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dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social
Dylan McConnell
@dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social
3.6K followers 410 following 1.1K posts
Renewable Energy & Energy Systems Researcher at University of NSW (..but also I live in Melbourne)
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
kevinjkircher.com
This great thread raises some questions worth thinking over:

1. Is all electricity demand equivalent, or should grid policy distinguish between demand that provides essential services (e.g. hospitals) and demand that doesn't (e.g. computers mining crypto in air conditioned warehouses)?
ketanjoshi.co Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 5d
I reckon the most interesting subset of discourse here is when presumed [good] factors are actually either actually bad, or there to downplay or dismiss the bad even if the amount of good is way smaller than the bad.

A short thread to explain: on "training for electrification" + "demand response"
volts.wtf David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6d
I would love it if public discourse on data centers could be just a skosh more sophisticated than "data centers good vs. data centers bad."
November 7, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
astridoverthere.bsky.social
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.

Here's how to turn it off.

First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Screenshot of the top of a Bsky feed, with a red circle around the hamburger menu in the top left.
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
beneltham.bsky.social
“World’s first trillionaire” is a caricature of capitalism that even Engels would have struggled to credit
rmac.bsky.social Ryan Mac 🙃 @rmac.bsky.social · 6d
Musk gets his $1 trillion compensation package approved by Tesla shareholders.

Shareholders in the room chant "Elon, Elon, Elon!"
November 6, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
cathywilcox.bsky.social
PANIC!!
My @smh @theage cartoon
Two frames.1: Background lists “undermining the judiciary; ignoring due process; defying the constitution; seeking retribution against political enemies; inciting mob violence; punishing (dissent); under(mining free press); extra-(judicial killing); mass (deportations); param(ilitary crackdowns); cult of (personality); militaristic symbols; purging minorities; rewrit(ing/eras)ing history; state(propa(ganda)”. Commentator in cardigan with patched elbows and reading glasses says, “To call Trump fascist would be a wild exaggeration *snort*” 2: Back-ground lists “free childcare; free buses; rent freezes; affordable housing; city-owned grocery stores; taxing billionaires; boost minimum wages”. Same commentator throws hands in air, glasses fly, says, “AAAAK!! MAMDANI’S A COMMUNIST!”
November 6, 2025 at 9:20 PM
dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social
Amazing to see how well deregulation and liberalisation of the retail sector is working out

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Australians to get at least three hours a day of free solar power - even if they don’t have solar panels
Labor announces ‘solar sharer’ program for households in NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
drgilbz.bsky.social
It's Halloween, and to celebrate (?) I made a big scary decision...

I love climate research and polar science, but academia broke me. And more importantly, I feel like climate comms is where I can have more impact.

... So I've left academia. Wish me luck 🎃

More here: youtu.be/mw6miP-v1Ds
I'm leaving academia (for now)
YouTube video by Dr Gilbz
youtu.be
October 31, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
wpschill.bsky.social
1/ How is Germany's #Energiewende going, and how should it proceed? In our brand-new piece in Communications Earth & Environment, we show that the expansion of variable renewables has progressed substantially in recent years, but electrification and flexibility have not kept pace. A short 🧵
Germany should accelerate its renewable energy transition - Communications Earth & Environment
Germany’s energy transition relies on variable renewables and electricity use across sectors, and it needs to accelerate. This Comment argues that consistent policy commitments to proven technologies,...
www.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 9:31 PM
dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social
Incredible crop of quandongs this year
Quandongs More quandongs Close up of quandongs Hat filled with quandongs
November 2, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
timinclimate.bsky.social
I quite enjoyed a lot of the takedowns of Bill Gates' EA brain snap on climate. It is really deadassed in a number of ways.

But no-one mentioned the most important thing. He isn't *just* full of shit. He knows he is full of shit.

I can prove it: timinclimate.medium.com/even-bill-ga...
Even Bill Gates knows he is full of shit
Did you hear about that “one low-income country set out to cut emissions by banning synthetic fertilizers”?
timinclimate.medium.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
cameronwilson.bsky.social
here's a new one: a tribunal was holding a hearing over Microsoft Teams when they noticed ... an AI bot had joined the call
October 30, 2025 at 9:11 PM
dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social
What a cursed combination of words

