Rob Carlson
@robcarlson.bsky.social
960 followers 120 following 1.4K posts
I aspire to leave the planet in better shape than I found it. Managing Director, Planetary Technologies: @planetaryops.bsky.social 2024 Bloomberg Green Champion Accidental Affiliate Prof of Computer Science, @UWCSE.bsky.social Home: synthesis.cc
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robcarlson.bsky.social
Intro 🧵

Hello World. I work at the intersection of technology, economics, and security.

I start with simple questions. How big is it? How fast is it? How do you know? Are you sure? Then I dig deeper.

Present topics:

Electrification
Bioeconomy
The truth/fiction of threats/benefits from AI
Reposted by Rob Carlson
shinhangadaily.bsky.social
Shoda Koho - Canal in Moonlight
#ShinHanga #Woodblock #Print #JapaneseArt #Ukiyo-e
robcarlson.bsky.social
Iconic structure, sure. But it is ironic that this story about the coming AI bust features a photo of the HQ of a company constantly lambasted for its lagging AI spending and revenues.

'It's going to be really bad': Fears over AI bubble bursting grow in Silicon Valley
www.bbc.com/news/article...
A tangled web of deals stokes AI bubble fears in Silicon Valley
Some are worried that the rapid rise in the value of AI tech companies may be a bubble waiting to burst.
www.bbc.com
robcarlson.bsky.social
@dustinmulvaney.bsky.social

How would the real output of Ivanpah over its operating lifetime compare to just carpeting the same plot with PV and batteries?
🔌💡
bluetortoise3.bsky.social
I spent 4 years working on this, but it was a bad project, not least due to the location next to a big golf course w/ prominent water features that attracted large numbers of migratory birds that were incinerated flying through the solar fields. www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/big-green/ca...
California Shuts Down Its Solar Thermal Plant 13 Years Early
The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility is set to shut down in 2026 after failing to meet its energy targets. Ivanpah…
www.instituteforenergyresearch.org
robcarlson.bsky.social
So frog. Much terror.

bsky.app/profile/thed...
thedailyshow.com
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
robcarlson.bsky.social
jennifermolidor.bsky.social
Hanging onto every bit of good news

The river has come alive in the Klamath with wild Chinook salmon. The wider ecosystem is healing.

This most powerful story of Indigenous-led #rewilding after the largest dam removal in US history keeps getting better.

lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/oct/9/o...
One Year After Klamath Dam Removal, 'There's Just Fish Jumping All Over the Place': Scientists Describe Improvements to Water Quality and Wildlife
lostcoastoutpost.com
robcarlson.bsky.social
Reporting from the front lines. The #antifa terror troops are so…squishy, I mean terrifying.
oregonian.com
Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...
Reposted by Rob Carlson
volts.wtf
"Energy dominance," you say?

As of this year, *China is exporting more clean-energy technology than the US is exporting the dirty stuff*.

The future is green energy & China, not the US, is set to dominate it.
China Is Beating the US in the Battle for Energy Export Dominance
China’s exports of clean energy technology hit a record in August, with $20 billion shipped globally.
www.bloomberg.com
robcarlson.bsky.social
The latest from @gmukunda.bsky.social

Also: socks!

cc @warinthefuture.bsky.social

Hegseth’s address: A masterclass on the three classic traits of leaders out of their depth

"image over impact, self-promotion, open contempt for those who serve beneath them."

gautam.beehiiv.com/p/hegseth-s-...
A pair of colorful socks sporting the phrase "This meeting is bullshit".
Reposted by Rob Carlson
alexhanna.bsky.social
I'm not an economist but seems worrying that the whole US economy is seven companies in a trenchcoat, passing the same $20 up and down
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Rob Carlson
aukehoekstra.bsky.social
New study looks into stabilizing 100% renewable energy systems over multiple bad weather years.

It concludes that the best approach is a little more overcapacity (e.g. 3.5% extra) as that is much cheaper than excess seasonal storage.
christianonre.bsky.social
1/ New research @lut.fi presents the first global analysis of inter-annual storage for #100RE systems in 145 regions doi.org/10.1016/j.ap.... Strategic generation overcapacity is a significantly more cost-effective solution than building massive storage.
Reposted by Rob Carlson
lumenbio.bsky.social
Welcoming Erik Anderson as Vice Chairman! The WestRiver Group & Singularity University CEO led our Series C and will help scale our spirulina-based biologics.
www.lumen.bio
Reposted by Rob Carlson
janrosenow.bsky.social
Despite the noise, renewables keep rising now generating more electricity than coal.

@iea.org halved its US outlook, but raised India’s by 10%, putting it on track as the No. 2 growth market after China. MENA up 23%, driven by Saudi wind and solar.
Reposted by Rob Carlson
jessedjenkins.com
Worldwide solar and wind power generation has outpaced electricity demand this year, and for the first time on record, renewable energies combined generated more power than coal, according to a new analysis.
share.google/FrLUSBkG5xrX... 🔌💡 #Upshift
Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year, report says
A new analysis of solar and wind power shows its generation worldwide has outpaced electricity demand this year.
share.google
Reposted by Rob Carlson
jrfhanger.bsky.social
Good morning with good news: An historic energy milestone is reached. Renewables globally produced more electricity than coal for the first time on record in the first half of 2025!

How?

Solar skyrocketed 31%
Wind rose 7.7%

Coal FELL in China & India!
ember-energy.org/latest-insig... #energysky
Reposted by Rob Carlson
Reposted by Rob Carlson