I highly recommend Rachel Maddow’s “Blowout” (Crown Publishing 2019) for an in depth look at the incredible damage the oil industry has done to the poor countries that it has, “convinced”, generally through bribery of public officials, to welcome them into their poor countries with the promise of untold wealth (for the countries leaders) and increased poverty and misery for the remainder of the populace. Ms. Maddow takes an in-depth look at a half dozen poor countries that accepted the promise of untold wealth for the general population and received abject misery, pollution and graft instead. Her review actually uncovered the fact that for these poor countries, the arrival of “drill baby drill” actually left them poorer than they were before the discoveries of ‘Black Gold’ within their respective borders.
I understand that the sun spends, like, a lot of time in Africa. I've seen photos--nature documentaries even. Plenty of sun there! Why not use all that sun? I bet it could run a washing machine or two.
Ta, Dok. I'm a day late so it's probable no one will see this. I have an award-winning documentary filmmaker friend from Kerala. He's the one who told me about Modi putting up power transmission lines where there is NO source of electricity.
I'm kinda reminded of how fast cell phone technology was adopted in many third-world countries - where providing the infrastructure for land line phones would have been prohibitively expensive. One would think that the same would occur with distributed energy systems as this sentence:
"... Wind, solar, and storage are in fact becoming more affordable, and capable of bringing energy to more people, more quickly, in more places, than fossil fuels, making it possible for developing nations to leapfrog past the obsolete technology of coal, gas, and oil...."
"We all knew that the second Trump administration would be a disastrous setback for the fight against climate change, given his pledge to leave the Paris climate agreement again and roll back as much of Joe Biden’s climate accomplishments as he possibly can."
* Climate change? What climate change? All that's been happening is just a few minor heat and cold waves around the world. For example, the US has seen an increase in the number and strength of hurricanes of late, but that is not due to the climate; the root cause is Jews in the government creating and directing them to punish the South for being antisemitic;
* Why should the US continue to be part of the Paris agreement? Most of the signatories are doing the same as most NATO countries: making America pay for the other, deadbeat, countries that aren't pulling their own weight financially;
* Pres Biden's efforts have to be countermanded in order for the US to be the largest exporter of energy worldwide... fossil fuels are the future, baby. Besides, clean energy is for suckers and losers who can't afford the gas to fill the tank in their gas-guzzling oversized pickup trucks and SUVs that seat at least eight comfortably -- the vehicle of choice for Soccer moms and dads.
-----
"insisting against all the evidence that the climate effects of burning fossil fuels are still a long way off, so in the meantime we should keep using them, because fossil fuels bring prosperity to everyone"
How dare you question one of the expert advisors that the Fulvous Flatulence wants around him! I mean, who should we believe: an individual fully steeped in the benefits of pollution and whack weather via the burning fossil fuels or some climate science nerd who's never been near an oil rig?
-----
“not an intellectually serious argument. […] It’s about creating a permission structure for not pursuing a more responsible energy policy.”
"[I]ntellectually serious argument[s]" are anathema to the whining little insects circling the dim light that is the Pumpkin Pestilence. In fact, anything intellectual is, by definition, to be avoided at all costs, Poindexter; Brainiacs are worthless in real world situations.
-----
"rooftop solar panels, small-scale wind turbines and home battery storage systems could create 25 million jobs by the end of the decade in Asia and Africa"
A primary idea within the MAGA (bowel) movement is to bring as many job opportunities as possible to America, and screw the other countries, *especially* African and Asian countries. After all, a majority of shithole countries are on one of these two continents.
-----
"the fact that building great big fossil fuel plants in poor nations primarily benefits the fossil fuel companies, and often the corrupt governments that invite them in"
Yes, but think of all the temporary construction jobs building these facilities will bring, and the revenue that will flow into the US:
"In 2022, the United States experienced 18 separate climate and weather related disasters, including droughts, floods, severe storms, and wildfires which each caused over $1 billion in damage and led to the deaths of four hundred and seventy four people. Altogether the 18 events cost an estimated $165 billion" ibid
-----
"Nigeria’s energy grid is so shoddy that fewer than a third of rural residents have access to electricity. Even in cities, the grid is prone to shortages and failures from its rickety infrastructure"
IOW, Nigeria is Africa's Texas.
-----
"pro-industry rightwing hacks have distorted science in the name of profits ever since the early 20th Century"
This may have been occurring for over 100 years now, but the Sociopathic Marigold Swamp Monster, his minions, sycophants, lackeys, proxies, and turd polishers have made twisting science to fit their narrative into a science unto itself.
Don't think so, once you sign in with a browser, you should stay signed in. That said, I mostly use a desktop computer so I can't really speak to what happens with mobile devices.
I have enormous admiration and respect for Jennifer Granholm. She is one of those rare but wonderful individuals who fights back with facts and keep you from giving up and giving in.
Mr. Wright said on the “Mission Zero” podcast last year. “We don’t want that to happen. And we simply don’t have meaningful substitutes for oil, gas and coal today.”
Didn’t I read that some Scandinavian countries are 100 percent renewable energy now?
