Better late than never! The Electric future.

🔌🔋Forging a >50% renewable electric economy by 2030 🔌🔋

Inbox

x

Peter Diamandis <peter@diamandis.com> Unsubscribe	3:46 PM (5 hours ago)
to me

Images are not displayed. Display images below - Always display images from peter@diamandis.com

By 2030, more than 50 percent of the U.S. economy will run on electricity derived from renewables. What are the implications as we shift the U.S. and global energy economies away from fossil fuels? For the first time ever, our harnessing of renewable energy has surpassed domestic reliance on coal, a critical milestone for democratizing energy.  Current technological advances in wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric power, nuclear and localized grids are forging a future of cheap, abundant, and ubiquitous energy. Last week, I discussed the impending death of the internal combustion engine — soon to join the steam engine as a relic of the past. And today, I’ll be exploring the ways in which we are fast approaching an all-electric, renewable energy economy. Two areas of disruption take center stage: How we produce energy; How we utilize energy. Let’s dive in! Energy Production Simply put, our world in the coming decades will need a lot more energy than it does today. The industrial and technological booms of emerging nations are bringing online billions of high-demand energy consumers, now just as voracious as their American and European counterparts. Already, China’s energy consumption is expected to double by 2030, and India is right on its tail. In our ‘linear and scarcity-minded’ world of fossil fuels, these skyrocketing trends present a problem: more demand equals more environmental devastation, higher prices, and increased geopolitical tensions as the ‘haves’ supply the ‘have-nots.’ Luckily, a ‘global and exponential mindset’ offers an alternative. Rather than slicing the pie into thinner and thinner slices, let’s just bake more pies. Namely, higher-priced hydrocarbon fuels drive market incentives to invest heavily in alternative energy sources. Advances in batteries, solar, wind, geothermal, and even nuclear fusion offer humanity a future in which we can viably switch from coal, petroleum, and natural gas to renewables, and eventually to an all-electric economy. As I discussed in last week’s blog, our rapid transition to renewable energy sources will be driven by sheer economics. Between 2010 and 2017, utility-scale solar photovoltaic capital costs in the U.S. have fallen by a factor of five, from $5-6 per kilowatt to a mere $1-2. And the only constraint to plummeting prices is technology, not resource availability. In today’s fossil fuels market, by far the greatest cost is the commodity itself, i.e. coal, oil, or natural gas. But the opposite is true for renewables. Think of the commodities needed: sun, wind, (to a large degree) nuclear power, and water are all free. All costs borne by producers lie in building and maintaining the infrastructure to harness power from these renewable energies. As a result, the greatest business opportunities surrounding these sources are primarily unlocked by improving the technology. And the rate of technological advancement is accelerating. Companies like GE are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in microgrids and smart grids, which will make electricity far more accessible to larger populations. Several companies in solar energy, such as SunRun, Sun Power and Sunnova Energy Corp, are vastly improving the efficiency of solar cells, whether in production, installation or manufacturing. But how is our energy used? Energy Utilization Today, transportation represents roughly 29 percent of the U.S.’s total energy use. Yet almost none of that energy use is currently electric. Herein lies the greatest growth opportunity for U.S. electrification. As advancements in renewable energy drive down the price of electricity, the market will respond by capitalizing on this electrification. While only 20.5 percent of the U.S. economy is currently electrified, that number has the potential to jump to more than 50 percent by 2030. But how will this happen? Because of exciting innovations across the three greatest energy-guzzling sectors: transportation, commercial and residential, and industrial. While these sectors represent electrification potential to varying degrees, here’s one route by which we might reach a 50 percent renewable energy economy over the next decade: Shifting the Transportation Sector (29% of Current Energy Use) to Renewable Electricity: Electric vehicles (EVs) are cheaper per mile, require less maintenance, demonstrate greater reliability, and have far fewer moving parts (<200 in electric cars vs. >1,000 parts in gas-fueled cars) than internal combustion engine-driven vehicles. Ultimately, when a product is cheaper and better, consumers switch. Let’s take a look. The price per mile of an EV is already four times cheaper than that of its gasoline-fueled counterpart. (An EV’s average operating cost is 3.72¢ per mile vs. that