California Is Showing How a Big State Can Power Itself Without Fossil Fuels | The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/california-is-showing-how-a-big-state-can-power-itself-without-fossil-fuels “Beginning in early March, for some portion of almost every day, a combination of #solar, #wind, #geothermal, and hydropower has been producing more than a hundred per cent of the state’s demand for electricity. Some afternoons, solar panels alone have produced more power than the state uses. And, at night … batteries .. are often the single largest source of supply to the grid”
"The results show the sprawling expanse of U.S. potential for #geothermal, which taps heat from deep within the earth for clean, on-demand energy. That potential is especially red-hot in the western U.S., with striking hot spots also seen across the colder, older regions of the East.
Some "decommissioned #CoalPlants — sites that still sit in the center of webs of power lines could onboard future clean power onto the grid while avoiding the roadblocks around permitting new transmission corridors.
The Geomap researchers found that many of the West’s sites — #greenhouses, #meatpacking facilities, chemical plants and #DataCenters — sit atop heat that could be tapped directly, without needing to generate electricity, which is a cheaper proposition."
So, I may be a "doomsayer" (I consider myself a realist), but I'm always trying to see if there's a solution to getting us out of the mess we're in. Perhaps I would describe myself as an optimistic pessimist. Anyhow, based on my recent research, here are some of the solutions I think we (humanity) should pursue collectively...
Plug up the #MethaneLeaks! Seriously! That's a big part of the problem!
Make the price of #meat expensive! I remember when having meat was considered a special occasion -- not a daily occurrence.
Make things out of #RomanConcrete. Now that we've cracked the recipe, there's no excuse not to use it! Especially with rising sea levels (Roman concrete holds up better when exposed to water).
Manufacture stuff that lasts! No more #PlannedObsolescence -- items that can't be upgraded and/or repaired by a skilled user or a local repair shop!
Utilize new (and ancient) technologies to the max! #SolarPrisms, reflective white paint, building new structures with #skywells, #geothermal and other ways to cool/heat spaces without using #FossilFuels!
That's just a few off the top of my head. I think a lot of the solutions are right in front of us -- but #greed and #Oligarchy are keeping them from being implemented!
"A #California utility is backing the largest new #geothermal power development in the U.S. — 400 megawatts of clean electricity from the Earth’s heat — enough for some 400,000 homes.
New geothermal companies are adapting drilling technology and practices taken from the oil and gas industry to create reservoirs from hot rock. That unlocks the potential for geothermal energy in many more places. Engineers have been working to advance the methods for years."
"Some of the most established universities in the country are switching to sustainable energy to power their campuses in an effort to meet #climate goals.
Brightcore has projects in the works at [Yale University,] Columbia University, Princeton University, Brown University, setting a sustainable example for other schools to follow."