GRID Alternatives, the nation's leading nonprofit solar installer and solution-builder, is hiring a Western States Policy and Regulatory Director. The Director will help guide and implement its equity-first policy and regulatory work throughout the Western United States, with a strong emphasis on California and the CPUC, in service of GRID’s mission to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy. $95k-$120k, remote but CA residence preferred. https://gridalternatives.org/get-involved/careers/open-positions?gnk=job&gni=8a7883ac8d19fe6e018d38a9d5382043&lang=en
Voltus is a virtual power plant built on top of distributed energy resources (demand response, batteries, micro-grids, residential solar, EV bus fleets, thermostats, etc).
I am specifically looking for a strong backend engineer to help build reliable, scalable integrations between wholesale energy markets and our customers. We are also hiring frontend engineers for other teams, as well as non-engineering roles.
The Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) is hiring a Research Analyst! CETI is an independent research & analysis nonprofit working to accelerate an equitable clean energy transition in the Northwest. Position based in Seattle, WA:
Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit that I founded 15 years ago and of which I am the CEO, is hiring for a General Manager of America BRIGHT Solar, our subsidiary which is offer solar and battery-storage leases to Low- and Moderate-income families, first in Georgia and soon in more states. The program was recently featured in Canary Media (https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/can-solar-for-low-income-families-work-in-georgias-tough-market)
The Washington Dept. of Ecology is hiring a Cap & Invest Group Manager. This is a rare opportunity to lead the team implementing one of the most impactful climate policies in the country.
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Location: Northwestern Lower Michigan, Office in Traverse City, MI
Reports to: Climate and Environment Program Director
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is seeking a Climate and Clean Energy Specialist to support our Climate and Environment Program in northern Michigan. The ideal candidate will be passionate and knowledgeable about advancing our local and regional clean energy economy and working with diverse stakeholders including local schools, renewable energy installers, government officials, nonprofit partners and more. Successful candidates will have a demonstrated passion for promoting an equitable and just transition to renewable energy to combat the climate crisis. This position is full-time, year-round, and will report to Groundwork’s Climate and Environment Program Director.
At Groundwork, the candidate will join a driven team of individuals who are advancing policy solutions and projects that are pragmatic, practical, caring, and visionary. We strive to create a positive, collaborative, healthy, and inspired working environment that gives the staff the support to be the leaders in their field.
We are optimistic about Michigan’s future and believe in a thriving local farm and food economy; stronger, more walkable, bike-able, and transit-friendly towns and villages; cleaner sources of energy, and climate solutions that support a more equitable world for all. The researchers, writers, advocates, system-changemakers, and coalition-builders that make up the Groundwork staff are passionately committed to realizing this vision.
Location: Flexible within the US, offices in San Francisco & DC
Salary is $90,000 to $100,000 for San Francisco or D.C.
The team is looking for someone with a background in analytics and understanding of manufacturing processes to support their into the technologies and policies that will decarbonize manufacturing and industrial processes. To learn more, check out the job posting at https://grnh.se/a997cdf35us
Form Energy is hiring for many roles- including many in Engineering and Manufacturing. Happy to answer questions about what it's like to work here! I'm based in the Pittsburgh area gearing up to get the Weirton factory running!
With the benefit of hindsight, do you think the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act would have been preferable to the Waxman Markey climate legislation in the context of 2010 when Democrats last held a federal trifecta and would have been more politically viable to pass at that time in 2010? Or did the IRA specifically need the sociopolitical circumstances and urgency of 2022 to finally get across the finish line?
This would be a timely topic if you can find a good guest. GM is making noises about reverting to PHEVs. When Norway started its path to 80% BEV sales, some of the most popular vehicles initially were PHEVs. There is some little Euro activist group that keeps dissing PHEVs based on one or two surveys of users with 20 mile battery PHEVs. But at the end of the Chevy Volt run, the later models had 50 mile batteries, and data from them showed something like 85% of miles driven were driven on the batteries. VW is making a few awesome PHEV models now. And of course there is BYD.
The Big3 picked the hardest vehicles to electrify; huge, already heavy vehicles with poor aerodynamics sold to folks in the exurbs who are surrounded by FF fans and disinfo. These would better as PHEVs, or the related EREV category. Newer PHEVs from the EU and China include fast charging and 40-90 mile battery-only range.
Hello Volts! I would love to hear your thoughts or a pod dedicated to a big picture assessment of where the global community stands with regards to climate change and what we need to make happen to improve our chances of maintaining a livable planet (both the what and the how). Kind of a United Nations type assessment, but a summary version and without the watering down influence of petrostates. My sense is that the passage of the IRA was a great step in the right direction but not nearly enough. Like shouldn’t we be transition away from fossil fuels at a much more rapid pace noting how much our climate is already changing right now as well as our understanding of the existence of tipping points? To the extent that there are political or economic hurdles to an appropriately rapid transition, would love to discuss how those can be overcome as well.
What are the obstacles to fed-funded a transmission grid? When I saw the concept of HVDC over federal rights of way, it felt like a political winner, very similar to the original interstate highway act: local jobs for every state, national security benefits, possible to have tangible progress in a political cycle, shifts energy cost off monthly bills into amorphous federal debt, benefits of inter-regional load-balancing and regional disaster mitigation could plausibly make it budget-favorable. It doesn’t even ruin anybody’s local view. But it doesn’t even sound like it made the IIJ or IRA cutting room floors. Why was I wrong? Why isn’t this no-brainer to move forward on?
Hope I'm doing this correctly. I'm a paid subscriber (Dave Roberts is so informative, funny and a dog lover to boot. Welcome, Abner, you literally lucky dog). I had never heard of "reconductoring". https://heatmap.news/climate/clean-energy-grid-reconductoring?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=240222_prices1#. Has David already discussed this with somebody in the know? It seems like such a good, even if interim, solution to a thorny problem. If yes, could you direct me to the discussion. If no, can he discuss it sometime? If I did this all wrong, please re-state what I should have done so I can try again or do it properly next time. Thank you. Jessie Kingston (potterkingston@gmail.com)
I think what is being reported in this podcast is transformational technology for the 21st century, super interesting and fun to hear about, and very relevant to all Americans because of the level of growth, job opportunities, trendiness, and "USA FTW" enthusiasm it implies.
Anecdotally, however, I can't find hardly anything about these topics in the mainstream media. The hype around it seems very limited compared with Netscape 1995 or GenAI 2024. I think it's just as important as those, but in a different dimension.
Why is that? Is it because Netscape and AI are fun toys to play with, but solar panels are not? I guess that must be it.
I just attended a talk by Matt Huber, Professor of Geography in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Dave sometimes quote tweets him.
Have you considered him for a Volts interview?
He is known for his research on political economy, historical geography, energy and capitalism, and climate politics. In his talk he dwelled on the atomization of markets in the energy production sector -- especially clean energy.
He mentioned the splintering of the Left between 'green renewable capitalism' and 'unionized labor' and how unions have had a hard time negotiating and competing for fair labor prices and participation among this economic atomization. He quoted folks from past Volts episodes and is a big fan. I told him I'd put in a plug to get him on the show. 🙏
Much of what gets discussed on Volts seems to be based on projections of energy required and materials needed. How good are these projections? Are they basically projecting based on current demand or do they consider the many efficiencies that could be possible too? Perhaps an interview with Amory Lovins would be helpful?
