Tom Moyer
@tommoyerut.bsky.social
Defiant positivity. Decency & integrity over partisanship. #PrinciplesFirst. Utah Citizens’ Climate Lobby. EOD robotics engineer & former science educator. Utah.
Oops. Trail closed.
November 5, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Oops. Trail closed.
Today’s project: geriatric kitty ramp.
November 3, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Today’s project: geriatric kitty ramp.
You sure this is the right route?
October 20, 2025 at 3:18 AM
You sure this is the right route?
Friends in town visiting us from Florida - so we had to show them a good time.
September 28, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Friends in town visiting us from Florida - so we had to show them a good time.
Well that’s where we disagree. We are making massive strides on improving human well-being, driven by access to energy. Limiting energy use is a terrible goal. Minimizing pollution and other environmental impacts is a good one.
August 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Well that’s where we disagree. We are making massive strides on improving human well-being, driven by access to energy. Limiting energy use is a terrible goal. Minimizing pollution and other environmental impacts is a good one.
I’m concerned about those issues too. I fully agree with the importance of leaving the place better than we found it. But each one of them needs different tools.
We have a history of solving problems. Here is air pollution. We’re not done, but turning the corner *while* increasing access to energy.
We have a history of solving problems. Here is air pollution. We’re not done, but turning the corner *while* increasing access to energy.
August 26, 2025 at 1:56 PM
I’m concerned about those issues too. I fully agree with the importance of leaving the place better than we found it. But each one of them needs different tools.
We have a history of solving problems. Here is air pollution. We’re not done, but turning the corner *while* increasing access to energy.
We have a history of solving problems. Here is air pollution. We’re not done, but turning the corner *while* increasing access to energy.
Ouch.
Couldn’t stop in time for this thing and endoed over it. Then a couple minutes further, mama and baby moose had the trail and I had to turn around and go back the way I came.
Couldn’t stop in time for this thing and endoed over it. Then a couple minutes further, mama and baby moose had the trail and I had to turn around and go back the way I came.
August 21, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Ouch.
Couldn’t stop in time for this thing and endoed over it. Then a couple minutes further, mama and baby moose had the trail and I had to turn around and go back the way I came.
Couldn’t stop in time for this thing and endoed over it. Then a couple minutes further, mama and baby moose had the trail and I had to turn around and go back the way I came.
There’s only one boss in the house.
July 26, 2025 at 8:36 PM
There’s only one boss in the house.
Thank you to our Utah legislators for meeting with us about supporting clean energy for affordable and reliable power! #grassrootsclimate #CCL2025
July 23, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Thank you to our Utah legislators for meeting with us about supporting clean energy for affordable and reliable power! #grassrootsclimate #CCL2025
Fun to host a group from Indonesia tonight on behalf of Utah Global Diplomacy.
June 8, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Fun to host a group from Indonesia tonight on behalf of Utah Global Diplomacy.
Also - it doesn’t take much of an increase to get even higher capacity factor in the UAE. If you bump the plant size up by a factor of 1.3 (6.8 GW solar and 25 GWh battery), then you can get the availability up to 99%.
June 5, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Also - it doesn’t take much of an increase to get even higher capacity factor in the UAE. If you bump the plant size up by a factor of 1.3 (6.8 GW solar and 25 GWh battery), then you can get the availability up to 99%.
PVWatts gives a higher seasonal variation than the NREL dataset (more like we expect), but also a higher overall capacity factor. So it balances out. Here's the comparison.
May 31, 2025 at 9:47 PM
PVWatts gives a higher seasonal variation than the NREL dataset (more like we expect), but also a higher overall capacity factor. So it balances out. Here's the comparison.
Lubbock is close to the location of the dataset I originally used for scaling. Decembers in Lubbock are worse than the UAE, but it can still basically meet the claim of "capacity factor equal to a nuclear plant." It's 91% availability of 1 GW output, very similar to what I got with the NREL dataset.
May 31, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Lubbock is close to the location of the dataset I originally used for scaling. Decembers in Lubbock are worse than the UAE, but it can still basically meet the claim of "capacity factor equal to a nuclear plant." It's 91% availability of 1 GW output, very similar to what I got with the NREL dataset.
Ok - I did this properly now using PVWatts for both Abu Dhabi and Lubbock, TX. For Abu Dhabi with 5.2 GW solar (single-axis) and 19 GWh battery (15.2 GWh usable), I get 95.8% availability of continuous 1 GW output.
28.2 average GWh/day generated. 18.5% curtailment.
28.2 average GWh/day generated. 18.5% curtailment.
May 31, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Ok - I did this properly now using PVWatts for both Abu Dhabi and Lubbock, TX. For Abu Dhabi with 5.2 GW solar (single-axis) and 19 GWh battery (15.2 GWh usable), I get 95.8% availability of continuous 1 GW output.
28.2 average GWh/day generated. 18.5% curtailment.
28.2 average GWh/day generated. 18.5% curtailment.
You don’t lose 25:1 by accident, or because of woke judges, or whatever.
You lose that much because you’re breaking the law.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-96-reb...
You lose that much because you’re breaking the law.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-96-reb...
May 25, 2025 at 5:12 AM
You don’t lose 25:1 by accident, or because of woke judges, or whatever.
You lose that much because you’re breaking the law.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-96-reb...
You lose that much because you’re breaking the law.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-96-reb...
Young moose with the zoomies
May 20, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Young moose with the zoomies
Whaddya mean we don’t get to go?
May 10, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Whaddya mean we don’t get to go?
The traditional Mother’s Day brunch - a week early this year because our friends are out of town next week.
May 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
The traditional Mother’s Day brunch - a week early this year because our friends are out of town next week.
This was already a great car, and the only downside just got upgraded.
April 29, 2025 at 2:24 AM
This was already a great car, and the only downside just got upgraded.
Here’s one. Yes - I think that is the explanation for the solar pessimism. No idea why they thought bio and geo would grow. I think there’s a natural tendency to not want to go too far out on a limb. Exponential growth is scary if you project it out very far!
April 18, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Here’s one. Yes - I think that is the explanation for the solar pessimism. No idea why they thought bio and geo would grow. I think there’s a natural tendency to not want to go too far out on a limb. Exponential growth is scary if you project it out very far!
Neighborhood skiing is getting pretty absurd, but I think I can still squeeze one more day out of it.
April 11, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Neighborhood skiing is getting pretty absurd, but I think I can still squeeze one more day out of it.
Well, he kind of is.
April 9, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Well, he kind of is.
There is zero chance this is going to happen, and Chris Wright knows it.
There hasn't been a coal plant built in the US since 2013 and there isn't going to be one in the next four years. All you can do is run the remaining old plants a little more.
There hasn't been a coal plant built in the US since 2013 and there isn't going to be one in the next four years. All you can do is run the remaining old plants a little more.
April 9, 2025 at 2:23 AM
There is zero chance this is going to happen, and Chris Wright knows it.
There hasn't been a coal plant built in the US since 2013 and there isn't going to be one in the next four years. All you can do is run the remaining old plants a little more.
There hasn't been a coal plant built in the US since 2013 and there isn't going to be one in the next four years. All you can do is run the remaining old plants a little more.