Talking Climate Tech 051
☢️ German Nuclear | ⚔️ Solar v Biofuels| ♨️ Geothermal Again | 😎Solar + BESS | ❤️ How Do You Feel? | 🔫 Gas Stand-off | 👶 Baby Trump | ⁉️ Our Fair Future
Back once again with your Friday fix, on we go...!
Bit of a love-in today, and it's not even February- a few sections about...the people.
🗞️ News Roundup
German U-Turn ☢️
It seems the German's are having second thoughts about their nuclear fleet. In response to the Fukushima disaster it accelerated nuclear phase-out and to drive forward with Energiewende and a renewable based supply.
The final 3 reactors went off line in 2023. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz:
Germany's nuclear phase-out was a serious strategic mistake
The problem; restarting nuclear isn't a flick of a switch - technical and regulatory barriers mean closed reactors must be rebuilt and gain new approvals.
German annual renewable generation currently sits at around 65%, with a 30% reduction in emissions since 2000; a significant impact of phasing out a lot of coal-power.
But German industrial-base as been hard hit with high gas costs, Russia, coal, China etc. - they are begging for help and if the EU-war machine and military industrial-complex is going to ramp up, then we can expect something to happen with this.
Germany is now aiming for at least six new reactors by mid-2030s despite costs! We shall see...that timeline and budget sounds 'challenging'. Source
Solar v Biofuels ⚔️
Love a good tech joust! Interesting data from Our World in Data.
Putting solar panels on land used for biofuels would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks to go electric
That's quite a statement! There's more:
The world could meet 3% or 4% of transport demand with biofuels. Or it could meet all road transport demand on just one-quarter of that land. The other three-quarters could be used for other things, such as food production, biofuels for aviation, or it could be left alone to rewild.
Consider the wasted energy from ICE combustion, versus direct electrification, and dive into the full read here. Source.
Geothermal Raising and Rising, Again ♨️
A n update in 049 on Eavor in Germany, this week a snippet of investment news from the US.
Zanskar, more on them here, a company that’s using artificial intelligence to find untapped conventional geothermal resources, raised $115 million in a Series C round. I'm sure we featured them in a past issue but can't find it in search at the moment. Source.
Search is here, top left, by keyword of interest by the way... 🔍
Sage Geosystems, more on them here, picked up a Series B for $97m on the back of the AI boom. Jonathan Goldberg, CEO at Carbon Direct Capital. Source.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (“EGS”) are extremely well-positioned to deliver for hyperscalers, who want clean firm power for their AI computing needs.
I'm sure there has been a rebrand here, now phrased as 'Pressure Geothermal'. The 'Lung Facture' - fractures that inflate and deflate in the engineered reservoir to store water under pressure and transfer heat from the earth's subsurface to the water.
I'm not sure we will be seeing them in the UK anytime soon, but the US looks good for them with the hyperscale frenzy and their fracking history.
🔎 Deeper Dive
Solar & BESS for the People 😎
An overlooked solution in recent times, which has now been escalted up the ladder, is Solar & Battery for 'regular people', those in fuel-poverty and low-income homes. It's all been heat pumps to date, suiting early adopters, tech geeks and those with capital and dispoable income access.
The Warm Homes Plan makes a shift here. Perhaps they read this report from last year, looking at the Solar & Battery potential. Source.
Our analysis leveraged data from a programme designed to support those who are living in or at risk of fuel poverty by providing free solar panels and home batteries. Octopus Energy’s Warm Home Discount delivery team contacted 3,000 eligible customers last year, resulting in 166 completed installations.
More on this type of trial potentially coming soon - something happening up in Grimsby in East Marsh - free issue solar and battery. Source.
Grimsby for the win! My home town 😍
Now imagine the change of sentiment and belief in the transition if those in fuel poverty were supported and made the focus of direct impact policies. 💡
So, How Do You Feel? ❤️
The often overlooked aspect of the climate and energy transitions. The Climate Outreach 2025 report dives into some of the sentiments and beliefs around the transiton, and what people feel it actually means to them. Source.
Plenty to go at in this one, too much to unpack here. A lot of comparison charts and quotes from 'real-people' rather than polticians, industry experts and commentators.
