Forthcoming EU Red Tape Bonfire

[Woosh]

"Small nuclear reactors produce '35x more waste' than big plants"

I wouldn't go that far but I believe that the cost of decommissioning being passed onto future generations is a good enough reason to stay away as much as possible from more nuclear power until fusion becomes reality. At present, the cost per kW of solar panels is about £200. You get about 4kWH (60p) per day on average from 1KW panels, your money back in a year. On the downside, metal leaching from the panels when rained on is a real issue. Still, it's a good solution for the next 20-50 years.

 

[flecc]

Is that it?
I think the pro-Brexit Sun readers* and Rees-Mogg have laid bare the vast breadth of their own stupidity and small-mindedness.

Where's the big picture? The real benefits? Let's hear them.


* (the source of the suggestions I believe)

There's already a law to enable scrapping of red tape legislation, it's been around ever since the days of Margaret Thatcher's government of the 1980s, so Rees Mogg should know of it.

To my knowledge it had just one achievement. Someone long after when appealing against the measure managed to get the law scrapped that required all bicycles supplied new to have a bicycle bell fitted.

By law every new bicycle must still have a bicycle bell supplied, but the dealer no longer has to fit it because of a loophole in the Pedal Cycles (Safety) Regulations 2003. They only have to hand one to each bicycle buyer. Of course that law is universally ignored, it's doubtful dealers even know it exists.

No doubt Rees Moggs new measures will meet the same fate, swapping one bureaucracy for another even more silly.

Rather like the law that makes it illegal to cycle on the pavement with an on the spot fine applying:

- - - but not if you are under 16.

- - - but not if you were cycling reasonably and responsibly.

- - - but not if you say you were there out of fear of traffic.

- - - but not if the pavement is marked for dual use.

How on earth can that be policed? Answer of course that it can't be and isn't.
.

 

[guerney]

that's the problem with JRM's list.
JRM is the minister for unleashing brexit benefits but most of the ideas he came up with smell of lobbyism.
My suggestion for him would be to cut red tape on community solar farms (1MW or less) to deal with the high cost of energy.

I bet a "Right to repair" law request was popular, which lobbyists would have killed before birth (as they have in California)

California Right to Repair bill quietly dropped in committee

Despite public support for more repairable gear, tech lobbying may have kept that from happening

www.theregister.com

...the very idea of upsetting big tech businesses, would have stuck in Tory craws.

 

[guerney]

here is the full list of 9 potential brexit benefits:

1. Encourage fracking, shortcut rules on planning consultation via emergency act.
2. Abolish the EU regulations that restrict vacuum cleaner power to 1400 watts.
3. Remove precautionary principle restrictions (for instance) on early use of experimental treatments for seriously ill patients and GM crops.
4. Abolish rules around the size of vans that need an operator's licence.
5. Abolish EU limits on electrical power levels of electrically assisted pedal cycles.
6. Allow certain medical professionals, such as pharmacists and paramedics, to qualify in three years.
7. Remove requirements for agency workers to have all the attributes of a permanent employee.
8. Simplify the calculation of holiday pay (eg 12.07 percent of pay) to make it easier for businesses to operate.
9. Reduce requirements for businesses to conduct fixed wire testing and portable application testing.

what do you think?

I bet there were 10, but Rees-Mogg didn't want to be accused of being Moses

 

[Bonzo Banana]

I do agree that the ebike laws could do with fine tuning to be more realistic but no limit on power wouldn't seem right either. We don't want to see Hummer style tricycles with 10,000W of power that only assist to 15.5mph. 1000W or maybe 2000W peak power (so easy to test) would be sufficient surely for heavier riders or cargo bikes. Also twist and go should be legal again, its better that the rider has full control of the throttle rather than rely on a cadence sensor I feel. Maybe set a efficiency limit of 20Wh per KM with an average weight rider and typical terrain. Ultimately it needs careful consideration to make a good future proof choice.

You could have something where anyone over 14 can ride an ebike upto 250W nominal but those who hold a full driving license or motorcycle license can go upto 750W. Dare I say it but perhaps 750W ebikes should be compulsory registered with number plates and not allowed on cycle paths but don't have compulsory insurance, MOTs or VED tax.

 

[guerney]

I wouldn't go that far but I believe that the cost of decommissioning being passed onto future generations is a good enough reason to stay away as much as possible from more nuclear power until fusion becomes reality. At present, the cost per kW of solar panels is about £200. You get about 4kWH (60p) per day on average from 1KW panels, your money back in a year. On the downside, metal leaching from the panels when rained on is a real issue. Still, it's a good solution for the next 20-50 years.

