• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Not As Environmentally Friendly As Promised

Do the battery's used in homes to store solar power ever burst into flames?
never heard of it though they seem to be based on EV technology,
though I would expect they have a easier life.
:dunno:
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RaM
We've had Spontaneous Human Combustion. Now we have Spontaneous Vehicular Combustion. Note how the cab and front tyre of the bus are untouched, just like the oft seen boot and shoe in SHC cases.
 
MorningAngel said:
I do wonder how EVs cope in the cold. I known ICE batteries don’t tend to like it.
Click to expand...
I think it was in Austria that a district bought a fleet of electric buses and then found they were all but useless in temperatures below freezing in terms of milage before needing charging again. Not forgetting, of course, that the colder it is, the more heating is needed.
 
kesavaross said:
Yet another EV fire in my area. I think that is the 4th since Christmas. I wonder if it's something to do the cold weather?

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24063633.live-firefighters-tackle-car-fire-falmer/#comments-anchor
Click to expand...
But there again, batteries in cold weather actually drains away the energy which is stored in them, which presumably is why starting a car during colder weather has always be a bit problematic - apart from the human side of it which is always a bit harder to get our motors started!
 
Last edited:
The Tesla graveyard story has more complicating factors than almost all the news reporting has let on. First, there is a problem with Tesla Superchargers in this area. More are needed and maintenance seems deficient. But people who can charge their cars in their own garages have no issues. You can't let the charge get so low and expect it to function as well in deep cold. Most of the dead cars belonged to ride shares (Uber and Lyft) - drivers who were given incentives to buy EVs. They run their charge down, then only use superchargers, and expect it to respond like adding gasoline. It doesn't work that way. While there are tech fixes that need to be made, people who drive EVs might want to do more research and learn how they work before buying.

Teslas are still the leading cars in Norway and Sweden, this problem doesn't plague them.
 
Hmmm.
I've noticed that a brand of baked beans has printed on its lid: "Metal recycles forever".
Well, uhhhh, yeah ...
 
Sharon Hill said:
The Tesla graveyard story has more complicating factors than almost all the news reporting has let on. First, there is a problem with Tesla Superchargers in this area. More are needed and maintenance seems deficient. But people who can charge their cars in their own garages have no issues. You can't let the charge get so low and expect it to function as well in deep cold. Most of the dead cars belonged to ride shares (Uber and Lyft) - drivers who were given incentives to buy EVs. They run their charge down, then only use superchargers, and expect it to respond like adding gasoline. It doesn't work that way. While there are tech fixes that need to be made, people who drive EVs might want to do more research and learn how they work before buying.

Teslas are still the leading cars in Norway and Sweden, this problem doesn't plague them.
Click to expand...
Apparently Scientist's have discovered a brand new substance, which could reduce lithium use in batteries, using artificial intelligence (AI) and supercomputing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-67912033
 

Study Finds Food From Urban Agriculture Has 6x Larger Carbon Footprint​


A new University of Michigan-led international study finds that fruits and vegetables grown in urban farms and gardens have a carbon footprint that is, on average, six times greater than conventionally grown produce.

“The exceptions revealed by our study suggest that urban agriculture practitioners can reduce their climate impacts by cultivating crops that are typically greenhouse-grown or air-freighted, in addition to making changes in site design and management,” said study co-lead author Jason Hawes.

https://scitechdaily.com/green-mena...n-agriculture-has-6x-larger-carbon-footprint/

maximus otter
 
Next doors wife wanted to grow her own veg, hubby had to sort it they had
lettuce and strawberries growing, my wife was looking after some guinea pigs
at the time and he said the stuff wasent being eaten and just take what we wanted
and the guinea pigs could have the lettuce, he worked out that the lettuce had
cost him £4.85 each and the strawberries more than the price they were asking
at Wimbeldon that year, don't think he repeated the exercise the year after.
:dunno:
 

Council U-turns on weedkiller ban after explosion of unwelcome plants led to increase in falls and cycling accidents​


One of the first councils in Britain to ban weedkiller has performed a U-turn after the streets and pavements became choked with unwelcome plants.

75219843-13000017-Brighton_Hove_City_Council_caused_fury_earlier_this_year_when_it-a-11_1706095250428.jpg


Brighton & Hove City Council caused fury in March 2023 when it asked residents to become 'weed warriors' and work unpaid to weed pavements, kerbs and paths near their homes

Brighton and Hove was branded a 'city of triffids' after the council imposed a ban on the use of glyphosate - the active ingredient in most weedkillers - in 2019.

