Simon Waldman
@simon-on-energy.bsky.social
Teaching & research on renewable energy with @heriotwattuni.bsky.social, #Orkney. #UCU member. #Energy, #oceanography, & #academia, all in personal capacity. Born at 334ppm. Also at @[email protected]. he/him
Reposted by Simon Waldman
NEW: I heard from a bunch of NREL employees after the announcement of a name change yesterday. They're not thrilled.
"Morale is bad. Funding is tenuous.... I've been through two W administrations, many R congresses, and [the first] Trump admin. This is the worst."
"Morale is bad. Funding is tenuous.... I've been through two W administrations, many R congresses, and [the first] Trump admin. This is the worst."
'A Collective WTF': National Renewable Energy Laboratory Gets a Trumpian Name Change
NREL employees, many of whom joined the lab specifically to work toward its clean energy mission, are not happy about the oil-soaked leadership's moves.
www.gravityisgone.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
NEW: I heard from a bunch of NREL employees after the announcement of a name change yesterday. They're not thrilled.
"Morale is bad. Funding is tenuous.... I've been through two W administrations, many R congresses, and [the first] Trump admin. This is the worst."
"Morale is bad. Funding is tenuous.... I've been through two W administrations, many R congresses, and [the first] Trump admin. This is the worst."
Reposted by Simon Waldman
Crylaughing at the replies to this post #AcademicSky
all academic applications should have consolation prizes.
doesn’t have to be much, like a mug that says “i applied for leverhulme 2020”
or a t-shirt “UKRI reject 2023”
doesn’t have to be much, like a mug that says “i applied for leverhulme 2020”
or a t-shirt “UKRI reject 2023”
December 2, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Crylaughing at the replies to this post #AcademicSky
...until you try to submit to an Elsevier journal and encounter things like "all files must be in the root directory, as our system is unable to follow links into other directories". And thus replace all your worries about formatting with worries about fitting into a system from maybe 1987.
LaTeX enables authors to focus on the content of their documents without worrying about formatting.
Learn to use LaTex to create manuscripts efficiently from #ResearcherAcademy: spkl.io/63326A5rJQ
#Elsevier #PhDsky #AcademicSky
Learn to use LaTex to create manuscripts efficiently from #ResearcherAcademy: spkl.io/63326A5rJQ
#Elsevier #PhDsky #AcademicSky
December 2, 2025 at 2:37 PM
...until you try to submit to an Elsevier journal and encounter things like "all files must be in the root directory, as our system is unable to follow links into other directories". And thus replace all your worries about formatting with worries about fitting into a system from maybe 1987.
Reposted by Simon Waldman
What exactly do we pay those senior managers all those six-figure salaries for? They claim it’s for their big strategic thinking, but all they do is hand a bunch of money to external consultants to get the exact same PowerPoint as elsewhere.
"Edinburgh held 12 contracts and received 26 documents from Nous or related entities between January 2022 and September 2025.
As early as February 2022, it had provided the university with a “draft vision” and a “strategy and roadmap” report."
As early as February 2022, it had provided the university with a “draft vision” and a “strategy and roadmap” report."
The consultancy Nous takes hundreds of thousands of pounds from universities, leaves the exact same path of destruction everywhere, and keeps trying to avoid transparent contracts.
We’re urgently need control over consultancy spent in #UKHE, @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social
We’re urgently need control over consultancy spent in #UKHE, @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social
December 1, 2025 at 10:44 AM
What exactly do we pay those senior managers all those six-figure salaries for? They claim it’s for their big strategic thinking, but all they do is hand a bunch of money to external consultants to get the exact same PowerPoint as elsewhere.
Everybody has their hot take re the #UCU ballot. Everybody who is posting apparently expected it to fail. But that perhaps isn't surprising, when it followed a consultative ballot that clearly said it would...
Personally, I voted (because screw the Tory threshold) but voted No. That was because...