of a gasoline-fueled vehicle, which stands at 16.00¢ per mile.) However, EVs represented only 2 percent of the U.S. personal car market in 2018. And while we are about to witness the massive electrification of personal and commercial vehicles over the coming decade, passenger vehicles represent only 63 percent of all transportation energy use. The remaining 37 percent consists of air and freight. Nonetheless, companies and governments alike are achieving extraordinary progress in making these systems run fully on electricity from renewable energy sources. Aircraft: This year’s Paris Air Show witnessed the introduction of electric commercial airplanes, as EasyJet announced its partnership with startup Wright Electric to roll out a fleet of electric planes (capable of traveling a little less than 300 miles). Trucking: In the large-scale ground transit arena, Tesla boasts that its electric trucks can save $100,000 per year on fuel costs. And as projects like Hyperloop and the Boring Company reduce our dependency on air travel for long distance human and freight, exponential technologies like VR will soon begin to indirectly disrupt our need to physically travel in the first place. Shifting the Industrial Sector (32% of Current Energy Use) to Renewable Electricity: While still constituting a minority, electricity represents a more significant chunk, 17 percent, of the industrial sector’s energy use. Beyond the obvious suspects — turning on lights, running air conditioners, etc. — several industrial processes use electricity on a tremendous scale. Take aluminum production, a relatively modern invention dating back only to 1886, which requires a high-voltage electric current to extract aluminum from bauxite ore. Currently, the best smelters use around 13 kilowatt-hours to produce one kilogram of aluminum. (For reference, it takes approximately 29 kilowatt-hours to power the average American home for one day.)  Or look at the creation of synthetic gas, not to mention that of carbon-based polymers and aggregates, both requiring high amounts of energy in the form of electric current. Tomorrow’s advanced-materials economy will require a much higher proportion of energy to take the form of electricity. Shifting the Commercial & Residential Sector (38% of Current Energy Use) to Renewable Electricity: Lastly, almost half of the commercial and residential sector’s energy use is already electric. And the reasons for this perhaps speaks best to the economic argument for electrification with renewables. It used to be that almost all of this sector’s energy was derived from fossil fuels. But as the price of electricity has continued to decline, home adoption rates of electricity have increased accordingly, as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And as renewables and converging technologies continue to drive down cost, commercial and residential use of electricity will only soar. Calculating for the Total If we assume that energy use ratios by sector – transportation, residential and commercial, and industrial — remain relatively constant, our economy is already on target for over 50 percent electrification from renewables in the next decade. Our trajectory to a 66 percent electric transportation industry by 2030 alone puts us at a 19.3 percent electric total economy. Next up: if another 30 percent of the industrial sector becomes electrified — requiring a conservative annual increase of 3 percent — that adds another 7.1 percent to our aggregate economy’s electrification. And already today, the residential and commercial sector is well on its way to full electrification. With the continued rate of transition, a whopping 62 percent of this sector will be electrified using renewables in just ten years. That represents 23.6 percent of the U.S.’s total energy use. Added together, these massive shifts represent a 50 percent renewable-electric economy, and a 110 percent increase in U.S. electrification in just 10 years. Welcome to a future driven by electrons generated from renewable sources of energy. What are the implications to your business? Your industry? What will the impacts be on global geopolitics, our families, and our environment? Join me for these critical conversations. Join Me (1) A360 Executive Mastermind: Want even more context about how converging exponential technologies will transform your business and industry? Consider joining Abundance 360, my highly selective community of 360 exponentially minded CEOs, who are on a 25-year journey with me — or as I call it, a “countdown to the Singularity." If you’d like to learn more and consider joining our 2020 membership, apply here. Share this with your friends, especially if they are interested in any of the areas outlined above. (2) Abundance-Digital Online Community: I’ve also created a Digital/Online community of bold, abundance-minded entrepreneurs called Abundance-Digital. Abundance-Digital is my ‘onramp’ for exponential entrepreneurs — those who want to get involved and play at a higher level. Click here to learn more.

