Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
Engineering prof (mechanical + electrical) at a big Midwest state school. Energy, climate, buildings, power grid, control, optimization, data science. He/him. Personal account. https://kevinjkircher.com/ Email: my last name at purdue dot edu
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Blog – Kevin J. Kircher
kevinjkircher.com
I'm live-blogging my class on Distributed Energy Resources this spring. The first few posts include "What are DERs?" and a three-part series on "Why DERs?" (spoiler: health, money, and climate). I'll link to more posts here as I write them.
kevinjkircher.com/blog/
kevinjkircher.com/blog/
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
In this clip, Tamika Middleton from @womensmarch.com talks about the ways the administration has escalated violence agains citizens in 2026.
Check out the full episode 1 of the Apocalyptic Optimist Podcast here (or wherever you get your podcasts):
cece.american.edu/apocalyptic-...
Check out the full episode 1 of the Apocalyptic Optimist Podcast here (or wherever you get your podcasts):
cece.american.edu/apocalyptic-...
February 9, 2026 at 7:41 PM
In this clip, Tamika Middleton from @womensmarch.com talks about the ways the administration has escalated violence agains citizens in 2026.
Check out the full episode 1 of the Apocalyptic Optimist Podcast here (or wherever you get your podcasts):
cece.american.edu/apocalyptic-...
Check out the full episode 1 of the Apocalyptic Optimist Podcast here (or wherever you get your podcasts):
cece.american.edu/apocalyptic-...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Transitioning away from fossil fuels would save millions of lives and more than pay for itself in saved healthcare costs
It would be a no-brainer even if they weren't driving the breakdown of our life support systems
It would be a no-brainer even if they weren't driving the breakdown of our life support systems
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes 100,000 to 200,000 avoidable American deaths per year. At the EPA's statistical value of life of $10 million, these deaths cost America $1 to $2 trillion per year, every year. These costs far outweigh the costs of transitioning off of fossil fuels.
Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study
Objectives To estimate all cause and cause specific deaths that are attributable to fossil fuel related air pollution and to assess potential health benefits from policies that replace fossil fuels wi...
www.bmj.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Transitioning away from fossil fuels would save millions of lives and more than pay for itself in saved healthcare costs
It would be a no-brainer even if they weren't driving the breakdown of our life support systems
It would be a no-brainer even if they weren't driving the breakdown of our life support systems
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
We need to stop referring to these people as centrist Democrats. They are advancing a right-wing agenda and should be referred to as such.
NEW: The “centrist” Abundance think tank pushing Democrats toward deregulation is run by a registered corporate lobbyist for OpenAI, Larry Ellison’s Oracle, and a crypto think tank.
February 9, 2026 at 6:32 PM
We need to stop referring to these people as centrist Democrats. They are advancing a right-wing agenda and should be referred to as such.
As Trumpists moved the Overton window far to the right, and the Democratic party shifted rightward to absorb moderate Repubs, the right flank of the Dem party stopped being "centrist." It's now socially liberal and fiscally conservative with deregulation as a central goal. "Libertarian," basically.
We need to stop referring to these people as centrist Democrats. They are advancing a right-wing agenda and should be referred to as such.
NEW: The “centrist” Abundance think tank pushing Democrats toward deregulation is run by a registered corporate lobbyist for OpenAI, Larry Ellison’s Oracle, and a crypto think tank.
February 9, 2026 at 7:07 PM
As Trumpists moved the Overton window far to the right, and the Democratic party shifted rightward to absorb moderate Repubs, the right flank of the Dem party stopped being "centrist." It's now socially liberal and fiscally conservative with deregulation as a central goal. "Libertarian," basically.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
MD delegate Charkoudian: PJM has failed ratepayers, keeping older, more expensive power plants online & driving up prices as data centers increase demand. Adding low-cost solar generation, storage and energy efficiency programs - and getting an accurate demand count - are the best ways to respond.
With electricity bills rising, some states consider new data center laws • Iowa Capital Dispatch
States are trying to keep the nation’s growing number of data centers from causing higher energy costs for consumers.
iowacapitaldispatch.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:56 PM
MD delegate Charkoudian: PJM has failed ratepayers, keeping older, more expensive power plants online & driving up prices as data centers increase demand. Adding low-cost solar generation, storage and energy efficiency programs - and getting an accurate demand count - are the best ways to respond.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Not to mention the enormous loss to the families and loved ones of people who die these preventable deaths from pollution.
