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It was a nice intro about how power shutoffs impact people with different means. It doesn't seem the startup is intent on addressing this at all. I dont think
by ThinkBeat 2y ago
It was a nice intro about how power shutoffs impact people with
different means.
It doesn't seem the startup is intent on addressing this at all.
I dont think leasing a cube to preserve luxury food is targeted
at that market.
Having a cube that requires USB-C charging is also a gamble when
your power is cut off.
Though the 5L storage container might
not be based on USB charging at all.
Hopefully whatever gives it energy will store enough of it
for 70h - 90h without requiring more energy.
"""
r. She had been researching how power shutoffs in California, which are intended to limit wildfire risk, had disproportionate effects on people of different means.
She noticed that utilities were spending more on generators and microgrids in wealthier communities, leaving smaller, poorer communities in the lurch. “I saw the impact of what happens during a 56-hour shutoff if you’re a small business and your refrigerator loses power and all of a sudden you have to buy more inventory,” she told TechCrunch. “That was kind of this ‘ah ha’ moment.”
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- chankstein38 2y agoYeah the whole bit about the power shutoffs affecting people with different means was weird in this article. I feel like it was just shoved in there to make her look like she's trying to help when realistically she's just trying to find a way to make some money. Thanks to that weird bit I spent most of the article going "Well I'm sure being able to cool 3 vials of stuff will help those marginalized store owners..?"
- bluGill 2y agoTo be fair that is how she started. However the current business has nothing to do with power failures.
- bluGill 2y ago> I dont think leasing a cube to preserve luxury food is targeted at that market. As I understand the article this isn't about luxury food, but about medical samples.
- nottorp 2y agoIt holds "four vials". Definitely looks like blood samples to me.
- eszed 2y agoInsulin would be a good use, as well, and a larger market.
- nottorp 2y agoDoes insulin need to be stored refrigerated? I would have thought with the number of people dependent on it, they would have found a more resilient solution by now...
- eszed 2y agoHeh. I'm not diabetic, so I don't know about all possible formulations. We had to give our cat insulin for a few months (until a pancreatic inflammation - thankfully - resolved), and we accidentally ruined a vial by leaving it out of the fridge overnight. I have also read about emergency deliveries of insulin during power outages - eg, after hurricanes. So, I hope you're right, but at least some insulin (maybe just the cheap stuff?) requires refrigeration.
- jeffbee 2y ago> It was a nice intro about how power shutoffs impact people with different means. I wanted more details, honestly. Very, very few people in California have been subject to wildfire safety power shutoffs. That origin story made me think the whole thing might be a grift.
- dahinds 2y agoThe statement that "very, very few people" have been affected is false, the number is in the millions[1]. Numbers have been sharply lower in 2022-2023 though we have had several mild wildfire seasons and it seems optimistic to expect that run to continue. [1]https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/ https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/
- jeffbee 2y agoThey don't turn off the power because of fires, they turn it off because of wind. The policy and doctrine about when and where to do it has been significantly changed, and that is why almost nobody got de-energized in '22, '23, or so far in '24.