isaac
@sevier.io
Posting about electricity and how we can care for one other. Building @publicgrids.org. SF. they.
Latest: “To fight oligarchy, build local democracy"
https://www.isaacsevier.com/notes/to-fight-oligarchy-build-local-democracy/
Latest: “To fight oligarchy, build local democracy"
https://www.isaacsevier.com/notes/to-fight-oligarchy-build-local-democracy/
Pinned
isaac
@sevier.io
· Oct 23
Overcharged: The Rules Of The Electricity Affordability Crisis
Nearly a quarter of adults in the US—or over 52 million people—cannot pay their power bills.
climateandcommunity.org
In this new report from me & @rhymeswithocean.bsky.social for @cplusc.bsky.social & @publicgrids.org, we argue the current electricity affordability crisis is caused by the rules of private ownership. To solve the crisis, we recommend banning shutoffs now and using many tools to expand public power!
More is going on in the world than this but at the same time, no it's not, because our energy politics are in fact just our politics broadly. Reducing our ability to effect change to buying something is so cynical. I think it kills hope.
January 11, 2026 at 1:43 AM
More is going on in the world than this but at the same time, no it's not, because our energy politics are in fact just our politics broadly. Reducing our ability to effect change to buying something is so cynical. I think it kills hope.
Reposted by isaac
Please stick around, we need you
Work to build the world we deserve is happening and that is reason not to simply despair but to figure out how to join in and contribute.
January 11, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Please stick around, we need you
Beyond the concerns i have about balcony solar that i've described in policy jargon, i think the consumer-focused design is just another strand of what i described here back in October.
I wrote about how one alternative to "no kings" is not just one king but many kings, and discuss how some very commonly held ideas about the solutions of clean energy today overlaps with this idea that benefits oligarchy and their dystopian vision of the future.
To fight oligarchy, build local democracy
"No kings." This is a clear, unambiguous demand, but it isn't a rallying cry for the world we need to build. A world with no kings requires making our infrastructure reflect our commitments to local d...
www.isaacsevier.com
January 11, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Beyond the concerns i have about balcony solar that i've described in policy jargon, i think the consumer-focused design is just another strand of what i described here back in October.
Work to build the world we deserve is happening and that is reason not to simply despair but to figure out how to join in and contribute.
January 11, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Work to build the world we deserve is happening and that is reason not to simply despair but to figure out how to join in and contribute.
Reposted by isaac
With the creation of the Office of Mass Engagement, Mamdani is signaling that he wants the grassroots movement that got him elected to keep going long after his victory, and to somehow fold it into City government itself.
What Is Mamdani's 'Mass Engagement Office' Actually Supposed to Do?
The mayor is taking lessons from Obama '08 with a constellation of organizations poised to stop the campaign energy from withering away.
hellgatenyc.com
January 11, 2026 at 12:05 AM
With the creation of the Office of Mass Engagement, Mamdani is signaling that he wants the grassroots movement that got him elected to keep going long after his victory, and to somehow fold it into City government itself.
Let's go Diana!!
Hot off the press: @claireforqueens.bsky.social &
@dianaforqueens.com call for public power to lower our utility bills!
NYers are demanding $200M for public renewables to lower energy costs, create union jobs, clean our air, and meet climate goals.
www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/10/h...
@dianaforqueens.com call for public power to lower our utility bills!
NYers are demanding $200M for public renewables to lower energy costs, create union jobs, clean our air, and meet climate goals.
www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/10/h...
Hochul must embrace public power to ease energy costs
A quarter of New York City’s residents struggle to pay the monthly power bill. Con Ed shut off power to 88,000 households in the first half of 2025, and under our privatized system prices are expec…
www.nydailynews.com
January 10, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Let's go Diana!!
Hearing through the grapevine that balcony solar may find a steep opponent in the home insurance industry here in the US. They seem to be asking that the systems be excluded from home insurance policies, which crosses this over into the larger insurance / wildfire / electric utility crisis.
January 10, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Hearing through the grapevine that balcony solar may find a steep opponent in the home insurance industry here in the US. They seem to be asking that the systems be excluded from home insurance policies, which crosses this over into the larger insurance / wildfire / electric utility crisis.
