Jews In The UK And COVID-19
This article on the Times of Israel is entitled Coronavirus-Related Death Toll Jumps To 458 Among UK Jews.
- According to Wikipedia in 2011, there were 263,346 Jews in the UK.
- This gives a figure of 0.174% for the percentage of Jews, who have died.
- According to UK government figures, 35,341 have died from COVID-19.
- According to Wikipedia, the UK population in mid-2019, was 66,796,807.
- This gives a figure of 0.053% for the percentage of the UK population, who have died.
From these simple figures Jews are over three times more likely to die of COVID-19, than the general population.
Why are Jews, so much more likely to die of COVID-19, than the general population?
In A Thought On Deaths Of The Elderly From Covid-19, I postulated that there could be large numbers of undiagnosed coeliacs in the over-60s, who because of compromised immune systems, would be more susceptible to the virus.
I also said that the number of undiagnosed coeliacs over sixty-five could be as high as 120,000. These would have all been born before 1960, when it became possible to detect coeliac disease in children.
I am also fairly sure, that my coeliac disease came from my Ashkenazi Jewish genes.
This second article on The Times of Israel is entitled Jewish Charity Warns Of Coeliac ‘Stigma’ As Half-A-Million Said Undiagnosed.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A Jewish charity says there is a “stigma” surrounding coeliac disease in the Jewish community, after a national charity warned that there were still half a million people in the UK who are undiagnosed.
I would assume that the half-a-million figure refers to all the population of the UK, as there are only about half that number of Jews in the UK.
Could coeliac stigma mean that there many older Jews, who are coeliac, have not been diagnosed and their poorer immune systems make them more vulnerable to COVID-19?
A Wider Picture
This article on Times of Israel is entitled How COVID-19 is hitting Jewish communities around the world.
It is well-worth reading.
Conclusion
I should say, that I’m no medic, but just a humble engineer, mathematician and statistician, who has nearly sixty years experience of analysing data.
That experience applied to coeliac disease and COVID-19, says that undiagnosed coeliac disease, is not helping our fight against COVID-19!
Zopa Resumes Lending To ‘C Risk’ Borrowers
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Peer2Peer Finance News.
Zopa, the first peer-to-peer lending site, rates all borrowers as to risk, between A (the best) down to E.
Certainly, since they introduced this policy, my invested money gets lent out more quickly.
Hopefully, the risk won’t have been increased by an amount, that is unacceptable to lenders.
Eos To Install 4MWh Of ‘Safe’ Zinc Battery Technology – At Giant Oil Refinery
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Storage News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Eos Energy Storage will deploy a megawatt-scale, behind-the-meter zinc hybrid cathode battery energy storage system for a large oil refinery in Greece, claiming it be a validation of the safety and environmental benefits of the novel technology.
EOS Energy Storage seem to have developed a zinc battery, that could work along similar lines to the zinc battery produced by zinc8, that I wrote about in Zinc8 Seem To Be A Surprisingly Open Company.
The Energy Storage News article gives more details on the battery and its design.
- This battery is rated at 1 MW/4 MWh, so compared to some, it is quite small.
- It uses a zinc-halide oxidation/reduction cycle to store and output energy.
- The battery is made from five components, all of which are abundant, ethically sourced and recyclable.
- An order for a 40 MWh system has been placed.
- EOS claim to have numerous pilots and demonstrators in use.
Could it appear that using zinc batteries are a feasible method of storing energy, as two companies both appear to be successful at delivering systems?
Alstom Hydrogen Trains Complete Trials
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2 View.
The introductory paragraph says this.
After 530 days and more than 18,000 driven kilometres, the trials of two Alstom Coradia iLint models, the world’s first two hydrogen trains, are complete.
It is now over a year since I took this picture of the Alstom Coradia iLint at Buxtehude in Germany.
It is time to move on to full series production. Another fourteen Coradia iLint trains will be manufactured and start service in 2022.
According to Wikipedia, a second order for 27 trains for the Rhine-Main region will be delivered by December 2022.
