The hottest Energy Substack posts right now

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Silent Allies

Doomberg • 6686 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. Russia and China have been oddly muted in response to US moves to pressure or depose Venezuela’s Maduro, and that silence stands out given their professed alliances.
  2. Both countries have deep stakes in Venezuela — Russia with energy joint ventures and arms sales, and China as the country’s largest oil customer — so stronger pushback would have been expected.
  3. Their silence is itself a clue: treating it like the 'dog that didn't bark' opens multiple possible explanations and suggests mainstream reporting may be missing important context.

Does that use a lot of energy? [Update]

Sustainability by numbers • 575 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy
  1. An interactive tool lets you compare the energy use of different products and activities so you can better judge their relative scale and importance.
  2. The tool was updated after lots of user feedback, with many improvements documented in a changelog, while deliberately leaving out some suggestions to avoid making it too complex.
  3. A major visible change is the addition of rough country-level energy cost comparisons to make results more meaningful, and the tool is available to use and share while remaining open to further (less frequent) feedback.

Late Britain

Doomberg • 12544 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy
  1. Prax Group, a UK energy company, went bankrupt and is involved in significant fraud, causing the closure of its Lindsey Oil Refinery. This highlights serious issues in the UK energy sector's management.
  2. The UK government's windfall profits tax on oil and gas companies is causing investment anxiety and a potential drop in energy security. The Chancellor faces pressure to manage this tax effectively in the upcoming budget.
  3. Labour Party faces unpopularity but might stay in power until 2029 due to the electoral system. Current leaders could influence the future of key economic decisions, especially regarding energy policies.

Chartbook 423 Some topical material on Venezuela. Hopefully useful.

Chartbook • 4334 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. Venezuela’s oil story has three phases: rapid growth under high rent extraction until the 1976 nationalisation, a 1990s–2000s recovery after the Apertura that drew big foreign investment, and a sharp collapse in the mid-2010s that sanctions and institutional decline worsened.
  2. The headline that Venezuela has the “largest oil reserves” is misleading because much of the booked volume is extra‑heavy Orinoco crude that is expensive and technically hard to produce; proved reserves shift with prices, technology, and institutional capacity.
  3. Opening to foreign investors brought large CAPEX but later policy re‑structuring triggered massive arbitration claims and litigation, so whoever governs Venezuela faces both valuable assets and large liabilities amid geopolitically driven interventions and sanctions.

Life and Death and Other Numbers

Thinking about... • 332 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. Numbers can show the scale of death, but each number is a unique person with a life and relationships that statistics cannot capture.
  2. Anniversaries and counts risk turning loss into an abstraction and can let individuals and states avoid moral responsibility.
  3. The war’s length and size are the result of ongoing political and economic choices, so ending it depends on changing those choices and actions.
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Top Links 1027 Why the US gas business loves exports. Unger on Keynes. Decarbonization coalitions & the last Mauds in America.

Chartbook • 329 implied HN points • 28 Feb 26
💼 Business Energy
  1. The US natural gas industry is increasingly built around exports, which strongly shapes its business strategy and political influence.
  2. A major discussion revisits Keynesian economics and assesses how Keynes’s ideas matter for current policy debates.
  3. There is growing focus on coalitions pushing decarbonization and on the situation of the remaining entities referred to as the "last Mauds" in America.

Weekend Update #175: The Week In Which Ukraine Stood Up To Help The USA And The USA Stood Up To Help Russia

Phillips’s Newsletter • 363 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. Ukraine has developed cheap, effective ways to shoot down attack drones and quickly stepped in to help the US and other allies who lacked that capability.
  2. Recent US decisions around the Iran conflict — defending Russian actions, easing oil restrictions, and expending large amounts of advanced air-defense missiles — have effectively aided Russia politically and economically while depleting US and allied stocks.
  3. On the ground, Ukraine made net territorial gains in February and is inflicting high Russian personnel losses, suggesting their drone-heavy, lower-manpower strategy is producing results.

Yesterday’s War

Doomberg • 5706 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. Attacks on tankers carrying Russian oil aim to cut Moscow’s war revenue, but they’re hard to enforce and provoke political and legal backlash from other countries.
  2. The strikes and sanctions have already driven up war‑risk insurance and shipping costs sharply, raising logistics bills for everyone and likely pushing global commodity prices higher.
  3. Fully blocking seaborne exports probably won’t crush Russia because producers can offset lost volume with higher prices and alternate routes, meaning the economic pain may fall on global consumers rather than on Moscow.