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes 100,000 to 200,000 avoidable American deaths per year. At the EPA's statistical value of life of $10 million, these deaths cost America $1 to $2 trillion per year, every year. These costs far outweigh the costs of transitioning off of fossil fuels.
Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study
Objectives To estimate all cause and cause specific deaths that are attributable to fossil fuel related air pollution and to assess potential health benefits from policies that replace fossil fuels wi...
www.bmj.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Not to mention the enormous loss to the families and loved ones of people who die these preventable deaths from pollution.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
One of the biggest cons of my lifetime at least is the fear-mongering around the ostensible costs and disruptions of reducing or eliminating fossil fuel use and transitioning to renewables as much as possible. A historic long con.
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes 100,000 to 200,000 avoidable American deaths per year. At the EPA's statistical value of life of $10 million, these deaths cost America $1 to $2 trillion per year, every year. These costs far outweigh the costs of transitioning off of fossil fuels.
Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study
Objectives To estimate all cause and cause specific deaths that are attributable to fossil fuel related air pollution and to assess potential health benefits from policies that replace fossil fuels wi...
www.bmj.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:51 PM
One of the biggest cons of my lifetime at least is the fear-mongering around the ostensible costs and disruptions of reducing or eliminating fossil fuel use and transitioning to renewables as much as possible. A historic long con.
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes 100,000 to 200,000 avoidable American deaths per year. At the EPA's statistical value of life of $10 million, these deaths cost America $1 to $2 trillion per year, every year. These costs far outweigh the costs of transitioning off of fossil fuels.
Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study
Objectives To estimate all cause and cause specific deaths that are attributable to fossil fuel related air pollution and to assess potential health benefits from policies that replace fossil fuels wi...
www.bmj.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes 100,000 to 200,000 avoidable American deaths per year. At the EPA's statistical value of life of $10 million, these deaths cost America $1 to $2 trillion per year, every year. These costs far outweigh the costs of transitioning off of fossil fuels.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Commenting on energy injustice is now the floor for any halftime act.
February 9, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Commenting on energy injustice is now the floor for any halftime act.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Had to screencap this @shastingssimon.bsky.social @raviam.bsky.social @laughlax.bsky.social @costasamaras.com @shannonosaka.bsky.social Super Bowl moment
February 9, 2026 at 1:35 AM
Had to screencap this @shastingssimon.bsky.social @raviam.bsky.social @laughlax.bsky.social @costasamaras.com @shannonosaka.bsky.social Super Bowl moment
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
I will eventually shut up about this but Bad Bunny’s use of the power lines is an outstanding example of how to communicate about climate and energy issues. Not about who is the smartest nerd in the room and spewing numbers but about people’s actual lives. Genius.
February 9, 2026 at 2:29 AM
I will eventually shut up about this but Bad Bunny’s use of the power lines is an outstanding example of how to communicate about climate and energy issues. Not about who is the smartest nerd in the room and spewing numbers but about people’s actual lives. Genius.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Puerto Ricans have been fighting for energy democracy - the right to control their grid locally and build the clean energy future on the island - for decades. If you want to support an incredible effort, get plugged into the work led by Queremos Sol! queremossolpr.org
LO QUE TENEMOS
queremossolpr.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Puerto Ricans have been fighting for energy democracy - the right to control their grid locally and build the clean energy future on the island - for decades. If you want to support an incredible effort, get plugged into the work led by Queremos Sol! queremossolpr.org
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Good.
Hiding the names of people asking for 10 year old girls is fucking disgusting.
Hiding the names of people asking for 10 year old girls is fucking disgusting.
February 8, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Good.
Hiding the names of people asking for 10 year old girls is fucking disgusting.
Hiding the names of people asking for 10 year old girls is fucking disgusting.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
This furthers the racial achievement gap in Minneapolis among kids. Devastating. Kids will be dealing with the implications of virtual learning between 2020-2026 for a lifetime.
ICE surge news: Minneapolis Public Schools has extended *optional* distance learning until April 6.
