Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · 9d

Honored and excited to be on the 10th anniversary podcast of the Energy Transition Show with @chrisnelder.bsky.social to talk electrotech with @kingsmillbond.bsky.social.

By far my favorite podcast I've done!

xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...

[Episode #259] – 10th Anniversary: New Marching Orders | The Energy Transition Show

For our 10th anniversary, we reflect on what the past decade of our work has been about and consider what the next ten years might require.

xenetwork.org

1 2 2

Reposted by Daan Walter

Sun Day @sundayofaction.bsky.social · 17d

TODAY is Sun Day! ✴️ Thousands of people are coming together at 469 events across the U.S. and beyond to celebrate the power of clean energy. Today shines a bright light on the future that we all want - a cleaner, fairer, future for all. ☀️ Join an event near you today: sunday.earth

7 130 240

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Jul 25

We are hiring! Come join my team at Ember and help change the global energy narrative!
@ember-energy.org @kingsmillbond.bsky.social @sambutl3r.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/42...

Ember hiring Energy Analyst in London, England, United Kingdom | LinkedIn

Posted 2:00:04 PM. Ember is seeking a strong all-rounder to join our energy strategy team, Ember Futures, producing…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

www.linkedin.com

4 4

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Jul 22

Our new article on the long history of electrification, out today: open.substack.com/pub/electrot...

The long march of electrification

A century of growth in electricity has brought us to the Age of Electricity

open.substack.com

1 3 5

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Jul 1

Discussing our new note, The Electrification Imperative, with @markhamhislop.bsky.social

youtu.be/DDVm5vmZIwE

The Race is On to Electrify Demand (eg cars, heat pumps)

YouTube video by Energi Media

youtu.be

1 3

Reposted by Daan Walter

John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · Jul 1

As the US rolls back electrification incentives, Asia seizes on the enormous growth opportunities. @daanwalt3r.bsky.social: “Renewables can make electricity cheaper. Electrification upgrades the everyday technologies households rely on — cars, heating and control systems — and delivers savings.”

The US Is Losing the Electrification Race to Asia

The US is lagging developing nations in Asia in the race to electrify — and that gap may increase if lawmakers decide to add duties on new solar and wind farms to pay for President Donald Trump’s tax ...

www.bloomberg.com

3 8

Reposted by Daan Walter

Felix Hamer • electricfelix @electricfelix.bsky.social · Jun 1

Mind-bending reality: PHEVs are destroying your wallet!

"In 2024, the average price of a 20 kWh PHEV battery pack—roughly the global sales-weighted average for standard plug-in hybrids—was about the same as a 65 kWh BEV battery pack."

🔋🔋🔋
#alwaysbecharging #battchat by @patrickgeorge.bsky.social

1 3 29

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · May 28

The energy debate needs fundamental rewiring.

We wrote a new note on where we see the debate going wrong, and a better way to conceptualize what is happening today: the ‘electrotech’ perspective.

#energysky

open.substack.com/pub/electrot...

Rewiring the energy debate

The electrotech perspective

open.substack.com

1 2 3

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · May 16

A perfect weekend longread by the great Amory Lovins on why datacenter load growth will likely NOT be as big of an issue as people make it out to be:
integrative-design-for-radical-energy-efficiency.stanford.edu/sites/extrem...

#energysky

integrative-design-for-radical-energy-efficiency.stanford.edu

2

Reposted by Daan Walter

Assaad Razzouk @assaadrazzouk.bsky.social · Apr 22

Full report: ember-energy.org/app/uploads/...

So very well done @kingsmillbond.bsky.social @sambutl3r.bsky.social @daanwalt3r.bsky.social

3 8

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Apr 22

How to deal with energy security in a time like this?

We lay out our views in a new note, "Energy Security in an Insecure World," which just came out this morning.

ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Energy Security in an insecure world | Ember

Replacing fossil imports with three key levers—electric vehicles, heat pumps, and renewables—can cut net fossil fuel imports by 70%, saving importers $1.3 trillion globally each year.

ember-energy.org

5 8

Reposted by Daan Walter

Michael de Podesta @protons4b.bsky.social · Apr 14

protonsforbreakfast.wordpress.com/2025/04/14/t...

