The hottest Energy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Which Technologies Have Learning Curves?

Climateer • 755 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Energy Innovation Regulation Standardization Subsidies
  1. Some technologies progress faster than others based on factors like standardization, product complexity, manufacturing complexity, barriers to entry, project timeline, and market growth.
  2. The power of standards can accelerate cost reduction in technologies by promoting standardization, streamlining regulatory processes, and fostering international cooperation.
  3. Subsidies are effective for technologies with steep learning curves, like batteries and solar panels, but may not work well for complex or customized technologies like nuclear power or BECCS.

The Only Three Products in the Universe

Ulysses • 159 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Information Energy AI
  1. The three primary products in the universe are information, matter, and energy. These are the fundamental components of economic activity.
  2. Software businesses focus on processing and disseminating information, which can disrupt social activities that involve thinking and language.
  3. The ultimate value in economic activity is derived from manipulating matter and energy efficiently, with the mastery of synthetic biology predicted to have a greater impact than AI.
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The Cost of Changing Course

Dana Blankenhorn: Facing the Future • 78 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economy Energy Healthcare
  1. America's economy is built on incentives favoring oil and gas, making it difficult to transition to renewable energy.
  2. Wealthy individuals and big corporations often benefit the most from government aid and investments, rather than the intended recipients.
  3. Challenges in implementing new policies arise due to resistance from established industries and fear of disrupting the capitalist system.

Why the German tender for offshore wind is bad news

Jérôme à Paris • 486 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
💼 Business Energy Government Investment Market Dynamics
  1. Germany's offshore wind tender results indicate a significant increase in costs, impacting electricity generation prices.
  2. The licence payments may double the total investment needed to build wind projects, leading to higher electricity costs.
  3. The outcome of the German tender might set a concerning precedent for future offshore wind auctions, potentially affecting market dynamics.

Seven reasons why the world should say No to Sam Altman

Marcus on AI • 61 HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Energy Economics Human Capital
  1. Investing $7 trillion in AI infrastructure would have significant energy and climate implications, possibly leading to heavy environmental costs.
  2. $7 trillion for AI exceeds the economic resources allocated to critical areas like education or ending world hunger, highlighting potential opportunity costs.
  3. Such a massive financial risk of a $7 trillion project could have severe consequences on the world economy, similar to the impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

The Gordian Knot News "A" List

Gordian Knot News • 168 implied HN points • 25 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Energy Regulation Nuclear Safety
  1. The Gordian Knot News focuses on the importance of cheap nuclear power for humanity's prosperity and environmental conservation.
  2. Understanding key features of radiation and where we went wrong in nuclear power are crucial to solving the issues in the industry.
  3. Proposing a new regulatory system and a radiation harm model are essential steps towards a better future for nuclear power.

Biofuels: the US could switch to electric cars and solar power on just a fraction of the land

Sustainability by numbers • 296 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Sustainability Renewables Transportation Land use
  1. Growing biofuels in the US is a poor use of land, especially when solar energy needs much less land and could power the country three times over.
  2. Biofuels may not have as positive an impact on the environment as initially assumed, with some studies suggesting they could increase emissions.
  3. Switching from biofuels to solar power for electric cars in the US could significantly reduce land use and still meet transportation needs.

Europe pays more for banned Russian oil, resold by India - as EU wages fall

Geopolitical Economy Report • 538 implied HN points • 05 May 23
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics Sanctions Energy Inflation Wages
  1. Europe is indirectly purchasing Russian oil through India at higher prices despite sanctions, contributing to de-dollarization and falling wages.
  2. Russian oil exports to Asia, particularly China and India, have increased significantly due to Western sanctions, shifting away from Europe.
  3. Real wages in the EU have fallen by 6.5% from 2020 to 2022 due to rising energy costs and a severe cost-of-living crisis, impacting poorer households the most.