February 8, 2026 at 7:38 PM
This furthers the racial achievement gap in Minneapolis among kids. Devastating. Kids will be dealing with the implications of virtual learning between 2020-2026 for a lifetime.
What an interesting thread. France went all in on nuclear power plants, which are now being displaced by cheaper wind and solar. Ramping nuke plants up/down and turning them on/off puts unexpected wear and tear on pumps, valves, pipes, etc., raising maintenance costs and shortening equipment lives.
France has ended up in a strange position after using some €250bn of tax-payer money to build a fleet of nuclear power stations. Wind and solar power is merrily entering the French power market at prices nuclear production can't match, resulting in huge surpluses of power.
1/
1/
Électricité : un rapport confidentiel d’EDF anticipe une explosion des coûts et des risques
« Le Point » s’est procuré le rapport interne d’EDF sur les conséquences de la modulation de son parc nucléaire pour faire place aux renouvelables. Un document explosif, alors que le gouvernement s’ap...
www.lepoint.fr
February 8, 2026 at 7:33 PM
What an interesting thread. France went all in on nuclear power plants, which are now being displaced by cheaper wind and solar. Ramping nuke plants up/down and turning them on/off puts unexpected wear and tear on pumps, valves, pipes, etc., raising maintenance costs and shortening equipment lives.
Energy geeks, please put on your quibble hats, prepare your hair splitters, and get ready to pick some nits!
What do you think about this slide from my upcoming lecture on solar energy?
What do you think about this slide from my upcoming lecture on solar energy?
February 8, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Energy geeks, please put on your quibble hats, prepare your hair splitters, and get ready to pick some nits!
What do you think about this slide from my upcoming lecture on solar energy?
What do you think about this slide from my upcoming lecture on solar energy?
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Do you live in the United States and enjoy drinking water? Ask your elected representatives to ensure your drinking water utility is climate resilient. There's a good chance the utility faces climate risks and they are not doing much about it.
ICYMI: our new paper on climate risk to US drinking water utilities. Climate impacts threaten water utilities across multiple hazards: fire, drought, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather, & other hazards. But many long-term utility bonds don’t mention the risks: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
February 8, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Do you live in the United States and enjoy drinking water? Ask your elected representatives to ensure your drinking water utility is climate resilient. There's a good chance the utility faces climate risks and they are not doing much about it.
Good morning! Taxing the wealth of the richest 1% of Americans down to the median wealth of the next-richest 9% ($5.2 million per household) would free up $48 trillion. Redistributing that to the poorest 50% of Americans would give *68 million households* an average of *$700k per household*.
February 8, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Good morning! Taxing the wealth of the richest 1% of Americans down to the median wealth of the next-richest 9% ($5.2 million per household) would free up $48 trillion. Redistributing that to the poorest 50% of Americans would give *68 million households* an average of *$700k per household*.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
That future is now and for the past few years.
The Waymo telops in Manila work for a subcontractor and they share legal liability of varying amounts and kinds depending on the many state laws that permit this and which have not been tested in courts.
web.archive.org/web/20250703...
The Waymo telops in Manila work for a subcontractor and they share legal liability of varying amounts and kinds depending on the many state laws that permit this and which have not been tested in courts.
web.archive.org/web/20250703...
Who’s Behind All Those Robotaxi Teleoperations?
With teleoperators, humans are back in the loop. Somewhat alarming, however, is the cascading impact that teleoperators could trigger, including corporations pushing liability issues downstream.
web.archive.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:57 PM
That future is now and for the past few years.
The Waymo telops in Manila work for a subcontractor and they share legal liability of varying amounts and kinds depending on the many state laws that permit this and which have not been tested in courts.
web.archive.org/web/20250703...
The Waymo telops in Manila work for a subcontractor and they share legal liability of varying amounts and kinds depending on the many state laws that permit this and which have not been tested in courts.
web.archive.org/web/20250703...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Epstein class. That works.
I wonder if anyone has cross-checked the Epstein files with the Panama Papers? www.icij.org/investigatio...
Great dissertation topic for an aspiring economist … ? @stone-lis.bsky.social @gabrielzucman.bsky.social
I wonder if anyone has cross-checked the Epstein files with the Panama Papers? www.icij.org/investigatio...
