Heatmap News

13 Nov 2024

Welcome to our new BlueSky followers! We've put together this handy Heatmap starter pack for you all. Follow our news team for the latest on climate and clean energy:

heatmap.newsWhy ‘Clean Is Cheap, Cheap Is Clean’ Isn’t Breaking ThroughNew polling by Heatmap and Embold Research shows where one of climate advocates’ favorite arguments for renewables is falling short.

Surprise! The strongest case for clean energy is lower bills. Our latest poll finds that what draws voters to clean energy more than anything else is the promise of lower monthly bills — that said, many don’t believe it. Here’s more from @jeva.bsky.social: heatmap.news/energy/renew...

heatmap.newsWhy Saying ‘Climate Crisis’ Falls FlatA new study suggests skeptical voters don’t respond to such urgent language — while climate-concerned voters find it depressing.

There’s plenty more where that came from in our latest poll, conducted in partnership with Embold Research. For instance, here’s @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social on why even voters who care about climate change are skeptical of calling it a “crisis”: heatmap.news/daily/why-sa...

info.heatmap.newsHeatmap | Communicating about Climate and Clean Energy in an Age of AffordabilityDownload this report to learn more about how to effectively connect with voters on climate action and clean energy in today’s political environment.

Download the full report here: info.heatmap.news/heatmap-comm...

Heatmap News reposted

Brian Willis

@bwillisful.bsky.social

8 Sept

Perovskite #solar has been hyped before. What’s different now? Tandem cells have hit 35.5% efficiency, durability is improving, commercial modules exist. Higher output can cut land, hardware, labor costs — but proving 25-year performance is a hurdle. via @heatmap.news heatmap.news/climate-tech...

heatmap.newsThe Next Big Thing in Solar Technology Is BackThe industry has gotten excited before, to no avail. Will it stick this time?

Heatmap News reposted

heatmap.newsThe Top 5 Midterm Races of the Data Center BacklashWhat we’ll be watching for on election night.

For @heatmap.news: My Top Five Must-Watch Data Center Clashes in the Fight Over Control of Congress

Heatmap News reposted

Matt Zeitlin

@zeitlin.bsky.social

13 Aug

How do you sell a cap-and-trade program — which literally makes some electricity more expensive — at a time of rising electricity rates? Give some of the money back to ratepayers! heatmap.news/energy/rggi-...

heatmap.newsA New Era of Electricity Inflation Has Transformed the Northeast’s Carbon MarketAs costs rise, more proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative are going to direct bill relief.

Heatmap News reposted

Dr. Jonathan Foley

@globalecoguy.bsky.social

12 Aug

Holy cow. Batteries are growing even faster than I imagined. heatmap.news/daily/batter...

heatmap.newsThe U.S. Battery Industry Is Averaging 70% Annual GrowthThis type of clean energy infrastructure is booming across the country.

Heatmap News reposted

katie brigham

@kbrigham.bsky.social

12 Aug

reminder that not everything is terrible courtesy of @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social heatmap.news/daily/batter...

heatmap.newsTesla Unveils Plans for $10 Billion ‘Project Crystal Sun’On transmission corridors, China’s Russian reactor, and long-duration energy storage

13 Aug

Get ready for the day with Heatmap AM: 🚫 Energy Department cancels transmission corridors ☀️ Tesla planning $10B solar panel factory in Texas 🔋 2 long-duration storage companies bring in nearly $1B Plus all the rest from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/tesla-cry...

Heatmap News reposted

Serena Larkin

@serenalarkin.bsky.social

12 Aug

the only thing making me ever want to be a homeowner is the possibility of installing these sexy appliances @kbrigham.bsky.social @heatmap.news:

heatmap.newsWe’ve Got Sexy Heat Pumps. Now It’s Time for Sexy Water Heaters.Boston-based startup Reservoir has raised an $8 million seed round to commercialize heat pump-powered water heaters.

heatmap.newsTrump’s USDA Using Farmland Rule to Go After Energy Companies, Democrats SayA proposed change in how the agency implements an obscure Cold War-era law would impose onerous reporting requirements on renewables and pipelines.

10 Aug

The USDA is changing how it uses an obscure Cold War-era law to target renewables development, Senate Democrats say. Read more from @jael.bsky.social: heatmap.news/sparks/agric...

heatmap.newsTrump Puts Up $2 Billion for Critical MineralsOn Amazon’s gas behemoth, Kia’s electric minivan, and Colombian H2

10 Aug

Start your week with Heatmap AM: 💰 DOD announces $2B in funding for critical minerals 🏭 Amazon behind plan for country’s biggest fossil fuel plant 🔥 U.S. wildfire season is already one of the worst in years Plus more from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/trump-cri...

