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Hyperdecanted t1_j7vs4vg wrote

Hi there thanks for the AMA!

Question: will the changing workplace affect where wind/solar/battery technology is used?

I'm thinking wfh might alter energy profiles. Having previously lived in LA, I remember the brown-outs about 3 pm when all the office buildings cranked up their ac.

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Sammy_Roth t1_j7vtnmt wrote

Hey there, this is a really interesting question, thank you! Short answer is I'm not sure, although I'm not sure anything significant has changed thus far. Even during the height of work-from-home in 2020, the challenges California experienced on its power grid were pretty much the same as before the pandemic -- rising electric demand on hot summer evenings as people continued to blast their home air conditioners, even as the sun went down and solar generation dropped. I've written about that phenomenon quite a bit, including here: https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2022-09-15/boiling-point-california-epic-heat-wave-over-what-we-learned-boiling-point.

Sorry not to have a better answer to your question. I'll keep thinking about it!

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Hyperdecanted t1_j7w94de wrote

Thank you. It's very new, but here in SF Bay Area it looks like WFH is here to stay.

It's also interesting if WFH reduces the carbon-footprint for companies, and how that plays into their ESG scores, but it look like commuters aren't figuring into the equations.

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