Volkswagen exec reaffirms commitment to diesel: ‘Now it is absolutely clean’

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
I know there are windmills that are producing power. But both prior posts acknowledge that there are obsolete or abandoned windmills there. That's all I was saying. It's a great location for wind farms, but I wonder what percentage of the windmills there are actually productive.
I wonder how many of them are ready to come down and enter the scrap pile. Maybe that steel can be recycled into base material again, however, that would take costly manpower, equipment and more energy use.
 

atc98002

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Location
Auburn WA
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium (sold back), 2009 Jetta (sold back), 80 Rabbit diesel (long gone)
On that chart it's nice to see that here in the Pac NW we still have almost 50% hydro power. The way the environmentalists have been lambasting hydro dams I wasn't sure our level was still as high as that. And the 22% coal is going to be gone I believe within 5 years. Add to that our relatively low electric rates, and you can see why my PHEV is so cost effective. Its cost per mile is better than my Passat TDI was, and if fuel prices start rising (a distinct possibility with the situation in the middle east) it's even better.

That said, I'm considering the possibility of teleworking more extensively, and moving further away from my office. I work with someone who lives in Spokane (eastern edge of WA) and files into Seattle one day a week, stays at a hotel for one night, then flies home after working the next day. He says it's cheaper than maintaining an apartment near work and driving home each weekend. But that's a 5+ hour drive under no-traffic or weather conditions. I'm looking at a town about 100 miles away from the office, and just driving across the mountains once a week (or once every two weeks if possible), unless the pass is closed for snow. For that trip I'd find a Golf or Jetta TDI. Driving my PHEV would cost just as little as a diesel (it gets about 60 MPG on engine power) but would rack up miles on a leased vehicle. Shoot, I'd even go with an older IDI diesel for a drive like that. But since I'd like heated seats and A/C, that more than likely means something new enough to be a TDI.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
I know there are windmills that are producing power. But both prior posts acknowledge that there are obsolete or abandoned windmills there. That's all I was saying. It's a great location for wind farms, but I wonder what percentage of the windmills there are actually productive.
I wondered the same thing and I was surprised that in 2018 more than 30% of all CA
electrical generation was from renewable sources - more than triple nuclear.
The San Gorgonio region (Palm Springs) obviously is a contributing factor to this.
In the US as a whole, in 2018 the percentage was 17.1% electrical from renewables.
Nuclear energy in the whole US for 2018 was 19.3% by comparison.
For 2019 those figures may well be reversed.
Your original post refers to renewable power as 'a very small portion of power generation'.
In the same post you express surprise of how much energy is produced by nuclear.
This is what I meant when I said you see what you want to see.
 
Last edited:

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
My surprise regarding Nuclear is because I believe there are either 1 or 2 operating plants in New England. They've closed Vermont Yankee, Pilgrim (near me) in recent years. Of course no new plants are coming online.

And I'd suggest we all see what we want to see regarding renewables. I suspect that 17.1% number. I suppose it could be true, but I'm wonder how much of it is actually used and not shed. I know, for example, transmission over distances from windmills is a challenge.

And don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of renewables. I've generated all my household electric with solar panels for the past 6 years.
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
eGRID covers what actually made it out to the grid as I understand, not installed capacity. So, those figures are including the effects of curtailment.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
My surprise regarding Nuclear is because I believe there are either 1 or 2 operating plants in New England. They've closed Vermont Yankee, Pilgrim (near me) in recent years. Of course no new plants are coming online.
And I'd suggest we all see what we want to see regarding renewables. I suspect that 17.1% number. I suppose it could be true, but I'm wonder how much of it is actually used and not shed. I know, for example, transmission over distances from windmills is a challenge.
And don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of renewables. I've generated all my household electric with solar panels for the past 6 years.
You suspect the published and reviewed data based on what? It doesn't feel right?
Is transmission for nuclear or petro based electrical somehow not a challenge?
Reactors as well as petro power plants have location-based issues due to their need
for fuel transport and storage, cooling requirements and the smokestack emissions.

