A child born in 2019 will turn 30 by the middle of the century. How will her interactions with energy change by then?

Interchange co-host Shayle Kann recently penned a piece celebrating his colleague's expected daughter. He outlined eight different scenarios that "bug" will face in her lifetime — and then asked readers to bet on his predictions.

Shayle writes: "The reason I’m introducing Bug relates to a famous quote from Bill Gates’ 1996 memoir: 'We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.' In 10 years, Bug will be entering 5th grade. If we underestimate the change that will happen by then, just imagine what her world will look like as she reaches these milestones and those beyond."

In this episode, we decide whether or not to take Shayle’s bets about the future.

Here are Shayle's predictions:

  • Bet #1: Bug will control machines with her voice more than with her keyboard.
  • Bet #2: Bug will never personally drive a car.
  • Bet #3: By the time Bug buys her first home, especially if she’s in an urban environment, her surroundings will transformed. 
  • Bet #4: By the time Bug shops for her own groceries, >20% of her produce will be grown indoors.

  • Bet #5: In Bug’s first home of her own, more than half of her electricity load will dynamically respond to grid or price signals.
  • Bet #6: By the time Bug reaches 30 (in the year 2050), electricity’s market share of final energy consumption will more than double.
  • Bet #7: More than 50% of Bug’s electricity, as represented by the national breakdown, will come from renewables by the time she’s a sophomore in high school.
  • Bet #8 : Bug will live over 200 years, and for most of her life, electricity will be her only food.


Would you take these bets? Hit us up on Twitter or in the comment section.

Support for this podcast comes from Wunder Capital. Wunder Capital is the leading commercial solar financing company in the United States. Click here to find out how Wunder Capital can help you finance your next commercial solar project.

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