The hottest Renewable Energy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Climate & Environment Topics

There are only 2 kinds of battery

cleanenergyreview • 19 implied HN points • 21 May 24
🔬 Science Renewable Energy
  1. There are two main types of batteries that matter: high capital cost per kWh stored with high roundtrip efficiency, and low capital cost per kWh stored with low roundtrip efficiency.
  2. Technologies and teams in both battery categories will be working to reduce their respective costs over time.
  3. Renewables paired with batteries are seen as the future of electricity, with different battery types serving distinct roles in the energy grid.

A few basic truths about offshore wind

Jérôme à Paris • 510 implied HN points • 10 Oct 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Offshore wind was meant to be more expensive and a side show in the energy transition.
  2. Banks took construction risks initially, leading to offshore wind being almost as cheap as onshore wind in some regions.
  3. Offshore wind is necessary in some places due to geographical constraints and can provide diversification in renewable energy systems.

The War Against Oil Gets Hot

Dana Blankenhorn: Facing the Future • 59 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Renewable Energy
  1. Renewable energy costs have become competitive with coal-based energy and are continuing to decrease.
  2. The world's conflicts, funding, and wars are still heavily influenced by oil, leading to a literal war against oil.
  3. Recognizing the role of oil in global conflicts and actively engaging with the issue are crucial steps in overcoming the influence of oil.
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Degrowth Movement Would Abort Renewables Revolution

Japan Economy Watch • 259 implied HN points • 28 Sep 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Renewable energy provides a big opportunity due to its cost advantage over traditional fuels, allowing poorer countries to leapfrog over coal and oil.
  2. As countries get richer, they emit less CO2, as seen in the correlation between GDP increase and carbon emissions decrease.
  3. Technological progress, driven by growth, leads to declining emissions per GDP, per person, and eventually in total, with services being less carbon-intensive than manufacturing.

Building the Future by Hand

Field Guide to the Anthropocene • 98 implied HN points • 05 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. The Green Revolution Requires a Blue-Collar Revelation - Trades jobs are in high demand for the clean energy transition.
  2. If You Go to College, Study the Real World - Encouraging students to study practical skills, even alongside a college degree.
  3. Future Career Advice for Students - Emphasizing the importance of hands-on work and making a meaningful impact on the world.

Solar and market prices: focus on Southeast Europe

GEM Energy Analytics • 139 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Southeast Europe has a lot of potential for solar energy, especially in Greece, which could become a major supplier of green electricity to Europe.
  2. Solar energy production is expected to grow rapidly in the region, leading to high price fluctuations in day-ahead markets due to varying solar output.
  3. Greece is pushing for better electricity connections with neighboring countries to export its excess solar energy and support the transition away from fossil fuels.

Weather Permitting

The Crucial Years • 647 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Permitting reform is crucial for building renewable energy efficiently and quickly.
  2. Reforming housing zoning laws can help address high home prices and rents.
  3. When advocating for permitting reform, consider implementing a climate test, fairness test, and promoting public ownership of energy projects.

Free Hong

The Crucial Years • 597 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Hong Thi Minh is a brave climate activist from Vietnam who faced arrest for speaking out about climate crisis and coal use.
  2. Telling the truth about climate crisis can be dangerous in countries with oppressive governments, leading to arrests of activists.
  3. Supporting brave activists like Hong through global advocacy and pressure on governments is crucial for protecting human rights and advancing climate action.

Recycling Atoms With Supercritical Water

Splitting Infinity • 59 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
🔬 Science Renewable Energy
  1. Supercritical water can break down organic matter like sewage, paper, plastic, and food into simple molecules, helping in recycling and generating energy.
  2. Using supercritical water can address the issue of a potential future carbon shortage by breaking down carbon present in waste into simple molecules.
  3. Supercritical water enables a wide range of chemical processes like producing green hydrogen, desalination, and supporting different chemical reactions, offering potential for creating sustainable systems.

The cost of wind, the price of wind, the value of wind

Jérôme à Paris • 510 implied HN points • 08 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Cost, price, and value of wind power are different concepts in the energy market, with costs being related to production, prices driven by market forces, and value including externalities like pollution and carbon emissions.
  2. Wind power has fixed costs, zero marginal cost, and can lower electricity prices for consumers, making it an attractive option compared to fossil fuel-based generation.
  3. Externalities like intermittency, carbon emissions, and security of supply contribute to the overall value proposition of wind power, impacting its role in the system and the pricing mechanisms in place.

