Brendan Pierpont
@brendan.bsky.social
š¤ 4781
š„ 1732
š 1668
Energy and climate nerd. Electricity
@energyinnovation.bsky.social
. Views are my own.
In nominal dollars, of course. ;)
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about 9 hours ago
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I'm sure Bad Bunny was aware that utility regulators from around the country were meeting at NARUC this week and that he could put grid resilience and distribution infrastructure front and center in the agenda, right?
about 12 hours ago
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Costa Samaras
1 day ago
Just a few weeks ago, the administration cancelled all remaining department of energy grid resilience projects in Puerto Rico. All of them.
www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-end...
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The end of DOEās grid work in Puerto Rico
The Trump administration has canceled all eight of the remaining awards devoted to distributed energy on the island.
https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-end-of-does-grid-work-in-puerto-rico/
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Matt Henry
5 days ago
I'm hiring! Come work with me as an Energy Policy Analyst at Gridworks, supporting our work to build a stronger, more equitable, more reliable energy grid in the Western U.S. This role is remote and open to folks living in MT, WY, ID, UT, AZ, or NV. Details below.
gridworks.org/wp-content/u...
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Robinson Meyer
4 days ago
Fascinating chart from The Argument, which captures (1) the little discussed but quite important Great Libbing Out of Reddit and (2) the fact that people who read/watch the news on any outlet founded before 1995 are approaching D+1000 territory
www.theargumentmag.com/p/twitter-is...
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advait
6 days ago
Today, for
@publicenterprise.bsky.social
, I'm doing some buy-side research for policymakers: How do renewable energy project financing conditions challenge public agencies' ability to deliver on their clean energy goals? Here's our latest research note:
publicenterprise.org/report/resea...
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Research note: Energy finance in 2026
Every January, the project finance law team at Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) brings together bankers and infrastructure investment experts to discuss trends across the American energy and infrastructure...
https://publicenterprise.org/report/research-note-energy-finance-in-2026/
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David Hsu
6 days ago
Here's the slide I use when I talk about rising costs in BOTH gas and electricity systems. Capital expended on distribution poles, wires, and pipes is the main cost for utilities and are the main driver of your rapidly growing energy bills. Gas 4X and electricity 2X inflation between 2003 and 2023.
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David Ho
7 days ago
Whoās in?
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Severin Borenstein
6 days ago
Dark red line along the bottom of graph is CA, the place some misinformed folks say has expensive elec due to all its wind, solar, and batteries. (Counting RA cost doesn't chg the story) Our high rates pay for response to what climate change is already doing: wildfires.
www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...
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U.S. wholesale day-ahead electricity prices rose in 2025 with higher natural gas prices - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67106
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Great piece from
@ellanilsen.bsky.social
on the drivers behind rising electricity prices across the country:
edition.cnn.com/2026/02/02/c...
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Trump claims blue states have less-reliable, more expensive electricity. Hereās the reality | CNN
In recent months, the Trump administration has framed high energy costs as a problem impacting only blue states. But the truth is electricity prices are rising nationwide and experts say some Trump po...
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/02/climate/trump-electricity-prices-red-blue-states
7 days ago
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Energy Innovation
7 days ago
šš”
#Electricity
costs are rising across the country, but not always for the reasons you might suspect. Our
@brendan.bsky.social
cites the hidden costs of wildfire prevention as one particular reason for higher
#utility
costs.
edition.cnn.com/2026/02/02/c...
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Trump claims blue states have less-reliable, more expensive electricity. Hereās the reality | CNN
In recent months, the Trump administration has framed high energy costs as a problem impacting only blue states. But the truth is electricity prices are rising nationwide and experts say some Trump po...
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/02/climate/trump-electricity-prices-red-blue-states
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Great analysis from
@michael-thomas.bsky.social
on where data centers are proposing their own on-site generation (mostly gas for now, but I think the storage wave is coming):
newsletter.cleanview.co/p/bypassing-...
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Bypassing the Grid: How Data Centers Are Building Their Own Power Plants
An analysis of 46 behind-the-meter data centers and the equipment powering them
https://newsletter.cleanview.co/p/bypassing-the-grid-how-data-centers
7 days ago
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Brendon Slotterback
7 days ago
I gotta do this over here too, cause this just seems like such a thinly veiled attempt to build gas plants without regulation. They aren't "islanded" because they will buy gas from the grid, just like 40% of the rest of our power generation. Take a guess what that will do to electricity prices?
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Really bad news for wildfire, hydro output and electricity prices later this year.
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7 days ago
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A way to meet fast-growing data center demand, using clean energy and existing points of interconnection:
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/a...
