Mgxr44
36450
1066
30
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/worlds-first-megawatt-airship-rises-6560-ft
China is doing solar (wind) punk while we’re doing cyber punk… capitalism sucks
IncognitoEnthusiast
Definitely a neat test, but until this is testing long term it's not the whole picture. Maintenance, storm damage, ect all need to be studied and looked at first. Definitely a cool concept. I personally dont think it's going to be feasible but nothing ventured nothing gained.
Hount
To put thing into perspective. Regular land wind turbines range between 4-7 megawatts. So approximately two times the amount of peak power to this floating turbine.
Offshore wind turbines can be 7-15 megawatts. The major decision factor for new wind tubine technology is the cost (capex + opex) per MWh. And to win current pole mounted turbines this would have to either be very cheap or to be able to provide power even when there is too little wind to run turbines at ground level.
djangojazz
I don't think the US will be a super power within five years. At the rate the GOP is going we may not even be in the top five in twenty years.
echonite
Healium is expensive enough as it is. How often do these need to be brought down for maintenance and refill? Whats the operating cost look like compared to a traditional windmill? And comparison to equivilany solar farm?
Shawnofavitch
Meanwhile back in the good old USA
copperdomebodhi
For those of you just tuning in, conservatives have spent the last thirty years saying, "Why should America do anything about global warming? It's the Chinese who are burning all of the coal."
cgt9803
Meanwhile MAGA is rolling coal in his monster truck. "Murka, fuck yeah!"
purpatain11
What? Maga isn't a person
anjeleyezjr
Meanwhile, in murica, we got an elderly toddler screaming about coal and a fuck ton of boomers doing everything they can to hamstring renewables. Seriously, fuck this country sometimes.
fractalsphere
They want to re-open coal mines and STOP wind projects - the US is doing Dieselpunk all polluted and toxic.
kickahippie
A lot of stuff missing from this article. Whats the actual capacity? Whats its tested efficiency? They say it generated 385 KWH, but not how long the test lasted. Could have been an hour, a day, a week. Props to them for at least trying to do something but the article is lite on any actual details, like Elon's moon base.
tanebot
12 x 3MW turbines is a maximum 36MW. Obviously it wasn't at full power, but even at ~10% power it would generate 385kWh in about 6 minutes. Still cool though.
zonedymo24
Very very cool, though im a bit worried about air traffic and hitting cables.
Also I wonder how long they can keep the Helium inside as its a rather slippery substance.
mormonbatman
I hope the Chinese are kinder to America than America was to the Chinese.
zonedymo24
I mean, they actively are, they could sell their government bonds and throw the USA in a deep deep deep hole, but as is the debt just stands and we can all move on, but China has a lot of potential power there.
Fargus57
Scotland should get a few of these and have them drifting over Trump's golf course.
mercyPandaRunner
For relations:
On-shore wind power plants generate between 2-6 MW. The big off-shore ones generate up to 26 MW.
BitRoyal
A standard modern land turbine (the standard windmills on tall towers you're used to) generates between 2-4 megawatts. So this thing does about the exact same job, but also uses up a LOT of helium, which we running VERY low on. It's a publicity stunt that probably cost more, and uses up a more precious resource.
bekkayya
yeah. The heluim is kinda like training wheels. This has a lot of potential for crossover with dronepiloted wind-sail generators imo
Totallycasual
To be fair, because of the altitude, this thing will keep generating power where ground based units will have stopped. Also, you could say the same thing about any new tech, it's often expensive and messy compared to the current norms, but as the tech progresses and becomes more available to the general public, it keeps getting better and better. Look at residential solar+battery systems, insanely expensive and impractical just a few decades ago, now they're an affordable no-brainer.
BitRoyal
Yeah, it's a proof of concept technology, and it will get better. I could point out that standard land based turbines are merely a proof of concept, given that oceanic wind turbines can produce 15+ megawatts.
Also, this proof of concept, and the technology in general, hinges on a large amount of lighter than air gas to function. The only two lighter than air gasses available in such quantities are helium (which we're running out of) and hydrogen (explosive).
BitRoyal
This may be very useful as a power generation technology is some specific emergency situations. Installing the ground hardware to tether this is probably faster than any existing power generation system, so it might be an amazing life saver after some sort of catastrophic event destroys power generation in a small region. But it's categorically not some giant leap forward in green energy. It's a PR stunt, plain and simple.
Tobecontinued1992
Is there like a little Spain or little Mexico anywhere in China? Im absolutely not gonna be able to get a handle on mandarin or cantonese.
getyourfruitoffmeyoudamndirtygrapes
Cool and all but OP only ever posts hyper political stuff, so don't be surprised that this is basically just pro-china propaganda, and not pro-green energy praising.
