THIS IS OUR FUTURE IN 2050, IF WE DO IT RIGHT.
Households
Your home now operates with a below-zero carbon impact because . . .
Organic waste that was once discarded in landfills is now a primary energy resource. Food waste, municipal solid waste, and sewage are processed in regional facilities to produce renewable natural gas through anaerobic digestion and gasification. This gas is chemically similar to conventional natural gas but is part of a closed carbon cycle, since the carbon originates from recent biological sources rather than fossil reserves. As a result, using it does not introduce new carbon into the atmosphere and reduces emissions that would otherwise occur from decomposition. MORE
Electricity is generated from a combination of renewable sources, including utility-scale wind and solar, as well as distributed rooftop systems. Energy storage systems ensure reliable supply even when generation fluctuates. Over time, renewable energy costs declined and storage technologies matured, allowing fossil-based electricity generation to be fully replaced. Household electricity now contributes no net greenhouse gas emissions.
Neighborhoods function as coordinated energy networks known as Virtual Power Plants. Rooftop solar systems, home batteries, electric vehicles, and smart appliances are connected through digital platforms that balance supply and demand in real time. Excess energy generated by one home is distributed across the community, improving efficiency and reducing strain on the grid.
The Grid
Rolling blackouts, spikes, surges, and brownouts are a thing of the past, and electricity is under 9 cents per kilowatt because . . .
Organic waste that was once discarded in landfills is now a primary energy resource. Food waste, municipal solid waste, and sewage are processed in regional facilities to produce renewable natural gas through anaerobic digestion and gasification. This gas is chemically similar to conventional natural gas but is part of a closed carbon cycle, since the carbon originates from recent biological sources rather than fossil reserves. As a result, using it does not introduce new carbon into the atmosphere and reduces emissions that would otherwise occur from decomposition.
Electricity is generated from a combination of renewable sources, including utility-scale wind and solar, as well as distributed rooftop systems. Energy storage systems ensure reliable supply even when generation fluctuates. Over time, renewable energy costs declined and storage technologies matured, allowing fossil-based electricity generation to be fully replaced. Household electricity now contributes no net greenhouse gas emissions.
Neighborhoods function as coordinated energy networks known as Virtual Power Plants. Rooftop solar systems, home batteries, electric vehicles, and smart appliances are connected through digital platforms that balance supply and demand in real time. Excess energy generated by one home is distributed across the community, improving efficiency and reducing strain on the grid.
Moreover, the grid has been rewired:
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LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES
Like our homes, our secondary vehicles have a less than zero carbon footprint because …:
- • Electric power mostly comes from local microgrids and ethanol and renewable gasoline have become their primary fuel, and …
- our gasoline is made of hydrogen pulled from water and carbon pulled from the atmosphere using ...
- wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal energy.
Our primary vehicles will be PHEVs, EREVs, or BEVs, which ...:
- recharge as we drive, made possible by …
- inductive chargers embedded in the roads, with a seamless charge facilitated by …
- the auto’s ability to negotiate with the facility and pay for the charge in advance.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Many of us will abandon our secondary autos because public transport will be so available.
- An autonomous taxi flies you to a Dallas hotel roof from the airport, and in the morning,
- an autonomous shuttle stops for you at your hotel to take you to the train station,
- where you board an electric train in downtown Dallas which takes you to downtown Austin in less than an hour, having emitted no CO2 whatsoever.
Micro busses, autonomous cabs, and free delivery will have eliminated most of our demand for a second auto.
- As a subscription service, an autonomous micro bus will pick you up at your front door every day, and deliver you to work
- travelling in platoons in dedicated lanes, they quickly move through traffic
- carrying you as you work or relax behind a good book.
A lane that carries 2,000 autos per hour could carry 10,000 micro busses travelling at 3-times the speed.
That this is all going to be part of your future is a safe prediction because the truth is that it is all here now.
I hope to explore with you and show you possible paths into amazing futures for us, our children, and our grandchildren. In some of the trails we examine, you might see your future self, but most of the visions will work better for others. For example, when I am discussing battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs), most Americans will find that this path is not good for them yet. Most Americans live in apartments, condos, dorms, rentals, or even vans, and for these people, a BEV might become a burdensome lifestyle. On the other hand, if you live in a dorm, and you come across discussions of future careers in a circular economy, you might want to explore that trail for a bit.