Moving to "Electric Everything" is possible - here's how. | Allison Archambault | TEDxMidAtlantic

How can we move to an all-electric society? Speaker Allison Archambault describes how her work in Haiti on implementing solar micro-grid power is empowering women and families to be independent and more resilient. But to move away from carbon fuels globally, she argues we'll need to "electrify everything," and offers practical ideas about how we can all move towards this goal by transforming our consumer choices with cleaner electric options and economic incentives. Allison is president of EarthSpark International, a non-profit organization incubating businesses that solve energy poverty. EarthSpark has built two town-sized, solar-powered smart grids in rural Haiti and has spun off a smart meter company, SparkMeter, which is now enabling grid operators in 25 countries to expand energy access to low-income customers. EarthSpark’s ‘Feminist Electrification’ approach to microgrid development won a United Nations Momentum for Change award in 2018, hailed as a ‘practical example of what real climate action looks like.’
Allison has consulted to clean energy companies, governments, and advocacy groups. She previously worked with 3TIER on large-scale renewable energy siting and integration and with GridPoint, an early distributed solar+storage company in the United States. She holds a B.A. (hons) from Tufts University and a Master of International Public Policy degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@HotwiredFlamingo]

Moving to full electric is totally possible!!! What people don't get is it can't be done overnight!!!

[@Batman2StaticShock]

35 years, and we can deduce that time

[@ysosirius2886]

Lithiums Wars will be fun

[@ysosirius2886]

Who's paying for all this? World Bank is your new master

[@diogenes5127]

So who is going to pay for electric cars for people who can't afford one? Or are cars going to be a luxury that only people with money can have?

[@diogenes5127]

@@wallacecam311 I think Flintstone cars are the solution😁

[@ysosirius2886]

Where is all the lithium coming from and what are you going to do with all the old batteries?

[@Overlandjon]

Yso Sirius we will just have to “bring freedom” to Africa and china instead of the middle east for lithium

[@markhird-rutter2305]

There are many ways to store electricity besides lithium batteries. Salt water batteries, gravity systems, pumped hydro, liquid air, hydrogen, carbon capture. They are all under development.

[@brokkoliomg6103]

There is enough Lithium in the world. The US alone has enough to power its needs. And recycling is already at more than 90% of a battery, which will rise even further until we have large amounts of batteries in need of recycling. Check Tesla Battery Day for more info.

[@seemamajid855]

What a lady, our planet need more people like her, she will leave this world feeling so accomplished-- the rest of us , do nothing substantial in life. At least , we should share and spread word.

[@DrAnarchyHD]

Tesla is doing a pretty good job so far.

[@AM-fh7ek]

With stock buybacks?

[@colincampbell5068]

agree with that!

[@kazb6526]

"Do what I do and I'm better than you" should have been the name of this talk.

[@markhird-rutter2305]

Our house is 100% renewables. 66% of our energy is solar, the remainder is hydro.

[@EarthSpark]

Just now seeing this, Mark. Awesome! Hooray for knowing where you energy comes from and for the sources being renewable energy!

[@cedrickdroui]

Allison you are a great natural speaker, thank you for this TED and for your purpose!

[@EarthSpark]

That's so kind. Thank you, Cedrick! 🙏 - Allison

[@johnrowan9033]

@@EarthSpark I agree with Cedric, great work!

[@EarthSpark]

@@johnrowan9033 Aw, gosh, guys. Thank you! 🤗

[@johnrowan9033]

@@EarthSpark welcome!!!!

[@StartupFundingEventGlobal]

With more people like you, Elon Musk, the world will be able to move towards cleaner practices..

[@Xx-po1fu]

Solar panels and solar batteries are very expensive. One solar battery will cost you $6,000 and the avg home will probably need 3 of them. Add in the cost of the panels and installation and you are looking at $25 -$30,000, plus several thousand more in finance charges.

[@Jacob-qr8pl]

Where will we get the materials to build solar energy and the batteries to hold it?

[@JayPatel-ug1nh]

Earth has way more amount of materials than our need , so we can electricity everything and run it on renewable energy sources. It's better than taking out fossil fuel and hazards it creates!

[@mrmshifan]

Thank you very much for the hard work you and your team put on to make this world a better place. Thank you

[@EarthSpark]

Just now seeing this. Thank you so much for the really thoughtful and kind words, Mohamed. - Allison

[@SY-sp8uo]

Everything is possible with discipline, hard work and consistency!

