Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
Engineering prof (mechanical + electrical) at a big Midwest state school. Energy, climate, buildings, power grid, control, optimization, data science. He/him. Personal account. https://kevinjkircher.com/ Email: my last name at purdue dot edu
Pinned
Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
· Nov 4
New paper! Heat-pump water heaters could cut energy costs and pollution, but installs often require 💰 electrical work to accommodate backup resistance heat. My student Levi Premer developed prediction and control software to eliminate the need for backup heat and ⬆️ efficiency and flexibility. 🧵1/
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
The U.S. takeover of Venezuela's oil industry violates various aspects of international law, including those related to climate change, leaving the U.S. government open to litigation for environmental harms, @ninalakhani.bsky.social writes @drilledmedia.bsky.social drilled.media/news/Venezue...
U.S. Invasion of Venezuela Violates International Climate Law Too
The Trump administration’s oil grab and plans to expand Venezuelan production flouts last year’s landmark climate ruling from the International Court of Justice.
drilled.media
January 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
The U.S. takeover of Venezuela's oil industry violates various aspects of international law, including those related to climate change, leaving the U.S. government open to litigation for environmental harms, @ninalakhani.bsky.social writes @drilledmedia.bsky.social drilled.media/news/Venezue...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Simon's walk through is useful to get a sense for the kinds of nonsense media perpetuate on net zero, but there's a broader lesson: If we count all societal costs, as we should, net zero will SAVE SOCIETY MONEY! A zero emissions world will be a better world, full stop.
🧵A political/media guide to the "truth" about net-zero
1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!
1/10
1) Add up costs to install & run a net-zero energy system
2) Pretend fossil-fuelled alternatives wld be free
3) Do say "eco zealots are bankrupting us"
4) Don't say "free cars if we scrap net-zero" cos it sounds ridiculous
5) That's it!
1/10
January 12, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Simon's walk through is useful to get a sense for the kinds of nonsense media perpetuate on net zero, but there's a broader lesson: If we count all societal costs, as we should, net zero will SAVE SOCIETY MONEY! A zero emissions world will be a better world, full stop.
"and businesses" doing some heavy lifting there 🤣
January 13, 2026 at 12:26 AM
"and businesses" doing some heavy lifting there 🤣
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
EnergySky what up 🔌⚡️
January 12, 2026 at 6:37 PM
EnergySky what up 🔌⚡️
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
In short: no more regulations to reduce air pollution. Make America the 1800s again.
Environmental "Protection" Agency, my ass.
Environmental "Protection" Agency, my ass.
Scoop: The EPA will no longer estimate the lives saved by reducing air pollution when writing clean-air regulations, according to documents reviewed by @nytimes.com.
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution
www.nytimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:55 PM
In short: no more regulations to reduce air pollution. Make America the 1800s again.
Environmental "Protection" Agency, my ass.
Environmental "Protection" Agency, my ass.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
People will get sicker. More people will have heart attacks and lung disease and other health challenges because of pollution. People’s lives will get worse, and shorter. People you know. Maybe me. Maybe you.
Breaking News: The EPA will stop considering lives saved when setting pollution limits and instead calculate only the cost to businesses.
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved by Limiting Air Pollution
In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show.
nyti.ms
January 12, 2026 at 7:10 PM
People will get sicker. More people will have heart attacks and lung disease and other health challenges because of pollution. People’s lives will get worse, and shorter. People you know. Maybe me. Maybe you.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Stranded assets/costs are a huge concern, not just in Wisconsin, but in many other states. They can be caused not only by over-betting on coal, but by over-betting on nuclear as well.
pbswisconsin.org/news-item/as...
pbswisconsin.org/news-item/as...
As data centers loom, ratepayers in Wisconsin still owe $1 billion on shuttered power plants
This story was produced and originally published by Wisconsin Watch, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. By some measures, the Pleasant Prairie Power Plant, once regarded locally as an 'iconic industri...
pbswisconsin.org
January 12, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Stranded assets/costs are a huge concern, not just in Wisconsin, but in many other states. They can be caused not only by over-betting on coal, but by over-betting on nuclear as well.
pbswisconsin.org/news-item/as...
pbswisconsin.org/news-item/as...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
The reason these folks have forever wanted regulators to stop considering the dollar value of the human cost of air pollution is simple: air pollution is deadly and makes people sicker, and when you put a dollar value on people not getting sick and dying, it’s a high value, that many companies hate.
January 12, 2026 at 7:15 PM
The reason these folks have forever wanted regulators to stop considering the dollar value of the human cost of air pollution is simple: air pollution is deadly and makes people sicker, and when you put a dollar value on people not getting sick and dying, it’s a high value, that many companies hate.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
It’s true! Air pollution regulations actually do way more harm than good if you don’t count all the lives they save
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution
www.nytimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:21 PM
It’s true! Air pollution regulations actually do way more harm than good if you don’t count all the lives they save
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
The primary use of these valuation methods has nearly always been to get as close to zero as possible, but use various Very Smart arguments to get there, all embedded in white supremacist views of the world. The legitimacy of them rested on never pushing to actual zero but dancing around it.
