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
Pinned
Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
· Nov 4
New paper! Heat-pump water heaters could cut energy costs and pollution, but installs often require 💰 electrical work to accommodate backup resistance heat. My student Levi Premer developed prediction and control software to eliminate the need for backup heat and ⬆️ efficiency and flexibility. 🧵1/
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
The rush to build and connect data centers risks the most basic, job #1 of grid operators: ensure reliability.
www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pj...
www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pj...
FERC members raise alarms about PJM failure to meet reliability target
PJM says several factors could close the capacity shortfall, including a new load forecast next month that could be significantly lower than the last due to stricter vetting of potential large loads a...
www.utilitydive.com
December 26, 2025 at 12:13 PM
The rush to build and connect data centers risks the most basic, job #1 of grid operators: ensure reliability.
www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pj...
www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pj...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
remember when the democrats decided to tactically stop pointing out that these people are weird freaks no one likes
Indiana State Senator wishes you a Merry Christmas by… posting images of himself assaulting Santa Claus.
Are the fascists okay?
Are the fascists okay?
December 26, 2025 at 12:45 AM
remember when the democrats decided to tactically stop pointing out that these people are weird freaks no one likes
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Republicans want to kill the post office and the media is there for it, which is why you have never seen a news story about how the police department has never turned a profit and is a waste
December 25, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Republicans want to kill the post office and the media is there for it, which is why you have never seen a news story about how the police department has never turned a profit and is a waste
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
I'm wishing to bring tidings of comfort and joy with this new video.
Or at least comfort and slightly reduced stress levels!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCVs...
Or at least comfort and slightly reduced stress levels!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCVs...
I made my whole-home humidifier slightly less terrifying
YouTube video by Technology Connections
www.youtube.com
December 25, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I'm wishing to bring tidings of comfort and joy with this new video.
Or at least comfort and slightly reduced stress levels!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCVs...
Or at least comfort and slightly reduced stress levels!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCVs...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Here's a fascinating post-outage non-apology from Waymo.
Autonomously navigating the real world: lessons from the PG&E outage
At Waymo, our mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver. We know trust is built through consistent behavior over time—earned through every mile we drive and every interaction we have with the c...
waymo.com
December 25, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Here's a fascinating post-outage non-apology from Waymo.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
We're seeing this across the country, from Michigan to Louisiana: monopoly utilities and big tech companies pressuring regulators to rush approval of massive bilateral deals, without regard for uncertainty about impacts on ordinary ratepayers:
www.eenews.net/articles/mic...
www.eenews.net/articles/mic...
Michigan regulators sign off on power contracts for $7B Stargate data center
The state attorney general has said the decision was rushed through the Public Service Commission with too little public oversight.
www.eenews.net
December 25, 2025 at 4:12 PM
We're seeing this across the country, from Michigan to Louisiana: monopoly utilities and big tech companies pressuring regulators to rush approval of massive bilateral deals, without regard for uncertainty about impacts on ordinary ratepayers:
www.eenews.net/articles/mic...
www.eenews.net/articles/mic...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
A mini-split heat pump that’s DIY and can be undone and taken elsewhere for <$2500. Sounds good.
Heat pump geeks and do-it-yourself enthusiasts will love this. A mini-split heat pump that both heats and cools, with a solo DIY install that can be undone and taken with you when you move - including the refrigerant lines (with no leaks). And under $2.5k all in (right @profitgreenly.bsky.social?)!
Christmas came early for me, with delivery of my new @airspool.bsky.social heat pump. The driving force behind me getting this thing was that it promised to be easy to install, and boy was it ever! Read on to see how I got it on the night it was delivered without drilling a big hole through my wall.
December 25, 2025 at 2:31 PM
A mini-split heat pump that’s DIY and can be undone and taken elsewhere for <$2500. Sounds good.
Scientists often get taxpayer $, do research, then give the write-up to a for-profit publisher who paywalls it. Fed up with a system that muffles research, physicists in the '90s built an open website to archive papers before copyright transfer. arXiv now hosts millions of preprints, all free.
"Many of the most significant discoveries of the 21st century have first appeared on the platform. [...] The biggest mystery is not why arXiv succeeded. Rather, it’s how it wasn’t killed by vested interests intent on protecting traditional academic publishing."
www.wired.com/story/inside...
www.wired.com/story/inside...
Inside arXiv—the Most Transformative Platform in All of Science
Modern science wouldn’t exist without the online research repository known as arXiv. Three decades in, its creator still can’t let it go.
www.wired.com
December 25, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Scientists often get taxpayer $, do research, then give the write-up to a for-profit publisher who paywalls it. Fed up with a system that muffles research, physicists in the '90s built an open website to archive papers before copyright transfer. arXiv now hosts millions of preprints, all free.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Who needs a village when you can have parking lots?