I just listened to the Sublime podcast, which is very exciting. But it triggered me to finally submit a suggested podcast on wood products and forests. As you know forests are a massive worldwide carbon capture and storage ecosystem, but the IPCC also talks about the importance of wood products. Mass Timber is a phenomenal option to eliminate the need to a significant portion of concrete use. https://masstimberconference.com/. It also replaces a lot of steel another hard to decarbonize material.
Wood fiber insulation is another option just making it to N. America https://www.timberhp.com/ this is a new company in Madison, Maine
Nanocellulose is a huge opportunity to reduce the carbon content of concrete, tires and much more.
Biochar - converting wood waste and smaller trees in the forests that contribute to wildfire, insect and disease problems is another product with wide applications - replacing thermoplastics from petroleum, improving soil and thus farming, a source of biobased graphene for the new battery technologies.
I would be happy to discuss this and suggest potential speakers and how to approach this set of topics.
A key part of this topic is the development and use of these products is that it provides an incentive to grow and manage forests better. Given the changes we are already experiencing in the climate we need to use climate smart forest practices.
Please reach out to me to discuss. As a subscriber you have my email address.
Just saw a reference to a company called Boston Metals that has developed a method to refine pure iron from iron ore directly with electricity. Seems like a great opportunity to decarbonize steel production. This is of great interest to me since I worked for 25 years in a steel mill.
Hello - I hear on the pod a lot about renewable energy permitting being the potential biggest hangup, but have very little idea what this entails. I'm an architect and understand public meetings, zoning and building permitting well, but am very lost in imagining what permitting looks like for wind and solar in rural areas. Does one landowner work with a company and then neighbors are brought in who will see it or be affected by it? Does the county then need to rezone the land? How are neighbors defined? My understanding of conservatives is that they are generally more property-rights oriented (perhaps just the elites), so what does it matter what one person does on their land? Adding to this question, how does the federal government opening up large areas of public lands for renewable energy development play into this? If one had the choice of a single federal authority for permitting for a large installation or hundreds of neighbors for each small to medium installation I can guess which one I'd pick. Also, bats are evidently the new challenge?
The BLM did not "open up" any land to solar and wind. The BLM manages about 200 million acres in the west, the new solar plan allows solar proposals on 20 million acres and these solar proposals will then need to go through federal environmental review and public process before they get permits. Renewables were not given "categorical exclusions," from NEPA, like some O&G, though geothermal exploration is asking for that separately. So one could say of the BLM notice that it closed 90% of its land to solar and wind, and didn't change much on the other 10%, though I guess the developers don't need to prove its good for solar! But fine-grained local evaluation could still, for instance, find a bat cave.
Bat collisions at wind farms are very location and time dependent. Some wind farms already slow or stop the rotors during presumed periods of bat activity. Of course clean generation and revenue is lost at those times. There is R&D on measures to repel them or detect more them more precisely so those shut downs happen when needed and not when not needed.
Depending on the locality, solar and wind farms may or may not be a "use by right." So the P&Zs usually need to approve them, and opposition and reasons to oppose come from all quarters right now, with little successful PR by the wind and solar industries. One reason that Texas has led wind and solar farm development recently is that it is a place where the state law says all energy development on private land is a use by right.
Why isn't anyone selling an emissions avoidance credit against the act of capping abandoned oil wells emitting methane?
At 10 tons/hour you'd need only a week of leakage to drive the cost per CO₂ equivalent down to $1/ton. And it is a one-and-done operation, no need to keep capping it annually.
I'm a bit surprised by the exponential rise in grid-scale batteries over the last two or three years. I was under the impression that the cost per kWh would have to drop significantly (like orders of magnitude) before it became economically viable. What changed? Or am I conflating short-term storage with long term?
Has Volts ever done a show about solar panel aesthetics? I have a very particular gripe related to this: why is there seemingly no way to install a 'diagonal' solar panel on residential installations? This would really help reduce the odd angles and gaps between panels and roof dormers / gables / ridges. I’m guessing that the expense of PV materials require fabricators to keep them to standard rectangular modules, but someone MUST have figured out a way to improve this situation. Could they make a 'cosmetic' panel from discarded panels that could be cut to fit? (so even if they're not generating power, at least they're improving the look of the installation.)
I'm working with a reasonably large installer in Virginia on a system to be installed on my home later this spring, and when I've put this question to them, they just kinda give me the shrug emoji... this seems like a missed market opportunity!
1. If you were advising President Biden / Dem leadership, what would you emphasize as your priorities should the Democrats somehow win a national trifecta again? Compared to 2020, due to both the political landscape and the passage of the IRA, there is much less discussion about what could be done legislatively if given the chance, although I am sure many smart people are thinking about it!
2. What do you make of the discussion around rising electricity rates, possible policy changes to shift from volumetric rates to income-based/fixed charges, and generally which climate measures should be implemented through electricity rates vs. local/state budgets? This has been a particularly live wire discussion in California, and Sammy Roth at the LA Times has written intelligently about it in the last few weeks. Do you have a mental model for which types of costs make sense to rate-base or are you familiar with any research for best practices?
#2a has seen little discussion of the most obvious factor. Nat gas makes up a third of kWh generation now, and in the last 2-3 years the cost of gas to generators tripled but is now falling back a bit. https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n3045us3a.htm
The states with lots of gas generation, at the end of the pipelines, pay the most for electricity. I.e. CA, NY, some of New England.
Lots of political agitation about how to use electric rates for social, environmental and economic purposes. Can't satisfy everyone, so status quo seems to prevail in most places, except for those fuel cost adjustments.
Is the commercialization of perovskite solar power imminent? Join three perovskite industry leaders on Feb. 22 to find out through a webinar organized by Rethink Energy. Speakers: Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton, Caelux CEO Scott Graybeal and Halocell chief revenue officer Tom Fontaine. Many are describing the tech as the future of renewable energy. Register: https://lnkd.in/gmDT2Egx
I'm kicking myself because I bought an eGolf a few months before the used market for Bolts dropped significantly in price. Don't get me wrong, the eGolf is just fine, but I could have had double the range for about the same MSRP.
We bought a used 2017 egolf and love it as our first EV. We get 120-130 miles range total in the summer, which is plenty for driving kids to soccer, groceries, etc. When it was 20F temp, range dropped by 30-40% if we had the space heater on.
I'm getting super-excited about bifacial east-west panels. It seems as if they could really flatten out the duck curve, reduce storage requirements and so forth. And they are set to dominate the market soon. I can find lots of bits and pieces to support this view, but no comprehensive presentation. Any info much appreciated.