"Over the past four decades, different administrations have used different estimates of the monetary value of a human life in cost-benefit analyses. But until now, no administration has counted it as zero."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution
www.nytimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:09 PM
The primary use of these valuation methods has nearly always been to get as close to zero as possible, but use various Very Smart arguments to get there, all embedded in white supremacist views of the world. The legitimacy of them rested on never pushing to actual zero but dancing around it.
the milwaukee river!
My favorite Twitter prompt was "RT this with your home river," so reskeet this with your home river.
Mine is the Patuxent.
Mine is the Patuxent.
January 13, 2026 at 12:19 AM
the milwaukee river!
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Putting solar panels on land used for biofuels would produce enough electricity for all the world's cars + trucks to go electric.
"If we put PV panels on that land, we could produce 23x more than the energy currently produced in the form of all liquid biofuels."
ourworldindata.org/biofuel-land...
"If we put PV panels on that land, we could produce 23x more than the energy currently produced in the form of all liquid biofuels."
ourworldindata.org/biofuel-land...
January 12, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Putting solar panels on land used for biofuels would produce enough electricity for all the world's cars + trucks to go electric.
"If we put PV panels on that land, we could produce 23x more than the energy currently produced in the form of all liquid biofuels."
ourworldindata.org/biofuel-land...
"If we put PV panels on that land, we could produce 23x more than the energy currently produced in the form of all liquid biofuels."
ourworldindata.org/biofuel-land...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Here's an AG fighting her constituents' skyrocketing electricity costs. Will others follow suit?
www.eenews.net/articles/ari...
www.eenews.net/articles/ari...
Arizona AG escalates data center fight over power prices
Kris Mayes says state regulators erred in approving a data center power deal for a contentious project.
www.eenews.net
January 12, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Here's an AG fighting her constituents' skyrocketing electricity costs. Will others follow suit?
www.eenews.net/articles/ari...
www.eenews.net/articles/ari...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
i would compare these people to comic book villains but that's unfair, thanos only wanted to kill half of us
Breaking News: The EPA will stop considering lives saved when setting pollution limits and instead calculate only the cost to businesses.
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved by Limiting Air Pollution
In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show.
nyti.ms
January 12, 2026 at 8:31 PM
i would compare these people to comic book villains but that's unfair, thanos only wanted to kill half of us
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
New year, same class war: thanks to AI, "Among the 50 richest Americans, the median 2025 increase in net worth was nearly $10 billion... Elon Musk's rise in wealth last year, $187 billion... is roughly the same as the entire net worth of Bill Gates and Charles Koch combined."
January 12, 2026 at 8:42 PM
New year, same class war: thanks to AI, "Among the 50 richest Americans, the median 2025 increase in net worth was nearly $10 billion... Elon Musk's rise in wealth last year, $187 billion... is roughly the same as the entire net worth of Bill Gates and Charles Koch combined."
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Hey!! Here's a new piece for @thepointau.bsky.social - the first of what will be many little updates on the current state of carbon capture and storage.
Both failure-prone and eternally immune to the consequences of failure: there is absolutely nothing like it -->>
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
Both failure-prone and eternally immune to the consequences of failure: there is absolutely nothing like it -->>
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
January 8, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Hey!! Here's a new piece for @thepointau.bsky.social - the first of what will be many little updates on the current state of carbon capture and storage.
Both failure-prone and eternally immune to the consequences of failure: there is absolutely nothing like it -->>
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
Both failure-prone and eternally immune to the consequences of failure: there is absolutely nothing like it -->>
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
HEY LOVELIES
Part 2 of my series on CCS for @thepointau.bsky.social - about the amazingly-named Gorgon project, owned by Chevron, in Western Australia
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
Part 2 of my series on CCS for @thepointau.bsky.social - about the amazingly-named Gorgon project, owned by Chevron, in Western Australia
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
January 12, 2026 at 9:44 PM
HEY LOVELIES
Part 2 of my series on CCS for @thepointau.bsky.social - about the amazingly-named Gorgon project, owned by Chevron, in Western Australia
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
Part 2 of my series on CCS for @thepointau.bsky.social - about the amazingly-named Gorgon project, owned by Chevron, in Western Australia
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
"Continued solar and storage growth would avoid the use of 29 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which is equivalent to 25% of the natural gas currently used by the Massachusetts electric sector."
A couple of years ago no one was talking about residential storage being widely used.
A couple of years ago no one was talking about residential storage being widely used.
