Aluminum smelting could hold the secrets to industrial decarbonization and advanced manufacturing. But to rebuild its aluminum sector, the U.S. needs to learn how and why China seized control. Learn more in a new whitepaper from colleagues and myself thebreakthrough.org/issues/energ...

China just lifted export bans on Ga, Sb, and Ge to the US GaSbGe sounds kinda like Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerald’s Gatsby was obsessed with a green light The green light represented wealth & the American dream Green also = environmental Ga Sb Ge = the American dream = clean energy

Georgia PSC elections show voters ARE responding to high electric bills Dems Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard beat incumbent Republicans Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson Utilities funded 87% of F. Johnson's & 61% Echols' campaigns They spent 12x as much as A. Johnson and Hubbard

Few know that we owe our global Internet infrastructure to Erbium (Er), a rare earth element But it's not NdPr used in permanent magnets so nobody cares!

Dems forget that hydrogen and CO2 pipelines will stay pipe dreams without permitting reform

FTC oversees cell tower siting STB oversees railroad construction FERC oversees pipeline siting Transmission lines enable interstate commerce just as much…law needs to treat them like it!

I’d prefer an apolitical climate transition that reaches net-zero by 2100 but is based on technological merit alone over what we’re doing now

DOE is officially moving forward with plans to site and build private data centers at Idaho National Lab DOE also identified Oak Ridge, Savannah River, and the deactivated Paducah uranium enrichment plant as DOE-owned lands that can house data centers www.energy.gov/ne/articles/...

$500 million from Hitachi for a new large power transformer manufacturing facility in VA 🥰🥰 www.globenewswire.com/news-release...

Many picture carbon capture as just a filter or sieve that you just put in a smokestack. It’s actually more like building a chemical plant next door Note that carbon capture uses so much energy that it needs its own source of electricity (the cogeneration plant)

"The Trump administration is considering a plan to reallocate at least $2 billion from the CHIPS Act to fund critical minerals projects and boost Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's influence over the strategic sector" www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

Great article. Hurts to see it spread the false narrative: "Much of China’s formidable manufacturing advantage stems from robotics, automation, and the early adoption of AI. To compete with China, American factories will also need to be highly automated" www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Swarm of jellyfish clog the coolant intake filters for 4/6 reactors at France's Gravelines nuclear power plant 🪼🪼🪼 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Pic of a pressure vessel getting forged, likely for a nuclear reactor

Critical mineral processing and revitalizing American manufacturing are all the rage right now. But a big part of the supply chain gets left out: How do we actually make the solar cells, rare earth magnets, and high-strength alloys used in next-gen tech?

Hawaii's only oil refinery will begin mixing biofuels into its feedstock to make *partially* sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, etc. www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/news/r...

In our new report, colleagues @cookpj.bsky.social @wang-seaver.bsky.social and I outline a policy framework and recommend best practices for a critical mineral reserve that would promote market stability and global competitiveness for US advanced energy industries thebreakthrough.org/issues/energ...

Should a US national critical minerals reserve program act more like the National Defense Stockpile or more like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? Major new report by my team deep dives into this question, looking at 15 minerals relevant to energy. My thoughts🧵: thebreakthrough.org/issues/energ...

Timely updates on the CCUS & blue H2 scene that align with my recs for blue fertilizer in Africa: - Chevron announced $5B blue H2 and ammonia plant to nab 45V credits before they expire (enr.com/articles/610...)

New original analysis by colleague @ryanalimento.bsky.social argues green urea production stays far too pricey for widespread application for Sub-Saharan African countries even at green H2 costs <$1/kg. But low-CO2 blue urea via gas + CO2 capture may prove more affordable. 🧵

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) can't improve fertilizer access using only green H2 and CO2 capture In my new study I provide much-needed cost estimates of green fertilizer made in SSA The result? Even <$1/kg green H2 wouldn't make green fertilizer affordable🧵 www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/sub-sahara...

10,000 years ago, the development of agriculture let humanity to spend less time hunting & gathering and more time developing civilization. A society can't function without abundant food access This is still relevant for 1/8 of the world (1 BN ppl) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

Some goofy White House justifications for the billions in foreign aid cuts in the current rescissions package: www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

Lots of talk about the gas turbine shortage and copper tariffs Not enough attention on our transformer shortage and how the steel-copper tariff combo will obstruct both interconnection and grid expansion 🧵