Our hobby faces an existential threat

[DogTailRed2]

Namely the cost of energy, the war un Ukraine turning off the energy taps, fuel poverty and black outs.
Just heard on the radio today that the UK may face power cuts and energy blackouts as Russia turns of the gas.
I'm wondering if anyone has put anything in place to deal with this?
I have a APC UPS which will provide 6 hours of air to each of my tanks. That's two air pumps for 6 hours.
After that I guess I'm looking at manual means to aerate, water changes and heaters?

 

[dino21]

Doubt that happen here due to lack of gas supply as most of the UKs gas supply (77%) comes from Norway.
We actually Export gas - -gov.uk figures

he UK imported £19.6 billion of gas in 2021; a notable increase of 312% from £4.8 billion in 2020. The UK exported £3.4 billion of gas in 2021, increasing by 167% from £1.3 billion in 2020.

Its the other EU / Europe countries that may have power cuts as they are so dependant on Russias Oil and Gas.

Don't know they size of your tank or the model of USP you have but it is possible on some units to add extra batteries to give longer run times.
A much simpler but manual method is a big Leisure battery and a small Inverter.
Quiet a few articles etc around on doing the above.

 

[PARAGUAY]

Think all this and the general cost of living crisis is a avoidable problem. In UK we have government saying "we can't solve every problem" But your there to that ! you got voted in. An opposition more interested in critism than finding answers. And while all this goes on Energy Company's make record profits. Why is the ex chancellor (a billionaire) so afraid of a windfall tax. 🤔 I wonder. End of the day people can't afford the increases in energy costs. I can see a poll tax situation here because of

 

[John q]

Just heard on the radio today that the UK may face power cuts and energy blackouts as Russia turns of the gas.

Never say never but I wouldn't get to overly stressed about this happening. There's a slight chance if things get worse our quick thinking government would maybe ask us to try and cut our energy usage, like they are currently doing in Europe. However this request would have little impact because we're already self restricting energy usage because of the bloody cost of it.

I have a decent battery powered air pump, its noisey, but provides enough air for me to spilt it into 2 240l tanks and hopefully provide enough water movement to keep the critters alive should it be needed. I think something like this is a must for emergencies, regardless of the current geopolitical situation.

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi Folks,

How about we run everything on hot air? All governments excel in this field. Seriously, though - this makes me wonder about getting back into renewable energy, particularly solar and wind power.

JPC

 

[erwin123]

For renewables you need quite a bit of sun.. and space for the panels. My country is planning to buy 15% of our power needs from an Australian solar farm using a 4,500km undersea cable.
Western Sahara to UK is less than 3,000km...

Australia-Asia Power Link - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[_Maq_]

Don't panic, folks. My country ranks among the most dependent on Russian gas. There'll be no blackouts. Energy will be just costly and we'll have to reconsider our wasteful consumption. Perhaps more people shall discover the advantages of running low-tech.

 

[PARAGUAY]

Hi Folks,

How about we run everything on hot air? All governments excel in this field. Seriously, though - this makes me wonder about getting back into renewable energy, particularly solar and wind power.

JPC

There was a study by Canadian research scientists a few years ago showing that the science is there for turbines at sea to harness the power of the tides,not relying on wind alone. The investment would cost billions initially but the benefits for the planet huge. Governments don't seem to have done much as l see it

 

[papa_c]

On the political side many countries are having to "shut the gate after the horse has bolted" with regard to reliance upon Russian energy. Unless the world ceeds to buying Russian energy winter rationing is a high probability in some countries.

There are many years still to go regarding tidal energy development on the scale we would need to come off the reliance on fosil fuels, somehow in my mind is also the issue when many man made elements are placed into the sea what will be the impact on coastal erosion due to change in tidal flows? There is so much evidence that when we tamper with the natural flow using brakewaters and barriers it negatively impacts other areas.

 

[eminor]

In France we have so much nuclear power plant but politicians here are insane...

We had one of the lowest price of KWH if not the lowest. Due to the futur kind of chaos, i've switched my light from 48w t5ho to 41w led (5730, 180 LED, 60° lens, 5% brightness) it's time to test if plant really don't need lots of light to thrive...

I also removed the heater, the canister filter is rated 18w, i doubt i'll replace it. I also removed RO unit, pure tap water now, my rain water is full of chemical. i'll go no tech in last resort

 

[Yugang]

nuclear power plant but politicians here are insane...

We all love green energy, solar, wind, water. Concerns about nuclear are valid. Yet the hard facts are that green energy will never be able to close the gap if we want to reduce carbon. Agree that politicians are insane, but the scientists who have the hard facts will probably argue that we have no realistic alternatives to nuclear.

 

[eminor]

We all love green energy, solar, wind, water. Concerns about nuclear are valid. Yet the hard facts are that green energy will never be able to close the gap if we want to reduce carbon. Agree that politicians are insane, but the scientists who have the hard facts will probably argue that we have no realistic alternatives to nuclear.

True, nuclear release almost no CO2, it's the only solution to reduce everything smoothly

my previous post could have lead you to believe that i do not like nuclear, but as you said, no alternative to it

 

[FrankR]

In my opinion, considering the risks the climate crisis poses to Earth and humanity, every technology that contributes to a solution must be used. That's just good risk management and strategy.
Renewables and nuclear is the only solution. Thankfully steps are being taken towards the right direction.