It's the economic growth, stupid

¡Do Not Panic! • 452 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Sustainability Renewables Degrowth
  1. Continued energy growth, irrespective of the source, could lead to catastrophic levels of waste heat.
  2. Global economic growth at 2.3% annually may hit a saturation point in 200 years due to resource constraints.
  3. Physical limits to growth, driven by raw physics, will eventually necessitate radical changes to current economic, political, and social systems.

US blew up Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, journalist Seymour Hersh reports

Geopolitical Economy Report • 558 implied HN points • 11 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics Energy Warfare Alliances Diplomacy
  1. The US government, with the help of CIA, Navy divers, and NATO member Norway, reportedly destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia to Germany.
  2. There were denial from the White House and CIA about the covert operation, illustrating how they can legally lie to the public about such actions.
  3. US's planning to destroy Nord Stream began before Russia invaded Ukraine, with the operation executed by US Navy divers placing explosives on the pipelines during NATO exercises.

Oil, Climate, Oppenheimer, and Restructuring

Life in the 21st Century • 275 implied HN points • 17 Jul 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Oil Climate Energy Renewables Institutions
  1. Transitioning away from oil use is crucial for addressing climate change and reducing energy waste
  2. Restructuring transportation infrastructure to be more efficient can help in cutting oil consumption
  3. There is a need to reevaluate and revalue daily human life to address the inadequacies and obsolescence of current institutions and values

Cheap nuclear is healthy nuclear

Gordian Knot News • 139 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🔬 Science Nuclear Radiation Health Energy
  1. Engineers must balance desirable factors like performance and safety in their work.
  2. Our understanding of numbers and rational thinking is a relatively recent development.
  3. Low levels of radiation exposure from nuclear accidents may not cause measurable harm and nuclear energy can have health benefits compared to fossil fuels.

The Fusion Energy Landscape

Ulysses • 359 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
🔬 Science Energy Physics Technology Research Funding
  1. Fusion energy promises clean, pollution-free energy that can be built anywhere and lasts millions of years without geopolitical disputes over fuel reserves.
  2. Different fusion technologies like magnetic confinement, inertial confinement, and magneto-inertial confinement offer diverse approaches to achieving fusion reactions with varying benefits and challenges.
  3. Developing fusion energy requires extensive funding, traditional engineering solutions, and expertise underscoring a journey to harness limitless energy potential.

Peru's natural resources: CIA-linked US ambassador meets with mining and energy ministers to talk 'investments'

Geopolitical Economy Report • 398 implied HN points • 19 Jan 23
🌍 World Politics Natural resources Investments Mining Energy Coup
  1. Peru is rich in natural resources like copper, gold, zinc, silver, and natural gas, making it a hub for transnational corporations who heavily invest in the mining sector.
  2. President Pedro Castillo aimed to ensure that 70% of mining proceeds went to the state for social programs, but after a coup, the focus shifted back to foreign corporate investments, reversing progressive economic plans.
  3. Natural gas, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG), plays a significant role in Peru's exports, with a notable shift towards Europe as a top importer following a boycott of Russian energy.

US now world's top LNG exporter, as Europe boycotts cheaper Russian gas

Geopolitical Economy Report • 398 implied HN points • 08 Jan 23
🌍 World Politics Energy Europe Russia Trade Geopolitics
  1. The USA is now the top exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) alongside Qatar.
  2. Europe has replaced Asia as the main market for US LNG due to boycotting cheaper Russian gas, causing energy prices in Europe to soar.
  3. Significant US LNG importers in Europe include France, Spain, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy, resulting in economic chaos and geopolitical tensions.

Coking Coal: Its Over

Syncretica • 294 implied HN points • 14 May 23
💰 Finance Commodities Markets Investing Energy
  1. Predicted drop in coking coal prices due to Mongolia's coal imports displacing seaborne market imports.
  2. Issues with volume response from Australian, Canadian, and US coal producers to record high prices.
  3. Significant increase in Mongolian coking coal exports impacting market prices negatively.