Look, while we mess around with old cars and get older ourselves,
the world goes on toward increasing the renewable energy baseline every day.
The best news that nobody knows is that solar and wind energy are now cheaper than
nuclear energy and will continue to increase its contribution while nuclear is allowed to
fade into a well deserved obscurity.
 
Last edited:

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Yes, it didn't "feel" right. And now I know why. Very little searching shows that 43% of that 17.1% is hydro. And only 6% of that 17% is solar. That "feels" right to me. I know that hydro is renewable (duh), but we were talking about windmills, not dams.

Hydro and windmills have location-based issues, too. Windmill towers tall enough to get above the trees are prohibited in most towns where I live. And some towns are considering banning free standing solar arrays. It's all about aesthetics, and some of the odd (in my opinion) concerns about windmills. And I'm sure you're aware of people's ecological concerns regarding dams and hydro plants.

Given the little I understand about wind generated power, putting the supply as close as possible to the point of consumption seems to make sense. I would love to have a windmill to compliment the solar array at my house. Not gonna happen in this town.

Here's an example of why I suspected the number. I was in LA visiting family weekend before last. My brother-in-law has a solar array on his house. He didn't install the array, he bought the house with it less than a year ago. As far as he knows his utility doesn't offer net metering. And he's typically not home during peak generation periods. So a lot of what the panels generate isn't consumed as far as I could tell. So how is the output of his system calculated for statistical purposes? By the size of the array? By its actual input into the grid? I just wonder.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
Currently in the US wind energy use is about 6 times solar energy use.
In fact, wind energy in the US for 2018 was about equal to hydropower.
Since hydropower is slow to increase compared to wind power, wind is likely ahead by now.
That's a lot of windmills somewhere. Not seeing them doesn't mean they don't exist.
As time marches on solar will probably win out, though, because it is easier to de-centralize.
 
Last edited:

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
If the home has a smart meter, even if the utility doesn't offer net metering billing, they may be able to account for the power supplied to the grid at that point.

In any case, with wind, you generally want as large of turbines as material science makes practical, and mount them as high as you can, to capture as much wind energy as possible. That generally encourages large farms of turbines, and then distribution from there. Wind can be absolutely ridiculously large scale if you get into flatlands, or near hilltops in rolling terrain.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
The size of industrial scale wind turbines has grown enormously since the 80's. I frequently see individual turbine blades getting transported on massive semi trailers, and they are gargantuan.
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
Recent article I read said the salmon and trout populations in the Columbia river system are near the point of critical failure. Orcas that are sustained by those species are near critical failure. The fish ladders in the dams don’t work that well. Where I live, about 10 years ago, one of TVA’s coal slurry ponds broke its banks and created a miles-long swath where nothing lived.

Meanwhile, utility companies coast to coast are bankrolling legislators to make it illegal (or prohibitively expensive) to sell your solar generated power to a willing buyer.
 

scooperhsd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Location
Kansas City KS
TDI
NB, 2000, RED(5 Speed conversion) 2015 Golf SE
If you want to see massive windfarms - take a drive on I70 In Western Kansas. I swear - there must at least 1000 of them . And they are TALL - with those turbine blades that need to be transported by oversized loads semi-trailers .


Now, not every area is blessed with such winds, but where it is possible....
 

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
If you want to see massive windfarms - take a drive on I70 In Western Kansas. I swear - there must at least 1000 of them . And they are TALL - with those turbine blades that need to be transported by oversized loads semi-trailers .


Now, not every area is blessed with such winds, but where it is possible....
Suspect way more than a 1000
Blight on flyover country
 

atc98002

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Location
Auburn WA
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium (sold back), 2009 Jetta (sold back), 80 Rabbit diesel (long gone)
At the risk of derailing the thread even more...:D

The FAA has a problem with these wind farms if they are too close to one of our radar sites. They can really wreck havoc with the data return, and of course that's unacceptable. As we move to ADS-B, with less reliance on radar for aircraft separation, this will of course become less of an issue. Because they are so tall, that gives the FAA the authority to approve or deny an application. Anything more than 200' AGL, and it doesn't have to be close to an airport. Of course, if you are close to an airport, the requirements are even stricter.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
They don't show that because it's still a very small portion of power generation. What I'm surprised at is how much of the generation is nuclear. We've been through waves of renewable generation in the past, just drive to Palm Springs to see all the idle Reagan era windmills. I hope it takes hold this time but low oil prices don't bode well for renewables.
I'm not surprised by the high number for nuclear energy in VA and the Carolinas. In Charlotte, we have two nuclear reactors, one coal plant, and three back-up hydros.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
If you want to see massive windfarms - take a drive on I70 In Western Kansas. I swear - there must at least 1000 of them . And they are TALL - with those turbine blades that need to be transported by oversized loads semi-trailers .