Heatmap News reposted

Amanda Kolson Hurley

@amandakhurley.bsky.social

8 Aug

I got this instantly. Some fellow humanities dorks at @heatmap.news

Heatmap News reposted

10 Aug

In a letter today to Trump’s USDA, Senate Democrats claim the administration is poised to chill investment in the energy sector by defining solar and wind farms — and pipelines — as “agricultural land” under an obscure foreign farmland ownership disclosure law My latest for @heatmap.news

podcasts.apple.comThe Big — But Fixable! — Problems in America’s R&D EcosystemPodcast Episode · Shift Key with Robinson Meyer · August 6 · 58m

6 Aug

New on SHIFT KEY: @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social sits down with Katie Rae of @engineventures.bsky.social for a conversation about what’s missing in the American innovation economy and how to fix it. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

heatmap.newsTrump May Be Forced to Resume Wind Project PermitsOn Trump’s polysilicon tariffs, Oklo’s milestone, and black lung

6 Aug

Today in Heatmap AM: 💨 Judge poised to order DOD to restart wind reviews ⚛️ Oklo test reactor reaches criticality 👉 House Dems accuse Energy Secretary of lying to Congress Plus all the rest from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/trump-win...

Heatmap News reposted

George Pearkes

@peark.es

29 July

Replying to @peark.es

If you liked this thread and want to get real into the weeds/hopping mad about archaeologists (seriously!), the latest episode of Shift Key from @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social & @heatmap.news is just for you. Also you should be subscribing to Heatmap to support their very good journalism in this space.

heatmap.newsTranscript: What a Permitting Reform Deal Could Look LikeRob talks with Daniel Palken, the director of infrastructure for energy and permitting at Arnold Ventures, about the policies that would probably make up a grand bargain.

Heatmap News reposted

heatmap.newsScoop: Clearway Cancels Plan to Swap Solar Farm for Data Center and Gas PlantThe energy developer is backing off after a Heatmap report.

3 Aug

confirmed: renewable energy developer clearway is pivoting away from developing a gas fired data center on federal lands in nevada, days after i exposed their internal plans my latest scoop on @heatmap.news and the impact journalism we provide

Heatmap News reposted

Andrew Moseman

@andrewmoseman.bsky.social

28 July

Give us lots of plugs where the people are! heatmap.news/electric-veh...

heatmap.newsThe Tesla Diner Is a Runaway Success. But Not for the Reason You’d Think.Strip away the restaurant and the hype, and Tesla Diner is an 80-plug fast-charging station plunked right in the middle of a former charging dessert.

Heatmap News reposted

heatmap.newsScoop: Clearway Asks Trump to Swap Solar Farm for Data Center and Gas PlantThe large renewables developer changes tack “in response to federal energy objectives.”

27 July

Big scoop: The solar permitting freeze is so bad a renewables developer — Clearway — asked Trump if they can swap an unpermitted solar farm in Nevada for a data center and gas power plant instead. My latest for @heatmap.news

heatmap.newsChina Eyes a Major Increase in Renewable Energy ConsumptionOn Meta quits, Elon Musk’s solar plans, and federal coal reserves

24 July

Close out your week with Heatmap AM: 🇨🇳 China raised its 2030 renewable energy goal by 53% 🙅 Meta quits clean energy pact amid gas buildout ↪️ @woodmac.com report shows Hormuz workaround isn’t working Read all about it from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/china-ren...

heatmap.newsHow E-Scooter Company Lime Cut Its Supply Chain EmissionsThe company’s latest sustainability report, shared exclusively with Heatmap, shows that carbon intensity per kilometer traveled has dropped 81% since 2019.

23 July

Lime, the e-scooter company, found ways to do what most companies can't: cut emissions from its supply chain. @emilypont.bsky.social explains how: heatmap.news/sustainabili...

heatmap.newsExclusive: Massachusetts EV Owners Can Now Get Paid to Power the GridA new 60-home pilot program aims to expand vehicle-to-grid charging.

23 July

The dream of feeding power back onto the grid from EVs has long remained stubbornly out of reach. Now, Massachusetts is running a new pilot program to make it a reality. @kbrigham.bsky.social has the exclusive: heatmap.news/electric-veh...

heatmap.newsSaudi Arabia Wins a Deal to Import American Nuclear ReactorsOn Trump’s power pledge, America’s offshore nuclear, and Japan’s offshore wind

23 July

What’s in Heatmap AM this morning? 🤝 U.S. and Saudi Arabia poised to announce a nuclear deal 💵 200 new signatories join the Ratepayer Protection Pledge ☀️ China to phase out low-efficiency solar panels Plus lots more from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/saudi-us-...

heatmap.newsTrump Made the Renewable Power Market WeirdA new report from LevelTen Energy shows that advance purchase prices are down for solar but up for wind.

