Jesse
@ember42.bsky.social
Process engineer. Energy, infrastructure, industrial decarbonisation, P(🌎net0|☢️📉) << P(🌎net0|☢️📈), Sulphur. Views my own. Ember421 at x
Pinned
Jesse
@ember42.bsky.social
· Nov 15
How do we make nuclear the anchor for flexibility and firm capacity?
Here is my basic proposal.
Let’s start with a 350MW Gen IV reactor. This is basically the Natrium in round numbers, but we could use others, and we can adjust the ratios of turbine / core etc to suit the system.
*ANY* ~500C+ works
Here is my basic proposal.
Let’s start with a 350MW Gen IV reactor. This is basically the Natrium in round numbers, but we could use others, and we can adjust the ratios of turbine / core etc to suit the system.
*ANY* ~500C+ works
And this is a big chunk of why I'm not enthused about the 'default plan' of a natural gas firm system, with solar and wind 'fuel saving' as much as they economically can...
It's true that lowering capacity factors for fossil gas generators helps, but I think even most energy wonks don't appreciate how much methane is emitted from the supply chain that feeds those generators. It's enormous and the leaks are about the same whether the plant runs 80% or 20% of the time.
Furthermore, the primary way that transitions happen is by lowering the capacity factors of FF sources. Not shutting down resources, but utilizing them less and less. This isn't a horrible thing from the standpoint of maintaining stability for rare climactic events. ...
August 5, 2025 at 11:04 PM
And this is a big chunk of why I'm not enthused about the 'default plan' of a natural gas firm system, with solar and wind 'fuel saving' as much as they economically can...
With this, we should have a lifetime capitol gains exemption. That is X$ of capitol gains you can exempt from income tax. This exemption replaces tax-free saving accounts, primary residence capitol gains exemptions, and inheritance tax exemptions.
The remaining amount grows with inflation.
The remaining amount grows with inflation.
Heterodox opinion:
There should be no corporate income tax.
There should be no corporate income tax.
July 6, 2025 at 10:55 AM
With this, we should have a lifetime capitol gains exemption. That is X$ of capitol gains you can exempt from income tax. This exemption replaces tax-free saving accounts, primary residence capitol gains exemptions, and inheritance tax exemptions.
The remaining amount grows with inflation.
The remaining amount grows with inflation.
Heterodox opinion:
There should be no corporate income tax.
There should be no corporate income tax.
July 6, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Heterodox opinion:
There should be no corporate income tax.
There should be no corporate income tax.
Peak heating solved!
xkcd.com/3099/
xkcd.com/3099/
Neighbor-Source Heat Pump
xkcd.com
June 9, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Peak heating solved!
xkcd.com/3099/
xkcd.com/3099/
Pick at least one of:
-Mass scale H2 from intermittently available energy used for power (TW and 10's+TWh)
-Mass scale CCS AND DAC (GT/y+ scale for each)
-Mass scale nuclear (TWs)
Or
-Shallow Decarbonization (~10GT/y).
More likley pick 1 as a major and anouther as a partial.
-Mass scale H2 from intermittently available energy used for power (TW and 10's+TWh)
-Mass scale CCS AND DAC (GT/y+ scale for each)
-Mass scale nuclear (TWs)
Or
-Shallow Decarbonization (~10GT/y).
More likley pick 1 as a major and anouther as a partial.
May 16, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Pick at least one of:
-Mass scale H2 from intermittently available energy used for power (TW and 10's+TWh)
-Mass scale CCS AND DAC (GT/y+ scale for each)
-Mass scale nuclear (TWs)
Or
-Shallow Decarbonization (~10GT/y).
More likley pick 1 as a major and anouther as a partial.
-Mass scale H2 from intermittently available energy used for power (TW and 10's+TWh)
-Mass scale CCS AND DAC (GT/y+ scale for each)
-Mass scale nuclear (TWs)
Or
-Shallow Decarbonization (~10GT/y).
More likley pick 1 as a major and anouther as a partial.
Reposted by Jesse
A few comments on the @mark-carney.bsky.social platform released today. You can find it here: liberal.ca/cstrong/.
I provided some 'sounding board' advice here and there to those working on the platform. As always: I disclose, but you can decide what weight to put on that.
Thread below...
I provided some 'sounding board' advice here and there to those working on the platform. As always: I disclose, but you can decide what weight to put on that.
Thread below...
Canada Strong | Liberal Party of Canada
Download our plan
liberal.ca
April 19, 2025 at 6:04 PM
A few comments on the @mark-carney.bsky.social platform released today. You can find it here: liberal.ca/cstrong/.
I provided some 'sounding board' advice here and there to those working on the platform. As always: I disclose, but you can decide what weight to put on that.
Thread below...
I provided some 'sounding board' advice here and there to those working on the platform. As always: I disclose, but you can decide what weight to put on that.
Thread below...
Canada here.
We want Hegseth right where he is.
We want Hegseth right where he is.
March 25, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Canada here.
We want Hegseth right where he is.