Prince Andrew's been associated with a man now barred from the U.K. on suspicion of being a Chinese spy. He was discussing some kind of business arrangement with the prince (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/13/from-prince-to-pariah-andrews-never-ending-fall-from-grace). Not a good look. It's bad enough the royals are basically useless, but if they're selling influence or spilling any state secrets to Commie spies, that does actual damage.
"Massachusetts regulators have given a green light to developers planning a giant battery farm in Everett over objections from the city’s mayor, who prefers a more vibrant development on the 20 acres where the project would go.
On Nov. 29, state energy and environmental affairs secretary Rebecca Tepper signed a final record of decision allowing the massive battery energy storage system — potentially the largest in New England — proposed by Texas-based Jupiter Power to advance in permitting. The project, known as the Trimount Energy Storage Facility, will now be reviewed by the state Department of Public Utilities, which can allow energy projects to bypass local site-plan reviews.
Environmental groups have praised the idea of turning this polluted land, formerly an ExxonMobil oil tank farm, into a lithium-ion battery farm that could deliver as much as 700 megawatts of power — roughly the equivalent of a typical nuclear reactor — during times of peak demand. The Trimount project represents the first phase of a broader redevelopment of the former tank farm, which once stretched from Route 16 all the way to the Mystic River, spanning nearly 100 acres. A joint venture of Davis Companies and Global Partners is cleaning up the site and drafting preliminary plans for a sprawling mixed-use complex that could result in as many as 3,000 housing units and millions of square feet of new commercial space."
I highly recommend Rachel Maddow’s “Blowout” (Crown Publishing 2019) for an in depth look at the incredible damage the oil industry has done to the poor countries that it has, “convinced”, generally through bribery of public officials, to welcome them into their poor countries with the promise of untold wealth (for the countries leaders) and increased poverty and misery for the remainder of the populace. Ms. Maddow takes an in-depth look at a half dozen poor countries that accepted the promise of untold wealth for the general population and received abject misery, pollution and graft instead. Her review actually uncovered the fact that for these poor countries, the arrival of “drill baby drill” actually left them poorer than they were before the discoveries of ‘Black Gold’ within their respective borders.
I understand that the sun spends, like, a lot of time in Africa. I've seen photos--nature documentaries even. Plenty of sun there! Why not use all that sun? I bet it could run a washing machine or two.
Ta, Dok. I'm a day late so it's probable no one will see this. I have an award-winning documentary filmmaker friend from Kerala. He's the one who told me about Modi putting up power transmission lines where there is NO source of electricity.
Rex Tillerson didn't want fracking near his home in Tejas, either.
Such hypocrites.
I'm kinda reminded of how fast cell phone technology was adopted in many third-world countries - where providing the infrastructure for land line phones would have been prohibitively expensive. One would think that the same would occur with distributed energy systems as this sentence:
"... Wind, solar, and storage are in fact becoming more affordable, and capable of bringing energy to more people, more quickly, in more places, than fossil fuels, making it possible for developing nations to leapfrog past the obsolete technology of coal, gas, and oil...."
Yes! That's precisely the analogy that clean energy advocates are using, and that is already being embraced in many ways.
"We all knew that the second Trump administration would be a disastrous setback for the fight against climate change, given his pledge to leave the Paris climate agreement again and roll back as much of Joe Biden’s climate accomplishments as he possibly can."
* Climate change? What climate change? All that's been happening is just a few minor heat and cold waves around the world. For example, the US has seen an increase in the number and strength of hurricanes of late, but that is not due to the climate; the root cause is Jews in the government creating and directing them to punish the South for being antisemitic;
* Why should the US continue to be part of the Paris agreement? Most of the signatories are doing the same as most NATO countries: making America pay for the other, deadbeat, countries that aren't pulling their own weight financially;
* Pres Biden's efforts have to be countermanded in order for the US to be the largest exporter of energy worldwide... fossil fuels are the future, baby. Besides, clean energy is for suckers and losers who can't afford the gas to fill the tank in their gas-guzzling oversized pickup trucks and SUVs that seat at least eight comfortably -- the vehicle of choice for Soccer moms and dads.
-----
"insisting against all the evidence that the climate effects of burning fossil fuels are still a long way off, so in the meantime we should keep using them, because fossil fuels bring prosperity to everyone"
How dare you question one of the expert advisors that the Fulvous Flatulence wants around him! I mean, who should we believe: an individual fully steeped in the benefits of pollution and whack weather via the burning fossil fuels or some climate science nerd who's never been near an oil rig?
-----
“not an intellectually serious argument. […] It’s about creating a permission structure for not pursuing a more responsible energy policy.”
"[I]ntellectually serious argument[s]" are anathema to the whining little insects circling the dim light that is the Pumpkin Pestilence. In fact, anything intellectual is, by definition, to be avoided at all costs, Poindexter; Brainiacs are worthless in real world situations.
-----
"rooftop solar panels, small-scale wind turbines and home battery storage systems could create 25 million jobs by the end of the decade in Asia and Africa"
A primary idea within the MAGA (bowel) movement is to bring as many job opportunities as possible to America, and screw the other countries, *especially* African and Asian countries. After all, a majority of shithole countries are on one of these two continents.
