Why Electric Vehicles Are Better for the Environment Despite Their Batteries
10/15/19
“Why are critics wrong about electric vehicles being worse for the environment than their petroleum counterparts?”
Electric vehicles are often marketed as being cleaner than their petroleum alternatives. However, many critics point out that the carbon intensity of their battery manufacturing process makes them much more harmful for the environment. Although this is true, by taking into account that electric vehicles pollute much less over their lifetime, this carbon debt is paid off. In fact, studies have shown in some areas of the world electric vehicles can cross this mark in only two years! And with future improvements in the manufacturing process and grid decarbonization, this payback can be achieved on an even faster timescale. This is Why Electric Vehicles Are Better for the Environment Despite Their Batteries.
How Electricity Blackouts Can Be Detrimental to Health
10/09/19
“How can electricity blackouts harm human health?”
Electricity blackouts are infamous for their threats to economies. But their harm extends far beyond the monetary. Since appliances such as HVAC systems and plug-in medical devices cannot function properly, individuals will be exposed to much more harmful conditions without any aid. For example, the loss of refrigeration will cause food to spoil, a lack of AC can cause people to be exposed to extreme temperatures, and a lack of medical support can be fatal to the unprepared. All of these show how How Electricity Blackouts Can Be Detrimental to Health.
“What are bottlenecks to electricity transmission?”
Electrons moves along transmission lines analogous to cars through a freeway. And like cars, if there is too much trying to get through at the same time, it leads to complete obstruction. These transmission bottlenecks are the bane of every utility, and will become a hindrance for renewable energy as peak electricity production hours often leads to a sudden surge of new electrons.
Energy is the backbone of modern infrastructure. Whether it be for making our coffee or powering our stock-markets. And the majority of this runs on the earliest version of this technology, in which water or another fluid is heated and evaporated to run a turbine to make Thermoelectric Power.
“What makes 5G 5G and what are the benefits and drawbacks?”
5G is poised to disrupt the world of mobile communications. This is being driven by its greater radio frequency spectrum. 4G devices can receive signals ranging from 3 kHz to 6 GHz, while 5G can go up to 300 GHz! Although these Millimeter Waves allow for more connections, they also lack the ability to penetrate hard surfaces such as trees and buildings. This makes it one of the biggest barriers to mass 5G deployment, and will need to be solved by further research and innovation.
“How can shutting down electricity loads help stop grid failures?”
The electrical grid is one of the most complex machines in the world. However, like all machines, it can be prone to failure from overuse. One thing we can do to prevent this is take inspiration from demand side response and commit to load shedding unnecessary assets when the supply cannot keep up with demand. This way the grid can be stabilized before a black start is necessary. This is Why Load Shedding Can Increase Grid Resilience.
“How can we tell that there is a voltage fluctuation just by looking at a lamp?”
The intensity of a lamp’s power is dependent on its supply voltage. Therefore, when there is a power fluctuation, the brightness on a lamp will also fluctuate, similar to a brownout. This Power-line Flicker also holds true for all electricity-dependent light producing sources, whether it be a television or a computer monitor.
How Downed Communication Systems Could Delay Power Restoration
06/12/19
“How do fallen communication systems exacerbate power outages?”
When a power outage occurs, interdependent infrastructure systems will fail. When the phones and internet that makes up the communication infrastructure also fails, then it will make it more difficult for utility workers to bring power online. This is How Downed Communication Systems Could Delay Power Restoration.
“How can electricity flow in the opposite of the intended direction?”
Electricity is designed to be flown in a single direction from a generator. However, if said generator experiences a fault and needs to shut down, then electricity will flow back and be used for its own local loads. This Backfeeding can be quite dangerous and organizations need to design their equipment so everything works smoothly.
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