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sapinker's profile
Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker
Verified account
@sapinker

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Steven PinkerVerified account

@sapinker

Cognitive scientist at Harvard.

Boston, MA
pinker.wjh.harvard.edu
Joined January 2010

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    Steven Pinker‏Verified account @sapinker Aug 18

    Nontechnical, non-paywalled explanation here: Solar energy can now be converted into liquid fuel, broadening its range of useshttp://time.com/3706444/solar-energy-liquid-fuel/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-button-sharing …

    7:41 AM - 18 Aug 2018
    • 281 Retweets
    • 590 Likes
    • Von Thomas RunningBrook0 Water From Air Joe Bishoff #VoteBlue🌊🌊🌊🌊 Paul Mick Patrick Jean Starck David  Soaring Redhawk Jib BE Cases
    25 replies 281 retweets 590 likes
      1. New conversation
      2.  🚗 🚌 🚚 🚲‏ @EricPaulDennis Aug 18
        Replying to @sapinker

        That's literally how we got oil.

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
      3. Thomas Rotthier‏ @MacLovin87 Aug 18
        Replying to @EricPaulDennis @sapinker

        Can you elaborate?

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      4. bctenas‏ @bctenas Aug 18
        Replying to @MacLovin87 @EricPaulDennis @sapinker

        this is a crude description of photosyntesis. Only it keeps the chemical energy in simpler carbohydrates, plants and bacteria use later to build more complexe molecules.

        2 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
      5. Thomas Rotthier‏ @MacLovin87 Aug 18
        Replying to @bctenas @EricPaulDennis @sapinker

        So this technology is a good thing :-)? Or is it just a minor step with little impact?

        1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
      6. bctenas‏ @bctenas Aug 18
        Replying to @MacLovin87 @EricPaulDennis @sapinker

        It is a proof of concept, a experiment made to show it is possible. Dependind on the economical viability and scalability, (points not discussed here) anything between a curiosity and World-breakingly amazing.

        0 replies 0 retweets 5 likes
      7. End of conversation
      1. New conversation
      2. David Kahn, MD‏ @DavidKahnMD Aug 18
        Replying to @sapinker

        Each of these steps uses far more energy then you get out.

        1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
      3. Jeff‏ @Jeff06701301 Aug 18
        Replying to @DavidKahnMD @sapinker

        You have a source for that assertion or is that just your opinion?

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      4. Dr. Bauer‏ @Annoyed_Science Aug 18
        Replying to @Jeff06701301 @DavidKahnMD @sapinker

        Thermodynamics

        1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
      5. Jeff‏ @Jeff06701301 Aug 18
        Replying to @Annoyed_Science @DavidKahnMD @sapinker

        That's not an argument

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      6. Dr. Bauer‏ @Annoyed_Science Aug 18
        Replying to @Jeff06701301 @DavidKahnMD @sapinker

        Yes it is. You can at best recover 100% of the energy you put into a chemical reaction, but due to entropy you almost always lose energy in the process. Tranforming it into liquid fuel loses much or the original solar energy.

        4 replies 1 retweet 1 like
      7. Dr. Bauer‏ @Annoyed_Science Aug 18
        Replying to @Annoyed_Science @Jeff06701301 and

        Plus you also lose a lot when you go to use it. That's been the problem with creating liquid fuel from solar is that you lose a crap ton of energy from it.

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
      8. End of conversation
      1. Dino Rosati‏ @dino_rosati Aug 18
        Replying to @sapinker

        Reality check. Maximum theoretical efficiency of solar to biomass is 4.5% for C3 plants and algae, for agriculture it’s 1% with little variation by species or location. Authors claim 3.8% under lab conditions, and 0.7% for isopropanol output. Not a very practical fuel source.

        0 replies 0 retweets 5 likes
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      1. New conversation
      2. Bayard Friedman‏ @BayardFriedman Aug 18
        Replying to @sapinker

        @kellandickens worth watching. If it can be done at scale or at reasonable cost, it’d be scary for my business

        1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
      3. Kellan Dickens‏ @kellandickens Aug 18
        Replying to @BayardFriedman @sapinker

        Very cool. Scale & cost are the right questions

        0 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
      4. End of conversation
      1. New conversation
      2. John Harrington‏ @thebeartiger Aug 18
        Replying to @sapinker

        Steve, in your current book you uncritically cite the work of a notorious right-wing critic of solar suggesting that solar is impractical as a source of energy. Like you, I support nuclear, reject antinuk, however you have fallen victim to anti-solar, which is equally pernicious.

        1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
      3. Positive Sam‏ @SetUpUsTheB0mb Aug 18
        Replying to @thebeartiger @sapinker

        Dude, you're responding to a post hyping a new (and huge) development in solar. What.

        2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      4. Dr. Bauer‏ @Annoyed_Science Aug 18
        Replying to @SetUpUsTheB0mb @thebeartiger @sapinker

        It's not huge.

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      5. Positive Sam‏ @SetUpUsTheB0mb Aug 18
        Replying to @Annoyed_Science @thebeartiger @sapinker

        Gigantic, then.

        2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      6. Positive Sam‏ @SetUpUsTheB0mb Aug 18
        Replying to @SetUpUsTheB0mb @Annoyed_Science and

        Got any idea of the range of a hydrogen-fuelled car? Go look it up then say it's not huge again.

        3 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      7. Ed Byard‏ @oxfordteddy Aug 18
        Replying to @SetUpUsTheB0mb @Annoyed_Science and

        Shame they're an utter pile of crap. @PenPrecise has a great pinned thread on this.

        1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
      8. Positive Sam‏ @SetUpUsTheB0mb Aug 19
        Replying to @oxfordteddy @Annoyed_Science and

        I'm not partisan. If you prefer electrics, yay.

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      9. Ed Byard‏ @oxfordteddy Aug 19
        Replying to @SetUpUsTheB0mb @Annoyed_Science and

        An HFCV is an electric vehicle.

        1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
      10. 8 more replies

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