How We Build Socialist Power (Literally)
Heyyyoo!!!
This month I embarked on the daunting adventure of trying to understand how the power grid (and the energy system as a whole) works. Needless to say, I feel like I only just explored the tip of the iceberg with this month’s video. Our energy systems are COMPLEX! Hopefully, you learn a little bit below about how they work and how we might change them for the better. As always, once you’ve finished the video, check out the three quotes and three links I found illuminating during my research process.
Also, if you’re interested, consider supporting Our Changing Climate on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OurChangingClimate
Three Quotes:
“Since the last three decades, the rule of thumb has been that electricity is governed by liberalized markets that target accumulation and profits for private actors via the supply–demand mechanism. In this context, the operation of the grid is unbundled, and for-profit entities have emerged in all sectors: large-scale generators, retailers, and regulated monopolies like distribution and transmission system operators and, more recently, ancillary service providers and aggregator”
— Chris Giotitsas et al.
“Hesitance of capitalist investors to invest in renewable energy, which leads to public subsidies of privately owned infrastructures. This raises the question of why not cut out the intermediary. If the public purse is already subsidising and passing major legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act in the US, in order to get any of this transition going, why don't we think about direct public ownership of generation capacity, ownership of the wires and cables of distribution?.”
— Timothy Mitchell et al.
“Biden’s support for the expansion of both renewables and fossil fuels is of a piece with these earlier seemingly contradictory policies. As a result, the US is on track to be the world’s single largest expander of oil and gas extraction between now and 2050, single-handedly representing more than a third of planned global expansion.”
— Ashley Dawson
Three Links:
Power switch (Transnational Institute)
Dual Power: Building a Movement for the Abolition of Fossil Capital and the Construction of Public Renewables (Transnational Institute)
How Does the Power Grid Work? (Practical Engineering)
You can support Our Changing Climate directly through Patreon: www.patreon.com/OurChangingClimate
Hope you have a wonderful weekend,
Charlie