Lightbucket
@lightbucket.bsky.social
20 years in academic physics, then 20 years running a physics-based tech company, now drifting towards semi-retirement.
Looking at:
decarbonisation; energy;
Russia's war in Ukraine.
Blog on Wordpress: https://lightbucket.wordpress.com/
Looking at:
decarbonisation; energy;
Russia's war in Ukraine.
Blog on Wordpress: https://lightbucket.wordpress.com/
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October 22, 2025:
❝ German LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas said on Wednesday that companies have booked 80 percent of available regasification capacity at its FSRU-based facility in the industrial port of Mukran in 2026.❞
#Energiewende, 2025-style
October 22, 2025:
❝ German LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas said on Wednesday that companies have booked 80 percent of available regasification capacity at its FSRU-based facility in the industrial port of Mukran in 2026.❞
#Energiewende, 2025-style
Deutsche ReGas says 80 percent of Mukran LNG capacity booked in 2026
German LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas said on Wednesday that companies have booked 80 percent of available regasification capacity at its FSRU-based facility in the industrial port of Mukran in ...
lngprime.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:17 PM
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October 22, 2025:
❝ German LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas said on Wednesday that companies have booked 80 percent of available regasification capacity at its FSRU-based facility in the industrial port of Mukran in 2026.❞
#Energiewende, 2025-style
October 22, 2025:
❝ German LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas said on Wednesday that companies have booked 80 percent of available regasification capacity at its FSRU-based facility in the industrial port of Mukran in 2026.❞
#Energiewende, 2025-style
Reposted by Lightbucket
"Acquiring the Karger journals will provide OUP with many more downstream transfer destinations, helping OUP to publish more of the articles that get rejected by their higher impact journals."
Depressing assessment of the commercial strategy guiding academic publishing.
Depressing assessment of the commercial strategy guiding academic publishing.
OUP acquires Karger's long tail
Hello fellow journalologists,
newsletter.journalology.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:48 AM
"Acquiring the Karger journals will provide OUP with many more downstream transfer destinations, helping OUP to publish more of the articles that get rejected by their higher impact journals."
Depressing assessment of the commercial strategy guiding academic publishing.
Depressing assessment of the commercial strategy guiding academic publishing.
Reposted by Lightbucket
China’s internal combustion car sales peaked in 2017 as electric vehicles took off
October 24, 2025 at 1:35 PM
China’s internal combustion car sales peaked in 2017 as electric vehicles took off
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From 2026, French nuclear power will have a tax & cap scheme to protect customers from future price spikes.
To calculate the tax thresholds, the French Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) has published a new estimate of the production cost of existing French nuclear power.
🧵
From 2026, French nuclear power will have a tax & cap scheme to protect customers from future price spikes.
To calculate the tax thresholds, the French Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) has published a new estimate of the production cost of existing French nuclear power.
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November 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM
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From 2026, French nuclear power will have a tax & cap scheme to protect customers from future price spikes.
To calculate the tax thresholds, the French Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) has published a new estimate of the production cost of existing French nuclear power.
🧵
From 2026, French nuclear power will have a tax & cap scheme to protect customers from future price spikes.
To calculate the tax thresholds, the French Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) has published a new estimate of the production cost of existing French nuclear power.
🧵
Currently my most popular blog post on Wordpress:
Second blog post on Wordpress:
How Wind Power Correlates Across Europe
How Wind Power Correlates Across Europe
How Wind Power Correlates Across Europe
“The wind is always blowing somewhere”, but how far do we have to go to find it?
lightbucket.wordpress.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Currently my most popular blog post on Wordpress:
Sizewell C reaches financial close:
❝ On Tuesday, it confirmed it has raised £5 billion of debt through the BpifranceAE export credit facility, with the backing of 13 banks, as well as a £500 million working capital facility.
These will be in addition to a loan from the National Wealth Fund.❞
❝ On Tuesday, it confirmed it has raised £5 billion of debt through the BpifranceAE export credit facility, with the backing of 13 banks, as well as a £500 million working capital facility.
