Humans and Energy: Crash Course World History 207

[@iammrbeat]

Best. Substitute. Teacher. Ever.

[@crashcourse]

Thanks for being so nice, (mostly) everybody. -stan

[@sebasfantastico6140]

Hi

[@charlie1527]

Stan, stan he's the man, if John can't do it then Stan sure can!!

[@Punkification101]

You were awesome. Loved your video. Learned stuff and some other stuff. Maybe y'all should look into making an "Invasion of Ukraine part 2" video,

[@kslamme]

HATERS GON HATE, STAN I mean, you are 'the' Stan.

[@jelly647]

You're a natural

[@HaremuKingu]

So finally we meet the man John keeps screaming at

[@takeokushi3864]

who somehow also looks like a brother of his

[@murthyadivirk]

The legendary Stan shows himself?

[@johannahenriettekerge3173]

I'm glad stan got an episode, he did such a great job!

[@jordonnelson5002]

ikr

[@SlopNation]

He smashed it dint he

[@shaquilleoatmeal3703]

Everybody likes Stan

[@verdatum]

Well over a year later: "This _IS_ a video" Still absolute gold.

[@roysteves]

Same two years after THAT.

[@yoshi-ti9ch]

Same 3 years after THAT

[@maritessamson479]

Same 4 years after THAT.

[@dakshgoyal7023]

Same 5 years after THAT.

[@jeffbeasto3198]

Same 6 YEARS after that. it is 2020

[@crashcourse]

In which Stan Muller subs for John Green and teaches you about energy and humanity. Today we discuss the ideas put forth by Alfred Crosby in his book, Children of the Sun. Historically, almost all of the energy that humans use has been directly or indirectly generated by the sun, whether that be food energy from plants, wind energy, direct solar energy, or fossil fuels. Stan looks into these different sources, and talks about how humanity will continue to use energy in the future as populations grow and energy resources become more scarce.

[@stevenwills4660]

Stan is the Man.

[@marleyfrost1]

Thanks Stan.

[@EnderNasworthy]

Dang, I thought I was gonna get to slack off and pass notes, but danged if this sub didn't keep me just as captivated and continued the crashcourse tradition of forcing knowledge into my stubborn brain-pan. Great job Stan.

[@russellrichard5773]

Some items. The safety regulations and procedures of nuclear power plants were COMPLETELY overhauled after Three Mile Island. The way that problems are diagnosed and solutions are found was completely changed, and the way the plants operate was modified and retrofits were made. That will very probably never happen again. Chernobyl was the result of extreme stupidity and the Soviet government conducting an experiment on the reactor... without telling the reactor operators. And, the price was paid for that stupidity. Fukushima is the interesting one (which you oddly didn't reference), but that was the oldest and least advanced reactor in the Japanese portfolio. New reactors are built to different standards and to cover the problem that happened there.

[@Jaybiz98]

I like this guy he did a good job

[@Paulbarbato]

Stan did a great job! He even hit all the routine key vocal ques like "Thanks thought bubble!"

[@abdulazizbature2615]

I'm a geogra-peep 💯💪🏾

[@BlackkCobra]

I really like how you talk a bit slower than John, allowing the viewer to absorb the information at a more relaxed pace.

[@maxtaylor12]

+Jonas Bergvik you can change the speed of the video, on a computer atleast, it makes a bit more easier

[@balaenopteramusculus]

Understood! Me though, I like there are finally videos that are little up to speed ... :)

[@edgarmadrid9128]

Ironically I watch these videos at 1.5X speed (with captions, at times its fast but its do-able with captions)

[@hypnoticmonkeyam]

"can we watch a video?" - student "this is a video.." - teacher lol that was the best

[@BluueBiru]

Wow, even with a "substitute teacher" this show is still thought-provoking and interesting. Well done.

[@BradyPostma]

John Green is optional. You heard it here first!

[@okcringelord]

"Can we watch a video?" "This is a video." Brilliant.

[@BrassicaRappa]

Oh neat! Hi Stan! I remember you from the credits! It's kinda neat to see someone from behind the scenes, thanks for subbing in!

