Interesting stats on EVs and energy use in the US, developments in wind and tidal power, a plastic recycling microfactory, and an "unprecedented collapse" in EU fossil fuel generation.
I read an article about "vehicle-to-grid" technology the other day and it blew my mind to realize that the batteries in electric vehicles can be leveraged as energy storage systems when not in use.
According to this CleanTechnica article, EVs can collectively be seen "as a sort of network — a decentralized energy storage system that could be organized intelligently, then be “tapped” for additional energy by emerging smart grid and V2X technology to help manage excessive loads caused by extreme weather events like the California heat waves or Texas ice storms of recent years."
The article seems to do a good job of summarizing the possibilities of using AI and Internet of Things technology to use EVs as storage batteries and maximize energy use across large networks. This makes such great sense, especially for fleets such as delivery trucks and buses, and to me is one of the best-use cases for AI. It gives us the computing power to coordinate resources across extremely complicated systems. That's huge if we want to shrink our resource use and create a more circular and sustainable world.
