And in 20 years, the climate change migration period will start in full.
It already has. Syrian instability started with droughts. The worse of it, is that war will always be a higher priority to oil interests and their captured governments than cooperating on human sustainability.
Seems credible that there is no threat to ROK. OP is suggesting a tiny role for ROK being discussed anyway.
NK has a bigger army, and sure to receive support from neighbours. US has logistical issues in providing support. DPRK blowing up bridges does mean not seeking to use them for their own invasion, so on that point, you are right.
After WW2, the US were Japan’s proxies in the “temporary” division of South Korea, and then against the Democratic result that elected a North Korean as leader of all Korea. Colonized ever since.
I don’t know about the practicality of rails as conductor, but it wouldn’t have to be high voltage.
About the train “deploying tons a day”, where did you get that from?
article said special train could deploy 1000 panels per day.
solar canopys are actually quite expensive. Needs a very sturdy structure to hold panels high up and deal with wind loads. Solar panels are getting so cheap, that it becomes very reasonable to lay them on the ground instead of optimal angles, higher up.
I like the idea. Free land use. I wonder if the rails can be used as electric conductors. A special train can deploy tons per day, and could clean them regularly in a highly automated way.
Unlike roadways, they don’t carry any load.
this would call for the use of phase changing material to absorb the heat from the back of the solar panels
There are quite a few “better” technologies for cooling solar panels, which happens to also improve their efficiency/production.
Thermoelectric devices would boost production a little, and keep production a bit past end of day. This might not yet be cost effective, but massive production scale could change that. Circulating water behind the panels, transfers the most heat, and hot water is useful to everyone. A simpler, leak proof, technology is to suck in air behind/under the panels that creates a flow that will cool them, and use that hotter air to feed a heat pump.
I’m not sure of the validity of model, though I appreciate the effect of cooling at night.
Without solar, ground, usually fairly dark, absorbs solar heat at 100%. Solar panels cover 75%-80% of this heat to electricity, and while they get hotter than lighter shaded ground, the heat capacity of dirt is much higher, and the heat is lost quicker from air/wind contact. Similarly a building that has a solar cover with a slight airgap, will be cooler during the day than without solar, and using less AC, produce less warming surrounding the building.
For cold areas, snow cover actually retains warmth in soil. With bifacial panels, increases winter production significantly. No airgap over buildings, is path to keeping more heat for building, but using an airgap to help preheat air or water pipes for heat pump is just another path of using environmental heat to focus on useful heat. Heat pumps for heating (vs cooling) in general reduce outside temperatures.
Exponential
Battery prices plummetting, and V2G from EVs, is a path for near tropical regions to get to 90% solar energy. Robotics based manufacturing shifting to those regions is also a likely shift. Northern lattitude quality of life from global warming, is still a nice source of population attractiveness. Hydrogen made from solar is the path to 100% renewables and solar everywhere. Canada is a decent place for solar because of extremely long summer days. Canada can both make H2 in summer, and use H2 in winter. Even near tropical locations would have large spring and fall surpluses to cover near full summer demand from solar. They also need to make H2 from those surpluses.
about 42 panels per hour. If that includes wiring somehow, that is faster than other solar. Maybe their daily productivity estimate includes scooting out of the way of other trains and less than 24 hours operation.