[@BrassicaRappa]

Oh wait, I've figured it out now. I don't remember you from the credits. You're the guy John is constantly talking to in every episode of Crash Course, ever. That makes a lot more sense. I'm not usually paying *that* much attention to the credits.

[@Jack7967]

Ohhh its THAT Stan. I am slow but hey that is cool to finally see him.

[@OptimusWombat]

What does Stan usually do?

[@realsammyt]

OptimusWombat Almost everything.

[@samlund8543]

I just realized that Stan was hiding in every scene of the thought bubble intro Nice :)

[@lyingmongoose]

I've seen every single Crash Course episode but I've never commented on one before, so first time here. I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the work you all put into each episode, and you did such a wonderful job, Stan! You should sub more often! Ignore anyone who says differently; they're not even worth the time it takes to read whatever hate they post. I also hope everything is okay with John, and best wishes!

[@sawztaK]

Hear hear!

[@semkoops]

Stan is great here. I don't mind him occasionally replacing John.

[@enlightedjedi]

Yes, he is!

[@paullambert3836]

John pauses, "what's that, Stan?" Makes me smile every time

[@RunItsTheCat]

"Can we watch a video?" "This IS a video." GG NO RE WP.

[@parikhhome3414]

RunItsTheCat s c fghl

[@parikhhome3414]

2er5680piyeas g l .bx

[@parikhhome3414]

the 1

[@parikhhome3414]

1#$/^*( 5 1 quo

[@parisrivers7707]

An open letter to Crash Course; Dear Crash Course, I don't usually comment on your youtube wall but I am a devoted follower and feel I need to speak out for once. I always think the episodes of Crash Course are of incredibly high quality and this is no exception. I just want to state that Mr. Muller is a fantastic substitute in light of Mr. Green's illness. I thought he did a great job and do not wish him to be discouraged from presenting in the future due to all l the various negative comments. That being said I miss John Green as well and I think everyone does fantastic work for the show. It's my first time commenting so I just want to say you guys are amazing and keep up the good work! Don't worry, I donate money to subbable. Also, I never forget to be awesome ;) Best Wishes, Paris Rivers

[@Matrinique]

OH, SO YOU'RE STAN! :D

[@VeteranVandal]

We finally met him.

[@LorenzoMarkovian]

Welcome Stan :) Excellent video and I hope to watch more in the future. Regards from Canada.

[@Ikelae]

I really hope we can see a bit more of him =)

[@sophialindstrom590]

And the usa, you did an amazing job fulling in for john. :)

[@Abraxas1177]

This guy is awesome! Bring'em up some time later...please?

[@ThePandaclash]

+Abraxas1177 This guy is the guy that made crash course... He's the producer

[@iBooa123]

He did Crash Course Intellectual Property, if you're interested

[@deborasiqueirarizzolopes7574]

Man, it was great to finally meet Stan! This episode was awesome, way to go, Stan!

[@Pirly25]

As a teacher, I love the fact that you had a sub and I know how much work it is to prepare for a sub! More work than being there!

[@dancarter7581]

It's impossible not to love Stan! John has already built him up so much!!!

[@GeWick1234]

I wanna see more of Stan in the future. Maybe you and john can have some sort of History Off video. That would be awesome

[@AwesomepianoTURTLES]

Epic Rap Battles of History: Crash Course's Stan Muller versus Crash Course's John Green?

[@enlightedjedi]

AwesomepianoTURTLES Good one, Herodotus should be the umpire!

[@Tyngdlyftning1]

AwesomepianoTURTLES John Green is an famous author.

[@Jothamvvw]

McEinstein2 *a famous

[@Uncannyallie]

Stan/10 would watch again

[@TheRiskyBrothers]

***** Stan Stan Stan in AfStaniStan

[@andy4an]

in 2014, USA got 20% of its power from Nuclear. You make it sounds like our nuclear energy was negligible.

