Reply To: Focus fusion and transportation

[Brian H]

Aeronaut wrote:

Hmm….

So, the HVDC systems us AC transformers to change the voltage at each end, rectify/invert to/from DC at that voltage, etc.

SO, if you want a DC tranmission/distribution/household use system, at each step you invert to AC, use a conventional transformer to change the voltage up or down, then rectify back to DC…

Why would this be better???

If somebody (say a Peer) really wanted to do HVDC, we could generate the DC by re-fitting the Hoover Dam’s powerhouse with Faraday Disks. I suppose said Peer would have a strong position in copper futures, of course…

Aero;
Peer? No Peers in America. Moguls, senators, and Pork Kings, yes, but no Peers.

Rematog;
Each of those “steps” is lossy, of course. I suppose if the power is cheap enough, you don’t care, though.

Peers do officially sanctioned science. …
Actually, in the context of “peer review” the original intent was to do mutually sanctioned science, excluding kooks without submitting to fossilized authority, by using co-specialists and other “equals”.
It’s very interesting (link not to hand just now) that it now seems peer-reviewers get worse with experience, and counselling, using metrics, or other efforts to stop or reverse the process are useless. Such is the force of intellectual arrogance and group-think in concert!