Matthias Fripp
@matthiasfripp.org
Finding the best ways to integrate all the energy things—wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear, hydrogen, transport, industry, buildings. Creator of Switch model—software to help with this. Global Policy Research at energyinnovation.org. Opinions are my own.
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
In the Energy Institute blog, Meredith Fowlie is out today with an important analysis of California's legislative accomplishments on electricity affordability as the session wrapped up last week.
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/r...
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energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/r...
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Reining in California’s Runaway Electricity Rates
We’ve led the nation in rate hikes. Now we’re test-driving some affordability fixes. National headlines are warning of an energy affordability crisis, with electricity rates cast as a primary culpr…
energyathaas.wordpress.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:03 PM
In the Energy Institute blog, Meredith Fowlie is out today with an important analysis of California's legislative accomplishments on electricity affordability as the session wrapped up last week.
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/r...
💡🔌
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/r...
💡🔌
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
The current administration has claimed renewables are making the grid less reliable. If that were the case, I'd expect states adding the most renewables over the past decade to have the largest increase in outages.
However, the opposite seems to be true!
However, the opposite seems to be true!
September 9, 2025 at 1:30 AM
The current administration has claimed renewables are making the grid less reliable. If that were the case, I'd expect states adding the most renewables over the past decade to have the largest increase in outages.
However, the opposite seems to be true!
However, the opposite seems to be true!
A clever way to shift loads from times when electricity is scarce and expensive to times when it is abundant and cheap. This can make better use of renewable power at a lower cost than batteries.
www.nrel.gov/news/detail/...
Some updates on Blue Frontier's promising air conditioning technology. This uses liquid dessicants as a form of energy storage, separating the dehumidification and cooling processes, and allowing for the energy intensive portion of dehumidification to be done off-peak.
Some updates on Blue Frontier's promising air conditioning technology. This uses liquid dessicants as a form of energy storage, separating the dehumidification and cooling processes, and allowing for the energy intensive portion of dehumidification to be done off-peak.
Cooler Buildings, Stronger Grid: A New Approach to Air Conditioning With Built-In Energy Storage | NREL
www.nrel.gov
September 8, 2025 at 12:31 PM
A clever way to shift loads from times when electricity is scarce and expensive to times when it is abundant and cheap. This can make better use of renewable power at a lower cost than batteries.
It’s always been weird to me that the people with the biggest phobia about intermittent renewables are often the tech folks. This is a tech problem with a tech solution—well chosen portfolios of wind, solar and batteries, plus a little fossil, bio or hydrogen for the tough days. Trust the math!
I find it funny when people—and I’ve seen comments like this — say we need to build fusion reactors instead of wasting time on solar. It’s like, honey, there’s a big fusion reactor in the sky that is always sending us power and we just need to collect it.
One thing I see in comments is a lot of people still saying solar and wind are no good when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. People, there are these things called batteries, which have also experienced huge progress 2/
August 22, 2025 at 7:30 PM
It’s always been weird to me that the people with the biggest phobia about intermittent renewables are often the tech folks. This is a tech problem with a tech solution—well chosen portfolios of wind, solar and batteries, plus a little fossil, bio or hydrogen for the tough days. Trust the math!
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
The most important U.S. climate legislation over the next few years is out!
ASM Irwin's draft California Assembly Bill 1207 reauthorizes California's ground breaking GHG cap-and-trade (C&T) program.
Here are 5 key takeaways from AB 1207 1/
ASM Irwin's draft California Assembly Bill 1207 reauthorizes California's ground breaking GHG cap-and-trade (C&T) program.
Here are 5 key takeaways from AB 1207 1/
www.politico.com
August 22, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The most important U.S. climate legislation over the next few years is out!
ASM Irwin's draft California Assembly Bill 1207 reauthorizes California's ground breaking GHG cap-and-trade (C&T) program.
Here are 5 key takeaways from AB 1207 1/
ASM Irwin's draft California Assembly Bill 1207 reauthorizes California's ground breaking GHG cap-and-trade (C&T) program.
Here are 5 key takeaways from AB 1207 1/
@catalyst.coop Is there a recommended way to ask questions about pudl data? I noticed that interest expenses in `core_ferc1__yearly_balance_sheet_assets_sched110` (ferc_account 427-432) don't seem to make it through to `out_ferc1__yearly_detailed_balance_sheet_assets`. Am I missing something there?