We want Hegseth right where he is.
And interesting part is that the Canadian Government is providing a backstop for utilities to expand orders and guarantee the future demand for the factory, so it's been expanded there, where without that, a US factory remains closed. Wish they had the lead time diff for each country though...
For the past few months, I’ve been working on a story that was set to reveal this week one of the biggest bottlenecks to our clean, electrified future. Then on Thursday night, it blew up.
Not my story, but the very thing—transformers—I was reporting on. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
Not my story, but the very thing—transformers—I was reporting on. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
Heathrow Shutdown Shows How Electrified World Depends on One Device
A shortage of transformers is causing delays to power projects everywhere, holding trillion-dollar industries hostage—and that was before tariffs.
www.bloomberg.com
March 25, 2025 at 9:52 AM
And interesting part is that the Canadian Government is providing a backstop for utilities to expand orders and guarantee the future demand for the factory, so it's been expanded there, where without that, a US factory remains closed. Wish they had the lead time diff for each country though...
Reposted by Jesse
Elbows up, Canada.
March 22, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Elbows up, Canada.
Reposted by Jesse
🚨TARIFFS🚨
Here's a story that tells you lots about the reality of tariffs: both for those paying them & those hoping to benefit from them.
A story of ships, storms, bad luck and bad policy.
It begins a week and a bit ago, with a man frantically refreshing his web browser...
Here's a story that tells you lots about the reality of tariffs: both for those paying them & those hoping to benefit from them.
A story of ships, storms, bad luck and bad policy.
It begins a week and a bit ago, with a man frantically refreshing his web browser...
March 21, 2025 at 11:09 AM
🚨TARIFFS🚨
Here's a story that tells you lots about the reality of tariffs: both for those paying them & those hoping to benefit from them.
A story of ships, storms, bad luck and bad policy.
It begins a week and a bit ago, with a man frantically refreshing his web browser...
Here's a story that tells you lots about the reality of tariffs: both for those paying them & those hoping to benefit from them.
A story of ships, storms, bad luck and bad policy.
It begins a week and a bit ago, with a man frantically refreshing his web browser...
Here is a really interesting thread on 'practical drift', 'normalization of deviance' and 'slack'.
Slack (and 'harvesting slack') is a very important consideration I think is under appreciated broadly including in our energy systems #energysky
Slack (and 'harvesting slack') is a very important consideration I think is under appreciated broadly including in our energy systems #energysky
I have a whole theory on the inertia of organizations and how it can both save the org, but also mislead leadership into thinking <whatever> is working.
And short story is that things can be incredibly resilient if they are heathy, and shockingly brittle if they are not. 🧵
And short story is that things can be incredibly resilient if they are heathy, and shockingly brittle if they are not. 🧵
February 22, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Here is a really interesting thread on 'practical drift', 'normalization of deviance' and 'slack'.
Slack (and 'harvesting slack') is a very important consideration I think is under appreciated broadly including in our energy systems #energysky
Slack (and 'harvesting slack') is a very important consideration I think is under appreciated broadly including in our energy systems #energysky
Reposted by Jesse
This sort of top-down analysis is incredibly naive and demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how auto OEM businesses work. They are all heavily dependent on profits in North America, and North American auto supply chains are all dependent on the flow of components across to/from CA/MX.
February 3, 2025 at 1:14 PM
This sort of top-down analysis is incredibly naive and demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how auto OEM businesses work. They are all heavily dependent on profits in North America, and North American auto supply chains are all dependent on the flow of components across to/from CA/MX.
Gonna be a whole lot of people reading up on incoterms tonight, and reading through their contracts to see which ones they used...
February 1, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Gonna be a whole lot of people reading up on incoterms tonight, and reading through their contracts to see which ones they used...
Should we be setting a climate action level target like we set a NATO defense spending target? Say a target of 2% of GDP. As a security issue the same as the defense spending target?
#energysky
#energysky
January 18, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Should we be setting a climate action level target like we set a NATO defense spending target? Say a target of 2% of GDP. As a security issue the same as the defense spending target?
#energysky
#energysky
Reposted by Jesse
Not done with this one.
January 12, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Not done with this one.
I like the concept (in hydrogenous neighborhoods anyway - not sure if it would be as effective in all residential). A few questions though
-What is the overall cost per unit served? Sure if can be financed via the utility but still an important consideration.
-What is the overall cost per unit served? Sure if can be financed via the utility but still an important consideration.
Today on Volts: thermal energy networks are the new hotness! Replacing fossil gas pipes & furnaces with water pipes & heat pumps was a niche idea not long ago. Now the first pilot is completed & dozens more are on the way. This is how natgas companies can survive: become thermal energy companies.
Thermal energy networks are the next big thing
Could gas utilities transform into "thermal utilities"? Here's how networked heat pumps could give them a whole new business model instead of going extinct.
www.volts.wtf
January 2, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I like the concept (in hydrogenous neighborhoods anyway - not sure if it would be as effective in all residential). A few questions though
-What is the overall cost per unit served? Sure if can be financed via the utility but still an important consideration.