TheEvenPrez
The people in our country that demand we cut funding for projects like this will insist on some vague wokeness as the cause of our stagnation
KnifeKnut
Helium isn't particularly sustainable.
itsthevoiceman
More than coal or oil or natural gas.
spartanatreyu
Not really. If we really really wanted to, we could make new coal and gas easier than we could make new helium.
Either way it doesn't matter. That windmill should be groundbased so we can save our helium.
Kbantar
I think this is still proof of concept than a fully developed about to be mass produced product.
KnifeKnut
End product would still be helium.
grumpabeme
Imagine all the cancer tRump will say that causes….
xj4low
"it killing THE WHALES...20,000 of them a day!"
MortimerMango
bigly cancer, yuge even
grumpabeme
The mostest cancer
Successlessness
The biggliest, most ugly cancer
arcontos
will someone please think of the poor atmospheric birds!
Fargus57
Ronco's 'Bird-o-Matic' !!! It slices, it dices. As Seen on TV. Get yours today!
Whatdoyousaytoanicecupoftea
WoNt sOmEbOdY tHiNk Of ThE aIrPlAnEs?
ParaspriteHugger
I do!
peterchen
THE LIBTARDS WANT TO ROAD-BLOCK OUR FLYING CARS!
TheMentallyillist
Is that a significant amount of energy?
vDorothyv
It's hard to say without giving the length of a test run. Comparative to a base load station, its almost nothing.
18booma
It's about average for a land-based windmill, but less than you would expect from an offshore windmill.
TheMentallyillist
Thanks!
JaceCameron
So to all the coal suckers going "china's not doing anything abiut climate" yeah? What now? Gonna continue to drag your ass?
SalmonTheWise
Trump will still say that China doesn't use wind to generate power.
spartanatreyu
It was already a nonsense comment since one of China's goals has been capturing the global solar market for ages.
They're trying to undercut everyone else to make a shit ton of money at scale.
And it also gives them a geopolitical weapon where they could starve others out of the cheapest energy around if they ever tried to stop them invading Taiwan.
epithymetic
China has 1,195 coal power plants, 4x more than the next highest country (India) and is building 95% of the coal power plants currently under construction. This is a small step in the right direction, but it pretty much soft-power greenwashing
JaceCameron
They are also doing more to move towards green energy than any other country. So... facts suck when they dont support you eh?
epithymetic
The USA has reduced carbon emissions by 18% since its peak in 2007, while China is down 1% from its peak. If you believe government collected and government issued data from either country.
JaceCameron
And when was china's peak?
JaceCameron
So china's goal was to be peak before 2030. And as of Nov 2025 they have been flat and falling for 18 months. So... 1% drop in 18 months vs 18% in 19 years? Also again, China is doing more than literally any other country. So... yeah they are late to the game. Yeah its still not enough. But so is every country that has been playing this game for decades. China is catching up and exceeding them.
unremarkableasterisk
And we got a guy with a hard-on for coal.
spacecowboyein
While China is blowing the US out of the water on clean energy technology. Their gov't is pouring a ton of money into R&D. By all accounts Chinese EVs are way better than its American counterparts, which is why they are banned from being sold in the US.
FortifiedWhine
Yeah Australia, particularly my state is getting dragged backwards by coal lobbyists running conservative state government
Uselesstoy
Not to mention it wouldn't last a month here before some dipshit fired some rounds into it.
dentros1
He only has a hard on for money, and who is willing to give it to him. Fucker has no soul, gave it to putin decades ago.
anyamountofcheesebro
And children…
soupiswhatitsoundslikewhenyoueatsoup
Miners AND minors
Lodrial
The hard-on is for bribes. I'm 99% sure the energy platform has no impact... rather it's simply the money behind it. Likely would support squeezing puppies for their life energy if the Puppy-squishing PAC gave the most.
bertchstudio
A smart man would take the bribe and then not deliver
Trump is the polar opposite of smart.
MADchemEE
Ha! Unassisted, at his age? With all that 280lbs of McDonald's sloshing around?
I bet there's about as much movement down there, as there is in coal stations ash ponds.
itsthevoiceman
And an EPA that's making coal-based mercury a comeback! Whoo!
Gibleteousjack
Have to get your mercury from somewhere when all the fish are dead.
itsthevoiceman
That's actually where all the fish get their mercury, from burning coal.
suckstoyourauntie
Denying science is a catastrophic move, and we're all gonna pay for it.
bertchstudio
Have been since they denied Indigenous science and made everyone live wrong
Quizz25S
Hey! He likes oil too.