Regarding the network of climate comedians. David said "More of this," and I agree, but I think we need to focus getting clean energy into pop culture, not just climate change. Think about the last time you saw solar in a fictional film or TV show... it's tough, isn't it? Despite 4.5 million solar installs, solar's nearly invisible in Hollywood, and that's bad for adoption, workforce development, policies, and general public support. A bit of self-promo here, but to get the solar pop culture ball rolling, I started the Probably True Solar Stories podcast. It's an anthology of fictional solar stories that somehow revolve around solar in our modern world, not just the sci-fi future. Before PR, I was a film and TV writer, so I'm combining my two passions. I hope people will check it out--and create more clean energy fiction, songs, art, etc! https://www.probablytruesolar.com/
Join us for the annual California Climate Policy Summit in Sacramento, Tues. March 19 with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, CARB Chair Liane Randolph, Gov. Newsom Sr. Climate Advisor Lauren Sanchez and many more state decisionmakers as well as NGO, business and government partners. Learn more here: https://theclimatecenter.org/events/california-climate-policy-summit-2024/
Anyone who's in Las Vegas Nevada, I recently started a Climate Podcast club. Like a book club, but for podcasts, the idea being that we listen to the episodes individually then come together in person to discuss them. Two of our first three episodes are from Volts! (The other is an Ezra Klein episode). You can sign up here if you're interested: https://mobilize.us/s/7bAFVg
I'm hosting a virtual action event on Monday March 4th! If you're ready to go from learning mode to roll-up-your-sleeves-and-take-action mode, come join the party! More below 👇
In a pivotal election year with the Inflation Reduction Act on the line, the climate-tech community has a unique opportunity and responsibility to speak up. Climate Changemakers is hosting a special Hour of Action event on March 4th at 5p PT/8p ET, featuring Cody Simms of MCJ Collective and Shomik Dutta of Overture. We'll learn how to influence the climate policies that shape the U.S. energy transition, then take meaningful action – all within the hour. RSVP here: https://lu.ma/climate-tech-hour-of-action
Seattle Area: Eastside - This Thursday (Feb 15th, 4:30-7) we're meeting at Cascadia Pizza to talk forestry, startups, AI, Climate, etc. in our monthly get together. Just look for the goofy guy in a hardhat and high-vis vest and you've found us. The goal is right out of the Enlightenment coffee house or salon scene: establish a heterogenous group of people to engage in rational debate without regard to rank. Come, hang out and talk about climate and science in public!
Last week we met new people at the Forest and Friends session and I wrote up a summary here for those interested or curious if they should come out next month (hint: you should!).
The Next session is likely to be March 21st, as I'll be in the field the week prior putting in some forest fuels mitigation work in the Western Sierras.
I'm a research analyst at the Colorado PUC's Research and Emerging Issues team. I've been working on virtual power plants and getting a pilot started up that we hope to scale after a couple of seasons of performance data. Now that we've got our Commission aligned that, yes, VPPs are good, and we should do them, they need help with how to actually implement a VPP in a way that replicates the best of what other VPPs have done. Our utility seems adamant that scaling up a VPP requires a full DERMS, and that will take 18 months, but that seems counterintuitive to other VPPs that have been highly successful (Sunrun's VPP with PG&E, National Grid's ConnectedSolutions program in Massachusetts with Energy Hub, etc.).
Now that we've pushed the Commission to pursue VPPs and agree that they can provide myriad benefits to the system and to ratepayers, what is the best way to communicate the implementation and the truths around technology readiness and timelines to start up a VPP? Our Commission is considering wildly different ideas: one is to start with a small pilot, and the other is to let aggregations of DERS bid into the next integrated resource plan. What is the best approach? Start small and simple and mimic a battery dispatch VPP like what Sunrun and National Grid have proven to be successful and quick to implement, or should we take a step back and pursue longer-term change and create a more holistic framework around DERs and have more discussions around what outcomes we want, similar to what Connecticut's PURA is doing?
Thank you to David for providing this opportunity to ask for help!
I am a homeowner in northeast Ohio planning to use the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) up-front rebates (and tax credits) to replace my old gas furnace and AC with a heat pump. I am well into my research, and I hope to work with / help others navigate same. My home is a 1956 2-story ranch / bungalow.
Some FYI notes:
- As you are likely aware, homeowners cannot get the IRA's heat pump up-front rebates until their state rolls out its own program, blessed by the US Dept. of Energy.
- A recent January, 2024 email from Ohio Dept. of Development estimates that Ohio's will be up and running at the end of 2024. This is a slip from their September, 2023 email estimate of mid-late 2024.
- Northeast Ohio is USDA Plant hardiness zone 6b (-5 to 0 degrees F; up 4 degrees since 2012!)
My ask:
- If you are in northeast Ohio, and working on this for your home, too, I would like to hear from you, so that we can share notes.
- If you are aware of an Ohio non-profit (or other group) that is tracking (and/or pushing) the Ohio Dept. of Development's progress, I'd like to know that, too.
- If you are a homeowner in northern climes who has been satisfied with your transition from gas furnace to heat pump in an older home, I would welcome resources you found helpful. Due to Dave's podcasts, I am aware that Maine has done a lot to help its citizens transition. If you are one of these, and would like to chat, please let me know.
- How to get in touch: reply here in the comments thread, or [Follow] me on Substack, and send me a message (DM).
I installed a horizontal loop ground source heat pump about 3 years ago, and wrote about it here: https://medium.com/@gstaneff/i-sent-a-price-signal-replacing-natural-gas-with-a-ground-source-heat-pump-9f4c826253be It did take me about 5 years of research to find an installer willing to do the work, hopefully that is moving faster for everyone these days. I could do an update on living with it over the years if folks are interested or have specific questions. On balance: electrical consumption is up 40% but total energy consumption is down 60%.
The Seattle area has a very mild climate but we've seen 0-115F with no issues from the system, you can see the loop fields after a snowfall as those runs will be the last to melt. No issue keeping a 3,600sq ft 2-story home at a stable temperature, in summer or winter. Ground source is a cheat-mode, but the air source units are now quite good in the cold as well.
I didn't do it for a reasonable payback, incentives, or cost efficacy standpoint (my utility is still eager to help me buy a new natural gas furnace). It definitely put a lot of load on the home's electrical system (especially the backup strip heaters, which take up a huge amount of panel headroom despite not having been energized in 3 years). Sometimes the geothermal desuperheater confuses the heat pump water heater, so I might even have that turned off right now. Any support or incentives on the home electrical system are going to be well worth taking advantage of. A smart panel with integrated battery will unlock a lot of flexibility that an older home won't have (and the electrical work is going to be surprisingly expensive).
Wow, Geoff - thank you! You did quite a service to the rest of us to publish your experience, and as your article says "send a price signal."
Your write-up spurs me to add a couple of points about my project for others to read, here:
- I expect to use an air source heat pump
- My house is 1900 sq ft
- In my research so far, I am expecting to have to upgrade my electric panel / service (there are $ in the IRA for this, too).
- Your article reminded me I need to pay attention to our electricity costs as I do my math. We have had some wild swings over the past few years, here.
- It is unclear to me whether I will need a backup gas furnace or not (more research to do).
- Not a surprise: the HVAC company we have used for years here in our suburb recommended a gas furnace / heat pump combination that is heavily integrated (they talk to each other and adjust accordingly). Expensivo.
- Not ruling it out; I will keep looking.
- My understanding (from listening to Nate the House Whisperer's youtube) is that it can be worthwhile for us suburbanites to get quotes from more rural HVAC contractors, because some will have a lot of experience with heat pumps.
- One resource I found really helpful is Rewiring America's Go Electric guide. It has a bunch of case studies in there. There is nothing like examples to help one plan. (Which is why I am so grateful for your sharing of your experience, including numbers!) Here's a link where folks can get the Go Electric Guide: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/IRAguide It's free. In my experience, it is a jumping off point, but provided the basic education I needed to -start- planning.
Folks in NYS can look into Dandelion Energy (vertical bore holes), but most drilling installations are significantly more expensive - and ground loops take up a lot of space. Air source should be able to carry the load just fine, but finding the right size unit might be a challenge. The AC in our home was half-sized to its needs and the furnace was about 75% of the way to sufficient. The home-layout also matters for sizing the system: how broken up are the returns, any 2-story spaces for internal circulation or heat-pooling, etc. A comparison of floorspace isn't enough to get it right. Replacing the old (generic) system with one right-sized solution completely changed the quality of heating and cooling life - before considering the efficiency improvements. Just from that quality of life I would go through all of it again.
