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Emil Dimanchev

@emildimanchev.bsky.social

10K followers 580 following 870 posts

Researching energy systems and climate policy. Postdoc at Princeton ZERO Lab. Research Affiliate at MIT CEEPR. Consulting for Good Judgment. 0th-gen immigrant. Writings: dimanchev.com.

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · Jul 16

Are electricity markets aligned with decarbonization goals? 🔌💡

In a new paper, I and co-authors show that market frictions in long-term contracting can hinder decarbonization. We are likely under-investing in clean energy.

Open access! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #energysky

Consequences of the missing risk market problem for power system emissions

Liberalized power markets are characterized by a missing market problem: a limited availability of long-term contracts leaves risk-averse investors ex…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Emil Dimanchev

Jacob Edenhofer @jacobedenhofer.bsky.social · 13h

Some thoughts on the strategic logic behind Kemi Badenoch’s announcement that she’d scrap the Climate Change Act (CCA).
It serves two functions:
1️⃣ It appeals to lukewarm pivotal voters in marginal seats sceptical of costly green measures.
2️⃣ It is designed to
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Kemi Badenoch vows to repeal Climate Change Act

Tory leader says she would replace it with ‘cheap energy’ strategy, ending decades-long consensus on climate

www.theguardian.com

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 9h

To be clear, the term baseload was already outdated - as electricity generation in modern power systems increasingly revolves around renewable resources - but some who still use it can stand to heed this case.

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 10h

Baseload you say? ieefa.org/resources/ne...

Newest big U.S. coal-plant offline until 2027

The newest major coal-fired power plant in the U.S. is expected to be offline until March 2027 after a major failure in April.

ieefa.org

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 1d

More on that here: bsky.app/profile/emil...

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · Aug 26

It's increasingly common to see a justifiable worry that AI data centers will raise electricity prices for ordinary consumers. What should we do about that?

There's a lot of remedies, but one overarching solution is to build more wind, solar, and batteries. Why? I am so glad you asked. 1/5

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 1d

States should make sure data centers are accompanied by more zero-fuel-cost capacity and transmission.

Kevin J. CREATURE @kevinjkircher.com · 1d

$16 billion. That's how much the PJM market monitor estimates that electricity ratepayers will pay via increased utility bills to subsidize interconnection of data centers owned by Big Tech. A massive give-away to some of the most profitable companies in the world.

www.eenews.net/articles/dat...

Data center boom sparks sticker shock for PJM ratepayers

New analyses show that costs passed on to utility customers to guarantee future electricity demand are rising rapidly.

www.eenews.net

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 3d

We live in a world where AI companies are working on tools that allow people to make ever more realistic deepfakes, but dont think to apply their resources so autocorrect can recognize and add apostrophe to “don’t”.

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 5d

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 8d

I've read most of his books and love all of them, though some more than others. He's just exceptional at ideas-centric stories, not to mention all the times actual mathematics plays a key role in the plot. And he writes realistic scientists and engineers doing the coolest stuff.

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 8d

Then "blackout" will be forbidden. I mean it's already not looking good for blackout. @brendan.bsky.social www.realclearenergy.org/articles/202...

www.realclearenergy.org

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 8d

"In addition to “climate change” and “green,” [Department of Energy] EERE forbid officials from using “emissions” to avoid the implication that they are a negative."

If "emissions" are a forbidden word, I guess "cost" is next, cause that's pretty negative?

www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list

It is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to dispute, silence or downplay climate change.

www.politico.com

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 9d

Then we should surely see The Silmarillion. static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp...

Faramir: “dad, I started reading Lord of the rings”. Denethor: “Boromir would have read the Silmarillion”.

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 9d

As hard as it is to pick a favorite, for me it’s Anathem www.nealstephenson.com/anathem.html

Neal Stephenson - Anathem

www.nealstephenson.com

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 10d

Not necessarily because some amount of clean firm capacity like nuclear tends to lower system costs in the literature than having none or almost none. In this case, I haven’t dived into the assumptions but am guessing the Finnish system already has some amount of firm capacity.

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 13d

Can confirm.

Ben Sanderson @benmsanderson.bsky.social · 14d

It's weird - but now in Oslo, there's so many EVs that you notice the noise and the smell from individual ICE cars, and you realise how much we've been normalising it for ever. You can smell them half a street away.

And inside parking lots are just *quiet*.

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 15d

It's absolutely astonishing: In just about 13 years, Norway has skyrocketed from virtually no sales of zero-emission battery electric vehicles to nearly 100% of all new passenger car purchases.

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 15d

I love Tchaikovsky! Haven't read that one yet.

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 16d

Remember those data centers raising electricity prices? In many cases, they are also getting taxpayer subsidies.

“At least 10 states already lose more than $100 million per year in tax revenue to data centers”

goodjobsfirst.org/cloudy-with-...

Cloudy with a Loss of Spending Control: How Data Centers Are Endangering State Budgets - Good Jobs First

goodjobsfirst.org

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 17d

I don’t get the issue with wearing the same suit multiple days with different shirts, given normal perspiration I suppose.

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Reposted by Emil Dimanchev

Kevin J. CREATURE @kevinjkircher.com · 20d

1) New paper! Replacing US fossil-fueled vehicles & appliances with electric versions could improve health & climate outcomes, but could cost up to $790 billion in distribution grid reinforcement. Strategic demand-side management could cut 2/3 of those costs.🔌💡

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"Science for society" blurb from the paper:

In a future with clean electricity and full electrification of buildings and private vehicles, the United States would emit about half the greenhouse gas pollution than it does today. However, buildings and vehicles would also use much more electricity, especially in the coldest weather. Here, we show that reinforcing distribution grids to accommodate these new peaks in electricity demand could cost Americans $2,800–$6,400 per household. We also show that “smart electrification”—accompanying electrification with measures that mitigate electricity demand peaks, such as reducing thermal demand, improving equipment efficiencies, and coordinating device operation—could reduce grid reinforcement costs by over two-thirds. We believe that achieving an affordable, all-electric future will require cooperation between engineers to develop enabling technologies, social scientists to guide technology development toward people’s wants and needs, and policymakers to pass laws or incentives that shape technology adoption.

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Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 19d

Steve Jobs’ iPhone unveiling this is not.

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 20d

In any case, glad to be able to shed light on this and expose misconceptions!

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 20d

Plenty of well-meaning folks have genuine questions about EV emissions. Hopefully this will help clarify the matter.

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 21d

Thanks!

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 21d

Exactly this is about the dynamic effect on investments.

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 21d

Thank you!

Emil Dimanchev @emildimanchev.bsky.social · 21d

The common used short-run metrics overestimated emissions because they miss that EV demand would cause more wind solar and battery capacity to be built.

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