Czechoslovakian - Scientist | December 9, 1943 -
When you talk in terms of electricity, renewable is very important. Hydro in Manitoba. Hydro in Sweden. Wind in Denmark. Of course, those are very important.
Vaclav Smil
WindElectricityYouImportantTalk
I live in a province where we have the cheapest electricity in North America - indeed, in the Western world - but all of it is perfectly renewable because we have beautiful Manitoba Hydro. Every few tens of kilometers, we can put a river dam. Bingo. One gigawatt here. One gigawatt here.
LiveBeautifulRiverWorldAmerica
In every society, manufacturing builds the lower middle class. If you give up manufacturing, you end up with haves and have-nots, and you get social polarization. The whole lower middle class sinks.
SocietyEndYouClassManufacturing
Most innovation is not done by research institutes and national laboratories. It comes from manufacturing - from companies that want to extend their product reach, improve their costs, increase their returns. What's very important is in-house research.
InnovationResearchReachDoneWant
Innovation usually arises from somebody taking a product already in production and making it better: better glass, better aluminum, a better chip. Innovation always starts with a product.
InnovationBetterGlassProduct
Mass adoption of renewable energies would thus necessitate a fundamental reshaping of modern energy infrastructures.
EnergyModernWouldMassAdoption
I really don't think I have anything special to say.
ThinkSaySpecialAnythingReally
I just don't stand for any nonsense.
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Your past always leads to who you are.
PastYouAlwaysWhoYourLeads
I wouldn't put a big trust in what people in Silicon Valley say. They may be good at manipulating ones and zeroes and writing software, but beyond that, their contribution to human progress has been pretty dismal. I'm not impressed.
GoodTrustProgressPeopleWriting
I'm old fashioned. I'm not one of these young guys who think they are so smart that they can prescribe what humanity ought to do. Humanity never learns any lessons. Prescriptions don't matter. We already know exactly what to do. We just don't do it.
SmartThinkHumanityKnowYoungOld
There is no reason we can't design a car to last for 35 years instead of six or seven.
CarDesignReasonYearsLastSeven
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