Willett Kempton
banner
willett.bsky.social
Willett Kempton
@willett.bsky.social
I research, publish, mentor & advise on offshore wind power, electric vehicles #EV, and vehicle-to-grid power #V2G. Prof at U of Delaware. #energytransition #energysky 🔌💡 🔌🚗
Incisive article “Power Struggle” by @jefftheyoung.bsky.social on how US policy drives investment, factories and jobs out of USA, favoring China. Quote (below) by @billmckibben.bsky.social if US blocks new expanding technologies, it could become the Colonial Williamsburg of internal combustion.
September 17, 2025 at 9:44 PM
I’m Willett @ U Delaware, leading research, development, & policy on #offshorewind & #EV, latter including #V2G (using batteries in EVs to make the grid more reliable & renewables-efficient).

Practice sequence:
find-huge-gap➡️research➡️ prototype➡️standards&enabling-law➡️educate-companies➡️better-world
August 23, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Largest offshore wind project worldwide, Berwick Bank, 4.1 GW, approved contingent on avian study & mitigation if needed. How big 4.1 GW for Scotland? 🟰 power of 2x households OR 🟰 to taking ALL cars of the road. Running well before 2030.
BBC: bbc.com/news/article...
Dev: www.berwickbank.com
August 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
First text is from my in-law, a capable #mariner. #Weather forecasts appear to be the same, but suddenly way less accurate. 2nd from meteorologist colleagues on how specific staff cuts degrade forecast accuracy. One of many ways the national infrastructure we rely on is being silently destroyed.
June 11, 2025 at 4:46 AM
David Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage explains why free trade can benefit both sides. This also helps understand the massive ignorance and coming damage of the new US #tariffs. First, a readable explanation from @gregor.us: https://bit.ly/3Gcac6u

More theory: web.mit.edu/krugman/...
April 20, 2025 at 5:42 AM
Electrify all road vehicles💯(light, med & heavy)❓➡️connectors need standards➕deploy. Standards now here: SAE J3400, J3068, & J3271. (Bonus: ⬇️💲AC EVSEs and LIN-CP for #V2G.) Now we need a movement to adopt. www.motortrend.com/features/tes... doi.org/10.3390/wevj... www.techbriefs.com/component/co...
January 12, 2025 at 6:13 AM
FHWA RFI: How to charge medium and heavy duty vehicles? 🚚🚌 U Delaware answers (Docket FHWA–2024–0028), based on new standards for 50 - 100 kW AC charging (very low cost) plus 1-4 MW DC charging (literally gasoline pump speeds), now posted on docket: downloads.regulations.gov/FHWA-2024-00...
December 1, 2024 at 6:31 AM
EV drivers use gasoline concepts to charge—causing inconvenience and range anxiety. Interviews with novice & experienced #EV drivers reveal 3 #mentalmodels: A. Monitor gage (from gasoline), B. Planning (trips), C. Event Triggered (see figure)

Full study (free): bit.ly/EVmm
News: bit.ly/EVmm-pl
November 20, 2024 at 3:52 PM
Finally getting to the steps to move #V2G to serial deployment. Hear the status this week at the V2G Forum.
October 22, 2024 at 5:20 AM
Big #EV charging changes. The inside story from charging guru Rodney McGee, in www.motortrend.com/f... Also, we explain new connectors & how AC charging will soon work more like a cell phone, less like plugging in your toaster doi.org/10.3390/wevj...
@niedermeyer.io
@jessejenkins.bsky.social
October 13, 2024 at 10:35 PM
Standards, interconnection rules and markets finally resolving for #V2G from low-cost AC charging. We compare value in markets: 1.charge off-peak, 2.TOD rate arbitrage, or 3.RTO market (see abstract & table). We’ve designed low-cost, scalable, and regulatory compliant V2G: doi.org/10.3390/en17...
September 28, 2024 at 5:10 AM
energyinnovation.org reviews all proposed uses of #H2 for decarbonization. Report, graphic summary (attached), and 2-page summary of each use, with references. Excellent gift for a policymaker you know🤓

Request free Report: energyinnovation.org...

