Brendan Pierpont
@brendan.bsky.social
Energy and climate nerd. Electricity @energyinnovation.bsky.social. Views are my own.
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
I'm dense when it comes to finance, so the fact that I got to a point of understanding how utilities earn profit and why they should or shouldn't earn less means you can too. I stayed up till 3am trying to explain in an accessible way. Hopefully it was worth it!
heatmap.news/energy/calif...
heatmap.news/energy/calif...
What If Utilities Just Made Less Money?
California energy companies are asking for permission to take in more revenue. Consumer advocates are having none of it.
heatmap.news
November 19, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I'm dense when it comes to finance, so the fact that I got to a point of understanding how utilities earn profit and why they should or shouldn't earn less means you can too. I stayed up till 3am trying to explain in an accessible way. Hopefully it was worth it!
heatmap.news/energy/calif...
heatmap.news/energy/calif...
Shocked to hear that data center load forecasts may be over-stated by as much as 25 GW. www.utilitydive.com/news/some-lo...
Some load forecasts using ‘unrealistically high load factors’: Grid Strategies VP
“It's very challenging, at this point in time, for load forecasts to be accurate,” said Grid Strategies Vice President John Wilson.
www.utilitydive.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Shocked to hear that data center load forecasts may be over-stated by as much as 25 GW. www.utilitydive.com/news/some-lo...
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Increasing gas generation does not strike me as a responsive long-term affordability strategy.
November 18, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Increasing gas generation does not strike me as a responsive long-term affordability strategy.
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Ok apparently this is actually not widely known: Gov. Shapiro withdrew Pennsylvania from RGGI today as part of a deal to pass a now-4month overdue budget.
So.....did no one else notice that Pennsylvania just dropped RGGI?
November 14, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Ok apparently this is actually not widely known: Gov. Shapiro withdrew Pennsylvania from RGGI today as part of a deal to pass a now-4month overdue budget.
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Solar keeps blowing past expectations, but expectations are catching up. The latest IEA WEO now has PV topping 600 GW per year, though this year's scenarios are actually lower than last year's.
November 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Solar keeps blowing past expectations, but expectations are catching up. The latest IEA WEO now has PV topping 600 GW per year, though this year's scenarios are actually lower than last year's.
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Launched today: the State Economic Power Project! This dives into cost of living + climate, on 2 pillars: (1) household budgets and (2) state budgets. Thank you Sarah Bloom Raskin, @jordanhaedtler.bsky.social @kostyack.bsky.social @advitt.bsky.social
climatecabineteducation.org/state-econom...
climatecabineteducation.org/state-econom...
State Economic Power Project Resources - Climate Cabinet Education
Check this page for policy resources related to insurance regulation, disaster recovery policy, and more.
climatecabineteducation.org
November 13, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Launched today: the State Economic Power Project! This dives into cost of living + climate, on 2 pillars: (1) household budgets and (2) state budgets. Thank you Sarah Bloom Raskin, @jordanhaedtler.bsky.social @kostyack.bsky.social @advitt.bsky.social
climatecabineteducation.org/state-econom...
climatecabineteducation.org/state-econom...
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
new from me today: not all data centers are created environmentally equal — and building them in states with cleaner grids and more access to water could go a long way in preventing environmental catastrophe
If the US Has to Build Data Centers, Here’s Where They Should Go
A new analysis tries to calculate the coming environmental footprint of AI in the US and finds that the ideal sites for data centers aren’t where they’re being built.
www.wired.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:11 PM
new from me today: not all data centers are created environmentally equal — and building them in states with cleaner grids and more access to water could go a long way in preventing environmental catastrophe
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
NEW: Rad Power Bikes has told employees it will go out of business in January without new funding.
The company said in a staff email that it had a "very promising" option to stay alive, but whatever that was, it fell apart.
Story with @kirstenkorosec.bsky.social
techcrunch.com/2025/11/10/r...
The company said in a staff email that it had a "very promising" option to stay alive, but whatever that was, it fell apart.
Story with @kirstenkorosec.bsky.social
techcrunch.com/2025/11/10/r...
Rad Power Bikes faces shutdown in January without new funding | TechCrunch
The company is "still fighting to find ways to continue" according to an email viewed by TechCrunch.
techcrunch.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:22 PM
NEW: Rad Power Bikes has told employees it will go out of business in January without new funding.
The company said in a staff email that it had a "very promising" option to stay alive, but whatever that was, it fell apart.
Story with @kirstenkorosec.bsky.social
techcrunch.com/2025/11/10/r...
The company said in a staff email that it had a "very promising" option to stay alive, but whatever that was, it fell apart.
Story with @kirstenkorosec.bsky.social
techcrunch.com/2025/11/10/r...
Has anyone done the math on whether this approach stores more energy per cubic meter of concrete than EnergyVault’s idea of lifting that cubic meter to the top of a tower?
Wild. They are figuring out how to store electricity in ... concrete.
Concrete “battery” developed at MIT now packs 10 times the power
New concrete and carbon black supercapacitors with optimized electrolytes have 10 times the energy storage of previous designs and can be incorporated into a wide range of architectural forms.
news.mit.edu
November 9, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Has anyone done the math on whether this approach stores more energy per cubic meter of concrete than EnergyVault’s idea of lifting that cubic meter to the top of a tower?
One reason taking the train is awesome is that it gets you off the highway and out of the airport and takes you through small town centers and landscapes (both natural and man made) that you wouldn’t otherwise see.
November 8, 2025 at 6:07 PM
One reason taking the train is awesome is that it gets you off the highway and out of the airport and takes you through small town centers and landscapes (both natural and man made) that you wouldn’t otherwise see.
