In a solar punk if there are radios and walkie talkies being used regularly by a very poor post-apocalyptic society...does it sound believable that there are no airplanes and flying vehicles nor cars, ATVs; whereas the government is rich and still doesn't have any of those mode of transports? What are the other technologies (minimal numbers) a full fledged world will (mentioned earlier) have. The world has very minimal medical facilities and rely on herbal treatments.
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1$\begingroup$ Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking. $\endgroup$– Community BotJun 8 at 13:22
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1$\begingroup$ Hello Writer-Writer, and Welcome to Worldbuilding SE. I recommend you layout your question thus: 1. Background 2. Problem 3. Query. The Background tells us a bit about the world you are building, with information relevant to the problem and the query. The Problem is the hurdle that prevents you from proceeding with your world-building. The Query is the question that — if answered — lets you overcome the hurdle. Try editing the question to follow this structure, and it will be a lot easier for us to answer it for you. :) $\endgroup$– MichaelKJun 8 at 13:50
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Yes, feasible
If you check history, the earliest diodes were natural silicon crystals with random oxide foils over them, and the operator of such device (a human, mind you!) had to first find such area, then gently touch it with a metal wire to enable radio at all. Also creating semiconductors ended up a different branch than making powerful engines and refining oil.
As a scenario example, your post-apoclyptic world could retain at least a single solar-powered factory left operational, that could make silicon-based semiconductors (diodes, transistors, TTL, at most a rather simple processor of say Z80 level), together with solar batteries to help power itself. But the main power supply in form of oil is now inaccessible due to expiration of easily accessible sources and huge starting investments in form of both labor, resources and lost or unsupported tech to make less accessible ones available. So your post-apoc states decided to ditch oil-based energy and materials and instead use solar power and probably derelict batteries/accumulators to fuel devices that should be used in the dark.
This power diet would make it unfeasible to run trains or cars, except maybe if a Tesla charger would be wired to employ solar power to one of the remaining cars, yet tires and all the resin would deteriorate over time anyway. Coal could be a different thing, but it might be possible that existing coal mines are flooded with time and mismanagement, and recovering them would also ask for too much, think about this.
Remember however, with lowly electronics as TTL you will be limited in scrambling your transmissions, thus if someone uses a walkie-talkie, they can be eavesdropped by a different party than the one they speak with.
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1$\begingroup$ lack of oil & coal but still having electricity wouldn't stop trains. If you can string up wires & set up a 3rd rail system & have electricity you can run a train, no batteries required. Electrified trains are both more powerful & faster too. $\endgroup$ Jun 8 at 22:24
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$\begingroup$ That depends on the economics of those solar panels. Running a train or a car is possible, but requires a lot of wattage. And if there are hostile people (or even just greedy for materials) nearby, the train track and wire is at risk of theft, or they might steal electricity from it. $\endgroup$ Jun 8 at 23:24
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1$\begingroup$ @Brianorca c onsidering the incredible value of efficient transportation making it so that the cost can easily be orders of magnitude cheaper even at it's worst & absolute lease efficient vs non-vehicular transportation makes it very difficult to ever have not be worthwhile. if it's 3rd rail instead of overhead wire people would likely not want to touch it due to the risk of being around 3rd rail electrification without proper training & equipment. $\endgroup$ Jun 9 at 1:03
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$\begingroup$ On our world, solar-powered trains are a bit of a silly invention in most circumstances- thus, they haven't been built. Until recently. There is a solar-powered railway in the town of Byron Bay, NSW, Australia- that actually sells excess energy to the grid! The train charges at one end of the line, by plugging into a charger connected to the workshop's solar panels. Also, hydroelectricity could easily operate a railway, as Switzerland does. Where would a solarpunk world with little manufacturing get solar panels from? Solar panels require similar infrastructure to electronics. $\endgroup$– KatyJun 9 at 2:29
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$\begingroup$ @Katy Solar panels use similar techniques as other chip/transistor electronics, but need much less precision. They could be built without all the cleanrooms and vast factories of modern electronics. $\endgroup$ Jun 13 at 14:52
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Different world, different development
It is easy to see technological development as a straight line. One thing needs to be invented before the other. If it is invented it automatically gives rise to another. It isn't as easy as that however.
Culture, interest, economy, trade and more all play a big part. Electricity was known about for a long time before it became something useful. If some accident, hobby or research interest suddenly found a way to harness it effectively centuries earlier, our current world would look much different. The rise of the gas operated car wasn't a certainty as well, with electric cars in the mix. Batteries might habe been advanced much more if the electric car won out for noise and smell concerns for example.
It is easy to speculate on why and how, but the key is simple. For whatever reason, they don't do anything in that area in your world. As it's your world, you can tweak anything you want!
Why aren't there aeroplanes? Some ideas.
- Because they find current transport satisfactory.
- They are scared of heights.
- No one influential enough has realised the potential.
- The materials won't allow it in your world.
- Proper refining of oil is unfeasible, chemical processes do not work, is too expensive or simply seen as too complex.
- It is against their religion.
- Anything above a certain height is slapped by a physical hand of a deity.
- Not enough people to support the complex production chains required for planes.
- They prefer solar powered rockets.
- A special rule of your physical universe prevents any plane shape to occur.