-----
"the fact that building great big fossil fuel plants in poor nations primarily benefits the fossil fuel companies, and often the corrupt governments that invite them in"
Yes, but think of all the temporary construction jobs building these facilities will bring, and the revenue that will flow into the US:
"ExxonMobil and Chevron, two companies headquartered in the United States, reported earnings of $55.7 billion and $35.5 billion, respectively, during 2022." https://blog.ucsusa.org/shaina-sadai/fossil-fuel-companies-make-billions-in-profit-as-we-suffer-billions-in-losses/
And in return:
"In 2022, the United States experienced 18 separate climate and weather related disasters, including droughts, floods, severe storms, and wildfires which each caused over $1 billion in damage and led to the deaths of four hundred and seventy four people. Altogether the 18 events cost an estimated $165 billion" ibid
-----
"Nigeria’s energy grid is so shoddy that fewer than a third of rural residents have access to electricity. Even in cities, the grid is prone to shortages and failures from its rickety infrastructure"
IOW, Nigeria is Africa's Texas.
-----
"pro-industry rightwing hacks have distorted science in the name of profits ever since the early 20th Century"
This may have been occurring for over 100 years now, but the Sociopathic Marigold Swamp Monster, his minions, sycophants, lackeys, proxies, and turd polishers have made twisting science to fit their narrative into a science unto itself.
fnord
OT, new to substack, is the app the only way to stay signed into this thingamajig?
Don't think so, once you sign in with a browser, you should stay signed in. That said, I mostly use a desktop computer so I can't really speak to what happens with mobile devices.
Another writer in the pocket of Big Watt.
I have enormous admiration and respect for Jennifer Granholm. She is one of those rare but wonderful individuals who fights back with facts and keep you from giving up and giving in.
When the oil guys drink a glass of water that they can first light with a match, I might be interested.
If windmills and wind farms are so terrible, why does blood red Texas have so many of them?
Well, I believe I did hear that fracking improves the flushing of toilets and this came from an authority on just about everything.
That's that then! Early quit?
Let happy hour begin!
Mr. Wright said on the “Mission Zero” podcast last year. “We don’t want that to happen. And we simply don’t have meaningful substitutes for oil, gas and coal today.”
Didn’t I read that some Scandinavian countries are 100 percent renewable energy now?
Norway is almost entirely hydro, though oil is its main export, so there's that.
Prince Andrew's been associated with a man now barred from the U.K. on suspicion of being a Chinese spy. He was discussing some kind of business arrangement with the prince (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/13/from-prince-to-pariah-andrews-never-ending-fall-from-grace). Not a good look. It's bad enough the royals are basically useless, but if they're selling influence or spilling any state secrets to Commie spies, that does actual damage.
Fuck off, limey aristos! Traitoring is OUR THING.
The things that Prince Andrew's been associated with!
Security clearances, state secrets, people credibly accused, blackmail...
Before the royals became useless, they were dangerous. They were like Trump. They operated the kingdom, and the empire, for their own benefit.
This is just slander to try and drag the paedophile Prince's name through the mud.
Kink shaming plus chink shaming.
OT:
It's official: ravens like tater tots
The wild story of the Anchorage White Raven
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage_White_Raven
NaCrowleon Dynamite.
I see crows feasting on fresh roadkill along my commute to work.
The crow family seems to have a varied diet, but they're smart enough to find the easiest route to feeding so they can get home to do math equations.
They still haven't satisfactorily explained their similarity to writing desks though.
That unanswered question has nagged me for years.
(From paywalled Boston Globe)
"Massachusetts regulators have given a green light to developers planning a giant battery farm in Everett over objections from the city’s mayor, who prefers a more vibrant development on the 20 acres where the project would go.
On Nov. 29, state energy and environmental affairs secretary Rebecca Tepper signed a final record of decision allowing the massive battery energy storage system — potentially the largest in New England — proposed by Texas-based Jupiter Power to advance in permitting. The project, known as the Trimount Energy Storage Facility, will now be reviewed by the state Department of Public Utilities, which can allow energy projects to bypass local site-plan reviews.
Environmental groups have praised the idea of turning this polluted land, formerly an ExxonMobil oil tank farm, into a lithium-ion battery farm that could deliver as much as 700 megawatts of power — roughly the equivalent of a typical nuclear reactor — during times of peak demand. The Trimount project represents the first phase of a broader redevelopment of the former tank farm, which once stretched from Route 16 all the way to the Mystic River, spanning nearly 100 acres. A joint venture of Davis Companies and Global Partners is cleaning up the site and drafting preliminary plans for a sprawling mixed-use complex that could result in as many as 3,000 housing units and millions of square feet of new commercial space."
Can the battery storage units be put underground, with the development (scaled back as needed) on top of it?
I like electric electricities which do not put bad stuff in the air. Birb live in air. Well, thees birb live in nest in house. But I like clean power.
Huh. I'm starting to get a sinking feeling about 2025. Things definitely have a Friday afternoon news dump vibe already.
Watch the Chris Hayes segment; it really buoyed me last night
Friday the Thirteenth, too...