Personally, I voted (because screw the Tory threshold) but voted No. That was because...
December 2, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Everybody has their hot take re the #UCU ballot. Everybody who is posting apparently expected it to fail. But that perhaps isn't surprising, when it followed a consultative ballot that clearly said it would...
Personally, I voted (because screw the Tory threshold) but voted No. That was because...
Personally, I voted (because screw the Tory threshold) but voted No. That was because...
And they should have been asking that when the indicative ballot that they ran *told* them that most members didn't want this. Before they spent £250k and a lot of crediblity to ask anyway.
The 20 members of HEC who voted for this action are the people who need to do that, not the people who are sending the comms.
"Our immediate next steps must be to understand why more members did not engage with the ballot"
December 2, 2025 at 2:07 PM
And they should have been asking that when the indicative ballot that they ran *told* them that most members didn't want this. Before they spent £250k and a lot of crediblity to ask anyway.
Reposted by Simon Waldman
I'm not sure that core activists appreciate how badly UCU damaged its reputation with the MAB debacle. Ordinary members don't see it as "ooh, that bad faction made bad decisions"; they see it as a union which is addicted to starting fights that it has no idea how to finish.
December 2, 2025 at 11:35 AM
I'm not sure that core activists appreciate how badly UCU damaged its reputation with the MAB debacle. Ordinary members don't see it as "ooh, that bad faction made bad decisions"; they see it as a union which is addicted to starting fights that it has no idea how to finish.
Reposted by Simon Waldman
Going to chuck this into UCU's "period of reflection". Nobody I spoke to in the corridors believed that we had achievable goals or a plan to deliver them; nobody trusts national decision-making; lots of people wanted to save our resources for local disputes. Like it or not, that's where we are.
December 2, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Going to chuck this into UCU's "period of reflection". Nobody I spoke to in the corridors believed that we had achievable goals or a plan to deliver them; nobody trusts national decision-making; lots of people wanted to save our resources for local disputes. Like it or not, that's where we are.
Something which feels relevant here: The grad student is a trans woman.
Not that this affected her conduct - the essay should obviously have failed, and the feedback given was really generous - but it may give some necessary context for the university's response...
Not that this affected her conduct - the essay should obviously have failed, and the feedback given was really generous - but it may give some necessary context for the university's response...
Oklahoma University has placed a grad student instructor on admin leave for failing a psychology paper on gender for citing *the Bible* as a source of empirical evidence.
In response, OU has placed on instructor on admin leave citing, get this, the FIRST AMENDMENT.
Universities are cooked.
In response, OU has placed on instructor on admin leave citing, get this, the FIRST AMENDMENT.
Universities are cooked.
December 1, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Something which feels relevant here: The grad student is a trans woman.
Not that this affected her conduct - the essay should obviously have failed, and the feedback given was really generous - but it may give some necessary context for the university's response...
Not that this affected her conduct - the essay should obviously have failed, and the feedback given was really generous - but it may give some necessary context for the university's response...
Reposted by Simon Waldman
The vast majority of academics do not want artificial intelligence used to assess the next Research Excellence Framework, according to a new report. Patrick Jack reports #REF #academicsky
https://ow.ly/mobv50Xz6AF
https://ow.ly/mobv50Xz6AF
December 1, 2025 at 7:40 AM
The vast majority of academics do not want artificial intelligence used to assess the next Research Excellence Framework, according to a new report. Patrick Jack reports #REF #academicsky
https://ow.ly/mobv50Xz6AF
https://ow.ly/mobv50Xz6AF
Well this is a problem!
I'm very dubious about the amount of hydrogen use that the fossil industry pushes, and that the UK government currently plans, but we *are* gonna need CCS. I wish this article didn't conflate the two, which screams "blue hydrogen" to me.
I'm very dubious about the amount of hydrogen use that the fossil industry pushes, and that the UK government currently plans, but we *are* gonna need CCS. I wish this article didn't conflate the two, which screams "blue hydrogen" to me.
