And yes we could make diesel cars that emit very few monitored particulates too.
But diesels still emit unmonitored dangerous stuff (like ozone and brake pad dust) and making normal cars 'clean' means they become more expensive and less user friendly.
The #dieselgate scandal stems from the fact that making a 'clean diesel' affordable and user friendly (e.g. no disposing off the contents of and then refilling your adblue tank all the time) was deemed impossible: 'clean' heavy diesel trucks do not imply 'clean' diesel cars.
But again and above all (and completely ignored in this Dutch newspaper article) 'clean diesel' does nothing at all to reduce global warming. Oh, and electric is cheaper per km.
So I feel sorry for the engineers working on diesel engines but electric is really the future.
And directly after writing this little thread another similar claim pops up in my timeline. This one intentionally misleading (basically lying) because the term 'zero emission' so far always includes CO2 emissions which are not reduced in 'clean' diesels. dieselinformation.aecc.eu/new-diesel-car…
I wonder if someone feels inclined to make a legal matter out of this. I'm pretty sure using the term 'zero emissions' for cars that emit basically the same amount of CO2 would be considered providing unconscionable misleading information by most judges.
Renewables also had a role: "tension was very high and sustained, causing the disconnection of generators".
An inside source tells me the voltage went above 110% in many places and solar was required to switch off, which meant 8GW was lost all at once.elpais.com/economia/2025-…
Let's start with some quantifiable facts. (Things this conservative armchair energy philosopher is allergic to.)
First thing we notice is that solar and wind are clearly surpassing nuclear (though the new leadership of the department of energy denies it).
Many people think solar and wind won't be able to keep the grid stable because they lack "inertia".
I think solar, wind and batteries will do a BETTER job and I think you can explain it thus:
- the old grid is a record player
- the new grid a digital player
🧵
If you play vinyl records, the rotating mass of the turntable is used to keep the speed steady. This leads some vinyl enthusiasts to seek more mass because that will keep things more steady.
This turntable by Excel audio attaches a separate mass. (Overkill but makes my point.)
In the same way the inertia in the rotors of current power plants helps the grid to keep a steady 50 Hz (in e.g. Europe) or 60 Hz (in e.g. the US) frequency.
These machines turn a heavy copper coil wound around a heavy iron core and this helps keep the grid frequency steady.
The heathen Gods have gathered on mount Olympus for a feast. Sun god Apollo is recognizable by his halo, Bacchus (Dionysus) by the grapes, Neptune (Poseidon) by his trident, Diana (Artemis) by the moon, Venus (Aphrodite) by Cupid.