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Author mpescePosted on

The Next Billion Cars – Experiences in ‘range anxiety’

On a recent trip to the Bay Area, I rented an EV, drove to a rural town on the Mendocino coast, then drove back again. That trip taught me a lot about what it means to drive an EV – and how it changes both thinking and behaviour behind the wheel. It taught me that unless we fundamentally revision how we power personal transportation in the US and Australia, the EV revolution will fade away in favour of hybrid/PHEV vehicles. Co-host Sally Dominguez and I reflect on something that should be easy, yet proves to be surprisingly difficult – as you can see in the video below.

Produced by Ampel.

Author mpescePosted on

Episode 5.03 – Series 5 Predictions: Can we make friends with a superpower China?

Prediction: Our long-running low-level spats with China are the new normal, the Chinese superpower rubbing up against the regional power of Australia.

Series 5 continues with some predictions on geopolitics in this decade, when America and China swap positions, and political power tilts eastward.

Author mpescePosted on 1 Comment on Episode 2.02: Power Tools with Ramez Naam

Episode 2.02: Power Tools with Ramez Naam

Solar power cost $100 per kilowatt hour when energy futurist Ramez Naam entered the world. Last year, the UAE signed a 20-year contract for solar power at a four thousandth the cost. For Ramez Naam it’s no longer a question of if renewables, it’s a matter of when: the data proves it. Energy has been mixed with politics from the beginning – so over the next billion seconds, how do we talk ourselves out of our coal culture and into a sustainable future? Ramez Naam makes a convincing case for a future where we profit from the sun.

Here’s an excerpt:

 

There are some amazing things happening in the renewable energy space, as shown in this chart about a typical week of energy generation in South Australia:

Ramez gives a lot of talks about energy futures, here’s a recent one given in South Africa – a nation with some energy problems…

Ramez has also written a series of blog posts on the energy future – the first is linked here. 

Finally, here’s that infamous photo of Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison, on the day they passed a lump of coal around in Parliament:

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