Month: January 2025

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The Indicator from Planet Money - How batteries are already changing the grid

Renewable energy, when it comes to solar and wind power, has always had a caveat: it can only run when the wind blows or the sun shines. The idea of a battery was floated around to make renewables available 24/7. For years, it existed as an expensive, little-used technology. And then in 2021, it took off.

In California, there is now enough grid-scale battery storage to power millions of homes, at least for a few hours, and it's growing fast. How did that happen, and what does the newfound success mean for the grid?

This week, we dig into three stories about grid-scale battery storage. Today, we go on-the-ground to California, where batteries first took off in the U.S.

Related episodes:
Rooftop solar's dark side (Apple / Spotify)
How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update) (Apple / Spotify)
How China became solar royalty (Apple / Spotify)
Wind boom, wind bust (Two windicators) (Apple / Spotify)

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NPR's Book of the Day - Mark Lilla’s new book explores the psychology and consequences of willful ignorance

Author Mark Lilla is professor of humanities at Columbia University specializing in intellectual history. His new book, Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know, examines the tendencies for willful ignorance in human nature and the correlations of those tendencies to education castes. In today's episode, Lilla speaks to NPR's Asma Khalid about curiosity and the role social media plays in choosing to engage with information and facts.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Who’s to Blame for the LA Fires?

The fires in Los Angeles may end up being one of—if not the most—expensive natural disasters in American history. Everyone is trying to find the party responsible. It isn’t that simple.


Guest: Gabrielle Canon, climate reporter and extreme weather correspondent for The Guardian US.


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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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It Could Happen Here - Mutual Aid & the LA Fires

James talks to Andreina from Ktownforall about the devastating fires in Los Angeles and how mutual aid groups are mobilizing to help the community.

http://ktownforall.org/

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Everything Everywhere Daily - The Schlitz Mistake

In the early 20th century, the Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the largest brewery in the world. 

However, by 1980, the company had fallen on hard times and was purchased by a competitor in a hostile takeover. The company was so bad that it eventually killed the company that bought them. 

However, the demise of Schlitz wasn’t one of changing tastes or bad luck. It was a series of self-inflicted wounds.

Learn more about the Schlitz Mistake and how a series of bad decisions killed the world’s largest brewery on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.


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The Economics of Everyday Things - 76. Hotel Art

A watercolor of a harbor? A black-and-white photo of a pile of rocks? Some hotels are trying to do better. Zachary Crockett unpacks.

 

 

 

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You're Wrong About - Aron Ralston with Blair Braverman

What would you do if you were pinned down by an 800-pound boulder, and no one knew where you were? In 2003, Aron Ralston had to answer that question. Today, our survival correspondent Blair Braverman is here to tell us the tale of the man, the myth, and the multitool.

Blair Braverman tells us how the legendary story of one good dog is actually a story of two good dogs. 

Read Blair’s book, Small Game:

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063066175

Read Blair’s Patreon (and learn more about sled dogs!):

https://www.patreon.com/bravermountain

Support You're Wrong About:

Bonus Episodes on Patreon
Buy cute merch

Where else to find us:

Sarah's other show, You Are Good

Links:

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063066175
https://www.patreon.com/bravermountain
http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout
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Consider This from NPR - On the way out: Transportation Sec. Buttigieg looks back on achievements, challenges

From handling crises in the rail and airline industries to overseeing the distribution of billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has taken on a lot over the last four years.

Now, his tenure is coming to an end.

Host Scott Detrow speaks with Buttigieg about what the Biden administration accomplished, what it didn't get done, and what he's taking away from an election where voters resoundingly called for something different.

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