Axil Axil <janap...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Wrong in that over unity power production cannot be engineered without > significant environmental downsides. > Yeah, I agree with that. But I do not think Gibbs is saying that downsides are inevitable. He is saying they are possible, especially if people use the energy carelessly. I think he makes a good point. I made the same point in chapter 19 of my book. People can turn any blessing into a curse. Gibbs mentions the likelihood of cheap machines with low Carnot efficiency being a problem, because they produce too much waste heat and cause urban heat islands. I added a comment about this to his blog: ". . . While this may be a problem, there is a lower limit to it. A machine with only 2 to 4% efficiency would have a giant motor. It would look like a 19th century steam tractor. It would end up costing more than a machine with Carnot efficiency of ~10%, which is approximately what cars were like in 1960." - Jed