🚀 FP! Week In Review, Briefly #22

Faster, Please! • 913 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. AI appears to be hitting a real productivity inflection, driving corporate growth and huge investments, but it’s also causing outages, disruption fears, and political backlash.
  2. Enhanced geothermal — so-called hot rock — could become a major, always-on clean power source if government-funded R&D, demonstrations, and permitting reforms reduce early drilling risk.
  3. American science and tech face worrying headwinds — brain drain, the squeezing out of foreign researchers, and high-profile safety mishaps — that could blunt future progress if not addressed.

Alberta Unstuck

Doomberg • 6383 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy
  1. A new energy deal between Alberta and Ottawa aims to boost oil exports, marking a significant change in Canadian energy policy.
  2. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has decided to suspend emissions caps and support a pipeline to help Alberta's oil reach Asian markets.
  3. This shift in policy is seen as a major move in global oil and gas flows, potentially impacting international markets soon.

Cup Runneth Over

Doomberg • 7407 implied HN points • 23 Nov 25
💼 Business Energy
  1. ExxonMobil has made a significant discovery using petroleum coke as a proppant, which can boost oil production in shale wells by up to 20%. This technology is expected to play a big role in their growing production numbers.
  2. Despite concerns about oil production peaking, companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron are demonstrating increased efficiency and technology advancements that could mean more oil recovery rather than a decline.
  3. Many people believe we are running out of oil, but a more optimistic view is that technology will help find and create more energy resources, leading to lower long-term prices for oil and gas.

🕛 The Doomsday Clock is a myth machine

Faster, Please! • 2102 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. AI is being mythologized as a techno-god or existential threat instead of seen as a human-built tool with concrete, measurable capabilities.
  2. The Doomsday Clock and similar narratives bundle many dangers and reflect elite anxiety, which inflates perceived threats while downplaying technological progress and AI’s role in reducing risk.
  3. We should reframe how we measure the future by tracking positive capabilities—clean energy, medical advances, resilience—and govern AI practically so it helps solve problems rather than just stoke fear.

Watch Those Assumptions!

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 1864 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy
  1. Population projections for 2050 have been revised downward. Yet global energy demand is still expected to grow a lot, so fewer people doesn't automatically mean less energy use.
  2. Electric vehicle adoption is projected to rise dramatically around the world, especially in developing regions, and that could sharply reduce demand for liquid fuels if it accelerates. Small changes in EV trends can ripple across many other energy projections.
  3. Fossil fuels are likely to remain a large part of the energy mix through mid-century, with oil and gas plateauing and coal declining more slowly than hoped. The fastest way to cut emissions quickly would be to replace coal-fired power plants.

Some actual good news for once!

Odds and Ends of History • 469 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🎙 Podcasts Energy
  1. Cornwall could become Britain’s lithium and geothermal powerhouse as new projects develop there.
  2. London is finally set to get a pedestrianised Oxford Street after years of institutional gridlock.
  3. UK astronomy funding is under threat, and cuts to curiosity-driven fundamental research could seriously damage the country’s leadership in astronomy.

Closed Loop

Doomberg • 6214 implied HN points • 19 Nov 25
💼 Business Energy
  1. China is investing heavily in coal-to-liquids technology to reduce reliance on foreign oil and improve energy security. They are developing facilities that convert coal into fuels and chemicals, which is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
  2. There is a booming sector in coal-to-gas production in China, which aims to increase energy independence despite global natural gas being cheaper and more abundant. This focus on coal-derived natural gas has economic and environmental concerns.
  3. China is also making strides in nuclear energy with a new thorium-based reactor, potentially leading to a new source of energy. This aims to enhance their energy resources and reduce dependence on external supplies.

The long-term political consequences of Mr. Putin

Global Inequality and More 3.0 • 2053 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. The war severed long-standing economic and cultural ties between Russia and Europe, hurting trade and intellectual exchange; Russia’s pivot to Asia and the Global South may blunt some of the economic pain.
  2. NATO has moved closer to Russia’s borders and Western states have frozen or seized large Russian assets, weakening Russia’s security position and national wealth.
  3. The conflict has forged a strong Ukrainian national identity and deep anti‑Russian sentiment, making genuine reconciliation unlikely for many years.

