Published Aug. 31, 2021

By Robert Walton

Dive Brief:

• Electric panels in up to 48 million U.S. single-family homes will need to be upgraded to fully transition away from fossil fuels and use electricity for space and water heating, cooking, vehicle charging and other applications, according to new research from residential electricity research group Pecan Street.
• With an average cost of $2,000 for an upgraded panel, that represents a nearly “$100 billion impediment to residential electrification,” the group said in a report issued Aug. 23.
• It is also an energy transition equity issue, with lower-income customers often unable to make that investment. But utilities can play a role in helping make upgrades possible through rebates or incentives, said Pecan Street CEO Suzanne Russo.

Read the article at: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/residential-electric-panels-represent-a-nearly-100b-roadblock-to-full-el/605829/

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Abstract

The night has historically been neglected in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary research. To some extent, this is not surprising, given the diurnal bias of human researchers and the difficulty of performing work at night. The night is, however, a critical element of biological, chemical, physical, and social systems on Earth. Moreover, research into social issues such as inequality, demographic changes, and the transition to a sustainable economy will be compromised if the night is not considered. Recent years, however, have seen a surge in research into the night. We argue that “night studies” is on the cusp of coming into its own as an interdisciplinary field, and that when it does, the field will consider questions that disciplinary researchers have not yet thought to ask.

Extract only, full study available at https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8800/3/1/1/htm

The challenges facing our planet and humanity during this century often have direct and indirect connections to the night that must not be overlooked. There is, therefore, a pressing need for interdisciplinary research into the night to come of age, expanding into a recognized field, because the night matters.

A pressing “nighttime” problem, for example, is growing concern over mismatches between social and biological time in humans. The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded for the discovery of the molecular mechanisms in nearly all living organisms that govern circadian rhythms, ranging from activity patterns to blood pressure. The timing of many common human behaviors is often no longer aligned with these biological clocks, and there is ample concern that widespread insufficient or ineffective sleep [6] is detrimental to health. Sleep, however, is not simply a medical issue that can be isolated from broader social, cultural, and economic change. There are complex causes of changes in human sleep patterns over the past 150 years [7]. The development and expansion of artificial light at night has played a central role, with most cities now brightly illuminated [8,9]. Beyond lighting, factors such as incessant processes in industrial plants, connectivity across time zones, provision of 24/7 services including energy, security, and health care, and the possibility of constant technological connectivity in both professional and personal domains have expanded many human activities beyond previous temporal limits (e.g., [10]).Extending the hours of labor for non-essential services, to take but one example, both reflects and reinforces industrial capitalism [11]. Nighttime shifts that enable factories to raise profits for shareholders often pay more than equivalent day shifts. This financial incentive, in turn, often attracts workers who are economically marginal including many women, people of color, and immigrants. Despite increased compensation, the nighttime economy may end up worsening social and economic inequality and magnifying environmental injustice, for instance, if these groups end up suffering from higher rates of disease and poorer health. There are also social costs due to incongruities between the schedule of workers and those of their families. One may question whether night economies really raise local revenue, once sleep deficits and the healthcare costs of night shift workers are also considered. This example demonstrates how night is an “interdisciplinary object”; physical and social processes at night—circadian rhythms, capitalism, education, race, gender, security, mobility, public lighting, and inequality—are entangled in complex and sometimes unexpected ways.

Failing to consider the full interdisciplinary context of night has already affected real-world situations. Consider the recent replacement of outdoor lighting in Rome in 2017 [13]. The city’s lighting transition was undertaken within the frame of energy consumption and cost, and resulted in the replacement of existing warm color lamps with “colder” white LED lighting. Missing from consideration in the policy decision were public expectations and the cultural meaning of urban light, as well as the negative environmental side effects of broad spectrum (white) light [13]. As a result, residents and tourists had strong negative reactions to the light, arguing that the ancient city should not be lit with cold, harsh white lighting [14]. In addition, in trying to address one environmental problem (climate change), Rome may have worsened another (light pollution) in the process.

3. Conclusions

The night has experienced major changes in recent decades, and the pace of change is unlikely to slow down. While research into the night has expanded greatly in recent years, we believe that further networking and institutionalization is urgently needed. In order to develop into a recognized interdisciplinary field, night studies will need to see the establishment of journals, conference series, dedicated funding lines, research institutes, and university departments offering programs of study. If the field develops as we hope it will, perhaps it may eventually become recognized by the Greek term “nyctology”: the study of night matters.

4. Addendum

Note that another opinion on the “science of the night” with a different focus was recently published by Michele Acuto [20]. We agree strongly with Michele Acuto, and encourage readers to also read his piece. This manuscript was drafted independently over a period of in-person and online meetings spanning from 2017–2019, without any correspondence with Michele Acuto. https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8800/3/1/1/htm

We need a science of the night

Understanding what happens in cities after sunset is crucial to global sustainable development, argues Michele Acuto.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03836-2

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Researchers say bigger issues — poverty, corruption, inequality — can undermine rural energy programs if unaddressed.

By Maria Gallucci

In Zimbabwe, where access to the electrical grid is sparse and unreliable, millions of people still burn wood to cook food and heat their homes. The practice is partly to blame for worsening deforestation in the landlocked country. In recent years, government officials have proposed a seemingly straightforward solution: Extend the electric grid into rural villages, and reduce the use of wood for fuel.

But Ellen Fungisai Chipango, a Zimbabwe-born researcher, says that rural electrification isn’t likely to provide any quick fixes. That’s because adding poles, wires, and even off-grid solar systems will do little to alleviate the crushing poverty that leads people to cut large swaths of trees. In her field work, she found that initiatives to expand energy access in Zimbabwe often overlook the larger political and economic forces at play.

Chipango is among researchers worldwide who are closely examining long-held assumptions that electrifying rural homes can boost family incomes, help children study, reduce indoor air pollution, or protect the environment. Stakeholders including scrappy solar startups, major oil and gas companies, and the United Nations have all pledged to work toward improving energy access for one or more of those reasons. But recent studies suggest that, in order to deliver real benefits, programs must be more comprehensive.

Read more at: https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/environment/zimbabwe-hopes-rural-electrification-stop-deforestation-it-might-not-work

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