willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis
@willmathis.bsky.social
620 followers 96 following 72 posts
Reporter at Bloomberg covering energy and climate change. Opinions are my own.
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 8
Norwegian green power developer Statkraft will stop developing new green hydrogen projects, just the latest company to pullback on the much hyped, but very expensive technology in recent months

Read my story from December about how the bubble burst:

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
#energysky
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Reposted by Will Mathis
zhirji.bsky.social
Zahra Hirji @zhirji.bsky.social · May 7
Removing these public mapping tools “is actually dumbing down the way the government works,” says Robert Verchick, a climate legal expert at Loyola University.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Six Environmental Mapping Tools the White House Doesn’t Want You to See
Government officials and advocates used them to help communities disproportionately affected by climate change and pollution.
www.bloomberg.com
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 7
Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez says rich energy company executives should pay to keep nuclear power plants operating if they want to keep them online

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
#energysky
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Reposted by Will Mathis
lauramillan.bsky.social
Laura Millan @lauramillan.bsky.social · May 7
EXCLUSIVE: Europe is rearming and one country is using defense money to beef up the army's ability to fight climate change.

I found it's a growing trend

Read the story for free here:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Spain Is Using Defense Budgets to Combat Climate Change Effects
Europe’s rush to rearm in support of Ukraine has led Spain to also bolster its climate defenses.
www.bloomberg.com
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 7
BMW stock is rising this morning after it reported results that showed EV sales up 32% in the first quarter compared to a year ago, including a 64% jump in Europe.

With Elon Musk toxic for many in Europe, Tesla's pain is BMW's gain

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
BMW’s EV Sales Help Soften First-Quarter Earnings Decline
BMW AG’s earnings declined less than expected in the first quarter as electric vehicle sales in Europe helped buoy the German carmaker amid slumping demand in China and the threat of US tariffs.
www.bloomberg.com
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 7
Just the latest major blow to offshore wind as Orsted discontinues the 2.4gw Hornsea 4 project because the investment no longer adds up. This is one of the world’s biggest offshore wind farms and is critical to the UK’s energy and climate goals

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
#energysky
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 6
Super interesting thread on the Spain blackout last week and the role of renewables and inertia 👇
jolaveyne.bsky.social
Joannes Laveyne @jolaveyne.bsky.social · May 1
Much ado about the role of renewable energy (RE) in the Spanish blackout. The investigation into the effective cause is still ongoing, but many pointed to the fact that RE has no ‘inertia’. Is that true? The answer is: yes, but ... 🧵
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Reposted by Will Mathis
joeloclimate.bsky.social
Joe Lo @joeloclimate.bsky.social · May 6
The BBC spoke to locals near a big English solar farm and found the panels “do not really bother them” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What is life like living the shadow of Ashby's solar farms? - BBC News
Residents of Ashby-de-la-Zouch offer mixed views on the fields of solar panels surrounding the town.
www.bbc.co.uk
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Reposted by Will Mathis
oliviarudgard.bsky.social
Olivia Rudgard @oliviarudgard.bsky.social · May 6
ICYMI from the weekend: @lauramillan.bsky.social and I looked at why most of Spain's rooftop solar owners weren't shielded from the effects of the blackout - and why most Europeans have panels that don't work when the power is off. Gift link:
Why Spain’s Rooftop Solar Owners Weren’t Spared From the Blackout
The power outage across the nation this week shows that installing rooftop solar doesn't automatically guarantee owners energy independence.
www.bloomberg.com
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 6
Spain's wind and solar power have nearly surpassed all traditional sources. But spending on the grid has lagged behind.

During the past 5 years, Spain invested an average of $0.30 on the grid for every $1 spent on renewables, according to BloombergNEF.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Reposted by Will Mathis
lauramillan.bsky.social
Laura Millan @lauramillan.bsky.social · May 6
💡 BLACKOUT MEGA-THREAD: Last week I was working at the Bloomberg office in Madrid when the humming of the ventilation system suddenly went quiet. That felt quite nice. But when we looked out the windows, we realized traffic lights were off. That's when we knew something serious was going on
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 6
Danish wind turbine company Vestas released its earnings statement this morning. The company, which does a lot of business in the US, said that tariffs are likely going to drive up power prices

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 5
Apparently AI chat bots are getting worse, not better. Worth noting that companies like OpenAI lose tons of money and have no clear product to sell.

Worth having a listen to @edzitron.com’s podcast for a deep dive critical look at OpenAI I don’t see much

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/t...
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 2
Spain’s solar power output is expected to keep breaking records
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 1
It turns out that this wasn’t correct, but based on inaccurate data published by the grid operator. All generation shut off
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · May 1
I don't think they do have synchronous condensers on the peninsula. I know they've done some synchronous condenser stuff on the Canary Islands, but as far as I have learned, there are no synchronous condensers on mainland Spain.
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Apr 30
It seems to me like there were at least three frequency oscillation events that the grid handled well before the grid broke. So I wonder if they had run out of tools to stabilize the grid after so many issues in a relatively short period
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Apr 30
It's still unclear what exactly caused Spain's blackout Monday. But frequency data shows that the grid was already under stress for at least a half hour before the system broke.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

#energysky
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Apr 28
While gas, coal and nuclear power stations are almost completely offline in Spain, solar and wind are providing over 80% of Spain's electricity.

Solar will also shut off come sunset, but the wind is set to pick up this evening by some lucky coincidence

#energysky
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Apr 28
Spain's grid operator said the blackout was caused by something called oscillation. Here's a little explanation on that and how it can cause a chain reaction that leads to a blackout.

Follow the @bloomberg.com live blog on the blackout here: www.bloomberg.com/news/live-bl...

#energysky
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Apr 28
Massive power outage happening now in Spain. Here's a chart from the Spanish grid operator showing demand plummeting (the yellow line) as the blackout started

#energysky
demanda.ree.es/visiona/peni...
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Apr 23
Investment in renewable power surpassed investment in oil and gas back in 2020 and green power has just grown its lead since then

Read @davidfickling.bsky.social on looking past headlines that might make you think clean energy spending is down and out

www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Apr 22
The US set new duties as high as 3,521% on solar imports from four Southeast Asian countries, following an investigation sought by domestic solar manufacturers and initiated under former President Joe Biden.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Imposes Tariffs Up to 3,521% on Southeast Asia Solar Imports
The US set new duties as high as 3,521% on solar imports from four Southeast Asian countries, delivering a win for domestic manufacturers while intensifying headwinds already threatening the country’s...
www.bloomberg.com
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Feb 19
Microsoft created a new state of matter, but people think tech companies won’t be able to figure how to train and run AI models without consuming exponentially more electricity

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/t...
Microsoft Says It Has Created a New State of Matter to Power Quantum Computers
Microsoft’s new “topological qubit” is not based on a solid, liquid or gas. It is another phase of matter that many experts did not think was possible.
www.nytimes.com
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willmathis.bsky.social
Will Mathis @willmathis.bsky.social · Jan 30
The UK government wants to cut down on red tape and let builders build.

Meanwhile the country’s only nuclear power plant under construction might be delayed again as EDF decides whether or not to build an underwater sound system for fish conservation

www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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