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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 8h

Another national study I read concluded that ASHP alone will not cost less to run in climates colder than Detroit, due to resistance backup heat in extreme lows.

This will make it hard to convince those in the north Midwest to convert.

Given that, hybrid propane seems sensible. Can ditch piped gas

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 8h

Working thru the paper:

Another means of avoiding cost shock of backup resistance heat in northern climes is to instead install hybrid heat pumps and convert existing furnaces to propane, which has very low GWP. Coupled w/ envelope improvements, backup heat may only be needed for a couple weeks.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 12h

Shocker.

Kat Hartness @kathartness.bsky.social · 1d

'A huge problem': DOJ may have withheld evidence suggesting Letitia James’ innocence

www.alternet.org/lindsey-hall...

'A huge problem': DOJ may have withheld evidence suggesting Letitia James’ innocence

The New York Times reports U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan may have left out important information in her indictment against New York AG Letitia James that might have derailed some charges.“In the indi...

www.alternet.org

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Reposted by GN

William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 21h

truth is truth
To th’ end of reck’ning.

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Reposted by GN

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 16h

Chicago not letting Portland have all the fun 🐧

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 15h

I’d be interested in a study of impact reduction in a scenario where e-bikes replace some fraction of EV trips.

Energy required per mile is sooo much less, and they’re functionally like a scooter or motorcycle - perfectly suitable for most solo trips - especially those within 5-10 miles.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 17h

This is something that should concern everyone.

Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 19h

The US National Guard has spent 400,000-plus hours per year for the last 10 years in disaster response efforts, including wildfires, floods, and more, according to a new Pentagon report.

By @mlavelle.bsky.social for @insideclimatenews.org…

Natural Disasters Are a Rising Burden for the National Guard - Inside Climate News

New Pentagon data show climate impacts shaping reservists’ mission, in potential conflict with Trump’s drive to use them for law enforcement.

buff.ly

GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 17h

Wow, disappointing results from power generation and industrial processes. Buildings not so bad.

We can do better.

Peter du Toit @peterdutoit.com · 18h

EDGAR 2025:

“According to the latest data, global GHG emissions in 2024 experienced an increase of 1.3% compared to the levels in 2023.”

To keep under 2°C emissions should have fallen by 5.5% in 2024 and EVERY year thereafter until 2030.

Source: edgar.jrc.ec.europa....

Global GHG emission trends by sector and key years

GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 21h

“Putting solar panels on just 3% of the land that is now used for biofuel would produce the same amount of energy, enough to power 1/3 of the world’s cars if they were EVs.”

Midwest farmers need to diversify and embrace #agrivoltaics.

Alexander J. Stein @ajstein.bsky.social · 1d

(2/x) … putting #solarpanels on just 3% of the land that is now used for #biofuel would produce the same amount of #energy, enough to power 1/3 of the world’s #cars if they were EVs. #Biofuels therefore emit 16% more CO₂ than the #fossilfuel they replace… www.transportenvironment.org/articles/cro...

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 1d

… political support, that is.

Important to explain VPPs to the public in ways they’ll understand and care about.

I’ve started pointing to graphs of generation vs demand and observing that energy storage, intelligently applied, can shave off the area of the peaks and apply it to the valleys.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 1d

We need finance/incentives innovation + a groundswell of political support to push it through.

Probable scenario: energy transition stalls, but VPPs nevertheless take hold because utilities can’t build out fast enough to keep pace with data center load demand.

Lean into rising bills for support.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 1d

A major obstacle is less a technical one than a political and incentives one:

Investor-owned utilities have little incentive to explore VPPs because the only way regulators allow them to grow profit is to build out more infrastructure. This biases them against distributed energy and VPP/DERs.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

… and scheduling smart water heaters to “bank” energy at opportune times.

Also incentivizing those with batteries and solar to sell power during peak demand times. “Buy low, sell high.” These are called Distributed Energy Resources (DER).

Your devices can make/save you money while you sleep/work.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

This might be the time for municipal utilities to shine. Fewer perverse incentives.

Ann Arbor, MI comes to mind.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

It was incentive enough to get me to finally commit to rooftop solar.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

FERC Order 2222 was a great start, if we’d only keep it up. I fear its new leaders may reverse course.

www.ferc.gov/ferc-order-n...

FERC Order No. 2222 Explainer: Facilitating Participation in Electricity Markets by Distributed Energy Resources[i]

[i] Disclaimer: To facilitate understanding and discussion, this document simplifies and summarizes Order No. 2222, issued on September 17, 2020, in Docket No. RM18-9-000, https://www.ferc.gov/sites/d...

www.ferc.gov

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

“Virtual power plants” are one of the cheapest, most equitable ways to make the grid more efficient, making costly infrastructure buildout less necessary.

Kevin J. CREATURE @kevinjkircher.com · 25d

11) At the high end of the grid reinforcement cost estimate range, VPPs could reduce grid buildout costs by *$340 billion*. That's our estimate of the "money on the table" for deploying VPPs: The achievable societal value of avoiding poles-and-wires upgrades at the distribution level.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

This aligns with what I’ve seen elsewhere. VPPs are a clear, low-cost means of getting better use of infrastructure we already have.

Need to work on IOUs’ perverse incentive to ignore efficiency and instead build out more infrastructure (because that is how they grow profit).

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

Ah. Answered here (no):

bsky.app/profile/kevi...

Kevin J. CREATURE @kevinjkircher.com · 25d

12) Notably, we left for future work a range of other demand-side strategies: Home batteries, appliance-integrated batteries, thermal storage, vehicle-to-home discharging, and solar panels, to name a few. We'd like to work on some or all of these in follow-up work.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

Does the strategic demand-side management include appliances with batteries? (Haven’t read it yet, obvs.)

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

Milk paint, lime wash, clay, mineral paint. Each with pros and cons.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

Them and the frog.

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

Whoa. Some of this is due to more built infrastructure constructed in harm’s way during this period, but you know it’s bad when insurers say climate change is a now problem and it’s changing the standard of care.

Graph showing global insurance claims due to extreme weather rising over the past 50 years.

Reposted by GN

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 2d

Three key points:
1) The admin has been planning mass firings to begin in October since February
2) The work necessary to carry out mass firings is illegal during a shutdown, violating the Antideficiency Act, which carries a criminal penalty
3) This harms America, ridding us of talent and expertise

Russ Vought v @russvought
The RIFs have begun.
12:27 PM • 10/10/25 • 15K Views

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GN @w1ts3nd555.bsky.social · 2d

“Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always be defended – with words, with courage and with determination.”

www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace...

Nobel Peace Prize 2025

The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 was awarded to Maria Corina Machado "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transi...

www.nobelprize.org

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