Will utility-scale batteries reduce volatility in the day-ahead markets?

GEM Energy Analytics • 119 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Renewable Energy
  1. Utility-scale batteries are not likely to lower price swings in energy markets soon. They may help with energy storage but won't solve ongoing price volatility problems.
  2. As solar energy use grows, the daily prices for electricity may get even more unpredictable, especially during peak sunny hours. This is known as the 'canyon curve' effect.
  3. While large batteries are useful for grid services, like frequency control, they're not yet cost-effective for buying energy at low prices and selling it at high prices. Other storage options, like pumped hydro, may offer better solutions.

AI's Environmental Impact: How Much Energy Does It Consume?

Rod’s Blog • 39 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Renewable Energy
  1. Artificial intelligence (AI) consumes a significant amount of energy and contributes to a large carbon footprint due to its need for computing power.
  2. The main sources of AI's carbon footprint are data centers that rely on fossil fuels or non-renewable energy sources to power and cool the machines.
  3. Both AI and cryptocurrency mining are energy-intensive activities but can benefit from renewable energy sources and face challenges related to ethics and regulation.

Japan Unlikely To Meet 2030 Goal For Emissions Reduction

Japan Economy Watch • 219 implied HN points • 04 Oct 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 requires strong government measures, as economic growth and renewable energy price reduction alone are insufficient.
  2. Decarbonizing energy is crucial but challenging, especially for richer countries as their per capita energy consumption increases.
  3. Japan faces hurdles in meeting emission reduction goals by 2030, like relying on coal and natural gas due to nuclear power challenges, and not fully maximizing opportunities in renewable energy and decarbonization sectors.

Renewables Mania And Woke Dogma Behind Hawaii Fire, Not Climate Change

Public • 469 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Climate change may not have directly caused the Hawaii fire, as the strong winds from Hurricane Dora played a significant role.
  2. Human-made changes to the landscape, including the growth of invasive grasses due to former sugar cane farms, contributed to the fire's intensity.
  3. Issues like failure to clear flammable grasses around electric wires and delayed release of water by a state official also played crucial roles in the Hawaii fire.

Electric Vehicle Myths

Diane Francis • 519 implied HN points • 22 Nov 21
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Electric vehicles are not fully green unless their electricity comes from clean sources. It's important to consider where the power to charge them is generated.
  2. The true environmental impact of electric vehicles depends on the electricity used to recharge them, not just the vehicles themselves.
  3. To make electric vehicles truly eco-friendly, we need to ensure a shift towards renewable energy for electricity production.

Stored Hydropower: an overlooked battery storage solution

WeBeGreen • 79 implied HN points • 31 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Stored Hydropower is an efficient and cost-effective solution to the intermittency of renewables, offering a massive energy reservoir that can provide reliable backup energy to the grid.
  2. The inefficiency of traditional fossil fuel systems, which waste a significant amount of energy as heat, contrasts with the direct supply of electricity from solar and wind energy systems, making the transition to renewables more feasible than perceived.
  3. The advancement of renewable energy technologies, coupled with innovative energy storage solutions like Pumped Hydro Storage, signifies a shift towards a sustainable future and the potential to move away from fossil fuels.

Dear governments - stop listening to whining utilities

Jérôme à Paris • 437 implied HN points • 28 Jul 23
💼 Business Renewable Energy
  1. Utilities lobbying for special favors can be seen as tactics to pressure governments for more favorable terms.
  2. Increased costs in the wind industry are real and partly a result of business decisions not to hedge against risks.
  3. Government regulations like the CfD are effective tools for encouraging low-cost capital investment in projects and should not be changed based on short-term pressures.

Save the Whales, Again

Public • 398 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Whales were successfully saved from extinction in the 1980s due to a global campaign against commercial whaling.
  2. Currently, whales are facing a new threat from the wind energy industry.
  3. The environmental movement is coming together to address this new threat to whales.