December 24, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Who needs a village when you can have parking lots?
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
[me telling my story how I survived a plane crash and lived on a deserted island for a year] it was crazy
[friend who once got a text from me where I accidentally called the grinch the grink] was the grink there?
[friend who once got a text from me where I accidentally called the grinch the grink] was the grink there?
July 3, 2023 at 4:13 PM
[me telling my story how I survived a plane crash and lived on a deserted island for a year] it was crazy
[friend who once got a text from me where I accidentally called the grinch the grink] was the grink there?
[friend who once got a text from me where I accidentally called the grinch the grink] was the grink there?
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
READ THIS: Still probably the best #ChristmasEve tradition I’ve heard. Iceland definitely does Christmas well — my Reykjavik clients had funny comments about this! Are you planning to curl up with a great new book on cities this #Christmas? Share your pick with us using hashtag #UrbanismBookClub!
December 24, 2025 at 5:25 AM
READ THIS: Still probably the best #ChristmasEve tradition I’ve heard. Iceland definitely does Christmas well — my Reykjavik clients had funny comments about this! Are you planning to curl up with a great new book on cities this #Christmas? Share your pick with us using hashtag #UrbanismBookClub!
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Just back from leading Xmas eve service at our tiny rural church.
You better believe we talked about baby Jesus having to be hustled across a border as a refugee to escape the secret police of the repulsive king, with the wise men helping.
A subversive from the manger on--merry Christmas y'all!
You better believe we talked about baby Jesus having to be hustled across a border as a refugee to escape the secret police of the repulsive king, with the wise men helping.
A subversive from the manger on--merry Christmas y'all!
December 25, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Just back from leading Xmas eve service at our tiny rural church.
You better believe we talked about baby Jesus having to be hustled across a border as a refugee to escape the secret police of the repulsive king, with the wise men helping.
A subversive from the manger on--merry Christmas y'all!
You better believe we talked about baby Jesus having to be hustled across a border as a refugee to escape the secret police of the repulsive king, with the wise men helping.
A subversive from the manger on--merry Christmas y'all!
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
This shit is unfathomably unpopular - it's just that opposition politicians don't campaign on it!
Republicans aim to exempt major polluters from Pfas cleanup costs -The Guardian www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Republicans aim to exempt major polluters from Pfas cleanup costs
Water treatment and landfill companies given chance to make case that EPA rules should not apply to them
www.theguardian.com
December 25, 2025 at 12:47 AM
This shit is unfathomably unpopular - it's just that opposition politicians don't campaign on it!
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
I continue to be amazed at the universal refusal to apply basic traffic law to autonomous vehicles. There are longstanding remedies for public harms like this - issue citations!
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
Waymo explains why robotaxis stalled during San Francisco blackout
Waymo has acknowledged that its driverless cars contributed to traffic congestion during San Francisco’s massive power outage, saying the scale of the disruption overwhelmed parts of its system.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:32 PM
I continue to be amazed at the universal refusal to apply basic traffic law to autonomous vehicles. There are longstanding remedies for public harms like this - issue citations!
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Is this a solution for everyone? Probably not. But is it a solution for a LOT of people (not just diy-ers, but people with a handy neighbor, son-in-law, etc.)? I think maybe yes.
Christmas came early for me, with delivery of my new @airspool.bsky.social heat pump. The driving force behind me getting this thing was that it promised to be easy to install, and boy was it ever! Read on to see how I got it on the night it was delivered without drilling a big hole through my wall.
December 24, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Is this a solution for everyone? Probably not. But is it a solution for a LOT of people (not just diy-ers, but people with a handy neighbor, son-in-law, etc.)? I think maybe yes.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Translation: monopoly utilities and big tech companies can now work out mutually beneficial deals in private and then rush them through without any say from the captive ratepaying public.
www.eenews.net/articles/lou...
www.eenews.net/articles/lou...
Louisiana adopts ‘lightning speed’ process to power data centers
Utilities will be allowed to bypass competitive bidding for new energy generation used for "large load" customers.
www.eenews.net
December 24, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Translation: monopoly utilities and big tech companies can now work out mutually beneficial deals in private and then rush them through without any say from the captive ratepaying public.
www.eenews.net/articles/lou...
www.eenews.net/articles/lou...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Private business ventures launched by Trump & family since re-election have added at least $4B to their personal wealth. WSJ uses securities filings & other financial disclosures to map the unprecedented corruption and conflicts of interest. [gift link]
The Trump Family Business Empire Is Growing. We Mapped Out 268 Pieces of It.