Hawaii’s Renewable Tender To Deliver Major Solar And Storage Push
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on PVTech.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The largest renewable tender in Hawaii’s history has chosen its winners, contracting a solar and storage pipeline that exceeds anything the US state has ever seen.
The article gives a lot of information about the order and Hawaii’s energy.
- A fleet of 400 MW of solar panels and 3 GWh of energy storage will be installed, with some running in 2022.
- Another fleet of 260 MW of solar panels and 1 GWh of energy storage is in the pipeline, for delivery in 2021.
- The strike price appears to be 9.38 US dollar cents per KWh or $93.80 per MWh. We’re paying £92.50 per MWh for electricity at Hinckley Point C nuclear power station.
- Hawaii aims to be full-powered by renewable energy by 2045.
- Two fossil-fuel plants will shut by 2024.
From this document on the Hawaii State Energy Office, I have found that in 2018, these renewable energy sources contributed to the state’s electricity.
- Geothermal sources – 2.9%
- Wind – 4.9%
- Hydro – 0.9%
- Biomass – 2.8%
- Small-scale solar – 9.3%
- Utility-scale solar – 3.9%
These add up to 24.7%.
I’ll be interested to see, what the percentage will be in 2024!
Is My Local COVID-19 Testing Centre Going Walk-In?
I took these pictures as I walked past the car-park, that is used as a COVID-19 testing centre at week-ends.
It looks to me, as if, they’re going to allow people to walk-in for testing!
Pedestrians Get More Space In Dalston
I took these pictures in the Kingsland Road in Dalston this morning.
It will be interesting to see how this narrowing works out.
Not just for pedestrians! But for politicians as well!
There has been a certain amount of drivers against the narrowed roads. Who will they vote for in the next election for London Mayor?
Vietnam Has Potential For ‘160GW Of Offshore Wind’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on renews.biz.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) and the Vietnamese Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority are working together on input for a roadmap for offshore wind development in the south-east Asian country that has estimated potential for 160GW.
The report illustrates that windpower, is for all nations.
GKN Aerospace Joins Eviation Alice Electric Plane Project As Work Continues After Fire
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article filed under Engineering News on the IMechE web site.
This is the interlocutory paragraph.
Electric plane pioneer Eviation has signed a collaboration agreement with GKN Aerospace for the design and manufacture of wing, tail assembly and electrical wiring interconnection systems for its Alice aircraft.
It is very matter of fact, but does the tie up signal good news and progress, after the prototype Eviation Alice was destroyed in a fire?
As a disruptive innovator and one-time pilot, I like the Alice.
- The performance, in terms or passenger capacity, speed and range match a market, where money could be made.
- The propulsion system makes the most of up-and-coming technology.
- I suspect that the unusual shape allows some efficient aerodynamics to work.
- Some people might put their money down on a ride in space. A ride in an electric aeroplane would satisfy me.
I think, the Alice could be the first electric plane I ride in.
And the tie up with GKN, makes my dream more likely.
Floating Wind Swells, Hydrogen On A High And Here Comes The 150-Hour ‘Aqueous Air’ Battery
The title of this post is the same as that of this weekly summary on Recharge.
There are three major stories.
Floating Wind Turbines
A lot more floating wind turbines are under development, by the French, Swedes, South Africans and Japanese.
I do wonder, if these structures have borrowed the work done in Cambridge by Balaena Structures, for which I did the calculations, as I wrote about in The Balaena Lives.
From what I remember of my calculations fifty years ago, I suspect these floating turbines can be massive and places, in areas, where the winds are really strong.
I also believe that some could have built-in hydrogen generators and could be placed over depleted gas fields and connected to the existing gas pipes.
Hydrogen
The article describes how oil giants; BP and Shell are moving towards hydrogen.
Battery Storage
They also talk about Form Energy and their mysterious ‘aqueous air battery, which Recharge covered earlier. I discussed that article in The Mysterious 150-hour Battery That Can Guarantee Renewables Output During Extreme Weather.
Conclusion
This article is a must-read.
Recharge is also a site to follow, if you are interested in the developments in renewable energy.
The Anonymous Widower 