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Bookmark of After Going Solar, I Felt the Bliss of Sudden Abundance
byMy rooftop panels showed me that a world powered by renewables would be an overflowing horn of plenty, with fast, sporty cars and comfy homes.
This is something I’m really looking forward to when my panels get installed. Whenever the chip shortage allows them to be made… -
Bookmark of Manchin and Schumer announce deal for energy and health care bill
bySenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday announced a deal on an energy and health care bill, representing a breakthrough after more than a year of negotiations that have collapsed time and again.
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While many details have not been disclosed, the measure would invest $369 billion into energy and climate change programs, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, according to a one-page fact sheet.Great news! Exactly what I needed to hear this week. -
Bookmark of Opinion | What Joe Manchin Cost Us
byHold your children close tonight. Leave some water out for the birds. And make a plan to call your elected leaders to demand climate action, to rip out your fossil fuel furnace or to buy an e-bike. The climate crisis is getting worse, and Congress is one vote short of saving us. We’re going to have to save ourselves.
Hard agree. Reminds me, I should email the solar installers, who also do full electrification, how much it would cost to rid us of our gas range and water heater… -
Bookmark of ongoing by Tim Bray · 4,000,000m Lessons
byThe odometer on my e-bike clicked over to 4K and, rather than a general-purpose “e-bikes are great” rave, I thought I’d assemble a few concrete arguments for them, suitable for re-use with friends and loved ones in the (likely) case that you’re already convinced. With pictures.
All of his points are spot on. For me it's mostly "it's practical", "infrastructure is human scale", and "it's fun". The "good for the city" and "good for the planet" arguments are just a bonus. -
What I mean when I say #BanCars
byI drafted this at my local Honda dealership, getting my car serviced. For someone with a #BanCars plastered on the back of their bike, owning a car might seem a bit hypocritical. But it’s not.
When people see the sticker, they assume I think we should ban all cars. But that’s not exactly what I want. Let me explain.
Outside of our homes is the public. The public is owned by all of us, from newborns to centenarians, people of all fitness and physical abilities. Cars take the public and privatize it.
Toddlers can’t walk around the public least they get run over...by a car. Riding your bike becomes difficult because you’re worried, not about the weather, but about getting hit by a 2-ton pickup truck, something that is only going to get worse with electric vehicles as they are heavier and quieter.
I don’t want to ban all cars. No, I want to reclaim the public for people as much as possible. Reduce the number of lanes dedicated for cars and increase the lanes dedicated for other modes of transport, like bikes. Make dedicated lanes for public transit. Remove free car storage from the sides of our roads. Reallocate the roads of our cities to be human centered, not car centered.
It’s not a ban. But it will feel like a ban to some people in the same way that some white people feel oppressed when there's racial equality.
This is what I mean when I say #BanCars, it just doesn't fit on a bumper sticker. -
byExcited to listen to a new episode of Inside the Energy Transition. The latest episode, A just transition: how to avoid leaving people behind, should be good.
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Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
byDon’t like filling up at 5 bucks a gallon?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Stressed by all your time in a metal box?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Want to stop the countless wars perpetrated by petrostates?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Want real energy independence and security?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Want a healthier and more vibrant local community?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
One more time for those in the back!
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊ -
Bookmark of Why did renewables become so cheap so fast?
byFossil fuels dominate the global power supply because until very recently electricity from fossil fuels was the cheapest. This has changed dramatically. In most places power from new renewables is now cheaper than new fossil fuels.
Fascinating read. -
Bookmark of The Revenge of the Hot Water Bottle
byImagine a personal heating system that works indoors as well as outdoors, can be taken anywhere, requires little energy, and is independent of any infrastructure. It exists – and is hundreds of years old.
Reminds me I should use my yutanpo more. But truth be told, Sophie always sleeps by me feet, so I already have a Sophie-tanpo. -
Bookmark of How we changed our roof and cut 1.5 tons of CO2e.
bySince Oct 01, 2021 we have saved 2,300 kwh, equivalent to 720 kg CO2e (assuming a 0.3g of CO2e per Kwh of heating gas). At current trend, we would save 5,200 kwh, equivalent to 1,600 kg CO2e until Apr 15, 2022. To put that number in perspective, a French emits about 9,000 kg of CO2e per year. Not bad for a roof.
Fascinating how much easier we can cut with upgrades to the house that reduce carbon and improve comfort. Beautiful roof, too.