Anyway, the vendor was more rural and importantly did predominantly commercial work rather than residential (a lot of schools are getting heat pump systems because they have the fields available for horizontal ground loops). The commercial contractors will have fewer incentives to go along with the utility's desired mix and that's where the dual-fuel system incentive comes from. A heat pump changes the optimal temperature profile of your home. The big climb from an overnight cool setting to a morning warm setting (or work/return cycle) is hard for a heat pump to manage, but if you keep the temp constant your heat pump can manage it and use less energy overall. The energy savings lessons from living with combustible fuels reinforce living with combustible fuels. The two systems in a dual fuel system need to coordinate only because we put the home into a state that is difficult for the heat pump to recover from swiftly and expect a swift response. I sifted through years of dual fuel recommendations before finding someone who would do the whole house just on the heat pump - most installers just don't know any better and push what they know and what the utility provides incentives for. I lost the fight against dual fuel systems with my Mom when she replaced her system last year, too many trusted vendors were telling her this was the only way and it made me sad to see that infrastructure baked in for another 15+ years. My brother scooped up the incentives and took the dual fuel system on offer. One still has to be obstinate to avoid fuel burning for home heating, even though the facts should support this defiant position.
That said, I'd find a way to fold in a 25kWh battery into my panel and/or stuff the backup heaters into a sub-panel so I could run the whole everything else on my 23kW backup generator. I didn't consider the electrical side enough before I jumped in. Afterwards, I charted it out and a relatively small battery (by today's monstrous EV battery standards) could cut my home's peak power draw by 30% while doubling the daily power delivered from the grid - this is something of a challenge in energy transition as the spikiness of electricity demand causes capacity (grid or panel) to be sized for safety at peak draw instead of towards finding ways to shift and shave those peaks to reduce overall grid throughput demands.
Wow again, Geoff! This information is literal gold (well, its equivalent, cash)! All of it. Thank you!
You mentioned the incentives to the contractors from the utilities to install gas furnaces and appliances: I was not aware this was a thing. (I mean, I knew they probably had incentives from the furnace makers.) A quick Google and I found this on the topic https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/21/new-home-builder-contractor-fossil-fuel-utilities-natural-gas . This makes me look at the coupon for the free "whole house energy assessment" provided by my HVAC contractor along with that dual-system quote with some suspicion. Although I may use it anyway, to get some more information.
Your comments about addition of a battery and possible impacts of that: wow, again.
I was musing about the quote in the linked article from the gas association about "gas is the most reliable energy source." We sometimes lose power here in the middle of the winter. But, ya know: our gas furnace, today, will not run without electricity. anyway.
a work question that im hoping "boxes of hot rocks" is the viable answer:
a country in South Asia has a very unreliable electricity grid + insufficient rooftop space/ land for ground mounting solar which makes it very hard right now to utilise grid electricity + renewables for factory demands. Factories self generate electricity onsite using fossil gas.
Would a hot rocks solution be viable here -- sit between the grid and the factory and draw power when the grid is operating + additional small support from onsite renewables during the day. The energy is primarily needed as heat (steam at up to 250 degree Celsius, less than 10 bar pressure). Some factories have 24-hour steam demand, some only during day time.
I need solutions, and i need them quickly! Any positive support on this topic would be very helpful
We are hiring at climate analytics non-profit TransitionZero, which is building open data products to accelerate the global transition to cleaner energy.
- Research Engineer, London, UK:
As part of our Energy Systems Modelling (ESMOD) team, support the development and deployment of TransitionZero’s flagship energy systems data and analysis platform.
- Software Engineer, London, UK:
Work with the Platform Team to support the development and maintenance of TransitionZero's API, model-builder and data-explorer products.
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Working with Python, support the development and maintenance of TransitionZero's API, flagship model-builder, and data-explorer products.
I'm casting about for a small scale local project that my church group can work on related to climate change and the energy transition. Unfortunately, here in the State of New Mexico the deadline for grant proposals (RFP) will close in March so it's too late to apply for state money. If anyone has successful experience pursuing a small local project related to energy (e.g. low income community insulation projects, upgrades to energy efficient appliances, community solar, or anything else envisioned by the Inflation Reduction Act) your ideas and advice would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me at walknbeauty@countermail.com
Reports to: Climate and Environment Program Director
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is seeking a Climate and Clean Energy Specialist to support our Climate and Environment Program in northern Michigan. The ideal candidate will be passionate and knowledgeable about advancing our local and regional clean energy economy and working with diverse stakeholders including local schools, renewable energy installers, government officials, nonprofit partners and more. Successful candidates will have a demonstrated passion for promoting an equitable and just transition to renewable energy to combat the climate crisis. This position is full-time, year-round, and will report to Groundwork’s Climate and Environment Program Director.
At Groundwork, the candidate will join a driven team of individuals who are advancing policy solutions and projects that are pragmatic, practical, caring, and visionary. We strive to create a positive, collaborative, healthy, and inspired working environment that gives the staff the support to be the leaders in their field.
We are optimistic about Michigan’s future and believe in a thriving local farm and food economy; stronger, more walkable, bike-able, and transit-friendly towns and villages; cleaner sources of energy, and climate solutions that support a more equitable world for all. The researchers, writers, advocates, system-changemakers, and coalition-builders that make up the Groundwork staff are passionately committed to realizing this vision.
I have been of the opinion that sooner or later sodium ion batteries are going to replace lithium ion batteries for many uses, particularly stationary applications. What is your view about this?
--- CLIMATE JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES ---
Parking Reform Network is hiring a US policy director. Remote, $60-$75k, good benefits and 401k match, 35 hours/week. https://parkingreform.org/work-or-volunteer/policy-director/
Parking mandates are a big reason the US is so auto-dependent, and housing is so expensive because they force developers to build more parking than necessary. It's been tractable and bipartisan to reform the policies, including Austin, TX, recently appealing all mandates! https://www.npr.org/2024/01/02/1221366173/u-s-cities-drop-parking-space-minimums-development
GRID Alternatives, the nation's leading nonprofit solar installer and solution-builder, is hiring a Western States Policy and Regulatory Director. The Director will help guide and implement its equity-first policy and regulatory work throughout the Western United States, with a strong emphasis on California and the CPUC, in service of GRID’s mission to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy. $95k-$120k, remote but CA residence preferred. https://gridalternatives.org/get-involved/careers/open-positions?gnk=job&gni=8a7883ac8d19fe6e018d38a9d5382043&lang=en
Voltus is hiring Software Engineers (Python, Go, React).
Location: Remote, but prefer US/Canada Timezones
Compensation: $125K - 175K salary + stock options depending on experience
Voltus is a virtual power plant built on top of distributed energy resources (demand response, batteries, micro-grids, residential solar, EV bus fleets, thermostats, etc).
I am specifically looking for a strong backend engineer to help build reliable, scalable integrations between wholesale energy markets and our customers. We are also hiring frontend engineers for other teams, as well as non-engineering roles.
Check out all of our open positions here: https://www.voltus.co/jobs
The Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) is hiring a Research Analyst! CETI is an independent research & analysis nonprofit working to accelerate an equitable clean energy transition in the Northwest. Position based in Seattle, WA:
https://www.cleanenergytransition.org/careers/research-analyst-2
Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit that I founded 15 years ago and of which I am the CEO, is hiring for a General Manager of America BRIGHT Solar, our subsidiary which is offer solar and battery-storage leases to Low- and Moderate-income families, first in Georgia and soon in more states. The program was recently featured in Canary Media (https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/can-solar-for-low-income-families-work-in-georgias-tough-market)
Here's the link to the job posting: https://indeedhi.re/48irIhJ
Thanks - Andy
Salary range is $100K - $125K. Georgia is preferred but can be based anywhere in the U.S.
