Five videos about the electric grid by Robert Bryce and Tyson Culver
The "narrative" was that "all we need is renewables." At some point though, the reality of the electric grid must be acknowledged. These videos are an important part of that acknowledgment.
Electric Grid Featured in New Videos
Five videos about the electric grid
by Robert Bryce and Tyson Culver
Five great videos. And they are free!
Robert Bryce and Tyson Culver have long been heroes of mine for their clear communication about energy. During the summer of 2022, Bryce and Culver and their crew came to Vermont and interviewed me. So I knew they were working on a new film. 😉
Their five videos are available now, Juice: Power, Politics and the Grid The videos are free on YouTube, and all the videos are linked in the website link.
This is the absolute right time for these videos to be released. The videos are evidence that "reality is poking through the narrative." That is a comment that I made to Robert Bryce at one point. The "narrative" was that "all we need is renewables." At some point though, the reality of the electric grid must be acknowledged. These videos are an important part of that acknowledgment.
"Renewables are all that matters" California has changed its tune and now hopes to keep its nuclear plant operating. Germany (another "renewables are all that matters" state) is acknowledging its need for fossil fuels and building LNG import terminals. Reality is poking through the narrative.
Reality bats last. These videos show reality.
Texas Blackout was just the beginning
The dramatic Texas blackout of 2021 starts the series. Why did it happen? How did it happen? Will it happen again? Unfortunately, the Texas blackouts of 2021 are just the beginning. The issues that led to the Texas blackouts are not unique to Texas.
Now, people might think Episode 1: Texas Blackout is my favorite section because I am featured in it. But actually, it isn't my favorite. My two favorite sections are Episode 3 (Green Dreams) about how the Osage Nation has successfully battled a wind farm that did not respect the tribe's property rights, and Episode 5 (Industrial Cathedrals) about the future of nuclear energy.
These videos are a splendid resource for people who want to know about the electric grid. I love the other pro-nuclear movies that I have watched, and I feel a little awkward about praising this particular set of films so highly. The more the merrier, with pro-nuclear media!
But, as someone who has struggled to be an effective communicator, I want to talk about how these films made me happy.
Decisions make the difference
Some of the decisions that made these videos great.
1) There are five videos.
The electric grid is a complex beast, and the controversies around it sometimes seem to be beyond comprehension. Bryce and Tyson decided to make five short (but interrelated) videos. The viewers' knowledge builds from video to video, but each video is about 20 minutes long. You can pause after the video and think about it.
2) Great content.
Great content and great visuals. The videos cover blackouts and near-misses, the fragility of the grid, the land grabs by renewable companies, how Enron started the "auctions," and the hopes for nuclear energy. Thirty subject matter experts appear in the videos, and their interviews are clear and helpful. Hearing their voices adds immediacy to the sections. Of course, the visuals are great also. This movie was shot on location all over the world.
3) Production values and music.
The videos are extremely well done: clear, concise, and approachable. It is not easy to pull something like this together. Also, good original music!
A little taste of Juice
Bryce and Tyson worked hard on both the content and on communicating the content. The first rule of communicating technical content is to divide it into "chunks" and make the "chunks" easy to understand.
The graphic at the top of this post is Billie Ponca of the Osage Tribe, from the "Behind the Scenes" page of the website. And here's a one-minute video from the Voices section of the website.
Watch the entire set of videos, Juice Power Politics and the Grid. Then tell your friends about them!
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Meredith Angwin
MeredithAngwin.com
meredithangwin@gmail.com
Powerful Videos about the Grid