The hottest Energy transition Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Climate & Environment Topics

In which a leading Green intellectual demands wide-scale deindustrialisation, permanent rationing, the prohibition of all new construction and the end of the banking system – all to save the climate

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 235 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Some Green leaders in Germany want to reduce industry and even stop new buildings to help the environment. They believe this will improve climate conditions.
  2. The push for a more controlled economy includes ideas like rationing living space and limiting how much people can travel. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions.
  3. These ideas imply big changes, like having no banks and less personal wealth, which could upset many people's daily lives and freedoms.

EU's critical minerals, nickel labor, and EVs may not cut it for auto sector

Green Rocks • 78 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Climate technologies require huge amounts of metal, impacting mining and emissions reduction efforts.
  2. Concerns rise over labor conditions in Indonesia's booming nickel industry with reports of worker mistreatment.
  3. The auto sector faces challenges in meeting climate goals, requiring carbon standard agreements and increased renewable energy use.

The Eight Deadly Sins of Analyzing the Energy Transition

Climateer • 302 implied HN points • 10 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. The Eight Deadly Sins of Analyzing the Energy Transition discusses common mistakes in predicting the transition to clean technologies.
  2. Recommended climate podcasts include Volts, Catalyst, Cleaning Up, The Energy Transition Show, and My Climate Journey.
  3. Consider subscribing for occasional linkposts with interesting climate change articles and podcast recommendations.

My Back Pages: Stranded Assets and Our Climate Future

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 40 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. It's important not to overcomplicate solutions with too many strict requirements. Keeping it simple can help in finding effective answers.
  2. Voter control over political parties is crucial. If voters don't guide the system, they might need to start their own candidates.
  3. To tackle climate issues, we should work backward from our goals, like aiming for zero fossil fuel use by 2050, and think of necessary steps to achieve that.
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The German energy transition threatens to be an unaffordable, unrealisable disaster, according to the government's own independent auditors

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 205 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Independent auditors warn that German energy transition is unsustainable due to lack of reliable backup power for intermittent renewable sources.
  2. Germany is far behind in reaching renewable energy installation targets, needing a significant increase in wind and solar project installations.
  3. Massive grid expansions required for the energy transition in Germany are still inadequate, leading to doubts about the project's feasibility and affordability.

Good regulation vs bad regulation

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Some government regulation — like limits on noise and requirements for workplace protections — can improve public health and raise local property values.
  2. Installing noise barriers next to busy roads quickly increases nearby home prices (about 6.8% within 100m) and could unlock roughly $110 billion in lost property value nationwide.
  3. Widespread adoption of electric vehicles reduces traffic noise and could further boost property values (an estimated $77 billion gain), so faster EV uptake would help homeowners near noisy streets.

The low-carbon energy transition will need less mining than fossil fuels, even when adjusted for waste rock

Sustainability by numbers • 201 implied HN points • 06 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Low-carbon energy transition requires less mining than fossil fuels, even when accounting for waste rock.
  2. Material requirements for low-carbon technologies are still lower than current mining requirements for fossil fuels.
  3. Electrification for vehicles will increase material requirements, but overall material needs will decrease with an energy transition.

Beyond Gigafactories

Material World • 229 implied HN points • 29 May 23
🕹 Technology Energy transition
  1. Gigafactories are important for countries' car industries to keep high-skilled jobs and stay competitive in the shift to electric vehicles.
  2. The value in electric cars is mainly in the battery, which is prompting the need for countries to develop their own battery and component manufacturing.
  3. Building gigafactories is just the start - countries also need to focus on producing the chemicals and materials that go into batteries to truly benefit from the electric vehicle market.

We have enough minerals for the energy transition, but medium-term supply is a challenge [Part 2]

Sustainability by numbers • 150 implied HN points • 07 Dec 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Short- and medium-term supply of minerals for the energy transition is a challenge that requires increased recycling, substitution, mining, and refining capacity.
  2. The time it takes to discover new mineral deposits, open mines, and scale up refining capacity can create bottlenecks in the short- and medium-term.
  3. To meet the growing mineral demand by 2030, there is a need to accelerate new mine openings, build refining capacity, and ensure strong environmental and social oversight.

From Petrostates to Electrostates

European Straits • 11 implied HN points • 03 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Energy transition
  1. Energy is shifting from natural resources like oil and coal to electricity, impacting global power dynamics. Countries that can generate and manage electricity will be more influential in the future.
  2. AI technology is creating a huge demand for electricity, driving investment towards areas where power is cheap and reliable. This could change how industries are located and how economies grow.
  3. The shift to electricity isn’t just about tech; it's changing geopolitical landscapes, affecting everything from jobs to energy prices, similar to past oil crises but in reverse.

Tribune in Le Monde

Jérôme à Paris • 145 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
🌍 World Politics Energy transition
  1. Renewable energy debate in France is challenging due to historical focus on nuclear power over renewables.
  2. Misinformation and extreme arguments hinder constructive dialogue on energy choices.
  3. Increasing global reliance on renewables demonstrates their viability and reliability for the future.