August 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
@catalyst.coop Is there a recommended way to ask questions about pudl data? I noticed that interest expenses in `core_ferc1__yearly_balance_sheet_assets_sched110` (ferc_account 427-432) don't seem to make it through to `out_ferc1__yearly_detailed_balance_sheet_assets`. Am I missing something there?
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
New piece: @matthiasfripp.org and I break down the big flaws with DOE's reliability report. The report's alarming claims of reliability risk exclude the majority of new resources expected to come online by 2030. All the demand, without all the supply.
www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-gri...
www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-gri...
Energy Department’s flawed grid study props up expensive, zombie power plants
The most effective way to maintain grid reliability is to let planners plan, markets work and utilities build the resources they’ve already identified as the most affordable path forward.
www.utilitydive.com
July 24, 2025 at 6:26 PM
New piece: @matthiasfripp.org and I break down the big flaws with DOE's reliability report. The report's alarming claims of reliability risk exclude the majority of new resources expected to come online by 2030. All the demand, without all the supply.
www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-gri...
www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-gri...
My first Utility Dive byline! @brendan.bsky.social and I show that DOE's 7/7 reliability report created a fake supply gap by ignoring most new generation planned by 2030, then only considered filling it with expensive coal plants instead of the cheaper renewables, storage and gas utils have planned.
Energy Department’s flawed grid study props up expensive, zombie power plants
The most effective way to maintain grid reliability is to let planners plan, markets work and utilities build the resources they’ve already identified as the most affordable path forward.
www.utilitydive.com
July 24, 2025 at 7:48 PM
My first Utility Dive byline! @brendan.bsky.social and I show that DOE's 7/7 reliability report created a fake supply gap by ignoring most new generation planned by 2030, then only considered filling it with expensive coal plants instead of the cheaper renewables, storage and gas utils have planned.
Every czar can have their own Rasputin!
"I’ll go down this thread with GPT or Grok and I’ll start to get to the edge of what’s known in quantum physics and then I’m doing the equivalent of vibe coding, except it’s vibe physics,” said Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber.
gizmodo.com/billionaires...
gizmodo.com/billionaires...
July 15, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Every czar can have their own Rasputin!
5th grade nuclear weapons drills (hide under your desk).
10-year-olds biking to the mall to try the new video games.
Schedule a phone call to schedule a time/place to meet up.
Mail a check and a catalog order slip, then wait a few weeks for something to come in the mail. Or call and get it COD.
10-year-olds biking to the mall to try the new video games.
Schedule a phone call to schedule a time/place to meet up.
Mail a check and a catalog order slip, then wait a few weeks for something to come in the mail. Or call and get it COD.
What’s a real thing from your childhood that kids these days would find completely foreign?
Like, how we used to be able to walk right up to the gate to meet our family coming off a flight.
Or how we had to pick a spot to meet at the theater BEFORE we went.
Like, how we used to be able to walk right up to the gate to meet our family coming off a flight.
Or how we had to pick a spot to meet at the theater BEFORE we went.
July 14, 2025 at 3:56 AM
5th grade nuclear weapons drills (hide under your desk).
10-year-olds biking to the mall to try the new video games.
Schedule a phone call to schedule a time/place to meet up.
Mail a check and a catalog order slip, then wait a few weeks for something to come in the mail. Or call and get it COD.
10-year-olds biking to the mall to try the new video games.
Schedule a phone call to schedule a time/place to meet up.
Mail a check and a catalog order slip, then wait a few weeks for something to come in the mail. Or call and get it COD.
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is actually One Big Expensive Bill that, if passed as is, will do major damage to the U.S. economy, harm workers and families, and put the U.S. in the backseat when it comes to global competitiveness. The team at @energyinnovation.org modeled it, here's what we found:
June 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is actually One Big Expensive Bill that, if passed as is, will do major damage to the U.S. economy, harm workers and families, and put the U.S. in the backseat when it comes to global competitiveness. The team at @energyinnovation.org modeled it, here's what we found:
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
🔌💡 Our @silviomarcacci.bsky.social's recent piece analyzes how the #energy provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would cost our #economy years of growth with 830,000 lost jobs, $1.1 trillion less GDP, and 50 percent higher power prices 👇 www.forbes.com/sites/energy... #energysky #greensky
$1 Trillion In Economic Damage From U.S. House’s Reconciliation Bill
Energy provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would cost our economy years of growth with 830,000 lost jobs, $1.1 trillion less GDP, and 50% higher power prices.