[@Greghouse]

and a good plan :-)

[@SY-sp8uo]

@@Greghouse agree!

[@nanburkhardt]

Things like this make me realise how much I take for granted in my everyday life. I barely know how to light a fire, let alone cook on one.

[@suebakernottly]

yes me too...

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

Electric heating is very expensive. She just elided right over heating. ¬_¬

[@markhird-rutter2305]

When I compared my utility bill, without my solar, to my fossil fuel heating neighbours, I found it to be 1.4 times higher. I added solar to my roof and this reduced my rates to $40 per month. My estimated payback for the solar is 15 years.

[@andrewradford3953]

Heat exchange air-conditioning is cheap. Cheaper than wood for a wood heater.

[@futureforecast1388]

what consist of solar panel and how do we recycle?

[@desereeme5084]

God bless everybody...

[@genXcripple]

except books. leave my books alone

[@maureenwatters321]

Gosh Allison is on the ball here. Brilliant stuff. Sharing right away!

[@EarthSpark]

That's so kind. Thank you, Maureen!

[@ryandetorie]

Absolute brilliance!

[@MaverickSeventySeven]

I think she is SO WRONG! There is NO Correlation between Energy needed for heating g, cooking and lighting And SOURCING MATERIALS TRANSPORTING THEM AND THE MANUFACTURING OF GOODS!!! Watch KZbin - Professor Plimer Book Launch Not For Greens!!!

[@hamzachetoui]

I think that most people that swear by renewable energy have never considered the potential enviromental crisis it will create too. Have you ever thought about the material used to create renewable energy and the extent to which that material is actually renewable? In addition to that, electricity "all the things" will require a massive amount of battery usage, which are not really recyclable. In 2017, more than 1 million electric cars were sold, which, according to research, will potentially lead to 250,000 tons of discarded battery packs. That is ONE year.

[@kevley26]

that is a problem, but not nearly as big a problem as air pollution or global warming. We need to use recyclable battery packs, and develop better energy storage. Using a widespread smart grid can also help solve the problems of intermittence of sources of energy like solar. Also nuclear energy can be used to make this less of a problem. Also batteries are totally recyclable, the chemical elements we need don't go anywhere, they remain in the battery.

[@hamzachetoui]

@@kevley26 The waste generated from wind turbines and solar panels may not a big problem today but it will definitely be a mojor environmental crisis in the next 50 years. It is very misleading to think of wind and solar energy as "clean" when they produce metric tons of plastic and metal non-recyclable watse + prior to 2020, Lithium batteries are not mass recyled and are instead conceived of as what they are: waste. What I am trying to draw attention to here is the idea that the narrative of clean energy is not all rosy as many people believe and that in order to fully commit to these types of energy, thorough planning must be done in relation to how can we obtain cleaner air without sacrificing land and water.

[@Doomgel]

In the end, having a diverse range of energy sources will balance out many negatives and prevent stuff like the oil wars.

[@gabrielyoder]

On the other hand American coal plants generate 100 million tons of fly ash every year, half if which gets landfilled.

[@amrut6767]

"soot is climate warmer" - it's not, it settles quickly than gas "Induction is better than gas" - oh please. Not all dishes can be cooked by induction

[@adrianiordache3552]

1 minute into this and my bs detector starts biping. She said that the soot from the smoke is bad for climate. There are people in deep poverty that probably make a fire for few minutes or hours a day, but a newyourker, lets say, uses lihts, oven, phone, hair dryer, car all day every day. But there is more! There are big companies with big buildings that need heat during winter and ac during summer. How can you even compare?! It’s like comparing a elevator fart (witch is kinda’ bad) with the poisonous gass wised in ww2 (witch is worse). Let those people make a god dam fire to cook some whatever food they can god dam find.

[@redmoon383]

Smaller scale will always be less efficient. That's probably what she's on about

[@ben-ww7ks]

wtf are you talking about man? elevator farts are the worst! nothing is worse than that

[@Jeremy_Walker]

It’s about consumption in general, not what energy source.

[@johnbuckner2828]

Even during the rainy season, the days are usually fairly sunny, with rain falling mostly at night.

