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Vaclav Smil

Vaclav Smil Books

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“But if today's low-income countries are to move from poverty to an incipient affluence... then none of those factors could make a difference without the rising consumption of fuels and electricity: a decoupling of economic growth and energy consumption during early stages of modern economic development would defy the laws of thermodynamics." (p. 350, italics added)”

EnergyPovertyEconomic GrowthDevelopment Of Civilization
Book:Energy and Civilization: A History
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“In (largely) gloomy Germany the area needed by PV panels to supply all electricity generation (nearly 560 TWh in 2012) would be considerably larger. With an average PV output of 100 kWh/m2 (the recent annual mean for both roof - and ground-based installations), it would require about 5,600 km2 covered with modules. That would be the equivalent of nearly 1.6% of Germany's total area, 25% of the country's built-up area, or almost 15% of land claimed by settlements and transportation infrastructure; and roughly 2.7 times the total area of all German roofs, based on an estimate of roughly 25 m2 of roof area per person (Waffenschmidt 2008).”

Solar
Book:Power Density: A Key to Understanding Energy Sources and Uses
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“У 2010-х роках саме джипи стали другою найбільшою причиною зростання викидів CO2, лишивши позаду важку промисловість, вантажоперевезення й авіацію. Обігнала їх тільки електроенергетика. Якщо народна любов до них і далі набиратиме обертів, вони мають шанс компенсувати всі позитивні ефекти понад 100 мільйонів електрокарів, які виїдуть на дороги 2040-го!”

Global WarmingEcologyCo2Jeep
Book:How the World Really Works: A Scientist's Guide to Our Past, Present and Future
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“A useful analogy is to see traditional societies as relying on instantaneous (or minimally delayed) and constantly replenished solar income, while modern civilization is withdrawing accumulated solar capital at rates that will exhaust it in a tiny fraction of the time that was needed to create it.”

ModernNeededCivilizationRateTinyIncomeTraditionalFractionsAnalogiesDelayedInstantaneousModern CivilizationWithdrawing
Book:Energy: A Beginner's Guide
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