RE: Asperger Syndrome.23 Sep 2021 11:20
Bull, the fuel crisis in the 70s taught airlines to demand ever improving efficiency. Ironically the most fuel efficient aeroplane of the day, concorde, lost out the biggest form the 70s crisis. Fossil fuel will run out one day. There are many claims that peak oil has already been reached. I am all for alternative propulsion systems being introduced. I had expected adding pure oxygen to be the next step, either extracting from the air as you fly or carrying in tanks. From there, forms of synthetic aviation fuel derived from some sort of algae or plant decomposition being developed. The ocean farm has a huge footprint for such crop production. And for other fossil fuel use, a gradual switch over to alternatives. Hydrogen has to be cooled, stored and carried around next to absolute zero, that requires a large amount energy and is exceptionally dangerous. Battery technology needs a huge leap in concept before it is truly to be considered for flying aeroplanes, and there is still the issue of the landing weight as the batteries [current technology] do not lose mass as power is consumed.
The issue is the 'urgency' business which has come about in the last few years. All of this to be accomplished in a matter of a few years despite the technologies, even for EVs, is a long way of the mark. And because the changes can not be implemented tomorrow then the 'urgency' agenda looks at other mechanisms to redress the panic - and we end up with forced targets, like the ev target in just a little over 8 years time. For aviation, the forced target can only be achieved with a drastic cut back in miles flown.
As for large companies swallowing up smaller ones, that would be the case under 'normal' tech development. But this is not a business or market driven situation. It is a faith, cult, ideological drive. Market logic has already been throw out of the window with turbines. Lots and lots of warnings that there isn't enough wind in our part of the world, but policy rather than market rational intervened and the turbines are generating well below par and the gas producers know it. We can't fire up coal power stations that are long gone. The planning stalls on nuclear have left us with a dangerous energy gap. And this method of policy making is now approaching transport and the next skittle to knocked over is aviation. There is no rational opposing voice and the pandemic showed, the voice of the industry can be simply dismissed without forfeit.