Bikes and battle cruisers (Odds and Ends #88)

Odds and Ends of History • 536 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. The UK government is running a consultation on increasing access to public sector data, and it's a real chance to push for making key datasets like the Postcode Address File more open to spur innovation.
  2. Big policy debates are underway about planning and environmental governance, plus new ways to safely open NHS data for research, and those changes could reshape public services and regulation.
  3. Several fast-moving tech and infrastructure trends deserve attention: breakthrough AI hardware, evolving web standards like CSS, creative uses of EV charging, and huge renewable build-outs in China.

Top Links 1016 Dassault means trouble. LatAm's labour market. National security muffins & Gadamer's secrets to longevity.

Chartbook • 457 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. Investment in US power generation plateaued in 2024 after political shifts and IRA-related changes. That raises the risk of a power bottleneck that could constrain AI development.
  2. The roundup flags potential trouble at Dassault and provides fresh analysis of Latin America's labour market.
  3. The selection mixes serious national-security and economic reporting with quirky cultural and philosophical pieces, from 'national security muffins' to reflections on Gadamer and longevity.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #182

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 210 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. Big advances in clean energy are moving from lab to grid. Gigawatt‑hour iron‑air batteries are being deployed for multi‑day storage and startups are pursuing stellarator fusion plants, both pointing to more reliable, decarbonized power and new manufacturing jobs.
  2. Medical research is producing transformative, non‑traditional therapies. Phase‑3 psilocybin trials show strong results for treatment‑resistant depression and other studies suggest benefits for chronic conditions like post‑treatment Lyme, while vitamin B2/B3 genomics identified a simple, life‑saving therapy for NAXD in animal models.
  3. The internet economy is accelerating and reshaping commerce and payments. Fast growth in new businesses, app activity, and stablecoin payment volume, plus concepts like agentic commerce, suggest rising momentum — but widespread progress will depend on regulatory and permissioning systems.

Reading List 08/16/25

Construction Physics • 15658 implied HN points • 16 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. The U.S. government is looking to restrict solar and wind projects on federal land due to concerns about their land usage. This raises questions about the future of renewable energy development.
  2. Air travel delays seem worse because airlines are extending flight times in their schedules. This strategy, while increasing travel time, might actually reduce issues with connections and delays.
  3. Ford is adopting a new car manufacturing process similar to Tesla's, which involves assembling parts in large modules before final assembly. This could make production more efficient and pave the way for more innovative manufacturing techniques.

🔥 American hot rocks

Faster, Please! • 731 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy
  1. America’s shale boom was a joint effort: government funded early science and field trials while private companies did the risky tinkering and cost-cutting to make it commercial.
  2. Lawmakers are trying to copy that playbook for advanced (superhot) geothermal by using public funding to absorb early technical risk and spur demonstrations.
  3. If government-backed R&D and private-sector scaling work together again, geothermal could be developed into a large, competitive clean energy source.

Does that use a lot of energy?

Sustainability by numbers • 583 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy
  1. Energy use and emissions are hard to judge without context, so comparing common household activities helps show what’s actually big or small.
  2. The numbers are rough, based on typical usage, and the tool is deliberately simple to show order-of-magnitude differences rather than exact watt-hours.
  3. Users are invited to give feedback on wrong assumptions, broken components, missing items, or useful features, and the tool may later be expanded to include carbon-emissions comparisons.

Deep Fear!

Aether Pirates of the Matterium! • 18455 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. Military analysts are afraid of the future and the rapid advancement of technology.
  2. Tech-minded individuals are seen as a threat by the military due to their knowledge and innovative capabilities.
  3. The release of Zero Point Technology to the public, especially techies, is a major concern for the military as it would shift power dynamics significantly.

How Batteries Are Making the Electrical Grid More Reliable

Construction Physics • 18999 implied HN points • 19 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. Batteries help keep the electrical grid stable by balancing the supply and demand of electricity. They can quickly charge and discharge, making it easier to match electricity use with what power plants produce.
  2. The use of batteries in places like California and Texas has grown a lot, making them a key part of the power grid. They help prevent outages and reduce electricity costs by storing cheap energy for when it's needed later.
  3. Batteries can also improve grid reliability by providing fast response to sudden changes in power demand. This is done using advanced technology that allows them to stabilize electricity flow without relying on traditional power plants.