[@mariojackle7847]

also the US has more nuclear power plants than any other country... I think the message the video contains at this point is really easy to misunderstand

[@Myrdin90]

weesh ful hes talking about the whole planet, not just your (relatively) small country. All humans on the entire planet need to work together to produxe renewable or sustainable energy for everyone, or else there will be migration crisies and devestating global wars.

[@arafdi]

Though he did say "nuclear power never caught on the US." When it did account for quite a significant amount of energy source in the US.

[@bearcatben4762]

And we are still building more

[@bearcatben4762]

@@Myrdin90 and united states is relatively small in land area and population (but not really) but it is as of right now still the biggest influencer of other nations

[@AaronfRogers]

That was one of the best intros in CrachCourse History. Whenever we had a supply teacher in school, we would ALWAYS ask if we were going to watch a video!

[@Bramtic]

Great job, Stan! I'm glad John is back on his feet now. Also, I think we need a video about the adventures of John-from-the-past and Stan-from-the-past. Best buddy comedy ever!

[@therealquade]

"A sub? Can we watch a video?" "This is a video" -- Made my day

[@downtempus]

Wow, he's THE Stan?! Amazing dude

[@NebAce]

Nice job, Stan! I might start reading Crosby's work now because this was such an interesting topic. Crash Course never fails to be awesome.

[@elz8604]

Stan needs his own show, for sure, i'd watch that nonstop

[@Ethan-yk3hi]

We need more videos with Stan hosting!

[@charlieherron2950]

A bit unfortunate that energy efficiency wasn't mentioned. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to transition to renewable energy without making our homes, offices, and industries far less wasteful. Perhaps more to the point, the cleanest (and cheapest) energy is that which you don't have to produce!

[@crashcourse]

Excellent point! -stan

[@bartz0rt928]

charlieherron I completely agree that increasing energy efficiency is extremely important. However, better energy efficiency has never yet lead to lower overall energy consumption. If this seems odd, consider refridgerators: whenever they've become more efficient, they've also become larger and more ubiquitous. In the end, I think efficiency does more to increase the average standard of living (more people being able to afford a fridge) than to lower overall consumption. Of course, there might be a point at which increased efficiency no longer increases adoption rate (market saturation?). At that point, any further efficiency gains will decrease consumption (we might be seeing this with heating in wealthy countries?).

[@charlieherron2950]

Bart Stikkers From 1980 to 2014, US energy use increased by 26%; however, over this same period, GDP increased 149%. Energy efficiency improvements played a significant role, and, simply put, without them there would be many more coal-fired power plants in operation today. Although it is technically possible to reach levels of energy efficiency such that energy use is actually declining, that's not really the objective in the context of efficiency-as-transitional-resource. From the perspective of a utility company, increasing demand for energy can be met either by building new power plants (again, usually fossil-fueled) or improving the efficiency of the existing plants, transmission lines, and grid controls. Fortunately, it turns out it's cheaper and greener to make those efficiency improvements than it is to build new plants. You're also correct that improvements in efficiency can have the effect, commonly termed the rebound effect, of increasing energy use (e.g. consumer buys new, efficient light bulbs and decides it's now OK to leave them on all day) but studies show this effect maxes out somewhere between 10-20% of predicted savings, meaning we can expect to realize at least 80% of predicted energy savings from a given improvement.

[@bartz0rt928]

charlieherron Okay, cool. That's a lot better than I thought. Thanks for the lengthy reply.

[@HeatherSpoonheim]

+charlieherron Yup - I think electric clothes dryers and air conditioners are some of our biggest offenders.

[@SaulKenrick]

I was sold as soon as he said "this is a video"

[@DTDplays]

I personally think Stan is doing a good job but John is much more entertaining to watch. So yeah, I don't mind Stan but I prefer John :3

[@mistermaita]

John is fucking obnoxious, childish and he tries too hard being funny. This why Hank is the best of the 2 bros, at least for me anyway.

[@DTDplays]

One man's meat is another man's poison.

[@Zineeta]

theagiknight23 I totally agree. Honestly, I couldn't even finish watching even though energy is a love subject of mine.

[@thebuz09]

Thanks for filling in Stan! Get better soon John!

