What's more current than the weather?

[Undertoad]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Rate of technology development is not intrinsically tied to reduction in pollution.

It isn't. But



We should be eating 14k KWh per household by now -- but we're only using 12k. Compact fluorescents and LED lighting, says NYT.

NYT story (paywall warning)

20% of the world's electricity is used for lighting. Eventually it will be 4%, because LED.

How huge is this? Massive! During the day, energy for lighting is needed exactly as solar becomes unavailable. (thanks again to glatt for linking that CA daily energy supply/demand website)

The electricity saved from this will now be able to power more electric cars, without additional coal plants. Then oil use goes down. And due to globalization, all these innovations take effect in a decade, and are shared worldwide as quickly as possible.

Why not be optimistic?

(cue music) ♪ This is how we do it ♫

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

During the day, energy for lighting is needed exactly as solar becomes unavailable.

Say what?
Hmm... At the end of the day... At night... During the dark part of the day... During the night part of the day?
Nevermind, just awkward.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

20% of the world's electricity is used for lighting. Eventually it will be 4%, because LED.

That transition caused a lot of complaints and bellyaching, and Trump is moving backwards on it.

Why not be optimistic?

Because a lot of the reasons for optimism are things pushed for, advocated for, incentivized, and subsidized by policies intended to combat climate change.


Like the carbon recapture plants you mentioned earlier. One of their sources of funding (I have no idea what percentage) is from the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC), which is technically privately funded, but:

Funding for CCEMC is collected from industry. Since 2007, Alberta companies that annually produce more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over a baseline are legally required to reduce their greenhouse gas intensity by 12 per cent. Companies have three options to meet their reduction target: improve the efficiency of their operations, buy carbon credits in the Alberta-based offset system or pay $15 into the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund for every tonne over the reduction limit. The CCEMC invests the money collected in clean technology.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Because planning for the worst helps make the best more likely.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

20% of the world's electricity is used for lighting. Eventually it will be 4%, because LED.

One would think so using some assumption - that were used for over a century. IEEE Spectrum (long ago) debunked that assumption. What happens when lights and electricity get cheaper? The number of lights increase drastically. Ironically, as the cost of lightning went down (all through history), then mankind spend same or more on lighting.

The LED is not expected to reduce energy consumption. It is expected to increase the amount of lights we use, need, and leave on.