The EuroAfrica Interconnector
The Wikipedia entry for the EuroAfrica Interconnector, introduces the project like this.
EuroAfrica Interconnector is a HVDC interconnector and submarine power cable between the Greek, Cypriot, and Egypt power grids.
The Wikipedia entry has a section called Technical Data, where this is said.
The EuroAfrica Interconnector will link Egypt with the Cypriot and Greek power grids through the island of Crete, with a high-voltage direct current submarine power cable of length around 1,396-kilometre (867 mi). Egypt will be connected with Cyprus with a 498-kilometre (309 mi) long cable. Cyprus will be connected with Crete with a 898-kilometre (558 mi) long cable providing a connection to the pan-European electricity grid.[1] The laying depth of cable will be up to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) under sea level in some areas between Crete and Cyprus. It will have a capacity to transmit 2,000 megawatts of electricity in either direction. Annual transmission capacity is 17.5 TWh, much more than the annual production of the Aswan Dam.
In The EuroAsia Interconnector, I noted how Israel will be connected to Cyprus, thus when both interconnectors are complete, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece and Israel will be able to share electricity.
The EuroAsia Interconnector
The Wikipedia entry for the EuroAsia Interconnector, introduces the project like this.
The EuroAsia Interconnector is a proposed HVDC interconnector between the Greek, Cypriot, and Israeli power grids via the world’s longest submarine power cable (310 kilometres (190 mi) from Israel to Cyprus and 898 kilometres (558 mi) from Cyprus to Greece, for a total of 1,208 kilometres (751 mi)). Connecting Kofinou, Cyprus to Hadera, Israel and Korakias, Crete, Greece and stated to finish construction in 2023.
When completed it will have a capacity of 2 GW.
From Wikipedia, it appears that at least initially, Israel will export electricity produced in gas-fired power stations from their own more than adequate supplies of natural gas.
In Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries Inks Deal With Kingdom of Jordan For Green Hydrogen Study, I published this Google Map of Jordan.
Surely, in the future, the EuroAsia interconnector could be carrying solar generated green electricity from Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to Cyprus and Greece.
As, according to Reuters, Greece covers about 40% of its annual energy needs with Russian gas, this can’t be good for Vlad the Mad and his bloodstained gas.
Tevva Lands $57m For Electric And Hydrogen Trucks
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Engineer.
This is the sub-title.
Tevva has secured $57m for its new London-based production facility to scale up manufacturing of its electric and hydrogen trucks.
It certainly looks like this well-connected company of Israeli origin, could be going places.
UK’s Tevva Uses Submarine Tech To Power Electric Trucks
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times of Israel.
The article is from April 2017 and starts with this paragraph.
Startup founded by Asher Bennett, brother of Israel’s education minister, aims to provide digital, emission-free vehicles.
This paragraph gives details of the man behind the company and their first sales.
Meanwhile, one UK company — Tevva Motors — has already got its first orders for repowering the trucks of delivery giants UPS, DHL and Switzerland’s Kuehne+Nagel with its components, including the batteries and motor, according to Tevva’s 48-year-old Israeli founder Asher Bennett. Bennett is the older brother of former entrepreneur turned right-wing politician Naftali Bennett, who is Israel’s education minister.
Since the article was written, Naftali Bennett has become Israel’s Prime Minister.
This paragraph explains how the trucks work.
The trucks Tevva repowers as well as those the company is planning to build from scratch next year at its new facility in Chelmsford are fully digital. “Every piece of information on our trucks is on the cloud,” Bennett said. The software and algorithms developed by the company automatically calculate the most efficient use of the battery and instruct the range extender when to kick in, without any input from the driver.
We’re already starting to see trains using similar techniques.
But as a time-expired Control Engineer, I would go a similar route.
It is a fascinating article, that deserves a full read.
The Two Problems With Israeli Politics
I liked the comment on the Radio Five Live from an Israeli political commentator.
There are only two problems with Israeli politics; Benjamin and Netanyahu.
Israeli politics is certainly different.
Israel Becomes First Nation To Announce A Second Coronavirus Lockdown
This title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
Israil had done well to control the first lockdown, but now they have over 4,000 new infections per day.
This paragraph gives some details.
About two thirds of the infections are in the Arab-Israeli and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, which together account for almost a third of the 8.8 million-strong population. Experts attribute the levels of infection to both groups’ insistence, despite restrictions, on holding weddings with as many as 1,000 guests, and the resumption of study three weeks ago in the ultra-Orthodox seminaries.
With 4,000 new infections in a population of just under nine million, their rate is much higher than in the UK.
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!
Israel Should Be Funding Alternative Energy, Not Another Gas Pipeline
The title of the post, is the same as that of this article from The Jerusalem Post.
This is the introductory sub-title.
A pipeline only serves interests of the gas tycoons and not the taxpayers or the environmentally minded residents of the region.
The pipeline is proposed to run to Eilat in the South of Israel, which is an area, that gets enough sun for most of its electricity needs.
Some points from the article.
- Jordan will be 100 % daytime solar by 2030.
- Israel could be 100 % daytime solar by 2030.
- The Arava region of Israil will achieve this aim, by the end of this year.
The article gives an interesting insight into how you get electricity, when you have plenty of sun.
Railway That Could Bridge Middle East Divide
The title of this post is the same as an article by Roger Boyes in today’s copy of The Times.
The sub-title of the article is.
A new track from Israel to Saudi Arabia offers economic growth and stability in the region.
Read the article!
Violence In The Middle East
David Aaronovitch in his piece in The Times today entitled, Moderate Muslims – It’s Time To Be Outraged, makes some very good points.
But this fact is telling.
In the Israel-Palestine conflict 10,000 have been killed in the past 25 years, compared to 100,000 in Syria in just three.
All are one too many!
But where are the moderate Muslims trying to sort this violent mess out?
The Anonymous Widower 