© PHD Ventures, 800 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, California, 90230, United States  manage your email preferences   Unsubscribe from all future emails

ReplyForward

Global warming? No...Global burning? Yes!

MNN.com > Earth Matters > Climate & Weather

Europe swelters under devastating heat wave

France marks the hottest day in recorded history.

MARY JO DILONARDO

June 28, 2019, 10:53 a.m.

Tweet

3

Teenagers play volleyball in in a fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (Photo: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

An intense heat wave has settled over Europe, with France setting the highest temperature in recorded history at 45.1 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit.)

French officials declared a "red alert" weather warning, another first, and other countries across Europe stepped up precautions, from closing schools to making sure water is provided to the homeless and anyone in need.

Hitting the 45-degree C mark was historic because it beat a temperature record set in 2003, when a heat wave killed 15,000 people in France. It's the memory of that heat wave that has many governments staying ahead of the crisis and fending off criticism they are being too conservative. 

Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic have all recorded their highest-ever June temperatures, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, firefighters in Spain are still trying to contain wildfires that have devastated 10,000 acres of Catalonia.

Because these temperatures are so high above the average, they increase the danger for residents, who aren't used to such soaring heat and aren't prepared for it. People have been advised to drink lots of water, stay out of the sun, and avoid strenuous activity when temperatures are hottest from midday through the afternoon.

"When it is 105 (degrees Fahrenheit) in Phoenix or Kuwait, it is not nearly as big of a deal as if it is 105 in Chicago or Paris," said CNN senior meteorologist Brandon Millerearlier this week. "But when summer temperatures are routinely in the 70s, like in northern Europe or the West Coast of the U.S., many places do not have air conditioning. This can turn deadly fast if heat waves strike and last for several days."

Animal keeper Claudia Beck puts sunblock on a South American tapir at the Serengeti-Park animal park in Hodenhagen, Germany, during a heat wave. (Photo: MOHSSEN ASSANIMOGHADDAM/AFP/Getty Images)

Though Europe does experience some heat waves, this one is occurring relatively early in the summer, and it was preceded by an ominous warning from Spanish meteorologist Silvia Laplana that "hell is coming."

Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research told the Associated Press, "monthly heat records all over the globe occur five times as often today as they would in a stable climate."

He added, "This increase in heat extremes is just as predicted by climate science as a consequence of global warming caused by the increasing greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil and gas."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information since it was first published in June 2019.

From MNN: EARTH MATTERS.

These students came up with an ingenious way to keep buildings cool

No electricity. No moving parts.

CHRISTIAN COTRONEO

June 27, 2019, 8:22 a.m.

Tweet

8

The student team took a page from mother nature to develop this sun-thwarting insulation. (Photo: Phalanx)

From Mount Everest's slushy summit to the fading ice fields of Greenland, the dial on the global furnace ticks ever upward.

And so, too, the air-conditioning dial.

Climate may change, but old habits, they die hard. No one wants to sweat out a heat wave. And, indeed, air conditioning can save lives — even as it also takes the long way around to taking lives.

All those AC units chugging away in homes and offices work tirelessly to stave off heat. At the same time, the emissions and particulate matter they dump into the atmosphere makes our lot even worse.

It's a dilemma scientists have been grappling with for decades: How do we keep our living spaces, well, livable, without adding to the planetary problem that is global warming?

And yet, termites seemed to have worked it all out ages ago. The cathedral-like mounds they build — often as tall as eight feet — may function much as giant lungs, cooling and heating the small inner chamber where the insects actually dwell.

Termite mounds like this one in Australia were just one element of inspiration for the student inventors. (Photo: Martin Horsky/Shutterstock)

It's the kind of setup that has weathered all kinds of weather extremities over the millennia. And the kind that's inspiring student engineers to emulate.

