effect, because both ignited when superheated by the electric current, causing them to add their chemical energy to the blast. I've tried up to 500 milligrams of aluminum foil, and in every test, the aluminum is totally vaporized from ignition.I'm not really sure if there's a practical application that I can use this device for, but it's extremely fun to use, and if you don't have any fireworks for special occasions, it certainly provides a good substitute.
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| Texas Tesla Tower |
I had to go and open my big fat mouth. Four days ago I put up a post about Emergency Generators and this morning I woke up to no power. It only lasted a few hours and it's back on now. I may not need an emergency generator, but I definitely need more flashlights, you hear me, Amazon? Very annoying not having any power, totally disrupted my morning routine - no coffee, no microwave, no internet. Fortunately the sun was high enough that if I picked my spot, there was enough light to read my book (Last Argument of Kings). Got through a couple of chapters.
Some places you might need electrical power to heat your house. You would need it if you have electric heat. Some places in Oregon still use electric heat. Even if you heat your house with ever reliable gas or oil, you still need electric power to run the pumps and fans. We can get by without electric power as we have two gas fireplaces. If it gets really cold we might have to huddle up in front of the fireplace, but that's okay because there's a TV there and that's where we spend a couple of hours a day anyway.
Who’s afraid of Sahra Wagenknecht? Germany's 'left-conservative' has redefined populism by Thomas Fazi. This story is about an old time, east German politician who has founded a new political party in Germany. I like her.
Data Centers In 'Spy Country' Northern Virginia Face Seven-Year Hookup Wait by Tyler Durden. I'm impressed with all the data centers being built in my neighborhood, but I imagine they are small potatoes compared to what's being built in Northern Virginia.
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| UKNC |
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| VEVOR Hot Water Dispenser |
A month or three ago we started decompressing the basement and expanding back into the main floor of the house. We had a remodeling project going on last year and while that was going on we were living in the basement. Usually I have place to myself, but we were both living in there for the duration of the remodeling project. Plus we had all the furniture. It was a little congested. My workbench suffered the most. Anyway, things are getting back to normal and I thought I would move the coffee maker and the hot pot onto a table in the big room. That worked okay until somebody tried to print something using the laser printer that was plugged into the same outlet and a breaker tripped. Laser printers draw 15 amps! Who knew? Certainly not me. Actually it was a bad arrangement overall. The coffee maker and the hot pot each draw about 15 amps. The coffee maker and the laser printer probably only draw that much for a few seconds, so you could probably get away with running both of them on the same circuit as the odds would be low that they would both want big power at the same time. You might even get away with it until you have completely forgotten about this whole power arbitrage thing. So, to keep the peace among my minions I moved the coffee maker back into the work room and the hot pot into the kitchen. The coffee maker displaced the battery chargers, so they got sent out to the big room.
There are still some problems with the current arrangement. The laser printer is still on the same circuit as the air fryer oven, but we seldom use it. I guess there was a time when we were using it regularly, but it's been months since it's been turned on. The hot pot died and has been replaced by an always hot pot. I suspect it is on the same circuit as the microwave but no problems. So far.
Then the new hot pot died. No, wait, it's working. No it's not, it quit again. What gives? The outlet is bogus. Maybe the prongs on the new plug are thinner, or something with fat prongs was in here before. In any case it's not a solid connection. So I replaced the outlet, 77 cents from Home Depot, and all is well. Except, while I was trying to sort out how many circuits I had, I discovered that the outlet under the sink is busted - no power at all. So now, since I'm getting all electricicated, I am going investigate.
I found the problem in the switch box. Presumably the outlet under the sink is for the disposal that was never installed because we only use the basement for drinking beer, nothing serious like actual food. The switch is for the never-installed disposal. What I found in the switch box was three Romex cables. One would be power and one would go to the outlet box. The third? Well, hell, every electrical box in the world seems to have two or three extra Romex cables that often have nothing to do with whatever the box is for. But the wires in this one aren't connected to anything, they are just taped over.
Check the hot lead and it's got 15 volts. Check taped leads, and whoa! This one is hot! Talked to Jack at lunch today and he suspects that the 15 volts was induced by running next to a live wire. 15 volts, but no oomph behind it. So I decided to just tape it off and leave it.
Electricians earn their money. Stuffing those wires back into the box takes some oomph, and trying to contort myself so I could reinstall the outlet under the sink was a struggle.
Uniberp reports from central Michigan:
They had to replace the power pole at this end of my private drive. It was loose and ready to fall.
The power company showed up with 2 huge trucks and 6-7 guys.
They augured a hole about 10 feet away from the old pole after marking the gas line, nowhere near it.
I talked to the guy for a minute about the unused cable tv line but didn't think to mention the underground phone/DSL line.
They didn't check.
Again, 6-7 guys.
Dropped in the pole, moved all the service, left.
No internet.
ATT came out and discovered Comed had cut the old line, ran a 300 foot temporary line on the surface with orange markers every 15 feet.
