Taipan wrote: Sat Jul 26, 2025 8:19 am
Aussie man telling at as he sees it!
Rest of the World wrote:
Australia? Got f*** loads of Sun (yes, ya f***wit, it does "comefrom space), so should be able to generate a f*** ton of electricity.
"Ah, but ... "
You're going to ask about storing energy. Because no-one has ever thought of that before. *
Rest of the World wrote:
Australia? One bloody great desert - most of the f**ing continent. Full of f***ing sand!
Finland has deployed the world's largest sand battery, which uses heated sand to store thermal energy for district heating and industrial use, significantly cutting emissions.
Sand batteries offer a cost-effective and efficient alternative to lithium-ion batteries, capable of storing energy for weeks at a significantly lower price point and with fewer environmental concerns.
This innovative thermal energy storage technology is gaining international attention, with other countries like the United States investing in pilot projects for its potential to provide long-term, sustainable energy solutions.
* Nearly 15 years ago I was working with a company that was looking at using phase change materials to store energy.
Google has announced that it has signed a global commercial partnership with Milan-based startup Energy Dome and has also invested in its long duration energy storage (LDES) tech for renewable energy. ... Batteries are used to keep excess energy generated by renewable sources, such as solar and wind, during peak production and when demand is low. But lithium-ion batteries can only store and dispatch energy for fours hours or less.
Energy Dome explained that its CO2 battery can store and continuously dispatch energy for 8 to 24 hours, so Google can rely on renewable power more even when there's no wind or sun. Its technology uses carbon dioxide held inside dome-shaped batteries. When there's excess renewable energy being generated, the batteries use that power to compress the carbon dioxide gas inside them into liquid. And when that energy is needed, the liquid carbon dioxide expands back into a hot gas under pressure. That gas spins a turbine and generates energy that's fed back into the grid for a period lasting up to a whole day.
All the OPC's are closed on Sundays, so I went to a localish place that had a handful of Taycans just to have a look if they were worth the money/risk over a 2nd hand dual motor Polestar 2.
They were nice, but absolutely massive. I didn't get the wow factor like I did the first time I opened the door in my old SL.
I then went to look at Polestars at a big car supermarket, the wife didn't like the look of the 2 at all, then we walked past an i4 and the wife was quite smitten. Had no faith in the car supermarket, hard sell, etc... Google said the local BMW franchise had some approved used ones so went for a mooch.
I'm waiting for a battery health report tomorrow.
I also need to find £20k, anyone need anything setting on fire?
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It's cheaper than a Porsche, just as fast and much much better spec'ed than any of the Taycans I've seen in my price bracket.
The BMW has pretty much every option, including carbon fibre trim, which is so much nicer than the pattern silver trim they use as standard. Heated seats and steering wheel, the pro version of the adaptive cruise, HUD, dynamic dampers, massive red brake calipers... Buts it's still not a Porsche.
I'll forgive them not having a central herringbone 'cause the dash is really asymmetrical. It's all properly lined up, which is rarer than you'd think.
Yeah, yeah, I know - sealed for life and all that. But you gotta remember battery coolant lives a much easier life. The things which knacker oil are high shears and pressures (like being mashed between gear teeth), very high temperatures and exposure to air, water and other contaminants (especially when hot). None of which happens in the battery coolant system.
I pushed for a better deal, they re-assessed my part-ex to try and get a better price for it... But instead they decided it wasn't worth what they originally offered, so now they want an additional £400 to swap.
Fuck'em, it's an omen from the Porsche gods, obviously.
