Electricfan
Active Member
I called SolarCity but they don't offer services in Houston. I can't find an installer here in Houston.
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PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! - I work for BIG oil but...
- Thread starter jstepy
- Start date
I called SolarCity but they don't offer services in Houston. I can't find an installer here in Houston.
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard, jstepy. What colour did you order? Silver like the ol' beamer?
There's no need to apologize for working for big oil. Now we can inflitrate from the inside...
There's no need to apologize for working for big oil. Now we can inflitrate from the inside...
Hey Canuck, I got grey like you with Pano, 21 Grey Turbine Wheels, Black Performance, CF Decor, Performance Plus, Tech, Air Susp and the oh so controversial parcel shelf that is now included :wink:
I was anxious waiting for my BMWs in the past but nothing like this... just had to fill up again at the pumps. Can't wait to pass on by.
AC1K
Member
being anti-EV while being pro oil makes NO SENSE...
Petroleum products are required for nearly every stage of the manufacture of most products. Plastics, lubricants, and petrochemicals are some of the products of crude oil.
oil companies are no going anywhere even if every single car was an EV, gasoline is only part of the products that come from crude oil.
if anything being pro-oil should mean you are anti-ice, Internal combustion engines basically just throw away gasoline since they are running at a garbage 15% efficiency and all they do more or less is make heat and motion is only a small by product.
oil companies work hard to extract crude oil/bitumen and refine it only have the majority of the population waste it.
i would be more anti-big auto than anything else, they are dragging their feet year after year making the same crap over and over again not increasing efficiency and power.
instead of a 200HP 600km range 15% efficient ICE vehicle an 85% efficient internal combustion engine would have 1300HP and be able to get 3400kms on the same tank of gas.
it wouldnt even be that bad if we kept using gas for transportation due to the enormous amount of energy contained within but big automakers just dont give a sh*t about making good use of it.
Petroleum products are required for nearly every stage of the manufacture of most products. Plastics, lubricants, and petrochemicals are some of the products of crude oil.
oil companies are no going anywhere even if every single car was an EV, gasoline is only part of the products that come from crude oil.
if anything being pro-oil should mean you are anti-ice, Internal combustion engines basically just throw away gasoline since they are running at a garbage 15% efficiency and all they do more or less is make heat and motion is only a small by product.
oil companies work hard to extract crude oil/bitumen and refine it only have the majority of the population waste it.
i would be more anti-big auto than anything else, they are dragging their feet year after year making the same crap over and over again not increasing efficiency and power.
instead of a 200HP 600km range 15% efficient ICE vehicle an 85% efficient internal combustion engine would have 1300HP and be able to get 3400kms on the same tank of gas.
it wouldnt even be that bad if we kept using gas for transportation due to the enormous amount of energy contained within but big automakers just dont give a sh*t about making good use of it.
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
Congrats! And no hate at all. We need oil for lots of things - medicines, fertilizers, plastics, lubricants - tons of industrial uses. We just can't afford to burn up what oil we have left driving cars around. I'd like my children, and their children, and so on to still have some oil left for all of those other uses.
physicsfita
Member
While I am sympathetic to your concern about waste, I just want to point out that there are physical limitations to how efficient any heat engine (which includes car engines) can be. An 85% efficiency can't be obtained, even in principle, unless the combustion temperature is at least 2000 deg C, and for any type of explosion-based combustion process, it would have to be much higher than that. Modern ICE engines, unfortunately, are probably as close to their theoretical maxima as are realistically obtainable.
Most of the efficiency gains now can be found in things like improved aerodynamics and the creation of hybrid powertrains to allow the recapture of some of the energy that would otherwise be lost during braking.
Where EV's shine is that they allow the "engine" to be outside the vehicle, where very large generators can work far more efficiently. Better yet, the energy can come from renewable sources.
AC1K
Member
if heat is the primary output, then capture that and turn it into something usable, we already invented thermoelectric generators (heat to electricity direct), if we make those highly efficient we can obtain the said outputs.
well either way, its not "really" a problem with big oil, its automotive manufactures that are not pushing tech to its limits and that was what i was getting at, oil will not go away anytime soon, but ICE might.
Electricfan
Active Member
Updated answer: I found Best Solar Panel Installation in Houston | Solar Electric Power | Houston Solar Energy
(that is "texassolaroutfitters" .com - it installed the text above when I copied the address.)
They are proposing a small system and it looks like we can get it installed and operating in 2-3 months.