Taking a page from the termite construction manual, a team from the Industrial Design program at California State University, Long Beach has developed an insulation that could revolutionize how homes and offices are cooled.

They've dubbed the material, which is still in early testing, Phalanx.

"The idea for Phalanx started out with us discovering that the cooling and heating of buildings contributed the largest amount of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere," team member Albert Gonzalez explained to MNN via email. "Our goal was to find a passive way to cool buildings and limit the use of HVAC units. We began by looking at the eons of research and development done by mother nature."

They came up with a system of panels that could be attached to existing structures, particularly in places where the sun bears down most.

Those insulating sheets comprise three layers, each taking its cue from the natural world. While termite engineering inspires the middle layer, the first looks to the cactus — a plant renowned for its ability to stare down the sun. Wavy, waxy patterns on that layer, much like cactus flesh, dissipate and reflect heat.

The insulation comprises three layers, each inspired by the natural world. (Photo: Phalanx)

The final outer layer channels the sun-coping strategies of camels and even wheat. It gathers cooling dew from the air or draws up gray water from a trough installed beneath.

It all adds up to a passive cooling system that the student engineers maintain can dramatically dial down our reliance on air conditioning.

What's more, it draws no electricity, there are no moving parts, and — unlike other promising new materials like super-strong sun-cloaking wood — it can be attached relatively easily to existing structures.

The system doesn't use electricity and can pull morning dew out of the atmosphere. (Photo: Phalanx)

The first test for Phalanx, however, didn't go quite the way the team had hoped.

They were vying for this month's Ray of Hope Prize — an annual award given to innovations that tackle real-world problems by drawing inspiration from the natural world. That prize was awarded earlier this month to startup company Watchtower Robotics for its use of robots to find and patch leaky city pipes, an innovation that could save an estimated 20 percent of the clean, freshwater that's lost to the world.

Not being among last week's finalists may make the road for Phalanx a little more arduous — winning concepts certainly benefit from having the prestigious prize under their wings — but for this team it's hardly a dead end.

They're looking to raise enough funds to help move Phalanx into a second phase of testing.

"During our alpha testing, we saw very promising results," Gonzalez noted. "There was a 30 degree Fahrenheit difference between our Phalanx setup and our control. Now, we want to apply Phalanx to a small building and test a variety of materials for the first and second layer to see which yields the best results."

As students, they have time on their side to hone their ideas. But their most important ally in developing Phalanx may be an ever-warming planet that's in dire need of fresh ideas, if it's ever going to breathe easy again.

Related on MNN:

Yes, air conditioning is a basic necessity

Related topics: Climate Change, Environmental Science, Research & Innovation

WANTED! A GREAT IMAGINATION.

If We Can Imagine It, We Can Build It

Inbox

x

Jagmeet Singh <Jagmeet.Singh@parl.gc.ca>	Fri, Jun 28, 1:34 PM (2 days ago)
to Human4usbillions

Images are not displayed. Display images below - Always display images from Jagmeet.Singh@parl.gc.ca

As we enjoy the summer and celebrate our country's 152^nd birthday, let's remember that we are really lucky to live in a country like Canada – a beautiful land filled with amazing people. We have a lot to be proud of, but we still have a lot of work to do.

 

To me, celebrating Canada means imagining the kind of country we can build together. Imagining a Canada with an economy that works for everyone, where people can access the healthcare services they need when they need them, with a pharmacare program that covers everyone's medication costs. Or imagining a Canada where everyone has a safe place to call home, because we are building new, affordable housing across the country – and a Canada where the environment is protected and people are fighting climate change, while creating new sustainable green jobs so that families and communities can look forward to a secure future.

 

If we can imagine it, we can build it. With compassion for each other, we can work together to create a Canada where no one is left behind, and we can act with courage to protect the planet we call home.

 

I wanted you to know I'm on your side in building that Canada together.  Explore our New Deal for People -- and discoverwhat matters to you.