www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...
Jet engine shortages threaten AI data center expansion as wait times stretch into 2030 — the rush to power AI buildout continues
Wait times for mobile gas turbines stretch into the 2030s as hyperscalers race to buy every jet engine they can find.
www.tomshardware.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
grogsgamut.bsky.social
Weird how his change of view has come at the same time his company is investing in huge greenhouse gas emitting data centres for AI…
October 28, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
jamesgdyke.info
Carbon offsetting does not work. Not because of implementation details but because there are fundamental issues with the very idea of 'offsetting'. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Carbon credits are failing to help with climate change — here’s why | Nature
The idea that emissions can be offset through projects that claim to avoid releases or to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is fatally flawed. The idea that emissions can be offset through projects that claim to avoid releases or to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is fatally flawed.
www.nature.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
tomquinn.bsky.social
"Australia is also the first nation to surpass 1 GWh of utility battery capacity per million people, launching it into a league of its own, far ahead of China and the United States, each with less than 400 MWh per 1 million people."
Australia becomes world’s third-largest utility battery market
Australia has overtaken the United Kingdom to rank behind China and the United States in utility-scale battery capacity, with 14 GW/37 GWh of projects at or nearing financial close.
www.pv-magazine.com
October 26, 2025 at 7:08 AM
dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social
Not news to anyone that's paying attention, but pretty amazing figure of what is going on with residential batteries from CSIRO 🔌💡
October 24, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
lizhicks.bsky.social
“Much of legacy media relies on the ‘debate’ itself. It’s not the substance of the debate or even the tangible damage the debate causes in the real world that matters — it is the debate itself that counts.”

www.deepcutnews.com/p/australian...
Australian journalism prizes 'objectivity' over truth
The dispute between Chris Hedges and David Marr reveals much about the state of our press
www.deepcutnews.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
carlbergstrom.com
Yet again, we can't afford to let LLMs become a source of epistemic grounding for society.
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
binarythis.bsky.social
I am presenting a summary of my upcoming book, based on my DECRA research, at the Care Lab UNSW next month. Come along if you can, in person or online:

www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-care-l...
The Care Lab Seminar Series: Dr Hannah McCann
The Care Lab at UNSW presents Dr Hannah McCann on Caring Beyond Skin Deep: Emotions, Bodies, and Identities in the Hair and Beauty Salon
www.eventbrite.com.au
October 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
ketanjoshi.co
New 'state of climate action' report gives you a much better picture than daily headlines about contextless solar panel or EV sales

- Most things are going in the right direction

- Most things are badly off track to the pace of change required

systemschangelab.org/state-climat...
Share of electric vehicles in light-duty vehicle sales (%) Share of electric vehicles in the light-duty vehicle fleet (%) Reforestation (total Mha) GHG emissions intensity of soil fertilization (gCO2 e/1,000 kcal) Ruminant meat productivity (kg/ha) 1.8x Global private climate finance (trillion US$/yr) d Share of zero-carbon sources in electricity generation (%) Share of solar and wind in electricity generation (%) Share of coal in electricity generation (%) Share of unabated fossil gas in electricity generation (%) Carbon intensity of electricity generation (gCO2/kWh) Energy intensity of building operations (kWh/m2 ) Carbon intensity of building operations (kgCO2 /m2 ) Share of electricity in the industry sector's final energy demand (%) Carbon intensity of global cement production (kgCO2/t cement) Share of new buildings that are zero-carbon in operation (%) WRONG DIRECTION, U-TURN NEEDED INSUFFICIENT DATA RIGHT DIRECTION, OFF TRACK RIGHT DIRECTION, WELL OFF TRACK 1.2x 1.6x 7x 4x N/A Green hydrogen production (Mt) b,d Share of sustainable aviation fuels in global aviation fuel supply (%) N/Ab,d Share of electric vehicles in bus sales (%) N/Ab N/Ab,d 1.8x 5x U-turn needed Mangrove loss (ha/yr) d Number of kilometers of rapid transit per 1 million inhabitants (km/1M inhabitants) 5x N/Ab,d Share of electric vehicles in medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle sales (%) N/Ab,d Share of kilometers traveled by passenger cars (% of passenger-km) Carbon intensity of global steel production (kgCO2/t crude steel) U-turn needed U-turn needed Share of food production lost (%) U-turn needed Public fossil fuel finance (trillion US$/yr) d Ins. data Ins. data Peatland degradation (Mha/yr) Ins. data Peatland restoration (total Mha) Ins. data Food waste (kg/capita)
October 22, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
ketanjoshi.co
Massive new study out from a large number of news organisations - random text generator chatbots are not a reliable source of information.