How America Blew It on EVs. The Trouble with Eileen Gu. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 445 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
📰 News Energy
  1. America is falling behind in the electric car transition because Detroit didn’t build the kinds of EVs buyers wanted and mishandled the shift from gas-powered models.
  2. The positive coverage of Eileen Gu shows how media can be uncritical when an athlete competes for an authoritarian country, making flattering profiles feel more like soft propaganda than scrutiny.
  3. More young people are turning to risk-free monetized intimacy like OnlyFans instead of messy real relationships, which can reduce exposure to rejection and hinder emotional growth.

Concerns of Voters

Points And Figures • 532 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy
  1. Rural voters are split on development — some oppose new projects while others welcome mining and geothermal growth, and they want local control over where and how development happens.
  2. People are worried about state finances and high costs; they like Nevada's 0% income tax but don’t want higher sales taxes or fees, and they want the treasurer to take quick steps and modernize the office to save taxpayers money.
  3. Voters broadly support voter ID and a ballot ban on men in women’s sports, and they also want school choice, better medical access, more clarity around cryptocurrency, and less reliance on California for gasoline.

My book is published in the US today, and I'm shortlisted for the Unwin Award

Sustainability by numbers • 454 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy
  1. An energy comparison tool got lots of user feedback and will be updated; a change log will be added and a carbon-emissions-equivalent feature is planned.
  2. Clearing the Air has been published in North America and is now available from major book retailers.
  3. Shortlisted for the Unwin Award, a recognition that highlights early-career non-fiction authors whose work makes a significant contribution.

At least five interesting things: Anything but protests edition (#65)

Noahpinion • 19765 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy
  1. The U.S. government is actually pretty efficient, which surprises many tech workers. They often expect to find lots of waste, but instead find hard-working employees.
  2. Solar power is becoming a major energy source in the U.S. and can meet a big chunk of electricity demand, especially when combined with batteries for storage.
  3. Americans are getting richer again after the 2008 financial crisis and housing crash, as housing prices rise and household debt decreases.

Where is the off ramp for this war?

Taipology • 74 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. Missile interceptors are expensive and often miss, so the US is burning through costly stockpiles that are hard to replenish because key parts like semiconductors and rare earths mostly come from China.
  2. Iran’s missile forces are mostly mobile and spread out, which encourages a 'use it or lose it' response and means strikes are hitting regional targets while fueling widespread Shia anger after the Ayatollah’s killing.
  3. That dynamic leaves the US with few good options: either pull back without achieving regime change or stay and risk a costly quagmire, while a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could push oil prices much higher and make the situation worse.

Write for ChinaTalk!

ChinaTalk • 844 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🌐 International Energy
  1. They’re seeking deeply reported, analytically sharp pitches that go beyond headlines and are willing to pay and edit work from first-time or non-native-English writers.
  2. Priority topics include China’s escalation and economic-coercion options, energy and data-center build-out (and its ties to AI), China’s global tech and infrastructure influence, scientific and biotech progress, and Taiwan’s democratization.
  3. Reporters with local language skills, on-the-ground access, archival finds, or ideas for novel formats (interactive pieces or economic modeling) are especially encouraged and can earn higher pay.

The 1979 Playbook

European Straits • 23 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. A late-cycle shock in the Middle East is hitting an already fragile economy, driving oil above $90 and adding fresh inflationary pressure while jobs and growth soften.
  2. We’re in the maturity phase of the tech-led paradigm, where slowing productivity, high public debt, and institutional decay mean shocks are amplified and monetary options are constrained.
  3. The United States has a history of misreading Iran, and recent strikes appear driven more by domestic politics than clear strategy; asymmetric warfare economically favors Iran and the crisis could either hasten a new global order or merely prolong the old one.

Following U.S. coup in Venezuela, the CIA's former station chief is advertising support for corporate exploitation of the country's oil

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 1668 implied HN points • 03 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. A former CIA Venezuela chief now runs a lobbying firm that is promoting work to rebuild and profit from Venezuela's energy sector alongside ex-diplomats and private companies.
  2. After a US special forces raid that kidnapped Nicolás Maduro, the US administration said it would oversee the country temporarily and invited large American oil firms to come in and rebuild and extract profit.
  3. Those actions and plans have raised legal and ethical concerns and drawn international condemnation, while the US government points to drug-trafficking allegations and has used sanctions and allied NGOs to justify its moves.

Top Links 1005 India's geopolitical centrality. Pomegranates from Afghanistan. Old Mexico & "The Earth's Precariousness".