Offshore wind and big company lobbying

Jérôme à Paris • 121 implied HN points • 21 Sep 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy Lobbying Climate change Government
  1. Big offshore wind projects often require government support or changes in regulations to be built
  2. Companies involved in offshore wind projects may try to renegotiate after making commitments, leveraging their political weight
  3. Offshore wind projects have high visibility, symbolic value, and political weight, making them a common target for lobbying and political maneuvering

ALARA

Gordian Knot News • 241 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
🔬 Science Energy Regulation Costs Bureaucracy
  1. ALARA philosophy in nuclear regulation aims for minimal radioactive emissions.
  2. ALARA can lead to increased costs and hinder technological advancements in nuclear power.
  3. ALARA's focus on reducing radiation exposure may lead to excessive regulation and operational costs.

Supply AND Demand

Knowledge Problem • 235 implied HN points • 05 May 23
🔬 Science Energy Technology Economics Environment Digital
  1. Market value is determined by the interaction of supply and demand, allowing for price discovery.
  2. The traditional assumption in the electricity industry of fixed supply catering to demand is becoming obsolete due to digital technologies enabling flexible demand.
  3. Digital technologies and dynamic pricing are empowering consumers to have more control over their electricity bills and contribute to a greener future.

Stage 2: Nuclear Power's Economics Suck

Gordian Knot News • 219 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
💼 Business Energy Economics Regulations Costs Market
  1. Nuclear power in the West is incredibly expensive and time-consuming to build, hindering its potential to combat global issues like climate change.
  2. Historically, nuclear power has been cost-competitive with coal, but rising costs due to regulations and construction delays have made it less viable.
  3. The core issue with nuclear power's economics lies in the perception of any radioactive release as intolerable, leading to excessive safety measures that drive up costs.

Is AI a Silver Bullet for our Climate Problems?

This Week in MCJ (My Climate Journey) • 216 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
🔬 Science Climate AI Data Education Energy
  1. AI solutions in climate problems can be biased towards easily accessible data, encouraging broader solution development is crucial.
  2. AI must quantify its confidence in recommendations for climate problem-solving due to the high cost of mistakes.
  3. Encouraging new datasets and AI methods with confidence measurement can lead to more successful projects in addressing climate challenges.

What is nuclear's should-cost?

Gordian Knot News • 212 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🔬 Science Nuclear Energy Regulation Cost Analysis Risk Assessment
  1. Nuclear power can be more cost-effective than traditional sources like coal plants.
  2. Naive LCOE may not accurately represent the true cost of nuclear energy due to fluctuations in demand and the need for backup.
  3. Key challenges for nuclear power include regulatory risk, construction risk, and ensuring liability for unplanned outages and radiation releases.

A New Era in Energy Technology

Startup Pirate by Alex Alexakis • 176 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Energy Renewables AI Innovation Startups
  1. Europe is transitioning to clean energy to combat high electricity prices, energy dependence, and climate goals.
  2. Renewable energy advancements like solar power and batteries are facilitating economic growth and decarbonization.
  3. Innovations in energy technology, like AI-powered platforms and green hydrogen compressors, are reshaping the industry towards sustainability and efficiency.

India & Energy

Life in the 21st Century • 176 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
🌍 World Politics India Energy US Europe China
  1. India's population is the same size as China's, making up 35% of the global population.
  2. India's energy usage per capita is 7% of the United States, showing a huge gap in lifestyle and energy consumption.
  3. India's development model should not follow the West, requiring a new approach to 'development' for the entire world.

The Economist on New Electricity Technologies

Knowledge Problem • 176 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Energy Digitalization Innovation Policy Renewables
  1. The Economist reports on new electricity technologies, like high voltage transmission and grid-forming inverters, vital for a cleaner energy future.
  2. Systemic changes in energy infrastructure take time and investment, but are crucial for achieving reliable and sustainable power.
  3. Digitization and renewable energy adoption are reshaping grids, calling for new investments and regulatory adjustments to maintain stability and affordability.