Monday’s Class :
Before Class
- read about what Borenstein sees as California’s next step. Where does he use “market mechanisms”, and “where the market fails”. What does this mean? What does he say about creation of knowledge?
- Please read one article about the possible US withdrawal from the Paris agreement.
- Nuclear is struggling because of high cost – but it would thrive if it had “green” status for renewable portfolio standards (RPS). Should nuclear count as part of the “carbon-free” renewable energy?
- Read that Forbes claims that Consumers care more about ethics..
- Read this article from March 8, 2018 on the USA oil boom! How does this understanding fit in with what we’ve learned in the class?
- What happens when you decide you can’t quite cover the entire electrical power demands over a long period of time? Read here.
- Maybe I was wrong about Fusion? Is this the end of our energy concerns?
- Please see requested study guide provided on main class webpage (under “exams”).
During Class
After Class
Wednesday’s Class
Before Class
- Surveys: Please take the university survey for this class. The link was sent to you via Email.
- Please read a short chapter I wrote about the last 10 years of my life and the changes in my house.
- Tesla solar roofs are coming to California. How might this solar electricity and storage change the game?
- Please read: What’s going to happen when solar is free and batteries are really cheap? Collapse of the Grid?
- Regarding the Paris Agreement, I refer to a letter I wrote to our commissioners regarding green innovation and the California Economy. Please consider it.
- What are the Environmental Justice issues related to Climate Change and Energy Extraction? Please listen to this half-hour interview with the head of the NAACP by MIT’s climate X team, and what’s being done. “Capitalism is predicated on the notion of winners and losers… no one should pay for poverty with their very lives…” Do you agree?
- Since 2015, Oregon teenagers have been suing the US government for depriving them of their futures by causing climate change.
- Please see requested study guide provided on main class webpage (under “exams”).
- I falsely had an article about Trump and Renewable Energy posted for Monday. I don’t know what happened to the original article. However, I found this more recent one.
- Make sure you finish up your third self intervention, and read the others’ before the final presentations/putluck, OK?
- Solutions are posted for PS#7 and PS#8
During Class
- Come prepared to ask questions and work on your projects
After Class
Friday: Final Exam
For class, please read this SHORT NPR article about happiness. Damn, it has so much to do with sustainability. Please consider why these frigid countries are happier than we are… and why are well considerably less happy than we were last year? Is it important to be happy?
I put a spreadsheet for electricity use on the main class website under homework (problem sets). Please do this for Wednesday’s Potluck.
New Development: FEMA isn’t allowed to acknowledge “climate change”
In class, we discussed the Fermi Paradox – why we don’t see extraterrestrial intelligence / technologies. I think I called this “the Fermi Question.” A Fermi question is the other thing I mentioned: how many needles are on that evergreen tree? Sorry for the misinformation. One Fermi question was what was the energy of the first atomic bomb blast? Read about it here.
After Class:
- Surveys: Please take the university survey for this class. The link was sent to you via Email.
- Prepare final presentation (and final dish to share).
Final presentations: Wednesday, 4 PM March 21 in our classroom. Please bring food to share if you can, and a dinner place setting for yourself.
- If you want, read Rand’s Analysis of Pulling out of the Paris Agreement.
NO NUTS!!! Or if you do, please label it.