Solar Feasibility, Walkability, and Etymology
Cheers RVA!
Today will be sunny, with a high of 89, not too much humidity, possibly an afternoon cloud. Hydrate.
the juice:
Last night the Manchester Alliance and Shockhoe Partnership hosted a forum, “Envisioning a Livable Mayo Bridge”. South Richmond News posted notes from the meeting, which included speakers from the 6th district City Council and BikewalkRVA.
Who was not invited? VDOT.
A summary of the notes:
The new bridge should incorporate the adjacent neighborhoods and the beauty of the James River, not a 4-lane highway designed to carry heavy trucks and traffic in and out of the city.
City Council member Ellen Robertson mentioned the recent rapid growth in the Manchester area and lack of walkability and green space.
Brantley Tyndall from Bike Walk RVA showed a picture of the poorly designed Nickel Bridge pedestrian crossing (which frankly isn’t safe for cyclists) as an example of getting it wrong.
Tyndall also noted an upcoming VDOT bridge traffic study will only measure cars, not walkers and cyclists.
the pulp:
Former Petersburg School Superintendent booked multiple hotel rooms and overstayed at conferences, per channel 6
RPS School System short 185 teachers and could see more resignations over the summer. At the start of the current school year they were short 200, from 12 on your side
New park coming along Dock Street, from the James River Park System and reddit. The vacant parcel along the Capitol Trail is now Dock Street Park and should open in the next few weeks.
the tangent:
AI music firm Suno raises $125 million in latest round of fundraising. The company is unique in it’s ability to generate voice, lyrics and instruments together to create music. Their business model is SaaS, with its base plan of $8/mo for generating 500 songs, with “general commercial terms.”
The software cannot use specific artists voices nor create music in the style of a specific artist.
The AI-generated music I’ve heard so far (typically attempts at the Beatles) is meh, but the concept is fascinating, especially in the context of soundscapes and background music.
It also feels kind of plastic and tacky.
The company’s pitch:
If you have kids, you’ve probably noticed they often sing to themselves before falling asleep or while playing with their favorite toys. They make instruments out of everything they can get their hands on, from spoons to shoes to empty water bottles.
As adults, we don’t really do that anymore. Somewhere along the road, we lost some of the joy of making music. A few of us grow up to be Real Musicians, with the requisite training or innate skill, while the rest of us come to understand that our place is to sit quietly in the audience and enjoy the show.
We started Suno to build a future where anyone can make music. To help people rediscover the joy of play and exploration we had as kids.
the dive:
Ivy Maine, a lawyer and former EPA employee, writes a commentary on residential solar power in Virginia per the Mercury:
Make no mistake, utilities hate net metering and will destroy it if they can. The more customers who install solar, the less control the utility can exercise over them — and, even more critically, the less money the company makes for its shareholders from building new generation and transmission.
Currently, installing rooftop solar panels for Virginia residents takes 9-15 years to makeup the cost. The current net metering rates allow excess power to be sold back to the grid at the market rate.
With only about 6.5% of our electricity generated by solar and the world’s largest energy storage facility in the form of Bath County’s pumped hydro plant, rooftop solar still helps Virginia utilities meet peak demand. We also face a skyrocketing demand for electricity from data centers, which militates in favor of all the clean energy we can generate.
Militate is a big word. It means: (of a fact or circumstance) be a powerful or conclusive factor in preventing. And yes it comes from the Latin militat, “served as a soldier”.
The article concludes: if you intend to install a solar roof, do so now before potential net metering rate changes in 2025.
the vibe:
Today’s sunny, more energy can be derived from the sun to power the requisite air-conditioning we love. Have a chill day RVA!
If you’ve made it this far, let me know what you think @CheersRVA. Help me out by asking a friend to subscribe.