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No Tailpipe
Member
physicsfita
Member
You can do that -- to a point. Unfortunately, all adding things like thermocouples does is get you closer to fundamental limitation I was referring to (the Carnot efficiency), which is due to the Second Law of Thermodynamics (but it fundamentally cannot be exceeded). There are two practical problems with that, however: 1. It makes the vehicle more massive, which tends to drive down mileage. 2. The engine's cycle takes longer and longer to run (in the limit of an infinite cycle time at the Carnot efficiency), so you cend up with a very efficient car that takes forever to get anywhere. :smile:
The upshot is that the efficiency is being pushed quite heavily, at least with cars like the Prius. It's more that the "ICE Age" is coming to an end -- BEV's address the two problems I mentioned above by letting the power company use very efficient generators that could never fit into a car, and don't have to move along with it. It's quite an elegant solution!
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
I'll accept the premise that we currently need oil... that's obvious. However, if we made it a priority we could EASILY reduce our dependence by >80% in 10 years. The only thing we really "need" it for is aviation. Why are people replacing a POS ICE that works with a newer POS ICE?! Save and wait for an EV!! ALL our trains are electric w/ DGs... why don't we use overhead power like in Europe? If you look at how we shifted our industry to start building Tanks, Ships and Bombers for WW2 it was AMAZING. If we had a fraction of that motivation to beating our petroleum addiction it would happen in less than a decade. Our society isn't addicted to oil because there aren't alternatives... we like the buzz but the side-effects are devastating. Now and in the future.
If you want to reduce the us oil consumption and not import the 25% which is foreigt oil, it's very simple, increases the priece of gasoline like in Europe to $8 per Gallon, and quickly people buy smaller and better cars.
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nwdiver
Well-Known Member
Tacking a 100% tax on gas would be a big step toward a solution but it's politically toxic. My premise is that the average Joe may want energy independence... Just not enough to do anything about it. Our petroleum addiction has nothing to do with ability; EVERYTHING to do with desire. When people can make the switch to EVs with little or no sacrifice it will happen... but the costs we're ALL going to pay by waiting that long are enormous.
The point is that there is no physical reason for us to be burning 80M Barrels/day in 10 years. If we're still burning >20M Barrels/day in 10 years the answer is simple... most people just don't give a sh*t; And those of us that have shifted are too PC to call out those that haven't... myself included; although I do go on the occasional rant against an idiot sibling or in-law.
Canuck
Well-Known Member
She sounds like a beauty. The waiting really is the hardest part but in my experience it was well worth it. I don't think I've loved anything more than this car (well, my wife and kids, and the dog, but not the cat).
Oh, and great first post getting four pages and a real debate going. It would be great if really you are pulling our legs and told us "just kidding, I actually work for a solar technology company".
LOL! Cross my heart got my degree in Geology... I am a contractor for Occidental (Oxy), and other LA Basin companies in the region. Didn't know it would start such a big debate but I agree with most of what's being said. Oil is here to stay for a while but I am personally sick of the waste... And definitely tired of importing and funding bad guys in the Middle East. Yes I am definitely a big fan of "Drill Here, Drill Now" and putting the money into American pockets. I want all the non-ICE related products to be around for my children and their children.
I appreciate the approach to better engine efficiency by going to smaller engines with turbos etc. but we can do way better.
The funny thing is I haven't seen anyone complain on the forums about the coal industry and how much pollution that causes... Do people think the power coming from their wall charger is magical stuff that will fix the environment?
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Uh oh... I can see it coming now... I'm not sure the "please don't hate me" will help you either...
If you do a search on this forum for the word "coal" you will get lots of discussion about "coal powered EV's" but if you google Elon Musk and do a bit of research you will better understand that he is about "sustainable production and use of energy" Telsa is the sustainable use part of the equation Solar City is the sustainable production side.
So it's certainly true that just buying an EV is not the complete answer to the worlds energy and pollution problems but in most places around the world electricity production is becoming more efficient and less polluting and an EV automatically takes advantage of these improvements, ICE's not so much.
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Merrill
Merrill
I feel much better that you are able to do solar if you want to, I love my system even thought it is on the small side at 4.5kW
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
REALLY?? Well, you're new here... let me give you the tour...
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/15835-Solar-Panel-Cleaning-Time
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/3881-Solar-Roadways-Working-prototype-and-pictures!
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/13441-Climate-Change-Global-Warming-Discussion
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/30566-Supreme-Court-backs-rules-for-coal-pollution
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/3211-coal-EV-vs-petrol-car
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/5095-The-true-cost-of-Coal-revealed
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/1540-Solar-happenings
Most of us are BIG fans of quiting ALL fossil fuels ASAP :biggrin:
