Recent reading
Sep. 9th, 2023 08:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaNorrsken: drömmen om den gröna industrin by Arne Müller (2023)
I educate myself about the huge industrial investments being made in northernmost Sweden:
- a large battery factory,
- decarbonizing the steel industry by using hydrogen gas instead of coal,
- decarbonizing the iron mines,
- a new fertilizer plant
- several possible new mines.
And huge amounts of wind turbines to supply fossil-free electricity to these industries. The reason these industries are being planned in the north is the current electricity surplus there (from water and wind power). At the same time, if all of them happen they will require hugely more electricity. The author also cites estimates showing that if the whole world tried to replace the current fossil-fuel dependence and the industry it fuels, we would need much more than the current known deposits of various metals (because solar and wind power along with batteries is much more metal-intensive than fossil fuels). Also, wind power and mines especially lead to conflicts over land use (in northern Sweden, with Sami reindeer husbandry, which is threatened in several ways). In the author’s opinion, the industrial techniques themselves are not bad, but they must be combined with large reductions in energy and materials use, and more state planning of social goods such as energy and transportation—but the current economic system conflicts with these needs and politicians have shown no inclination to do it. /o\
Clorinda Cathcart’s Circle 1: The Ironmaster’s Tale by L A Hall (2019)
And some comfort reading to go along with the heavy non-fiction! This goes back to the beginning of the series and tells it from another character’s POV. Actually I had browsed the opening of the first book and wondered at how little attention it paid to how Clorinda and Josiah first got together, and wanted more detail on that, so I enjoyed this (although I do hope the future volumes from Eliza's POV tells more of Josiah and Eliza's backstory, because I thought the beginning of this book was a little abrupt!). I also enjoyed getting to see a male POV, with a different social network and an outside POV on Clorinda. It’s like the pleasure of re-reading, but getting it from a different POV.
I educate myself about the huge industrial investments being made in northernmost Sweden:
- a large battery factory,
- decarbonizing the steel industry by using hydrogen gas instead of coal,
- decarbonizing the iron mines,
- a new fertilizer plant
- several possible new mines.
And huge amounts of wind turbines to supply fossil-free electricity to these industries. The reason these industries are being planned in the north is the current electricity surplus there (from water and wind power). At the same time, if all of them happen they will require hugely more electricity. The author also cites estimates showing that if the whole world tried to replace the current fossil-fuel dependence and the industry it fuels, we would need much more than the current known deposits of various metals (because solar and wind power along with batteries is much more metal-intensive than fossil fuels). Also, wind power and mines especially lead to conflicts over land use (in northern Sweden, with Sami reindeer husbandry, which is threatened in several ways). In the author’s opinion, the industrial techniques themselves are not bad, but they must be combined with large reductions in energy and materials use, and more state planning of social goods such as energy and transportation—but the current economic system conflicts with these needs and politicians have shown no inclination to do it. /o\
Clorinda Cathcart’s Circle 1: The Ironmaster’s Tale by L A Hall (2019)
And some comfort reading to go along with the heavy non-fiction! This goes back to the beginning of the series and tells it from another character’s POV. Actually I had browsed the opening of the first book and wondered at how little attention it paid to how Clorinda and Josiah first got together, and wanted more detail on that, so I enjoyed this (although I do hope the future volumes from Eliza's POV tells more of Josiah and Eliza's backstory, because I thought the beginning of this book was a little abrupt!). I also enjoyed getting to see a male POV, with a different social network and an outside POV on Clorinda. It’s like the pleasure of re-reading, but getting it from a different POV.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-09-10 10:12 pm (UTC)Müller's point is crucial: we can't simply swap renewable sources for coal/gas/nukes. When I was training as a civil engineering drafter (1976-7), I learned about Amory Lovins' negawatts -- the cheapest energy source is what you no longer need thanks to conservation.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-09-11 05:50 pm (UTC)I hadn't heard the word 'negawatt', but yes, this is so important, and also (thanks to capitalism) so difficult to implement...