A second-term boom in crypto and other areas has created billions in new wealth for the first family.
www.wsj.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Private business ventures launched by Trump & family since re-election have added at least $4B to their personal wealth. WSJ uses securities filings & other financial disclosures to map the unprecedented corruption and conflicts of interest. [gift link]
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
@climatexchange.bsky.social provides a useful summary of 2025 state policy action on data centers as part of its review of state climate policy. Action can be placed in three broad categories: launching studies, instituting large load tariffs, & approving fossil power plant extensions / expansions.
2025 State Climate Progress: Our List of Enacted Policies and Trends
An archive of Climate XChange's Policy Progress updates from 2025 and five trends we’ve seen at the state level.
climate-xchange.org
December 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
@climatexchange.bsky.social provides a useful summary of 2025 state policy action on data centers as part of its review of state climate policy. Action can be placed in three broad categories: launching studies, instituting large load tariffs, & approving fossil power plant extensions / expansions.
Current issues with AI data centers bring this into sharper focus, but I've long found it kinda odd that grid operators treat pretty much all demand equally, whether it's a hospital or bitcoin mining, and generally spread the cost of interconnecting new loads over all ratepayers (aka you and me).
December 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Current issues with AI data centers bring this into sharper focus, but I've long found it kinda odd that grid operators treat pretty much all demand equally, whether it's a hospital or bitcoin mining, and generally spread the cost of interconnecting new loads over all ratepayers (aka you and me).
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
🔌💡 This is too cool! All the good things in one product: Direct DC to heat-pump (@kevinjkircher.com), 120v plug-in AC (@shreyassudhakar.com), works w/ permissionless DER/balcony solar (DERTF), DIY for suburban dads (@volts.wtf). @lissaharris.bsky.social @dague.net @johnsmillie42.bsky.social
Christmas came early for me, with delivery of my new @airspool.bsky.social heat pump. The driving force behind me getting this thing was that it promised to be easy to install, and boy was it ever! Read on to see how I got it on the night it was delivered without drilling a big hole through my wall.
December 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
🔌💡 This is too cool! All the good things in one product: Direct DC to heat-pump (@kevinjkircher.com), 120v plug-in AC (@shreyassudhakar.com), works w/ permissionless DER/balcony solar (DERTF), DIY for suburban dads (@volts.wtf). @lissaharris.bsky.social @dague.net @johnsmillie42.bsky.social
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
No one voted for another US foreign adventure and no one wants blood and treasure to spent on helping oil companies. This can and must be stopped.
December 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
No one voted for another US foreign adventure and no one wants blood and treasure to spent on helping oil companies. This can and must be stopped.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
I would like to read a solar punk mystery novel - where unraveling the mystery is the main thing, but the world that the mystery plays out in is green and equitable. Is this a genre? What authors should I look for? Calling @tutusntinyhats.bsky.social who might know!
December 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
I would like to read a solar punk mystery novel - where unraveling the mystery is the main thing, but the world that the mystery plays out in is green and equitable. Is this a genre? What authors should I look for? Calling @tutusntinyhats.bsky.social who might know!
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Just imagine the beauty of DIY heat pump and DIY solar (that could also plug in to house outlets if more states allowed)
Heat pump geeks and do-it-yourself enthusiasts will love this. A mini-split heat pump that both heats and cools, with a solo DIY install that can be undone and taken with you when you move - including the refrigerant lines (with no leaks). And under $2.5k all in (right @profitgreenly.bsky.social?)!
Christmas came early for me, with delivery of my new @airspool.bsky.social heat pump. The driving force behind me getting this thing was that it promised to be easy to install, and boy was it ever! Read on to see how I got it on the night it was delivered without drilling a big hole through my wall.
December 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Just imagine the beauty of DIY heat pump and DIY solar (that could also plug in to house outlets if more states allowed)
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
I know it's a weird time to ask for syllabus suggestions, but I need to update my qualitative methods class. Please share your top recommendations for recent books that are based on: interview data, analysis of textual/media data, ethnographic methods so I have something to read this break!
a woman in a floral dress says thank you to another woman
ALT: a woman in a floral dress says thank you to another woman
media.tenor.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
I know it's a weird time to ask for syllabus suggestions, but I need to update my qualitative methods class. Please share your top recommendations for recent books that are based on: interview data, analysis of textual/media data, ethnographic methods so I have something to read this break!
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Interesting thread on DIY install of a heat pump. (In the US).
Christmas came early for me, with delivery of my new @airspool.bsky.social heat pump. The driving force behind me getting this thing was that it promised to be easy to install, and boy was it ever! Read on to see how I got it on the night it was delivered without drilling a big hole through my wall.
December 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Interesting thread on DIY install of a heat pump. (In the US).