Inside the UK’s Silicon Valley for nuclear fusion, where unlimited energy is becoming a reality | BBC Science Focus Magazine

For decades, the technology to develop clean, safe fusion power has remained tantalisingly out of reach. Now, though, a new breed of start-ups could have cracked it at last. Will we finally be able to wave goodbye to fossil fuels?

www.sciencefocus.com

US Nuclear Regulator Greenlights Its First Small Modular Reactor - World-Energy

The first small modular reactor (SMR) design has been approved for certification by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

www.world-energy.org

 

[PARAGUAY]

I think we need to look at the big picture we have to pay the cost and reap the rewards in the future. Nuclear costs a fortune to build new power plants and there is a dangerous legacy of spent material that is toxic for thousands of years and danger of accidents like Chenobyl.
The power of the waves is reliable unlike the wind it's a reliable and sustainable source driven by the moon. For this to happen countries have a huge financial burden at start as the Canadian study stated in Modulous (Architectural) magazine reported. This energy harnessed could be used to great effect on coastlines worldwide and landlocked nations would have access . When the think of the Canadian coastline alone you see the logic Better than sea mining .fossil fuels etc. We know nuclear is clean but it's got a hazardous side. At the moment harnessing the the power of the sea is minimal

 

[Yugang]

I think we need to look at the big picture we have to pay the cost and reap the rewards in the future. Nuclear costs a fortune to build new power plants and there is a dangerous legacy of spent material that is toxic for thousands of years and danger of accidents like Chenobyl.
The power of the waves is reliable unlike the wind it's a reliable and sustainable source driven by the moon. For this to happen countries have a huge financial burden at start as the Canadian study stated in Modulous (Architectural) magazine reported. This energy harnessed could be used to great effect on coastlines worldwide and landlocked nations would have access . When the think of the Canadian coastline alone you see the logic Better than sea mining .fossil fuels etc. We know nuclear is clean but it's got a hazardous side. At the moment harnessing the the power of the sea is minimal

Agree that we need to go full out, and develop tidal powerplants and all other renewables. But if you calculate the global power consumption, sadly it appears that we're mostly talking abount percentage points of that. Wind and solar, with all investments done, today count for just 10% of global consumption (see source below). So boost them by 50%, with huge investments, and we get to merely 15%... Apart from all goodwill, unless we are going to cut our consumption significantly, renewables will be never become the main energy source globally. It is important that this fact is said, otherwise we just keep fooling ourselves, and politicians and others keep fooling us.

We know nuclear is clean but it's got a hazardous side

This refers to nuclear fission, and unfortunately we need the help of this imperfect (safety, proliferation, long term waste) technology. Nuclear fusion would be the best gift to human kind, and potentially solve most of our carbon emission crisis, but has been challenging to develop for decades as an energy source (other than war head). Let's hope for some good news from nuclear fusion, and indeed we are seeing some promising developments recently.

EDIT, source for wind plus solar as 10% of global energy in 2021

Wind and solar generated 10% of global electricity in 2021 - a world first

Fifty countries have now crossed the 10% wind and solar landmark, according to a new report. Here’s what this milestone means for the renewables transition.

www.weforum.org

 

[_Maq_]

We all love green energy, solar, wind, water. Concerns about nuclear are valid. Yet the hard facts are that green energy will never be able to close the gap if we want to reduce carbon. Agree that politicians are insane, but the scientists who have the hard facts will probably argue that we have no realistic alternatives to nuclear.

I'm rather more optimistic. When looking on the progress both science and applications have made during last ten years, I believe the future will make possible what we deem impossible at present, but...

True, nuclear release almost no CO2, it's the only solution to reduce everything smoothly

my previous post could have lead you to believe that i do not like nuclear, but as you said, no alternative to it

... but for now, nuclear energy is a good solution. Germany has made a big mistake going no-nuclear right now. Germans will pay for it dearly (and my country with them). The issue with nuclear plants is that the investment costs are huge and building such a plant takes quite a time.

 

[Yugang]

I'm rather more optimistic. When looking on the progress both science and applications have made during last ten years, I believe the future will make possible what we deem impossible at present, but...

Let's hope so, and agree with your long term optimism. But we don't have the time.

Yet if we dream for the impossible or improbable to happen (that renewables are the full solution, or that somebody ELSE is going to cut THEIR consumption), the result is that we will be stuck with oil, coal --- and regrets. The future generations will pay the price for our ignorance, dreams and lack of meaningful action.

 

[john6]

The way things are going the only thing i am worried about is i hope I'm right underneath a nuclear bomb when its dropped.

 

[DogTailRed2]

Thanks for all the replies it makes for thought provoking and interesting reading.

I'll add to the threat a more immediate threat and that is drought. Here in the UK we are facing hosepipe bans. If it continues maybe stand pipes.

 

[PARAGUAY]

Well while all this energy crisis goes on ,and like Martin Lewis says is a crisis as big as anything ., the government can't do anything because they are preoccupied with their own beauty contest! Maybe Boris should shamefully hand is salary back since he said he is quitting he can't act in the national interest? The answer IMO is simple the energy giants pay out of profits.