Disqus - Latest Comments for aslevin

Re: Caltrain to Consider Governance Reform

aslevin — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 01:23:57 -0000

Caltrain will start to consider regional options at its workshop in October, and there's a Regional Rail study looking at coordination and integration over the next 18 months.

Re: The Urbanists’ Dilemma

aslevin — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 14:21:04 -0000

There is a gender and parenting aspect to this, as well as a seniority aspect. I've seen reports that during shelter-in-place male scientists have published more papers and women scientists have published fewer papers. I'm watching friends who are parents of young children wrestling with productivity (or lack thereof), and people who are early-career expressing concern that too much remote work will leave them out of the loop for strategy and promotion. I wonder how many of the biggest boosters of universal work from home are retired, don't have small children, or are mid-late career with job security.

Re: SPUR Talk: Abandon Fares?

aslevin — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 14:38:10 -0000

Another question about equity - bus services have suspended fares for Covid but rail services have not. Now, buses on trunk lines are running full given Covid distance limitations and passing people up, while BART and Caltrain are running nearly empty. To improve health/safety and equity, how about enabling people to use BART/Caltrain on parallel routes for the cost of a bus fare. That will reduce the crowding issues and give lower-income people an opportunity to affordably take faster trips when the stations work for the trip needs. Instead, if we make buses free and leave rail expensive, this will increase the already segregated nature of our transit system where lower income people are less likely to use expensive trains and take slower bus trips.

Re: Is California’s Solar Rooftop Mandate the Gateway for Electrifying Everything?

aslevin — Sat, 19 May 2018 22:03:50 -0000

If one of these consultative sale home comfort retrofits costs $27,000 up front, what percent of households can afford this? It seems like a fine upscale offering, but not a scalable model.

Re: The Deep Decarbonization Draft: Fantasy Sports for Energy Nerds

aslevin — Thu, 17 May 2018 02:30:30 -0000

unfortunately the rules of the game allowed the picking of technologies but not policies. which is also a big thumb on the scale with regard to transportation, since mandated deeply subsidized vehicle storage, roadway space allocated by time cost, mandated separation of use types (jobs separated from housing separated from services), and mandated use of most land for low-density, higher resource housing make it much harder to decarbonize transportation. electric vehicles help, of course, but don't scale with denser, less resource-intensive land uses.

Re: The Deep Decarbonization Draft: Fantasy Sports for Energy Nerds

aslevin — Thu, 17 May 2018 02:25:14 -0000

and I liked the explanation that high speed rail will help with urbanization (along with regional rail, electric transit, and various electric carpool/vanshare services which improve mobility in denser urban places that have with lower carbon footprint)

Re: Centrica Looks to Blockchain to Help Cut Renewable Energy Curtailment

aslevin — Tue, 15 May 2018 21:16:29 -0000

This article seems obfuscatory. It talks about using blockchain to help address curtailment. What that implies is that the use of blockchain allows customers to buy energy that would otherwise go to waste. So, what customers? For what purposes?

Re: Your Battery Has a Human Cost. Can Blockchain Fix That?

aslevin — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 12:42:19 -0000

I don't understand this at all. Verification of ethical supply chain behavior depends on trusting people who are reporting conditions in the field. Blockchain doesn't make it less likely that the people entering data are lying.

Re: Tesla Turns to Roadster, Semi Truck Deposits for a Creative Financing Solution

aslevin — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 12:02:28 -0000

Isn't there a word for investment strategies that depend on revenue from new investors to help pay off existing investors?

Re: New IEA Report Delivers Failing Grades to Most Green Technologies

aslevin — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 03:57:08 -0000

It sounds like this report is confusing validating their earlier forecasts with progress toward sustainability. Some projections in early stage markets turn out to be wrong. The question isn't whether CCS is succeeding, it's whether it will be needed given the progress in other technologies.

Re: California Is Testing Piezoelectrics on Roads to Generate Power From Passing Cars

aslevin — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 03:31:46 -0000

It just took the California legislature a couple of years to pass a bill to fund road maintenance. A technology that makes it more difficult to fund road repaving seems like a problematic business model.

