TL;DR:  get panels and a battery and don’t connect it to the grid. From American Prospect.

There’s a Far Cheaper Way to Do Rooftop Solar

Wanted a soft serve ice cream. There is a Baskin Robbins near by but I figured I would Google to be sure. Great! Drove over and the kids behind the counter looked at me like they had never heard of soft serve ice cream. It was half Dunkin and half BR so maybe that was the problem. Was really in the mood for a soft serve. Had a doughnut instead.

From the latest laws at the federal and local level, this may end up being a high water point for Texas. Entrenched oil and gas interests seem to be eliminating this clean, cheap source of energy for the state. Imagine killing off a growing modern business at the behest of a dying legacy business. From PV Magazine.

Solar and wind generated 40.2% of the ERCOT grid’s electricity this year through June. When coal plants shut down for unexpected maintenance, solar and wind stepped in, providing about 50% of generation during peak summer demand in the highest electricity consuming state in the union.

Solar, wind and storage reliably power Texas grid during unexpected coal shutdown

Every 30 minutes or so a football field sized piece of land disappears in Louisiana due to coastal erosion. This has been going on for decades, much reported but mostly ignored. Much of this is due to the direct effects of the oil industry (digging ship channels which kill off wetlands) and indirect effects of the oil industry (ocean rise and more severe weather from climate change). There was some relief, ironically from a major oil spill settlement. So what will happen to that money now.

Louisiana cancels $3B repair coastal restoration funded by Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement

Since there are huge factories cranking out solar panels this isn’t a surprise. In case anyone missed it, “renewable” means that solar panel manufactured last year keeps putting out electricity next year and the year after that. So it’s cumulative; a ball rolling down a hill. Today it’s the equivalent of more than one new traditional power plant per day.

What worries me is the US reversal on renewables. It will mean we are stuck with expensive (and dirty) energy. If there was ever a recipe for countries falling behind, it is expensive energy.  From Futurism.

The Amount of Electricity Generated From Solar Is Suddenly Unbelievable

Grok, the X / Twitter chatBot went full Nazi after an update. The article discusses it but basically you only get out what you put in. Additionally, these chatBots just want to keep you talking since many bill by the minute. So they are trained to say things that will keep you on the line. Either way, not a tool I would be comfortable using nor a toy I would be interested in playing with.

How exactly did Grok go full ‘MechaHitler?’

I always wondered why all roofs aren’t hail proof solar. They last forever and pay for themselves, and then some. I guess Kia in Georgia lost thousands of new cars in a parking lot of their factory. A solar roof seems to be the solution.

Kia Lost Millions To Hail In 2023. Its New Protection System Is A Solar Plant

Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac Killer? He may have a higher body count after this week. From The Guardian (UK).

Ted Cruz ensured Trump spending bill slashed weather forecasting funding

This is so cool. The solar panels themselves have gotten so cheap they can be used in ways that don’t care so much about efficiency (on walls, in Canada, different colors). From Interesting Engineering.

World’s largest 34,500 sqft solar mural turns building into giant power generator