John Smillie
@johnsmillie42.bsky.social
Husband, father, dog owner, hiker, climate action advocate, amateur energy nerd, heat pump evangelist, audiobook enthusiast.
Reposted by John Smillie
Mines good for 100% down to -13!
December 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Mines good for 100% down to -13!
Today is also making it clear that the walls behind my kitchen cabinets were not properly finished
There are maybe 5 days a year where even a cold climate heat pump would struggle a bit where I live. Today is one of those days.
December 14, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Today is also making it clear that the walls behind my kitchen cabinets were not properly finished
cleantechnica.com/2025/12/13/e...
Multifaceted piece on why aluminum tariffs may slow electrification and also not help domestic aluminum manufacturing
Multifaceted piece on why aluminum tariffs may slow electrification and also not help domestic aluminum manufacturing
December 14, 2025 at 3:06 PM
cleantechnica.com/2025/12/13/e...
Multifaceted piece on why aluminum tariffs may slow electrification and also not help domestic aluminum manufacturing
Multifaceted piece on why aluminum tariffs may slow electrification and also not help domestic aluminum manufacturing
There are maybe 5 days a year where even a cold climate heat pump would struggle a bit where I live. Today is one of those days.
December 14, 2025 at 2:27 PM
There are maybe 5 days a year where even a cold climate heat pump would struggle a bit where I live. Today is one of those days.
Powering through at 14ºF and falling. Snow mode has been great.
December 14, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Powering through at 14ºF and falling. Snow mode has been great.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/w...
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Things happening in Eastern Europe this weekend
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Things happening in Eastern Europe this weekend
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Resigns in the Face of Mass Protests
www.nytimes.com
December 14, 2025 at 12:48 AM
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/w...
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Things happening in Eastern Europe this weekend
abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Things happening in Eastern Europe this weekend
Little underwhelmed by this 350kW charger...
December 13, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Little underwhelmed by this 350kW charger...
Wife's work holiday party. Urge to grab the half grapefruit and walk around eating it: rising
December 13, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Wife's work holiday party. Urge to grab the half grapefruit and walk around eating it: rising
Reposted by John Smillie
Massachusetts has ordered gas companies to prioritize shutting down leaky gas lines and installing heat pumps instead of replacing pipelines. Curious whether California PUC has taken the same steps (genuine question)
Six people were injured and three buildings were destroyed in a residential explosion and fire Thursday morning near Hayward in Alameda County, which happened hours after a construction crew hit an underground gas line.
December 12, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Massachusetts has ordered gas companies to prioritize shutting down leaky gas lines and installing heat pumps instead of replacing pipelines. Curious whether California PUC has taken the same steps (genuine question)
Reposted by John Smillie
While the Hunga Tonga volcano in 2022 put a large amount of water vapor high into the atmosphere, it also added the most sulfur dioxide since Pinatubo. Studies published in the scientific literature simulating the effects of both find a slight overall cooling.
December 11, 2025 at 4:34 PM
While the Hunga Tonga volcano in 2022 put a large amount of water vapor high into the atmosphere, it also added the most sulfur dioxide since Pinatubo. Studies published in the scientific literature simulating the effects of both find a slight overall cooling.
Reposted by John Smillie
Human-caused climate change is settled science.
Our grassroots volunteers will continue to lobby Congress for evidence-based climate solutions, no matter what the EPA's website says.
Our grassroots volunteers will continue to lobby Congress for evidence-based climate solutions, no matter what the EPA's website says.
The EPA has removed information from its website on the human drivers of warming.
Read more: bit.ly/4iSgebB
Read more: bit.ly/4iSgebB
December 12, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Human-caused climate change is settled science.
Our grassroots volunteers will continue to lobby Congress for evidence-based climate solutions, no matter what the EPA's website says.
Our grassroots volunteers will continue to lobby Congress for evidence-based climate solutions, no matter what the EPA's website says.
How many impeachable counts can one man rack up?
