jo melville
@jmelville.science
climate tech (electrochemistry, industrial decarb, synthetic fuels, carbon removal, deep biogeochemistry, solar radiation management)
formerly: ARPA-E, Georgetown, MIT (PhD), UC Berkeley (BSc)
ask me anything: https://jmelville.science/ask/
🇺🇸→🇸🇬
formerly: ARPA-E, Georgetown, MIT (PhD), UC Berkeley (BSc)
ask me anything: https://jmelville.science/ask/
🇺🇸→🇸🇬
Pinned
jo melville
@jmelville.science
· Feb 19
out on a first date. she asked me "are you artistic?" but i misheard and replied "i've never been diagnosed"
in my previous job, I ran out of space on the whiteboard walls so I started scribbling calculations on the window
January 4, 2026 at 12:45 AM
in my previous job, I ran out of space on the whiteboard walls so I started scribbling calculations on the window
Reposted by jo melville
I love the east Bay Area. People of different races and religions live and work together to build the American Dream. We in liberal society take this for granted but the national rise of extremism stemming from online content seeks to take this away from us.
darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-americ...
darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-americ...
The American Beauty of the East Bay
Americanism is facing its biggest challenge from extremism. The people of the Bay Area show why its worth fighting for.
darrellowens.substack.com
December 25, 2025 at 3:56 AM
I love the east Bay Area. People of different races and religions live and work together to build the American Dream. We in liberal society take this for granted but the national rise of extremism stemming from online content seeks to take this away from us.
darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-americ...
darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-americ...
I'm a broken record on this but we absolutely do not talk enough about the fact that ~20% of injected CO2 for EOR-CCUS can be microbially converted to methane. coupled with lax MVA regimes, EOR "storage" could easily produce a net increase in GHG emissions!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 23, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I'm a broken record on this but we absolutely do not talk enough about the fact that ~20% of injected CO2 for EOR-CCUS can be microbially converted to methane. coupled with lax MVA regimes, EOR "storage" could easily produce a net increase in GHG emissions!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by jo melville
Larger point: 45Q is arguably the most perverse energy subsidy from a climate pespective. Govt paying corporations to capture and store CO2, instead of actually reducing emissions, means incentivizing more extraction and combustion of fossil fuels because more emissions means more public $.
December 23, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Larger point: 45Q is arguably the most perverse energy subsidy from a climate pespective. Govt paying corporations to capture and store CO2, instead of actually reducing emissions, means incentivizing more extraction and combustion of fossil fuels because more emissions means more public $.
Reposted by jo melville
Like Kurt Godel on the way to his citizenship interview intent on explaining the logical flaws of the Constitution to the bureaucrat once he got there, and Albert Einstein having to talk him out of it
December 18, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Like Kurt Godel on the way to his citizenship interview intent on explaining the logical flaws of the Constitution to the bureaucrat once he got there, and Albert Einstein having to talk him out of it
Reposted by jo melville
🔌💡 I'm big on space-based fusion.
I believe that with a sufficient mass of fusible elements at the right altitude (around 93 million miles) we can attain self-sustaining gravitational confinement, producing radiative energy gain we can harness on Earth with cutting-edge optoelectronic PV devices.
I believe that with a sufficient mass of fusible elements at the right altitude (around 93 million miles) we can attain self-sustaining gravitational confinement, producing radiative energy gain we can harness on Earth with cutting-edge optoelectronic PV devices.
Fusion and space based solar
January 21, 2025 at 8:57 AM
🔌💡 I'm big on space-based fusion.
I believe that with a sufficient mass of fusible elements at the right altitude (around 93 million miles) we can attain self-sustaining gravitational confinement, producing radiative energy gain we can harness on Earth with cutting-edge optoelectronic PV devices.
I believe that with a sufficient mass of fusible elements at the right altitude (around 93 million miles) we can attain self-sustaining gravitational confinement, producing radiative energy gain we can harness on Earth with cutting-edge optoelectronic PV devices.
what level of capitalism is this
December 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM
what level of capitalism is this
citogenesis: no longer limited to Wikipedia
December 16, 2025 at 1:39 AM
citogenesis: no longer limited to Wikipedia
motte: AI-assisted computational modeling might accelerate the process of discovering new photovoltaic, battery, fusion first-wall materials, etc, tho bottlenecked by high-throughput synthesis
bailey: AI WILL INVENT FREE RENEWABLE ENERGY, WHICH JUSTIFIES ANY AMOUNT OF ENERGY USE FOR AI DEVELOPMENT
bailey: AI WILL INVENT FREE RENEWABLE ENERGY, WHICH JUSTIFIES ANY AMOUNT OF ENERGY USE FOR AI DEVELOPMENT
"AI could invent free renewable energy."
Or, y'know, we could deploy the stuff that works and is already cheaper than the fossil alternative, while doing the hard political work of figuring out how to pass the savings on to households, balancing the interests of shareholders and ratepayers.
Or, y'know, we could deploy the stuff that works and is already cheaper than the fossil alternative, while doing the hard political work of figuring out how to pass the savings on to households, balancing the interests of shareholders and ratepayers.
