After the TED conference each year I like to scroll through all the free videos to see how the presenters handled the subject of Energy. I’m hearing that Shai Agassi of Better Place gave a very good talk this week. Paul Kedrosky felt it was perhaps the one, strongly energy related presentation so far. I’ve also heard other remarks about the Agassi speech. Apparently, Shai said that all the current chatter about getting off oil reminded him of how in Britain, in the 1800′s, there was much talk of getting off slavery.
Better Place is interesting because it does not necessarily propose that the entire world convert to electric vehciles (EVs). Instead, Better Place looks to be a rather brilliant urban solution to the automobile, somewhat reminiscent of Velib in Paris, which allows you to rent a bike.
One of my long-term views is that the world will need to employ myriad solutions, not a single solution, to the challenge of energy scarcity. EVs, hybrids, hydrogen, natural gas, and of course electrified transport will have to form many parts of the whole.
My impression of TED, however, is that over the years it’s been a venue for a number of rather starry-eyed views on energy. In particular, biofuels. Now, that’s not a characterization of the TED conference as a whole. Nor is it a reflexive dig, on TED. After all, I myself attend each year the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) conference which conversely tends towards a dark, Malthusian view of the future. In fact, some of the energy presentations that I’ve seen come out of TED are quite exciting. Bill Gross’s (Idea Lab) solar presentation was fantastic for example and I think it’s quite likely we’ll see that employed. Also, TED gave James Howard Kunstler a chance to speak a few years ago, and Jim’s view on the future has been at times rather bracing.
Kunstler is a good example here because he has in fact attended both TED, and the ASPO conferences. And that’s precisely the idea I’m inching towards now. I think the Fossil Fuel People (FFP) and the TED people need to spend more time together. Although I’ve not attended TED, my last stint at the ASPO conference in Sacramento last year was so unbelievably depressing I found myself desperate to attend a solutions conference. ASPO lays out the problem very well. TED comes up with solutions. The two need to get together.
-Gregor
Update: Steven Levy of WIRED writes on this very subject today, in his piece: TEDsters Ignore Financial Meltdown
Second Update: Monday 09 FEB: Is TED a Recession-Free Zone?
