Adam Bell
@adambell.bsky.social
"Former energy czar" - the Guardian. "Energy big brain" - Politico.
Okay a nice unironic one now.
November 9, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Okay a nice unironic one now.
In the recent Carbon Plan, the Government committed to using the BUS to drive forward uptake. There is a core problem with this: heat pump costs have stayed flat for fifteen years, meaning the BUS gets very pricey very quickly. /8
November 4, 2025 at 1:13 PM
In the recent Carbon Plan, the Government committed to using the BUS to drive forward uptake. There is a core problem with this: heat pump costs have stayed flat for fifteen years, meaning the BUS gets very pricey very quickly. /8
The Government has therefore spent twenty years trying to get people to buy heat pumps. This has not, uh, gone well. In an inverse of the classic IEA solar chart, the Government has set ambitions that its policy was not able to deliver. /5
November 4, 2025 at 1:13 PM
The Government has therefore spent twenty years trying to get people to buy heat pumps. This has not, uh, gone well. In an inverse of the classic IEA solar chart, the Government has set ambitions that its policy was not able to deliver. /5
Heat policy in the UK is an almost paradigmatic example of how your problem frame determines your policy outcomes. The frame government has used is that of the entire system, which the below chart exemplifies. /2
November 4, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Heat policy in the UK is an almost paradigmatic example of how your problem frame determines your policy outcomes. The frame government has used is that of the entire system, which the below chart exemplifies. /2
For all the concerns about battery fires, it's worth noting that we've been using electrically powered transport for over a century and have figured out how to manage risk. This is from the old Mail Line at the Postal Museum.
October 19, 2025 at 12:32 PM
For all the concerns about battery fires, it's worth noting that we've been using electrically powered transport for over a century and have figured out how to manage risk. This is from the old Mail Line at the Postal Museum.
It's pretty clear that ECO has failed to deliver. Not only has energy efficiency installation collapsed under the scheme, but as this week's NAO report showed, the measures that are installed are not policed and are frequently faulty. /2
October 17, 2025 at 9:30 AM
It's pretty clear that ECO has failed to deliver. Not only has energy efficiency installation collapsed under the scheme, but as this week's NAO report showed, the measures that are installed are not policed and are frequently faulty. /2
Secondly, I would like to take this quote and make it the background of every official in DESNZ. Trying to be too clever-clever never works. Trying to exclude all edge cases makes bad policy.
October 14, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Secondly, I would like to take this quote and make it the background of every official in DESNZ. Trying to be too clever-clever never works. Trying to exclude all edge cases makes bad policy.
If you see this, quote the energy you bring to Bluesky
September 16, 2025 at 12:55 PM
If you see this, quote the energy you bring to Bluesky
China's decarbonisation trajectory is now more aggressive than Western comparators, despite starting from a relatively higher base:
September 8, 2025 at 9:32 AM
China's decarbonisation trajectory is now more aggressive than Western comparators, despite starting from a relatively higher base:
This attitude and this chart is why Reform is gaining. I genuinely can't blame the vast bulk of the population who have seen basically no improvements in their living standard for twenty years for wanting radical change. They might want the wrong change, but that is the fault of the centre too.
September 6, 2025 at 8:32 AM
This attitude and this chart is why Reform is gaining. I genuinely can't blame the vast bulk of the population who have seen basically no improvements in their living standard for twenty years for wanting radical change. They might want the wrong change, but that is the fault of the centre too.
do not touch the neutarl wire, it will electrocote you.
More seriously, this is incredibly poor. But Gemini appears to be the worst AI by far. ChatGPT at least has a picture of a UK plug:
More seriously, this is incredibly poor. But Gemini appears to be the worst AI by far. ChatGPT at least has a picture of a UK plug:
August 13, 2025 at 1:07 PM
do not touch the neutarl wire, it will electrocote you.
More seriously, this is incredibly poor. But Gemini appears to be the worst AI by far. ChatGPT at least has a picture of a UK plug:
More seriously, this is incredibly poor. But Gemini appears to be the worst AI by far. ChatGPT at least has a picture of a UK plug:
SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND
(other batteries are available)
(other batteries are available)
July 26, 2025 at 8:03 AM
SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND
(other batteries are available)
(other batteries are available)
Pretty sure they just were drunk instead. We underestimate just how much booze people were getting through, even in the recent past.
July 18, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Pretty sure they just were drunk instead. We underestimate just how much booze people were getting through, even in the recent past.
This, from @stephenkb.bsky.social, is superb, and not just for the line about not supporting reversible heat pumps being perverse. This point on obligations is also fascinating, as there's an argument that politics in a modern democracy is ONLY servicing obligations.
www.ft.com/content/c40f...
www.ft.com/content/c40f...
July 14, 2025 at 4:34 PM
This, from @stephenkb.bsky.social, is superb, and not just for the line about not supporting reversible heat pumps being perverse. This point on obligations is also fascinating, as there's an argument that politics in a modern democracy is ONLY servicing obligations.
www.ft.com/content/c40f...
www.ft.com/content/c40f...
Doing a presentation on the history of power and stumbled across this image. I worry someone somewhere will look at the rise of the manosphere and think, "What if we really heavily leaned into misogyny to promote pylons?"
July 9, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Doing a presentation on the history of power and stumbled across this image. I worry someone somewhere will look at the rise of the manosphere and think, "What if we really heavily leaned into misogyny to promote pylons?"
Some quick thoughts on the North Hyde/Heathrow fire report. Well, one quick thought, and it's about this line: /1
July 2, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Some quick thoughts on the North Hyde/Heathrow fire report. Well, one quick thought, and it's about this line: /1
With the news that Iran plans to close the Straits of Hormuz, I thought I'd draw this helpful map.
June 22, 2025 at 2:10 PM
With the news that Iran plans to close the Straits of Hormuz, I thought I'd draw this helpful map.
His proposed approach is to require every neighbourhood or village to keep a standby generator plus fuel sitting idle to manage blackout risk. I can see that this is superficially plausible, but it falls apart as soon as we look at the numbers. /2
May 7, 2025 at 7:58 AM
His proposed approach is to require every neighbourhood or village to keep a standby generator plus fuel sitting idle to manage blackout risk. I can see that this is superficially plausible, but it falls apart as soon as we look at the numbers. /2
I have been very disappointed, although not really surprised, to see commentators attempt to blame renewables for yesterday's blackout in Spain and Portugal. Let me explain what they've said and why it is wrong. /1
April 29, 2025 at 8:06 AM
I have been very disappointed, although not really surprised, to see commentators attempt to blame renewables for yesterday's blackout in Spain and Portugal. Let me explain what they've said and why it is wrong. /1
A fantastic and simultaneously awful piece in the latest @thefence.bsky.social. I genuinely cannot understand how you can look at this and think that this is a system that works for any potential policy objective.
April 27, 2025 at 7:15 AM
A fantastic and simultaneously awful piece in the latest @thefence.bsky.social. I genuinely cannot understand how you can look at this and think that this is a system that works for any potential policy objective.