Solar Cost Less than Half of What EIA Projected
30 Jun, 2015
Skeptics of renewables sometimes cite data from EIA (The US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration) or from the IEA (the OECD’s International Energy Agency). The IEA has a long history of underestimating solar and wind that I think is starting to be understood. The US…
R e a d M o r eSolar: The First 1% Was the Hardest
18 Jun, 2015
Solar power now provides roughly 1% of the world’s electricity. It took 40 years to reach that milestone. But, as they say in tech, the first 1% is the hardest. You can see why in this chart below. As solar prices drop, installation rate rises.…
R e a d M o r eWhat’s the EROI of Solar?
4 Jun, 2015
There’s a graph making rounds lately showing the comparative EROIs of different electricity production methods. (EROI is Energy Return On Investment – how much energy we get back if we spend 1 unit of energy. For solar this means – how much more energy does…
R e a d M o r eThe Ultimate Interface: Your Brain
15 May, 2015
A shorter version of this article first appeared at TechCrunch. The final frontier of digital technology is integrating into your own brain. DARPA wants to go there. Scientists want to go there. Entrepreneurs want to go there. And increasingly, it looks like it’s possible. You’ve…
R e a d M o r eThe Singularity is Further Than it Appears
12 May, 2015
This is an updated cross-post of a post I originally made at Charlie Stross’s blog. Are we headed for a Singularity? Is AI a Threat? tl;dr: Not anytime soon. Lack of incentives means very little strong AI work is happening. And even if we did…
R e a d M o r eTesla Battery Economics: On the Path to Disruption
30 Apr, 2015
Update: The Tesla battery is better than I thought for homes. And at utility scale, it’s deeply disruptive. Elon Musk announced Tesla’s home / business battery today. tl;dr: It’ll get enthusiastic early adopters to buy. The economics are almost there to make it cost effective for a wide market.…
R e a d M o r eWhy I’m Wearing an Eye Patch
29 Apr, 2015
Choose from among the following: A) I like costumes. B) I really wanted to look like Samuel L Jackson. C) It’s an interesting (and humbling) learning experience, walking around with one eye. D) The left half of my face is paralyzed. If you chose E,…
R e a d M o r eChina Isn’t the Reason Solar is Cheap. Innovation Is.
28 Apr, 2015
“The only reason solar is so cheap is because China is dumping cells.” I hear this a lot. So let me correct it. Here is the price, as of February 2015, of solar modules, per watt sold in Europe. SE Asia (Malaysia, mostly) is cheapest.…
R e a d M o r eSolar + Wind, More Than the Sum of Their Parts
28 Apr, 2015
David Roberts has an amazing first post in his new job at Vox, on why a solar future is inevitable. Clearly I’m bullish on solar. My own reasons are that: 1. Solar is plunging in price far faster than any other energy source. 2. Solar…
R e a d M o r eThe Prime Minister of Singapore is a Coder
26 Apr, 2015
Amazing. I know nothing of his politics or skills as a leader. But this surprised me. Can we import this guy? Elect more engineers, scientists, and developers to office in the United States? Full transcript of this speech here. Hat tip: Jon Evans, Alec Muffett
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