These will be in addition to a loan from the National Wealth Fund.❞
Sizewell C ‘on budget and on schedule’ as financing completes
The planned nuclear power plant in Suffolk reached financial close on Tuesday.
www.independent.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Sizewell C reaches financial close:
❝ On Tuesday, it confirmed it has raised £5 billion of debt through the BpifranceAE export credit facility, with the backing of 13 banks, as well as a £500 million working capital facility.
These will be in addition to a loan from the National Wealth Fund.❞
❝ On Tuesday, it confirmed it has raised £5 billion of debt through the BpifranceAE export credit facility, with the backing of 13 banks, as well as a £500 million working capital facility.
These will be in addition to a loan from the National Wealth Fund.❞
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Drax finalises renewed CfD contract with govt.
• The strike price is £109.90/MWh (2012 prices) for 4 years, April 2027 to March 2031, for all 4 units,
it's currently £100/MWh for 1 unit.
• 6 TWh/yr generation cap (= 680 MW average power)
Drax finalises renewed CfD contract with govt.
• The strike price is £109.90/MWh (2012 prices) for 4 years, April 2027 to March 2031, for all 4 units,
it's currently £100/MWh for 1 unit.
• 6 TWh/yr generation cap (= 680 MW average power)
Low-carbon dispatchable CfD contract agreement - Drax Global
RNS Number : 1955G Drax Group plc (“Drax” or the “Group”; Symbol:DRX) Highlights Contract signed with UK Government (Low Carbon Contracts Company – LCCC) for operation of Drax Power Station (DPS) pos...
www.drax.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:56 AM
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Drax finalises renewed CfD contract with govt.
• The strike price is £109.90/MWh (2012 prices) for 4 years, April 2027 to March 2031, for all 4 units,
it's currently £100/MWh for 1 unit.
• 6 TWh/yr generation cap (= 680 MW average power)
Drax finalises renewed CfD contract with govt.
• The strike price is £109.90/MWh (2012 prices) for 4 years, April 2027 to March 2031, for all 4 units,
it's currently £100/MWh for 1 unit.
• 6 TWh/yr generation cap (= 680 MW average power)
Reposted by Lightbucket
My latest: Move over bat tunnel, here’s the wild story of how HS2 were forced to build a multi-million pound bridge for a road that… doesn’t actually exist.
How HS2 built a bridge to nowhere
A state-of-the-art road bridge has been built deep in the heart of rural Buckinghamshire. Designed to carry traffic over the HS2 railway, there's just one tiny problem - there's no actual road.
martinrobbins.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:16 AM
My latest: Move over bat tunnel, here’s the wild story of how HS2 were forced to build a multi-million pound bridge for a road that… doesn’t actually exist.
The Nord Stream riddle: echoes of mistrust ripple through Europe www.theguardian.com/business/202...
The Nord Stream riddle: echoes of mistrust ripple through Europe
Three years after explosion that crippled Russian-German gas link, Polish court’s refusal to extradite Ukrainian suspect reignited old tensions
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:17 AM
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Britain's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets an emissions target for electricity generation of under 50 g CO₂e/kWh by 2030.
There are six European countries already below this target.
Who are they, and how did they get there?
🧵
⸻
Ref: Clean Power 2030 Action Plan
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Britain's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets an emissions target for electricity generation of under 50 g CO₂e/kWh by 2030.
There are six European countries already below this target.
Who are they, and how did they get there?
🧵
⸻
Ref: Clean Power 2030 Action Plan
www.gov.uk/government/p...
November 2, 2025 at 11:54 AM
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Britain's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets an emissions target for electricity generation of under 50 g CO₂e/kWh by 2030.
There are six European countries already below this target.
Who are they, and how did they get there?
🧵
⸻
Ref: Clean Power 2030 Action Plan
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Britain's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets an emissions target for electricity generation of under 50 g CO₂e/kWh by 2030.