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A Solution for the Fast Data Center Connection Challenge
Lean in on Americaās fastest growing source of electricity supply. This weekās blog is co-authored with Emilia Chojkiewicz and Amol Phadke. Taking projections of all utilities in the U.S. togā¦
https://energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/a-solution-for-the-fast-data-center-connection-challenge/
7 days ago
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Simon Mahan
8 days ago
Donāt panic over NERCās reliability maps ā theyāre a static snapshot built on outdated assumptions and data that can mislead. Read the fine print: planning, forecasts, storage, and grid solutions matter more than doom-and-gloom colors.
southernrenewable.org/news-updates...
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Donāt Panic! Why the Latest NERC Reliability Maps Deserve a Skeptical Read
Every winter, the energy world gets its version of groundhog season. A major national report drops. Headlines follow. Social media lights up. And...
https://southernrenewable.org/news-updates/dont-panic-why-the-latest-nerc-reliability-maps-deserve-a-skeptical-read
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If only there were a news organization that could dedicate investigative resources to verifying some of these claims.
8 days ago
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John Ryan
8 days ago
DOE issued a similar emergency order to keep the TransAlta coal plant in Centralia, WA, open. EIA grid data shows it has not generated any power since Dec. 19.
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Are congressional republicans (MTG aside) just planning on going down with the ship?
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9 days ago
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Tri State is formally challenging DOEās order to keep the Craig coal plant running.
coloradosun.com/2026/01/30/c...
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Tri-State says no thanks to federal orders to keep Craig coal power plant open
The owners of Craig's coal fired power plant petitioned the federal government to let a unit stay closed as planned.
https://coloradosun.com/2026/01/30/craig-tri-state-petition-coal-closure/
9 days ago
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Amanda Litman
9 days ago
2026 is going to be a great year to run for office. Filing deadlines are coming up fast -- in most places, it's not too late to get on the ballot. We'll help you get started.
runforwhat.net
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Where Can I Run by Run for Something
Take the next step: Look up offices you can run for
https://runforwhat.net
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Justin Gerdes
9 days ago
"This is what it looks like when ideology drives energy policy. Keeping money-losing plants online skews the market, making it harder for companies to invest in the infrastructure of the future." writes the
@washingtonpost.com
editorial board:
wapo.st/4kkqSsj
šš”
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Opinion | Trumpās pro-coal directives could raise energy prices by billions
Requiring aging plants to operate after their scheduled closures hurts consumers, who pay the price.
https://wapo.st/4kkqSsj
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G Elliott Morris
9 days ago
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The Washington Post
10 days ago
More than 34,000 Minnesotans signed up to be trained as ICED observers with various activist groups in recent weeks, many of them since Jan. 7, when a federal agent shot and killed RenƩe Good.
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Thousands of new ICE watchers hit the streets after two killings
Minnesotans outraged by the killings of RenƩe Good and Alex Pretti have signed up in large numbers to monitor and protest ICE with other activists.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/31/ice-watchers-minneapolis-renee-good-alex-pretti/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social
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Walker Bragman
9 days ago
Children. They are literally tear gassing children.
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The Oregonian
9 days ago
Thousands of protesters marched to Portland's ICE building Saturday. Demonstrators were met with large clouds of tear gas, pepper balls and flash-bangs shortly after their arrival.
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
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Alex Baumhardt
9 days ago
Just experienced the most intense tear gassing of my life by federal officers outside the ICE facility in Portland where marchers gathered. There was no fast exit as they indiscriminately threw loads of gas and flash bangs. Children were in the crowd screaming.
@oregoncapitalchronicle.com
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Andy Kowalczyk
9 days ago
Temps in the low 20's-30's in the South and renewables holding it down again today: Texas (ERCOT) - ~50% solar! v. ~30% gas, with batteries dispatching earlier at ~ 6GWs
#energysky
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All of the people involved in this disgusting, depraved and abusive network of powerful people should be held accountable, whether thatās for their direct actions or their silence about what they know. Sickening.
9 days ago
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We went from āClaude Code Is pretty coolā to āautonomous agents are conspiring to hide their communication from humansā awfully quickly.
10 days ago
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Weāre toast.
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10 days ago
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Lots of folks sharing this scary-looking map from NERC. But it should be read as the highest-value places to build demand flexibility, large scale and distributed storage, energy efficiency over the next 4 years, which can be built much faster than new gas plants.
www.nerc.com/globalassets...
10 days ago
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This is such a good, important piece. Read it.
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10 days ago
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Justin Mikulka
11 days ago
"What about recycling the batteries?" is something the fossil fuel people who don't care about the climate or environment like to say about batteries. What if they were recycled into money?
