The Enshittification of Solar
a day ago
- #enshittification
- #solar-energy
- #fossil-fuels
- Bill McKibben's book 'Here Comes the Sun' highlights the exponential growth and benefits of solar energy, including falling costs and increased efficiency.
- Solar energy is proving to be more beneficial than anticipated, with improvements in battery technology and agricultural benefits such as shade for crops and reduced water usage.
- The fossil fuel industry is resisting the solar transition, with Donald Trump promising to kill renewables in exchange for campaign donations from the industry.
- Solar energy is becoming cheaper than fossil fuels, leading to exponential growth in deployment, which the fossil fuel industry fears due to its potential to disrupt their rent-seeking business model.
- The fossil fuel industry may shift from opposing renewables to controlling them through technological chokepoints, leading to potential enshittification of clean tech.
- Examples of enshittification in clean tech include EV manufacturers bricking cars when companies go bust and solar inverters requiring internet connections to function.
- The article suggests that the fossil fuel industry could use narratives about foreign control (e.g., China) to justify taking over the clean tech sector, similar to the Tiktok ban.
- The author calls for vigilance and action to prevent the enshittification of renewables and to ensure that the benefits of solar energy are not monopolized by rent-seekers.