5 ms·

Recently had a battery storage facility nixed near where I live because the loudest local residents were panicked about possibilities of leaks of heavy chemical

Recently had a battery storage facility nixed near where I live because the loudest local residents were panicked about possibilities of leaks of heavy chemicals into the groundwater (which is somewhat fair) and a bunch of less reasonable nonsense. Still, assuming the legit risks can be handled, facilities like these are crucial to future growth in electricity demand.

infecto 6mo ago
We are in the age of anti-intellectualism. https://www.propublica.org/article/michigan-solar-farms-health-concerns-st-clair-county https://www.propublica.org/article/michigan-solar-farms-heal... We have been pumping oil out of the ground for lifetimes and still have little concern for all the leaky dead wells across the country but these solar panels, that’s the real problem.
- joe_mamba 6mo ago
  We have also been breathing fine coal, diesel, brake-pad and tire dust for almost 100 years with no riots from gen-pop, but clean nuclear and batteries will kill us.
  - infecto 6mo ago
    It’s a weird time. You would think folks would be excited about technology but we have this weird even in America where everything is scary. Facebook brainrot is no issue but F those EVs.
  - maxerickson 6mo ago
    About 15 years ago there was some interest in putting in some wind towers in the township I lived in. People were talking about stray electricity killing their livestock. Never mind the several dozen towers already installed 3 miles away.
    - joe_mamba 6mo ago
      >People were talking about stray electricity killing their livestock. That's why I think voting shouldn't be a universal right to everyone, but a privilege you gain after clearing certain bars, one of them being basic education and an IQ test. Giving every dumbass the same voting power as an academic, to grind national development to a halt and make life shit for everyone else just because they don't understand 5th grade physics, is a recipe for disaster and we're living proof of it. If you ever worked in public rations and interacted with the gen-pop off the street on a regular basis, you'd see my point eye-to-eye. The masses are too stupid to be entrusted with national decisions, and the only reason they are allowed to, is because they are easily manipulated into voting the way the elites want them to, because they're stupid. It's exactly why Plato opposed democracy arguing the same faults. >Plato argued that democracy gives power to the masses (the demos), who are often ignorant, emotional, and easily manipulated by skilled speakers (rhetoricians and demagogues). Indisputable fact. >Plato believed that ruling is a skill that requires deep knowledge, wisdom, and training in philosophy — not something that should be decided by majority vote or popularity. Indisputable fact. >He famously compared democracy to a ship where the sailors (citizens) vote on navigation, instead of letting the trained captain (philosopher) steer. The result, according to him, is chaos. Indisputable fact.
      - tardedmeme 6mo ago
        it's a nice idea but you know they used to have this, and the test was basically just a list of things white people were more likely to know
        joe_mamba 6mo ago
        IDK, I'm not from a country that did stuff like that, so don't try to pin some original sin from the US history on me. I'm from a pretty homogenous country with no racial issues. Now are you saying only whites will be able to understand 5th grade physics and nobody else? Or that whites can't be stupid too? Personally I don't care about your skin color, or other factors, if you're THAT stupid, I don't want you deciding the future of our country, period, since you're putting everyone in danger. If you can't pass 5th grade physics, you're not fit to be voting on the country's nuclear energy policy, simple.
maxerickson 6mo ago
Did they even have a material listing to base their fear on?
- pathartl 6mo ago
  The argument is only fair if they provide some valid information to back up their claims. There's a project to put in a BESS near my rural hometown and every anti argument is based on non-LiFEpo cells and self-inflicted confused overlap with the data center water use arguments. This is while completely supporting "beautiful farmlands" that leech pesticides and phosphates into the water table
pjc50 6mo ago
I do think there should be localized referendums where we offer people the choice of taking energy infrastructure out of local approval altogether in exchange for 10% off their bills. It would save so much time and effort. I suspect the silent majority would happily take it leaving a few people yelling at pylons.
- Symbiote 6mo ago
  The UK implements something similar, though without the choice. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-near-new-pylons-to-save-hundreds-on-energy-bills https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-near-new-pylon...

infecto 6mo ago

We are in the age of anti-intellectualism. https://www.propublica.org/article/michigan-solar-farms-health-concerns-st-clair-county https://www.propublica.org/article/michigan-solar-farms-heal... We have been pumping oil out of the ground for lifetimes and still have little concern for all the leaky dead wells across the country but these solar panels, that’s the real problem.

joe_mamba 6mo ago
We have also been breathing fine coal, diesel, brake-pad and tire dust for almost 100 years with no riots from gen-pop, but clean nuclear and batteries will kill us.
- infecto 6mo ago
  It’s a weird time. You would think folks would be excited about technology but we have this weird even in America where everything is scary. Facebook brainrot is no issue but F those EVs.
- maxerickson 6mo ago
  About 15 years ago there was some interest in putting in some wind towers in the township I lived in. People were talking about stray electricity killing their livestock. Never mind the several dozen towers already installed 3 miles away.
  - joe_mamba 6mo ago
    >People were talking about stray electricity killing their livestock. That's why I think voting shouldn't be a universal right to everyone, but a privilege you gain after clearing certain bars, one of them being basic education and an IQ test. Giving every dumbass the same voting power as an academic, to grind national development to a halt and make life shit for everyone else just because they don't understand 5th grade physics, is a recipe for disaster and we're living proof of it. If you ever worked in public rations and interacted with the gen-pop off the street on a regular basis, you'd see my point eye-to-eye. The masses are too stupid to be entrusted with national decisions, and the only reason they are allowed to, is because they are easily manipulated into voting the way the elites want them to, because they're stupid. It's exactly why Plato opposed democracy arguing the same faults. >Plato argued that democracy gives power to the masses (the demos), who are often ignorant, emotional, and easily manipulated by skilled speakers (rhetoricians and demagogues). Indisputable fact. >Plato believed that ruling is a skill that requires deep knowledge, wisdom, and training in philosophy — not something that should be decided by majority vote or popularity. Indisputable fact. >He famously compared democracy to a ship where the sailors (citizens) vote on navigation, instead of letting the trained captain (philosopher) steer. The result, according to him, is chaos. Indisputable fact.
    - tardedmeme 6mo ago
      it's a nice idea but you know they used to have this, and the test was basically just a list of things white people were more likely to know
      - joe_mamba 6mo ago
        IDK, I'm not from a country that did stuff like that, so don't try to pin some original sin from the US history on me. I'm from a pretty homogenous country with no racial issues. Now are you saying only whites will be able to understand 5th grade physics and nobody else? Or that whites can't be stupid too? Personally I don't care about your skin color, or other factors, if you're THAT stupid, I don't want you deciding the future of our country, period, since you're putting everyone in danger. If you can't pass 5th grade physics, you're not fit to be voting on the country's nuclear energy policy, simple.

maxerickson 6mo ago

Did they even have a material listing to base their fear on?

pathartl 6mo ago
The argument is only fair if they provide some valid information to back up their claims. There's a project to put in a BESS near my rural hometown and every anti argument is based on non-LiFEpo cells and self-inflicted confused overlap with the data center water use arguments. This is while completely supporting "beautiful farmlands" that leech pesticides and phosphates into the water table

pjc50 6mo ago

I do think there should be localized referendums where we offer people the choice of taking energy infrastructure out of local approval altogether in exchange for 10% off their bills. It would save so much time and effort. I suspect the silent majority would happily take it leaving a few people yelling at pylons.

Symbiote 6mo ago
The UK implements something similar, though without the choice. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-near-new-pylons-to-save-hundreds-on-energy-bills https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-near-new-pylon...