Jeremy Fisher
@jeremyfisher.bsky.social
Energy systems and climate policy person with lots of opinions, few of which are wise to share. Total sucker for novel decarb pathways. Fanboy of functional democracies and a bit of grace.
Back in June, I posted in LinkedIn about the relationship between renewable energy and rates, with a snappy map. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
and I was amused, I guess, to see that map show up in today's print edition. Thanks NYT?
and I was amused, I guess, to see that map show up in today's print edition. Thanks NYT?
November 8, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Back in June, I posted in LinkedIn about the relationship between renewable energy and rates, with a snappy map. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
and I was amused, I guess, to see that map show up in today's print edition. Thanks NYT?
and I was amused, I guess, to see that map show up in today's print edition. Thanks NYT?
Its like the great countdown. This year is 2.0? Looks like 2030 will be 0.0.
September 30, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Its like the great countdown. This year is 2.0? Looks like 2030 will be 0.0.
Yesterday, @sierraclub.org @amzn4climate.bsky.social @lcv.org and @publiccitizen.bsky.social published a full page open letter in SF and Seattle calling for big tech accountability for data center impacts!
www.sierraclub.org/press-releas...
www.sierraclub.org/press-releas...
June 30, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Yesterday, @sierraclub.org @amzn4climate.bsky.social @lcv.org and @publiccitizen.bsky.social published a full page open letter in SF and Seattle calling for big tech accountability for data center impacts!
www.sierraclub.org/press-releas...
www.sierraclub.org/press-releas...
Coal prices followed suit, taking advantage of utilities that didn't have a lot of buffer. Together, both impacts cranked up energy costs across the US. But there was more to come.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
June 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Coal prices followed suit, taking advantage of utilities that didn't have a lot of buffer. Together, both impacts cranked up energy costs across the US. But there was more to come.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
Between 2021 & 2022, gas prices shot through the roof thanks to a perfect storm of post-covid rebound (demand increasing while supply lagged), massive exports, and a fully globalized commodity exposed to wartime uncertainty. And those higher costs were passed right through to ratepayers.
June 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Between 2021 & 2022, gas prices shot through the roof thanks to a perfect storm of post-covid rebound (demand increasing while supply lagged), massive exports, and a fully globalized commodity exposed to wartime uncertainty. And those higher costs were passed right through to ratepayers.
Yeah, it's true - the rates are just too damn high. Fuel cost spikes, wildfire costs, and slow interconnection are driving up electricity costs faster than inflation.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
June 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Yeah, it's true - the rates are just too damn high. Fuel cost spikes, wildfire costs, and slow interconnection are driving up electricity costs faster than inflation.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
Here's the crazy part. While coal prices went up almost everywhere, coal prices in the eastern US - both Appalachia and Illinois basin - nearly doubled from 2021 to 2024, and Utah and Arizona coal plants both took huge step increases.
June 9, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Here's the crazy part. While coal prices went up almost everywhere, coal prices in the eastern US - both Appalachia and Illinois basin - nearly doubled from 2021 to 2024, and Utah and Arizona coal plants both took huge step increases.
Great article from EI! Here's a companion dashboard showing that coal costs have gone up pretty much everywhere - and are staying up.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
June 9, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Great article from EI! Here's a companion dashboard showing that coal costs have gone up pretty much everywhere - and are staying up.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
And as pointed out in that lawsuit from Earthjustice, Scrubgrass's coal ash pile rocketed out of control once they started mining bitcoin there. (4/5)
May 29, 2025 at 5:53 PM
And as pointed out in that lawsuit from Earthjustice, Scrubgrass's coal ash pile rocketed out of control once they started mining bitcoin there. (4/5)
There's probably not a clearer image of how dirty crypto proof of work (like bitcoin) gets than Stronghold.
When we talk about these plants being dirty, it's quite literal. Scrubgrass has one of the highest SO2 emissions rates in the country, and its coal ash piles are ridiculous. (3/5)
When we talk about these plants being dirty, it's quite literal. Scrubgrass has one of the highest SO2 emissions rates in the country, and its coal ash piles are ridiculous. (3/5)
May 29, 2025 at 5:53 PM
There's probably not a clearer image of how dirty crypto proof of work (like bitcoin) gets than Stronghold.