-What is the overall cost per unit served? Sure if can be financed via the utility but still an important consideration.
I have been playing around with an interesting concept here - the tradeoff curves of capacity vs storage.
First for a completely clean + storage system. This is what we need for Ontario for a no FF system with current demand profile, assuming starting from scratch for clarity. 🔌💡
First for a completely clean + storage system. This is what we need for Ontario for a no FF system with current demand profile, assuming starting from scratch for clarity. 🔌💡
December 27, 2024 at 1:30 PM
I have been playing around with an interesting concept here - the tradeoff curves of capacity vs storage.
First for a completely clean + storage system. This is what we need for Ontario for a no FF system with current demand profile, assuming starting from scratch for clarity. 🔌💡
First for a completely clean + storage system. This is what we need for Ontario for a no FF system with current demand profile, assuming starting from scratch for clarity. 🔌💡
Reposted by Jesse
Do you have a megaproject you'd like to see, regardless of it being a good/feasible idea?
Mine is the proposal for a Bering Strait train crossing. I want to take a month-long train ride from Argentina to Scotland.
Mine is the proposal for a Bering Strait train crossing. I want to take a month-long train ride from Argentina to Scotland.
December 23, 2024 at 7:10 PM
Do you have a megaproject you'd like to see, regardless of it being a good/feasible idea?
Mine is the proposal for a Bering Strait train crossing. I want to take a month-long train ride from Argentina to Scotland.
Mine is the proposal for a Bering Strait train crossing. I want to take a month-long train ride from Argentina to Scotland.
Not going to comment on the politics of it, but this looks to be serious and sober analysis for how nuclear could fit in for Australia.
www.frontier-economics.com.au/economic-ana...
This sort of 'whole system analysis' is the minimum necessary to do a credible analysis comparing resource mixes.
www.frontier-economics.com.au/economic-ana...
This sort of 'whole system analysis' is the minimum necessary to do a credible analysis comparing resource mixes.
Economic analysis of including nuclear power in the NEM
This is the second independent report in this series on modelling the economics of including nuclear in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM).
www.frontier-economics.com.au
December 15, 2024 at 9:39 PM
Not going to comment on the politics of it, but this looks to be serious and sober analysis for how nuclear could fit in for Australia.
www.frontier-economics.com.au/economic-ana...
This sort of 'whole system analysis' is the minimum necessary to do a credible analysis comparing resource mixes.
www.frontier-economics.com.au/economic-ana...
This sort of 'whole system analysis' is the minimum necessary to do a credible analysis comparing resource mixes.
I have seen lots of wishful thinking on dunkelflaute *management*, but I have never seen outright dunkelflaute *denialism* before.
Always something new!
Always something new!
December 11, 2024 at 5:05 PM
I have seen lots of wishful thinking on dunkelflaute *management*, but I have never seen outright dunkelflaute *denialism* before.
Always something new!
Always something new!
Reposted by Jesse
Was this in any way inspired by the work of Charles Forsberg and colleagues at MIT? Here a couple of examples, a lot of the research focuses on the potential synergies of a nuclear reactor/heat storage/CT system supplying ⚡&🔥
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
(PDF) Coupling Heat Storage to Base-Load Nuclear Reactors for Variable Heat, Electricity and Hydrogen
PDF | Nuclear reactors have high-capital-costs and low-operating costs; thus, they must be operated at high capacity factors to minimize the cost of... | Find, read and cite all the research you need ...
www.researchgate.net
November 25, 2024 at 12:07 PM
Was this in any way inspired by the work of Charles Forsberg and colleagues at MIT? Here a couple of examples, a lot of the research focuses on the potential synergies of a nuclear reactor/heat storage/CT system supplying ⚡&🔥
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Reposted by Jesse
Pinned thread for my attempts at "EnergySky protection class" - I'll be going through various protection topics and relay types as I think of them, for anyone who's interested in knowing about one of the grid's lesser-discussed features. Hope it helps!
November 16, 2024 at 3:56 PM
Pinned thread for my attempts at "EnergySky protection class" - I'll be going through various protection topics and relay types as I think of them, for anyone who's interested in knowing about one of the grid's lesser-discussed features. Hope it helps!
Reposted by Jesse
Ok! EnergySky protection class (is that too arrogant of me to say? I'm trying to make it light) day 2 - over current relaying!
I need to clean this up better but this is a vintage Westinghouse Type CO I salvaged a while back and we can use it to see some things
I need to clean this up better but this is a vintage Westinghouse Type CO I salvaged a while back and we can use it to see some things
November 16, 2024 at 3:40 PM
Ok! EnergySky protection class (is that too arrogant of me to say? I'm trying to make it light) day 2 - over current relaying!
I need to clean this up better but this is a vintage Westinghouse Type CO I salvaged a while back and we can use it to see some things
I need to clean this up better but this is a vintage Westinghouse Type CO I salvaged a while back and we can use it to see some things