The Washington Dept. of Ecology is hiring a Cap & Invest Group Manager. This is a rare opportunity to lead the team implementing one of the most impactful climate policies in the country.
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/4376527/cap-and-invest-group-manager-wms-band-3?keywords=Cap%20and%20invest&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs
Apply for Venture Science Doctorate - the Invention PhD from Deep Science Ventures !
We will be running our second cohort - the class of 2024 - and want brilliant minds to join our program.
Become a Science Venture Founder in Climate Tech and earn a PhD.
Remote, GBP 30K / year stipend. Full time.
Applications open till end of march here : https://dsv.vc/3SCdm62
Why VSD?
🌍 Global Innovation: We're all about diverse talent as a tool to tackle climate, health, pharma and computation challenges, inspiring individuals that would otherwise not venture into science entrepreneurship.
🚀 Transforming the PhD: Our innovative program blends scientifical training, commercialization skills and the Deep Science Ventures proven methodology. You will learn by doing, from global experts.
🌟 World-Class Collaboration: We’ve teamed up with more than 30 top-notch institutions such as Imperial College, University College London, King’s College, CGIAR and more. You'll be part of a stellar network with access to the best labs in the world.
🤝 Community: Have access to a community of trailblazing founders, scientists, funders, tech experts, policymakers, and more.
💥 Impact: Rather than building a thesis, the VSD PhD will enable you to build a venture, tackling the most pressing issues in the world.
350.org is hiring a US Team Lead with expertise in individual and team management, as well as experience with communications and digital organizing.
$105,000/yr, Remote, 36 hours/week, Mid-Senior level
More info / apply here: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/?currentJobId=3817021218&distance=25.0&geoId=92000000&keywords=350.org&origin=HISTORY
Act Fast! Deadline to apply: Feb 16, 2024
Climate and Clean Energy Specialist
Salary Range: $52,000-57,000
Deadline to apply: Feb 16, 2024
Target hire start date: March 15, 2024
Location: Northwestern Lower Michigan, Office in Traverse City, MI
Reports to: Climate and Environment Program Director
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is seeking a Climate and Clean Energy Specialist to support our Climate and Environment Program in northern Michigan. The ideal candidate will be passionate and knowledgeable about advancing our local and regional clean energy economy and working with diverse stakeholders including local schools, renewable energy installers, government officials, nonprofit partners and more. Successful candidates will have a demonstrated passion for promoting an equitable and just transition to renewable energy to combat the climate crisis. This position is full-time, year-round, and will report to Groundwork’s Climate and Environment Program Director.
At Groundwork, the candidate will join a driven team of individuals who are advancing policy solutions and projects that are pragmatic, practical, caring, and visionary. We strive to create a positive, collaborative, healthy, and inspired working environment that gives the staff the support to be the leaders in their field.
We are optimistic about Michigan’s future and believe in a thriving local farm and food economy; stronger, more walkable, bike-able, and transit-friendly towns and villages; cleaner sources of energy, and climate solutions that support a more equitable world for all. The researchers, writers, advocates, system-changemakers, and coalition-builders that make up the Groundwork staff are passionately committed to realizing this vision.
https://groundworkcenter.org/careers/
Policy Analyst, Industry at Energy Innovation LLC
Location: Flexible within the US, offices in San Francisco & DC
Salary is $90,000 to $100,000 for San Francisco or D.C.
The team is looking for someone with a background in analytics and understanding of manufacturing processes to support their into the technologies and policies that will decarbonize manufacturing and industrial processes. To learn more, check out the job posting at https://grnh.se/a997cdf35us
We are hiring at REsurety:
Director of Fundamentals Modeling
Engineers: varied levels and skills
Learn more at: https://resurety.com/about/careers/
Form Energy is hiring for many roles- including many in Engineering and Manufacturing. Happy to answer questions about what it's like to work here! I'm based in the Pittsburgh area gearing up to get the Weirton factory running!
https://formenergy.com/careers/
Research and Communications Manager at the Energy and Policy Institute.
Location: Flexible within the U.S., with a preference for candidates in the Western U.S.
Experience: Deep experience in energy advocacy, research, journalism or politics
Salary Range: $80K - $90K
More info and application link here: https://energyandpolicy.org/research-and-communications-manager/
--- MAILBAG QUESTIONS ---
With the benefit of hindsight, do you think the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act would have been preferable to the Waxman Markey climate legislation in the context of 2010 when Democrats last held a federal trifecta and would have been more politically viable to pass at that time in 2010? Or did the IRA specifically need the sociopolitical circumstances and urgency of 2022 to finally get across the finish line?
Thanks for the question, David answered this in Feb's mailbag!
David, at the consumer level, what do we think of plug-in hybrids vs full EVs at this point?
Thanks for the question, David answered this in Feb's mailbag!
This would be a timely topic if you can find a good guest. GM is making noises about reverting to PHEVs. When Norway started its path to 80% BEV sales, some of the most popular vehicles initially were PHEVs. There is some little Euro activist group that keeps dissing PHEVs based on one or two surveys of users with 20 mile battery PHEVs. But at the end of the Chevy Volt run, the later models had 50 mile batteries, and data from them showed something like 85% of miles driven were driven on the batteries. VW is making a few awesome PHEV models now. And of course there is BYD.
The Big3 picked the hardest vehicles to electrify; huge, already heavy vehicles with poor aerodynamics sold to folks in the exurbs who are surrounded by FF fans and disinfo. These would better as PHEVs, or the related EREV category. Newer PHEVs from the EU and China include fast charging and 40-90 mile battery-only range.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-21/hybrid-plug-ins-are-booming-in-china-the-world-s-biggest-ev-market?srnd=businessweek-v2
Hello Volts! I would love to hear your thoughts or a pod dedicated to a big picture assessment of where the global community stands with regards to climate change and what we need to make happen to improve our chances of maintaining a livable planet (both the what and the how). Kind of a United Nations type assessment, but a summary version and without the watering down influence of petrostates. My sense is that the passage of the IRA was a great step in the right direction but not nearly enough. Like shouldn’t we be transition away from fossil fuels at a much more rapid pace noting how much our climate is already changing right now as well as our understanding of the existence of tipping points? To the extent that there are political or economic hurdles to an appropriately rapid transition, would love to discuss how those can be overcome as well.
What are the obstacles to fed-funded a transmission grid? When I saw the concept of HVDC over federal rights of way, it felt like a political winner, very similar to the original interstate highway act: local jobs for every state, national security benefits, possible to have tangible progress in a political cycle, shifts energy cost off monthly bills into amorphous federal debt, benefits of inter-regional load-balancing and regional disaster mitigation could plausibly make it budget-favorable. It doesn’t even ruin anybody’s local view. But it doesn’t even sound like it made the IIJ or IRA cutting room floors. Why was I wrong? Why isn’t this no-brainer to move forward on?
Hope I'm doing this correctly. I'm a paid subscriber (Dave Roberts is so informative, funny and a dog lover to boot. Welcome, Abner, you literally lucky dog). I had never heard of "reconductoring". https://heatmap.news/climate/clean-energy-grid-reconductoring?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=240222_prices1#. Has David already discussed this with somebody in the know? It seems like such a good, even if interim, solution to a thorny problem. If yes, could you direct me to the discussion. If no, can he discuss it sometime? If I did this all wrong, please re-state what I should have done so I can try again or do it properly next time. Thank you. Jessie Kingston (potterkingston@gmail.com)
Jessie, you are doing this right, and yes, I covered reconductoring just a few weeks ago!
https://www.volts.wtf/p/one-easy-way-to-boost-the-grid-upgrade
Ideas for local policies/actions to get people to drive less and to bike/walk more, in a relatively hilly, densely populated suburban town?