[@Ursaarctoshorribilis]

I was always wondering when you would show up, awesome episode! I would like to see you some more on the screen!

[@orangemandarin7925]

I really liked Stan. I would love it if he could do some more videos.

[@TheDarkBrethren]

Well done Stan for the great commentary and writing :)

[@WillaDaKilla474]

Even water power comes from the sun, as water's harvestable energy lies in gravity, the gravity of Earth. However, the water is brought back up from low lying areas (oceans) by the sun in that it evaporates and becomes clouds and then rain. Therefore, water power is stemmed from the Sun and the Earth both.

[@andersonklein3587]

〉Phez〈 He did mention that, I almost thought we would have forgot it, but he mentioned it. I guess the only powers I can think of that don't come from the sun is Fission, Geothermal and Tidal. We could generate all our power from either of these alone, energy is really very abundant, it's everywhere. The trick is how to mass produce the machinery to extract it, and then do the hellish maintenance. Specially in a time when doing a park requires more paper work for environmental reasons from the Government than acquiring a Main Battle Tank. But mostly, I guess humans are just not in a hurry, I mean, mostly people want to develop art, technology, knowledge of history and the universe, and doesn't seem too concerned about acquiring massive amounts of resources as it once was. Mostly again, due to government and indoctrination, but that's a topic for another history.

[@Plystire]

+Anderson Klein Radioactive material came from a star at some point, geothermal energy only exists because the sun helps the Earth stay hot, and tides would not be a thing without both the moon and sun. I think it really comes down to how our solar system formed and thus what evolution had to work with that determined what we rely on. .. the main driving force in our solar system, the sun!

[@stoontechguy]

Radioactive material (and anything else heavier than iron) only comes from supernovas so from the previous sun ;)

[@soojongha6381]

+Plystire Umm... geothermal energy is actually from earth’s inner pressure and tides are also barely affected by the sun.

[@wrathanet]

"Can we watch a video?" "This is a video." Favorite quote from this series so far.

[@Kinan.Eldari]

Thank you for standing in, Stan. It was informative : )

[@TheMarkusFIN]

Even though I am such a John Green fan, I need to say that Stan did a pretty nice job in this video. +1

[@shalmdi]

Nice job, Stan! Thanks for this very informative video,

[@xxblueeyesxx522]

YAY STAN!!!

[@andreeat608]

Meeting both Stan and Stan from the past in one episode - wow

[@sav9545]

Great video. I've really been enjoying how this world history course provides a wide view of certain topics, rather than zeroing in on a specific culture or time period. It's a really different way of learning history than I'm used to and I'm definitely looking forward to the next weeks! And you're a great sub, Stan :)

[@Ikelae]

STAN! What are you doing out from behind the camera?!! Just kidding, loved ya man and the work you and John do ^^

[@danielrobinson6974]

he did a good job but hes no john green

[@crashcourse]

Daniel Robinson I'll take that. -stan

[@davidng8732]

CrashCourse Hey, mispronouncing thing isn't *your* thing.

[@enlightedjedi]

CrashCourse You were great!

[@danielrobinson6974]

CrashCourse Sorry if i sounded rude =P, i like john green because he sounds just like my old AP Gov/history teacher

[@MrWackozacko]

lol sorry dude you sounded like Mr Slave at some points. Good work though, im to afraid to do that.

[@DontMockMySmock]

Water power is ultimately solar, too; the sun powers the water cycle. Geothermal energy, nuclear energy, and tidal energy are basically the only common non-solar energy sources. Unless I forgot something.

[@MadnerKami]

Nuclear Energy is definitly and unargueably also solar powered, because: Guess where those heavy and instable elements happened to pop into existance? Exactly: Stars. Novae to be precise.

[@bigglessy]

MadnerKami If you want to go that far then ALL energy sources are stellar. Every atom on the planet was forged in a star :)

[@DontMockMySmock]

MadnerKami By "solar" I mean the actual Sun and not other stars. "Solar" =/= "stellar."