Re: Tesla’s Fremont Parking Lot Shows Some Problems With Personal Auto Use (Images)

aslevin — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 20:53:34 -0000

Lyft and Uber are already doing significant amounts of business taking people to Caltrain stations from home.

Re: Tesla’s Fremont Parking Lot Shows Some Problems With Personal Auto Use (Images)

aslevin — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:39:56 -0000

Yes, working walking distance from transit is a greater factor in the use of transit than living walking distance. This is one of the studies showing this. People who live several miles from a train station can drive and park. https://www.citylab.com/tra...

Re: Amazon’s Fuel Cell Play Echoes Its Strategy in Cloud Computing

aslevin — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:14:19 -0000

How much hydrogen could California's projected 8GW of solar curtailment produce this spring? How would this source affect the price of the fuel cells, since it's presumably worth something to California's grid to take that 8GW off their hands. Does this make sense or am I missing something in basic logic? https://www.greentechmedia....

Re: Tesla’s Fremont Parking Lot Shows Some Problems With Personal Auto Use (Images)

aslevin — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 15:44:08 -0000

This is in Palo Alto at Stanford Research Park, which is increasing its support services for workers to drive less, including some new buses, and Caltrain just slightly increased its service to the nearby station with shuttle access. Also, near Tesla's Fremont plant, BART just opened a brand new station in South Fremont. Writing off transit options is not paying attention.

Re: Bike/Ped Bridge Over 101 In East Palo Alto Could Begin Construction This Summer

aslevin — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 17:36:52 -0000

The article says when the construction might start, but not yet how long the construction is expected to take. Is this known?

Re: Transit Advocates Imagine Caltrain’s Future as Trump Administration Delays Funding

aslevin — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 12:21:26 -0000

If you are listening and want more - you can hear Ratna Amin of SPUR in person next week Wednesday March 1 at 6:30pm at the San Mateo Public Library talk about the Caltrain/101 Corridor Vision, with other experts, and ask questions. RSVP here: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/...

Re: Despite Low Oil Prices, Small Island Nations Are Still Attractive Markets for Renewables

aslevin — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 03:22:08 -0000

So, if resorts pull out of the grid and the utility in a small island nation goes under, what happens to the resident population that depends on grid energy? It's not like the US with a large, diversified, dynamic economy where a large bankrupt entity would be re-organized. Could that result in resort vacationers continuing to enjoy light, refrigeration, and air conditioning while locals sit in the dark?

Re: Menlo Park grade separation funding in doubt

aslevin — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 11:33:16 -0000

The "Measure A" being extended in November is different from the transportation Measure A that pays for grade separations. It would be a good idea to "top up" the fund for grade separations, but that's not yet what we're being asked to do this fall.

Re: PG&E Launches Community Solar Program Enabling Customers to Go 100% Renewable

aslevin — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 22:44:43 -0000

So, if one customer chooses a higher percentage of renewables, does that mean that all the other customers are stuck with a higher percentage of non-renewables?

Re: PG&E Launches Community Solar Program Enabling Customers to Go 100% Renewable

aslevin — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 22:42:03 -0000

Bay Area communities are moving rapidly toward community choice energy: http://www.mercurynews.com/...

Re: Las Vegas Moves Closer To 100% Renewable Energy Thanks To NV Energy Partnership

aslevin — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 03:27:47 -0000

Cause focusing on the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is irrelevant

Re: Las Vegas Moves Closer To 100% Renewable Energy Thanks To NV Energy Partnership

aslevin — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 21:21:02 -0000

Does this include transportation? How much Las Vegas transportation is walking and bicycling? transit? electric vehicles running off of renewables? the carbon footprint of the tourist industry including visitors? thought not. Having retail energy served by renewable is a fine thing, but this does not make LV "100% renewable".

Re: I’m Moving On From Streetsblog — But Not Before Happy Hour Tonight

aslevin — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 13:55:07 -0000

Sorry to see you go! Thanks for doing such a great job. Best with what's next.

Re: Today’s Headlines

aslevin — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 13:14:36 -0000

The Caltrain CAC discussion will be about the potential for pre-electrification schedule tweaks. The planning for post-electrification schedule will be later.