Fact sheets: linkmix.co/25714416
September 4, 2024 at 1:00 PM
Closing #coal to⬇︎CO2? NY Times shows US (image) cutting coal 51%↘️16% but it just increased gas 17%↗️42%, minimal added #solar + #wind. Same for Mass (image). But Iowa replaced coal mostly with wind 1%↗️59%. Let's understand state policies! www.nytimes.com/inte...
August 10, 2024 at 6:50 PM
Is #EV #charging slow? A new way to think about that. Table 2 is energy fill time➞faster charging is achieved by ⬆️kW, but at great cost. Table 1 shows driver engagement time➞much faster for EVs than gasoline.
1/2
June 3, 2024 at 2:37 PM
EV drivers inherit concepts from gasoline cars when charging EVs—a mismatch causing time wasted, inconvenience and range anxiety. Interviews with novice & experienced #EV drivers, reveal 3 #mentalmodels: A. Monitor gage, B. Planning (trips), C. Event Triggered (figure)
Study: doi.org/10.1016/j.en...
May 30, 2024 at 12:42 AM
Auke Hoekstra (from X): Going from fossil fuel to renewable energy is the biggest project in human history by far, and the speed required is almost unthinkable. That's what the first graph shows. We are making HUGE strides in the right direction. That's what the second graph shows. 1 of 2
January 22, 2024 at 4:23 AM
First power Tuesday, from biggest #USA #OffshoreWind project, www.vineyardwind.com... Its full capacity will be 806 MW🟰937 union jobs, carbon emissions ⬇️ 1.6 MMT CO2/year=325,000 cars off the road. (Now only 1 turbine at 5 MW testing.)

News release: www.vineyardwind.com...
January 4, 2024 at 4:36 AM
Excellent tutorial article on the new Treasury 45V tax guidance for #H2 production, by @JesseJenkins.bsky.social Like most Joe Biden climate policy, based on solid analysis and policy incentives. Three criteria (‘pillars’) make sure “green” H2 is really green.
December 23, 2023 at 9:15 PM
New SAE EV standards just approved: one is #V2G for AC, making V2G lower-cost and easier to mass-produce. The other standardizes the Tesla connector. Link is the story on how those were written.
www.udel.edu/udaily/...
December 17, 2023 at 9:42 PM
2/2 They can’t pay inflated💲cost and sell🔌at the same bid price! Solutions: States need to write contracts with an inflation adjustment at financial close (now done in NY & MA✅) and Feds need to speed up their 4+ year, 22 agency, permitting gauntlet🤯😵‍💫
November 5, 2023 at 4:58 AM
1/2 Four #offshorewind projects cancelled by developers in recent weeks. But most news garbles the basic facts: OSW developers must fix electric price 5+ years before power-on, so bids from 2017-2019 are now hit with inflation and interest⬆️. www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/n...
November 5, 2023 at 4:57 AM
First turbine shipping out, of #USA's first commercial-size #OffshoreWind project: www.vineyardwind.com/vineyardwind-1. Note in drone video, one complete topside on barge-- tower (2 parts), nacelle, 3 blades. Offshore, crane vessel will lift parts onto monopile already in. youtu.be/4locoph2dMg?...
September 8, 2023 at 12:54 PM
Sen. Skinner’s SB233 which will require new EVs sold in CA to have bidirectional chargers by 2030, & able to either provide home power during power failures, or be able to provide grid services (update: now delegated to agencies). I created this idea in (gasp) 1997, www1.udel.edu/V2G/docs/Kem...
September 5, 2023 at 6:35 PM
First-hand experience of the workers building the first US offshore wind power projects...

Oronde, Ironworker:
youtu.be/Q4DIbnJc7jk

Christopher, Construction Trades:
youtu.be/5cUgqC5szKU

Rachel, pile driver:
youtu.be/QDLfCqv1BEk

Credits:
Media placement: turnforward.org
Production: cjnrc.org

🔌💡
July 18, 2023 at 3:46 AM
Electricity from nuclear versus wind+solar. Thecommon fallacy, stated as fact, is that nuclear is "bigger" thus more able to displace CO2. Actually, W+S grows exponentially, is lower cost, & now exceeds nuclear production.

Data from BP Review of Word Energy 2022. Graph by @[email protected]
July 5, 2023 at 12:23 AM