Kittynomnoms
China is building a fucking shitload of coal power plants. This is impressive, but the fact that it's filled with helium should tell you that it's a publicity stunt.
creegro
Who "thinks" you can just get clean coal by giving it a little water. That dipshit knows nothing about anything and his missing knowledge could fill a library 10x over
lostlittletimeonthis
Who would have thought that the guy who couldn't name the three branches of government would not know anything about anything else
SalmonTheWise
Who insists that china doesn't have a single windmill.
Userlivewire
He doesn’t care about coal. It’s just those companies bribe better than alternative energy companies do.
do7rkb5n
I saw it explained somewhere that renewable energy sources are sources that cannot be controlled (ie: monetized). So the existing energy lobby, and whoever makes money off of that industry, fights these tooth and nail.
onlymostofthetime
the whole windmill cancer thing really was trump's sugar daddy aka the CEO of the coal company using him to spread propaganda. yuck.
Filolial
Trump said many things about windmills... that they cause cancer, that they are the leading cause of bird deaths, that they are killing whales, that they don't generate any meaningfull power, that they are ugly and ruin the landscape. He is trying different lies everytime, whatever it takes to please the coal and oil companies.
TrilithonStone
His objective is to destroy everything valuable about the United States, because his allegiance is to Russia. Will he make money doing it, Yes, it's also a heist. Destroy our trade relations, destroy our commercial sectors, including agriculture, poison the water, air and land. Level the United States like Russia levels cities in Ukraine.
1stDrunkJoe
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1MmlvZTNlNzRnZXg1enBmZDF4NzBleDZ4bjdvOXdlenI2cWZiY2k4ZCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/LSKVmdIwZFeNEBKBxZ/200w.webp
whoopsidaz
It’s also personal with him. Offshore windmills ruined the view from his golf course (according to him).
KleptoKea
Hey you Americans elected that oil-loving rapist . Twice.
Prom7766
When people vote on something, there's usually more than one choice.
In this case, that means not everyone voted for him, and some people even voted against him. So there are Americans who don't support his actions and are willing to call him out.
I don't get what point you're trying to make, but that's why people complain. No group of people is a monolith.
KleptoKea
I didn't say all Americans voted for him. I said the Americans elected him. One person votes. A People elect, and the world saw less than a third of the Americans voted against him in the last election. That's a hefty number that can't be forgotten and it does leave us wondering what the hell is going on with the average mentality among Americans, especially when we don't see them rise up to remove their Nazis from office as other populations have done and would do in a fraction of the time.
KleptoKea
Regarding the accusations of the other user here, they were reported by me and others for spamming abuse across multiple threads. Seems they're aggrieved by that. I don't have extra accounts, but I wonder if they are projecting their own behaviour, because for a long time, someone's been obsessively doing that to me, stalking and using multiple accounts to downvote everything. I'll even post a test reply to a comment I posted years ago, and it'll get multiple downvotes, sometimes within minutes.
CaveJohnsonHatesLemons
Dont bother this person is a psychopath in NZ absolutely disgustingly obsessed with shit talking Americans online.
They dont deserve actual responses like this because they ignore them then use multiple accounts to downvote.
KleptoKea
I'm sorry but you sound like you're projecting. I have only one account. I shit talk fascism and trump and anyone who enables either. You on the other hand spammed me with abuse on over a dozen separate threads. I won't diagnose you as a psychopath, but you were unhinged, to put it lightly. You deserved to be muted and reported. You would have done the same. I only have one account. The other dv's you got were from other real people. Now how about you stop stalking me and find a hobby.
fireflyseasontwo
Looks like Star Fleet HQ is going to be in Beijing instead of San Fran
rezpawner
It just dawned on me that it sort of makes sense, since they are now the least fascist superpower, which feels pretty strange.
CallMeCourierSix
Holy shit dude. You swallowed that r/sino pill whole didn't you...
punnorific
Backing up what @OatmealChocolateChipCookies has said, imagine authoritarianism not as a bar but more of a colour wheel - it’s possible to travel far enough in either direction that you end up in the same place
Trislar
being such a tankie is embarrassing
OatmealChocolateChipCookies
Least? I would disagree; the description fits China to a T: "Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology [...] characterized by support for a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism
PetricusGaming
Don't believe the Chinese soft power propaganda, they sell you these technological advances while continue to abuse human rights
Rebatu
Dont believe the US propaganda that China is evil.
I know multiple people that lived there during their studies and every one of them is shocked when I question them about the negative stuff I hear about China online.
They look at me like Im some sort of insane person on a InfoWars podcast.
The US is just jealous it works better than licking corporate boots.
