213: Electricity Doesn't Act Like an Apple

Embedded.fm · 31 Aug 2017 · 1h 17m · Episode 213

What this episode covers

Gretchen Bakke, a professor of anthropology at McGill University and author of The Grid, discusses the physical and cultural realities of the US power grid. She explains that electricity must be balanced second-by-second, creating challenges as variable renewable sources like wind and solar replace controllable fossil fuel plants. Bakke argues for a shift from centralized, brittle infrastructure to resilient, modular microgrids and smart devices that can manage demand and storage locally.

Mentioned

Companies
Enrail, Kodak, Rocky Mountain Institute
Also
The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future, McGill University

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