Peter Cattaneo
Peter Cattaneo
@pacattaneo.bsky.social
Turning technology into products.

Mostly working on energy systems and CBDC.
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
This is very cool. Can't wait to see it spread to other states.
Today on Volts: I've had more requests to cover this than almost any other topic in the pod's history, so now, at long last, balcony solar! We dig into how "plug-in solar" took off in Europe & how it's making its way to the US, starting in Utah. Backyard DIY types rejoice!
What's the deal with balcony solar?
Cora Stryker joins me to explain how "plug-in" solar took Europe by storm and is finally, via Utah (?), making its way to America.
www.volts.wtf
December 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Good question.

The follow-up is: who's getting the money?
Do you know how much it is costing us to have 30% of our Elite Naval Combat Forces playing war games in the Carribean and using helpless fisherman for live fire practice? @cnn-news.bsky.social, @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social, @schumer.senate.gov
December 3, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
(a) this really is a bloody great piece and

(b) it occurs to me that Data Centres In Space are very similar to Musk's Mars colonisation promise in that the obvious actual goal is to enable and excuse more harm on Earth today and tomorrow, rather than sincerely aim for the stated goal years from now
an important read for at least 2 reasons:

1. shows how big tech operates on intuitions and vibes and not rigorous research

2. this is a masterpiece in how to breakdown complex scientific concepts in simple language and elegant pros that captivate the lay reader

taranis.ie/datacenters-...
Datacenters in space are a terrible, horrible, no good idea.
There is a rush for AI companies to team up with space launch/satellite companies to build datacenters in space. TL;DR: It's not going to work.
taranis.ie
December 3, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
“Benson writes in his order that the state law is unconstitutional because it allows government-authorized taking of property without an avenue for just compensation determined by a jury. In this case, the property is pore space-cavities in underground rock formations where emissions can be trapped”
December 3, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Sad it took like 50 years to do what BART identified as necessary and inherent to the system's design to work in 1972 but better late than never!
Starting next week, riding this bus and most other buses to BART will be FREE!

Clipper 2 rolls out on December 10, including free and low cost transfers between all transit agencies.

Riders will automatically receive discounts up to $2.85 when transferring within a two hour window.
December 3, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Here is a list of permitting reforms that benefit renewable energy and transmission, without having to undermine environmental laws or deregulate fossil fuels. #PermittingReform #SPEEDAct
bsky.app/profile/dust...
re: NEPA and transmission, we already have quite a few policy tools to expedite environmental review of transmission, renewable energy, and critical minerals mining projects.
bsky.app/profile/dust...
It also doesn’t account for other recent policies meant to build transmission faster, like this DOE federal permitting reform rule that “streamlines environmental review and permitting processes for qualifying transmission projects, cutting review timelines..” 🔌💡
www.energy.gov/gdo/articles...
December 2, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Maybe it’s saying that efficiency gains mean the rate must increase to cover fixed costs?

Because even with their higher rates, their total bills are low.
December 2, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
December 2, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Energy transitions can happen faster than we think:

In 2000 almost 90% of Denmark's electricity was from fossil fuels.

In 2024 less than 10% of Danish electricity was from fossil fuels.
December 1, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
1) The editor of Cell Reports Sustainable, a new open-access journal from Cell Press, graciously invited me to do a short Q&A about our new paper, "Distribution grids may be a barrier to residential electrification." Pasting the Q&A in a short 🧵 if anyone's interested.

www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Distribution grids may be a barrier to residential electrification
Replacing fossil-fueled machines with electric alternatives can reduce emissions, but Priyadarshan et al. find that reinforcing United States distribution grids to accommodate complete home and vehicl...
www.cell.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Introduce yourself with five concerts you have seen:

- Charles Mingus w Pharoah Sanders
- Chick Corea w Airto Moreira
- Miles Davis w James Mtume
- Greatful Dead @ Winterland
- DakhaBrakha
- Emma's Revolution w Shelley Doty