KerryCoder
Oh no, they're still *incredibly fascist*. But it's a matter of degrees.
PetricusGaming
China has 1 political party that controls everything. 0 oppositions. Ethnic oppression, slavery, 0 privacy and constant surveillance, etc. All the issues that the US is now facing, but already systematically implemented. I think the US is in a horrible state, but there is no freaking way China is less fascist than the US at the current time.
Rebatu
A single political party doesnt mean you dont have opposing opinions within the party on how to achieve a certain goal. It just means they agree on one goal. And the tripartite division in power between the seats of the secretary, party head and president keep their power in check.
We had that system in Yugoslavia. Every street had a representative on the local council, every city had one representative from that council, every district one from each city, the main senate one from each district.
Mgxr44
The peoples assembly has over 9 different parties in it right now dude… what are you talking about.
PetricusGaming
There are currently 8 non-opposition parties in the CCP controlled national assembly. They exist because CCP allows them. They can't oppose CCP proposals. This is like your abuser saying "I'm going to fuck you in the ass tonight." And all you can say are "How about lube to make it easier?" "Maybe some foreplay first?" Saying "No." is going to lead straight to the gulag.
Rebatu
Where is the slavery?
Zero privacy? Google cameras per sq km, China cities dont even pass the top 20.
Its Washington, Dubai, North Korean cities, Buenos Aires..
US corpos built backdoors on devices as part of their govt contracts.
Google just gave user data to the govt about antiICE apps that help avoid ICE raids.
Ethnic oppression? Compared to the US? Are you kidding?
Ugyrs are semi-literate nomads blocking strategic logistics, you persecute black people because of their skin color.
FrancsTireur
See theres a twist isnt there, because technically fascism is meant to be orderly and everyone kept in line by strict control; 1984 style.
And you could argue some aspects of 1984 Ingsoc definitely are more prevelant in China than elsewhere. However what we most associate with fascism is the random violence, the disorder, the imperialism, the disappearances and the powerful elite for whom none of their rules actually apply.
Thats not China.
Thats the US, and Russia.
In China you know the 1/
Covidien8768
Getting Big Hero 6 vibes from the city San Fransokyo
divingin
My first thought as well.
chef4evr
The very first thought I had the moment I saw it
Kehy
Big Hero 6 always had fantastic landscapes
Ricdesan
(golf clap)
dracklen
IMHO they did a great job blending fiction and actual technology in Big Hero 6 to make the fiction feel more grounded. Also I just love Baymax :D
JarJarBinksKisser
San Fransokyo always made me think that the Axis powers won WW2. & Japan took over the US West Coast. Giving us San Fransokyo.
JonatasAM
Ugh too me a week to even make this comment. I saw it like somehow the US pulled Japan to the West Cost and made a bridge connecting it to San Francisco
JonatasAM
Either that or Japan Atlantized itself and everybody moved to SFokyo.
Leonon
The in-story reason is that after the 1906 earthquake it was rebuilt mostly by the Japanese using their style of architecture.
RAJrios
Neat, was this explained in the comics?
Stackr1
Man in the high castle
DefinitelyaHumanNotanAlien
Good show. Veeery hard to market. 😄
SedatedSl0th
Draquez1
it always felt post ww3 and they rebuilt on the dead nations of the past.
JonatasAM
I just see as a future where I don't know, impossible is here. I love the concept and it is rarely explored
unluckyandbored
The canon reason is after the 1906 earthquake, the Japanese rendered aid to the US and helped rebuild the city.
IhopeUgetwhatUvoted4
Turbines are fine, but solar is the way.
Type17
Some places get more wind than sunshine, and we still need power at night, so the ideal would be solar, turbines and a battery to soak up the excesses/fill in the gaps.
Colopty
The best option is a diversified energy portfolio.
JonatasAM
WallStreetEnergy
shadowofacrow
Yes, but it doesn't hurt to diversify... ya know... incase we decide we want a little nuclear winter.
drunkbs
No nuclear winter until you finish your WWIII
JonatasAM
Now you can go play with your sticks and stones.
TungstenOrbital
Global warming will cancel it out
homoerection
We have nuclear winter at home.
brownribbon
Just think of the wind generation potential from the shock wave!
shadowofacrow
Nuclear wind power... the only choice for sustainable power. *face melts off*
JonatasAM
Turns out the fans are to blow the radation away and they require nuclear to work
KarenFromTheHOA
As a treat
WillLickNudibranchsForBUzz
As a treat!
nyamcat
Why are so many people falling for chinas greenwashing? Just because they do some Publicity stunt, doesnt mean they care about the Environment. They litteraly paint landscapes green to make them look healthy from sattelite. They Pump out 10x irradiated water in to the ocean than Fukushima and so much more
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
Google is free dude
peterchen
Can't do good unless you do perfect, amirite?