Loved reading this.
“It’s impossible to shake the irony of reading about Asian grocery stores as retail saviors at a moment when immigrants are being framed, yet again, as threats — to jobs, to safety, to the nation itself.”
“It’s impossible to shake the irony of reading about Asian grocery stores as retail saviors at a moment when immigrants are being framed, yet again, as threats — to jobs, to safety, to the nation itself.”
New Asian grocery stores are opening across the Bay Area and are positioned as retail 'saviors'.
Immigrant culture gets celebrated when it’s profitable — and villainized when it’s not. I wrote an essay about it, and about the mall that raised me: Pacific East Mall ❤️
Immigrant culture gets celebrated when it’s profitable — and villainized when it’s not. I wrote an essay about it, and about the mall that raised me: Pacific East Mall ❤️
What the ‘Asian Market Boom’ Is Missing: An Ode to Pacific East Mall
As shiny, new Asian grocery stores are hailed as retail "saviors," the decades-old Pacific East Mall in Richmond shows how immigrant cultural spaces matter beyond their economic benefits.
www.coyotemedia.org
January 10, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Loved reading this.
“It’s impossible to shake the irony of reading about Asian grocery stores as retail saviors at a moment when immigrants are being framed, yet again, as threats — to jobs, to safety, to the nation itself.”
“It’s impossible to shake the irony of reading about Asian grocery stores as retail saviors at a moment when immigrants are being framed, yet again, as threats — to jobs, to safety, to the nation itself.”
Reposted by isaac
From Echo Park Tenants Union, 10 people taken today in Echo Park/Silver Lake. Some were gardners, painters, and workers. All of them my neighbors.
January 10, 2026 at 4:21 AM
From Echo Park Tenants Union, 10 people taken today in Echo Park/Silver Lake. Some were gardners, painters, and workers. All of them my neighbors.
Reposted by isaac
"what's the difference between here and Germany" well quite a lot actually including the typical construction materials, the circuit layout, supply voltage...
January 10, 2026 at 12:57 AM
"what's the difference between here and Germany" well quite a lot actually including the typical construction materials, the circuit layout, supply voltage...
Reposted by isaac
public grief interferes with ongoing production/consumption and the profits of billionaires and can lead to questioning the political order, so our “leaders” try to limit its expression
THE OPEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GRIEF IS A POLITICAL ACT.
One of the things that genuinely shocked me as I read through surveillance logs for the police is how much of their energy and attention is dedicated to shutting down vigils and other ceremonies of remembrance.
January 10, 2026 at 6:41 AM
public grief interferes with ongoing production/consumption and the profits of billionaires and can lead to questioning the political order, so our “leaders” try to limit its expression
I think this is a very good insight to place next to the timeline of the development of the public utility commissions in the US. These systems of control are linked together through the political contexts of their time.
January 10, 2026 at 7:16 AM
I think this is a very good insight to place next to the timeline of the development of the public utility commissions in the US. These systems of control are linked together through the political contexts of their time.
I would love to see energy technology *journalists* emerge to counter the rise of the energy tech writers who cover product announcements. A few years ago we saw a decisive switch to what I still think of as Engadget style coverage of any new purported thing and I think it's a net negative.
January 10, 2026 at 12:48 AM
I would love to see energy technology *journalists* emerge to counter the rise of the energy tech writers who cover product announcements. A few years ago we saw a decisive switch to what I still think of as Engadget style coverage of any new purported thing and I think it's a net negative.
Or it could spark a fire in your walls and burn down your home and your neighbors homes 🤷
Balcony solar could run around the old infrastructure and stay off grid!!
Balcony solar could essentially trick circuit breakers in US and overheat home circuits. The highest limit with best case scenario assumptions about home wiring quality and wear from this paper is 420W of plug in solar, far far below the 800-1000W I keep seeing used.
www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18...
www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18...
January 10, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Or it could spark a fire in your walls and burn down your home and your neighbors homes 🤷
Balcony solar could essentially trick circuit breakers in US and overheat home circuits. The highest limit with best case scenario assumptions about home wiring quality and wear from this paper is 420W of plug in solar, far far below the 800-1000W I keep seeing used.
www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18...
www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18...