When we talk about these plants being dirty, it's quite literal. Scrubgrass has one of the highest SO2 emissions rates in the country, and its coal ash piles are ridiculous. (3/5)
When we talk about these plants being dirty, it's quite literal. Scrubgrass has one of the highest SO2 emissions rates in the country, and its coal ash piles are ridiculous. (3/5)
I feel like I just need a repeating post here. This is nuts. I mean, nerd-class nuts, but still.
Again, PJM is seeing LMPs of $100/MWh, driven largely by Dominion's $400/MWh, which are in turn driven largely by $1200-$1400/MWh prices from NoVA's data centers.
That's up from $30/MWh.🥜🔩!
Again, PJM is seeing LMPs of $100/MWh, driven largely by Dominion's $400/MWh, which are in turn driven largely by $1200-$1400/MWh prices from NoVA's data centers.
That's up from $30/MWh.🥜🔩!
April 30, 2025 at 10:49 PM
I feel like I just need a repeating post here. This is nuts. I mean, nerd-class nuts, but still.
Again, PJM is seeing LMPs of $100/MWh, driven largely by Dominion's $400/MWh, which are in turn driven largely by $1200-$1400/MWh prices from NoVA's data centers.
That's up from $30/MWh.🥜🔩!
Again, PJM is seeing LMPs of $100/MWh, driven largely by Dominion's $400/MWh, which are in turn driven largely by $1200-$1400/MWh prices from NoVA's data centers.
That's up from $30/MWh.🥜🔩!
Traditional ratemaking divide market energy costs ratably depending on use, but the dramatic increase in market costs, impacting everyone, is disproportionately caused by a single class of customers.
Isn't that like saying that when the rhino sits on the car, everyone chips in for the broken axle?
Isn't that like saying that when the rhino sits on the car, everyone chips in for the broken axle?
April 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Traditional ratemaking divide market energy costs ratably depending on use, but the dramatic increase in market costs, impacting everyone, is disproportionately caused by a single class of customers.
Isn't that like saying that when the rhino sits on the car, everyone chips in for the broken axle?
Isn't that like saying that when the rhino sits on the car, everyone chips in for the broken axle?
Interested in thoughts on cost allocation for very large loads when there's a clearly disproportionate impact on marginal energy costs.
April 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Interested in thoughts on cost allocation for very large loads when there's a clearly disproportionate impact on marginal energy costs.
Gosh, I wonder what could be driving >$1000/MWh LMPs in northern VA.
April 22, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Gosh, I wonder what could be driving >$1000/MWh LMPs in northern VA.
Department of smoke and mirrors
April 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Department of smoke and mirrors
Rewinding air regulations has real implications for real people. From our October article:
"[Air pollution controls on power plants] prevented approximately 3,100 to 9,000 premature deaths in 2023, with an annual benefit between $35 billion and nearly $100 billion."
"[Air pollution controls on power plants] prevented approximately 3,100 to 9,000 premature deaths in 2023, with an annual benefit between $35 billion and nearly $100 billion."
April 8, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Rewinding air regulations has real implications for real people. From our October article:
"[Air pollution controls on power plants] prevented approximately 3,100 to 9,000 premature deaths in 2023, with an annual benefit between $35 billion and nearly $100 billion."
"[Air pollution controls on power plants] prevented approximately 3,100 to 9,000 premature deaths in 2023, with an annual benefit between $35 billion and nearly $100 billion."
Even the traditionally "lower cost" of low heat content Powder River (WY) coal has seen a dramatic decline as utilities make *economic* decisions to ramp down coal use.
And check out that gas price matching bump in late 2021 as coal suppliers decided that they could ride the gas inflation train.
And check out that gas price matching bump in late 2021 as coal suppliers decided that they could ride the gas inflation train.
April 8, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Even the traditionally "lower cost" of low heat content Powder River (WY) coal has seen a dramatic decline as utilities make *economic* decisions to ramp down coal use.
And check out that gas price matching bump in late 2021 as coal suppliers decided that they could ride the gas inflation train.
