A friend of mine recently bought a Tesla and I asked him last week how he was enjoying his coal and natural gas powered vehicle, since those two fuels represent the majority of power generation in Wisconsin. It led to an interesting discussion, and one that I have been trying to have with many people, most of whom simply won’t listen, don’t care, or would rather just talk about something else. The source of electricity generation seems to get glossed over or lost in the haze to most.
I live in HVAC world, where we are right now in the middle of massive changes in efficiency and product selection due to new energy mandates (and some old ones now coming due). While these changes and the stampede toward electrification seem to make some sense (and are loved by voters, apparently) the cost of the equipment keep skyrocketing. The equipment is now larger so you get fewer units on a truck, and fewer in the warehouse, which also adds costs. No matter how hard you want to fight physics, it stays undefeated. To hit the new standards, you need more materials. Which brings me to mining.