Before we begin, it is time for a small history lesson (of a sort). One of these moments was October 10th 2021 when I wrote ‘Darkness through inaction’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2021/10/10/darkness-through-inaction/). Before that there was ‘Musings’ on June 18th 2020 (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2020/06/18/musings/). As such we have 2 years of clear information and optional evidence. I saw it, I recognised it and I documented it.
5 hours ago, the BBC (at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61947315) gives us ‘Japan urges 37 million people to switch off lights’, it amounts to 25% of the Japanese population, or close to 290% of the population of Tokyo. Japan is that deep in trouble. Energy shortages are now approaching that extreme. A solution has been here for two years, but people (seemingly) hate Elon Musk and that lesson is about to become an expensive one. So whilst we mull over “The government asked people to turn off unnecessary lights for three hours from 15:00 Tokyo time (07:00 BST) while “properly using air conditioning and hydrating during hot hours”.” Most are ignoring the setting of what Elon Musk offered, but it is not merely Japan.
We also got last month ‘Texans asked to limit electricity use after six power plants go down ahead of a hot weekend’ (at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/13/texas-power-conservation-heat/) and this is merely one state, we haven’t even looked at California yet. And the mess is about to get worse, with these shortages fuel prices could rise at least 20%-30%, and I wrote literally on May 3rd 2019 “Elon Musk has that one true new technology and I hope that the US can stage it to an actual large enough market, I truly do.” A year before I polarised it out somewhat, it was out in the open for that long. And an application to reduce energy stresses was available then. I see in the image below 2 dozen options to claim sunshine and power parts of buildings, one at a time, but over two years that would have been 20%-25%, not enough to stop all the hardship we see now, but the pressure would be a hell of a lot lower.

In the same setting we could see Tokyo and even to some degree Japan. Look at the image and you should see close to 4 dozen options. All there for the implementation. Now this would not have solved it all, that is clear, but to tell 12,000,000 Japanese to cut energy pressures instead of 37 million people that story is one hell of a difference.

To give you another option (keeping Austin in view), we look at one address, 200 Congressional way. The shiny building. Every outside floor/ceiling on concrete, ready to fit panels, only visible from the outside and even then the ‘ugly’ grey is gone. It will not fit every solution, some will use roofs, but one building generating enough power to cool every apartment in the building, optionally supplying power to the outside lights for the entire block. It was out there for two years and no one made the move, no one seemingly approached Elon Musk. Why not? Was ego or pride the problem? Now Austin and many Texan places will sit in the dark several times over the next quarter.

I know, it is not simple,. I know that there are manufacturing issues, but a start should have been made and the US government (both Republicans and Democrats) are at fault here. They all let is waste until it was too late and that is before we look at New York, California and a few other places. Austin was merely an example. It was not rocket science and Elon Mush had the IP. I created different IP, but it seems that the big tech people are looking at the horizon, all whilst the IP was at their feet. So now as the US seems to be collapsing, I will have to offer my IP to those who can afford to pay me the entrance fee. Three bundles of IP, all op for grabs for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and optionally China. The US is so busy destroying itself that the doubt will hit places like Amazon and Google too. And as Microsoft downplays certain events, they will not need to worry, I would not consider them at this point, they wasted enough IP. And it is all about the IP, IP is almost everything and whilst people are ego driven and seemingly fuel the ego of politicians, we see that politicians are limited to talks, especially in the US where they talk a lot and resolve close to absolutely nothing. That is not an American trait as we see the same in places like the UK and EU. The dangers are that talks are the stepping stone of inaction. Even now, when we consider that several EU nations are walking back their green energy plans, the simple truth is that this setting was clear 2 years ago, the UK might have had the clearest warnings of shortages, but inactions dragged it all out and now, it is basically too late. Now we see a nation asking 25% of its population to not use energy (for a while). The stage has become that bad and in this world where getting 5% to adhere to anything is close to a miracle, I am not betting on that cadaver to be found. I will seek another way to get my resolutions cashed and when that IP goes where I expect it to go, I will merely relocate the place where my retirement party would be. It’s only fair that I do that, it is not rocket science. It never was.