There are six European countries already below this target.
Who are they, and how did they get there?
🧵
⸻
Ref: Clean Power 2030 Action Plan
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Dutch 1 GW offshore wind tender gets no bids.
❝ [Climate minister] Hermans said the result confirms that the market for offshore wind energy has “entered a phase where government support is crucial to prevent development from stalling.” ❞
❝ From 2026, subsidies will be available again.❞
❝ [Climate minister] Hermans said the result confirms that the market for offshore wind energy has “entered a phase where government support is crucial to prevent development from stalling.” ❞
❝ From 2026, subsidies will be available again.❞
No bids submitted for new Dutch North Sea wind farm tender - DutchNews.nl
No energy company has come forward to build and operate a new offshore wind farm off the Dutch coast, outgoing climate minister Sophie Hermans has told MPs. The tender for the Nederwiek I-A site, abou...
www.dutchnews.nl
November 1, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Dutch 1 GW offshore wind tender gets no bids.
❝ [Climate minister] Hermans said the result confirms that the market for offshore wind energy has “entered a phase where government support is crucial to prevent development from stalling.” ❞
❝ From 2026, subsidies will be available again.❞
❝ [Climate minister] Hermans said the result confirms that the market for offshore wind energy has “entered a phase where government support is crucial to prevent development from stalling.” ❞
❝ From 2026, subsidies will be available again.❞
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A 🧵 on offshore wind CfDs.
In Q4 2025, Offshore Wind accounts for 71% of UK CfD generation,
and 72% of CfD payments,
ie over twice as much as everything else put together.
Offshore Wind dominates Britain's renewable electricity.
⸻
Ref: LCCC Dashboard www.lowcarboncontracts.uk/resources/sc...
A 🧵 on offshore wind CfDs.
In Q4 2025, Offshore Wind accounts for 71% of UK CfD generation,
and 72% of CfD payments,
ie over twice as much as everything else put together.
Offshore Wind dominates Britain's renewable electricity.
⸻
Ref: LCCC Dashboard www.lowcarboncontracts.uk/resources/sc...
November 1, 2025 at 10:47 AM
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A 🧵 on offshore wind CfDs.
In Q4 2025, Offshore Wind accounts for 71% of UK CfD generation,
and 72% of CfD payments,
ie over twice as much as everything else put together.
Offshore Wind dominates Britain's renewable electricity.
⸻
Ref: LCCC Dashboard www.lowcarboncontracts.uk/resources/sc...
A 🧵 on offshore wind CfDs.
In Q4 2025, Offshore Wind accounts for 71% of UK CfD generation,
and 72% of CfD payments,
ie over twice as much as everything else put together.
Offshore Wind dominates Britain's renewable electricity.
⸻
Ref: LCCC Dashboard www.lowcarboncontracts.uk/resources/sc...
Reposted by Lightbucket
ladies and gentlemen...we got him
October 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM
ladies and gentlemen...we got him
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The National Audit Office has a Sizewell C study as a work in progress.
Scheduled: Winter 2025/26
Scope:
• DESNZ’s work & spending on Sizewell C to date
• the terms of the deal agreed and whether this provides value for money
• remaining risks to value for money that DESNZ will need to manage
The National Audit Office has a Sizewell C study as a work in progress.
Scheduled: Winter 2025/26
Scope:
• DESNZ’s work & spending on Sizewell C to date
• the terms of the deal agreed and whether this provides value for money
• remaining risks to value for money that DESNZ will need to manage
Sizewell C - NAO work in progress
The study will support transparency and Parliamentary scrutiny of Sizewell C, and will review DESNZ’s current and future work on the project.
www.nao.org.uk
October 31, 2025 at 10:24 AM
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The National Audit Office has a Sizewell C study as a work in progress.
Scheduled: Winter 2025/26
Scope:
• DESNZ’s work & spending on Sizewell C to date
• the terms of the deal agreed and whether this provides value for money
• remaining risks to value for money that DESNZ will need to manage
The National Audit Office has a Sizewell C study as a work in progress.