www.forbes.com
May 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
🔌💡 Our @silviomarcacci.bsky.social's recent piece analyzes how the #energy provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would cost our #economy years of growth with 830,000 lost jobs, $1.1 trillion less GDP, and 50 percent higher power prices 👇 www.forbes.com/sites/energy... #energysky #greensky
Hey #EnergySky, are there any good explanations of why voltage would rise after the first generation trip in Spain as ENTSO-E reported? Best I can think of would be that loads were light, so transmission lines were producing reactive power which was being consumed by those generators to hold V down.
ENTSO-E expert panel initiates the investigation into the causes of Iberian blackout
www.entsoe.eu
May 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Hey #EnergySky, are there any good explanations of why voltage would rise after the first generation trip in Spain as ENTSO-E reported? Best I can think of would be that loads were light, so transmission lines were producing reactive power which was being consumed by those generators to hold V down.
If the U.S. blocks imports from all the other countries and then all the other countries block imports from the U.S., umm, where does that leave us? Something like Iran and Cuba? Great, we just imposed sanctions on ourselves.
April 4, 2025 at 10:28 PM
If the U.S. blocks imports from all the other countries and then all the other countries block imports from the U.S., umm, where does that leave us? Something like Iran and Cuba? Great, we just imposed sanctions on ourselves.
Saudi Arabia can pump oil for $20/bbl but U.S. fracking costs $70/bbl. We may be seeing a glut that shuts the U.S. out of world markets, especially as the world decarbonizes.
‘Wait, Baby, Wait’: Slumping Oil Prices Reflect Economic Worries (Gift Article)
Fears that President Trump’s tariffs could slash global economic growth — and demand for oil — are weighing on the market.
www.nytimes.com
April 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Saudi Arabia can pump oil for $20/bbl but U.S. fracking costs $70/bbl. We may be seeing a glut that shuts the U.S. out of world markets, especially as the world decarbonizes.
Journalists, please stop calling them “reciprocal tariffs” without quotation marks. That is taking the administration’s propaganda as fact. The formula does not consider existing tariffs in the other countries at all.
April 4, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Journalists, please stop calling them “reciprocal tariffs” without quotation marks. That is taking the administration’s propaganda as fact. The formula does not consider existing tariffs in the other countries at all.
Coming next in the U.S.: lots of black market phones, computers, jewelry, etc.
April 3, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Coming next in the U.S.: lots of black market phones, computers, jewelry, etc.
FYI: Difficulty siting new transmission lines is not an important barrier to new, cheap, clean power. Long-distance lines are nice to have but *not essential for integrating renewables*.
The real barrier is interconnection permission, due to slow technical review and unpredictable connection costs.
The real barrier is interconnection permission, due to slow technical review and unpredictable connection costs.
April 3, 2025 at 7:15 PM
FYI: Difficulty siting new transmission lines is not an important barrier to new, cheap, clean power. Long-distance lines are nice to have but *not essential for integrating renewables*.
The real barrier is interconnection permission, due to slow technical review and unpredictable connection costs.
The real barrier is interconnection permission, due to slow technical review and unpredictable connection costs.
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
Outdated views on grid reliability and slow-moving institutions pose a far greater threat to a resilient grid than any single technology. We should stay focused on building a diversified electric grid capable of responding to a rapidly changing world.
www.latitudemedia.com/news/a-diver...
www.latitudemedia.com/news/a-diver...
A diversified, clean electric grid is the solution for growing energy demand
How policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels should think about clean energy’s role in grid reliability.
www.latitudemedia.com
February 27, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Outdated views on grid reliability and slow-moving institutions pose a far greater threat to a resilient grid than any single technology. We should stay focused on building a diversified electric grid capable of responding to a rapidly changing world.
www.latitudemedia.com/news/a-diver...
www.latitudemedia.com/news/a-diver...
Reposted by Matthias Fripp
@sarabaldwin.bsky.social and I cover the basics of grid reliability and how clean energy can contribute to a reliable grid in a new report, which comes with a handy summary of key takeaways and policy recommendations. check it out here!