[@extraterrestrial46]

The light on the night side of the Earth does not only mean that, always be aware, though we need electricity everywhere, that is just light pollution.

[@andrehuestan]

The title really fooled me, I keep thinking electric is coal powered or other non-renewable. Good talk thanks.

[@jackque5199]

How will all electric affect California when we have the rolling blackouts? I am all for zero emissions but I have to question.

[@EarthSpark]

Hi Jackque. Just seeing this now. Solar + storage and microgrids in general are actually a big part of how people are responding to the power outage challenges in CA and elsewhere in the US. People are now adding batteries to their solar installations, and you may have seen that Ford is marketing its 2022 F-150 Lightning as "a pickup truck that can power your home for days." Pretty exciting!

[@getfreemazes]

does homework by candle light. videotapes it

[@joseluz11]

lol

[@RestingBitchface7]

But I don’t want electric. I’m fine off grid with a fireplace and wood stove. And I love cooking over char.

[@sms7048]

Solar panels are actually great for off grid living

[@AM-fh7ek]

@@sms7048 but can you recycle them? And how long does it take?

[@SuperSSystem]

Who is sponsoring everything, and what is the credit measured in?

[@desereeme5084]

How can I sign up to speak?

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

Not if gas companies have anything to say about it.

[@AM-fh7ek]

Or people

[@williamsmythe]

Wait- that means that town is running almost ENTIRELY on solar… I know bigger cities is would be much more complicated, but all that says to me is that there is no reason why we can’t be doing this everywhere.

[@EarthSpark]

Yes, William! That's our take too! We can totally do this. There are details to figure out, for sure, but if the direction is clearly plotted, we can figure the rest out...and it will be better, more reliable, and ultimately cheaper energy and also solve for climate change while strengthening community ownership... You've gotten me started! 😂 But yeah, let's get on this! :) (And thank you very much for watching!) ♥ - Allison

[@yogeshkad6928]

what do you think about Hans power pack device and do you know it it is a very good device for creative power and use it tell me

Electric means way more efficient and clean, no emissions, no poisonous gases. Everybody must be aware of this, and you must be part of the solution, talk to your family, friends, colleagues about it.

[@diogenes5127]

Climate change is not caused by people. See mini-ice age from the mid-17th century until the early 19th century. It's all about a carbon tax.

@@diogenes5127 nobody is talking about climate change now. Nevertheless, you are using an specific clue to support your biased ideas, that's not scientifically accurate

[@kevley26]

@@diogenes5127 If you knew the details about that, you would know that the rate of change of that mini ice age is orders of magnitude lower than the temperature change we are experiencing right now. There have been many times when the Earth's climate has changed, but none have been nearly as fast as what we are seeing now.

[@Overlandjon]

So you are for child labor I see? How do you think we mine for lithium?? Africa and china are major exporters for lithium and child labor and poor working environments. Also you are just switching from fossil fuels to lithium. Eventually you will be back in the same predicament when we run out of lithium and precious metals. Also the waste from used battery is extremely poisonous. Better solutions would be hydrogen and nuclear as the only waste created from them is steam/water.

[@diogenes5127]

@ When the word starts with a constant you use the word a. When the word starts with a vowel you use an. You're welcome.

[@optimuscprime]

I want solar but I want my diesel fuel I like coal and nuclear. I know there are pros and cons to all methods I want electric efficiency am to be able to afford it. I also just want to drive my truck.

[@kuebrastic1219]

Yesh

[@eltallerdeedi9717]

Sería chevre si colocarán subtitulo en español.

[@stamsingh3071]

I should start solar panel business.

[@BobQuigley]

World's richest nation ever. Puerto Rico this is a crime against humanity by US. Thanks for your work!

[@desereeme5084]

I say it's the answer.... But it is literally just one answer to many items on the list.

[@hannesRSA]

A bit of a presumption saying solar=renewable=clean. Battery storage at large scale is not clean.

[@harshithsadhana7475]

we can use screw turbines in flowing rivers to generate electricity. is it very reliable as old turbines setup anyone?

[@Doomgel]

Their are a plethora of issues in regards to this with current technologies. In short, there is nothing that is really effective enough to be worth it. Rivers are often quite variable in terms of flow and sediment deposits.