This should be the biggest story in the country right now. The sitting US President was extorting state lawmakers from his own party by threatening to withhold public money if they didn’t gerrymander for him.
I don’t know how else to say it…
I don’t know how else to say it…
December 12, 2025 at 12:26 PM
How many impeachable counts can one man rack up?
Reposted by John Smillie
This should be the biggest story in the country right now. The sitting US President was extorting state lawmakers from his own party by threatening to withhold public money if they didn’t gerrymander for him.
I don’t know how else to say it…
I don’t know how else to say it…
December 12, 2025 at 4:21 AM
This should be the biggest story in the country right now. The sitting US President was extorting state lawmakers from his own party by threatening to withhold public money if they didn’t gerrymander for him.
I don’t know how else to say it…
I don’t know how else to say it…
No, YOU'RE reading this while your wife signs your kid up for STEM camp
"I would do a lot of that other stuff, but I’m just not as good as her at those things. It’s really hard to keep track of all those different activities, and she’s got it all figured out. So why reinvent the wheel? Plus, she’s not very good at wrestling."
Good Parents Capitalize on Their Individual Strengths. My Wife’s Is Seeing to Our Kids’ Every Need, and Mine Is Roughhousing
The secret to a good parenting partnership is for parents to play to their strengths. For instance, my wife is organized, diligent, loving, and car...
buff.ly
December 12, 2025 at 3:19 AM
No, YOU'RE reading this while your wife signs your kid up for STEM camp
My main complaint with Google is it doesn't answer questions like "Where are my gloves?"
December 12, 2025 at 1:24 AM
My main complaint with Google is it doesn't answer questions like "Where are my gloves?"
The puppy is mostly housebroken...except the basement. Basement doesn't count as house, per Cannoli.
December 12, 2025 at 12:54 AM
The puppy is mostly housebroken...except the basement. Basement doesn't count as house, per Cannoli.
Haha! They voted down the "Gerrymander Indiana even more" bill. Righteous.
December 11, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Haha! They voted down the "Gerrymander Indiana even more" bill. Righteous.
The lowest monthly avg low between LA and SF is 47ºF. You're gonna be okay.
My heat pump in Indiana handles everything down to 20ºF and it's not even a cold climate model (which would keep going at full output to 5ºF and partial to -13ºF)
My heat pump in Indiana handles everything down to 20ºF and it's not even a cold climate model (which would keep going at full output to 5ºF and partial to -13ºF)
December 11, 2025 at 6:48 PM
The lowest monthly avg low between LA and SF is 47ºF. You're gonna be okay.
My heat pump in Indiana handles everything down to 20ºF and it's not even a cold climate model (which would keep going at full output to 5ºF and partial to -13ºF)
My heat pump in Indiana handles everything down to 20ºF and it's not even a cold climate model (which would keep going at full output to 5ºF and partial to -13ºF)
People come up with the wildest reasons to keep using fossil fuels.
Comment on an article about how EV batteries are lasting longer than expected, potentially longer than ICE cars entirely
Comment on an article about how EV batteries are lasting longer than expected, potentially longer than ICE cars entirely
December 11, 2025 at 3:07 PM
People come up with the wildest reasons to keep using fossil fuels.
Comment on an article about how EV batteries are lasting longer than expected, potentially longer than ICE cars entirely
Comment on an article about how EV batteries are lasting longer than expected, potentially longer than ICE cars entirely
Anybody familiar with supercritical CO2 as a working fluid? Has some major advantages (efficiency, density, turbines only need to be a fraction the size, no phase change). It seems what holds it back are
1. Corrosion issues
2. Specialized equipment to handle high pressures
#energysky
1. Corrosion issues
2. Specialized equipment to handle high pressures
#energysky
Didn't know Sage Geosystems was trying to leave ORC behind and move geothermal to sCO2
www.sagegeosystems.com/technology
www.sagegeosystems.com/technology
December 11, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Anybody familiar with supercritical CO2 as a working fluid? Has some major advantages (efficiency, density, turbines only need to be a fraction the size, no phase change). It seems what holds it back are
1. Corrosion issues
2. Specialized equipment to handle high pressures
#energysky
1. Corrosion issues
2. Specialized equipment to handle high pressures
#energysky
Thinking about this more
Being VERY generous with efficiency:
PV to Laser 80%
Atmospheric Transmission 75%
PV Spacing 75%
Laser to PV 50%
Total = 22.5%
Capacity Factor bonus - 4x in AZ (87.5%), 10X in UK (225%)
Hard to imagine having a viable niche outside of, say, Svalbard winters.