New Report: 🚨Grid Reliability in the Clean Energy Transition: A Primer for Policymakers from @energyinnovation.org w/ co-author @michelle-solomon.bsky.social offers a primer on grid reliability in the context of the clean energy transition. energyinnovation.org/report/grid-...
Grid Reliability In The Clean Energy Transition • Energy Innovation
New Energy Innovation research walks through the basics of grid reliability and explains why clean energy helps keep the lights on.
energyinnovation.org
February 19, 2025 at 3:30 AM
@sarabaldwin.bsky.social and I cover the basics of grid reliability and how clean energy can contribute to a reliable grid in a new report, which comes with a handy summary of key takeaways and policy recommendations. check it out here!
If we are really willing to accept high prices to boost manufacturing, we should weaken the dollar rather than raising tariffs. Tariffs just get matched with other tariffs, launching a trade war that hurts everyone. But a weak dollar slows imports *and* boosts exports.
February 4, 2025 at 5:27 PM
If we are really willing to accept high prices to boost manufacturing, we should weaken the dollar rather than raising tariffs. Tariffs just get matched with other tariffs, launching a trade war that hurts everyone. But a weak dollar slows imports *and* boosts exports.
The U.S. is moving into a leading position in solar panel manufacturing. We are now installing the equivalent of 27 Hoover Dams a year—and doing it all with U.S.-made panels. The U.S. is the third largest solar manufacturer in the world, with great jobs for 263,000 people.
seia.org/news/united-...
seia.org/news/united-...
United States Surpasses 50 GW of Solar Module Manufacturing Capacity
Historic milestone marks progress towards SEIA’s goal to achieve 50 GW of domestic manufacturing across the solar supply chain by 2030
seia.org
February 4, 2025 at 5:09 PM
The U.S. is moving into a leading position in solar panel manufacturing. We are now installing the equivalent of 27 Hoover Dams a year—and doing it all with U.S.-made panels. The U.S. is the third largest solar manufacturer in the world, with great jobs for 263,000 people.
seia.org/news/united-...
seia.org/news/united-...
It makes sense to shift fixed costs from the per-kWh part of electricity bills to the base charge. But doing it only for solar customers is unfair and misses an important opportunity to encourage electrification.
www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2025/01/vote...
www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2025/01/vote...
Vote Solar and other groups file lawsuit challenging Arizona solar fee
On January 28, the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (ACLPI) and Earthjustice filed an appeal in the Arizona Court of Appeals on behalf of
www.solarpowerworldonline.com
February 3, 2025 at 2:13 PM
It makes sense to shift fixed costs from the per-kWh part of electricity bills to the base charge. But doing it only for solar customers is unfair and misses an important opportunity to encourage electrification.
www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2025/01/vote...
www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2025/01/vote...
The headline on this (paywalled) article misses the main point:
"The near-term solution is renewable energy and battery storage, [NextEra CEO John] Ketchum said. 'It is more important than ever to unleash all forms of electric generation starting with renewables, which are ready now.'"
"The near-term solution is renewable energy and battery storage, [NextEra CEO John] Ketchum said. 'It is more important than ever to unleash all forms of electric generation starting with renewables, which are ready now.'"
E&E News: NextEra gears up for gas blitz to meet AI power boom
CEO John Ketchum reinforced a utility and tech industry message: The U.S. urgently needs more power on the grid.
subscriber.politicopro.com
January 27, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The headline on this (paywalled) article misses the main point:
"The near-term solution is renewable energy and battery storage, [NextEra CEO John] Ketchum said. 'It is more important than ever to unleash all forms of electric generation starting with renewables, which are ready now.'"
"The near-term solution is renewable energy and battery storage, [NextEra CEO John] Ketchum said. 'It is more important than ever to unleash all forms of electric generation starting with renewables, which are ready now.'"
Spooky to see Github Copilot jump in with some fairly specific economic concepts as I write comments in my code. I was calculating willingness to pay for a bundle of power across several hours, and as soon as I wrote "relative wtp" it filled in a mostly correct description from scratch.
January 21, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Spooky to see Github Copilot jump in with some fairly specific economic concepts as I write comments in my code. I was calculating willingness to pay for a bundle of power across several hours, and as soon as I wrote "relative wtp" it filled in a mostly correct description from scratch.