In some ways the green transition is already happening: it now looks like last year the world overall managed to supply around 30% of electricity through renewable energy (primarily wind & solar).
And solar continues to be the fastest growing renewable energy source, now (for the second year) being the most used source across the world.
This does offer some hope that (albeit late in the day) we are seeing a shift in energy generation!
To actually accomplish a green transition we (the world) needs to spend around $9 trillion a year.... well that's just not affordable, say climate sceptics.
You might say that, but lets have a look at the money we were prepared to pony up to deal with the pandemic.
While a more focused threat & certainly causing some fiscal issues, when required the money can be found.
(Don't get me started on fossil fuels subsidies!)
So its not the money stopping the green transition!
#AI#BigTech#Energy#GenerativeAI: "One problem is that data centres tend to consume power at a steady rate, including when the sun is not shining nor the wind blowing. So technology firms are also thinking of ways to make data-processing more flexible. In March Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, an investment fund co-created by Alphabet, presented a detailed plan for how this could be achieved. It involves a combination of microgrids (which can run independently but also exchange energy with others nearby), batteries and advanced software in order to enable shifting less time-sensitive tasks, such as training ai models, to periods of fallow demand. Jonathan Winer, one of Sidewalk’s founders, expects such data centres to pop up first in energy-constrained places like Arizona, California and Massachusetts.
Renewables are not the only area of big tech’s power interest. In March aws paid $650m for a 960-megawatt (mw) data centre in Pennsylvania powered by a nuclear reactor located next door. Microsoft has struck a deal with Constellation Energy, America’s biggest nuclear operator, for supply of nuclear power for its data centre in Virginia, as a backstop when wind and solar are unavailable. Both firms have also been looking at “small modular reactors”, a promising though unproven nuclear technology."
Disinformation follow up! https://youtu.be/8ONGuJCIkpQ?si=fGQE-JAHD4k1wbfo
Highlighting fear campaign by
Atlas Network (interestingly not mentioned by name)
The #fossilfuels industry:
• manufacture doubt
• thrive on our fear
• promote idea they are the only thing between us & dystopian chaos eg promote #gas as #energy transition
• created myth they are working for us
• fuel fear of the other eg anti immigration #politics#statecapture#auspol
"Residents of #Texas and Pennsylvania, the top two gas-producing states, saw their natural gas bills increase by 50 and 51 percent between 2016 and 2023, respectively."
As with so many things in Britain, the green transition in housing is hampered by infrastructure under-investment - we (the country) have been living in a short-term present driven by the electoral cycle & a lack of vision in our political class.... and its now come round to bite us in the bum.
Only when we start to think strategically (not tactically) about our political economic problems will we be able to engineer better solutions!
Natron Energy, a pioneer in sodium-ion battery technology, has officially commenced mass production of its lithium-free sodium batteries in its Holland, Michigan facility. Offering an alternative energy storage solution with benefits such as faster cycling, longer lifespan, and safer usage compared to lithium-ion batteries.