Great dissertation topic for an aspiring economist … ? @stone-lis.bsky.social @gabrielzucman.bsky.social
February 8, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Epstein class. That works.
I wonder if anyone has cross-checked the Epstein files with the Panama Papers? www.icij.org/investigatio...
Great dissertation topic for an aspiring economist … ? @stone-lis.bsky.social @gabrielzucman.bsky.social
I wonder if anyone has cross-checked the Epstein files with the Panama Papers? www.icij.org/investigatio...
Great dissertation topic for an aspiring economist … ? @stone-lis.bsky.social @gabrielzucman.bsky.social
"at least a third of the lawyers on staff at the Justice Department’s environment division have walked out the door, gutting the government’s capacity to defend its own energy and climate policies and kneecapping its power to keep polluters in check"
February 8, 2026 at 3:33 PM
"at least a third of the lawyers on staff at the Justice Department’s environment division have walked out the door, gutting the government’s capacity to defend its own energy and climate policies and kneecapping its power to keep polluters in check"
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Renewables can deliver electricity & heat for many uses. The cost of power & heat storage is dropping rapidly, providing 24/7 energy solutions. As the cost of renewable power generation & thermal storage drops, heat to power conversion will become economical providing more options. 🧪🔌💡☀️💨💧🔋
Lots of good work out there on high-temperature heat pumps for decarbonizing industrial heat, but "make renewables cheap, use resistors to convert renewable power into high-temperature heat, store hot hot heat in box o' rocks til it's needed" is stupidly simple/robust and getting cheaper by the day.
Industrial heat is one of the hardest parts of the energy transition.
This sand battery is now delivering fossil-free heat for industry, storing renewable electricity as high-temperature heat and releasing it when needed. Simple idea, big impact.
This sand battery is now delivering fossil-free heat for industry, storing renewable electricity as high-temperature heat and releasing it when needed. Simple idea, big impact.
February 8, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Renewables can deliver electricity & heat for many uses. The cost of power & heat storage is dropping rapidly, providing 24/7 energy solutions. As the cost of renewable power generation & thermal storage drops, heat to power conversion will become economical providing more options. 🧪🔌💡☀️💨💧🔋
"The Epstein class" is such a good phrase for creepy ultra-rich people and the bootlickers who want desperately to get a piece of their privilege and money.
It's gross but not surprising how many famous professors are in the Epstein class.
It's gross but not surprising how many famous professors are in the Epstein class.
Ossoff: We were told that MAGA was for working-class Americans. But this is a government of, by, and for the ultra-rich. It’s the wealthiest Cabinet ever. This is the Epstein class. They are the elites they pretend to hate.
February 8, 2026 at 3:04 PM
"The Epstein class" is such a good phrase for creepy ultra-rich people and the bootlickers who want desperately to get a piece of their privilege and money.
It's gross but not surprising how many famous professors are in the Epstein class.
It's gross but not surprising how many famous professors are in the Epstein class.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
This is important. Roughly 13% of U.S. electricity customers are served by cooperatives. They are often located geographically in areas with high clean energy potential at a low cost:
www.eenews.net/articles/thi...
www.eenews.net/articles/thi...
This IRA program dodged Trump’s climate cuts
The administration has preserved a $9.7 billion Biden-era initiative to bring renewable energy to rural areas.
www.eenews.net
February 8, 2026 at 2:37 PM
This is important. Roughly 13% of U.S. electricity customers are served by cooperatives. They are often located geographically in areas with high clean energy potential at a low cost:
www.eenews.net/articles/thi...
www.eenews.net/articles/thi...
"Instrument cars so low-wage offshore workers can remote-control them, displacing drivers" sounds a bit less cool than "build self-driving cars." How many cars does an offshore worker have to remote-control for the cost savings from putting drivers out of work to outweigh the instrumentation cost?
Once again, it turns out “fully autonomous” means “a guy in the Philippines.”
It Turns Out Waymos Are Being Controlled by Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:35 PM
"Instrument cars so low-wage offshore workers can remote-control them, displacing drivers" sounds a bit less cool than "build self-driving cars." How many cars does an offshore worker have to remote-control for the cost savings from putting drivers out of work to outweigh the instrumentation cost?