Fears about the costs of climate policy are real, potent and widespread, but this doesn’t mean people aren’t worried about climate change
Distinct vibe of the energy transition being done to people, not for people. For big corporate, for profit, subsidised by the people.
This is where we need to be heard, listen to people and understand their concerns - policies have to be shaped better to impact family budgets, tangible outcomes, property, technology matching, personal circumstances and the wider environment.
Allocating a public or community share to projects, more whole community energy projects, and access to suitable mechanisms to facilitate change to electrification are critical to winning 'hearts and minds.'
The Warm Homes Plan released this week, goes someway to matching up to those needs. More on that big doc next week.
I hope you enjoy reading me! I'm a free newsletter, you can be a treasured supporter with a small donation of your choosing here 🫶 ⬇️
Gas Stand-off 🔫
Another battle looming on the horizon, for regulators, investors, Government, and of course the poor old tax payer. How to manage the decline of the gas grid and a future stranded asset.
This strategic limbo is not merely a policy disagreement; it is actively increasing costs for consumers, undermining investor confidence, and threatening the UK’s net-zero commitments.
Its a data backed deep dive from Tim Harper and worth a read. There are some big numbers involved. Have a guess where some of them might end-up? 🤔
He does in fairness flag that H2 blending isn't an answer, but he does reference H2 quite a lot. We know a full H2 solution isn't comparable to electrification in efficiency and existing gas infrastructure, or deployable at national scale, so I disagree with some of his views there.
But the gas grid remains the 🐘 in the room. And unfortunately for UK taxpayers that room includes Macquarie, in full ownership of the UK gas transmission network since 2024. Source.
Yes, they of Thames Water ownership. Expect much of the same - leaching of profits out, and layering of future cost burdens to the taxpayer. 😩
💥 Trump Watch
A week is a long time in Trump's world, and at the moment it is Trump's world - especially when you throw caution to the wind - decades of relationships, European partnerships, NATO, the UN, Greenland, Canada et al, all under the bus, in just one week!! 🧨
All part of the maximalist 'art of the deal' - set out and say the ridiculous, row back and TACO 🌮 to get your deal. 🙄
He has sucked all the air out of every room, in every minute of every day. It's almost like he doesn't want to face up to those domestic issues...ICE agent killings, the economy, inflation, and of course, the files. 🤔
See my LinkedIn posts below for more Trump koolaid. There was also this under the radar. More grifting, this time lithium licensing in the fast-lane of Whitehouse approvals:
Jimmy Tobias
And to prove even past US Presidents didn't always tow the line, Lydon B Johnson could have got the emissions action going wayback when:
Rebecca John
🏡 Konfab News
LinkedIn Rewind ⏪
There was only one topic resonating for impressions at least on LinkedIn this week, Don 🍊.
I've put impressions count on my posts in brackets so you can see how LinkedIn pumped up the algo once the full WEF caranage ensued. No one was interested in news on Drax buying Flexitricity, Community Enery or NESO. 🙄
But they were algo-allowed to be interested in 'Baby Don'. 👶
Trump ❤️ Peace - Billion Dollar Peace Board Grift - read [Sunday >1k]
Trump v Davos and WEF 💥 - read [Monday >5k]
Bored of Trump? 🥴 [Drax / Community Energy / NESO] - read [Tuesday <1k]
No one trolls Trump better than Newsome - read [Wednesday >38k and still rising!!]
Yes, 38,700 and rising, literally this was the whole post text:
Mind you it did have this very funny meme with it:
Who said LinkedIn is dumbing down!? 🤣
Our Fair Future ⁉️
It seamed like a relevant time, reference the Climate Outreach report above, to share these posts I wrote for Our Fair Future last year:
Our Fair Future focuses on the economic wellbeing of ordinary people with clean air and energy, and better health for all
OFF is very much a challenger - to the norm, to corporate, to the politicians who continue to take advantage of people, society, climate and resources.
Kane Watkinson
Kane Watkinson
Have a look around some of the other posts, some are quite controversial, brace yourselves - always interested to hear how the OFF proposition lands with new eyes!
That's it, we are out of time for this week 🤷♂️
Enjoy your weekend...oh ok, one more thing...
Couldn't resist this week of all weeks! 🤣
Thanks for your time, interest and support as always, let's keep pushing forward - remember, the momentum is unstoppable despite everything you might see and hear! 🌍
Kane
