Chapter 1037 Electrification
Ernst: "In 1900, the total mileage of European railways was close to 300,000 kilometers, slightly less than that of the United States. During China's First Five-Year Plan, railway construction in European countries was also developing rapidly. Britain, France, Germany, and Austria , Russia, and many small countries in Europe are further promoting the construction of railway transportation.”
“So even if the Second Five-Year Plan is completed, there is still a significant gap between my country’s railways and European and American countries. However, with the rise of highway transportation and the rapid development of the automobile industry, transportation in some areas that can be seen by the naked eye no longer requires the construction of separate railway lines. "
Before the First Five-Year Plan, Ernst's words may not have been very convincing, but after the East African automobile industry developed, its output reached an astonishing level of one million, and now the East African government has a clearer understanding of the impact of roads and other forms of transportation on railways. impact.
“Of course, as Andre said before, our country’s inland shipping conditions are far inferior to Europe, the United States, and even the Far Eastern Empire, so the important position of railway construction in our country’s transportation system cannot be replaced by other forms of transportation. "
“So during the Second Five-Year Plan, and even in the third and fourth five-year plans in the future, railway construction will still be an important task in the field of industrial construction in our country. Even if the East African railway reaches saturation in the future, railway technology will continue to develop, so maintaining railway operations is a long-term task. ”
“For example, railway electrification is already expected to be an important direction for future railway development. During the Second Five-Year Plan, our country will promote the construction of two experimental electrified railways.”
As a relatively young form of transportation, railways have extremely strong vitality. In previous generations, railways would develop in the direction of electrification, and in the 21st century, they will vigorously develop in the direction of high-speed railways. High-speed railways are relatively far away from East Africa, but this is not the case with railway electrification. .
As early as 1879, the German Siemens and Hals companies built the world's first electrified railway, so electrified railways are not far away for the development of the East African railway industry.
It’s just that East African railways are still in the accumulation stage, and the road to popularization of electricity is still long. It is definitely impossible to promote electrified railways on a large scale at this stage.
Although it is too early to talk about railway electrification in East Africa at this stage, East Africa is at the forefront of the world in research and development and preparation in related fields.
"Currently, China's railways are developing from steam power to internal combustion engine power. Electric transmission is the main direction of internal combustion engine power. However, liquid energy such as petroleum is still needed to provide electricity as fuel, and East Africa's oil resources are relatively scarce. Even though The current national oil production can barely meet the country’s demand, and we must also plan for the future.”
From the perspective of national defense security and energy security, although East Africa is currently self-sufficient in oil, the demand for oil in East Africa is rising rapidly. This is also the main reason why East Africa imports large amounts of oil from countries such as Tsarist Russia.
Ernst is quite worried about East Africa’s oil resource reserves, which also makes East Africa at the forefront of the world in the use of other energy sources, such as the promotion of natural gas and electricity. East Africa is far ahead of other countries.
East Africa has huge potential for hydropower and nuclear power, and with the advancement of technology, the forms of power generation will inevitably be diversified in the future. Therefore, the important role of electricity in the field of energy security has always been actively promoted by Ernst, and all of this requires related fields. technological breakthroughs are achieved.
Ernst continued: "The railway sector must have the courage to try new technologies and promote innovation, especially in the energy field. On the one hand, it must diversify, and on the other hand, it must proactively adapt to the electrification era. In the new era, internal combustion engine technology and electric power development are the key issues in today's world. "
East Africa’s research and development of electrified railway technology began in 1895, more than ten years after the world’s first electrified railway. However, this does not mean that East Africa is lagging behind in research in this field.
In fact, as time goes by, East Africa has surpassed Germany in relevant technology reserves. Although Germany is a pioneer in electrified railways, German railway companies and government departments are not interested in promoting railway electrification. At present, coal is still the most important basic energy source in the world. Most railways in Europe still use traditional steam locomotives. In this case, countries have almost no worries about energy security. The world's coal resources are abundant and distributed widely. As concentrated as oil, the production is huge and the price is low.
Although some countries have begun to develop in the direction of internal combustion locomotives, Europeans and Americans in this era are still immature in their understanding of petroleum resources. Most people believe that petroleum resources are inexhaustible and inexhaustible.
In fact, this is also true. Even if we develop for another hundred years, the oil resources will not be exhausted, but the cost of oil extraction will not be simple at that time.
All in all, at present, there is no need for the German government or railway companies to put all their efforts into promoting the construction of electrified railways. Coal and oil resources are abundant and easy to use. Traditional railways also have lower construction costs and lower maintenance costs than electrified railways.
This makes the development of electrified railway technology in Germany relatively slow, while the construction of electrified railways in East Africa was promoted by Ernst, so he came from behind. If the two electrified railways in East Africa mature during the Second Five-Year Plan, many railways in East Africa may accept them in the future. Electrification transformation.
This also means that during the Second Five-Year Plan period, the East African railway manufacturing industry will see the co-development of steam power, internal combustion engine power, and electrification.
It is impossible to completely eliminate the first two in East Africa, especially the internal combustion engine-powered locomotives, which have just started in East Africa. They only need to adjust the proportion in the future to meet the requirements of the times.
Even in the 21st century, many operating railways have not been electrified, both in the Far East and Europe. Therefore, the emergence of electrified railways is not a replacement or inheritance for the East African railways, but a diversified development that has an impact on the original railway system. important addition.
In fact, electrification is not only reflected in railways, but also in the rail transit field across East Africa. Electrification is an important development direction, and the East African automobile industry also has similar technical breakthrough projects.
Such as using natural gas or other energy sources to replace oil, electricity is also an important field, which in turn involves research on motors, control systems and electrical storage.
In fact, the emergence of the automobile industry did not start with the internal combustion engine. European and American steam vehicles were the source. The emergence of the internal combustion engine only replaced coal with oil in traditional cars, so it is not unreasonable to find alternatives to oil.
The changes in industries such as railways and automobiles in East Africa actually reflect the industrial and social development of East Africa and its continuous advancement towards electrification.
Nowadays, the internal combustion engine and electricity, two iconic products of the second industrial revolution, have shown a trend of integration in East African industry and society. Take the automobile manufacturing industry as an example. On the basis of the internal combustion engine as a power source, electronic equipment is also Continuously applied on vehicles.
Ernst concluded: "Electrification has become one of the main trends in the development of East African society. Promoting electrification is an important driver of East Africa's progress towards modernization. Whether a country will be developed in the future, the degree of electrification will be an important reference, just like steel. The output can directly reflect the technological and economic status of a country or region. "
“Therefore, promoting the electrification of East Africa is an important task for our country’s industry. This process is extremely long. Before the middle of this century, our society should at least achieve the popularization of electricity in the whole society.”
(End of this chapter)