Jesse D. Jenkins
@jessedjenkins.com
Macro-energy systems engineering, optimization & policy. Associate professor at Princeton University. Leads the ZERO Lab. Co-hosts SHIFT KEY podcast. Time100 Next & TIME100 Climate honoree. More at linkedin.com/in/jessedjenkins & zero.lab.princeton.edu
Pinned
Jesse D. Jenkins
@jessedjenkins.com
· Oct 20
I recently co-founded Firma Power w/Scott Burger & Brent Alderfer, a new venture assembling portfolios of clean resources to deliver firm, load-enabling power to hyperscale data centers and other large loads.
World-class analytics is our edge, and we want YOU to join the team. 🔌💡
World-class analytics is our edge, and we want YOU to join the team. 🔌💡
This sounds like some serious hearsay. I put no stock in it and would encourage others not to either.
January 19, 2026 at 9:13 PM
This sounds like some serious hearsay. I put no stock in it and would encourage others not to either.
Finally! Bravo.
After 10 years of controversy, lawsuits, and even a ballot referendum, the New England Clean Energy Connect is up and running 🔌
With a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, the new line can satisfy 20% of Massachusetts' electricity needs. www.wbur.org/news/2026/01... @wbur.org #energysky
With a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, the new line can satisfy 20% of Massachusetts' electricity needs. www.wbur.org/news/2026/01... @wbur.org #energysky
A decade in the making, clean energy power line for Mass. is up and running
A major new transmission line that can bring renewable electricity from Quebec to Massachusetts is finally, after a whole lot of controversy and delay, starting to deliver power.
www.wbur.org
January 16, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Finally! Bravo.
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
I'm a big fan of the @rff.org Resources Radio podcast - lots of great interviews with researchers talking about their work so the archive is a real gold mine. We ended up discussing this excellent episode with @catiehausman.bsky.social going through her work on electricity transmission.
Power Flows: Understanding the Barriers to Electricity Transmission, with Catherine Hausman
Catherine Hausman discusses the benefits of building new electricity transmission lines, the costs of not building new transmission, and why more transmission is not being built in the United States.
www.resources.org
January 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM
I'm a big fan of the @rff.org Resources Radio podcast - lots of great interviews with researchers talking about their work so the archive is a real gold mine. We ended up discussing this excellent episode with @catiehausman.bsky.social going through her work on electricity transmission.
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
Hedging and energy trading is always a tricky topic for students that haven't encountered this stuff before. I found this trio of videos gives some useful insights into oil trading that's pretty accessible and worked well. p1: tinyurl.com/3csz73a8 p2: tinyurl.com/2kwbed2x p3: tinyurl.com/3heytjkx
What is Hedging? | Oil and Commodities Trading
YouTube video by International Business House
www.youtube.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Hedging and energy trading is always a tricky topic for students that haven't encountered this stuff before. I found this trio of videos gives some useful insights into oil trading that's pretty accessible and worked well. p1: tinyurl.com/3csz73a8 p2: tinyurl.com/2kwbed2x p3: tinyurl.com/3heytjkx
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
Understanding the clean energy transition requires a firm grasp of the fossil fuel markets that still dominate the sector today. @planetmoney.bsky.social has some excellent energy reporting, including this piece on gasoline that features both @severinborenstein.bsky.social and Ryan Kellogg.
Breaking down the price of gasoline : Planet Money
High gas prices have fueled speculation and investigations — is anyone raising prices and keeping prices high for profit? To find out, we break down the price of gas, piece by piece, to show you how w...
www.npr.org
January 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Understanding the clean energy transition requires a firm grasp of the fossil fuel markets that still dominate the sector today. @planetmoney.bsky.social has some excellent energy reporting, including this piece on gasoline that features both @severinborenstein.bsky.social and Ryan Kellogg.
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
For a class full of social science students, getting some grounding in how the physics and engineering of the grid interacts with the economics is key. The summer school series that @jessedjenkins.com and @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social put out on their excellent Shift Key podcast was perfect for this.
Shift Key Summer School: What Is a Watt?
Jesse teaches Rob the basics of energy, power, and what it all has to do with the grid.
heatmap.news
January 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM
For a class full of social science students, getting some grounding in how the physics and engineering of the grid interacts with the economics is key. The summer school series that @jessedjenkins.com and @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social put out on their excellent Shift Key podcast was perfect for this.
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
Finished teaching a new course on energy markets and the clean energy transition last month. Was a blast and have lots of thoughts for next year.