Yes, six. McCoy Tyner still didn't make the cut. So much great music.
Introduce yourself with five concerts you have seen:

- Terence Trent D'Arby
- Crash Worship
- Magnetic Fields
- Yo Yo Ma
- Ekko Astral
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
- Pink Floyd
- The Indigo Girls
- Dave Brubeck
- Explosions in the Sky
- Morcheeba
November 30, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Introduce yourself with five concerts you have seen:

- Terence Trent D'Arby
- Crash Worship
- Magnetic Fields
- Yo Yo Ma
- Ekko Astral
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
- Pink Floyd
- The Indigo Girls
- Dave Brubeck
- Explosions in the Sky
- Morcheeba
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
-Bon Jovi
-Garth Brooks
-Merle Haggard
-Ellie Goulding/Passion Pit
-The War on Drugs
November 30, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
We are living at a time when university leadership amplifies anti-intellectual tropes and technologies

These are very troubling times
November 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:

Pika
Marmot
Blue-footed booby
Fer-de-lance
Rainbow trout
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:

Resplendent quetzal
Ohlone tiger beetle
Blue whale
Northern elephant seal
Southern sea otter 🦦
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:

Moose
Stoplight parrotfish
Box turtle
Elephant
Wild horse
November 29, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Vaccines are one of the great gifts of modernity, and this one prevents cancer!
Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.
November 28, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
In the richest city in the richest country on the planet, the thing we can’t afford is to forget those who are left hungry.
November 27, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Happy Chompsgiving!
November 27, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
What would happen if humanity keeps pursuing economic growth, no matter the societal and environmental cost?

MIT’s 1972 World3 model predicted societal collapse by 2040, and new analysis shows we are still on track. bit.ly/3JjpFDg

#agrowth
MIT Predicted the Collapse of Today's Society in 1972. And We're Right On Track.
MIT's 1972 World3 model was strikingly accurate, based on modern data.
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Nearly the entire brussels sprouts supply in the US comes from California’s central coast.
Brussels sprouts grow upright on a tough, woody stem. This picture is a partly mechanized harvest, but a crew of workers used machetes to cut off the stalks in the field, while another worker trims off the leaves as he feeds the stalks into the machine. It's grueling work especially when it is hot.
November 27, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Biochemist Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn was born #OTD in 1948.

She shared the 2009 #Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the enzyme telomerase & how chromosomes are protected by telomeres. This has 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 implications for the fields of #aging and #cancer research. #WomenInSTEM
November 26, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
I hope folks realize that between Trump, Kushner, Hegseth, Witkoff, Noem, RFK, Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard, this country is almost entirely undefended.
Q: Have you heard this audio that Bloomberg has of Witkoff coaching the Russians on how to appeal to you?

TRUMP: That's a standard thing. He's gotta sell this to Ukraine, he's gonna sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what a dealmaker does. I haven't heard it but I heard it was standard negotiation.
November 26, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
A graph you won’t see in a story about Texas’ rapid solar and storage deployment.. 🔌💡 #EnergyTransition
November 20, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.)

RTs appreciated.
November 26, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
He is not the most powerful man in science. He is the most powerful man in pseudo-science.

He is not trying to lead our scientific institutions. He is trying to destroy them.
Over many interviews, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Michael Scherer about how he plans to remake America’s public-health system. Can he lead the scientific establishment he’s spent much of his life crusading against?

Read more in our new cover story:
The Most Powerful Man in Science
Why is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. so convinced he’s right?
bit.ly
November 24, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Reposted by Peter Cattaneo
@caadcoalition.bsky.social has an overview of all the many ads big oil is buying for permitting reform.

Further, they say: "If you hear people...who aren’t your usual climate deniers arguing that we need to scrap [NEPA], ask them why they’re doing the fossil fuel industry’s advertising for them."
November 24, 2025 at 3:23 AM