[@camerongdowd]

There is an app that monitors air pollution…

[@EarthSpark]

Haha. Yes! There are several. I use Plume Labs but I'd love to hear what you find and like. Hooray for accessible data! 😄 - Allison

[@desereeme5084]

Obviously solar is the answer at some point? The question is when? The information keeps getting better and better. So... Question... Who's in charge of deciding that type of scheduling?

[@steakovercake3986]

Getting rid of old panels is as deadly as plutonium.... we will get there with solar when its cheaper to recycle then then dispose of them

[@charliechapgould]

I rent and wish I could do more, or even convince the landlord to put in solar but it isn’t financially viable for them so they wont :(

[@EarthSpark]

I hope that dynamic changes soon, Charlie. There are more and more options for renters (and for building owners) to cost-effectively go solar + to invest in efficiency. Warm wishes to you! And thanks for watching the talk! -Allison

[@charliechapgould]

@@EarthSpark thanks for replying, I think the answer lies in Govt to legislate the change. And us too.

[@dereckceballos2099]

Great!

[@TheaDragonSpirit]

Someone needs to take the electric shower and make a little box below every tap, wire it in to the electrics, and then a person can get a small amount of hot water, without having to heat up an entire electric boiler in order to get a small amount of hot water, it would save so much electricity.

[@Doomgel]

There is something like this already on the market. They heat water on demand. However, they often are very expensive, and aren't effective in all situations. More popular and effective are re-circulation pumps that can provide instant hot water to any hot tap in the house. It's also expensive to install, but reduces the amount of water wasted. Natural gas is also way more efficient then electric water heaters. (not including on-demand, they are all electric to my knowledge)

[@TheaDragonSpirit]

@@Doomgel Only care about electric appliances. I'm talking about a shower box but on each tap. A shower box is very efficient, as it only heats up the water you need for that shower. As long as you don't take an hour long shower, it's efficient. Can't see how something that has to heat massive amounts of water would be more efficient.

[@happythoughts559]

I don’t mind “green” energy or using electric cars and such. However, solar panels, electric cars, and most green energy sources are very expensive. I can’t afford a lot of these green energy sources. So instead I try to conserve energy by switching off lights, not wasting water, and just trying to be more responsible. If they make green energy affordable and efficient, I will happily jump on that train. But we do have to keep in mind the thousands of oil workers who have to support their families. What’s gonna happen to them if we shut down gas and oil energy?

[@Kris_M]

Fossil fuel jobs are being replaced by safer and cleaner green energy jobs. If this has a negative or positive balance remains to be seen.

[@happythoughts559]

Kris M that’s great!

[@fuckyougeorgebush]

"Electrify everything" is code for "turn everything into a smart device so all human activity can be tracked and controlled."

[@AM-fh7ek]

Tracking for short indeed

[@harshithsadhana7475]

this corona pandemic is one of the important opportunity whether we go into future with ecofriendly technology or stay with fossils forever. other problem is batteries. many African children are employed as miners in DRC for extracting cobalt.

[@AndrewClark-jd7yf]

Well I guess I won't go to trade school to be a mechanic

[@sajohnson33]

Why not? Mechanics will still be needed.

[@AndrewClark-jd7yf]

@@sajohnson33 electric cars don't use gas engines right they are complete different

[@sajohnson33]

@@AndrewClark-jd7yf Hi Andrew, I realize that (I'm a technician) but even EVs have mechanical parts that need to be replaced and maintained -- brakes; suspension; transmission, etc. Also, ICE vehicles will be around for decades. Just saying if you want to be a mechanic, go for it.

[@AndrewClark-jd7yf]

@@sajohnson33 yea thanks

[@Talkinglife]

Nice

[@rainbowconnected]

Our obsession with technology and consumption is what got us into this climate catastrophe in the first place. To think that more of it is the answer seems foolish, even if it is "greener". Sometimes the impacts are even worse with these "green" solutions. Like extracting the materials needed for batteries. There's no escaping the fact that the way most of us are living isn't sustainable. No tech will save us from that truth. We must change our behavior, not just the technology. There are lots of situations where much simpler technology, with much less environmental impact is more appropriate and we need to learn to see and implement that. For example, the soil is amazing at storing carbon-when we keep it healthy. And yet, I mostly hear people talking about electric cars, solar panels, and other "green" tech etc. rather than regenerative agriculture or even growing their own food in that fashion. Or composting at home. Or even the 5 Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle-in that order. These are things we can all do now. We don't have to wait for politicians or the tech industry to save us. They can't anyways.

