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The Low Energy Trap
The goal isn't to use less energy, or even to just replace fossil fuels. The goal is vastly more energy, to help more people live better lives, and to make it all clean.
Cleo Abram • The Big Misconception About Clean Energy
distributed energy boils down to two basic strategies: The first is to harvest as much power as possible locally, close to where it is consumed, from small-scale, low-carbon sources. The second is to wring the maximum amount of useful work out of every unit of energy available.
Scientific American Editors • Designing the Urban Future: Smart Cities
In the “energy is a necessary evil” frame, we look at our current electricity needs and then ask, “How can we generate all that from zero-carbon sources?” In the alternate framing, you say that to the extent we can develop affordable, zero-carbon sources of electricity, we want to generate tons and tons of electricity. Ideally, we would want to rep... See more
Matthew Yglesias • The case for more energy
As an example, using the map above as an illustration of, say, the future of alternative energy, you might see threads similar to the following: Thread 1: New laws and tax regulations incentivize consumers to adopt more carbon-neutral energy sourcing, like wind and solar, to power homes both directly and indirectly. Thread 2: Building on innovation
... See moreScott Smith • How to Future
supply. As lakes and aquifers shrink or get polluted, it’s getting harder to provide potable water to everyone who needs it. Most of the world’s megacities already face severe shortages, and if nothing changes, by mid-century the number of people who can’t get enough decent water at least once a month will rise by more than a third, to over 5 billi
... See more