Now, not every area is blessed with such winds, but where it is possible....
The wind farms are also spreading all over Iowa. Wind has been used for centuries on a smaller scale. Most farmsteads in the Midwest and Plains states have one for pumping water and sometimes for power things like hay conveyors. Iowa has passed a law restricting how close to a house a wind turbine can be located. I guess it's a safety issue if the turbine explodes.
 

Rob Mayercik

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Location
NJ, U.S.A.
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, Baltic Green/Beige
The best news that nobody knows is that solar and wind energy are now cheaper than nuclear energy and will continue to increase its contribution while nuclear is allowed to fade into a well deserved obscurity.
You know, I really don't get the massive hate-on most folks have for nuclear. While I do agree that nuclear fission (at least, in the very old designs we use now) tends to cause a lot of very undesirable issues, I also think all that anti-nuclear aggression is stifling the research that would help get us to more "recent" designs (breeder reactors, molten-salt thorium setups, etc.) that produce far less toxic residues, and even further down the road to the good stuff - fusion.

Everyone wants the phone that does it all, all-electric transportation, and all that other whiz-bang stuff that's right out of the pages of science fiction.

Well, guess what? All that stuff in the sci-fi books is running on Nuclear Fusion (at least, the stuff on the planets - seems like the general consensus in sci-fi is that antimatter it a bit too "touchy" for use ground-side). Considering the sun's just a big fusion reactor, one could technically argue that ALL energy on earth is all powered by the "side effects" of nuclear fusion (I'd imagine that'd get an anti-nuclear zealot's knickers in a real twist, if you present it right...)

You want all the fancy sci-fi tech gizmos? You need the fancy sci-fi power source (fusion) to drive it.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I don't think the backlash from meltdowns like those at Fukushima and Chernobyl has had any meaningful impact on research into nuclear fusion as an energy source (other than the sun). It certainly hasn't helped with the popularity of nuclear fission reactors. Bottom line is nuclear is incredibly expensive- much, much moreso than wind and solar.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke

BeetleGo

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 21, 1998
Location
Cambridge, MA
TDI
5-door, 5-speed Golf GLS replaced BeetleGo.
VW's CEO, Herbert Diess has some rough sailing ahead, with criminal charges filed against him in Germany. He seems to be trying very hard to modernize VW, it would be a shame if he was removed from his position.
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/manufacturing/charges-for-vw-executives-mark-latest-bad-day-for-german-carmaker-1.4029894?mode=amp
German cars, inc. is starting to look like America car, inc. in the 70’s.... Pintos that went bang, Olds diesels in everything that went nowhere, Caddy 8,6,4, etc.
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
Considering the weight thrown around by bean counters in a supposedly engineering driven german firm like VW, it seems to me that CFO Potsch bears a much higher burden of responsibility for the entire debacle than his lawyers are claiming.

Cheers,

PH
 

TDI2000Zim

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Location
NJ
TDI
VW hat meinen '14 Passat TDiSE getötet.
So, is VW ever bringing back any diesel cars to Amerika?
 

atc98002

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Location
Auburn WA
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL Premium (sold back), 2009 Jetta (sold back), 80 Rabbit diesel (long gone)
So, is VW ever bringing back any diesel cars to Amerika?
Highly unlikely. The state and federal governments have cast it in such a bad light, there are many who might have considered it in the past will now shy away. There are of course a number of past and current diesel owners that understand the nonsense that swirls around, but I doubt there's enough of us to make a large enough market for one. Like it or not, the US is moving to electrification. In some ways it's good, but you don't throw the baby out with the bath water. There are still many valid use cases for diesel, and not just long distance trucking.
 
Top