Want to know how to reduce power prices in PJM? Let clean energy projects connect to the grid. Great report from Gridlab and Aurora Energy Research 👇
gridlab.org/portfolio-it...
gridlab.org/portfolio-it...
gridlab.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Want to know how to reduce power prices in PJM? Let clean energy projects connect to the grid. Great report from Gridlab and Aurora Energy Research 👇
gridlab.org/portfolio-it...
gridlab.org/portfolio-it...
He’s basically daring the world to tax extreme wealth and create a universal basic income so the productivity gains from AI go to everyone… right?
Tesla shareholders have approved a pay package that could make CEO Elon Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire. https://cnn.it/43KZnkA
November 7, 2025 at 4:52 AM
He’s basically daring the world to tax extreme wealth and create a universal basic income so the productivity gains from AI go to everyone… right?
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Hold your wallets, everyone, OpenAI is talking about taxpayer backing so it can continue its data center building craze without having to show profitability. www.wsj.com/video/openai...
OpenAI Wants Federal Backstop for New Investments
Sarah Friar, the CFO of OpenAI, says the company wants a federal guarantee to make it easier to finance massive investments in AI chips for data centers. Friar spoke at WSJ’s Tech Live event in Califo...
www.wsj.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Hold your wallets, everyone, OpenAI is talking about taxpayer backing so it can continue its data center building craze without having to show profitability. www.wsj.com/video/openai...
Great run down of Tuesday's election results.
November 6, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Great run down of Tuesday's election results.
Is the capital markets money spigot drying up or something?
BREAKING: OpenAI is requesting US government support to help guarantee financing for the massive investments in AI chips and data centers it needs for expansion, per Bloomberg.
November 6, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Is the capital markets money spigot drying up or something?
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Delighted that USA Today published my opinion piece today on @americanprogress.bsky.social's plan to undo Citizens United through state corporation laws.
Americans want dark money out of politics. We don't have to wait for Supreme Court. | Opinion
Corporations are not born; they are built. And the Supreme Court has always held that the power to build them belongs to states alone.
www.usatoday.com
September 17, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Delighted that USA Today published my opinion piece today on @americanprogress.bsky.social's plan to undo Citizens United through state corporation laws.
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Critics of renewables often point to land use as a reason not to do wind & solar. Land use IS a real issue for all energy assets incl renewables unless onsite.
But what critics conveniently forget is huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Texas. 👇
But what critics conveniently forget is huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Texas. 👇
November 5, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Critics of renewables often point to land use as a reason not to do wind & solar. Land use IS a real issue for all energy assets incl renewables unless onsite.
But what critics conveniently forget is huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Texas. 👇
But what critics conveniently forget is huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Texas. 👇
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
In a key race for energy policy, Democrats just won 2 seats on Georgia’s utility commission — changing the dynamic for first time in nearly 20 years. Here’s a quick hit on what it all means. heatmap.news/politics/ali...
Democrats Win 2 Key Energy Races in Georgia
A “seismic change” comes for the state’s Public Service Commission.
heatmap.news
November 5, 2025 at 3:16 AM
In a key race for energy policy, Democrats just won 2 seats on Georgia’s utility commission — changing the dynamic for first time in nearly 20 years. Here’s a quick hit on what it all means. heatmap.news/politics/ali...
Good work today America.
November 5, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Good work today America.
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
Cost estimates for new gas power plants just keep rising! www.utilitydive.com/news/gas-pow... 🔌💡
November 4, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Cost estimates for new gas power plants just keep rising! www.utilitydive.com/news/gas-pow... 🔌💡
Reposted by Brendan Pierpont
I have a @nytimes.com op-ed today on managing power demand growth. Central point: load growth is an opportunity to *offset* upward rate pressure (and avoid gas overbuild), if we plan the system to make fuller use of infrastructure we’ve already paid for. 🔌💡 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
November 4, 2025 at 2:04 PM
I have a @nytimes.com op-ed today on managing power demand growth. Central point: load growth is an opportunity to *offset* upward rate pressure (and avoid gas overbuild), if we plan the system to make fuller use of infrastructure we’ve already paid for. 🔌💡 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
“Maybe truly understanding the world requires participating in it.”
A really really good long read.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
A really really good long read.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
The Case That A.I. Is Thinking
ChatGPT does not have an inner life. Yet it seems to know what it’s talking about.
www.newyorker.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:42 AM
“Maybe truly understanding the world requires participating in it.”
A really really good long read.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
A really really good long read.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Data centers are a unique kind of electricity user, and a better understanding of how they use electricity can help policymakers and regulators integrate these loads onto the system with lower costs and emissions. From my colleague Eric Gimon: energyinnovation.org/report/dodgi...
Dodging The Firm Fixation For Data Centers And The Grid • Energy Innovation
We can meet data center electricity demand and build a more affordable, cleaner grid by utilizing clean energy and flexible solutions instead of relying on fossil fuels.
energyinnovation.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Data centers are a unique kind of electricity user, and a better understanding of how they use electricity can help policymakers and regulators integrate these loads onto the system with lower costs and emissions. From my colleague Eric Gimon: energyinnovation.org/report/dodgi...
Great resource from RMI on electricity affordability policy solutions: affordability-toolkit.rmi.org
RMI Electricity Affordability Toolkit
This resource lists more than two dozen of those tools to help legislators, staff, and advocates identify and advance effective electricity affordability solutions. It provides a curated set of action...
affordability-toolkit.rmi.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Great resource from RMI on electricity affordability policy solutions: affordability-toolkit.rmi.org