To Revive Economy, Think Infrastructure
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on CommonWealth.
This is the sub-title.
It worked in the Great Recession and it can work now.
The author is talking about Massachusetts in 2008, but I’m sure it would work in the UK and other countries in 2020.
Projects I would bring forward in the UK.
- Build lots of wind farms, both onshore and offshore.
- Build energy storage. I would go for Highview Power.
- Use wind energy to generate hydrogen for industrial processes. ITM Power in Rotherham, have the technology.
- Build a refuelling network for hydrogen-powered cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles.
- Add new rail stations to the network, where needed.
- Update all possible rail, tram, light rail and Underground stations so they are step-free.
- Build the electrified Huddersfield and Leeds upgrade to the TransPennine Route.
- Expand the Blackpool Tram, the Edinburgh Tram, the Manchester Metrolink, Merseyrail, the Nottingham Express Transit, the Sheffield Supertram, the Tyne and Wear Metro and the West Midlands Metro.
- Extend the Docklands Light Railway West to Charing Cross, Euston, St. Pancras and Victoria.
I would setup a construction pipeline, so all areas of the country got a share of the new infrastructure.
We must be bold.
InPipe Energy: Power Through Pressure
The title of this post is the same as that of this story on CleantechConcepts.
This is the introductory paragraph.
It’s the new hydropower. Not dams, no reservoirs, just pipes. With help from Oregon State engineering researchers, an Oregon startup company is developing a system to generate carbon-free electricity from a previously untapped water source: the pipes under our streets.
I think this could be an interesting idea. But could it be applied in the UK and Europe?
London Church Investigated Over ‘Protection’ Oil
The title of this post, is the same as that as this story on the BBC.
This is the first two paragraphs.
A faith healer who sold £91 “plague protection kits” claiming they could shield people from Covid-19 is being investigated by the charity watchdog.
Bishop Climate Wiseman of the Kingdom Church in Camberwell, London, claimed a bottle of oil and some red yarn would protect his followers from the virus.
Surely, he should be being investigated by the Metropolitan Police!
As far as I can see, the purpose of some religion is to let a few men, live a good life, at the expense of others.
A Minister For Hydrogen – Yes Please, Prime Minister
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on H2 View.
Sounds like a good idea to me!
Trump’s Fake News
This article on the BBC is entitled Coronavirus: Trump’s Disinfectant And Sunlight Claims Fact-Checked.
This is the introductory paragraph.
President Donald Trump has questioned whether injecting people with disinfectants and exposing patients’ bodies to UV light could help treat the coronavirus.
The article then goes on to demolish Trump’s claims with the full force of scientifically-correct evidence.
Do they have whelk stalls in the United States? Trummkopf certainly doesn’t have the intelligence to run one!
Ricky Gervais And David Bowie
Ricky Gervais just told this tale on Radio 5.
He was playing a gig with David Bowie, so he asked, why he still did gigs like this.
I thought Bowie’s reply was classic.
To stave off the boredom before death!
I suspect that applies to lots of people.
UK Gas Plans A Carbon-Free Future With Hydrogen
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Eco Business.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A mixture of green hydrogen produced by surplus solar and wind power and bio-methane coming from farms and waste food will ensure the British gas industry a carbon-free future in 30 years, according to the country’s gas network operators.
It’s all part of a programme called Gas Goes Green.
It’s all part of a plan for the UK to go carbon-neutral by 2050, which is enshrined in UK law.
But there is competition to a hydrogen gas grid, as this paragraph from the article explains.
This ambitious plan faces some competition from the advocates of ground-source heat pumps as an alternative for heating homes. The pumps have the advantage of running on green electricity, and cut out the need for gas entirely, but they need to be installed in large numbers.
We should use every trick in the engineering locker to avoid generating carbon-dioxide. Ground source heat pumps, are ideal for new build properties.
I used a ground source heat pump for our indoor swimming pool at our house in Debach in the late 1980s. It was no trouble.
Air Pollution May Be ‘Key Contributor’ To Covid-19 Deaths – Study
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in the Guardian.
This is the first two paragraphs.
High levels of air pollution may be “one of the most important contributors” to deaths from Covid-19, according to research.
The analysis shows that of the coronavirus deaths across 66 administrative regions in Italy, Spain, France and Germany, 78% of them occurred in just five regions, and these were the most polluted.
I think that this report could prove significant. But I have no idea why!
I grew up in a very polluted London, where regularly at Primary School we would be sent home early as the smog was so bad. In those days of the 1950s, there were few immigrants and I only remember one black person at school. She was the Deputy Head Girl! The few immigrants at school, were generally Poles, although I do remember one Spanish boy.
Coronavirus: New York Couples Can Now Tie The Knot Over Zoom
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an order allowing online marriages, as many weddings are cancelled under lockdown restrictions.
It sounds like a sensible idea to me.
When I first heard this story, I wondered if Zoom will be allowed for Quickie divorces?
Coronavirus Lockdown In Sweden: a New Take On Safe Shopping — No Assistants
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Sunday Times.
It could be the way, that convenience stores will be going! Even my local Marks and Spencer in Dalston, allows you to scan using an app, put the goods in your bag and just walk out!
I must try it, as it would mean that I would have to touch less equipment and won’t have to stand there like a wally, whilst the assistant verifies my age, after I have purchased low alcohol beer.
There could also be little robots like Daleks or R2-D2 wandering around, who you could ask questions, like “Where is the Adnams 0.5% low-alcohol beer?”. They would reply “Follow me!” and lead you to your next purchase.
