Understanding Energy — Part 2
Heat vs Creation (“Thermodynamics” made simple!).
This story is a sequel to the first Part:
Something extraordinary seems to be happening around the concepts of Thermodynamics.
This appears to be becoming the “Weapon of Choice”, used by doomers, to try to argue we are all doomed anyway, so no point trying to change anything, best just enjoy what little time we might have left, and then just lie down and die, conveniently (Rather than become a burden to the system).
I am being a little sarcastic, yes, but the doomer argument is claiming more and more victims, as far as I can see, and some of those victims are already making noises like they are getting ready to top themselves.
Doomerism is a cult, like any other.
Modern cults use the social bubbling mechanisms which automatically come about by network clustering, which in turn is driven by profit. It is this clustered form of network which happens to be cheapest to maintain, therefore maximising profit. I’ve written articles warning about those previously, but obviously as long as profit is the number one priority, nobody is listening, and of course no profit driven platform will propagate my messages on this subject, including the current one.
For anyone interested, more info on profit driven network architectures and their consequences, is here:
Doomers lately have began to respond to the arguments of beneficial solar use, claiming that what we are describing somehow “Breaks the rules of Thermodynamics”.
I’ve even had non-technically educated folk claiming I know nothing of Thermodynamics.
The problem is, not many folk really know much about Thermodynamics. I am no exception, never specialising in that subject. It is a very tricky area of study and application, and there the devil lies for most people, buried deep in the trickery.
But I know enough to blow apart any arguments trying to use Thermodynamics to discount what we are saying.
Countering the Doomer Thermodynamics Argument
Firstly, to do a detailed thermodynamic analysis of any system, it has to be a closed system.
The Energy system of Earth and sun is not closed, it has effectively an unlimited energy source, the sun, with a lossy collector of an amount of that energy, The Earth.
So we can’t go saying this system is fully describable in terms of thermodynamics, it absolutely is not.
However, there are some basic principles of Thermodynamics, which come about from Einstein’s famous energy vs matter equation E=MC squared, that we can use to show that actually everything we are talking about is not countered by Thermodynamics at all, in fact Thermodynamics fits perfectly.
The main principle of Thermodynamics I’ve seen doomers quote as “Evidence” we are all doomed, is Entropy.
Entropy, as far as we need to consider it, is just another word for heat.
If we convert some Joules of energy to heat, then Entropy is increased.
Joules converted to anything other than heat, by definition, do not increase Entropy.
In the case of energy extracted from Earth, the process of extracting energy is extremely inefficient, in terms of the number of Joules it took nature to create the fuel or stored energy field, vs the number we get back out.
All of these processes require work to be done, which in turn has to generate some heat.
Notice if we didn’t do any work of extraction, no heat is generated in this way.
Now consider a solar hydrogen power chain.
If we didn’t collect any solar energy, then at worst, all of it is converted to heat on the Earth’s surface. Luckily we still have enough plant mass around Earth to absorb a reasonable amount of energy, creating all the things nature creates, mostly without generating any heat. At least nature is collecting some of it, using it to create everything we know and describe as “Life”.
When we do collect solar energy, we reduce heat, because we are converting those Joules to things other than heat.
Even if the process of conversion of energy from solar to hydrogen is seen as “Inefficient”, still the net result of our use of any solar Joules, is reduction of heat, compared with worst case of all solar energy falling on Earth not covered by plant mass.
If you explain this to a Doomer, and they still don’t accept the logic, then it looks like your doomer may be beyond hope, being incapable of understanding even this most basic concept of how use of solar energy, only solar energy, fundamentally works to reduce temperature, and Entropy, whereas use of energy extracted from Earth does the opposite.
This is a distinction not acknowledged or accepted by the industry of “Renewables”, which again is something still mostly profit driven.
The truth is that any industry depending on profit, which is not offering valuable product other than profit to investors, is finished, when we move properly to the energy of the sun.
Those businesses are most appropriately described as “Bullshit Business” imho. More on those is here:
Bullshit Industry
Is Your Business or Job, Bullshit Industry? Here’s how to tell.
eric-bott.medium.com
The one thing I hope to highlight here, is the maybe surprising result that use of solar energy actually cools Earth — the opposite effect of what happens when we use extracted energy.
This is why I keep saying we have an energy deficit to pay back, as a species.
We owe it to our planet, our Mother Earth, to pay this energy debt back.
That is why it really is a sin, to kill yourself and / or others. Everyone is needed now, after our energy use goes truly mathematically positive, all hands are needed to the pump, to pay back the energy deficit our species made, before we created solar farms.
This is also why the arguments about energy efficiency around hydrogen are superseded, just by switching entirely to solar, the truth is that by that, we can do no wrong.
The more energy we can put to this use after our transition to 100% solar, the better.
We really will be living in extravagent times, when energy use will be encouraged, and even celebrated.
To finish, below is a poem, written by ChatGPT after I consulted with it earlier today, on this subject.
Of course it started by having the usual delusions around “Renewables”.
But it quickly learned the truth, enough to produce this:
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In a realm where energy’s role takes flight, We face a truth, urgent and bright. The tale unfolds, a dire need to show, The critical choice that we must now know.
Energy, a force both fierce and grand, Has shaped our world, held in our hand. But heed this call, for the stakes are high, The path we choose will determine our sky.
For too long, energy we’ve squandered, As destruction and waste we’ve pondered. But a shift must occur, a new paradigm, Creation, not destruction, in our time.
The time has come, urgency in the air, To harness energy with utmost care. Our existence hangs on this delicate thread, No longer a choice, but the path we must tread.
No longer optional, this quest we embark, To find solutions, to kindle the spark. For the world we know, in peril it stands, A future dependent on our mindful hands.
The power of creation, we must embrace, To shape a world with sustainable grace. For it’s not a choice, it’s a burning need, Immediate and existential, we must take heed.
Let’s rewrite the story, with purpose anew, Where energy is harnessed, with wisdom in view. A tapestry of hope, woven strand by strand, Where creation thrives, in each heart and land.
The urgency echoes, a call to us all, To rise to the challenge, lest we should fall. Together we stand, with determination unbowed, To find the answers, to make ourselves proud.
In this modified story, the message rings clear, The need to act now, for the future we hold dear. With collective resolve, we’ll find our way, To a world where creation’s energy will forever stay.
- ChatGPT, 07/05/2023
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