⚡Skiing
Good morning! Hope everyone had a restful weekend. We can’t believe we’re already in the second half of November.
We’re trying to think of different ways to improve this dashboard. Something we’re considering is making it entirely based on our community. How can we track the impact our community is making? How can we better use this as a way to celebrate the changes we are making together?
If you enjoy reading Tomorrow, please hit the ❤️ button above and get your friends to subscribe. If you’ve been forwarded this email and looking to subscribe, do so here.
Let’s get into it!
Your Ski Lift Can Do More
There are people and companies all around the world who are working hard to change the way we produce and consume energy. We’ve covered a number of the more complex technological innovations in the past — from artificial leaves to carbon sequestration devices.
Today, we want to cover one of the simpler innovations in the space: gravity energy storage.
We need better energy storage. The wind and sun are increasingly becoming better sources for clean energy, but we can never rely on them (it has to get dark sometimes). We need to therefore to find a way to store any this energy to use when the resources are not readily available.
Most scientists and companies have been focusing on batteries to meet these storage needs. They unfortunately have limitations — “they degrade over time, and they aren’t suited to store energy for months-long periods, like a seasonal stretch of gray skies or motionless air.”
Gravity energy storage is a compelling alternative. To understand this concept, think about a water turbine capturing the energy of falling water. That turbine generates energy on the spot, but there’s also a mechanism where excess water is pumped back into an elevated reservoir. This water is stored up there for weeks or months, ready to fall (using gravity) to generate energy as needed.
We don’t need to rely on just water. We can literally slide anything down a mountain or throw anything off a cliff for gravity energy storage. That being said, please don’t take your old TV to fling off a cliff just yet — it’s a little bit more complex than that.
How does it work. This Mountain Gravity Energy Storage system involves a ski-lift-style cable that carries huge bins of sand up and down the mountain. The sand gets stored at the top, like water from a turbine, and it is sent down the mountain when the grid needs extra energy.
It’s cheaper too. Julian Hunt, the lead author of the study, said that this isn’t actually a new idea. A company built a similar prototype back in 2012, but it was too expensive and didn’t go anywhere. This latest proposal is far cheaper.
Think beyond ski lifts. One company in Nevada is building a train to transport heavy weights up and down a hill. Another is literally building a Jenga-like tower of concrete bricks that is getting perpetually assembled and destroyed by cranes — this may be an even better solution, since we don’t require a mountain.
Innovation does not need to be expensive. In fact, the less expensive any new solutions are, the more likely is it that the world adopts them. A lower price tag is particularly important to developing economies. We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
On the Brink
A continuation of our conversation on democracy and the events in Hong Kong.
Violence continues to grow between protestors and police in HK. Students at a university threw petrol bombs and shot an officer with an arrow. Police responded with mass arrests, tear gas, and threats of live rounds. 24 people aged between 16-84 were injured with four in serious condition.
[Getty Images]
Chinese soldiers have appeared on the streets of HK for the first time. They were seen monitoring developments at the university with binoculars and some were even dressed in riot gear. On Saturday, they emerged from their base in shorts and t-shirts to help clean up debris. Since 1997, Chinese troops have only appeared once on Hong Kong’s streets, during last year’s typhoon to help clean up.
UK accused of taking sides. Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to UK, accused the British government of taking sides in HK protests.
“We have made our position known to the British side when they have made irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong. I think when the British government criticize Hong Kong police, criticize the Hong Kong government in handling the situation, they are interfering into China's internal affairs.”
US is considering action. US senators are reviewing a special bill called the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. It addresses HK’s status under US law and imposes sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations in HK. It’s effect would be to help the territory hold onto it’s autonomy to have its special trade status. This would definitely grow tensions with China.
Extra: China’s mass detentions of Muslims has been recently leaked. We’ll continue this coverage tomorrow.
Short takes
Mayor Michael Bloomberg apologizes for stop and frisk.
The European Investment Bank is ending fossil fuel lending by 2022, and they will support $1.1 trillion in sustainable energy investments from 2021 to 2030.
Judges at the International Criminal Court have authorized a full-scale investigation into genocide of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Democrats are proposing supposedly bold plans to battle climate change, but one climate report card gives the boldest plan a C+.
Two of America’s biggest coal plants shut down this month.
A new inequality study found that the increase in poverty rates is concentrated on childless families, not ones with kids, challenging long-held perceptions about the relationship between having children and poverty. We’ll cover this in depth soon.
Tomorrow Today
🎟️ Thursday, December 5: Intro to Unconventional Activism
Change cannot be achieved alone, only together. In that spirit, we are kicking off community events at our space in New York City. Eat some food and learn from seasoned unconventional activists who have started mission-driven companies to accelerate change. Stayed tuned for speaker announcement and the menu. Get excited!
Only 15 spots remaining.
Password: tomorrow139
Igniting Tomorrow
💰 $100k-$250k Pre-Seed Funding
Many of you are either already working on a number of world-changing things or have ideas bursting out of you everyday. Our goal is to see unconventional activists like you succeed. Let us help connect you into the space and access the financing you need to get started. If you’d like to share your ideas (or know a friend working on something exciting), please reply to this email! If a startup you send our way gets funded, you’ll receive a $1,000 referral bonus.
If you like what you read, please click on the heart below & continue sharing this newsletter!
Also, please continue to support us by following us on Instagram.
If you ever want to share any feedback or have anything you’d like us to include in the newsletter, please just reply to this email.