This is technologically interesting: you don't have to look for "good places", and with a bit of storage you can supply a village - *anywhere*, no power distribution infrastructure needed.
mynamespaul
Is the data that they’re approaching carbon neutrally faster than other major countries simply a lie? Any source on that? IDGAF why they’re doing it, just that they are.
epithymetic
The only data I’ve seen showing they are approaching carbon neutrality is their own government data, and it doesn’t square with the reality that they have a ton of coal power plants under construction. The National gov may not even realize the problem, since local bureaucrats have historically fudged their numbers to make themselves look good.
epithymetic
China began construction on 94.5 gigawatts of brand new coal power plants in 2024 alone. It’s a little hard to believe they are making serious progress on reaching carbon neutrality.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/chinas-construction-of-new-coal-power-plants-reached-10-year-high-in-2024/
mynamespaul
But China produces like 4000gw? 94gw is a drop in the bucket. They’re claiming to have added 600gw of capacity in 2025 alone. If only 94 of that is fossil fuel, even if that is the exaggerated/cleaned up number… unless their data is a complete and total fabrication (and like, i guess it could be? That’s why I’m asking) then they’re approaching carbon neutrally faster than any other major power by far. For comparison, Depending only you read USA claims 50 or 60GW in 2025…
epithymetic
94 GW was just the new coal plants. 60% of what already exists is also coal. And then there’s oil and natural gas to consider.
Both the US and China claim large percentages of their power come from renewable sources. But in both countries, the claims rest on government-collected and provided data. I don’t really trust either to be honest/accurate.
zonedymo24
Because they are no more fake then any other government out there? and they have made plans to adress their enviromental impact which they did not have to do at all.
Why are so many people fallingg for anti china propaganda? its mostly based on fear they are going to be the future world superpower.
epithymetic
Because they’re good at propaganda and have lots of experience with it.
China has 1,195 coal power plants (4x more than India which is #2) and 95% of the coal power plants under construction are in China.
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/ 🙄
nyamcat
This, they only do these green energy stunts to gain a better image while aktivly hiding and increacing their actual emmisions
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
No, actually their emissions are going down… they hit that goal 5 years early btw
bekkayya
yeah all the solar panels the rest of the world are buying from them to do any of their carbon offset whatsoever are probably fake too! they dont have any! both sides of this propaganda have reached clearly absurd levels. They're a government. A state. We know how states act. Calm down.
worldrecordstudios
Did you know that there was a massacre at tiananmen square?
bekkayya
A massacre? In a State? Not in my state! In my state we....*checks notes* oh god, oh god no
worldrecordstudios
Tiananmen Square is a plaza, not a state. There was a massacre there.
bekkayya
wow that is stunningly dumb
Mgxr44
Btw, chinas goal was to be carbon neutral by 2060, and now they’re actually expected to beat that goal.
https://www.hbs.edu/bigs/china-poised-to-meet-carbon-neutrality-goal-before-2060
SnarfyMcSnarferson
China's carbon emissions have been flat for 2 years now. The share of renewables is growing the fastest
Mgxr44
Yeah, but don’t tell that to the libs, they can’t handle the truth
WindowStreetJournal
Sinopaganda
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
Then trust other sources
TheFoodBaby
It is 100% greenwashing. They still produce a third of the entire global CO2 emissions and their coal productions keep rising as well as they try to meet energy demand in their country. They didn't meet their previous plan either, despite everyone trying to greenwash their individual numbers.
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
You should do at least a little research before spouting misinformation dude. They already hit their goal of capping emissions… FIVE YEARS EARLY I might add
Arbitrarynamehere
I wish we would take some fuckin notes from China, however you feel about em
FingerPuppeteer
Yep. They are a TRUE Super Power country. They have both the resources and the man power to be self-sufficient. We Americans, on the other hand, need imports due to lack of a bluecollar, factory-working force.
Arbitrarynamehere
Global trade isn't inherently a bad thing and China is still very reliant on it as well.
DongleDingler
They said China has the potential to be self-sufficient, not that they currently are
TELunus
There's a lot I don't love about their government, but yeah I would love it if our government here in Canada could take some notes on long term planning from them
AllMaktAtTengilVarBefriare
Way too many people trusting China here lol
zonedymo24
I dont trust any government anymore , they are all two faced, so I give China as much the "benefit of doubt" as any other but atleast china CLAIMS to be working towards a greener world and presents itself as such the world while others basically just shrug and openly invest in non green solutions (even though China can help them out) soooo yeah.
