First Principles Podcast

IPCC & Greening

Global greening is one of the interesting developments of climate change that was unexpected by most. It's the premise that with increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, trees and plant life will benefit, thrive, and generate greater yield. This seems logical as plants consume CO2 as their primary energy source.

This idea is however is not being discussed by mainstream media. Even worse, when it is mentioned, the premise is often demonized. 

What's the big deal? Perhaps it's an unfortunate consequence that runs counter to a narrative of complete doom and gloom that is the climate catastrophe.

We explore the concept further on this episode of the podcast. 

FirstPrinciplesPodcast.com

IPCC & The Climate Crisis

The IPCC recently released another report documenting the status of climate change.

This has led to continual media hysteria with respect to a climate crisis.

Though we do not deny the existence of climate change, the crisis narrative seems to be over played. As the old saying goes, however, any good crisis is an opportunity.

'An opportunity for what?' you may ask.

 

Perhaps "The Great Reset" provides some clues...

FirstPrinciplesPodcast.com

Hydrogen Use

Hydrogen is the most abundant molecule in the universe. It can be used for a multitude of applications, including energy storage and transportation. 

 

In this episode, we analyze the potential use for Hydrogen in the current economy and environment. 

 

Support this podcast at www.FirstPrinciplesPodcast.com

Rational Optimist

A lot of doom and gloom surrounds environmentalists due to a supposed impending climate catastrophe. We hope to change this outlook by analyzing some of the positive elements of recent climate developments and technological innovations.

Technological revolutions have led to globally declining poverty at unprecedented rates. It can be argued that there is a correlation between an increase in wealth and a proclivity for environmental concern. Thus, we can hypothesize that the more mental energy we have dedicated towards solving environmental issues, the higher the likelihood that we solve the problem. 

Let's be rationally optimistic for the future. We need practical and pragmatic solutions to these problems, which will benefit by dedicating more minds to solving them. 

Carbon Tax

Many countries have proposed a Carbon Tax as a means to combat climate change. The principle behind it is that carbon emissions pose an externality to people's health and as such need to priced into the cost of goods. Theoretically, this would encourage people to buy goods that have a lower carbon content, as that would be reflected in a lower price. So whether you are producing steel, oil, gasoline, lumber, mining, etc. regardless of your industry, if you are generating carbon emissions, you need to pay a price on them.

 

One very popular and outspoken proponent of a carbon tax is Elon Musk. In this episode, we discuss comments Elon recently made about the efficacy of a carbon tax, and his perspective as a billionaire concerned about the planet. We also discuss carbon tax more broadly, in terms of its origins, intended use and implementation, and how the resulting effects will be felt by everyday individuals.

 

 

Comparison of Energy Storage Methodologies

In this episode we discuss various methods of energy storage for application to a large scale electrical grid. 

 

We cover well known technologies such as battery storage, as well as less prominent forms such as thermal and gravity storage.

 

With increased incorporation of renewable energies such as wind and solar into the electrical power grid, it is more important now than ever before to consider how we will store energy for when the sun don't shine and the wind don't blow. 

EP10 Energy Storage Case Study

In this episode, we look at a case study that tries to assess the feasibility of powering the Ontario electrical grid with 100% renewable energy, supplemented by battery storage.

 

With growing integration of renewable energy systems into the mainstream grid, it is crucial to ensure the transition is done such that we do not compromise people's access to electricity. That means, blackouts due to insufficient electrical availability from renewable sources is simply unacceptable.

 

Western standards have come to the point that we expect instant electricity at the flick of a switch, often forgetting that this is a luxury not afforded to many in the world.

 

This a subtle game of energy supply and demand that is constantly being played. Changing the rules of the game will lead to unintended negative consequences, as we saw with the power outages in Texas. 

 

This is a challenging and complex subject in which models are often used. We hope to understand and break down these models, as always, from first principles. 

 

 

 

 

A Wind & Solar Grid

What would an electrical grid powered by solar and wind energy look like? We tried to analyze this problem from a simplistic model, using some basic back-of-the-envelope calculations.

 

Mainly, we coarsely estimated the land foot print required, if all of Canada's and USA's power were supplied by wind or solar energy. 

 

Of course, the story is not so simple because we can't have the full conversation on sustainability of these technologies, without mentioning energy storage in some form, which we briefly allude to as well. 

 

We also looked at the policy implications associated with any technology and how they impact their application. A great solution executed poorly is no solution at all, hence the coining of the term "unreliables" when some refer to solar and wind power.  

 

This ultimately leads to a comparison of some of the positive and negative aspects of renewable energies, fossil fuels, and nuclear energy. No country has the same make-up of energy and that was evident when we looked at the cost of electricity in China, Germany, Canada, and Kenya in relation to the different forms of energy used to power their respective grids. 

 

Listen for full analysis because some of the answers to the questions above may surprise you!

 

 

Global Warming VP Debate

Environmental discussions related to global warming and climate change are becoming more frequent. 

 

This was true in the Vice Presidential debate that took place between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence, where global warming, wildfires, forest management, renewable energy, and many such subjects were discussed.

 

These are complex systems, and of course, politicians on the debate stage have only a few minutes to try to communicate these incredibly delicate subjects. This is unfair to the general public because it does not demonstrate true value to the issues at hand.

 

We tried to analyze these segments of the debate to see the full picture and understand the issues from first principles.  

Analysis of the Green New Deal

The Green New Deal (also known as House Resolution 109) was proposed as a means of addressing carbon emissions and climate change in the United States. 

 

First Principles Podcast tries to take a fair and balanced analysis of the positive and negative aspects of the GND. 

 

We like some of the principles of higher standards of pollutant emissions, however, find the resolution lacks focus and tries to address too many issues.