From: here@is.invalid   
      
   On Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:34:35 -0700, jeff  wrote:   
      
   >Lovins   
      
   Superficially, I'm aware of Amory Lovins, and around late 1980s or so,   
   he did have one idea worth mentioning.  In short, utility companies   
   could reduce usage via insulating homes/businesses (etc means) out of   
   their pocket rather than building new power plants.   
      
   Gas/Electric utilities could know where homes/buildings are consuming   
   excess energy, especially if a square-footage-property database was   
   intersected with utility usage.   
      
   Of course, reducing consumers' consumption reduces these companies   
   bottom line...there's the rub.  His focus then was in regards to   
   wasted resources for a new power plant vs spending dollars for   
   reducing consumers' loads.   
      
   >Lovins has become a bit of an industry shill   
      
   In the mid 1990s, I conversed with Amory on reducing automobile fuel   
   consumption via controlling rate of acceleration...not HP, but   
   acceleration rate. Electronic fuel injection then was advanced enough   
   to enable this "feature," which is available for some newer vehicles   
   today, if a consumer switches to energy saving mode, instead of a   
   higher performance mode.  Of course, automotive industry would have   
   gone ballistic on such a requirement.  But it seemed Amory didn't   
   grasp the relevancy of this idea, or perhaps, he assumed it was DOA.   
      
   In previous years, I've heard a different idea being floated via   
   controlling traffic speeds with embedded electronics in vehicles.   
      
   Hence, behavioral changes, along with government   
   laws/rules/incentives, are needed to 'motivate' the herd in greener   
   pastures.  But, it must be a longitudinal policy.  US was headed in an   
   energy savings mode in 1970s/1980s, but I suspect this failed mainly   
   to business interests opposing this change.  Gas, oil, and electric   
   industries support economically politicians' campaigns.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)