AllMaktAtTengilVarBefriare
Then you are deluded
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
blindows1127001
They have good reasons to not use coal/gas which they have to import. They aren't necessarily doing it strictly for environmental reason, but national security reasons.
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
AllMaktAtTengilVarBefriare
And most likely lying through their teeth when saying how effective it is. China is exactly like Russia, it is more important to them how they are seen then actually reaching any goal.
ThingsThatDontJustifyGenocide
Meanwhile America's just gonna elect more fascists and go pure-coal and China will eventually export their factories to here.
catherinecc
Yankee prison labor will be the cheapest in the world...
ThingsThatDontJustifyGenocide
Nah, China wouldn't be using slave-american labor in 2060, that'd be beneath them
catherinecc
Humans are humans and they're not going to forget being fucked over and continuously humiliated by the west for generations.
pixelsnader
Are Uy ghur about that?
ThingsThatDontJustifyGenocide
Yeah. They already got their own, why export that?
zuurg
Horseshit. The credible parts of that article (ie the parts not taken from 'trust me bro' ccp sources) mostly refute the title: China has 1,195 coal-fired power plants, more than 4x the number of the second biggest user, India, and are building 95% of all new coal plants.
pixelsnader
Yeah but they're also rolling out solar like a mofo. They're leapfrogging gas plants and benefitting off of lower priced coal due to low demand. Their goal isn't to constantly decrease CO2. Their goal is to use cheap coal for 4 decades to get huge momentum and financial space so they can jump straight to solar and ditch all coal. That won't quite entirely happen (steel refining will lag) but from a financial and general energy consumption perspective is quite viable.
pixelsnader
Their goal is are primarily economical and geopolitical: solar is free and doesn't need to be imported. They never said "we want to minimize our total CO2 output", they said "we want to stop using it by then".
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
Maybe just do a little google search before saying something so wrong so proudly. They probably do build a lot of coal plants, it doesn’t mean their emissions overall can’t be falling.
Please take down your comment as it is misinformation
Goldensands
Good grief you really trust China huh. Next you'll say the people of West Israel and their fascist pedo leader is doing great on child protective services.
Mgxr44
China is one of the few countries that actually speaks out against isreal you moron. The countries that support Israel are the ones that say China is bad. And then I’d ask you why is it that you trust the opinions of the countries that back Israel over the ones that stand up to it… I know critical thinking is hard, but give it a shot.
Goldensands
But my social credit score would go down if I started showcasing original thought. Fking clown.
zuurg
no it is not, wumao
epithymetic
In 2024, China began construction on 94.5 gigawatts of new coal power plants. There’s no way to square that with the claim that they are going to peak carbon emissions in 2030.
The gov also reported that it was only going to permit 25 GW of coal plants to begin operations in the first half of 2025. But their own industrial bureau bragged that 75 GW began operations in that same time period.
epithymetic
https://www.carbonbrief.org/chinas-construction-of-new-coal-power-plants-reached-10-yea">/">https://www.carbonbrief.org/chinas-construction-of-new-coal-power-plants-reached-10-year-high-in-2024/
https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/chinas-coal-is-losing-ground-but-not-letting-go/
Mgxr44
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-chinas-co2-emissions-have-now-been-flat-or-falling-for-21-months/
They already beat that goal dude. That’s the power of democratic centralism and a planned economy.
Can you imagine any capitalist economy hitting a goal like that FIVE YEARS EARLY
epithymetic
I can’t imagine any government reporting accurate numbers when there is a political capital to be had from fudging numbers. Ultimately, everyone is repackaging numbers reported by local bureaucrats who have an incentive to make optimistic reports. This is true in most countries. If you believe gov reports, the USA had peak carbon emissions in 2007 and is down 18% since then.
zuurg
lol 'democratic centralism', what a joke. fk off wumao.
Mgxr44
Do you even know what that means? I’m guessing not.
Exyr
Why would they use helium? Thats not exactly renewable
WillLickNudibranchsForBUzz
We just need to refine nuclear fusion so 2 deuterium atoms fuses to 1 helium. Then it'll be renewable.
Evenmoreuselessname
Yes, they honestly should have used hydrogen. This thing is unmanned, it'd be way cheaper and easily renewed as it leaks out.
NeoAcario
It'll make up the electricity used to hydrolyze the water to keep it topped off in seconds per day. We are far too afraid of a little risk to avoid using the most optimal solutions.
JonatasAM
So far down the comments.
zonedymo24
well IF (and thats a big if) they can just keep it inside and its not leaking, then its not going anywhere, its not used up.
Evenmoreuselessname
It slowly leaks out.