[@Mitch_Rogoff]

Tides are somewhat influenced by the sun

[@Psy0psAgent]

Mitch Rogoff You don't say. Our bodies have the same percentage of water as the planet. I heard that womens menstrual cycles are tied to the moon and that marking off the moons cycles as well as a females may originally be how we started marking time, combined with shadows from trees during the day. Then all that was taken away and we were taught about silly gods and divine authority of 'kings'

[@jhangelgurl]

Thanks Stan for substituting!

[@fredmon18]

I loved Stan-from-the-past. Thanks for keeping the production going.

[@LD-qj2te]

Nice job Stan ! Tough to fill in. But free - fun and fact filled ! = fabulous!

[@AwesomepianoTURTLES]

A more serious man for a more serious topic. Amazing job Crash Course and a 1 man applause (by me) for Stan. Great job. The change of pace was refreshing. Edit: Clever beginning. Noice! :D "This is a video!"

[@leuat]

Stan! You're great! You should definitely do more episodes =)

[@StonedHunter]

Thank you for ensuring that we still got a video this week. Hope you had fun and get to come back to us again. You have a very soothing voice. (sorry that sounded not so creepy in my head)

[@draw4kicks]

Great video dude! You can step in for John anytime!

[@emmysoliman714]

Thank you Stan! It was very informative! It is the first time for me to see a video for you. I don't whether that's the first one for you or not, but you were super good! :D

[@Bwkjam]

Been wondering what Stan looks like for over two years, looks kind of like a cross between Seth Rogan and Patton Oswalt.

[@davidl.3997]

HAH! That's the first time either of those guys has made me laugh. XD

[@MustDashGaming]

Wow, I was cracking up at the "This is a video" comment...

[@Kym935]

John is Awesome!!! Stan your amazing and your the boss!!! You guys have a fully loaded squad of talent!!! Hopefully we get to meet the whole team, in a series.

[@Pokemonlin99]

Stan's breaking the fourth wall! 0:18

[@glowinluna5742]

Stan is real. Lol 😆

[@richardmcgee1774]

Now I know what Stan looks like. Where's the mystery?!

[@MattDrane]

Stan's been in loads of videos.

[@enlightedjedi]

MattDranee I know none!

[@MattDrane]

enlighted Jedi For one check out the hot dog challenge they do every year, but also in vlogbrother videos behind the scenes at johns office/ where crashcourse is filmed.

[@JillH1995]

We don't know what Alice looks like. All we know is she has dark hair because she was animated in a Though Cafe segment one time.

[@TheJaredtheJaredlong]

huh, so that's the mythical Stan. Neat.

[@427rj]

Great job Stan! I work in the energy industry and still learned quite a bit!

[@JayAlcala23]

Nice to see you on camera Stan. I'm glad you did well on your video, keep up the good work and pass along the love to John, wherever he has been. lol

[@hermest99]

Holy M*ly it's Stan!

[@fallenasleep7247]

You're a good sub!

[@imaginillyar3572]

Stan is pretty good at this :)

[@Sam-yw6sg]

Stan is now definitely not a myth!!!

[@willlll89]

Thanks for subbing stan!

[@stalinov91]

Wow, I've missed like two episodes but John really let himself go.

[@TheIzbean]

That was hilarious

[@CapitalMort]

Thanks you just made my day. lol

[@sophiemontgomery6969]

lol

[@racg174]

WOOO Substitute Teacher! Party in the Comments

[@maxscribner1743]

Anyone know how to make a good paper airplane? Anyone up for table football?

[@Interfectors]

Max Scribner I'm up for some paper football. I suck at paper airplanes

[@ThePlayfarer]

Woop woop. Time to bust out the secret snacks.

[@Kronecraft]

Tom Donnelly Time to bust out wait for it... The Mongols!

[@Kronecraft]

let us muck around until John get's back!

[@deangoldenstar7997]

What about Thorium reactors? From what I have heard, they can't melt down, the waste is far less dangerous and will decay much faster, it's cheaper and cannot be made into bombs.