It stayed that way for about 2 weeks.
A guy shows up with a ditchwitch with a cable plow, did that in about 1 hour.
3-4 days later ATT shows up again and does the connect.
That must have cost Com-ed $1000.
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| Electricity transmission towers were damaged in Cypress, Texas, by a strong storm on Thursday, May 21, 2024 - Janett Avalos / Houston Public Media |
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| Heatbit Mini |
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| Candle-Powered LED Lantern |
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| Pera Palace Electric Elevator |
Establishment work began in 1892 and the grand opening ball was held in 1895.. . .The hotel was the first building in the Ottoman Empire to be powered by electricity, other than the imperial palaces. It was also the only address in the city to provide hot running water for its guests and was home to the first electric elevator in Constantinople. It was also the second electric elevator in Europe.
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| poppyfields cafe electric bill |
The person (or bot) that posted this picture of their electric bill has a Ukraine flag in their logo to show support for Ukraine against the Russian invaders.
From Western leaders are madder than I thought by Mary Harrington. Makes me wonder what the Queen has to say about all this. I suspect candles and firewood are going to be in big demand in the UK.
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| Nikola Tesla in his Laboratory ca. 1899 120 piece jigsaw puzzle |
The photo is a promotional stunt, a double exposure, one shot taken with sparks in the dark and a second with Nikola sitting in the chair. Still, those are some impressive sparks. Wikipedia has a page about this image.
This battery business is getting out of control.
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| Wallbox Quasar 2 |
"At the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Wallbox Industries will unveil its second-generation bidirectional home charging station for the North American market."
Like its predecessor, the Wallbox Quasar 2 can draw power from an EV's battery pack, allowing the car to serve as an emergency backup power source for homes. Bidirectional charging effectively turns electric cars into energy-storage units, giving homeowners more flexibility in energy use, Wallbox said in a press release.
Chuck Egg reports:
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| EcoFlow RIVER Max Portable Power Station |
I own an EcoFlow River Max "Portable Power Station" and a portable foldable solar panel (which is much more expensive now than when I bought it a couple years ago. Supply line issue, perhaps?)
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| PAXCESS 120W 18V Portable Solar Panel |
My mom has COPD and uses two oxygen generators. Her smaller transportable battery powered oxygen unit can be charged and powered by 110v or a 12v (cigarette lighter) outlet.. The Oxygen unit's detachable battery can run the O2 generator for up to about 4 hours. When we inquired about a second battery we were told the price was about $400 because it is a "medical device". So, instead, I bought the EcoFlow Battery because it was just a few dollars more, but had a lot more potential uses since it has 110v, 12v and USB outlets.
In fact, we've used the EcoFlow to extend battery power for a few extra hours on mom's O2 machine, but more often we've used the Ecoflow battery to power our internet router, computers, TV, and LED lights when the power has gone out for short periods.
In the summer, I connect the Ecoflow to a portable solar panel to charge the Ecoflow battery, then use the USB ports to charge, for free, our phones, tablets and laptops.
No, the cost for a high watt-hour battery backup may not make sense for the average household, but a lot of people use them for temporary power during outages and a lot more people use them with solar panels when they are camping. I've loaned my Ecoflow out to friends a few times during power outages and they've used it to brew a pot of coffee, watch TV, and charge their cell phones.
The Ecoflow I use has a high wattage button that allows the battery to power a table saw, circular saw, or other power tools which may be more convenient than running an extension cord.
The Ecoflow unit we use has a capacity of 576 watt hours. It's simple math to calculate how long the battery will power LED lighting (at several watts per hour, per bulb) or an internet router (2-3 watts per hour), etc. The battery displays remaining power in both watt hours and minutes at the current load.
Power tool companies are making widgets that make 110VAC from power tool batteries. They don't deliver a lot of power and they don't last long, but there seems to be a market for them, charging phones, or job sites without 110 where you don't want to run a generator.
We seldom get hit with power outages. I wonder if being just down the street from Intel's Ronler Acres multi-billion dollar computer chip factory has anything to do with that. I kind of suspect that they went to a lot of trouble and expense to make sure their money printing machine has a reliable supply of 'lectricity.
While some people are making a lot of noise about how electric cars are more efficient, save you money and are good for the environment, that's all it is, a lot of noise. What it's really all about is convenience. I have a smartphone. I don't like it very much but I carry it with me everywhere because it is very useful. I like my gasoline powered truck, but having to go out of my way to reach a gas station and then wait in line to buy gas is annoying and inconvenient.
Me, I'll put up with all kinds of annoying bullshit if it means I don't have to spend any money, but now I'm thinking about spending $80 for a new printer so I don't have to walk upstairs to get my one page of printout or figure out how to connect my Linux box to the printer on my wife's Windows box. I mean I already spent an hour on this and got nowhere. Yes, I still use paper and pencil for some things.