January 10, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Balcony solar could essentially trick circuit breakers in US and overheat home circuits. The highest limit with best case scenario assumptions about home wiring quality and wear from this paper is 420W of plug in solar, far far below the 800-1000W I keep seeing used.
www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18...
www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18...
Reposted by isaac
"The 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was a champion in that freedom struggle. Like legions of other Americans from all walks of life, she was acting as the eyes and ears of her Latino and Somali neighbors..." - @lfelizleon.bsky.social for @labornotes.bsky.social
labornotes.org/2026/01/rene...
labornotes.org/2026/01/rene...
Renee Good, Killed by ICE, Was Standing in Solidarity with Her Neighbors
The whistle blows in short bursts: PHWEEE! PHWEEE! PHWEEE! PHWEEE! Code: ICE is nearby. Then comes the long blast: PHWEEEEEEEEEEE! Code: ICE has taken someone. These are the codes immigrant rapid resp...
labornotes.org
January 9, 2026 at 11:19 PM
"The 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was a champion in that freedom struggle. Like legions of other Americans from all walks of life, she was acting as the eyes and ears of her Latino and Somali neighbors..." - @lfelizleon.bsky.social for @labornotes.bsky.social
labornotes.org/2026/01/rene...
labornotes.org/2026/01/rene...
Reposted by isaac
my teacher friend asked, if people have more to give, to help meet the goal on this rent relief fund they have set up for families unable to live home due to their status.
if we did $2k in 20 minutes we can do $24k by the end of the day, right?
please amplify!
if we did $2k in 20 minutes we can do $24k by the end of the day, right?
please amplify!
January 9, 2026 at 10:11 PM
my teacher friend asked, if people have more to give, to help meet the goal on this rent relief fund they have set up for families unable to live home due to their status.
if we did $2k in 20 minutes we can do $24k by the end of the day, right?
please amplify!
if we did $2k in 20 minutes we can do $24k by the end of the day, right?
please amplify!
incredible content
January 9, 2026 at 10:56 PM
incredible content
Reposted by isaac
I can’t believe we just helped keep three immigrant families housed in…20 minutes.
January 9, 2026 at 9:32 PM
I can’t believe we just helped keep three immigrant families housed in…20 minutes.
Reposted by isaac
i just think they should have invited me. it should have been ms rachel, mayor mamdani, and amy brown from bluesky
This morning, Ms. Rachel and I visited District 2 Pre-K Center, where we sang and read with the wonderful students and educators. We also discussed universal childcare - and how we're making it happen for NYC!
January 9, 2026 at 9:56 PM
i just think they should have invited me. it should have been ms rachel, mayor mamdani, and amy brown from bluesky
Reposted by isaac
incredibly clear to me that they released the video not because they necessarily think it shows the officers innocence, but because it shows two gay women confronting a man
January 9, 2026 at 7:45 PM
incredibly clear to me that they released the video not because they necessarily think it shows the officers innocence, but because it shows two gay women confronting a man
Why have *millions* of people bought Labubus? the mystery of the human mind knows no limits
Would you be willing to explain why you think hundreds of thousands of Germans have bought @balkon.solar if it provides them with no benefit from their purchasing decision?
January 9, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Why have *millions* of people bought Labubus? the mystery of the human mind knows no limits
I've taken some comfort in the fact that i'm going easy on the questions here compared to some of my peers in the world of electricity, consumer protections, labor, etc. so feel like this is an issue that will take care of itself.
The blowback* that isaac has received for wanting to know some basic facts about balcony solar has been eye-opening, to say the least.
*maybe not the right word, but the tone of responses have definitely not been commensurate
*maybe not the right word, but the tone of responses have definitely not been commensurate
The translation is "nitpicker" and i'm sorry to say that i'm asking some bare minimum questions about a new proposal in California policy that appeared overnight, and the main justification used for it is: "It works in Germany."
So, how does it work? What proof is there? These are not unreasonable.
So, how does it work? What proof is there? These are not unreasonable.
January 9, 2026 at 7:43 PM
I've taken some comfort in the fact that i'm going easy on the questions here compared to some of my peers in the world of electricity, consumer protections, labor, etc. so feel like this is an issue that will take care of itself.