Comment by philipodonnell | Hacker News Reader

Comment by philipodonnell | Hacker News Reader

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLsKQfjbYNg - "Right now the way the utility grid works, you don't know where your electrons come from and there isn't really a way for you to account that those electrons are making it to you, and no way to account for who touched the electrons on their way to you. That doesn't have to be the case."

I may be cynical here but the problems described in the above either don't seem like problems or they don't actually solve them. I've never wondered "who touched my electrons". I've never thought "I wish I could audit my electric utility's transaction history through a blockchain". They talk in the article about about having backup power if the main grid goes down, but there's no new wiring here so it doesn't do that.

I just have no idea what value this company provides other than a box that tells you who touched your electrons.

Electrons travel way slower than the energy they transfer. Also, the grid provides alternating current, so the electrons never travel more than a few inches.

So if you want to know where your electrons come from, well, they all come from the wiring in your house.

"Electron". There's only one ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-electron_universe

In an AC power grid, which is what all city scale power grids are these days, there is NO net movement of electrons in the wire. The electron that just went into your "light bulb" will pop out the same wire (not the other) a moment latter without actually reaching the light emitting part. Thus accounting for where the electrons come from is complete nonsense.

The field travels at nearly the speed of light, but there is no movement there.

Also, electrons are fundamentally indistinguishable, so even in a DC circuit, wondering where they came from is stupid.

I thought the same, until I tried free range, single source electrons.

I prefer uniformly spin-aligned electrons.

That is beside the point. THe advantage of trading energy credits with your neighbors is that you don't have to obey the monopoly selling and monopsony purchase price that a traditional electric company dictates.

I think they're just working up to a business model whereby the company will sell bespoke artisanal hand-made organic gluten-free electrons.

If they want to make it in Brooklyn, those electrons better be vegan and cold brewed with optional avocado.

waka waka waka

may be confusing with the bay

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