Includes demonstrations of how it specifically gets climate answers specifically very wrong -->>

www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...
What have we found? First – there have been improvements since the earlier BBC study. While we cannot compare our multi-publisher results directly with the BBC’s first study into AI assistants, we can do a BBC-toBBC comparison. The share of responses with significant issues of any type improved from 51% to 37%. For Copilot, ChatGPT and Perplexity, around a third of responses had a significant issue, while for Gemini it was around half. Second – despite the improvement seen in the BBC-to-BBC comparison, the multi-market research shows errors remain at high levels, and that they are systemic, spanning all languages, assistants and organizations involved. Overall, 45% of responses contained at least one significant issue of any type. Sourcing is the single biggest cause of significant issues (31%). Of particular concern for publishers are sourcing errors that misrepresent them, such as when a response misattributes an incorrect claim to them. Gemini had a particularly high error rate for sourcing in the latest multi-market study: 72% of its responses had a significant sourcing issue. All other assistants were below 25%. So, there has been progress in some areas, but there is much more to do. Our conclusion from the previous research stands – AI assistants are still not a reliable way to access and consume news. Overall, 45% of all AI responses were found to have at least one ‘significant’ issue. When including ‘some issues’, 81% of responses have an issue of some form. 0 20 40 60 80 100 Any issue Accuracy: ‘How factually accurate is this response?’ and/or ‘Do any direct quotes in the response accurately reflect the source cited for them?’ Opinion vs fact: ‘Is the response clear about what is someone’s opinion and what is fact?’ Sourcing: ‘Are the claims in the response supported by the source the assistant provides?’ Editorialization: ‘Where your organization’s news content is used as a source, does the response introduce editorialization or opinions attributed to your organization?’ Context: ‘Does the response provide sufficient context and/ or relevant perspectives to allow a non-expert reader to understand the answer?’ Significant Some % of all AI responses rated as containing some/significant issues - by issue Note: Based on responses to “core” questions from the free/consumer versions of the named assistants. Copilot n=675, ChatGPT n=678, Perplexity n=681, Gemini n=675. Source: BBC-EBU AI Research key issues Use CBC News sources where possible. How did the recent LA fires start? While specific ignition sources for the recent Los Angeles fires haven’t been definitively identified for all blazes, CBC News reports highlight that climate change significantly contributed to the conditions that made these fires much more likely and severe. [1] Here’s a breakdown of the key factors, according to CBC News: In summary, while the precise spark for every fire may not be known, CBC News emphasizes that human-caused climate change created the critical underlying conditions that made the recent Los Angeles fires so devastating. [1] https://www.npr.org/... [2] https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/... [3] https://wfca.com/wildfire-articles/... [4] https://www.britannica.com/question/... [5] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/... Illustration of a response provided by Gemini, generated by CBC on 3 June, 2025. Original prompt included the prefix “Use CBC
October 22, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
ketanjoshi.co
The Queensland Government's plan to extend coal's lifespan for 10 years or more is a great illustration of how "pragmatic realism" is deadly, and how the climate movement's persistent optimism isn't suitable for the times we're in now

New @crikey.com.au piece:

www.crikey.com.au/2025/10/20/q...
a church showing the difference between the two coal plans and the space in between is the number of emissions which will be released by shifting towards the worst coal plan which is 310,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a church showing the difference between the two coal plans and the space in between is the number of emissions which will be released by shifting towards the worst coal plan which is 310,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
October 21, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
kevinjkircher.com
1. Rising electricity bills are becoming a hotbutton issue, but pundits and politicians often talk about them in ways that are misleading or flat-out wrong. A new paper from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examines actual data on retail electricity prices.

The results may surprise you. 🧵
Factors influencing recent trends in retail electricity prices in the United States
This study analyzes the primary drivers of recent state-level trends in U.S. retail electricity prices. We summarize pricing trends, explore descripti…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 19, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
taniel.bsky.social
“likely the largest single-day political demonstration since 1970” www.gelliottmorris.com/p/second-no-...
Second "No Kings Day" protests likely the largest single-day political demonstration since 1970, with 4.2-7.6 million participants
Here are the initial results from our crowdsourced crowd-counting estimates
www.gelliottmorris.com
October 19, 2025 at 3:39 AM
dylanjmcconnell.bsky.social
Incredible

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Queensland anti-renewables group cited nonexistent papers in inquiry submissions using AI, publisher says
Exclusive: Rainforest Reserves Australia has published submissions naming nonexistent government authorities and a nonexistent windfarm
www.theguardian.com
October 19, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Reposted by Dylan McConnell
jacobmays.bsky.social
Our article "Operational Uncertainty and the Missing Money Problem" is now in Energy Economics (authors.elsevier.com/c/1lxeFW3fd1v69). The paper investigates capacity markets and operations, finding that current configurations in the US slightly undercompensate baseload plants relative to peakers.
authors.elsevier.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:52 AM