• PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    Energy density has been the number one most important factor since humans started using metal. Wood is good enough to smelt bronze, and with some refinement can get your iron, but not good enough for steel. Steel requires coal, and with some refinement steel is what our world is built on.

    Fossil fuels allow cars, planes and more efficient trains and boats. Unless we somehow start utilizing uranium and transuranics electric airplanes are for grifters. Uranium and it’s derivatives are the only thing we have harnessed that even approaches the energy density of fossil fuels.

    • Hildegarde@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Trains don’t need to store the energy at all. Pantographs are a mature technology. High speed renewable long haul transportation is a technologically solved problem for all overland routes, it just requires infrastructure investment.

      • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        Sure high-speed rails with HVDC lines powering them from coast-to-coast I’m here for it.