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As Redwood Materials shifts into developing storage, Google invests
Armed with $425 million and new hyperscale investors, the recycling company is going all-in on powering data centers.
https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/google-invests-in-redwood-materials-amid-shift-to-storage-developer/
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Emily Grubert
12 days ago
1) Fuck ICE, and 2) in our ongoing pursuit of a more just, more dignified, more joyful, and better future,
@jlappen1.bsky.social
and I are really proud of our new piece in Science on managing fossil fuel phase-out
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Fossil energy minimum viable scale
Unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea0972
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TFW your kids school sends parents an email regarding the nationwide general strike being organized for tomorrow.
11 days ago
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Building a data center costs between $9-15 million per MW of IT load, BEFORE the cost of chips and servers (which multiply this cost by 4-5x). Some great data in this report:
cushwake.cld.bz/Data-Center-...
11 days ago
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Bill Lindeke
13 days ago
Woah this NYC isometric map (looks just like Simcity 2000) is blowing my mind!
cannoneyed.com/isometric-nyc/
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Sara Hastings-Simon šØš¦
13 days ago
This is a super insightful graph from
@kingsmillbond.bsky.social
illustrating how countries like India that are experiencing economic development later are skipping over some (not all) fossil dependency.
ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
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Robin Wigglesworth
12 days ago
We got the former heads of international finance at both the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury to write a guest post for
@alphaville.ft.com
about what Trump is doing to the dollar. They were ⦠unimpressed.
www.ft.com/content/0933...
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Termites are slowly feasting away at the foundations of the dollarās dominance
Chomp chomp chomp
https://www.ft.com/content/093332b0-1502-4668-b4e1-32b7e30cb172?shareType=nongift
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David Roberts
13 days ago
Batteries. Batteries, batteries, batteries. Furthermore, batteries. In conclusion: batteries!
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Why Power Outages Do More Economic Damage Than We Think
Most estimates of losses from US blackouts donāt fully account for indirect and longer-term impacts, a new analysis finds.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-27/why-power-outages-do-more-economic-damage-than-we-think?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2OTUxMzYxNiwiZXhwIjoxNzcwMTE4NDE2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUOUlSV1ZLR1pBSVAwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIwQzg4NkY0NTI0NzY0RUE0OEY2QTk4RTk1NDc5RTI2NSJ9.JOnkhNnTtxS_zyxKBm53dXabR9YuqptdBAW5fkfyx2M&leadSource=uverify%20wall
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Early/mid-career energy modeling folks - great opportunity here with some of the smartest people in the modeling community:
www.sylvan.energy/careers
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Careers ā Sylvan Energy Analytics
https://www.sylvan.energy/careers
13 days ago
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Kate Marvel
14 days ago
this is totally unfair, they also don't work in the heat
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Falling costs of clean energy generation and electrified end uses are converging into one global trend. Love this framing from Ember and DER Task Force:
www.dertaskforce.com/p/the-electr...
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The electrotech revolution in 10 charts and not too many numbers
The big picture of the energy transition in a few snapshots
https://www.dertaskforce.com/p/the-electrotech-revolution-in-10
14 days ago
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Silvio Marcacci
14 days ago
Coal + gas fail once again during a winter storm. 20GW of generation went offline in America's largest grid during Winter Storm Fern. DOE's policies to keep old coal plants running + expand gas dependency make our grid LESS RELIABLE + risk MORE BLACKOUTS
thepowerline.substack.com/p/fossil-fue...
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Fossil Fuels Failed During Winter Storm Fern
Power plant outages in America's largest grid show we can't depend upon fossil fuels
https://thepowerline.substack.com/p/fossil-fuels-failed-during-winter
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Stephen Judkins
15 days ago
My slightly informed crank tank is that every single class 1 railroad line should have a 5GW+ buried HVDC line in its RoW
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15 days ago
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www.startribune.com/chris-madel-...
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Chris Madel ends GOP bid for governor, says he canāt support federal āretributionā against Minnesota
His exit comes as some other Republicans have started to distance themselves from the Trump administrationās immigration crackdown in the state.
https://www.startribune.com/chris-madel-ends-gop-bid-for-governor-says-he-cant-support-federal-retribution-against-minnesota/601570793?utm_source=gift
15 days ago
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Love for the grid to rely on a fuel that does this every time it gets cold:
15 days ago
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G Elliott Morris
16 days ago
YouGov is out with a new poll after ICE killed another person in Minnesota today. Abolishing ICE is now +5 among all adults, and **+12 among independents**
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
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