Jun 8, 2023 | Signals to Watch
By Jeff House, Envision Boad member and Economic Transformation Signals Team
An Ohio bill establishes a community solar pilot program that will consist of 1,500 MW of community solar, enough energy to power almost 300,000 homes. Subscribers will be eligible for a bill credit, usually equal to 10 to 20% savings, from their utility provider for the proportional amount of energy generated from the community solar facility. In addition, any community solar facility built on a brownfield will be eligible for grants to help cover costs associated with site preparation and construction. This comes at a time when the US solar industry has enjoyed its best-ever first quarter, installing more solar panels than in any previous quarter. Read about the proposed bill here.
May 17, 2023 | Signals to Watch
Beverly French, Envision Board member and Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Signals Team
In March 2023, artist Refik Anadol explained to a PBS resporter: “My primary material is data, the information, and my second material is a ‘thinking brush’ that is assisted by machine ‘dreaming.’” Anadol has spent seven years uploading images of flowers, landscapes and art, contributing to the 75 million images of flowers generated with computer data through the work of scientists, software programmers, researchers, architects and designers.
A thinking brush?! Read a transcript of the interview.
May 6, 2023 | Signals to Watch
Nan Nelson, Envision Board member
Envision’s World Futures Day featured speaker Professor Thomas Frey has identified six ways the Artificial Intelligence revolution is likely to shape our lives within the foreseeable future. Are you ready for transformation of our reality, creativity, work, and even our sense of free will? Here’s his analysis of the benefits and risks.