Big Oil's Renewable Retreat: A Step Back in Time

Adetokunbo Sees • 104 implied HN points • 14 Dec 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Big oil companies like BP, Shell, and Equinor are cutting back on their investments in renewable energy. This means they are spending less money on projects like wind farms.
  2. Shareholders are pressuring these companies because of losses in their renewable energy sectors. They are feeling the impact of high costs and project failures.
  3. This reduction in investment could slow down progress on fighting climate change, making it harder to meet global energy goals. Governments could help by offering incentives for these companies to keep investing in renewables.

What is the Cost when Creatures churn Plastics into Microplastics? Nanoplastics and Lots More

Adetokunbo Sees • 312 implied HN points • 18 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Animals like zooplanktons and amphipods can break down microplastics into even smaller particles, spreading them across oceans and affecting the environment.
  2. New technologies like diodes, thyristors, transistors, and capacitors are emerging to reduce the impact of fossil fuels and combat climate change.
  3. The widespread presence of microplastics poses a danger to both marine creatures and humans, impacting the carbon storage capacity of oceans and accelerating climate change.

Drought in Africa, Drought in California: How Climate Change turns Drought to Job losses

Adetokunbo Sees • 312 implied HN points • 04 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Climate change is leading to job losses in different parts of the world, like Africa and California.
  2. Individuals in various sectors, from researchers to farmers, are at risk of losing their jobs due to climate-related issues.
  3. The impact of climate change on agriculture is causing significant economic losses and job displacements globally.

The Green Economy Is A Lie

Fight to Repair • 59 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Companies often use buzzwords like "green" and "circular" in misleading ways, but repair can provide a more mindful approach to consumption.
  2. Promises of innovation and technology solving climate change often overlook the real costs of production, labor, and environmental impacts.
  3. Narratives of a 'clean energy economy' gloss over the human and ecological violence inherent in the pursuit of convenience and consumption, highlighting the importance of repair and addressing the true costs of our consumption habits.

Drying Lakes, Drying Streams, Drying Rivers: Blame Climate Change for Drying Water Bodies

Adetokunbo Sees • 312 implied HN points • 07 Oct 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Climate change plays a significant role in the drying up of lakes, streams, and rivers around the world.
  2. Human activities contribute to the water level decline in water bodies, along with climate change.
  3. As the world's population grows, the stress on water resources, migration, and conflicts due to drying water bodies could increase.

California Legislature Passes Electronics Right To Repair

Fight to Repair • 59 implied HN points • 15 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Renewable Energy
  1. California Legislature passed a Right to Repair Act, a big win for consumers, small repair shops, and the environment, following years of lobbying resistance from tech firms.
  2. Designer Ollee Means breathes new life into old chairs by restoring and revitalizing them, highlighting the importance of repair and sustainability in modern design.
  3. Google agrees to 10 years of Chromebook support and sustainability measures like adaptive charging, saving costs, reducing waste, and promoting longer-lasting devices.

Top Links 359 NextEra v. the GOP rollback, ASMLs global sales, the Gen Z gender-divergence & Britain's theorist of countergangs

Chartbook • 228 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Renewable Energy
  1. Top renewable energy developer in the US believes Republicans will not dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act if they win elections
  2. Chartbook Newsletter by Adam Tooze shares great links, images, and readings
  3. Paid subscribers have access to premium content on Adam Tooze's Substack page

Home Electrification Fights Climate Change

Warming Up to Climate Tech • 58 implied HN points • 25 Apr 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Home electrification can help reduce carbon emissions by switching to electric-powered appliances and adopting cleaner energy sources.
  2. Electric appliances are more energy-efficient and cost-effective compared to fossil fuel appliances, saving money and reducing carbon emissions.
  3. Government incentives, like rebates and tax credits, encourage home electrification and promote the adoption of clean energy technologies.

Ai to Combat Climate Change

Warming Up to Climate Tech • 58 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy
  1. Artificial intelligence can optimize the way we live, work, and allocate resources to fight climate change and adapt to its effects.
  2. There are opportunities for startups and corporations to use AI in combating climate change by analyzing data and making informed decisions.
  3. AI has potential in climate tech for mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and fundamentals like climate research, climate finance, and behavioral changes.

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 Renewable Energy
  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.