The thread where you couldn't be bothered posting the article

[Hermit]

Hermit suggests you go into hiding RIGHT NOW! The Martian Illuminati will have your guts for garters when they find out how much of their evil ploy you have discovered.

[pErvinalia]

This stuff isn't fun any more now that there's a chance that Galaxian isn't actually a crazy conspiracy theorist.

[Hermit]

This stuff isn't fun any more now that there's a chance that Galaxian isn't actually a crazy conspiracy theorist.

True. Quite soon after I first encountered his posts at RDF I made up my mind that Galaxian had a couple of kangaroos loose in the top paddock. That opinion did not change until a day or two ago when he confessed to living on another planet. (Not that I care we he lives, as long as he does not live up M'ars.) Now I think he's been acting all along for his own amusement. Mind you, you have to be crazy to keep up such a silly act for that many years.

As for Crumple, he's truly mad, I tells ya...

[pErvinalia]

Yeah, that was my thought too that randomly popped into my head last night while I was trying to get to sleep. Even if he actually is just taking the piss, he's been doing it solidly for more than a decade. The most generous interpretation of that is that he's just really fucking weird. But I'm actually now thinking the more obvious reason is that he really is a crazy conspiracy theorist.

So why did he make a few posts recently hinting that it might all be a giant act? The most generous interpretation is that he was trying a bit of reverse psychology to throw us off the fact that he is an actual conspiracy theorist, and stop the piling on that was starting up. But I think the reality is that he's a government agent and we were getting too close to the truth, so he had to dissemble and obfuscate to throw us off the trail...

[JimC]

That way lies madness...

[pErvinalia]

South Australia to build the world's largest lithium battery (in partnership with Tesla) as part of its plan to sort out its woeful electricity market.

[pErvinalia]

Musk is talkign at the press conference now. It's going to be 3 times larger than the next largest. And he's made an interesting point that you don't normally hear - that if the battery is big enough, you have the ability to only store power while it is cheap to produce, and discharge it while it would be otherwise more expensive to produce. So the simple fact of having a large battery is itself an efficiency dividend.

[pErvinalia]

He really is a fascinating man. Love to listen to him speak (and read what he writes). He's talking about the aesthetics of the plant and its potential for a tourist attraction, but also more existential ideas. The world really needs more thinkers like him.

[JimC]

Long term, there may be issues around the supply of Lithium for the world market when use of this battery technology really takes off...

But otherwise, sure, it is a very important component of the move to renewable electricity production...

[pErvinalia]

CSIRO is working on battery much better than Lithium ion. I can't remember what element it was using and whether it was more or less abundant than Li.

[pErvinalia]

US cops are shootin Aussie people now! Aussie woman called the cops to report an assault, so they showed up and shot her. Body cams and dashboard cams were off.

[JimC]

US cops are shootin Aussie people now! Aussie woman called the cops to report an assault, so they showed up and shot her. Body cams and dashboard cams were off.

She probably looked at 'em funny...

[Hermit]

US cops are shootin Aussie people now! Aussie woman called the cops to report an assault, so they showed up and shot her. Body cams and dashboard cams were off.

Well, duh. The shooting happened in an alleyway at 11:30pm. In darkness all people look black.

[mistermack]

Long term, there may be issues around the supply of Lithium for the world market when use of this battery technology really takes off...

But otherwise, sure, it is a very important component of the move to renewable electricity production...

The main advantage of lithium is it's high power storage ability, for a low weight.
I wouldn't think that weight would be a factor, when it comes to storing energy for the grid.
Cost and reliability would be what counts.

Cost involves not just the cost of making something, but what it's worth when it's spent.
Maybe Lithium batteries on that scale can be recycled fully. If that's the case, you would think it would be a good investment for the future, when the price of Lithium will be higher.
But that would involve the gamble that someone might develop a cheaper alternative to Lithium, which would devalue the long-term investment.
There are potential substitutes being worked on including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium etc etc.
I'm not sure, but I vaguely remember even Iron and Aluminium being possible materials in the future.

Edit : Just found this about aluminium-air batteries. Looks very promising.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium ... ir_battery

[Brian Peacock]

US cops are shootin Aussie people now! Aussie woman called the cops to report an assault, so they showed up and shot her. Body cams and dashboard cams were off.

Well, duh. The shooting happened in an alleyway at 11:30pm. In darkness all people look black.

So a woman in her pyjamas represents a clear and present danger officers now. I read the officer on the passenger side fired more that one shot across his partner through the open window.