tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post8303846862111841627..comments2024-02-11T19:28:27.997+11:00Comments on Personal Reflections: Monday Forum - How do we preserve civility and cooperation in a polarised world?Jim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-33217161273351235052019-04-13T09:51:34.859+10:002019-04-13T09:51:34.859+10:00The comments attached to that Convo piece are wort...The comments attached to that Convo piece are worth slogging through. There's quite a bit of useful info buried among all the usual dross.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-4495220428316338782019-04-12T08:11:46.942+10:002019-04-12T08:11:46.942+10:00A short article in The Conversaion this morning:
...A short article in The Conversaion this morning: <br /><br />https://theconversation.com/australias-electricity-grid-can-easily-support-electric-cars-if-we-get-smart-115294<br /><br />- which mentions a couple of those practical problems, the first of which is:<br /><br /><i>An electric car with <b>a typical daily commute of 40km</b> requires roughly 6–8 kilowatt hours of energy to recharge, which is <b>equivalent to the daily needs of a small household</b>. In other words, if you purchase an electric vehicle, the <b>impact on the local electricity network is about the same as adding a small house to the neighbourhood</b></i><br /><br />So I went outside, in the darkness for a contemplative cigarette, and there was not a breath of wind (as there never is when I'm up at 2-3 a.m.), and I'm wondering - if we "smart schedule" our recharging to midnight-dawn - where is this additional electricity generation coming from?<br /><br />This is not meant to be a 'gotcha' - it is just one of those practical considerations mentioned earlier.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-69088235165386207342019-04-10T19:38:16.747+10:002019-04-10T19:38:16.747+10:00kvd, I should come back to your point on electrici...kvd, I should come back to your point on electricity because it's far worse than the picture you paint. And your comments on the electric car are germane. <br /><br />I hadn't really focused until all this blew up. I had a fairly simple minded view that there would be more electric cars but only in certain circumstances where they made sense. And as a country driver that would be when I could dive long distances and then fill up in a short time. <br /><br />That map of yours was interesting because it showed what a big gap remained before electric cars were suitable other than for short distance urban driving. Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-27114043573607922702019-04-10T19:25:33.678+10:002019-04-10T19:25:33.678+10:00Hi Winton. I remember you asking the question. It&...Hi Winton. I remember you asking the question. It's not just party. We live in an issues world, making things more difficult. But I do agree with your point. It is possible to discuss issues if you deal just with the issue. <br /><br />I remember many years ago I had a strong Labor friend who was active in the Women's Electoral Lobby. I was running for pre-selection for Armidale at the time and she wanted me to answer a questionnaire on my views on certain issues. I looked at her and said, Jo, even if I answered this the right way and was the highest scoring candidate, would you vote for me? She said no, laughed, and the matter was effectively dropped! I actually did agree with many points, but there was no gain for me in answering. Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-91948157731247045672019-04-10T07:10:42.794+10:002019-04-10T07:10:42.794+10:00Hi all. Back to comments tonight
Hi all. Back to comments tonight<br />Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-28473338659223616102019-04-10T06:42:10.054+10:002019-04-10T06:42:10.054+10:00This electric car charging thing is becoming a fas...This electric car charging thing is becoming a fascination for me!<br /><br />https://www.plugshare.com/location/113454<br /><br />The link above allows you to roam around the country to see current (forgive pun) EV charging stations,their number of outlets, and, from attached comments, their efficiency.<br /><br />I've set it to popular local tourist destination Berry NSW - a town quite close to me which I ceased visiting on weekends some 20 years ago when it became impossible to find parking due to the Sydney daytrippers. You will see that charging is available at both the local bowling club, and the showground.<br /><br />The user reviews are fascinating - July last year: "You should ring first and get the office to unlock the charging box. Charging fee of $4. The charger is very slow (approx 8km/hr)" - for instance.<br /><br />I recognise this is our possible future, but with Berry probably still hosting 2,000 vehicles on an average weekend, even though it has recently been highway-bypassed, I'd suggest there needs to be some very serious thought given to the practical realities involved in getting all those 'furriners' charged up, and on their way home :)<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-66768937711485509032019-04-09T21:32:14.184+10:002019-04-09T21:32:14.184+10:00Jim and kvd
I agree about the crayons, kvd.
Jim, y...Jim and kvd<br />I agree about the crayons, kvd.<br />Jim, you raise an important question about preserving civility and cooperation in a polarised world. I have been thinking about this over the last year and have written a couple of posts about it on my blog. <br />My personal experience is that it is possible for people with widely different ideological positions to have sensible problem-solving discussions - provided they leave party politics aside. Polarisation seems to be making that more difficult, and impossible with an election looming.<br /><br /><br />Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-71824144787509504252019-04-09T14:51:29.666+10:002019-04-09T14:51:29.666+10:00I'm sorry I can't address the specifics of...I'm sorry I can't address the specifics of your post Jim, because my mind is turned elsewhere - but I will note:<br /><br /><i>"There is a clear picture emerging of weather events becoming more extreme, with wilder storms and higher rainfall leading to worse flooding."</i><br /><br />and<br /><br /><i>With 100 per cent of NSW now in drought, it’s time for some serious action on climate change.</i><br /><br />- as issuing from the same brain - without, it seems, an ounce of introspection, and I'll just leave it there :)<br /><br />What I wanted to make note of is the state of our electricity grid and the apparent lunatics in control of funding same:<br /><br />1) 2012-2017 there-abouts, we were all entranced by the government-<b>subsidised</b> "gold plating" of our grid.<br />2) Then we were <b>subsidising</b> "renewables" as 'the future'.<br />3) And now the government is promising to hand out <b>subsidies</b> to consumers for the increased cost of electricity, while<br />4) issuing dire warnings about the instability of our network.<br /><br />And our government-in-waiting wants to add the generation requirement implied for 50% of Australian cars to be "electric" within 10 years?<br /><br />Neither party could successfully manage a school tuckshop imo - or even a lemonade stand. I think both parties should be issued with a government <b>subsidised</b> box of crayons, then told to sit in the corner and amuse themselves.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com