And check out that gas price matching bump in late 2021 as coal suppliers decided that they could ride the gas inflation train.
Across the board, utilities have turned away from coal - even if they're not retiring coal plants. For example, at the Belews Creek (NC), Duke has basically switched over to gas as coal prices climbed to $5/MMBtu.
And plants like Clover (VA) have turned into peakers with coal prices >$8/MMBtu.
And plants like Clover (VA) have turned into peakers with coal prices >$8/MMBtu.
April 8, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Across the board, utilities have turned away from coal - even if they're not retiring coal plants. For example, at the Belews Creek (NC), Duke has basically switched over to gas as coal prices climbed to $5/MMBtu.
And plants like Clover (VA) have turned into peakers with coal prices >$8/MMBtu.
And plants like Clover (VA) have turned into peakers with coal prices >$8/MMBtu.
This is as good a time as ever to remind folks that #coal has seriously fallen out of fashion everywhere. Utility contracts for coal fell from 2010 through 2021 (Trump I too) and the remaining coal is priced sky-high.
In the SE, the price of coal has doubled.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
In the SE, the price of coal has doubled.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
April 8, 2025 at 6:07 PM
This is as good a time as ever to remind folks that #coal has seriously fallen out of fashion everywhere. Utility contracts for coal fell from 2010 through 2021 (Trump I too) and the remaining coal is priced sky-high.
In the SE, the price of coal has doubled.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
In the SE, the price of coal has doubled.
public.tableau.com/app/profile/...
@nytgames.bsky.social my kids demand to know- you're bringing back Vertex?!
April 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
@nytgames.bsky.social my kids demand to know- you're bringing back Vertex?!
Ironically, of course, the cheap abundant energy that Hut 8 is tapping into at the Vega site is a bunch of transmission-constrained wind around Amarillo. (5/8)
April 1, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Ironically, of course, the cheap abundant energy that Hut 8 is tapping into at the Vega site is a bunch of transmission-constrained wind around Amarillo. (5/8)
And indeed, Hut 8's 2024 10K gives an example of exactly this practice: acquiring a low cost energy hub without a specific use case, but sticking in a temporary bitcoin mine to satisfy an energy contract. (4/8)
April 1, 2025 at 6:09 PM
And indeed, Hut 8's 2024 10K gives an example of exactly this practice: acquiring a low cost energy hub without a specific use case, but sticking in a temporary bitcoin mine to satisfy an energy contract. (4/8)
Well, Hut 8s investor decks talk about their conviction that power "demand will outstrip supply" and they see themselves as a vehicle to acquire and sit on high-value interconnections. (3/8)
April 1, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Well, Hut 8s investor decks talk about their conviction that power "demand will outstrip supply" and they see themselves as a vehicle to acquire and sit on high-value interconnections. (3/8)
Its early days yet, but it sorta seems like the simplest solution here might be a straight click through. The awards are obligated, do the projects! After all, I think somebody said something about needing to get energy projects built?🤷 (10/10)
March 27, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Its early days yet, but it sorta seems like the simplest solution here might be a straight click through. The awards are obligated, do the projects! After all, I think somebody said something about needing to get energy projects built?🤷 (10/10)
But wait, it gets better!
USDA provided this form publicly, and all it asks for is a grantee reference number and basic contact info. But UEI numbers are public, so what's to prevent fraudulent submissions? 😳 I don't envy the staffers who have to sort through this stuff. (9/10)
USDA provided this form publicly, and all it asks for is a grantee reference number and basic contact info. But UEI numbers are public, so what's to prevent fraudulent submissions? 😳 I don't envy the staffers who have to sort through this stuff. (9/10)
March 27, 2025 at 5:22 PM
But wait, it gets better!
USDA provided this form publicly, and all it asks for is a grantee reference number and basic contact info. But UEI numbers are public, so what's to prevent fraudulent submissions? 😳 I don't envy the staffers who have to sort through this stuff. (9/10)
USDA provided this form publicly, and all it asks for is a grantee reference number and basic contact info. But UEI numbers are public, so what's to prevent fraudulent submissions? 😳 I don't envy the staffers who have to sort through this stuff. (9/10)