[@gavinstyles]

So right, we must take accountability ourselves now.

[@saeednajafii]

women cough`s in the background :D

[@bitcoinmaxi9998]

saeed najafi I noticed this too 😂

[@Stevejoesofficial]

I call bs

[@JohnSmith-il7jn]

The electric grid is fast collapsing in California, so it should be interesting to see how the woke crowd in California plans to charge up their electric cars. Maybe they can rent a donkey?

[@nothing007__addy]

🙄 Second Comment 👍😉

[@memoomem3235]

Please translate your videos to Arbic🙂💔

[@19951998kc]

TESLA battery day

[@mibfeb16]

Everything is coming from burning types of fuel. It's better we switch to electricity to hydrogen conversion*

[@Overlandjon]

You are a man of culture I see. Hydrogen and nuclear are better energy solutions that wont include child labor.

[@hellbunny00fu48]

But you gotta be careful.. the impostor might set a trap in electric

[@Doomgel]

So, I don't want electric everything. Even if it's available. I don't ever plan on having an electric car. Everyone knows a gas range is superior to electric. IDK. Extreme views in any direction seem to lead to no where.

[@ysosirius2886]

Any true cook will tell you, using flame is the only way to control your heat

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

That makes no sense whatsoever, fire is the ultimate form of entropy. 🤦

[@garyraab9132]

Why would an educated and intelligent speaker, on the topic of the use of energy, not include a multifaceted risk benefit cost analysis? Soot, methane, and carbon dioxide have always been a part of climate science on our planet, which has only intensified as a result of what? Could it be exponential population growth? Why would an intelligent educated speaker focus only on carbon emissions, rather than both carbon emissions and carbon footprint? ... the carbon footprint to extract the natural resources for the manufacture and installation of solar panels, wind turbines, or hydroelectric dams? Of course there are positive aspects to installing solar panels in Haiti, but vegetation was cleared to install the solar panels, which in effect affects watershed areas and soil erosion. How much energy was used and ecological damage done during the mining of pure grade silicon for those solar panels, and the various metals used in solar panel construction? Hydroelectric dams fill valleys, fertile valleys in some instances, with water...cost benefits need be considered. And what is the carbon and ecological footprint of construction and maintenance of the required electrical grid and transmission network. Have life expectancy of solar panels and recycling of solar panels been thoroughly considered,… if yes, long term considerations were not mentioned in the talk. What about maintaining solar panels and wind turbines? How much oil does a wind turbine go through in a year? What’s the carbon footprint for recycling solar panels of the various types? Yes, there are lots of reasons why we should not be combusting hydrocarbons and there are a lot of environmental issues related to extracting hydrocarbons and piping natural gas into homes and industry. However... The ‘green beans’ for some strange reason do not include related energy, environmental, economic and ethical issues in their talks about renewable energy... maybe the ‘green beans’ think that just turning the lights on in the room will address exponential population growth , exponential energy consumption and exponential use of natural resources! And intelligent solution requires an intelligent dialogue.

[@orlageary5104]

Perhaps not everything is about finding a solution but raising awareness. And not everyone has the ability to process in an intelligent way and sometimes we need to use simple laymen terms to help educate people.

[@tj-kv6vr]

BS

[@karnage926]

Solar flares

[@VedNyrva]

Here we go again... Feminism... Serves no purpose in this discussion, yet you still need to bring it up... How can you take this seriously when it comes out of nowhere for no particular reason ? You're embarrassing yourself and it doesn't serve the cause one bit, just the opposite in fact. I'm disappointed, this subject has my upmost interest.

[@Kris_M]

And the key sentence "women are most affected" in the first 2 minutes.

[@0786RICARDO]

Wood cooking tastes the best, I'm sure this peole are laughing at this intro

[@AM-fh7ek]

No thank you:)

[@Ungrievable]

"oil is over!"- Fred Armisen

[@nuqwestr]

Abraham Lincoln read law by lamp, hum. Nuclear must be part of the solution, or there is none.

[@johnmcnally8376]

I prefer gas over electric any day. Cooking with gas and cars.

[@dantau7727]

.Move your body..like a Lady not like a Robot..AI..look the birds, the plants..le ciel on blue the Moon, The Star,s..