silence7

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The infamous plant, closed since 2019, is getting a new lease on life after Microsoft agreed to buy its electricity to supply a growing fleet of data centers.

To be clear: Microsoft isn't directly using the electricity themselves; they're supplying it to others to offset their own use of fossil-fuel-generated electricity.

Also Washington Post coverage

 

The infamous plant, closed since 2019, is getting a new lease on life after Microsoft agreed to buy its electricity to supply a growing fleet of data centers.

To be clear: Microsoft isn't directly using the electricity themselves; they're supplying it to others to offset their own use of fossil-fuel-generated electricity.

Also Washington Post coverage

 

Archived copies of the article:

 

This post uses a gift link which may cap the number of times it can be viewed. After that, there are archived copies:

 

Archived copies of the article:

 

basically:

Pakistan, with Chinese financing, solved a problem of frequent rotating blackouts by building coal-fired power plants. Those are more expensive than solar, so people are installing small-scale solar right and left...which means that the coal-fired power plants aren't financially viable.

This post uses a gift link which may have a capped view count. You can use an archived copy if that runs out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (4 children)

The fossil fuels numbers are probably an underestimate; up until a few years ago, they were based on self-reported numbers from the industry. There have been a string of papers suggesting they only report about 1/4 of what actually leaks.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

In the US, the biggest oil and gas industry sources have a significant emissions tax ($900/tonne, rising to $1500 in 2026) attached to them. So they can do a bit more than wag for the worst cases.

It'll take shifting that down to include smaller sources though, and enforcing that kind of penalty worldwide.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

The place I see LEED having a real impact is on commercial and industrial buildings. The people who are going to use the building there have a real financial incentive towards efficiency, the power to actually ask for it, and LEED is an easy way for them to specify it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Kinda related to insulation, but:

  • Windows
  • Weather-stripping
  • Heat leak audit
[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (4 children)

The popularity of things like LEED seems to indicate that a lot are willing.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

Yes, it requires seizing power. Ideally via an electoral process if you live in a place where that's possible.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (3 children)

We shouldn't need to kill people if we act now.

Electrification of home heating and transport means that people are going to lead very similar lives to what they lead today on a regular basis. People living in cities and towns are going to be more likely to use mass transit, and we'll repurpose some structures so that people can live closer to where they work and shop.

The very wealthiest are going to need to give up their mega-yachts, and air transport will be a lot less common.

Some industrial processes will need to change how they're done.

We're going to use a lot less concrete, and somewhat less steel.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's a gift link. Everybody has access, so no need to copy-paste

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

He was. But we had nowhere near the votes to pass climate legislation when he was in office

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Without context, definitely.

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