Algae solar panels seem like a nice idea:

These algae solar panels generate green energy while cleaning the air | The Optimist Daily

The algae solar panels are made out of microalgae and carbon nanoparticles, enabling it to generate clean energy and oxygen while absorbing carbon dioxide.

www.optimistdaily.com

 

[guerney]

until fusion becomes reality

They've got a new snake, so it might not be yet another 10 years away?

Robotic snake solves fusion energy pipework challenge

A ‘robotic snake’ has demonstrated its capability to operate inside of fusion energy powerplant pipework.

www.gov.uk

Nuclear Fusion Is Already Facing a Fuel Crisis

It doesn’t even work yet, but nuclear fusion has encountered a shortage of tritium, the key fuel source for the most prominent experimental reactors.

www.wired.co.uk

Fusion won't stop need for climate 'sacrifice': Expert

But the potentially abundant, if distant, source of sustainable energy could offer hope

www.theregister.com

 

[guerney]

I wouldn't go that far but I believe that the cost of decommissioning being passed onto future generations is a good enough reason to stay away as much as possible from more nuclear power until fusion becomes reality. At present, the cost per kW of solar panels is about £200. You get about 4kWH (60p) per day on average from 1KW panels, your money back in a year. On the downside, metal leaching from the panels when rained on is a real issue. Still, it's a good solution for the next 20-50 years.

Thorium reactors are cleaner, can't easily be weaponised and Thorium is far more plentiful than Uranium:

China prepares to test thorium-fuelled nuclear reactor

If China’s experimental reactor is a success it could lead to commercialization and help the nation meet its climate goals.

www.nature.com

Indian test reactor reaches operation landmark : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News

India's fast breeder test reactor has reached its full 40 MWt design power level for the first time, more than 35 years since it first started operating. The test reactor, which has an underpinning role in India's preparation for a thorium-based closed fuel cycle, had previously been limited to...

www.world-nuclear-news.org

Thorium-based nuclear power - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They want to power a cruise ship with a Thorium reactor?!?

Nuclear power could be the future of expedition cruises

A new ship design concept from Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein could be the first step toward a zero-emission future for expedition cruises and a range of other maritime operations.

edition.cnn.com

 

[Woosh]

Thorium reactors are cleaner, can't easily be weaponised and Thorium is far more plentiful than Uranium:

China prepares to test thorium-fuelled nuclear reactor

If China’s experimental reactor is a success it could lead to commercialization and help the nation meet its climate goals.

www.nature.com

Indian test reactor reaches operation landmark : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News

India's fast breeder test reactor has reached its full 40 MWt design power level for the first time, more than 35 years since it first started operating. The test reactor, which has an underpinning role in India's preparation for a thorium-based closed fuel cycle, had previously been limited to...

www.world-nuclear-news.org

Thorium-based nuclear power - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They want to power a cruise ship with a Thorium reactor?!?

Nuclear power could be the future of expedition cruises

A new ship design concept from Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein could be the first step toward a zero-emission future for expedition cruises and a range of other maritime operations.

edition.cnn.com

the problem with nuclear power, whether from fission or fusion, is the high energy neutrons (>1MeV) that are produced by the nuclear reactions and need to be absorbed, slowed down to thermal neutrons (<1eV) and controlled. Unabsorbed high energy neutrons hit the moderation liquid and the walls of the vessel causing transmutations and degradation of anything on their path. Until we can solve this problem, I think we should stay away from nuclear power.

 

[guerney]

the problem with nuclear power, whether from fission or fusion, is the high energy neutrons (>1MeV) that are produced by the nuclear reactions and need to be absorbed, slowed down to thermal neutrons (<1eV) and controlled. Unabsorbed high energy neutrons hit the moderation liquid and the walls of the vessel causing transmutations and degradation of anything on their path. Until we can solve this problem, I think we should stay away from nuclear power.

No squishy water rich living thing is safe unless encased in several miles of lead. Whatever we say on this forum, sadly this won't stop hostile and/or unstable countries striving to join the nuclear club, with the added bonus (or guise) of nuclear power generation. Thorium reactors at this moment in time, seem a lot safer in terms of the half-life of waste produced: 500 years instead of tens of thousands. We could railgun it into the sun, but bombarding Bezo's new Amazon factories on the moon would be my choice. Metal leaching into groundwater from solar panels, is not a trivial problem to solve. According to estimates, the world's population will be over 10 billion in 50 years, will renewables be enough?

Thorium nuclear waste only stays radioactive for 500 years, instead of 10,000, and there is 1,000 to 10,000 times less of it to start with.

