Magical systems thinking
"Our recent history is one of governments grappling with complex systems and coming off worse." That describes electricity. It not just that the system is complex, but it's fundamentally an economic good that was co-opted by government systems thinking a century ago. The more time passes, the more complex the electricity system becomes as planners try to solve one unanticipated economic problem after another. That used to be "good enough for government work" and was obscured from the public view by the industry's slow growth. Now with the data center take off, that's no longer the case. So what should we do now?
"If broken, a complex system often cannot be fixed. Meanwhile, our successes, when they do come, are invariably the result of starting small. As the systems we have built slip further beyond our collective control, it is these simple working systems that offer us the best path back." That's the idea behind "Consumer Regulated Electricity" (CRE), a simple idea that's long since been abandoned: allow private investors to create new, independent, competitive, and large-scale electric utilities. "CRE utilities" would greatly simplify the approach to developing new electricity supplies. Private investors would compete in all aspects for the business. CRE could lead to faster development and innovations that are otherwise impossible within the sector today.
"As systems become more complex, they become more chaotic, not less. The best solution remains humility, and a simple system that works."
