According to David Gelles, Brad Plumer, Jim Tankersley, and Jack Ewing: The second Times piece tells the other side of the story of America’s energy transition. In the face of this uncertainty and the dangers posed by the current grid, improved transmission and computer-controlled micro-girds are needed to bring our electrical system into the 21 st century. In any case, assumptions about the load on the grid may be wrong if home energy systems become less expensive. In ten years, it will be the auto battery and a home-based solar power system. Today, that is typically a fossil fuel–powered generator. The frequent failure of the highly centralized power grid is causing homeowners to invest in alternatives. Technological advances may further decentralize energy generation as home- and business-based solar arrays and batteries become less expensive, more efficient, and smaller. The grid itself will play a different role in our energy future. It’s no surprise that many corporations and electric utilities appear to be more concerned about short-term profits than long-term viability. The fire in Lahaina presented a visible example of the danger of under-investment in modernizing our energy system. In addition to the political obstacles, we see electric utilities trying to stretch the life of powerlines and get by with outmoded equipment. “Not in my backyard”-or “NIMBY”-politics are common in just about any American community whenever any large-scale siting decision is under consideration. So do the court battles that almost inevitably follow those permitting decisions.” Federal, state and local regulations, including often byzantine permitting requirements, threaten to delay some construction for years. But around the country, the effort is being slowed by a host of logistical, political and economic challenges…Shortcomings in the power grid can block newly generated electricity from reaching customers. “After years of fits and starts, the transition to renewable energy like wind and solar power is finally shifting into full gear in many parts of the world, including the United States, which has been buoyed by massive new subsidies from the Biden administration. Their headlines tell the story: “The Clean Energy Future Is Roiling Both Friends and Foes” and “The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think.” In the first piece, Jim Tankersley, Brad Plumer, Ana Swanson, and Ivan Penn report that: Two pieces in the New York Times on August 13 provided vivid examples of the start and stop process we are seeing in the energy transition. How much fossil fuel energy do you use each day? We use it to preserve and cook food, to connect to the internet, to watch movies, to speak to our families and friends, to travel, and to maintain a comfortable temperature in our homes. When thinking about the complexity of the task, look to your own lifestyle. We simply cannot turn off the current economy, and the transition to environmental sustainability will take a generation-around twenty years-before it is mostly complete. Turning this huge economic boat around is going to take time. Some of the debt used to build these facilities is not yet retired. The difficulty with the transition to renewable resources is our continued massive investment in the infrastructure that supports a linear rather than circular economy. The sense of urgency seems lacking, and people enraged about climate change are stunned by those who do not share their sense of crisis. Each day, the newspapers report both on progress toward decarbonization and on political resistance from fossil fuel interests and communities opposing the siting of wind and solar farms. The signs of a warming planet are everywhere, and the sense of urgency over the climate crisis grows. The fire in Lahaina, Maui extreme heat in Phoenix floods in Vermont and the yellow sky over New York City.
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