It reminds me of an Australian 60 Minutes episode that was about the energy crisis in the country. I don't know if its been resolved yet, but at the time of the

It reminds me of an Australian 60 Minutes episode that was about the energy crisis in the country. I don't know if its been resolved yet, but at the time of the filming, which wasn't too long ago, Australia was facing a severe energy issue in which the cost of electricity became astronomical. A significant portion of people's income was being spent on energy alone. And this seems to be a highly contentious issue in the country. A significant portion of the episode was about solving the problem by utilizing Solar Energy technology from Elon Musk. This bothered me, because it was emblematic of the silicon valley mindset. Which is to obsess over solving the world's problems with technology. Many problems can be solved with good policy alone. Having the right laws, the right incentives, the right talent, and the right balance of power is the most effective way to solve issues. The discussion about technology should come after not before a discussion about proper policy takes place. Sure, maybe the solar tech in this case will help lower costs. But that's probably only because it is an efficiency appended to something that shouldn't be inefficient in the first place. Another way to frame this is: there are many other countries out there with similar infrastructure to Australia that do not have the same issues thanks to better policy.