The move led to an explosion of weeds on the city's streets and pavement leading to an increase in falls and cycling accidents.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ners-brand-decision-totally-unacceptable.html

maximus otter
 
Last edited:
Nature will always snatch it back, our last council started using growth retarder on grass
verges so they would not have to be mowed, after 3 or 4 years it became ineffective not
only that but the grass now grew faster than it did before, it cost them more in the long
run, you will never beat nature.
 
maximus otter said:

Council U-turns on weedkiller ban after explosion of unwelcome plants led to increase in falls and cycling accidents​


One of the first councils in Britain to ban weedkiller has performed a U-turn after the streets and pavements became choked with unwelcome plants.

75219843-13000017-Brighton_Hove_City_Council_caused_fury_earlier_this_year_when_it-a-11_1706095250428.jpg


Brighton & Hove City Council caused fury in March 2023 when it asked residents to become 'weed warriors' and work unpaid to weed pavements, kerbs and paths near their homes

Brighton and Hove was branded a 'city of triffids' after the council imposed a ban on the use of glyphosate - the active ingredient in most weedkillers - in 2019.

The move led to an explosion of weeds on the city's streets and pavement leading to an increase in falls and cycling accidents.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ners-brand-decision-totally-unacceptable.html

maximus otter
Click to expand...
Why, you’d have to be some sort of a Mental Supergenius to foresee how that would work out.
 
Ah, but one 'side effect' of banning a weedkiller from use, ostensibly to be eco-friendly, was the wage savings in workers having to spray the stuff.
 
Stormkhan said:
Ah, but one 'side effect' of banning a weedkiller from use, ostensibly to be eco-friendly, was the wage savings in workers having to spray the stuff.
Click to expand...
Well now it looks like those savings will serve as a contribution towards fixing the damage caused by vegetation undermining the roads and pavements as well as legal fees for those claiming for injuries caused by trips and falls.
 
maximus otter said:

Council U-turns on weedkiller ban after explosion of unwelcome plants led to increase in falls and cycling accidents​


One of the first councils in Britain to ban weedkiller has performed a U-turn after the streets and pavements became choked with unwelcome plants.

75219843-13000017-Brighton_Hove_City_Council_caused_fury_earlier_this_year_when_it-a-11_1706095250428.jpg


Brighton & Hove City Council caused fury in March 2023 when it asked residents to become 'weed warriors' and work unpaid to weed pavements, kerbs and paths near their homes

Brighton and Hove was branded a 'city of triffids' after the council imposed a ban on the use of glyphosate - the active ingredient in most weedkillers - in 2019.

The move led to an explosion of weeds on the city's streets and pavement leading to an increase in falls and cycling accidents.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ners-brand-decision-totally-unacceptable.html

maximus otter
Click to expand...
I live in Brighton (and Hove) and the problem with the weeds was/is getting ridiculous. There was one road last summer that had loads and loads of hollyhocks growing from where the road meets the kerb. It looked quite pretty though. There was one other road near where I live that for a few hundred yards walking on the pavement or grass verge was impossible. The council put up signs 'please cross over the road and use the other footpath'.

The dandelions were so profuse last spring that whole areas were covered in them. It became nick named 'the march of the dandelions'.

When the council originally announced they were stopping using weedkiller with a big fanfare 'we are just soooo environmental friendly' type press release, they never answered the frequently asked question about how the weeds were going to be deal with.
 
kesavaross said:
I live in Brighton (and Hove) and the problem with the weeds was/is getting ridiculous. There was one road last summer that had loads and loads of hollyhocks growing from where the road meets the kerb. It looked quite pretty though. There was one other road near where I live that for a few hundred yards walking on the pavement or grass verge was impossible. The council put up signs 'please cross over the road and use the other footpath'.

The dandelions were so profuse last spring that whole areas were covered in them. It became nick named 'the march of the dandelions'.

When the council originally announced they were stopping using weedkiller with a big fanfare 'we are just soooo environmental friendly' type press release, they never answered the frequently asked question about how the weeds were going to be deal with.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the first hand account. So it’s not dramatised then, there have been real obstructions. I laughed when I read about ’Weed Warriors’ as I assumed that’s the default condition for many residents of Brighton and Hove, but the golden rule is that your property extends as far as council property, namely pavements and roads which are the council’s responsibilty. (Otherwise chaos could ensue when the people decide white road markings should be more ‘rainbow’ in appearance).