21 July

What happens when Trump’s anti-renewables policies collide with data center electricity demand? Prices get weird. @zeitlin.bsky.social has the latest: heatmap.news/energy/q2-20...

heatmap.newsData Center Electricity Demand Ballooning as Support CollapsesOn solar PPAs, German EVs, and copper prices

21 July

What’s new in today’s Heatmap AM: 📈 BNEF raises estimate for data center power demand 83% for 2035 🇨🇦 Trump’s Canada tariffs an ominous sign for U.S. automakers 🚙 Germans pick EVs over internal combustion cars Plus all the rest from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/data-cent...

heatmap.newsWhy Your Smart EV Still Has a Dumb BatteryYes, we’re talking about lead acid.

20 July

EVs run on big, fancy batteries. But they also need small, dumb ones to run simple electronics — the same ones you’d find in a gas-powered car. Here’s @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on why getting rid of the old lead-acid 12-volt is such a headache: heatmap.news/electric-veh...

heatmap.newsHow to Unlock Republican Support for Climate ActionGOP lawmakers know climate change is real. But they lack political incentives to do anything about it.

20 July

Some of the most outspoken members of the eco-right are no longer in office. As the Alliance for Market Solutions’ Alex Flint writes, that’s not hypocrisy — it’s the political system at work. Read more in his piece for Heatmap Ideas: heatmap.news/ideas/republ...

heatmap.newsThe EU Rides to DAC’s RescueOn British oil, Claude’s friend request, and Russian nuclear

20 July

In this Monday’s Heatmap AM: 🌊 New UK PM backs North Sea oil and gas drilling ban 👍 EU integrates carbon removal into emissions market 🤖 Anthropic strikes $10M data center deal with Meta Plus more from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/eu-carbon...

heatmap.newsThe East Coast’s New Forever ProblemSmoke is back. Again. It’s time to make a plan.

17 July

If we said ”smoke is back,” would you know what year it was? The East Coast is experiencing its third air quality crisis in four years. As @jeva.bsky.social writes, it’s time to start planning for a smoky new normal: heatmap.news/adaptation/e...

heatmap.newsScoop: A Key Democrat Wants to Break America’s Worst Energy BottleneckSenator Martin Heinrich’s bill, which makes it easier to connect new power plants to the grid, is an encouraging sign for bipartisan permitting reform.

17 July

SCOOP from @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social: @heinrich.senate.gov is out with a new bill to break up the energy transmission queue by taking “connect and manage” nationwide — a sign that a larger permitting deal may be on the horizon. heatmap.news/daily/heinri...

heatmap.newsHow Bad Is Exercising in Wildfire Smoke?Your mileage may vary — but you’ll probably want to keep the outdoor runs to a minimum.

17 July

Should you go for a run after work today? Your mileage may vary, but if you’re in the Upper Midwest or Mid-Atlantic, the answer is: probably not. @jeva.bsky.social talks with an exercise scientist about how smoke affects our workouts: heatmap.news/climate/smok...

heatmap.newsPuerto Rico’s Water Crisis Stretches into Another MonthOn Hungary’s BYD scandal, seawater uranium, and saving styrofoam

16 July

The latest from Heatmap AM: 💧 Puerto Rico’s latest water crisis stretches to second month 🛢️ Oil traders warn of bigger market impacts from renewed Iran hostilities 🔌 Michigan governor releases a 10-point data center plan Check it out, from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/puerto-ri...

Heatmap News reposted

Serena Larkin

@serenalarkin.bsky.social

heatmap.newsOrange Skies Are BackWhere is the smoke worst, where will it go next, and what causes that color?

timely reading for chicagoans, courtesy of @jeva.bsky.social @heatmap.news

heatmap.newsOrange Skies Are BackWhere is the smoke worst, where will it go next, and what causes that color?

Beautiful (and ominous) neon sunsets will grace the East Coast tonight thanks to (deadly) wildfire smoke. Here’s @jeva.bsky.social on where the smoke is coming from, why it turns the sky orange, and where it’s going next: heatmap.news/climate/oran...

Heatmap News reposted

Federation of American Scientists

@scientistsorg.bsky.social

heatmap.newsWhy Heat Waves Are Tricky KillersDeciding what counts as a heat death is more difficult than it sounds.