Scheduled: Winter 2025/26
Scope:
• DESNZ’s work & spending on Sizewell C to date
• the terms of the deal agreed and whether this provides value for money
• remaining risks to value for money that DESNZ will need to manage
Reposted by Lightbucket
On a typical day, 3% of people who complete Wordle get it in one guess. Which means around one person in 30 completes Wordle on incognito mode, then goes back in a second time and gets it “in one”.
There’s something oddly fascinating about this.
There’s something oddly fascinating about this.
October 31, 2025 at 9:45 AM
On a typical day, 3% of people who complete Wordle get it in one guess. Which means around one person in 30 completes Wordle on incognito mode, then goes back in a second time and gets it “in one”.
There’s something oddly fascinating about this.
There’s something oddly fascinating about this.
Reposted by Lightbucket
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
The value of public R&D
www.gov.uk
October 30, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Reposted by Lightbucket
Thames Water is such a basket case—it’s hard to keep up.
2024 = its worst ever score for environmental performance, yet bills were up massively this April. As usual, it's the worst of all the water companies too.
A £260m refund is a start but the whole industry looks increasingly irredeemable.
2024 = its worst ever score for environmental performance, yet bills were up massively this April. As usual, it's the worst of all the water companies too.
A £260m refund is a start but the whole industry looks increasingly irredeemable.
Water companies told to refund £260m to customers.
But bills are still due to rise to fund improvements to water infrastructure.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 29, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Thames Water is such a basket case—it’s hard to keep up.
2024 = its worst ever score for environmental performance, yet bills were up massively this April. As usual, it's the worst of all the water companies too.
A £260m refund is a start but the whole industry looks increasingly irredeemable.
2024 = its worst ever score for environmental performance, yet bills were up massively this April. As usual, it's the worst of all the water companies too.
A £260m refund is a start but the whole industry looks increasingly irredeemable.
Reposted by Lightbucket
Increasingly I think the point of a wealth tax is not to raise money but to create space for raising income tax. The lethal thing in politics is when the compliant middle class feels like they have been taken for mugs; if you want to get money out of them, someone else needs to pay more too.
October 29, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Increasingly I think the point of a wealth tax is not to raise money but to create space for raising income tax. The lethal thing in politics is when the compliant middle class feels like they have been taken for mugs; if you want to get money out of them, someone else needs to pay more too.
Reposted by Lightbucket
AR7 analysis: How much offshore wind will the govt be able to contract at the upcoming CfD auction?
It depends on the "strike price", but roughly…
6GW at £70/MWh
5GW at £80/MWh
4GW at £90/MWh
THREAD
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It depends on the "strike price", but roughly…
6GW at £70/MWh
5GW at £80/MWh
4GW at £90/MWh
THREAD
1/6
October 27, 2025 at 4:35 PM
AR7 analysis: How much offshore wind will the govt be able to contract at the upcoming CfD auction?
It depends on the "strike price", but roughly…
6GW at £70/MWh
5GW at £80/MWh
4GW at £90/MWh
THREAD
1/6
It depends on the "strike price", but roughly…
6GW at £70/MWh
5GW at £80/MWh
4GW at £90/MWh
THREAD
1/6
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Here's a thread about Contracts for Difference, how the payments are calculated, and what the actual resulting costs are.
All electricity suppliers pay a per-MWh charge, the "Interim Levy Rate", to the Low Carbon Contracts Company to cover forecast payments from the LCCC to CfD generators.
🧵
Here's a thread about Contracts for Difference, how the payments are calculated, and what the actual resulting costs are.
All electricity suppliers pay a per-MWh charge, the "Interim Levy Rate", to the Low Carbon Contracts Company to cover forecast payments from the LCCC to CfD generators.
🧵
October 27, 2025 at 11:05 AM
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Here's a thread about Contracts for Difference, how the payments are calculated, and what the actual resulting costs are.