Hey. Now they have to reap what they have sown. (Ha Ha) Expect your council tax to skyrocket as they struggle to fix this.
 
Last edited:
I recall the council boost to re-wilding by allowing road verges to grow higher by not cutting them back.
They then had to adapt this policy when it was pointed out that they had to cut it back at junctions because it was impeding drivers vision.
Another policy created with good intentions but hadn't been thought through.
 
Having worked for a local authority I would bet that there were various people pointing out what the (staggeringly obvious) result would be. They would have been told:

To stop being so negative.
If you're not part of the solution you are part of the problem.
Have you seen the damage weedkillers cause.
How else do you propose to save the money?
It's only a few weeds.
 
Tunn11 said:
Having worked for a local authority I would bet that there were various people pointing out what the (staggeringly obvious) result would be. They would have been told:

To stop being so negative.
If you're not part of the solution you are part of the problem.
Have you seen the damage weedkillers cause.
How else do you propose to save the money?
It's only a few weeds.
Click to expand...
And then they ‘let them go’ because they now desperately need the money and later hire a village idiot whose heart is in the right place but has zero experience and precious little common sense and will work for low pay.
 
Stormkhan said:
I recall the council boost to re-wilding by allowing road verges to grow higher by not cutting them back.
They then had to adapt this policy when it was pointed out that they had to cut it back at junctions because it was impeding drivers vision.
Another policy created with good intentions but hadn't been thought through.
Click to expand...
I drive country roads to work and there’s a particular crossroads where the grass is allowed to grow to car window height blocking the view of oncoming traffic. As a result, there have been many serious crashes there.
This is a crucial point of council highway maintenance. High visibility for all vehicles and constant maintenance of vegetation to ensure road signs and other road users are clearly visible. It’s pretty fucking basic really.
 
Analogue Boy said:
I drive country roads to work and there’s a particular crossroads where the grass is allowed to grow to car window height blocking the view of oncoming traffic. As a result, there have been many serious crashes there.
This is a crucial point of council highway maintenance. High visibility for all vehicles and constant maintenance of vegetation to ensure road signs and other road users are clearly visible. It’s pretty fucking basic really.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking back to before they reduced, then completely cut out the maintenance of verges etc, they had contractors working on a regular basis, and used to return to cut the grass etc when it was completely scorched and wasn't even long enough to cut - that's where the waste elements got ridiculous.
 
Wind Farms Are Overstating Their Output — And Consumers Are Paying For It


Dozens of British wind farms run by some of Europe’s largest energy companies have routinely overestimated how much power they’ll produce, adding millions of pounds a year to consumers’ electricity bills, according to market records and interviews with power traders.

These extra costs are linked to a growing problem with Britain’s outdated electricity network: On blustery days, too much wind power risks overloading the system, and the grid operator must respond by paying some firms not to generate. This “curtailment” costs consumers hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

Adding to that expense, some wind farm operators exaggerate how much energy they say they intend to produce, which boosts the payments they receive for turning off, according to nine people — traders, academics and market experts — most of whom agreed to discuss this controversial behavior only on condition of anonymity.

In effect, they said, the grid has paid some wind farms not to generate power that they wouldn’t have produced anyway.

https://governorswindenergycoalitio...their-output-and-consumers-are-paying-for-it/

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:
Wind Farms Are Overstating Their Output — And Consumers Are Paying For It


Dozens of British wind farms run by some of Europe’s largest energy companies have routinely overestimated how much power they’ll produce, adding millions of pounds a year to consumers’ electricity bills, according to market records and interviews with power traders.

These extra costs are linked to a growing problem with Britain’s outdated electricity network: On blustery days, too much wind power risks overloading the system, and the grid operator must respond by paying some firms not to generate. This “curtailment” costs consumers hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

Adding to that expense, some wind farm operators exaggerate how much energy they say they intend to produce, which boosts the payments they receive for turning off, according to nine people — traders, academics and market experts — most of whom agreed to discuss this controversial behavior only on condition of anonymity.

In effect, they said, the grid has paid some wind farms not to generate power that they wouldn’t have produced anyway.

https://governorswindenergycoalitio...their-output-and-consumers-are-paying-for-it/

maximus otter
Click to expand...
What wind farms are very efficient at producing is profits.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top