Evenmoreuselessname
(just to elaborate, helium is noble, and the size of a helium atom is significantly smaller than the size of an H2 molecule (how hydrogen "likes" to be). So it leaks very easily.
Kbantar
Hydrogen is a bit more dangerous and arguably worse by way of how extremely hard to hold onto it is. It will leak through literally any container rather quickly. This sounds like proof of concept more than near future infrastructure, IMO.
Evenmoreuselessname
H2 molecules are bigger than He atoms. He leaks worse than H2, but without the embrittlement issues. For unmanned infrastructure, H2 would be a better choice, IMO.
Kbantar
Really? Well, then I stand corrected. So the only problem then becomes one of the expense of cracking water.
Evenmoreuselessname
You could use a miniscule fraction of the turbine output for electrolysis... still FAR cheaper than mining irreplaceable helium!
algoritham
True, but helium is rare and non-renewable....and we need it for things like MRI machines.
SamaelQliphoth
See, they just need to use xenon and turn it upside-down.
*taps head*
kirmes
You mean they can use xenon in Australia?
pixelsnader
¿uouəx
idiotsonfire
This is a concept that needs to just be abandoned in favor of a sturdy nuclear design. Stuff like this is techbro BS.
ralphmelish
Nuclear is not sustainable in the long run. Wind and solar are the best we have right now. This project stinks a little to be honest, I can't believe the claims they're making yet.
BIDWK
IIRC like 1% of the waste is COMPLETELY non recyclable and requires specialised dumping. The rest can be used in BREEDER reactors or numerous other applications like imaging devices. Bigger issue is supporting the recycling industry for it to ensure it gets used; but that goes for all industries, there are a LOT on non recyclables involved in other energy sources *cough solar cough*
DataKooma
Nothing is sustainable in the long run if the run is long enough.
JonatasAM
Depends on how long the long run is. We're talking long run, not running out of where to run.
idiotsonfire
Not sustainable? I was a US Navy nuke, I have over a dozen contacts that are nukes, a former shipmate is working on a Japanese nuke plant as a permanent resident, one buddy lives in France, a handful of buddies work on breeder reactors. I want to read the documentation that says that nuclear is "not sustainable over the long run." That is an extraordinary claim.
zonedymo24
ok....where do you leave the radiactive waste then? because that is the problem...
idiotsonfire
That just sounds like coal/nat gas propaganda to me that nuclear power isn't sustainable, despite having lived in a town for 20 years that had a nuke reactor ~50mi away that had been in operation for over sixty years. Nuclear power is a renewable resource and not just that, its vital for medicine, geology, and aviation, not to a dozen other industries.
rolliefingers
The 1.25 mile long tether and the outer shield of the airship is a feat of engineering made from a resin-based composite interwoven with carbon fiber and Kevlar. This composite is engineered to be weather-resistant and conductive enough to act as a lightning shield, allowing electrical current to flow across the outer surface rather than penetrating the helium-filled interior. And I guess it fucking better be, because kablam amirite?
WhatisBug
Helium is an inert noble gas. It's on the same column as the noble gasses like Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium .
SomethingSomethingUserName123
What do they do when the sind goes woooosh really loud (storm sound i guess :-)
SomethingSomethingUserName123
Do thst simply bring it down again?
PaulSzy23
A feat of engineering for sure, but have they thought about washing each piece of beautiful clean coal? No? Well, they'll never win the Beautiful Clean Coal trophy with that attitude.
mmmerf1
Hydrogen is more a hearty BOOM than a Kablam tho. Much like a WHOMPH. But yes, Helium is better. I mean, BORING, but better.
Are these things cost-effective? How long must they run in order to pay for themselves? Because these have dozens of real world applications- getting power back to disaster sites where grids experience widespread damage, heck, illumination of same, with a little creativity you could practically put another sun in the sky, or at least give as much light as a full moon...
rolliefingers
MobiusPrime
how heavy is the cable that sends the power from it to the grid
Probablyimaginary
No one here seems to have mentioned this, but helium is very expensive and hydrogen is very cheap. There have been instances where folks use the cheaper, claim they used the helium and then guess what...kablam is absolutely right. It happened recently I think in China with balloons and and elevator.
JonatasAM
Hydrogen balloons in the elevator or Hydrogen, Baloons and an Elevator?
Probablyimaginary
Yes
echonite
For some reason I read "resin-based" as "raisin-bread"...
SnozzBerries6969
mmmerf1
Time for breakfast
SirSnickleFritz
We see what we want to lol
echonite
I dont even like raisin bread. lol.
PinbotWizard
Where's the Kaboom? There's supposed to be an Earth-shattering Kaboom!
