Weekend Reads: AI's Role in the Grid; Resolving the Land Use Conflict - Smart Energy Decisions

Energy Procurement, Energy Storage, GHG Emissions, Solar  -  October 28, 2023

Weekend Reads: AI's Role in the Grid; Resolving the Land Use Conflict

AI can play a game-changing role in the clean energy transformation (UtilityDive) The U.S. power grid has often been described as the most complex machine in the world. As the complexity of grid-connected components exponentially increases as new components are connected, artificial intelligence can play a growing and game-changing role as part of the clean energy transformation.

Why better community engagement is key to the future of clean tech (TIME)  In the public dialogue, many supporters of clean energy have dismissed opposition to infrastructure projects as NIMBYism, short for “not in my backyard.” The term is derisive and refers to local people who have a negative knee-jerk reaction to any project near their community. There is certainly some truth to the NIMBYism allegation. But to ignore all community concerns as NIMBYism would be a mistake. First, research has shown that community opposition is often grounded in important, real-world concerns, including and especially in low-income communities of color where companies have historically built industrial facilities that have contributed to health ailments, among other impacts. There’s a business case, too. 

Moving the land use conversation from conflict to solution (SEIA)  Land use remains one of the biggest challenges holding back widespread clean energy deployment. The increasing number of conflicts surrounding solar and storage development has led to project delays, cancellations and even local ordinances trying to block solar projects altogether. In response, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Stanford University and The Nature Conservancy launched the Solar Uncommon Dialogue to minimize land use conflicts and speed utility-scale solar deployment. 

Chevron, Exxon megadeals show it’s still the age of oil (U.S. News & World Report)  It’s a dictate that has rung out loud and clear from the halls of power in Brussels to the corridors of the White House: Green energy is the future. But a couple of the world’s largest oil companies beg to differ — or at least for the future that extends out about three decades. 

How Americans view future harms from climate change in their community and around the U.S. (Pew Research Center)  A new Pew Research Center survey finds a majority of Americans think climate change is causing harm to people in the United States today and 63% expect things to get worse in their lifetime. When it comes to the personal impact of climate change, most Americans think they’ll have to make at least minor sacrifices over their lifetime because of climate change, but a relatively modest share think climate impacts will require them to make major sacrifices in their own lives.

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