Green Energy

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Some fossil-fuel-burning power plants were kept on at minimum operating levels (they're likely not designed for daily restarts) but provided less power than was used to pump water uphill in hydoelectric storage facilities.

(...) As I see it, people need to stop talking about transition and instead focus conversations around three other things. First, we can still welcome technologies like renewables, but we need to stop hailing them as saviour technologies that will rescue the high-energy business-as-usual world. Second, we need to start talking about energy priorities – what people need, rather than what they might like to have. This in turn means talking about global fairness, about how the energy pie is divided up, rather than talking airily about transitions to an abundant low-carbon, high-energy future promising prosperity for the present global poor. Any genuine concern for fairness has to be as much or more about lowering the wealthy than lifting the poor. Third, it means talking about adaptation to climate breakdown and other forces likely to upend the familiar contours of the present world, because a transition isn’t on the cards. Ultimately, I think those conversations lead to agrarian localism and a small farm future.

Here is a link from Anna's archive to download Jean-Baptiste Fressoz's book More and More and More: An All-Consuming History of Energy.

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Farming has always been at the mercy of the weather, but recent years have seen unprecedented swings in temperature, rainfall, and storms. Droughts dry up fields, floods wash away seeds, and heatwaves scorch crops. These shifts don’t just threaten harvests—they destabilize farm incomes. Solar energy offers a much-needed anchor. By capturing sunlight, a constant even when the weather is wild, farmers can generate reliable electricity regardless of the season. This newfound consistency helps them weather financial storms even when nature is unpredictable.

Recognizing the benefits of clean energy, many governments now offer attractive incentives for solar adoption. These include grants, low-interest loans, and tax breaks designed to lower upfront costs. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s REAP program covers up to 50% of solar installation costs. Such support makes the switch to solar not just appealing, but financially feasible for small and large farms alike. It’s a win-win: farmers get affordable energy, and communities enjoy cleaner air.

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"Crude oil futures settled lower on the week as the market eyed a potential for rising global supply amid signs of internal OPEC+ tensions.

Prompt-dated June WTI settled at $63.02/b April 25, a gain of 23 cents on the day but down $1.66/b from the April 17 close. Front-month ICE Brent ended the April 25 session up 32 cents at $66.87/b but still down $1.09/b from its week-ago level.

Selling pressure emerged midweek after Kazakh Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov on April 23 roiled crude markets when he said Kazakhstan would pursue its own "national interests" when determining production levels, raising doubts about the country's commitment to fulfilling output cuts as part of the OPEC+ producer group"

"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function."

For those who prefer to read the information:

https://www.albartlett.org/articles/art_forgotten_fundamentals_overview.html