I used a model by @daanwalt3r.bsky.social (Daan Walters) to investigate how the cost of 1 GW of firm electricity varies in a plant with various combinations of gas, solar PV and batteries.

Adding Solar PV makes electricity cheaper!

The cost of electricity: a model

Friends, the other day I came across an interesting article by Daan Walter: Renewables allow us to pay less, not twice. What Kemi Badenoch, and many others, get wrong about renewables. The article …

protonsforbreakfast.wordpress.com

1 3 8

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 26

And re: China cfs still being high; yes but falling every year as solar pushes in. 50% will turn into 30 and then 15 over time. So over time you get there.

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 26

So it is just an hunch as I haven’t done the maths on this; but to what extent does the higher capex of gas storage offset the lower capex of gas capacity versus coal? Coal storage seems very cheap to me; and gas quite expensive especially at low volumes.

2

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 26

I actually suspect that coal is a superior back-up in the long term. Much easier to store coal for a long time. And once you have a lot of batteries in your system to smooth out most hourly variations, coal’s slower start/ramping rate doesn’t matter as much. China seems to be steering towards this.

2 1

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 20

Yes exactly. Especially the electrification detail. Quite a bit of triangulation between province reported fuel demand and electricity generation, IEA country totals and a few more things.

1

Reposted by Daan Walter

Felix Hamer • electricfelix @electricfelix.bsky.social · Mar 12

And the full picture is even more striking:
A top 3 consisting of China, "Deutschland" and China
and guess the growth parties vs the one in decline ...
#alwaysbecharging

4 5 11

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 10

King Cnut Pledges To Reverse The Tide

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/c...

U.S. Energy Secretary Pledges to Reverse Focus on Climate Change

To applause from oil and gas executives, Chris Wright said natural gas was preferable to renewable energy and climate change was a “side effect of building the modern world.”

www.nytimes.com

1

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 7

My new op-ed in Dutch newspaper @nrcnl.bsky.social today on why is is time Europe parts with its incumbent thinking on energy. And needs to go all-in on entrants.

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

Opinie | Laat die fossiele energie gaan; Europa moet vooruit

Energietransitie: Europa moet stoppen met zich zoveel bezig te houden met fossiele industrieën, zegt Daan Walter, anders is het straks irrelevant.

www.nrc.nl

1 5

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 3

I hope the other European leaders are paying attention. This is how you rally your people.

Brilliant by @donald-tusk.bsky.social

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 3

“Europe has 14,400 artillery systems, the USA has 5,000, China has 9,500, Russia has 5,157.”

“fighter jets: Europe together with Ukraine has 2,091, the USA has 1,456, China has 1,409, Russia has 1,224.”

“the deficit is the inability to understand that Europe has the potential to be a huge power”

1

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Mar 3

“Hear how it sounds: 500 million Europeans begging 300 million Americans to defend them from 140 million Russians.”

“Today, in Europe, we do not lack economic strength, people, but the belief that we are a global power”

Absolutely spot on by Donald Tusk today.

2

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Feb 20

A very much underappreciated fact of Chinese (battery) manufacturing: yes labor costs are lower per worker, but automation is also far more advanced than in the West.

CATL needs only 50 workers per GWh; in the West we seem to need >300.

From: www.crugroup.com/en/communiti...
#energysky

Battery manufacturing: Only the lowest-cost producers will survive - CRU Group

Lithium-ion battery manufacturers are prioritising cost reduction as the main survival mechanism in a market with tight margins and intense price competition

www.crugroup.com

6 21

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Feb 15

Wait, did the IEA just forecast peak gas generation in the US?
They show all supply growth will come from renewables, which grow so fast they even push out gas and coal. Sure looks like peak fossil power. #energysky

1 10

Daan Walter @daanwalt3r.bsky.social · Feb 14

As the IEA points out, if one would levelize the fees, the case for switching to a heat pump becomes radically more attractive.

Which incentivizes switching away from inefficient gas heating and hence exposure to the volatile gas market. Seems like a no-brainer to me...

2