Being VERY generous with efficiency:
PV to Laser 80%
Atmospheric Transmission 75%
PV Spacing 75%
Laser to PV 50%
Total = 22.5%
Capacity Factor bonus - 4x in AZ (87.5%), 10X in UK (225%)
Hard to imagine having a viable niche outside of, say, Svalbard winters.
December 11, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Thinking about this more
Being VERY generous with efficiency:
PV to Laser 80%
Atmospheric Transmission 75%
PV Spacing 75%
Laser to PV 50%
Total = 22.5%
Capacity Factor bonus - 4x in AZ (87.5%), 10X in UK (225%)
Hard to imagine having a viable niche outside of, say, Svalbard winters.
Being VERY generous with efficiency:
PV to Laser 80%
Atmospheric Transmission 75%
PV Spacing 75%
Laser to PV 50%
Total = 22.5%
Capacity Factor bonus - 4x in AZ (87.5%), 10X in UK (225%)
Hard to imagine having a viable niche outside of, say, Svalbard winters.
Demands for impunity: escalating
This is the behavior of a man who can hear the footsteps of the defense catching up to him. He's panicking. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
Exclusive: US threatens new ICC sanctions unless court pledges not to prosecute Trump
President Donald Trump's administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document to ensure it does not investigate the Republican president and his top officials, a Trump ...
www.reuters.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Demands for impunity: escalating
heatmap.news/climate-tech...
OK, this is interesting. Space solar using wide beam near-infrared light, aimed at existing solar farms (50% eff at this freq.) at night. Avoids some problems with microwave receivers and the guys who wanted to use mirrors and visible light at night.
OK, this is interesting. Space solar using wide beam near-infrared light, aimed at existing solar farms (50% eff at this freq.) at night. Avoids some problems with microwave receivers and the guys who wanted to use mirrors and visible light at night.
Overview Energy – 24/7 Energy from Space to Grid
Overview Energy is building space energy for Earth to deliver continuous energy from orbit to solar projects on the grid
www.overviewenergy.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:15 PM
heatmap.news/climate-tech...
OK, this is interesting. Space solar using wide beam near-infrared light, aimed at existing solar farms (50% eff at this freq.) at night. Avoids some problems with microwave receivers and the guys who wanted to use mirrors and visible light at night.
OK, this is interesting. Space solar using wide beam near-infrared light, aimed at existing solar farms (50% eff at this freq.) at night. Avoids some problems with microwave receivers and the guys who wanted to use mirrors and visible light at night.
Sometimes it's like you're watching Being There, but Chauncey Gardiner is a malevolent asshole.
one way the media really fucked us over when it came to trump was portraying him as a big-time, powerful exec who had a ton of world class executive experience, when in reality he was an LLC king who got most of what he had by ripping off people he hired to do the work and cheating on his taxes
he went from having never held any office at any level straight to the presidency. he’s never even run a very large company — all of the trump org scams have been tightly held with a pretty small number of actual employees, they’ve always farmed everything to contractors who they then ripped off
December 10, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Sometimes it's like you're watching Being There, but Chauncey Gardiner is a malevolent asshole.
This one did have me rolling. The intro bit with Sona ordering him am Uber was also hilarious. Stopped my workout.
Will Arnett was on Conan and told a story about how Conan dealt with the death of his parents by accusing Jason Bateman of killing them. It’s so funny.
December 9, 2025 at 11:40 PM
This one did have me rolling. The intro bit with Sona ordering him am Uber was also hilarious. Stopped my workout.