Probably should do a whole grid/generation redesign, and it is going to cost a lot.going to cost a lot, but power use isn't going to decrease, and temps are only going to go up. If they are going offline now, it will only get a lot worse if they have energy gobbling data centers.

In PA, there is a whole revolt against data centers going on, and going off grid is looking better all the time.

A very good chance of that. There are a lot of different chemistries available, and Lithium isn't necessarily the best.

Li-ion batteries should be looking in the rear view mirror, Sodium is catching up, and if energy density is the big thing, "Sugar batteries" that run on maltodextrin as fuels are being developed as well. They use enzymatic catalysts and air that reduce the maltodextrin, which creates a voltage. It is only .5 volts per cell, but the ED and stacking of cells, and the energy density (10X Li-Ion) makes them extremely interesting. non toxic as well.

For stationary grid purposes, I like Nickel-Iron batteries. Seriously tough, they can take a lot of abuse, They don't have super energy retention, but plenty enough to handle grid purposes. Need more? Build a bigger pad. There is a lot of experience with these, NYC uses Nickel-Iron rechargeable in its subway system.

This. It is pretty obvious that sodium is seriously abundant, and rain and the oceans do most of the extraction for us.

It does seem like a contradiction, but Sodium batteries are safer than Lithium. I did a safety video on battery safety, and it was pretty shocking, as I found out when I did the research for it. Not quite as energy dense, but well useable.

Sodium and Lithium batteries were being developed around the same time, I think lithium just got to market first.

And so many elements can and will make batteries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

People thinking Lithium is some magic element might be surprised reading that. And a listing of types: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

And then there is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... A battery fueled by maltodextrose and anode of enzymatic catalysts! They aer working on that one now. 10X the energy density of Li-Ion but at a lower voltage .5 volts per cell. So stand by for sugar batteries.

So I'm not terribly worried if we have issues with Lithium. It might be what we are used to, but they are hardly a show stopper if we suddenly can't get Li.

Not finished, but I don't think that's the flex you think it is.

No, Europe is not finished, they just go through massive re-decoration projects and get rid of people they don't like pretty regularly.

I might be wrong, but the rush to have data centers that consume incredible amounts of energy, and their waste heat, and restoring old Nuclear reactors for data centers is super premature. A bad paradigm, and not sustainable.

A couple things of note here: OP's talk about High efficiency/High margin and presumably high price is missing the point. Cheap seldom saves money over the long term.

My place has extra insulation I had put in, and I took out the old high efficiency oil furnace and replaced it with a maximum efficiency gas furnace, the exhaust is mostly water, and via PVC pipe. The lights are all LED, Even our spa tub is super insulated. Hard to calculate the "payback" is on that - but our electrical bill is pretty cheap compared to the neighbors.

The smart guys told me it would take 20 years to "pay back" my expense. In reality only a few years, as Oil prices soared. Some of my neighbors are paying as much per month as we are. Most who use oil are on a monthly payment plan all year to make things more manageable.

Scary thing is oil prices are soaring again.

To your point:

Exactly. Point is, cheap might be cheaper at first, but we need to pay attention to the world around us. While the present oil price issue couldn't be foreseen by most, the earlier ones were a good bet to happen, although pinch points like Hormuz are pretty obvious - showing just how fragile oil addiction is.

Second - doesn't the EU have an interconnected power grid? Those issues you cite sound like they aren't connected. Here in the US, Texas learned that reliance on themselves instead of the nationwide grid was perhaps a stupid move.

Water delivery through slab - I have that as well, so I feel for ya.

It does freeze where I'm at (PA) and my recent adventure was a frost-proof spigot went bad and needed replaced. This one was about 18 inches long that needed removed and a new one put in.

Hired a plumber - I never thought a Jackhammer was a plumbing tool

It does however make a person guilty of attempted murder. Your analogy fails. P Allow me to elucidate. You are a hypocrite, telling me I cannot judge you while you can judge me. Like it or not, whether you accept that or not, that is exactly what you did.

Furthermore, I hope your intense toxicity serves you well, You apparently enjoy it.

But really, I read you as hateful and toxic, and if there is one thing I have learned from decades of successfully managing people, is that there is a level of toxicity that needs released. Congratulations, I suppose. I'm releasing you, and please do have the last word, I'm pretty certain that is critically important to you. This discussion serves no further purpose to me.

If I cannot "Read you" it is only logical that you cannot say that I am "Looking to play people". Sorry homie, I read that is acting like you are allowed to do something, and I am not. See how that works?

That's exactly the kind of people I avoid working with like the plague, because those are also the people who are looking to manipulate the whole work place. That's called a poisonous work environment.

I can correctly conclude by your writing, that you are a "rules for thee, but not for me" person. If I cannot analyze you by your words, yet. you can analyze me by mine, well, thee is a word for that - hypocrisy. By the way - I judge.

How do you know that a person who answers all your questions will be a good employee?

I learned that a long time ago, when I hired a guy who was more technically proficient than me. And he was great at convincing people his qualifications were great.

So we brought him onboard. He missed every deadline he was given - well sorta. I covered for him, until I was called into the Boss's office and given direct orders to not finish his work. His MO was me giving him a task, and he'd say "I'm going to get a soda - be right back, then disappear to visit his lady friends - who thought he was mostly an annoyance. Nothing overt, just a hanger-on. After the ladies complained, the powers that be were wondering how he could spend 5 or more hours a day and still get things done. Embarrassingly, I was an enabler.

All that talent, and very little drive. After I stopped finishing his work, it only took a few missed deadlines and he was gone. He's selling insurance now.

There were a few other bad hires, but I learned to make certain that tech chops were only one aspect of suitability for purpose.

8^)

Oh homie, know "thyself" is always a good touchstone. I was a lifelong learner before it became a buzzword. So I have the technical chops and keep them updated.

What is more "top notch" is more than technical skills. My University experience and inclusion in many different teams from different disciplines, and my curious nature have turned me into what many people consider a polymath. I'm that person who read the encyclopedia for entertainment when I was a kid.

Drive - I have drive that some consider close to pathological. Not everything about me is considered all that positive. I have to temper that.

Social skills - I know how to get along with people. A pity that more people don't. I have the ability to do high level mirroring as well. I can work with people across all social ranges.

I don't intimidate easily.

Am I perfect? Hell no. Not even close. I'm an asshole. Even my wife calls me an asshole, usually while laughing, and she isn't wrong. But I get shit done

Oh wow - that would not be a good situation at all.

You are correct there. In most cases, I'm using humor. But when I get serious, everyone knows to get cracking.

Yes that would be depressing. I would not work there. That's a toxic workplace.

Depends on what you mean by a requirement or not a requirement. As well, there surely are toxic and miserable places to work with leaders who are toxic. Rule by intimidation eventually fails.

One of the men on my team some years ago, had a thought process so different than mine that it seemed like we were destined to become enemies. After some initial head butting and me pulling his ass out of a fire, we figured out we could use those differences as synergy. Became actual friends.

The same with women. Different perspectives. And right now, the biggest issue in the workplace for women is the backfire from #metoo. Still going on. In irony, in mixed settings, the men are often a tad shy, or at least being so careful in what they say that you might have to seek them out later "What the hell were you talking about?"

I've had guys get flustered when they have to refer to male or female connectors with a woman present. 8^)

I have been around long enough to know what you are saying is absolutely correct.