One takeaway is the value of going beyond academic journals/textbooks and incorporating media articles, podcasts, and video. Here's a few we covered... 🧵
One takeaway is the value of going beyond academic journals/textbooks and incorporating media articles, podcasts, and video. Here's a few we covered... 🧵
January 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Finished teaching a new course on energy markets and the clean energy transition last month. Was a blast and have lots of thoughts for next year.
One takeaway is the value of going beyond academic journals/textbooks and incorporating media articles, podcasts, and video. Here's a few we covered... 🧵
One takeaway is the value of going beyond academic journals/textbooks and incorporating media articles, podcasts, and video. Here's a few we covered... 🧵
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
This week on SHIFT KEY:
Trump wants U.S. drillers to have Venezuela's oil. But what's really keeping them from getting it? And do they even want it?
@robinsonmeyer.bsky.social checks in with @roryjohnston.bsky.social on all of the above and more:
heatmap.news/podcast/shif...
Trump wants U.S. drillers to have Venezuela's oil. But what's really keeping them from getting it? And do they even want it?
@robinsonmeyer.bsky.social checks in with @roryjohnston.bsky.social on all of the above and more:
heatmap.news/podcast/shif...
Why Trump’s Oil Imperialism Might Be a Tough Sell for Actual Oil Companies
Rob talks about the removal of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro with Commodity Context’s Rory Johnston.
heatmap.news
January 6, 2026 at 4:29 PM
This week on SHIFT KEY:
Trump wants U.S. drillers to have Venezuela's oil. But what's really keeping them from getting it? And do they even want it?
@robinsonmeyer.bsky.social checks in with @roryjohnston.bsky.social on all of the above and more:
heatmap.news/podcast/shif...
Trump wants U.S. drillers to have Venezuela's oil. But what's really keeping them from getting it? And do they even want it?
@robinsonmeyer.bsky.social checks in with @roryjohnston.bsky.social on all of the above and more:
heatmap.news/podcast/shif...
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
BREAKING:
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
The U.S. Will Exit UN’s Framework Climate Treaty, According to Reports
The move would mark a significant escalation in Trump’s hostility toward climate diplomacy.
heatmap.news
January 7, 2026 at 11:41 PM
BREAKING:
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
The White House plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations framework climate treaty, according to reports.
Here's @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social with what we know:
heatmap.news/sparks/us-wi...
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
New @wsj.com: "The Fight Over Making Data Centers Power Down to Avoid Blackouts"
“The pressures of connecting to the grid at the scale and pace that people are talking about is going to push these solutions,”
@jessedjenkins.com said. “There isn’t another option.”
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
“The pressures of connecting to the grid at the scale and pace that people are talking about is going to push these solutions,”
@jessedjenkins.com said. “There isn’t another option.”
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
January 7, 2026 at 1:08 AM
New @wsj.com: "The Fight Over Making Data Centers Power Down to Avoid Blackouts"
“The pressures of connecting to the grid at the scale and pace that people are talking about is going to push these solutions,”
@jessedjenkins.com said. “There isn’t another option.”
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
“The pressures of connecting to the grid at the scale and pace that people are talking about is going to push these solutions,”
@jessedjenkins.com said. “There isn’t another option.”
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
7 numbers explain why building electrification is taking off in the USA, via @canarymedia.com www.canarymedia.com/articles/car... 🔌💡 #upshift
7 numbers that explain why the future of buildings is all-electric
Key indicators, from the cost of fossil gas to the number of heat pumps sold, signal building decarbonization will march onward in the U.S. despite…
www.canarymedia.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:15 PM
7 numbers explain why building electrification is taking off in the USA, via @canarymedia.com www.canarymedia.com/articles/car... 🔌💡 #upshift
Despite headwinds, over 20 new EVs are coming to the US market in 2026, including several more affordable vehicles. Can any thrive without federal tax credits? insideevs.com/news/782572/... 🔌💡 🔌🚗
Over 20 New EVs Are Coming In 2026. These Are The Seven I'm Most Excited About
We’ve been waiting for the next generation of EVs to arrive—cheaper, faster, better. Next year, they’ll finally be here.
insideevs.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Despite headwinds, over 20 new EVs are coming to the US market in 2026, including several more affordable vehicles. Can any thrive without federal tax credits? insideevs.com/news/782572/... 🔌💡 🔌🚗
I finally read the op ed. Matt Yglesias is right. (98% right at least, which is an A+ for a NYT op ed). Don't @ me. It's the holidays and I don't have the appetite. But Matty's position is pragmatic, substantively sound, and the only way we have a chance of making progress on climate in this moment.
December 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I finally read the op ed. Matt Yglesias is right. (98% right at least, which is an A+ for a NYT op ed). Don't @ me. It's the holidays and I don't have the appetite. But Matty's position is pragmatic, substantively sound, and the only way we have a chance of making progress on climate in this moment.
