ENERGY STORAGE and OPENING SCHOOLS

  From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

        DAY  USA  WORLD   Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9    1093     4732       1185        246       82

July    22     1205     7128        1293      1120      572

Aug    12     1504     6556        1242       835      130

Sept     9     1208      6222       1136      1168       82

Oct     21     1225      6849         571       703       85

Nov    25     2304    12025        620       518      118

Dec    30     3880    14748       1224       299     465

Jan     14       4142    15512        1151        189      712              

Feb      3       4005   14265       1209       107     398

          10        3432   14043       1357        119     276

          16         1787     9799       1088       109     219 

          17         2537   11383        1195         89     165

Summary:  Not exactly declining as fast as desired.  However, compared to previous months, the trend is good.  Even though I've had both Moderna shots, the last one more than three weeks ago, I still wear a mask plus face shield when I go shopping.  Why?  Not sure.  I'm safe.  I guess it's probably because everyone is required to do this when you go into a store.  Perhaps I'll abandon the face shield.

My blog topic yesterday was about a coming renewable energy boom.  Much of the nation is today still suffering from winter storms.  The Texas grid has particularly suffered (note that the nation essentially has three grids:  east, west and Texas).  Texas Governor Gregg Abbott blamed wind and solar power for the calamity:

• 
  Wind power was just 13% of the problem.  
• However, he brings up a problem with some forms of green power.
• The winds come and go.  So does the Sun.
• Then, freezing temperatures can cause havoc.  This problem can be circumvented, but it will cost money and investments.

• 
  If renewable energy is ever to generate 100% of the electricity, there needs to be some additional mix of storage and baseload energy, meaning continuous.
• Batteries are very expensive, and will always be so.

• 
  Hydrogen can someday hopefully become competitive.
• Geothermal can make a big difference, especially if hot-dry-rock technology can become cost effective.  Don't hold your breath for this to soon occur.
• So can clean nuclear, which means fusion, not fission.  Again, this will take beyond the year 2050.

• 
  So what?
• Beef up transmission lines for a national grid.  Incorporate Canada and Mexico.
• Accelerate the development of hydrogen and storage technology:  

• 
  fuel cells
• production of hydrogen 
• when electricity prices are low, from midnight to 5AM 
• invent a system that can utilize sunlight to produce this fuel
• if OTEC ever becomes competitive, generate hydrogen at sea and establish a transport network

• 
  floating wind farms can also produce hydrogen, using the same delivery network
• advance the potential of flywheels, air compression and other similar options

From The New York Times this morning:

• Rush Limbaugh died at 70. His scathing style made him a talk-radio star and helped mold conservative politics.
• Ford says it will phase out gasoline-powered vehicles in Europe by 2030.

• 

  
  NASA will attempt to land its Perseverance rover on Mars this afternoon, searching for fossils of ancient microbial life. Follow it here.  We should know by 3:55PM (10:55AM in Hawaii) if this $2.7 billion mission safely landed.
• Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open semifinal, 6-3, 6-4, denying Williams a chance to tie the record for Grand Slam singles titles.

Donald Trump did everything wrong that it was just a matter of which was the worst on any given day.  In comparison, Joe Biden seems to be doing almost everything right, that it's amusing to observe one issue in particular--opening schools--where there appears to be considerable confusion, and getting worse:

• 
  Biden unfortunately indicated he would open schools in his first 100 days.
• Two problems:
• not enough vaccines
• teachers unwilling to teach without first being vaccinated

• 
  Thus, CDC director Rochelle Walensky has been in a bind:
• their written mandate to open schools is not unlike a package of colored marshmallows--spongy, vague, lacking in specificity...and worst of all, will not work
• when appearing on TV, she seems to regularly change her mind
• but that is because she is in an impossible position
• she needs to follow administrative policy
• but knows there is no way to vaccinate all teachers until the summer

• 
  So, finally, the White House arrived at a weak solution
• only open K-8 grades first
• this is not mentioned, but these students have parents that should be working, so by so doing, improve the economy at the same time
• 9-12 grade students can take care of themselves, so let them remote learn
• suggest states highly prioritize teachers for vaccinations, particularly those teaching K-8 grades

Here is a situation where President Biden could have taken a more authoritative position, and most states and the general public would have supported him.  Being wishy-washy is not a good sign for future issues.

In any case, unless some edict is promulgated by President Biden, every state will not be able to vaccinate every K-8 teacher soon enough, allowing three weeks or so after the final dose, for this spring semester to occur with any kind of meaningful purpose.  A national plan to insure that all school teachers and college instructors be immunized by mid-summer so that the fall semester opens normally would grudgingly be accepted as more sensible.

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