Carbon capture and storage has always been a smoke and mirrors cover for business as usual in the fight against climate breakdown
Now something looks like stopping it in its tracks in the UK
Climate breakdown 😊
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Now something looks like stopping it in its tracks in the UK
Climate breakdown 😊
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Water shortages could derail UK’s net zero plans, study finds
Tensions grow after research in England finds there may not be enough water for planned carbon capture and hydrogen projects
www.theguardian.com
November 30, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Well this is a problem!
I'm very dubious about the amount of hydrogen use that the fossil industry pushes, and that the UK government currently plans, but we *are* gonna need CCS. I wish this article didn't conflate the two, which screams "blue hydrogen" to me.
I'm very dubious about the amount of hydrogen use that the fossil industry pushes, and that the UK government currently plans, but we *are* gonna need CCS. I wish this article didn't conflate the two, which screams "blue hydrogen" to me.
Reposted by Simon Waldman
Close to 1 full goddamn gigawatt of gas (open-cycle, so the most inefficient kind) for the "Project Jupiter" site in New Mexico.
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
November 28, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Close to 1 full goddamn gigawatt of gas (open-cycle, so the most inefficient kind) for the "Project Jupiter" site in New Mexico.
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
In case you had any doubt that peer review doesn't work in pay-to-publish journals, including those with a Nature badge....
#academicSky
pivot-to-ai.com/2025/11/28/n...
#academicSky
pivot-to-ai.com/2025/11/28/n...
Nature’s latest AI-generated paper — with medical frymblal and Factor Fexcectorn
Nature’s open-access sideline Nature Scientific Reports is the “we’ve got Nature at home” of scientific publishing. It appears to run any garbage for a mere $2,690 processing charge. A snip, I’m su…
pivot-to-ai.com
November 29, 2025 at 10:54 AM
In case you had any doubt that peer review doesn't work in pay-to-publish journals, including those with a Nature badge....
#academicSky
pivot-to-ai.com/2025/11/28/n...
#academicSky
pivot-to-ai.com/2025/11/28/n...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
#AcademicSky
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
#AcademicSky
Major AI conference flooded with peer reviews written fully by AI
Controversy has erupted after 21% of manuscript reviews for an international AI conference were found to be generated by artificial intelligence.
www.nature.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:54 PM
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
#AcademicSky
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
#AcademicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
Major AI conference flooded with peer reviews written fully by AI
Controversy has erupted after 21% of manuscript reviews for an international AI conference were found to be generated by artificial intelligence.
www.nature.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:39 PM
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
HAHAHAHA
But also, conference organisers now using AI to decide whether reviews were done by AI, so it's gonna get that wrong as well.
Happy thanksgiving to them as celebrate it.
November 27, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Happy thanksgiving to them as celebrate it.
www.ft.com/content/23e5...
"The latest two deals add an extra four gigawatts of compute power to OpenAI’s requirements, bringing the contracted amount to 36 gigawatts."
Can anybody think of any company, in the history of the world, that has needed 36 GW for anything?
"The latest two deals add an extra four gigawatts of compute power to OpenAI’s requirements, bringing the contracted amount to 36 gigawatts."
Can anybody think of any company, in the history of the world, that has needed 36 GW for anything?
OpenAI needs to raise at least $207bn by 2030 so it can continue to lose money, HSBC estimates
A burning platform
www.ft.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:59 AM
www.ft.com/content/23e5...
"The latest two deals add an extra four gigawatts of compute power to OpenAI’s requirements, bringing the contracted amount to 36 gigawatts."
Can anybody think of any company, in the history of the world, that has needed 36 GW for anything?
"The latest two deals add an extra four gigawatts of compute power to OpenAI’s requirements, bringing the contracted amount to 36 gigawatts."
Can anybody think of any company, in the history of the world, that has needed 36 GW for anything?