[@davidl.3997]

From what I understand, at least part of the problem is that fusion, while coming along much more slowly, is showing enough promise that converting to or building new thorium plants wouldn't have time to pay off the cost of doing so before fusion obsoletes them. So investors who would be looking into thorium are, for once, looking at the long haul and investing in fusion. Or something along those lines.

[@cgm778]

David Loberger I hope you are right and the switch to fusion is right around the corner.... just like it was when I was a kid. Wonder if that will ever change? I'm skeptical yet still hopeful.

[@liesdamnlies3372]

Thorium reactors still produce uranium-233 as one of their fission products, which can be used (and has been successfully tested) in a bomb. The reason plutonium-239 is preferred is because uranium-233 produces significant amounts of gamma radiation, which seriously complicates safe handling, which is far from ideal when trying to make a lot of weapons. Plutonium-239 only releases alpha radiation (which is really just high-energy helium-3; incidentally, a vast amount of the world supply of He-3 comes from nuclear warheads), which makes is safe to handle (though I wouldn't recommend eating it).

[@liesdamnlies3372]

cgm778 There's more cause to think that we really will have fusion power within a few decades: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dense_plasma_focus (see: focusfusion.org/index.php/site/index2 ) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywell (see: www.emc2fusion.org/ , when their website isn't being updated)

[@Jefhee]

Thanks for the lesson Stan, you should do another video next time!!

[@JerryLiuFilms]

Stan Muller is so awesome! Please have him back soon!

[@Moshe_thechosen]

Guys the like button works click it to give Stan a warm welcome

[@DFTBAsshole]

What's interesting is that no one has actually finished watching this video yet.

[@bryanelliott2107]

I have several major points of contention, all centered around your treatment of nuclear energy. * Going into "China syndrome" territory without mentioning that it's an absurd contrivance * Nuclear power never caught on in the US - just like hydroelectricity, I suppose. It's 20% of our electricity. It never _took over_, but to say it never caught on is, basically, bad history. * Calling nuclear "expensive" when, at the per-kWh level, depending on which jurisdiction is doing the analysis, it is uniformly cheaper than solar, fuel cell, wave, very often cheaper than natural gas and biomass, and occasionally cheaper than coal. Google "Levelized cost of electricity" before talking nonsense. The important influencing factor here is that the _up-front_ costs tend to be higher, but operation, fuel and maintenance are relatively low. Meanwhile, the up-front costs, per watt, are _still_ lower than solar. * Ignoring that, in the context of climate change, the biggest successes in reduction were _unintentional_ side-effects of using nuclear, e.g., France and Ontario. * France (again) seems to know what to do with the radioactive waste: they reprocess it into new fuel, and have been doing so for decades. * Nuclear "never really caught on" is largely due to the proliferation risk - the nuclear nations are reluctant to teach others how to make it. Of the OECD countries, nuclear accounts for 23.2% of all electricity generated. The closing thesis of this episode - besides being antiprogressive - is only true if you reject nuclear out of fear; with nuclear, we get to keep miraculous lighting _and_ get to avoid climate change - and the developing world gets to join us. Next time you touch on nuclear, please be more fair to it.

[@andy4an]

+Bryan Elliott i was pretty annoyed by the nuclear coverage, so I looked down the comments to see if anyone was giving it a fair defense. well done.

[@bryanelliott2107]

***** "You do realise that calling nuclear expensive in the context of upfront cost is a perfectly legitimate way to talk about it." Sure, but he didn't bother with a context. He merely said it was "expensive", which is extraordinarily misleading.

[@RoonMian]

+Bryan Elliott Regarding reprocessing radioactive waste into new fuel: That is actually rarely done because reprocessed uranium is 10-18% more expensive than "fresh" uranium, which means that right now the waste is still piling on. The USA or Germany for example right now don't do reprocessing at all, for political and economic reasons. Also it is not really a solution. Highly radioactive waste is reduced by 80% through reprocessing. Middle and lowly radioactive waste on the other hand is increased by 600%. And even that is not a recipe for eternity. So you still have the problem of final storage to which there is no definitive solution. Every solution possible right now requires constant reinvesting into infrastructure for the next dozen or two millenia. In my home city right now even infrastructure just 50 years old is failing, for example a bridge that is now banned for lorries. But at least that was discovered before it collapsed while in use, which happened in the USA. So will infrastructure be taken good care of over the next dozen or two millenia? The probability is approximately zero. Nuclear fission power is like flying a plane that has no safe place on earth to land.

