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Congressional Testimony: Engineering Our Way to a Sustainable Bioeconomy — synthesis

Reposted by Rob Carlson

Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 9h

I ported a few older posts over to Synthesis.

First up, my Congressional Testimony 2019 on Engineering Our Way to a Sustainable #Bioeconomy.
#biosky
#energysky
www.synthesis.cc/synthesis/20...

Congressional Testimony by Rob Carlson, U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, 12 March, 2019 Written Testimony: “Engineering Our Way to a Sustainable Bioeconomy”, R...

Seeing The End Of Oil — synthesis

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 9h

Next

Seeing the End of Oil, prepared in advance of the 2019 White House #Bioeconomy Summit:

#biosky
#energysky

www.synthesis.cc/synthesis/20...

(Originally posted at Planetary Technologies, 04 October, 2019. Written in advance of the 2019 White House Bioeconomy Summit .) Summary . The end of petroleum is in sight. The reason is simple:...

Congressional Testimony: Engineering Our Way to a Sustainable Bioeconomy — synthesis

Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 9h

I ported a few older posts over to Synthesis.

First up, my Congressional Testimony 2019 on Engineering Our Way to a Sustainable #Bioeconomy.
#biosky
#energysky
www.synthesis.cc/synthesis/20...

Congressional Testimony by Rob Carlson, U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, 12 March, 2019 Written Testimony: “Engineering Our Way to a Sustainable Bioeconomy”, R...

A tangled web of deals stokes AI bubble fears in Silicon Valley

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 19h

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...

Some are worried that the rapid rise in the value of AI tech companies may be a bubble waiting to burst.

www.bbc.com

Reposted by Rob Carlson

Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 1d

Must-read piece in @theguardian.com (h/t @dpcarrington.bsky.social). In #ScienceUnderSiege, we describe how petrostates Saudi Arabia & Russia leveraged Musk's buyout of twitter so they could weaponize it for climate denial propaganda & attacks on renewables.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Money talks: the deep ties between Twitter and Saudi Arabia

The long read: Saudi Arabia’s investment in Twitter increased its influence in Silicon Valley while being used at home to shut down critics of the regime

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 2d

@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?
🔌💡

Randy Watkins @bluetortoise3.bsky.social · 2d

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

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 2d

So frog. Much terror.

bsky.app/profile/thed...

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 2d

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 2d

Cc @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social

Jennifer Molidor @jennifermolidor.bsky.social · 2d

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

Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 2d

Reporting from the front lines. The #antifa terror troops are so…squishy, I mean terrifying.

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 2d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Reposted by Rob Carlson

Lumen Bioscience @lumenbio.bsky.social · 2d

Welcoming Jeff Raikes to our board! https://www.lumen.bio/news/2025/10/08/lumen-bioscience-expands-board-and-leadership-team-to-advance-clinical-pipeline-of-novel-oral-biologics

China Is Beating the US in the Battle for Energy Export Dominance

Reposted by Rob Carlson

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 3d

"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’s exports of clean energy technology hit a record in August, with $20 billion shipped globally.

www.bloomberg.com

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 3d

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

Alex Hanna-ween @alexhanna.bsky.social · 4d

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

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4d

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...

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Reposted by Rob Carlson

Auke Hoekstra @aukehoekstra.bsky.social · 4d

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.

Christian Breyer @christianonre.bsky.social · 5d

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.

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Reposted by Rob Carlson

Lumen Bioscience @lumenbio.bsky.social · 4d

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

Black smoke rises from ferry docked at Bainbridge Island

Reposted by Rob Carlson

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 5d

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.

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 4d

Crew voting on a new captain.

Black smoke rises from ferry docked at Bainbridge Island
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

The ferry was between passenger trips. The soot came from a controlled burn-off inside a smokestack.

www.seattletimes.com

Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year, report says

Reposted by Rob Carlson

Jesse D. Jenkins @jessedjenkins.com · 4d

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

A new analysis of solar and wind power shows its generation worldwide has outpaced electricity demand this year.

share.google

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 4d

www.synthesis.cc/biology-is-t...

Small businesses wither under Trump’s tariffs: ‘It’s hard to breathe’

Reposted by Rob Carlson

John Hanger @jrfhanger.bsky.social · 4d

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

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Reposted by Rob Carlson

Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 5d

It's all in the first line of the story.

"President Donald Trump’s tariffs are straining the backbone of the U.S. economy."

Small businesses wither under Trump’s tariffs: ‘It’s hard to breathe’
www.seattletimes.com/business/sma...

Import duties are posing a challenge to some smaller companies, which fear that raising prices to cover higher costs will drive away customers.

www.seattletimes.com

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Reposted by Rob Carlson

Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 11d

Is this the prosperity US farmers voted for?
bsky.app/profile/bloo...

Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 11d

Republican lawmakers said that China won’t begin purchasing US agriculture products anytime soon after a closed-door briefing from US Ambassador to China David Perdue.

US Lawmakers Give Up on China Resuming Crop Purchases for Now

Republican lawmakers said that China won’t begin purchasing US agricultural products anytime soon after a closed-door briefing from David Perdue, the US ambassador to that country.

bloom.bg

Small businesses wither under Trump’s tariffs: ‘It’s hard to breathe’

Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 5d

It's all in the first line of the story.

"President Donald Trump’s tariffs are straining the backbone of the U.S. economy."

Small businesses wither under Trump’s tariffs: ‘It’s hard to breathe’
www.seattletimes.com/business/sma...

Import duties are posing a challenge to some smaller companies, which fear that raising prices to cover higher costs will drive away customers.

www.seattletimes.com

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Rob Carlson @robcarlson.bsky.social · 5d

Had a nice interaction with a hummingbird this morning, who flew up to look me in the eye before diving in to sample the #Seattle October (!) flowers in our garden. (Green blur in middle of photo.)