Buildings as Power Plants

Equal Ventures • 19 implied HN points • 03 Dec 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. The virtual power plant (VPP) opportunity exists in sub-scale, BTM assets.
  2. Storage is the keystone of the energy transition. With storage, you are the market maker, unlike solar, where you're the price taker.
  3. Higher volatility strengthens the business case for storage and VPPs. As the grid becomes more volatile, buildings will turn to decentralized energy sources. Combining storage and VPPs enables buildings to operate as power producers.

Navigating the Energy Transition Amidst Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Equal Ventures • 19 implied HN points • 25 Mar 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has significant impacts on global energy markets due to Russia's key role as a major energy supplier.
  2. The crisis may lead to challenges in the supply chain for renewable energy materials like rare earth minerals, potentially impacting the production of green technologies like EVs.
  3. The need for energy independence and security may drive a shift towards natural gas in the short term, highlighting the importance of investing in grid infrastructure for a successful energy transition.

The Power of the Earth

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 13 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🔬 Science Energy transition
  1. Geothermal energy, originating from the Earth's core, offers a clean and abundant energy source.
  2. Innovative drilling methods using millimeter waves show potential to revolutionize deep geothermal projects.
  3. Geothermal power has the potential to provide continuous, clean energy on a global scale, but requires further technological advancements and support from governments.

China's Energy Transition Part 2

TP’s Substack • 10 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. China's power grid is rapidly transitioning to low carbon technologies, but other sectors beyond electricity, like transportation and industries, need to be decarbonized as well.
  2. China imports a significant amount of crude oil, natural gas, and refined oil products, spending over $300 billion per year on these fossil fuels, with most usage being outside of electricity generation.
  3. China's progress in electrifying passenger vehicles is notable, with a shift towards new energy vehicles (NEVs) leading to a potential collapse in gasoline demand in the next 5 years, although commercial vehicle electrification lags behind.

Headlines from a Warming World no.8

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 02 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. The world's carbon budget is running out fast. If we keep polluting at the same rate, we might use up our chance to limit warming to 1.5°C in just six years.
  2. Nepal's glaciers are melting rapidly, losing nearly one-third of their ice in thirty years. This affects water supplies for millions and threatens the region's climate and agriculture.
  3. Shell is cutting jobs in its low-carbon division and focusing more on oil and gas, which goes against the goal of reducing global heating. This indicates a significant shift in priorities away from clean energy.

Rishi Sunak's Shift on Climate Leaves UK's Climate Policy in the Shadows

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Rishi Sunak has changed the UK's climate policies, aiming to increase oil production and delay green requirements. This is seen as a big step back for climate action.
  2. The UK has strong laws in place to reduce greenhouse gases by 2050, but Sunak's decisions threaten to undermine these efforts and hinder progress in reducing emissions from homes.
  3. Global investment in clean energy is rapidly growing, but the UK risks falling behind other countries that are making stronger commitments to green energy and climate action.

Headlines from a Warming World, no.10

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 16 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. The US and China have gotten together to cut emissions and expand renewable energy. They want to work on reducing methane emissions too, which is a big step for China.
  2. Recently, the world experienced its hottest 12-month period ever. Many people faced extreme heat waves that were made worse by climate change.
  3. The EU is making progress in its climate goals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing renewable energy usage, especially after the energy disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine.

Welcome to the future we fought for five decades to avoid.

The Snap Forward • 0 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. We can't solve big climate problems in a calm way anymore. We've passed the point where an orderly transition is possible.
  2. The future looks really tough with climate change, and we will need to change how we live and how we plan for everything.
  3. Quick action to cut emissions is more important than ever. The longer we wait, the worse the impacts on people and the planet will be.

Deep water Gold Rush: High Returns, Heavy Carbon Costs

Adetokunbo Sees • 0 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy transition
  1. Deep-water oil exploration is rapidly expanding and highly profitable, with major companies and countries investing in ultra-deep projects that promise strong returns and low break-even costs.
  2. But deep-water drilling causes big environmental harms — large greenhouse gas emissions, routine toxic discharges, and catastrophic spills that damage marine life and worsen climate change.
  3. While firms argue deep-water helps avoid onshore problems like theft and cuts some emissions, the real fixes are prevention, rapid spill response, active carbon management, and much stricter regulation.

Cleaning Up Hydrogen

Solar Powered Data • 0 implied HN points • 12 Sep 23
🔬 Science Energy transition
  1. The average American needs to reduce their carbon contribution to avoid a 2 degree Celsius temperature increase by 2050. Personal actions like going solar and electrifying everything help, but difficult-to-electrify industries may rely on hydrogen for decarbonization.
  2. Traditional hydrogen production is not clean, emitting large amounts of CO2. New methods like 'blue' and 'green' hydrogen offer cleaner alternatives to help meet net zero goals.
  3. The cost of clean hydrogen production is decreasing, with major investments from companies driving a shift towards blue and green hydrogen. Despite challenges like varying emissions from different production methods, green hydrogen from renewable sources is seen as a key in reducing carbon emissions.