Lugh

joined 2 years ago
MODERATOR OF
 

There are still some people who haven't realized just how fast and vast the global switch to renewables is. If you're one of them, this statistic should put it in perspective. China installed 93 GW of solar capacity in May 2025. Put another way, that's about 30 nuclear power stations worth of electricity capacity. All this cheap renewable energy will power China's industrial might in AI & robotics too. Meanwhile western countries look increasingly dazed, confused, and out of date.

China breaks more records with surge in solar and wind power

 

Is there finally about to be a Brexit dividend? The EU & US are placing tariffs on Chinese EVs, but Britain isn't. So British drivers will soon have a welcome choice. Cheap well-made Chinese EVs whose EV charging means they travel 100 kilometres for a third of the price an average combustion engine car does.

Yet another death knell for fossil fuels and combustion engine cars.

How China made electric vehicles mainstream

BYD Dolphin Surf Review

 

Renewables’ intermittency—sometimes too much energy, sometimes too little—could be an advantage. Use excess solar/wind to produce synthetic oil, gas, and coal, enabling a 99% renewable grid and cutting fossil fuels in industry and transport.

The fossil fuel industry may resist, but economics and geopolitics favor this shift. Renewables+storage keep getting cheaper, and nations like China—leading the tech—gain energy independence.

To Conquer the Primary Energy Consumption Layer of Our Entire Civilization

 

"China extends its lead over Europe and the US as it is the only country where EVs are on average cheaper to buy than comparable ICE vehicles."

An interesting snippet from this report. Do you know why EV's aren't cheaper than combustion engine cars in Europe & America? Because they are taxed with tariffs to make them artificially more expensive.

All of this is helping China in the long-run. Not only will they dominate in global transport manufacturing. They'll also set the technology standards in 21st energy and transport. Oh, and added bonus. With cheaper EV transport, all their other costs are cheaper & more competitive too.

Meanwhile with regional war looking more likely in the Middle East and gasoline prices probably due to steeply rise. Those cheap Chinese EVs are going to start looking even more attractive to global consumers.

Global Electric Vehicle Sales Set for Record-Breaking Year, Even as US Market Slows Sharply, BloombergNEF Finds

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The big caveat here is that 'cured in lab tests' and a viable human treatment are two different things, and sadly the former doesn't always lead to the latter. Still, this points to what may work in the future. Just how much of our tissue could be replaced by brand new 3-d printed tissue?

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 2 points 3 months ago

We tend to focus on the many bad effects of AI, but its doing, and will do, plenty of good too.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] Lugh@futurology.today 1 points 3 months ago

There's a few different efforts like this. DeepMind have another one. I follow these types of developments as much as possible, because I think robotics is soon going to take off thanks to recent advances in AI.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 2 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Yeah they mention it can reduce stress on joints, for people with arthritis and other conditions this could be a lot more than a hiking toy.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 7 points 3 months ago (5 children)

I've no relationship with the company! In fairness, it does seem to work. I posted it as it seemed quite cool.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today -2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I disagree. There are definitely people who sincerely believe in AI 'consciousness'. Ironically, they are usually the first to throw about terms like 'woo woo' in any discussions about human consciousness.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 3 points 3 months ago (4 children)

When it gets to the point AI is self-recursively improving itself, is this a version of 'life' as we know it? Perhaps with humans as the ultimate parent? In a sense those AIs would be our descendents.

My problem with Big Tech leading these efforts, is that they are so often anti-human welfare, why would we trust them with the issue of anyone else's? Big Tech's desire to have zero regulation is an expression of how little concern they have for other humans. The ease with which all the Big Tech firms help the military slaughter tens of thousands of civilians is another. I can't help thinking they'll use any effort to elevate AI 'welfare', to harm the interests of inconvenient humans, which means most of us to them.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Corresponding author of the paper Dr Ana Angelova Volponi, King’s College London, said: “As the field progresses, the integration of such innovative techniques holds the potential to revolutionise dental care, offering sustainable and effective solutions for tooth repair and regeneration.

Growing a tooth is one thing, I wonder how hard integrating it into a mouth will be. These teeth need to integrate with nerves and blood vessels.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

They mention people will own them outright after 6 years. So it's free electricity from that point onwards.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 4 points 3 months ago (5 children)

This is an innovative model. They are working with people on low incomes, renters and apartment dwellers. All people cut out of traditional rooftop solar. People will be paying $35 a month for two free-standing 7 by 4 feet panels. There doesn't seem to be any upfront cost, though a qualified electrician needs to install them.

If those two panels generate more than $35 worth of electricity a month, then this seems like a no brainer.

[–] Lugh@futurology.today 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Yes.

There are probably quite a few inflection points coming, and that is one of them.

I think another is when they are capable of most unskilled work (supermarket shelf stacking, cleaning, etc), but cost less to employ than humans paid Western-country minimum wages.

view more: ‹ prev next ›