I think what is being reported in this podcast is transformational technology for the 21st century, super interesting and fun to hear about, and very relevant to all Americans because of the level of growth, job opportunities, trendiness, and "USA FTW" enthusiasm it implies.
Anecdotally, however, I can't find hardly anything about these topics in the mainstream media. The hype around it seems very limited compared with Netscape 1995 or GenAI 2024. I think it's just as important as those, but in a different dimension.
Why is that? Is it because Netscape and AI are fun toys to play with, but solar panels are not? I guess that must be it.
I just attended a talk by Matt Huber, Professor of Geography in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Dave sometimes quote tweets him.
Have you considered him for a Volts interview?
He is known for his research on political economy, historical geography, energy and capitalism, and climate politics. In his talk he dwelled on the atomization of markets in the energy production sector -- especially clean energy.
He mentioned the splintering of the Left between 'green renewable capitalism' and 'unionized labor' and how unions have had a hard time negotiating and competing for fair labor prices and participation among this economic atomization. He quoted folks from past Volts episodes and is a big fan. I told him I'd put in a plug to get him on the show. 🙏
Hi Volts,
Much of what gets discussed on Volts seems to be based on projections of energy required and materials needed. How good are these projections? Are they basically projecting based on current demand or do they consider the many efficiencies that could be possible too? Perhaps an interview with Amory Lovins would be helpful?
I just listened to the Sublime podcast, which is very exciting. But it triggered me to finally submit a suggested podcast on wood products and forests. As you know forests are a massive worldwide carbon capture and storage ecosystem, but the IPCC also talks about the importance of wood products. Mass Timber is a phenomenal option to eliminate the need to a significant portion of concrete use. https://masstimberconference.com/. It also replaces a lot of steel another hard to decarbonize material.
Wood fiber insulation is another option just making it to N. America https://www.timberhp.com/ this is a new company in Madison, Maine
Nanocellulose is a huge opportunity to reduce the carbon content of concrete, tires and much more.
Biochar - converting wood waste and smaller trees in the forests that contribute to wildfire, insect and disease problems is another product with wide applications - replacing thermoplastics from petroleum, improving soil and thus farming, a source of biobased graphene for the new battery technologies.
I would be happy to discuss this and suggest potential speakers and how to approach this set of topics.
A key part of this topic is the development and use of these products is that it provides an incentive to grow and manage forests better. Given the changes we are already experiencing in the climate we need to use climate smart forest practices.
Please reach out to me to discuss. As a subscriber you have my email address.
Just saw a reference to a company called Boston Metals that has developed a method to refine pure iron from iron ore directly with electricity. Seems like a great opportunity to decarbonize steel production. This is of great interest to me since I worked for 25 years in a steel mill.
Hello - I hear on the pod a lot about renewable energy permitting being the potential biggest hangup, but have very little idea what this entails. I'm an architect and understand public meetings, zoning and building permitting well, but am very lost in imagining what permitting looks like for wind and solar in rural areas. Does one landowner work with a company and then neighbors are brought in who will see it or be affected by it? Does the county then need to rezone the land? How are neighbors defined? My understanding of conservatives is that they are generally more property-rights oriented (perhaps just the elites), so what does it matter what one person does on their land? Adding to this question, how does the federal government opening up large areas of public lands for renewable energy development play into this? If one had the choice of a single federal authority for permitting for a large installation or hundreds of neighbors for each small to medium installation I can guess which one I'd pick. Also, bats are evidently the new challenge?
The BLM did not "open up" any land to solar and wind. The BLM manages about 200 million acres in the west, the new solar plan allows solar proposals on 20 million acres and these solar proposals will then need to go through federal environmental review and public process before they get permits. Renewables were not given "categorical exclusions," from NEPA, like some O&G, though geothermal exploration is asking for that separately. So one could say of the BLM notice that it closed 90% of its land to solar and wind, and didn't change much on the other 10%, though I guess the developers don't need to prove its good for solar! But fine-grained local evaluation could still, for instance, find a bat cave.
Bat collisions at wind farms are very location and time dependent. Some wind farms already slow or stop the rotors during presumed periods of bat activity. Of course clean generation and revenue is lost at those times. There is R&D on measures to repel them or detect more them more precisely so those shut downs happen when needed and not when not needed.
Depending on the locality, solar and wind farms may or may not be a "use by right." So the P&Zs usually need to approve them, and opposition and reasons to oppose come from all quarters right now, with little successful PR by the wind and solar industries. One reason that Texas has led wind and solar farm development recently is that it is a place where the state law says all energy development on private land is a use by right.
Why isn't anyone selling an emissions avoidance credit against the act of capping abandoned oil wells emitting methane?
At 10 tons/hour you'd need only a week of leakage to drive the cost per CO₂ equivalent down to $1/ton. And it is a one-and-done operation, no need to keep capping it annually.
I'm a bit surprised by the exponential rise in grid-scale batteries over the last two or three years. I was under the impression that the cost per kWh would have to drop significantly (like orders of magnitude) before it became economically viable. What changed? Or am I conflating short-term storage with long term?
Has Volts ever done a show about solar panel aesthetics? I have a very particular gripe related to this: why is there seemingly no way to install a 'diagonal' solar panel on residential installations? This would really help reduce the odd angles and gaps between panels and roof dormers / gables / ridges. I’m guessing that the expense of PV materials require fabricators to keep them to standard rectangular modules, but someone MUST have figured out a way to improve this situation. Could they make a 'cosmetic' panel from discarded panels that could be cut to fit? (so even if they're not generating power, at least they're improving the look of the installation.)
I'm working with a reasonably large installer in Virginia on a system to be installed on my home later this spring, and when I've put this question to them, they just kinda give me the shrug emoji... this seems like a missed market opportunity!
Two questions:
1. If you were advising President Biden / Dem leadership, what would you emphasize as your priorities should the Democrats somehow win a national trifecta again? Compared to 2020, due to both the political landscape and the passage of the IRA, there is much less discussion about what could be done legislatively if given the chance, although I am sure many smart people are thinking about it!
2. What do you make of the discussion around rising electricity rates, possible policy changes to shift from volumetric rates to income-based/fixed charges, and generally which climate measures should be implemented through electricity rates vs. local/state budgets? This has been a particularly live wire discussion in California, and Sammy Roth at the LA Times has written intelligently about it in the last few weeks. Do you have a mental model for which types of costs make sense to rate-base or are you familiar with any research for best practices?
Got a pod on #1 coming soon!
#1 sounds like a good topic for Volts, for sure.
#2a has seen little discussion of the most obvious factor. Nat gas makes up a third of kWh generation now, and in the last 2-3 years the cost of gas to generators tripled but is now falling back a bit. https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n3045us3a.htm
The states with lots of gas generation, at the end of the pipelines, pay the most for electricity. I.e. CA, NY, some of New England.
Lots of political agitation about how to use electric rates for social, environmental and economic purposes. Can't satisfy everyone, so status quo seems to prevail in most places, except for those fuel cost adjustments.
Is the commercialization of perovskite solar power imminent? Join three perovskite industry leaders on Feb. 22 to find out through a webinar organized by Rethink Energy. Speakers: Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton, Caelux CEO Scott Graybeal and Halocell chief revenue officer Tom Fontaine. Many are describing the tech as the future of renewable energy. Register: https://lnkd.in/gmDT2Egx
--- EVERYTHING ELSE ---
I was able to buy an EV recently 🙌
That’s all. I’m just excited about it (I have a job that requires me to drive and we don’t have busses where I live).
