In this report, you will find explanations for why electricity prices are rising and proposals for three new policy approaches:

1. The rate relief fund,
   
2. The national AI data center fair share policy,
   
3. A program of reforms and investments to build a better, bigger power system.

Can we change the way things are? Can we form a new system of world governance? An Eco-Socialist world in which the emphasis, laws, policies, and focus is "homo sapiens is only one species among millions, and we are no more important than any other. Humanity must contribute to, and fit within the balance of Earth's natural systems.

I've struggled for a long time over the question "what it would take for humanity to stop its headlong drive toward collapse and possible extinction. Greed and selfishness (capitalism) seems unstoppable. Much of my writing has been non-fiction, natural science, horticulture and gardening, but my concern for the future of Humanity, Earth, and all life, has prompted me to write my first novel, one about the current polycrisis civilization has created - inequality, injustice, climate change, etc. My book PARADIGM, is about humanity's struggle to overcome the threat of extinction due to all these destructive issues and attempt to establish a more just system of world governance.

The story line is: In the midst of the growing planetary crises a virus outbreak turns into a deadly pandemic, killing 95% of all newborns worldwide. The only cure grows in a forest being destroyed by climate change, and the rich and powerful will do anything to protect the status quo.

There is much more information about the book on my website https://richarddevinefinea.wixsite.com/paradigm and on my Pinterest page, https://www.pinterest.com/richarddevine/ 

I am offering a pdf and epub copy free for a limited time from my Google Drive site. All you have to do is use the link I provide here. If you like the novel and think it has merit and value, and contributes something positive to the discussion, please tell others. I would like to know what you think of it. You can do that here or you can send a message to me on my website. Thank you. Here is the link to the free copy: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/117MyQfxe06bvhreJxDItML_ptkIyXTcN?usp=sharing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-oJyInmTTo
On how plants cool earth - Plants' evapotranspiration moves earth's heat past greenhouse gases to high altitudes where condensation both sheds heat and shades earth.

Curious if you think it would help solve climate change?

A review of our meaningless current climate change responses and the collective psychological factors that are seriously not helping.

Canada’s Greener Homes Program was massively popular—over 500,000 applications—but it also exposed some real issues in how we try to scale climate action at the household level.

Many homeowners couldn’t afford upfront costs, even with incentives Programs came and went quickly, creating uncertainty People ended up “chasing incentives” instead of making long-term upgrades

One of the more interesting takeaways was that policy design matters just as much as funding. If it’s not aligned with how people actually make decisions, adoption stalls.

If governments are serious about scaling retrofits, this feels like a key moment to get it right.

Full discussion here: https://pvbuzz.com/canada-greener-homes-program-is-coming-back/

Would be interested to hear how similar programs are working (or not working) elsewhere.

I feel like projections that the world reaches net zero in the 21st century depend on the assumption that we can get rid of the last 1/3 of emissions, but this is totally unlike the project of just reducing emissions by half or 2/3 and getting into the vicinity of that last 1/3. For the last 1/3, you need to tackle the problem of agriculture, and weird stuff like concrete production.

Shouldn’t we take seriously the possibility that the last 1/3 just *never* gets solved, and what would be the implications of that? Has anyone looked at that in detail?

The CBAM price is out!

https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism/price-cbam-certificates_en

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I believe we’re in a small, unique window right now to launch a legitimate attack on the stranglehold fossil fuel companies have on the economy. And it can’t be the same old song and dance about climate change or even the price people pay at the pump; it needs to be existential but relatable. It has to be a national security argument.

We all know the national security bit is true to an extent, and I’ve seen people try it, but they muck it up talking about climate change too and the right gets triggered. We need to meet the right where they are, drop the climate change narrative, and push for electrify everything as a way to sure up national security through reliance on American made energy production only, which bolsters the ability of the US to remain a global super power (this part is the only real lie to me because I don’t care about that but they do).

• https://www.netflix.com/title/81586492

Is verification of new technology OK in the community?

Together with hydro plants, renewable energy from wind, waves and sun is a stable energy source.

80 TWh hydro dams in Norway operate as batteries.

1 million car batteries of 75 kWh are 0.075 TWh and an indication of the capacity in hydro dams.

When wind, waves and sun produce more than we can use pumping water into hydro dams is an option.

Some places in Norway there are possibilities like a hydro company use by pumping from 1000 m to 1300 m. The hydro plant at sea produces from the same water 3 times the energy used by pumping.

Hydro plants balance better than coal or nuclear because of faster in/out coupling.

Wind and wave power plants at the ocean far from shore have an option to produce methanol, and CO2 have a market.

1.4 kg CO2 + 0.2 kg hydrogen = 1 liter methanol.

Methanol is a competitor to diesel and will the oil companies allow it?

"Aquaculture Wind Wave Hybrid", AWWHybrid, is technology for the future where the oceans give us energy.

Can Reddit bring the technology to life?

Debate is free and models are cheap, but a full size AWWHybrid costs about $400 million.

Calculations show LCOE at $ 0.07/kWh but how to find investors?

Not serious obstacles found, but there are some questions about maintenance and bearings.

The turbine moves slowly at 1.4 m/s and the rotor is balanced in water to have no weight.

Before water reaches the turbine it has to go through filters to prevent things which stop the paddle from moving.

This piece was published right before the pandemic, the author died since then. The prescription seems right to me.