Solar and storage program forecast to save all Massachusetts ratepayers $313 million per year www.pv-magazine.com/2025/12/24/s...
Solar and storage program forecast to save all Massachusetts ratepayers $313 million per year
Solar plus storage can also offer winter reliability improvements and limit gas consumption, finds a report from Synapse Energy Economics and the Solar Energy Industries Association.
www.pv-magazine.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:07 PM
"Continued solar and storage growth would avoid the use of 29 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which is equivalent to 25% of the natural gas currently used by the Massachusetts electric sector."
A couple of years ago no one was talking about residential storage being widely used.
A couple of years ago no one was talking about residential storage being widely used.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
this is really good news
I’m working with social service type folks on the ground in my rural upstate community to spread the word that lots of people are eligible for free insulation and other home improvements through Empower+
people still don’t even know it exists, it’s an uphill battle
I’m working with social service type folks on the ground in my rural upstate community to spread the word that lots of people are eligible for free insulation and other home improvements through Empower+
people still don’t even know it exists, it’s an uphill battle
Hochul is set to announce an additional $50m for the Empower+ program in her State of the State tomorrow. The program supports weatherization and other energy efficiency upgrades.
It was slated for major cuts as of last summer nysfocus.com/2025/07/18/h... but now appears back on track /
It was slated for major cuts as of last summer nysfocus.com/2025/07/18/h... but now appears back on track /
Hochul to propose $50M for home heating assistance program
Gov. Kathy Hochul is pledging to devote an additional $50 million into a program that is intended to help low- and moderate-income New Yorkers with their energy costs.
www.timesunion.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:36 PM
this is really good news
I’m working with social service type folks on the ground in my rural upstate community to spread the word that lots of people are eligible for free insulation and other home improvements through Empower+
people still don’t even know it exists, it’s an uphill battle
I’m working with social service type folks on the ground in my rural upstate community to spread the word that lots of people are eligible for free insulation and other home improvements through Empower+
people still don’t even know it exists, it’s an uphill battle
it is pretty wild, the deluge!
January 13, 2026 at 12:06 AM
it is pretty wild, the deluge!
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Damn. The European Commission crunched the numbers on total rooftop PV potential in the EU:
Around 2750 TWh/yr.
Current annual consumption? About 2750TWh/yr
Assumptions:
25% of residential rooftops
40% of non-residential buildings
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We need more flex & batteries
Around 2750 TWh/yr.
Current annual consumption? About 2750TWh/yr
Assumptions:
25% of residential rooftops
40% of non-residential buildings
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We need more flex & batteries
Client Challenge
www.nature.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Damn. The European Commission crunched the numbers on total rooftop PV potential in the EU:
Around 2750 TWh/yr.
Current annual consumption? About 2750TWh/yr
Assumptions:
25% of residential rooftops
40% of non-residential buildings
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We need more flex & batteries
Around 2750 TWh/yr.
Current annual consumption? About 2750TWh/yr
Assumptions:
25% of residential rooftops
40% of non-residential buildings
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We need more flex & batteries
Welp, email is back in full swing as the semester starts. Maybe I should leave up an away message that just says "I limit myself to 30 minutes per day of email, processed in a first-in-first-out queue that is monotonically increasing in length, so the expected response time to your message is NaN."
January 12, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Welp, email is back in full swing as the semester starts. Maybe I should leave up an away message that just says "I limit myself to 30 minutes per day of email, processed in a first-in-first-out queue that is monotonically increasing in length, so the expected response time to your message is NaN."
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
The EPA is no longer going to consider how many potential lives a pollution regulation would save -- just the costs to industry. This is directly counter to EPA's mission. And it will kill Americans.
Great (depressing) scoop from @maxinejoselow.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
Great (depressing) scoop from @maxinejoselow.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution
www.nytimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:46 PM
The EPA is no longer going to consider how many potential lives a pollution regulation would save -- just the costs to industry. This is directly counter to EPA's mission. And it will kill Americans.
Great (depressing) scoop from @maxinejoselow.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
Great (depressing) scoop from @maxinejoselow.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Glad to see that the NYT made the consequences of Trump’s climate denial the top story today.
It’s at least that important.
It’s at least that important.
January 12, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Glad to see that the NYT made the consequences of Trump’s climate denial the top story today.
It’s at least that important.
It’s at least that important.
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Exciting news for Ann Arbor, Michigan!
www.wemu.org/wemu-news/20...
www.wemu.org/wemu-news/20...
Ann Arbor envisions launch of Sustainable Electric Utility in 2026
As Ann Arbor strives to reach carbon neutrality, the city hopes to launch its Sustainable Energy Utility this year. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor reports.
www.wemu.org
January 11, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Exciting news for Ann Arbor, Michigan!
www.wemu.org/wemu-news/20...
www.wemu.org/wemu-news/20...