Congrats Natalie! Which one did you get?
Chevy Bolt 2023
We love our (2017) Bolt!
I remember the podcast episode where you shared that you finally got an EV and I’ve been working towards one ever since 🥳
I'm kicking myself because I bought an eGolf a few months before the used market for Bolts dropped significantly in price. Don't get me wrong, the eGolf is just fine, but I could have had double the range for about the same MSRP.
We bought a used 2017 egolf and love it as our first EV. We get 120-130 miles range total in the summer, which is plenty for driving kids to soccer, groceries, etc. When it was 20F temp, range dropped by 30-40% if we had the space heater on.
I'm getting super-excited about bifacial east-west panels. It seems as if they could really flatten out the duck curve, reduce storage requirements and so forth. And they are set to dominate the market soon. I can find lots of bits and pieces to support this view, but no comprehensive presentation. Any info much appreciated.
--- DAVID'S NOTES ---
Regarding the network of climate comedians. David said "More of this," and I agree, but I think we need to focus getting clean energy into pop culture, not just climate change. Think about the last time you saw solar in a fictional film or TV show... it's tough, isn't it? Despite 4.5 million solar installs, solar's nearly invisible in Hollywood, and that's bad for adoption, workforce development, policies, and general public support. A bit of self-promo here, but to get the solar pop culture ball rolling, I started the Probably True Solar Stories podcast. It's an anthology of fictional solar stories that somehow revolve around solar in our modern world, not just the sci-fi future. Before PR, I was a film and TV writer, so I'm combining my two passions. I hope people will check it out--and create more clean energy fiction, songs, art, etc! https://www.probablytruesolar.com/
Regarding climate comedians, here's an article from NY Times a couple of days ago:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/nyregion/climate-change-comedy.html?campaign_id=54&emc=edit_clim_20240213&instance_id=115079&nl=climate-forward®i_id=56614606&segment_id=158094&te=1&user_id=35e495341b745c2db0d742ed3e9a092c
--- CLIMATE EVENTS & MEETUPS ---
Join us for the annual California Climate Policy Summit in Sacramento, Tues. March 19 with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, CARB Chair Liane Randolph, Gov. Newsom Sr. Climate Advisor Lauren Sanchez and many more state decisionmakers as well as NGO, business and government partners. Learn more here: https://theclimatecenter.org/events/california-climate-policy-summit-2024/
Anyone who's in Las Vegas Nevada, I recently started a Climate Podcast club. Like a book club, but for podcasts, the idea being that we listen to the episodes individually then come together in person to discuss them. Two of our first three episodes are from Volts! (The other is an Ezra Klein episode). You can sign up here if you're interested: https://mobilize.us/s/7bAFVg
I'm hosting a virtual action event on Monday March 4th! If you're ready to go from learning mode to roll-up-your-sleeves-and-take-action mode, come join the party! More below 👇
In a pivotal election year with the Inflation Reduction Act on the line, the climate-tech community has a unique opportunity and responsibility to speak up. Climate Changemakers is hosting a special Hour of Action event on March 4th at 5p PT/8p ET, featuring Cody Simms of MCJ Collective and Shomik Dutta of Overture. We'll learn how to influence the climate policies that shape the U.S. energy transition, then take meaningful action – all within the hour. RSVP here: https://lu.ma/climate-tech-hour-of-action
I'll be there!
Seattle Area: Eastside - This Thursday (Feb 15th, 4:30-7) we're meeting at Cascadia Pizza to talk forestry, startups, AI, Climate, etc. in our monthly get together. Just look for the goofy guy in a hardhat and high-vis vest and you've found us. The goal is right out of the Enlightenment coffee house or salon scene: establish a heterogenous group of people to engage in rational debate without regard to rank. Come, hang out and talk about climate and science in public!
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7161881011478351872/
Last week we met new people at the Forest and Friends session and I wrote up a summary here for those interested or curious if they should come out next month (hint: you should!).
https://gstaneff.medium.com/forestry-and-friends-february-24-95b232f8d620
The Next session is likely to be March 21st, as I'll be in the field the week prior putting in some forest fuels mitigation work in the Western Sierras.
--- SHARE WORK, ASK FOR HELP, FIND COLLABORATORS ---
Hello, Volts Community,
I'm a research analyst at the Colorado PUC's Research and Emerging Issues team. I've been working on virtual power plants and getting a pilot started up that we hope to scale after a couple of seasons of performance data. Now that we've got our Commission aligned that, yes, VPPs are good, and we should do them, they need help with how to actually implement a VPP in a way that replicates the best of what other VPPs have done. Our utility seems adamant that scaling up a VPP requires a full DERMS, and that will take 18 months, but that seems counterintuitive to other VPPs that have been highly successful (Sunrun's VPP with PG&E, National Grid's ConnectedSolutions program in Massachusetts with Energy Hub, etc.).
Now that we've pushed the Commission to pursue VPPs and agree that they can provide myriad benefits to the system and to ratepayers, what is the best way to communicate the implementation and the truths around technology readiness and timelines to start up a VPP? Our Commission is considering wildly different ideas: one is to start with a small pilot, and the other is to let aggregations of DERS bid into the next integrated resource plan. What is the best approach? Start small and simple and mimic a battery dispatch VPP like what Sunrun and National Grid have proven to be successful and quick to implement, or should we take a step back and pursue longer-term change and create a more holistic framework around DERs and have more discussions around what outcomes we want, similar to what Connecticut's PURA is doing?
Thank you to David for providing this opportunity to ask for help!
Hello, fellow Volts folk -
I am a homeowner in northeast Ohio planning to use the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) up-front rebates (and tax credits) to replace my old gas furnace and AC with a heat pump. I am well into my research, and I hope to work with / help others navigate same. My home is a 1956 2-story ranch / bungalow.
Some FYI notes:
- As you are likely aware, homeowners cannot get the IRA's heat pump up-front rebates until their state rolls out its own program, blessed by the US Dept. of Energy.
- A recent January, 2024 email from Ohio Dept. of Development estimates that Ohio's will be up and running at the end of 2024. This is a slip from their September, 2023 email estimate of mid-late 2024.
- I find Rewiring America's materials a great help. https://www.rewiringamerica.org/
- Also, Nate the House Whisperer's youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@NatetheHouseWhisperer
- Northeast Ohio is USDA Plant hardiness zone 6b (-5 to 0 degrees F; up 4 degrees since 2012!)
My ask:
- If you are in northeast Ohio, and working on this for your home, too, I would like to hear from you, so that we can share notes.
- If you are aware of an Ohio non-profit (or other group) that is tracking (and/or pushing) the Ohio Dept. of Development's progress, I'd like to know that, too.
- If you are a homeowner in northern climes who has been satisfied with your transition from gas furnace to heat pump in an older home, I would welcome resources you found helpful. Due to Dave's podcasts, I am aware that Maine has done a lot to help its citizens transition. If you are one of these, and would like to chat, please let me know.
- How to get in touch: reply here in the comments thread, or [Follow] me on Substack, and send me a message (DM).
Let's haul on the oars together.
Cheers!