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
New preprint up assessing the air quality and health benefits that could have been possible under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Huge effort here with Erin Mayfield, Jamil Farbes, @jessedjenkins.com, Ryan Jones, Tracey Holloway, and @jonathanpatz.bsky.social.
Huge effort here with Erin Mayfield, Jamil Farbes, @jessedjenkins.com, Ryan Jones, Tracey Holloway, and @jonathanpatz.bsky.social.
Air quality and health effects of U.S. energy transitions
Transitioning the U.S. energy system has the potential to improve public health by reducing ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure. We develop an integrated modeling framework, coupling ener...
zenodo.org
December 22, 2025 at 9:32 PM
New preprint up assessing the air quality and health benefits that could have been possible under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Huge effort here with Erin Mayfield, Jamil Farbes, @jessedjenkins.com, Ryan Jones, Tracey Holloway, and @jonathanpatz.bsky.social.
Huge effort here with Erin Mayfield, Jamil Farbes, @jessedjenkins.com, Ryan Jones, Tracey Holloway, and @jonathanpatz.bsky.social.
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
There’s a lot of excitement about the growth of next-gen geothermal in the US.
But geothermal is *already* competing at price parity in Europe. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, @jessedjenkins.com and I chat with Mark Fitzgerald, the CEO of a geothermal firm that is now powering a German town:
But geothermal is *already* competing at price parity in Europe. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, @jessedjenkins.com and I chat with Mark Fitzgerald, the CEO of a geothermal firm that is now powering a German town:
Say ‘Guten Tag!’ to This New Kind of Geothermal Tech
Rob and Jesse catch up with Mark Fitzgerald, CEO of the closed-loop geothermal startup Eavor.
heatmap.news
December 17, 2025 at 6:21 PM
There’s a lot of excitement about the growth of next-gen geothermal in the US.
But geothermal is *already* competing at price parity in Europe. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, @jessedjenkins.com and I chat with Mark Fitzgerald, the CEO of a geothermal firm that is now powering a German town:
But geothermal is *already* competing at price parity in Europe. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, @jessedjenkins.com and I chat with Mark Fitzgerald, the CEO of a geothermal firm that is now powering a German town:
Reposted by Jesse D. Jenkins
NEW SHIFT KEY:
It's not every day we get to celebrate a successful first-of-its kind climate tech — but that's exactly what @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social and @jessedjenkins.com did this week with Eavor's Mark Fitzgerald.
Listen (and rate and subscribe!) here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
It's not every day we get to celebrate a successful first-of-its kind climate tech — but that's exactly what @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social and @jessedjenkins.com did this week with Eavor's Mark Fitzgerald.
Listen (and rate and subscribe!) here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
Say ‘Guten Tag!’ to This New Kind of Geothermal Tech
Podcast Episode · Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins · 12/17/2025 · 44m
podcasts.apple.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:21 PM
NEW SHIFT KEY:
It's not every day we get to celebrate a successful first-of-its kind climate tech — but that's exactly what @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social and @jessedjenkins.com did this week with Eavor's Mark Fitzgerald.
Listen (and rate and subscribe!) here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
It's not every day we get to celebrate a successful first-of-its kind climate tech — but that's exactly what @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social and @jessedjenkins.com did this week with Eavor's Mark Fitzgerald.
Listen (and rate and subscribe!) here:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
Well, we've officially jumped the shark. This is probably the most bonkers real headline I've read in forever. Reads like an Onion satire. But no. This is real. www.wsj.com/business/dea... I want out of this branch of the metaverse...
Trump Media to Merge With Nuclear Fusion Firm in $6 Billion Deal
Shares in the president’s media company jumped premarket after it agreed to a tie-up with TAE Technologies in an all-stock deal.
www.wsj.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Well, we've officially jumped the shark. This is probably the most bonkers real headline I've read in forever. Reads like an Onion satire. But no. This is real. www.wsj.com/business/dea... I want out of this branch of the metaverse...
It's not every day we get to welcome a totally new clean energy technology into commercial operation. Today on Shift Key, we talk with Eavor Technologies CEO Mark Fitzgerald about how the company brought online the first-ever closed-loop geothermal heat & power project this month in Germany! 🔌💡
December 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
It's not every day we get to welcome a totally new clean energy technology into commercial operation. Today on Shift Key, we talk with Eavor Technologies CEO Mark Fitzgerald about how the company brought online the first-ever closed-loop geothermal heat & power project this month in Germany! 🔌💡
A single Chinese state-owned company is buying more solar panels and wind turbines to deploy in 2026 than the entire US market is likely to build.