 

All the best, Jagmeet

 

Building an Affordable Life for You

 

While the richest corporations and individuals keep getting richer, everyday Canadians are finding it harder to make ends meet. Young families no longer dream of owning a home while seniors on a fixed income are struggling to keep a home.

 

But it doesn't have to be that way. New Democrats have a plan to making your life more affordable, to putting more money in your wallet.

 

We have a plan to help Canadians caught in the housing crisis – we'll build 500,000 quality, affordable housing units, kick-start the construction of co-ops and non-profit housing, remove the GST/HST on the construction of new affordable rental units, and help low-income renters.

 

Our pharmacare plan will make sure every Canadian gets the medication they need – saving families $500 a year or more whether they have insurance or not.

 

What's more, we'll cap the cost of cell phone plans and high-speed internet at the global average and make sure the big telecoms expand connectivity for rural communities.

 

Affordability also means making sure the next generation starts out on the right foot. This means parents having access to affordable, quality child care when they need it. And, our children having access to a good education, from kindergarten to career, without the barrier of cost. We'll make this happen by capping and reducing tuition fees, increasing access to post-secondary education and apprenticeship programs, and creating a roadmap for post-secondary education to be part of our public education system.

 

Building an Action Plan for the Climate Crisis

 

Canadians across the country are seeing first-hand the impact of climate change in their communities. We know it's time for leadership on the climate crisis – a plan for climate action and good jobs.

 

New Democrats have a plan that will give all Canadians the opportunity to play a part in moving Canada to a sustainable economy. We'll create at least 300,000 new jobs and keep workers and their families from falling behind. We'll build the clean energy future with bold ideas like retrofitting all housing stock, free public transit, investing in electric buses and high-speed rail, bringing back critical rural and northern transit routes, and ending subsidies to big polluters. Our climate action plan will help the environment and save you money!

 

We also know true reconciliation means working with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis as full and equal partners in the climate crisis fight.

 

You can see more details on our climate commitments here: "Power to Change: a New Deal for Climate Action and Good Jobs”.

 

Building a Better Life for Seniors

 

Canadians deserve to retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work. That's why New Democrats have a plan to protect your retirement savings. We want to make sure employee pensions are at the front of the line if a company goes bankrupt. What's more, we're proposing a mandatory, industry-funded pension insurance program to protect and guarantee your pension. And, we'll enhance OAS, boost the GIS, and strengthen the CPP.

 

We want Canadian seniors to have access to quality services.  An NDP government will implement a National Seniors Strategy and work with the provinces on improving seniors' health care, tackling poverty, reducing isolation, and ending elder abuse and neglect.

 

Building a Canada that Cares for Everyone

 

Decades of Conservative cuts and Liberal inaction have undermined the public services we all count on. New Democrats want to build a future where we take better care of one another.

 

We'll do it by completing Tommy Douglas' dream of having head-to-toe health coverage. An NDP government will expand health care to include drug coverage, dental care, eye care, and mental health care.

 

We'll tackle poverty by building more affordable housing, launching a national school nutrition program and a national basic income pilot project. And, we'll extend EI sickness benefits to 50 weeks for Canadians facing a serious illness.

 

We also think it's time to unlock the potential of all Canadians. That's why we'll work to remove barriers faced by persons living with disabilities. What's more, our plan includes a national Autism strategy.

 

And, for those who've put on a uniform to defend our country, we'll step-up and do right by our veterans. We'll ensure benefits are in place before a veteran leaves the service, and enough caseworkers are available to get results for veterans and their families when problems arise. What's more, we'll launch a national strategy to end homelessness for veterans for good.

 

Building a Stronger Democracy

 

Canadians want their vote to count! But Prime Minister Trudeau disappointed millions of Canadians when he broke his promise to end first-past-the-post voting.  

 

A New Democrat government will make sure every vote counts!  We'll bring in a mixed member proportional representation (MMP) – and we'll do it in our first mandate. We'll set-up an independent citizens' assembly to recommend the best way to put the new system in place for the next election and, after two election cycles, prepare a referendum on it.