In the famous Fibonacci sequence, each number in the sequence is the sum of the previous two. It begins with 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and continues so on. When you take two successive numbers in this sequence, their ratio is very close to 1.618, which is called the golden ratio. The Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio are present in many parts of the natural world including the shape of plants, human and animal bodies, weather patterns, and even galaxies. It is said that they govern order in the natural world.
Now, researchers from South Africa claim that the golden ratio can be seen in the topology of space-time, giving the argument that the ratio keeps the entire Universe in order.
Dr. Jan Boeyens at the University of Pretoria and Dr. Francis Thackeray of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa have researched the many ways that the golden ratio can be seen ‘related not only to aspects of mathematics but also to physics, chemistry, biology and the topology of space-time.’ The researchers believe that geometric shapes found in the natural world throughout the Universe ultimately succumb to the same mathematical property of 1.618. Continue reading →
“. . ., executives at some of the nation’s largest utilities from New York to California say they are preparing their grids for more plug-in cars, reaching out to automakers and working with regulators to make sure customers as well as the utilities benefit from the trend.” – M Chediak
Elon Musk
Here’s why something as basic as a battery both thrills and terrifies the U.S. utility industry.
At a sagebrush-strewn industrial park outside of Reno, Nevada, bulldozers are clearing dirt for Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA)’s battery factory, projected to be the world’s largest.
Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, sees the $5 billion facility as a key step toward making electric cars more affordable, while ending reliance on oil and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At first blush, the push toward more electric cars looks to be positive for utilities struggling with stagnant sales from energy conservation and slow economic growth.
Yet Musk’s so-called gigafactory may soon become an existential threat to the 100-year-old utility business model. The facility will also churn out stationary battery packs that can be paired with rooftop solar panels to store power. Already, a second company led by Musk, SolarCity Corp. (SCTY), is packaging solar panels and batteries to power California homes and companies including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)
“The mortal threat that ever cheaper on-site renewables pose” comes from systems that include storage, said Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Snowmass, Colorado-based energy consultant. “That is an unregulated product you can buy at Home Depot that leaves the old business model with no place to hide.”
J.B. Straubel, chief technology officer for Palo Alto, California-based Tesla, said the company views utilities as partners not adversaries in its effort to build out battery storage. Musk was not available for comment.
The Tesla systems are arriving just as utilities begin to feel increasing pressure worldwide from the disruption posed by renewable energy.
Lima Meeting
In Germany, the rapid rise of tax-subsidized clean energy has undermined wholesale prices and decimated the profitability of coal and natural gas plants. Germany’s largest utility EON SE (EOAN) said this week it will spin off its fossil-fuel plant business to focus on renewables in part because of new clean energy competitors coming onto its turf.