AtLeastImWearingUnderwear
Wrong gas. Helium is as stable as it gets, literally. Lowest atomic number noble gas. Won't react to shit.
Sh1tMovieGroup
Not even a your momma joke?
TaggerXA
AtLeastImWearingUnderwear
This fan is so big it could keep yo mama cool
Forensickle
It rises above such things
Bubble181
Well, you're momma isn't exactly stable
rolliefingers
Oh wait I'm thinking of hydrogen. I'm think of o the humanity. But helium, kablam a little? Or nah
Feralkyn
When Helium is ignited it actually goes "ow"
MKUltraMega
NotACanadian
Wanna blow us all to SHIT, Sherlock!?
jimbobular
If it's absorbing a lightning strike rather than it striking the ground, really, it's negative kablam
InitHello
Zero kablam ever except in a lab or the core of a star. And even in a lab the stuff to make it kablam kablams harder than the helium itself.
TeenyTinyTubeyDratini
Well, obviously, the core concept, Lana!
AntaNce
Is helium a really small molecule? I used a tank of hydrogen for platinum casting. Special hose, regulator, even with valve closed it lost<
AntaNce
a tiny bit of gas all the time. Is helium easier to contain?
rolliefingers
Helium is generally considered easier to contain than hydrogen primarily because it is non-flammable and chemically inert, rather than because of its molecular size. While helium atoms are smaller (260 pm) than hydrogen molecules (289 pm), both are notoriously hard to store due to their ability to diffuse through materials.
AntaNce
Yeah. I guess it makes me wonder how the gas is maintained in the structures. I forget if helium is hard to collect or make. And how they get it to the floating structures. Seems like it would be costly. IDK
FeedTheNachoMan
No kablam but it will turn into a giant yellow-pink light.
Tarmaccian
No kablam. There will likely be only pop, fsssss, ahhhh, smash, and possibly mmphmhmm… then depending on what electronics are on board, maybe buzz, snap, and fwoosh, followed by weeoooweeoooweeooo and splash.
derrymerbles
5/7. No notes. Excellent.
Tarmaccian
The only note I have to add is that the source of my knowledge in this matter, the HALE-D, did not in fact “crash and burn”.
It had an unscheduled descent from altitude, then caught fire.
Very different.
Somnophobe
The only way you’re getting a kablam from helium is fusion, but if it was that easy, they’d be using fusion power instead of wind.
rolliefingers
ReaperCDN
All of the elements on the right side of periodic table, like Helium, are stable. They do not kablam.
JonatasAM
Is that what defines their nobility?
ReaperCDN
Yeah actually. Their by and large inability to react with other compounds and "mingle" so to speak is exactly why they're called that. They remain aloof and apart from the others.
meruhen
Helium is one of the noble gases. No kablam at all.
ParaspriteHugger
Unless...
TheMostKink
A virtuous gas, free from the stench of human failings.
RhymingEverything
(mmm yes indubitably, noble indeed)
AGiantSlor
No kablam.
rolliefingers
At least not on that day, I can tell you.
PowerOfChoice
Kablamn't
theskepticinme
No. But if the helium comes out, turbine fall down
rolliefingers
This kills the turbine
strikt9
And it will come out. I believe it’s pretty hard to contain. I also thought that there wasnt a massive supply of it
JonatasAM
I thought it was literally running away from us. Party balooms are getting rare.
thesameasyours
Im no kablam doctor, but I wanna say there might be a kablam
InsertUnimaginativeUsernameHere
Lana: And what part of that are you still not getting, exactly?
rolliefingers
Maybe if you had studied you would be a kablam doctor. like your mother and I wanted, sacrificing and working to buy you all those books and explosion potions, but no, you had to get that whore Sally pregnant, and now here we all are in the same tiny apartment, while you sit around and talk with your "frens" on that stupid website all day, trying to earn your useless points, why don't you go out and earn some money you little shit?? Now your mother's cryiing, good job. You HAPPY NOW?!
thesameasyours
To be fair there was a slight kablam on the doctor when the baby was born
rolliefingers
That is pretty sweet
ePluribus
There might be a POP as pressure is released, but nope, no boom. Helium is non-combustible, not even a little bit.
thesameasyours
What if you mix it with dynamite?
ePluribus
I SERIOUSLY doubt they installed dynamite in their floating power generator. WASTTS.
ElChupaNuggra
MithridateEupator
And what about that are you still not getting?
ElChupaNuggra
TsukariYoshi
More than anything, I'm just impressed that someone came here to post literally the exact same thing I was going to post... except mine's pointlessly a gif! Ha!
Whirlednews
I was going to post this:
ElChupaNuggra