"We’ve thought about if it’s possible to ever set a goal of bringing heat-related deaths down by 50%, but we don’t even have a baseline number or a way to say, 'This is the starting point for this goal or strategy,'" FAS's Grace Wickerson tells @jeva.bsky.social

Heatmap News@heatmap.news

Heat waves like the one in Europe last month kill a lot of people. Figuring out how many, however, can be complicated. @jeva.bsky.social explains what makes heat deaths so tricky to count: heatmap.news/climate/heat...

heatmap.newsPJM Once Again Hits Its Price Cap at Latest AuctionOn America’s thorium progress, Google’s solar buy, and Chinese nuclear

What’s in Heatmap AM this morning? ⚡ PJM hit its capacity price cap, failed to meet minimum safety margin ☀️ Google back a 1.6GW solar project 🌭 Fusion startup Realta takes over former Oscar Mayer plant Plus exclusive thorium news! From @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/pjm-capac...

heatmap.newsWhy Heat Waves Are Tricky KillersDeciding what counts as a heat death is more difficult than it sounds.

heatmap.newsHow Congress’ Biggest Tech Booster Got Wrapped Up in a Data Center Land DealMicrosoft says it bought nearly 3,500 acres of land near Cheyenne from the family of Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis.

14 July

Q: Which tech-boosting U.S. senator’s family just sold 3,500 acres to Microsoft for a data center in Wyoming? A: Read @jael.bsky.social’s latest for The Fight: heatmap.news/plus/the-fig...

heatmap.newsThe Next Big Thing in Hydrogen“Geologic hydrogen” companies make up a hefty portion of the latest Activate Fellowship class, announced Tuesday morning — a reliable harbinger of investments to come.

14 July

The latest class of @activatefellows.bsky.social is heavy on geologic hydrogen, which uses specialized tech to generate fuel from hard pockets of rock. Here’s @kbrigham.bsky.social on why we’re likely to see more companies like these very, very soon: heatmap.news/climate-tech...

heatmap.newsThe UAE Is Planning a New Port to Bypass the Strait of HormuzOn American nuclear, a labor union record, and climate tech’s resurgence

14 July

This morning in Heatmap AM: ↪️ Dubai is planning a new container terminal away from the Strait of Hormuz ⚛️ U.S. has 74GW of new nuclear in the pipeline 👷 IBEW clocks record membership gains Find all that and more from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/dubai-hor...

heatmap.newsTrump Poised to Shrink Two National Monuments in UtahOn fusion’s record year, nuclear satellites, and Chilean copper

13 July

Start your week with Heatmap AM: 🐻 Trump expected to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments ⚛️ $4.5B in new funding for fusion 📉 Chile’s copper production is down while prices remain high Check in with @alexckaufman.bsky.social for the rest: heatmap.news/am/trump-nat...

heatmap.newsNew York City’s Climate Progress Has Hit a WallThe July 4 heat wave showed just how far the metropolis has to go to reach its decarbonization goals.

10 July

The Big Apple is going to have to think small to make progress toward its climate goals. Here’s @zeitlin.bsky.social on what’s getting in the way: heatmap.news/energy/new-y...

Heatmap News reposted

katie brigham

@kbrigham.bsky.social

heatmap.newsThe Satellites Hunting Wildfires in Real TimeThe Earth Fire Alliance is aiming for a constellation of high-resolution sensors that can capture the whole globe every 20 minutes.

the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance just launched its first three FireSat satellites into orbit, marking the start of a 50+ satellite constellation designed to image earth in ultra-high resolution every 20 minutes, detecting wildfires in near real time

heatmap.newsPJM Just Shattered Its Peak Demand RecordOn the India-Australia uranium deal, a U.S. general’s warning, and Chicago’s VPP

10 July

End the week with Heatmap AM: ⚡ PJM blew past its all-time electricity demand peak 🇦🇺 India strikes a deal with Australia to by uranium nuclear fuel 🔌 Chicago is getting a VPP Plus all the rest from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/pjm-recor...

Heatmap News reposted

heatmap.newsMeta’s Bacterial Mystery Could Poison the Data Center WellWater pollution in Wyoming has big implications for the future of data center development.

NEW: Did a Meta data center project taint key water supplies in the capital city of Wyoming? City officials say yes, Meta isn’t exactly denying it, and some residents are concerned a cover-up is afoot. One of the wildest stories I’ve reported for @heatmap.news hands down.

heatmap.newsNew Climate Investing Framework Aims for Maximum AccelerationGenerate Capital, CalSTRS, and the Rhodium Group have teamed up on a new Transition Acceleration Framework to measure and assess emissions impacts.

A new investing framework from Generate Capital, @rhg.com, and @calstrs.bsky.social aims to use dollars for maximum energy transition acceleration. @emilypont.bsky.social has the details: heatmap.news/climate/tran...

heatmap.newsGlobal Nuclear Capacity Set for a 44% Jump by 2036On Trump’s mineral paradox, China’s Great Green Wall, and sodium-ion batteries

What’s new in Heatmap AM? 🛢️ Oil prices rise as bombing resumes in Iran 🏃‍♀️ China set to eclipse U.S. in nuclear capacity by 2030 🚢 Trump-backed rare earths mines mostly exporting to Asia And all the rest from @alexckaufman.bsky.social: heatmap.news/am/global-nu...