Notices by Chris Nelder (chrisnelder@mastodon.energy)

After two decades of energy analysis & punditry, I conclude that most readers & listeners are attracted to technology stories, because they feel like they understand them. So we have hype cycles around fracking, hydrogen, nukes, etc.

But the things that actually matter--where the real #energytransition happens--are not technology stories at all! They're process and regulation and legislative stories... that bore our tech-obsessed audiences.

It's a real conundrum.

It's hard to imagine a better cameo of the GOP today than Gov Ron DeSantis declaring a state of emergency across FL due to catastrophic rain https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/torrential-rain-flooding-south-florida-miami-dade-broward-counties-desantis-state-of-emergency/ just a month after removing climate change from state law and policy considerations https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/05/15/florida-law-climate-change-desantis-energy/

Remember like three years ago when crypto bros were trying to sell us this big story about how they were going to be friendly demand response players who could accelerate the energy transition by balancing load with supply? (I didn't bite.) Then how it turned out they were running 24x7 and keeping coal plants running that would have otherwise retired? And then how the DOE started tracking their energy consumption? Well, now the crypto bros are blocking DOE. https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/27/24079048/bitcoin-crypto-mining-energy-department-electricity-survey-restraining-order

One of the sharpest critiques of SMRs I have ever seen (h/t @pinsk):

"By not actually learning about energy, electricity and the grid, a bunch of Dunning Krugered up tech bros and women wasted a lot of venture capitalist money."
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/11/30/what-drives-this-madness-on-small-modular-nuclear-reactors/

Christiana Figueres, head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2009-2016, who helped negotiate the Paris Agreement, finally realizes what all veteran energy transitionistas eventually realize: That it's foolish to think FF companies will ever be good partners in the #energytransition.

"I thought fossil fuel firms could change. I was wrong." https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/7/6/i-thought-fossil-fuel-firms-could-change-i-was-wrong

Meanwhile, Shell's CEO says cutting oil and gas production would be "dangerous and irresponsible," and the billionaire owner of oil refiner INEOS calls UK energy policy "crap" for banning fracking and taxing oil & gas production https://electricityinfo.org/news/fossil-fuels-1384/

#AlrightyThen

This is a really important concept that those interested in the #EnergyTransition need to think about, esp. policymakers. One example: How will we maintain a viable network of refueling stations as EV charging networks expand and eat up the market?

RT @TransitionShow@twitter.com

In Ep. 185, @emilygrubert@twitter.com returns to @TransitionShow@twitter.com to discuss a vital yet largely unexplored topic she has written about with @S_HastingsSimon@twitter.com: How to keep the old & new energy systems running during the "mid-transition" https://bit.ly/3ULYEc9

??: https://twitter.com/TransitionShow/status/1590392989943463938