[@arthursulit]

+Bryan Elliot: totally, and why doesn't anyone mention Thorium? The Sound of Scared Silence permeates the room.

[@youliahadzhidimova5260]

And also, why doesn't anyone mention fusion?

[@MrSurferDoug]

thanks Stan. Realize you are behind the scenes in the other videos and it is nice to see you. Energy is such an important topic to understand. Keep up the good work you are doing.

[@alexcrouse]

You did great, Stan!

[@SexualPotatoes]

Here's to hoping that Nuclear Fusion finds its necessary breakthroughs in the next decades!

[@aapjew18]

Sexual Potatoes Yea, I hate when people use the blanket term 'nuclear energy' for fission reactors. In that sense, yes, nuclear energy is pretty dangerous and produces a lot of waste that's hard to get rid of. But fusion is so very different.

[@kfjfjfjewlsls]

Willem Maas Fission is not that dangerous

[@aapjew18]

autoalanamis Well that's true. When all securities are followed, it's not that dangerous. But that doesn't take away that major catastrophes can and have happened. So I understand why people would like to move away from that. But Fusion is very different, so people really should specify if they're talking about fission.

[@kfjfjfjewlsls]

Willem Maas Yes its very diffrent but we have learnt (most of us) how to handle a kitchen knife without insident. Sometimes you get a boo boo when you're careless. Same with fission. Fearmogering is all it is....

[@aapjew18]

autoalanamis I guess. Though a booboo with a kitchen knife is a little less bad than a nuclear explosion.

[@MysticMindAnalysis]

Oddly enough, you used an Electric train in one picture as a representative of oil powering trains. If it has a pentograph, it's not deisil powered :P.

[@PinkThorn242]

Because oil-fired power stations clearly aren't a thing.

[@PinkThorn242]

Also, I don't see a pantograph or overhead wires, so unless there's a live rail just out of shot that's a diesel locomotive.

[@MysticMindAnalysis]

***** It's later on in the video, but NVM.

[@PinkThorn242]

The Nightmare Rider So we're not talking about the locomotive at 3:25? Since the one at 3:57 he is actually talking about electrically powered trains.

[@Folopolis]

I recognize that particular GE locomotive, and I assure you that it is diesel powered. Interestingly though, is that it is a diesel generator that powers electric motors, a much more efficient way to do it.

[@augustinejacob4995]

I don't see why more people don't use solar energy, or wind energy, it's completely clean and a nicer alternative to burning oil. So what exactly is wrong with solar energy?

[@aSongScout]

Economically inefficient to convert to electricity.

[@mattsw104]

Running out of our current fuels before investing in alternative energy seems more economically devastating.

[@Flaming7Iguana]

Nuclear really is the way to go... Disagree with me and I can provide several research papers on exactly why.

[@Slayer_Jesse]

at the moment, the panels cost too much, and take too long to pay for themselves. Wind only works in certain areas that have alot of wind throughout the year.

[@bjornsteelside]

hank actually did a great video on this at the sci show channel

[@scorpiolady73]

Stan...YOU ARE AWESOME! Great job!

[@alecchvirko6578]

Thank you for stepping up and taking this episode. It was excellent.

[@Thelightsaver1]

Stan looks vaguely like Hank. They at least several of the same features.

[@enlightedjedi]

They seem to be both Homo Sapiens!

[@enlightedjedi]

***** Indeed!

[@Jothamvvw]

enlighted Jedi And that are US citizens! And work for Crash Course!

[@Anergyne]

Stan does kind of look like the long-lost Green brother.

[@Folopolis]

Ok, so Hank, put on 20 pounds; and Stan, lose 10; then we do another comparison.

[@MrLinguist88]

So is there any hope at all??

