2 comments

  • aDyslecticCrow4 小时前
    It feels very weird to count this as a win, but a small win is still a win.

    We need cheap and abundant power, and the situation until now (in the US) makes that coal, oil, gas and some nuclear (without intentionally tilting the scale towards renewables).

    I have some hope that the engineering side will make renewables the default option more, which we seem to be gradually moving towards. An energy secretary who isn't paid by big oil (too much?), gives me hope that we at least use renewables where they make economic sense. (though preferably tilting the scale would make that go faster, but I'm not too hopeful about that)

  • toomuchtodo5 小时前
    It’s immaterial at this point, there are very few actions the new admin could take to slow the energy transition down due to the momentum. The world is getting off of fossil fuels, even if the US is the last to finish the race.
    • ndsipa_pomu5 小时前
      I prefer to think of as other countries starting to clean up after themselves, whilst the U.S.A. commits to shitting everywhere as much as possible.
      • anovikov5 小时前
        But there is no moral side to it, at all. Countries are shifting to renewables because they make more money. It's not about subsidies anymore. In the U.S., with abundant, very cheap fossil fuels, established engineering companies that make extraction quick and cheap, it is more expensive than elsewhere to make a switch, it just doesn't break even yet.
        • toomuchtodo5 小时前
          New renewables are cheaper than any existing coal-fired plant in the US except the one located in Dry Forks, Wyoming. EV uptake is to be solved for (although Cox Automotive is forecasting 25% of 2025 US auto sales will be EVs and hybrids).

          https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42752262

          https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42730643

        • ndsipa_pomu5 小时前
          I get your point, but there is very much a moral issue as well as looking to the future.

          As I see it, the oil extraction is being pushed to make just a few people a substantial amount of money - it's more about exploitation than simply producing energy.