December 15, 2025 at 12:20 AM
motte: AI-assisted computational modeling might accelerate the process of discovering new photovoltaic, battery, fusion first-wall materials, etc, tho bottlenecked by high-throughput synthesis
bailey: AI WILL INVENT FREE RENEWABLE ENERGY, WHICH JUSTIFIES ANY AMOUNT OF ENERGY USE FOR AI DEVELOPMENT
bailey: AI WILL INVENT FREE RENEWABLE ENERGY, WHICH JUSTIFIES ANY AMOUNT OF ENERGY USE FOR AI DEVELOPMENT
unfun fact: far and away the #1 claim of the 45(Q) tax credit is for CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) — injecting it into a depleting oil well to force out more oil.
after the OBBBA updates to the IRA, EOR gets paid the same subsidy as Class VI sequestration (so why would you ever do the latter?)
after the OBBBA updates to the IRA, EOR gets paid the same subsidy as Class VI sequestration (so why would you ever do the latter?)
UPDATE: 3 things I learned today
1) Political leaders haven’t thought much about the health threats of CO2 capture and storage. Eg CO2 pipelines have kill zones. Leaks can acidify aquifers and mobilize heavy metals.
2) 45Q tax credits for CCS are now by far the biggest subsidy to oil and gas
AND…
1) Political leaders haven’t thought much about the health threats of CO2 capture and storage. Eg CO2 pipelines have kill zones. Leaks can acidify aquifers and mobilize heavy metals.
2) 45Q tax credits for CCS are now by far the biggest subsidy to oil and gas
AND…
Here at the US Capitol to talk with some senators about the risks and harms of carbon capture and storage, which is mostly used to extract more oil from ground, enjoys taxpayer subsidies, is prone to escape, threatens drinking water and public health, and is generally scammy.
Science belongs here.
Science belongs here.
December 11, 2025 at 8:10 AM
unfun fact: far and away the #1 claim of the 45(Q) tax credit is for CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) — injecting it into a depleting oil well to force out more oil.
after the OBBBA updates to the IRA, EOR gets paid the same subsidy as Class VI sequestration (so why would you ever do the latter?)
after the OBBBA updates to the IRA, EOR gets paid the same subsidy as Class VI sequestration (so why would you ever do the latter?)
how did Palmer Luckey get an advance copy of my pitch to the UK government next week
December 4, 2025 at 12:48 PM
how did Palmer Luckey get an advance copy of my pitch to the UK government next week
every time the NIF lasers pulse, in that instant they are consuming >95% of all energy being used by all of humanity combined
the NIF's laser subsystems consume ~500 TW of power! ( ... for several picoseconds at a time)
November 26, 2025 at 10:09 AM
every time the NIF lasers pulse, in that instant they are consuming >95% of all energy being used by all of humanity combined
reupping this to commemorate the WSJ expose on the fabricated "AI for materials discovery" MIT economics paper. QM is an approximation to the furnace.
h/t @robertpalgrave.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
h/t @robertpalgrave.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
November 24, 2025 at 9:01 AM
reupping this to commemorate the WSJ expose on the fabricated "AI for materials discovery" MIT economics paper. QM is an approximation to the furnace.
h/t @robertpalgrave.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
h/t @robertpalgrave.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
Reposted by jo melville
Like 70% because of the California Coastal Commission, maybe the best public agency in existence.
Why Bay Area parks are among the best in the world—Parks also wouldn’t exist here in such abundance if communities had not come together, in a very organic way, to protect favorite outdoor spaces… www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/22/b... @marthajross.bsky.social @mercurynews.com
Why Bay Area parks are among the best in the world
Alcatraz, Big Basin, Mount Diablo and more: A brief history of how visionaries and regular people made this metropolitan area home to a specular variety of stunning outdoor spaces
www.mercurynews.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Like 70% because of the California Coastal Commission, maybe the best public agency in existence.
ski pass prices are extortionate but have discounts for students, children, and military members. some discounts stack, so you can get a "teen military" or a "child military" pass. I assume this is for servicemembers with kids but it makes it sound like there is a special discount for child soldiers
November 23, 2025 at 8:53 AM
ski pass prices are extortionate but have discounts for students, children, and military members. some discounts stack, so you can get a "teen military" or a "child military" pass. I assume this is for servicemembers with kids but it makes it sound like there is a special discount for child soldiers
the math doesn't even pencil out. there are ~10^24 stars in the sky. ~10^11 humans have ever lived.
if everyone who ever lived on earth had a pocket universe in which every star was inhabited by earthlike civilization, that would be ~1 trillionth the number of ppl Grok would kill to save Elon Musk.
if everyone who ever lived on earth had a pocket universe in which every star was inhabited by earthlike civilization, that would be ~1 trillionth the number of ppl Grok would kill to save Elon Musk.
new trolley problem just dropped: Elon vs. 10^58 randomly chosen people. let's see what Grok has to say
November 22, 2025 at 6:34 AM
the math doesn't even pencil out. there are ~10^24 stars in the sky. ~10^11 humans have ever lived.
if everyone who ever lived on earth had a pocket universe in which every star was inhabited by earthlike civilization, that would be ~1 trillionth the number of ppl Grok would kill to save Elon Musk.
if everyone who ever lived on earth had a pocket universe in which every star was inhabited by earthlike civilization, that would be ~1 trillionth the number of ppl Grok would kill to save Elon Musk.