Chartbook • 486 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Energy
  1. India is becoming geopolitically central and is shaping global politics and trade in new ways.
  2. Energy ties between Russia, India, and the UAE are realigning into a new geometry that is shifting power and supply relationships.
  3. Pieces like Afghan pomegranates and reflections on old Mexico point to local economic and cultural stories that also highlight wider concerns about the Earth's environmental precariousness.

Top Links 997 AI in the bond market. How the UK ended coal. Pasolini on Gramsci and Trotsky on Europe.

Chartbook • 672 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
💰 Finance Energy
  1. Big Tech’s move into AI is creating new risks for the bond market by concentrating data, models, and trading influence in a few platforms that could amplify shocks.
  2. The UK’s phase-out of coal shows how coordinated policy and market shifts can rapidly retire fossil fuel capacity and offers a practical model for energy transition elsewhere.
  3. Engagements like Pasolini on Gramsci and Trotsky on Europe show that cultural and political theory still shape how we understand national identity and continental politics, offering different lenses on power and change.

Pirates of the Anthropocene

The Crucial Years • 2600 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy
  1. Oil still shapes geopolitics and can drive coercive, even pirate-like actions as states treat fossil fuels as concentrated sources of power and wealth.
  2. Moving to solar and wind would decentralize energy and make conflicts over resource locations far less likely, so speeding the clean-energy transition also undermines authoritarian, resource-driven power.
  3. The energy transition is making progress—court wins for offshore wind, battery recycling advances, and China's lead—but it faces big obstacles from political rollbacks, EPA denial of climate science, booming energy-hungry datacenters, and worsening extreme weather.

Top Links 1001 Copper goes crazy. Cuba is running out of oil. Mehrling on Rogoff & the thaw on Kinmen island.

Chartbook • 529 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
💰 Finance Energy
  1. Copper prices have exploded this year, reflecting sharp shifts in global commodity markets and putting pressure on industries that need copper.
  2. Cuba is running low on oil, which raises the risk of fuel shortages that could disrupt transportation, power, and daily life.
  3. There’s an active debate between economists like Mehrling and Rogoff, and a diplomatic thaw on Kinmen island hints at easing regional tensions.

Reading List 07/26/25

Construction Physics • 10647 implied HN points • 26 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. The FAA has changed rules for light sport aircraft, making it easier to create and fly new types of planes. This could boost innovation in personal aviation and make flying more accessible.
  2. China is building the world's biggest hydropower dam in Tibet, which will generate massive amounts of energy. However, this project has raised concerns about its impact on neighboring countries and the environment.
  3. Microfactories in construction are gaining popularity as they allow for on-site production of building components. This approach can save money and time by reducing transportation and large factory costs.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #181

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 189 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🔬 Science Energy
  1. Heron Power raised $140M to mass-produce modular, software-defined solid-state transformers that use wide-bandgap semiconductors, can handle DC (so some customers can skip inverters), and aim to modernize and shorten supply bottlenecks in the grid.
  2. A new nasal vaccine protected animals against many respiratory viruses, bacteria, and allergens, suggesting a future seasonal spray or rapid pandemic stopgap; human trials are next to check how long protection lasts and whether it’s safe.
  3. David Silver secured $1B to build AI that learns from its own experience, pushing toward an "Era of Experience" where agents improve by interacting with environments rather than just imitating static data.

The Innovation Lie

Anima Mundi • 288 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Energy
  1. Major breakthroughs and foundational technologies mostly come from public research, universities, and shared knowledge rather than purely from private companies, and public R&D yields outsized social returns.
  2. Large parts of the current market are extractive—patent thickets, intermediaries, and financial engineering capture value instead of creating useful things—driving inequality and limiting real wellbeing.
  3. Commons-based, open-source design combined with abundant solar energy and biological/local manufacturing can collapse material costs and enable massive, regenerative growth that outperforms competitive, rent-seeking systems.

The Exception That Proves the Rule

Doomberg • 8484 implied HN points • 08 Aug 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy
  1. Australia has a lot of natural resources, like coal and natural gas, which gives it a strong position in global energy markets.
  2. The country is trying to move to renewable energy sources like wind and solar, but this shift is causing serious problems for its electricity grid.
  3. As Australia adds more renewable energy, its electricity costs are rising and the system is becoming less reliable, showing the challenges of relying too much on intermittent power sources.