[@rjfaber1991]

Nuclear Fusion is our hope. Until then, Nuclear Fission is the best large-scale solution.

[@TheBespectacledN00b]

Robert Faber Exactly. I think Stan did put a bit of a downer on nuclear, and while I understand his desire to cover it's history, pros and cons in the available time, I did think he didn't mention it's biggest pro- massive energy density. A good episode though.

[@rjfaber1991]

TheBespectacledN00b What I thought was peculiar is that he said Nuclear Fission is expensive. Obviously it is expensive in absolute terms, but relative to power output, it's actually one of the cheapest forms of generating electricity.

[@TheBespectacledN00b]

Is it? Huh, I always thought was fairly expensive, but still very good value for money due to being the safest way to generate power, not being weather dependednt, and generating huge ammounts of power without sending up NOx's, SOx's, methane, CO2 or ash.

[@TheBespectacledN00b]

When they are developed, yes. Uranium reactors have the virtue of being proven technology.

[@raincoatwithfrogsinthepock499]

stan is awesome though

[@XxBaconPandaxX]

Stan is a top notch substitute! Thanks for putting up with all of the paper-airplane-throwing!

[@vld]

That's big shoes to step in. Good job! More mindful pauses go long way :)

[@Cythil]

How is water power not a proxy of solar power?' (If we are not talking about tidal wave power. Which judging by the picture and the era talk about we are not.)

[@icook1723]

what I thought

[@thestrangejames]

In a round-about way, all power is "solar" power if we look at the root of solar, _solaris_, that which pertains to the sun, or more properly a star. All elements except hydrogen and helium are made in stars. Without stars, there is no oxygen for combustion, no radiation for energy, and no matter for what we think of as the conventional world. Even the ultra-dense materials produced by labs are not made from raw hydrogen, and our nuclear fuels, like uranium, might be painstakingly collected, but ultimately are a solar by-product. It is useful to classify our energy sources. Effectively, what they do is point out how "long" it has taken to go from hydrogen to fuel. Direct solar radiation, light for example, has a short route from hydrogen. Coal has a much longer route. Wind and water power is in between.

[@gothicfan51]

Aren't tides basically Lunar power?

[@ebeaudrie1]

If you're harnessing a stream or river, that's at least partially gravity. But yeah, the water cycle requires solar input.

[@koyrehme4361]

gothicfan51 Tides are a mix of lunar and solar power (about 2:1 if I remember correctly).

[@CapitalMort]

The energy industry likely has alternate power sources up its sleeve but they want to make as much money from oil as they can before moving on. When the time comes solar power will become more widespread and efficient.

[@boonw]

Why not use these power sources to make even more money? And if they didnt plan on using them, why would they spend huge amounts of research money on them?

[@Pyedr]

boonw exactly. Nobody is hiding anything just to use more fossil fuel. That doesn't make any sense.

[@CapitalMort]

Andy Penery It makes a lot of sense, if oil became obselete the oil companies would go bust.

[@CapitalMort]

boonw They do plan on using them, just not yet.

[@BlackGateofMordor]

SirGooglinMort Smith But that's easily a few decades in the future. Modern western companies don't possess the ability to think that far ahead.

[@lunar_trooper]

Nuclear FUSION! It's far more efficient and has no harmful waste!

[@mattdombrowski8435]

***** ya we can, we do so with regularity. the problem is that it currently takes more energy to start a fusion reaction that we can pull out of it.

[@m1k3y48]

We need something else for the few hundred years before we get there.

[@millerrepin4452]

M1k3y actually France is having a fusion reactor built I remember hearing it from a sci show episode

[@m1k3y48]

miller repin If they were it isn't producing commercial electricity. No one has managed to harvest more energy than is required to initiate fusion.

[@millerrepin4452]

M1k3y they are having the facility built its not working yet and it wasn't going to be finished until 2025 ( don't quote me on the date)

[@kenevans6172]

You did a great job Stan. You are an amazing sub!

[@glsapp23]

DUUUDE!!! Stan! way to go man! awesome vid, as always of course.