3 ms·

The geometric decreases in cost that you cite (in terms of communications and SaaS) are due primarily to Moore's Law. Unfortunately there is no similar law aff

The geometric decreases in cost that you cite (in terms of communications and SaaS) are due primarily to Moore's Law. Unfortunately there is no similar law affecting power generation costs. If tech companies got into power, the inevitable result would be that they embrace and extend the regulatory capture of utilities, with the explicit goal of maximizing their profit at the expense of human needs. As well as of course the evisceration of as much pesky environmental regulation as their lobbyists can get their hands on, to the extent that it serves as an impediment to this paramount goal. Their philosophical stance on these concerns and tradeoffs has already been made palpably clear, in any case: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41552642 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41552642 From everything we know so far, these people definitely will not do the right thing without the swift and exacting application of a very heavy stick.

nostromo 2y ago
Solar has its own Moore’s Law called Swanson’s Law which shows that solar has been decreasing geometrically in price. In power generation there is little appetite for innovation from producers since they are either monopolies or government agencies. So instead all innovation has been going to local generation like solar and wind.
- aguaviva 2y ago
  Good points.
notTooFarGone 2y ago
>As well as of course the evisceration of as much pesky environmental regulation as their lobbyists can get their hands on As if any tech company would build anything but solar. You don't need to bend the rules here and you don't need too much storage either. You just need cheap land, a fuckton of solar to get your peaks to your base consumption and you already do 60% of energy renewable. Anything above that is battery storage and more land. It's such a no brainer in cost and from an operations PoV the only thing that is easy enough to go into power.
- aguaviva 2y ago
  And yet we have: Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/data-centers-internet-power-source-coal/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/dat... From coal plant to data center: Old power stations are being repurposed - https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/08/from-coal-plant-to-data-center-old-power-stations-are-being-repurposed/ https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/08/from-coal-plant-to-data-c... Internet data centers are driving the resurgence of coal power - https://www.dailyclimate.org/internet-data-centers-are-driving-the-resurgence-of-coal-power-2667806746.html https://www.dailyclimate.org/internet-data-centers-are-drivi... Meanwhile, both solar and wind also have their environmental externalities (from the mining of raw materials, to the sheer amount of land that needs to be put under shade for solar farms, and the noise pollution caused by wind farms), and correspondingly, tons and tons of rule for these companies to bend.

nostromo 2y ago

Solar has its own Moore’s Law called Swanson’s Law which shows that solar has been decreasing geometrically in price. In power generation there is little appetite for innovation from producers since they are either monopolies or government agencies. So instead all innovation has been going to local generation like solar and wind.

aguaviva 2y ago
Good points.

notTooFarGone 2y ago

>As well as of course the evisceration of as much pesky environmental regulation as their lobbyists can get their hands on As if any tech company would build anything but solar. You don't need to bend the rules here and you don't need too much storage either. You just need cheap land, a fuckton of solar to get your peaks to your base consumption and you already do 60% of energy renewable. Anything above that is battery storage and more land. It's such a no brainer in cost and from an operations PoV the only thing that is easy enough to go into power.

aguaviva 2y ago
And yet we have: Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/data-centers-internet-power-source-coal/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/dat... From coal plant to data center: Old power stations are being repurposed - https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/08/from-coal-plant-to-data-center-old-power-stations-are-being-repurposed/ https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/08/from-coal-plant-to-data-c... Internet data centers are driving the resurgence of coal power - https://www.dailyclimate.org/internet-data-centers-are-driving-the-resurgence-of-coal-power-2667806746.html https://www.dailyclimate.org/internet-data-centers-are-drivi... Meanwhile, both solar and wind also have their environmental externalities (from the mining of raw materials, to the sheer amount of land that needs to be put under shade for solar farms, and the noise pollution caused by wind farms), and correspondingly, tons and tons of rule for these companies to bend.