All electricity suppliers pay a per-MWh charge, the "Interim Levy Rate", to the Low Carbon Contracts Company to cover forecast payments from the LCCC to CfD generators.
🧵
Here's a thread about Contracts for Difference, how the payments are calculated, and what the actual resulting costs are.
All electricity suppliers pay a per-MWh charge, the "Interim Levy Rate", to the Low Carbon Contracts Company to cover forecast payments from the LCCC to CfD generators.
🧵
In: Gas extraction in the Wadden Sea;
Out: Cooling towers at Gundremmingen nuclear plant.
#Energiewende, 2025-style.
Out: Cooling towers at Gundremmingen nuclear plant.
#Energiewende, 2025-style.
October 25, 2025 at 11:33 AM
In: Gas extraction in the Wadden Sea;
Out: Cooling towers at Gundremmingen nuclear plant.
#Energiewende, 2025-style.
Out: Cooling towers at Gundremmingen nuclear plant.
#Energiewende, 2025-style.
October 24th 2025: Russia cuts its key interest rate from 17% to 16.5%.
It had been at 21% for over 7 months from 25th October 2024 to 6th June 2025.
#Russianeconomy
10 years of interest rates, for context 👇:
⸻
Ref: tradingeconomics.com/russia/inter...
It had been at 21% for over 7 months from 25th October 2024 to 6th June 2025.
#Russianeconomy
10 years of interest rates, for context 👇:
⸻
Ref: tradingeconomics.com/russia/inter...
October 24, 2025 at 10:39 AM
October 24th 2025: Russia cuts its key interest rate from 17% to 16.5%.
It had been at 21% for over 7 months from 25th October 2024 to 6th June 2025.
#Russianeconomy
10 years of interest rates, for context 👇:
⸻
Ref: tradingeconomics.com/russia/inter...
It had been at 21% for over 7 months from 25th October 2024 to 6th June 2025.
#Russianeconomy
10 years of interest rates, for context 👇:
⸻
Ref: tradingeconomics.com/russia/inter...
New blog post:
Paul Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb"
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Paul Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb"
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Paul Ehrlich’s “The Population Bomb”
The bad predictions were the least of the problems.
lightbucket.wordpress.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:06 AM
New blog post:
Paul Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb"
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Paul Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb"
👇
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Here are the assumed load factors for the 15 electricity generating technologies eligible for CfD Allocation Round 7/7a (page 1 of 2):
These published load factors are the values used by DESNZ when calculating the budget impact of the CfD contracts awarded.
👇
Here are the assumed load factors for the 15 electricity generating technologies eligible for CfD Allocation Round 7/7a (page 1 of 2):
These published load factors are the values used by DESNZ when calculating the budget impact of the CfD contracts awarded.
👇
October 24, 2025 at 9:53 AM
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Here are the assumed load factors for the 15 electricity generating technologies eligible for CfD Allocation Round 7/7a (page 1 of 2):
These published load factors are the values used by DESNZ when calculating the budget impact of the CfD contracts awarded.
👇
Here are the assumed load factors for the 15 electricity generating technologies eligible for CfD Allocation Round 7/7a (page 1 of 2):
These published load factors are the values used by DESNZ when calculating the budget impact of the CfD contracts awarded.
👇
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The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has looked at zonal pricing, or "locational price signals", for electricity, Europe-wide.
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The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has looked at zonal pricing, or "locational price signals", for electricity, Europe-wide.
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Locational price signals - Publications Office of the EU
As Europe strives to become the first climate neutral continent, grid congestion is becoming an increasingly urgent issue, with the potential to lead to large-scale curtailment of renewables and under...
op.europa.eu
October 23, 2025 at 2:46 PM
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The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has looked at zonal pricing, or "locational price signals", for electricity, Europe-wide.
👇
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre has looked at zonal pricing, or "locational price signals", for electricity, Europe-wide.
👇