I installed a horizontal loop ground source heat pump about 3 years ago, and wrote about it here: https://medium.com/@gstaneff/i-sent-a-price-signal-replacing-natural-gas-with-a-ground-source-heat-pump-9f4c826253be It did take me about 5 years of research to find an installer willing to do the work, hopefully that is moving faster for everyone these days. I could do an update on living with it over the years if folks are interested or have specific questions. On balance: electrical consumption is up 40% but total energy consumption is down 60%.
The Seattle area has a very mild climate but we've seen 0-115F with no issues from the system, you can see the loop fields after a snowfall as those runs will be the last to melt. No issue keeping a 3,600sq ft 2-story home at a stable temperature, in summer or winter. Ground source is a cheat-mode, but the air source units are now quite good in the cold as well.
I didn't do it for a reasonable payback, incentives, or cost efficacy standpoint (my utility is still eager to help me buy a new natural gas furnace). It definitely put a lot of load on the home's electrical system (especially the backup strip heaters, which take up a huge amount of panel headroom despite not having been energized in 3 years). Sometimes the geothermal desuperheater confuses the heat pump water heater, so I might even have that turned off right now. Any support or incentives on the home electrical system are going to be well worth taking advantage of. A smart panel with integrated battery will unlock a lot of flexibility that an older home won't have (and the electrical work is going to be surprisingly expensive).
Wow, Geoff - thank you! You did quite a service to the rest of us to publish your experience, and as your article says "send a price signal."
Your write-up spurs me to add a couple of points about my project for others to read, here:
- I expect to use an air source heat pump
- My house is 1900 sq ft
- In my research so far, I am expecting to have to upgrade my electric panel / service (there are $ in the IRA for this, too).
- Your article reminded me I need to pay attention to our electricity costs as I do my math. We have had some wild swings over the past few years, here.
- It is unclear to me whether I will need a backup gas furnace or not (more research to do).
- Not a surprise: the HVAC company we have used for years here in our suburb recommended a gas furnace / heat pump combination that is heavily integrated (they talk to each other and adjust accordingly). Expensivo.
- Not ruling it out; I will keep looking.
- My understanding (from listening to Nate the House Whisperer's youtube) is that it can be worthwhile for us suburbanites to get quotes from more rural HVAC contractors, because some will have a lot of experience with heat pumps.
- One resource I found really helpful is Rewiring America's Go Electric guide. It has a bunch of case studies in there. There is nothing like examples to help one plan. (Which is why I am so grateful for your sharing of your experience, including numbers!) Here's a link where folks can get the Go Electric Guide: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/IRAguide It's free. In my experience, it is a jumping off point, but provided the basic education I needed to -start- planning.
Folks in NYS can look into Dandelion Energy (vertical bore holes), but most drilling installations are significantly more expensive - and ground loops take up a lot of space. Air source should be able to carry the load just fine, but finding the right size unit might be a challenge. The AC in our home was half-sized to its needs and the furnace was about 75% of the way to sufficient. The home-layout also matters for sizing the system: how broken up are the returns, any 2-story spaces for internal circulation or heat-pooling, etc. A comparison of floorspace isn't enough to get it right. Replacing the old (generic) system with one right-sized solution completely changed the quality of heating and cooling life - before considering the efficiency improvements. Just from that quality of life I would go through all of it again.
Anyway, the vendor was more rural and importantly did predominantly commercial work rather than residential (a lot of schools are getting heat pump systems because they have the fields available for horizontal ground loops). The commercial contractors will have fewer incentives to go along with the utility's desired mix and that's where the dual-fuel system incentive comes from. A heat pump changes the optimal temperature profile of your home. The big climb from an overnight cool setting to a morning warm setting (or work/return cycle) is hard for a heat pump to manage, but if you keep the temp constant your heat pump can manage it and use less energy overall. The energy savings lessons from living with combustible fuels reinforce living with combustible fuels. The two systems in a dual fuel system need to coordinate only because we put the home into a state that is difficult for the heat pump to recover from swiftly and expect a swift response. I sifted through years of dual fuel recommendations before finding someone who would do the whole house just on the heat pump - most installers just don't know any better and push what they know and what the utility provides incentives for. I lost the fight against dual fuel systems with my Mom when she replaced her system last year, too many trusted vendors were telling her this was the only way and it made me sad to see that infrastructure baked in for another 15+ years. My brother scooped up the incentives and took the dual fuel system on offer. One still has to be obstinate to avoid fuel burning for home heating, even though the facts should support this defiant position.
That said, I'd find a way to fold in a 25kWh battery into my panel and/or stuff the backup heaters into a sub-panel so I could run the whole everything else on my 23kW backup generator. I didn't consider the electrical side enough before I jumped in. Afterwards, I charted it out and a relatively small battery (by today's monstrous EV battery standards) could cut my home's peak power draw by 30% while doubling the daily power delivered from the grid - this is something of a challenge in energy transition as the spikiness of electricity demand causes capacity (grid or panel) to be sized for safety at peak draw instead of towards finding ways to shift and shave those peaks to reduce overall grid throughput demands.
Wow again, Geoff! This information is literal gold (well, its equivalent, cash)! All of it. Thank you!
You mentioned the incentives to the contractors from the utilities to install gas furnaces and appliances: I was not aware this was a thing. (I mean, I knew they probably had incentives from the furnace makers.) A quick Google and I found this on the topic https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/21/new-home-builder-contractor-fossil-fuel-utilities-natural-gas . This makes me look at the coupon for the free "whole house energy assessment" provided by my HVAC contractor along with that dual-system quote with some suspicion. Although I may use it anyway, to get some more information.
Your comments about addition of a battery and possible impacts of that: wow, again.
I was musing about the quote in the linked article from the gas association about "gas is the most reliable energy source." We sometimes lose power here in the middle of the winter. But, ya know: our gas furnace, today, will not run without electricity. anyway.
I am looking into these as well I will follow this with much interest, and I live in NE Ohio as well.
Great, Josh! OK - let's keep each other posted! Thanks for your reply.
a work question that im hoping "boxes of hot rocks" is the viable answer:
a country in South Asia has a very unreliable electricity grid + insufficient rooftop space/ land for ground mounting solar which makes it very hard right now to utilise grid electricity + renewables for factory demands. Factories self generate electricity onsite using fossil gas.
Would a hot rocks solution be viable here -- sit between the grid and the factory and draw power when the grid is operating + additional small support from onsite renewables during the day. The energy is primarily needed as heat (steam at up to 250 degree Celsius, less than 10 bar pressure). Some factories have 24-hour steam demand, some only during day time.
I need solutions, and i need them quickly! Any positive support on this topic would be very helpful
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I'm casting about for a small scale local project that my church group can work on related to climate change and the energy transition. Unfortunately, here in the State of New Mexico the deadline for grant proposals (RFP) will close in March so it's too late to apply for state money. If anyone has successful experience pursuing a small local project related to energy (e.g. low income community insulation projects, upgrades to energy efficient appliances, community solar, or anything else envisioned by the Inflation Reduction Act) your ideas and advice would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me at walknbeauty@countermail.com
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Climate and Clean Energy Specialist
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Reports to: Climate and Environment Program Director
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The Washington Dept. of Ecology is hiring a new manager for its Cap & Invest Program. This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the country’s most impactful and influential climate policies. https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/4376527/cap-and-invest-group-manager-wms-band-3?department[0]=Dept.%20of%20Ecology&&keywords=cca&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs
Decommissioned nuclear power plants have new options. https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/08/on-lake-michigan-a-giant-water-battery-aids-clean-energy-transition.html
Re: Maine
Drat.
I have been of the opinion that sooner or later sodium ion batteries are going to replace lithium ion batteries for many uses, particularly stationary applications. What is your view about this?