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/12/15/c...
🔌💡
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/12/15/c...
🔌💡
Chinese PV Industry Brief: PowerChina launches 31 GW solar procurement
China Power Construction Corp. (PowerChina) has launched a 31 GW solar module tender for 2026 projects, split across n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), heterojunction (HJT) and back-cont...
www.pv-magazine.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM
A single Chinese state-owned company is buying more solar panels and wind turbines to deploy in 2026 than the entire US market is likely to build.
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/12/15/c...
🔌💡
www.pv-magazine.com/2025/12/15/c...
🔌💡
US demands EU exempt its gas from methane emissions law until 2035, document shows share.google/cDYT3BTSwXw3...
This is why the US should not have canned EPA methane reg, and why most big gas players supported the regs. Lower US methane leaks = more globally competitive product
This is why the US should not have canned EPA methane reg, and why most big gas players supported the regs. Lower US methane leaks = more globally competitive product
US demands EU exempt its gas from methane emissions law, document shows
The U.S. has demanded that the European Union exempt its oil and gas from obligations under the bloc's methane emissions law on fuel imports until 2035, a U.S. government document seen by Reuters show...
share.google
December 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM
US demands EU exempt its gas from methane emissions law until 2035, document shows share.google/cDYT3BTSwXw3...
This is why the US should not have canned EPA methane reg, and why most big gas players supported the regs. Lower US methane leaks = more globally competitive product
This is why the US should not have canned EPA methane reg, and why most big gas players supported the regs. Lower US methane leaks = more globally competitive product
Silicon anodes are coming to market! Huge improvement in energy density (400 Wh/kg!) and charge rates (10 min rapid charging) for Li-ion batteries, and an alternative to graphite, which is almost all sourced from China now. This is one area where US could regain leadership in battery tech.
🔗⤵️ 🔌🚗 🔌💡
🔗⤵️ 🔌🚗 🔌💡
December 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Silicon anodes are coming to market! Huge improvement in energy density (400 Wh/kg!) and charge rates (10 min rapid charging) for Li-ion batteries, and an alternative to graphite, which is almost all sourced from China now. This is one area where US could regain leadership in battery tech.
🔗⤵️ 🔌🚗 🔌💡
🔗⤵️ 🔌🚗 🔌💡
The US Department of Energy approved an $8.6 million grant that will allow the nation’s first utility-led geothermal heating and cooling network (in MA) to double in size. www.canarymedia.com/articles/uti... 🔌💡
First utility-owned geothermal network to double in size with DOE…
The $8.6 million grant for Eversource’s pioneering project in Framingham, Massachusetts, is a rare win for renewable energy under the Trump administration.
www.canarymedia.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:41 PM
The US Department of Energy approved an $8.6 million grant that will allow the nation’s first utility-led geothermal heating and cooling network (in MA) to double in size. www.canarymedia.com/articles/uti... 🔌💡
New Jersey's legislature is considering clarifying E-bikes as motorized vehicles requiring license, registration and insurance. That is nuts and would deny a huge range of people an ideal and affordable mobility solution. A terrible idea. share.google/HGvRZ77w9SqE... 🔌💡
Critics oppose plan for new e-bike regulations in NJ • New Jersey Monitor
Bike enthusiasts oppose a bill that would do away with the state's three-tier system for classifying electric and motorized bikes.
share.google
December 5, 2025 at 10:34 PM
New Jersey's legislature is considering clarifying E-bikes as motorized vehicles requiring license, registration and insurance. That is nuts and would deny a huge range of people an ideal and affordable mobility solution. A terrible idea. share.google/HGvRZ77w9SqE... 🔌💡
How batteries got cheaper and made power grids more reliable www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b... #upshift 🔌💡
Once a Gamble in the Desert, Electric Grid Batteries Are Everywhere
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:56 PM
How batteries got cheaper and made power grids more reliable www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b... #upshift 🔌💡
A flexible approach with “bring-your-own-capacity” could connect data centers faster and save hundreds of millions in system supply costs, says a report from Camus, encoord and Princeton | Utility Dive share.google/9HgK3R5h3KYh... 🔌💡
Flexible connections and BYOC could reduce data center burden: report
A flexible approach with “bring-your-own-capacity” could connect data centers faster and save hundreds of millions in system supply costs, says a report from Camus, encoord and Princeton University’s ...
share.google
December 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
A flexible approach with “bring-your-own-capacity” could connect data centers faster and save hundreds of millions in system supply costs, says a report from Camus, encoord and Princeton | Utility Dive share.google/9HgK3R5h3KYh... 🔌💡