Reposted by jo melville
Many people think about cold in Northern Europe if the Atlantic Ocean current system #AMOC fails. But that wouldn’t be the only problem for Europe by far.
This new study shows that severe drought is another one. 🌊
This new study shows that severe drought is another one. 🌊
📢 New paper on the impacts of AMOC collapse on European hydroclimate. 🌊
We find an AMOC collapse would exacerbate drought conditions across Europe, linked to reduced precipitation. In combination with climate change droughts are expected to become more frequent and severe.
doi.org/10.5194/hess...
We find an AMOC collapse would exacerbate drought conditions across Europe, linked to reduced precipitation. In combination with climate change droughts are expected to become more frequent and severe.
doi.org/10.5194/hess...
Changing European hydroclimate under a collapsed AMOC in the Community Earth System Model
Abstract. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is expected to weaken or even collapse under anthropogenic climate change. Given the importance of the AMOC in the present-day climate,...
doi.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Many people think about cold in Northern Europe if the Atlantic Ocean current system #AMOC fails. But that wouldn’t be the only problem for Europe by far.
This new study shows that severe drought is another one. 🌊
This new study shows that severe drought is another one. 🌊
"reading the can, explains the can"
Like, I never do say it, but I frequently stop myself from saying to my daughter, "examine the object; consider its affordances."
November 21, 2025 at 1:40 AM
"reading the can, explains the can"
I go back and forth on the "hope for climate" question.
On one hand, I think of this hapless interview with Andreas Malm where the journalist begs him to give them a reason to live. (yes, really)
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
On one hand, I think of this hapless interview with Andreas Malm where the journalist begs him to give them a reason to live. (yes, really)
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
November 20, 2025 at 11:47 AM
I go back and forth on the "hope for climate" question.
On one hand, I think of this hapless interview with Andreas Malm where the journalist begs him to give them a reason to live. (yes, really)
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
On one hand, I think of this hapless interview with Andreas Malm where the journalist begs him to give them a reason to live. (yes, really)
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
cost of solar energy in 1988: ~$20,000/kW module cost, ~$40,000/kWp installed, ~$1200/MWh LCOE (inflation-adjusted)
cost of solar energy in 2025: ~$100/kW module cost, ~$1000/kWp installed, ~$40/MWh LCOE
30–200× cost down across the value chain
🔌💡 #energysky
cost of solar energy in 2025: ~$100/kW module cost, ~$1000/kWp installed, ~$40/MWh LCOE
30–200× cost down across the value chain
🔌💡 #energysky
November 19, 2025 at 3:14 AM
cost of solar energy in 1988: ~$20,000/kW module cost, ~$40,000/kWp installed, ~$1200/MWh LCOE (inflation-adjusted)
cost of solar energy in 2025: ~$100/kW module cost, ~$1000/kWp installed, ~$40/MWh LCOE
30–200× cost down across the value chain
🔌💡 #energysky
cost of solar energy in 2025: ~$100/kW module cost, ~$1000/kWp installed, ~$40/MWh LCOE
30–200× cost down across the value chain
🔌💡 #energysky
Reposted by jo melville
Iceland Climate Minister Johannsson: "It is a direct threat to our national resilience and security. (This) is the first time a specific climate-related phenomenon has been formally brought before the National Security Council as a potential existential threat."
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Iceland deems possible Atlantic current collapse a security risk
Iceland has designated the potential collapse of a major Atlantic Ocean current system a national security concern and an existential threat, enabling its government to strategize for worst-case scenarios, the country's climate minister told Reuters.
www.reuters.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Iceland Climate Minister Johannsson: "It is a direct threat to our national resilience and security. (This) is the first time a specific climate-related phenomenon has been formally brought before the National Security Council as a potential existential threat."
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Alexandra Elbakyan has had a bigger global impact than probably any single other communist since Gorbachev
Remembering the children's sci-fi author who got livid when I told him the sum total of his life's work was less than libgen and no amount of anti-AI washing would change that
November 18, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Alexandra Elbakyan has had a bigger global impact than probably any single other communist since Gorbachev
After the bubble pops, every UI designer at Google and Microsoft that added tiny ✨GenAI button nudges on the border of every slide, in every context menu, in every text box if your cursor is ever stationary — should be shot. Give me back my screen real estate. I hope the 3% KPI boost was worth it
November 18, 2025 at 7:01 AM
After the bubble pops, every UI designer at Google and Microsoft that added tiny ✨GenAI button nudges on the border of every slide, in every context menu, in every text box if your cursor is ever stationary — should be shot. Give me back my screen real estate. I hope the 3% KPI boost was worth it
Reposted by jo melville
is it good when py and python are different versions
November 18, 2025 at 2:10 AM
is it good when py and python are different versions