(old article)

The Thing About Thorium: Why The Better Nuclear Fuel May Not Get A Chance

Image via Wikipedia The Fukushima disaster reminded us all of the dangers inherent in uranium-fueled nuclear reactors. Fresh news this month about Tepco's continued struggle to contain and cool the fuel rods highlights just how energetic uranium fission reactions are and how challenging to...

www.forbes.com

 

[guerney]

I wouldn't go that far but I believe that the cost of decommissioning being passed onto future generations is a good enough reason to stay away as much as possible from more nuclear power until fusion becomes reality. At present, the cost per kW of solar panels is about £200. You get about 4kWH (60p) per day on average from 1KW panels, your money back in a year. On the downside, metal leaching from the panels when rained on is a real issue. Still, it's a good solution for the next 20-50 years.

We'll never be able to mine enough crypto with renewables

 

[Woosh]

Metal leaching into groundwater from solar panels, is not a trivial problem to solve. According to estimates, the world's population will be over 10 billion in 50 years, will renewables be enough?

The main thing is PV panel is much more efficient at converting solar energy into electricity than any other paths such as solar thermal panels, bio-fuel crops etc. Metals dissolve in rain water: modern solar panels contain zero cadmium and a tiny amount of lead in its associated electronics but people still cite them as dangerous. Look at how much dangerous stuff are found in mobile phones and car batteries.

 

[Ray Winder]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in conjunction with e bike regulations is brake efficiency standards.
If bike power was upgraded presumably the already heavy e bike will become heavier combine that with a heavy rider and increase the speed and you need to be able to stop it in a safe manner.
I live in a hilly area and my carrera bike needs to be handled carefully on steep downhill stretches .

 

[flecc]

If bike power was upgraded presumably the already heavy e bike will become heavier combine that with a heavy rider and increase the speed and you need to be able to stop it in a safe manner.

Increased assisted bicycle power is an imaginary problem, proven by experience.

When the S class high speed pedelecs were first created in Germany, they still only had the 250 watts legal limit which proved insufficient to attain the permitted 45 kph (28 mph).

So in response to complaints, the German government increased the permitted power to 500 watts and firms released a number of those. But then range was a problem and larger batteries made the bikes heavier and unpleasant to ride.

The outcome is that the market and customer demand have settled on 350 watts as a happy compromise and the permitted 500 watts on S class e-bikes is rare now.

This showed that only the assist speed needed to be legislated for, the limitations of weight and what can be cycled comfortably dictating the power settles at what is necessary, not necessarily the limit allowed.
.

 

[guerney]

The main thing is PV panel is much more efficient at converting solar energy into electricity than any other paths such as solar thermal panels, bio-fuel crops etc. Metals dissolve in rain water: modern solar panels contain zero cadmium and a tiny amount of lead in its associated electronics but people still cite them as dangerous. Look at how much dangerous stuff are found in mobile phones and car batteries.

Despite restrictions for where landfill sites may be located, hazardous materials eventually will end up in water supplies. Solar panels can poison us more directly? I don't see why solar panels can't be completely sealed with a few microns thick layer of some sort of tough an transparent non-poisonous UV stabilised material, which won't increase cost or reduce efficiency much. Transparent aluminium should do the trick:

 

[guerney]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in conjunction with e bike regulations is brake efficiency standards.
If bike power was upgraded presumably the already heavy e bike will become heavier combine that with a heavy rider and increase the speed and you need to be able to stop it in a safe manner.
I live in a hilly area and my carrera bike needs to be handled carefully on steep downhill stretches .

I'm hope they don't outlaw the v-brakes on my 250W bbs01b conversion, if/when they rewrite pedelec law. No disc brake retrofitting is possible on the Dahon Helios P8. Had to stop suddenly on a steep hill about two weeks ago, as the car in front stopped to give way for oncoming traffic on a narrow road - if I'd have been belting down, it would have hurt.

 

[soundwave]

the only differences with the bosch gen 2 s class motors is that the speed limit was 28mph and was set in the software at the factory.

the controllers in the motors were the same why i can go even faster and half the range of my batt doing it as that's the price you pay.

tho i bet with the sclass software you dont have to spin the cranks at 120rpm to get max power but never tried one.

 

[lightning]

Cargo bikes are a big thing where my brother lives in the Netherlands

They need more than 250w though, and it would be an advantage to have a throttle, with a maximum speed of 20mph (although l doubt the speed limit will be raised)

This will get a fair few cars out of city centres.

 

[soundwave]

they have more power than 250w just not over the 15mph speed limit under that some can pull 1000w plus non stop climbing.

eddie pj nuked a 500w bosch batt with a gen 2 cx motor in a non stop climb up a mountain and got 10 miles.

 

[flash]

Thank you, I'll try Lidl's "Creosote" on my shed... it's a bit late TBH, but after it's applied I'll patch where my foot went through rotting boards. I'll send the castration ring to Boris Johnson.

Try used engine oil. That'll stop it rotting and if all else fails it will burn well.