Reposted by Simon Waldman
NEW from me: A recent study finds that fully electrified homes in Handsworth, built to adhere to a draft version of the Future Homes standard, put less pressure on the grid than researchers expected.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Heat-pump homes put less strain on grid than expected, study shows
Analysis of new-builds in Birmingham suggests all-electric homes not only use less energy but vary in peak usage
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:14 AM
NEW from me: A recent study finds that fully electrified homes in Handsworth, built to adhere to a draft version of the Future Homes standard, put less pressure on the grid than researchers expected.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Simon Waldman
How many older journalists and papers look back at their role whipping up hatred against gay people like me in the 80's and 90's with pride and a sense they did right? Very few. So what do *you*, today's journos and papers, think your prospects are after re-running same campaign against trans folk?
November 20, 2025 at 11:27 PM
How many older journalists and papers look back at their role whipping up hatred against gay people like me in the 80's and 90's with pride and a sense they did right? Very few. So what do *you*, today's journos and papers, think your prospects are after re-running same campaign against trans folk?
Seriously, MS? seems you can't update an Outlook appointment that has a Teams meeting associated without an Internet connection.
Other gripes aside, Outlook used to be pretty good at letting you work offline and then syncing up.
But with recent features they seem to have given up on this.
Other gripes aside, Outlook used to be pretty good at letting you work offline and then syncing up.
But with recent features they seem to have given up on this.
November 19, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Seriously, MS? seems you can't update an Outlook appointment that has a Teams meeting associated without an Internet connection.
Other gripes aside, Outlook used to be pretty good at letting you work offline and then syncing up.
But with recent features they seem to have given up on this.
Other gripes aside, Outlook used to be pretty good at letting you work offline and then syncing up.
But with recent features they seem to have given up on this.
Q for those who understand elec markets. This is pitched as encouraging data centres to be built in places with constrained generation. But shouldn't PPA market do that anyway? Is gov intervention needed?
#energysky
#energysky
November 19, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Q for those who understand elec markets. This is pitched as encouraging data centres to be built in places with constrained generation. But shouldn't PPA market do that anyway? Is gov intervention needed?
#energysky
#energysky
Reminder about this #PhD project with me on #tidal #renewable #energy! Applications close on 28th November.
#PhD with me, using numerical modelling to study how large-scale #tidal #energy farms will affect one another.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Contact me on [email protected] if you have questions or would like an informal chat.
Please send to anybody appropriate, & circulate to networks!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Contact me on [email protected] if you have questions or would like an informal chat.
Please send to anybody appropriate, & circulate to networks!
Flow Interactions of Tidal Stream Energy : Understanding how large tidal farms will affect each other (based in Orkney) at Heriot-Watt University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Flow Interactions of Tidal Stream Energy : Understanding how large tidal farms will affect each other (based in Orkney) at Heriot-Watt University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reminder about this #PhD project with me on #tidal #renewable #energy! Applications close on 28th November.
Reposted by Simon Waldman
Heat pumps news! DESNZ is expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to cover air to air heat pumps and heat batteries.
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Government set to expand scheme to include air conditioning heat pumps
Government expands heat pump scheme to include heat batteries and 'air-to-air devices' that can cool homes in summer, despite speculation over budget cuts
www.businessgreen.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Heat pumps news! DESNZ is expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to cover air to air heat pumps and heat batteries.
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Universities: "everybody gets rejected for funding, there's a lot of lucky involved, you just have to keep on trying"
Also universities: "we will punish you if you don't increase your grant income by this date"
#AcademicSky
Also universities: "we will punish you if you don't increase your grant income by this date"
#AcademicSky
November 18, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Universities: "everybody gets rejected for funding, there's a lot of lucky involved, you just have to keep on trying"
Also universities: "we will punish you if you don't increase your grant income by this date"
#AcademicSky
Also universities: "we will punish you if you don't increase your grant income by this date"
#AcademicSky