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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher@kevinjkircher.com |
1534 followers 1177 following 2358 posts
Engineering prof (mechanical + electrical) at a big state school. Energy, climate, buildings, power grid, control, optimization, data science. He/him. kevinjkircher.com/ Email: my last name at purdue dot edu
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Heat pumps have seen pretty widespread use in the Southeast and South since the 70s. That's still where a big majority of US heat pumps are today. But yes, a new generation of heat pumps works well in cold climates and this is a big deal.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Nothing short of remaking the US economy is enough. Even net zero 2050 is not enough; for any hope at 1.5, IEA says rich countries need 80% cut by 2035 from 2022 levels. Arsenal of Democracy but for climate still wouldn't be enough. But Biden has done a helluva lot and that's worth celebrating.
1 replies 1 reposts 5 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Today in "everything old is new again:" ⚡Electrify everything ⚡ In 1985, 70% of *all new homes built in the US* used electricity for space heating, water heating, and cooking, and had no gas connections. Electrify everything pretty much means "undo our mistakes from 1986-1992."
2 replies 16 reposts 66 likes
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Joshua J. Friedman
@joshuajfriedman.com
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NEW: AOC introduces articles of impeachment against Justices Thomas and Alito for failure to disclose gifts and failure to recuse. Cosponsors: Lee, Tlaib, Watson Coleman, Ramirez, Frost, Omar, Bowman
Thomas: ocasio-cortez.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
Alito: ocasio-cortez.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
53 replies 819 reposts 2905 likes
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Brad Reed
@brad-reed.bsky.social
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Portland Clean Energy Fund’s "Cooling Portland" program is saving lives.
Income-qualified people living in the city can apply for a FREE air conditioner.
www.portlandtribune.com/news/hot-wea...
0 replies 2 reposts 7 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Reagan was, at the time, the oldest president ever in his second term. He had hearing aids, colorectal cancer, skin cancer, Alzheimer's. And yet the right wingers around him pushed through a lot of their (abhorrent) priorities - tax cuts, Supremes, etc. - and still view him as their GOAT. 🤷♂️
0 replies 5 reposts 15 likes
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Joshua Basseches
@joshuabasseches.bsky.social
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Intriguing Op-Ed on "stakeholder-driven transmission siting":
www.utilitydive.com/news/transmi...
0 replies 1 reposts 4 likes
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isaac
@sevier.io
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After the huge climate victory through settlement in Navahine v. Hawaii Department of Transportation, another youth-led court case begins its defense against appeal today, Held v. State of Montana.
www.commondreams.org/newswire/mon...
1 replies 6 reposts 5 likes
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Capital B
@capitalb.bsky.social
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Texas is subsidizing $10 billion worth of new fossil fuel plants, citing new demand caused by climate change and population growth.
But in reality, much of the new demand is coming from supercomputers for AI and crypto.
Guess where the new plants will be placed:
capitalbnews.org/crypto-minin...
9 replies 154 reposts 240 likes
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Daniel Feldman
@dfeldman.bsky.social
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For most of the world, it's not a big deal to have one new slow train a day (each direction) going to the nearest larger city (There already was one a day, so this is just an additional one) But people here are STOKED Minnesotans and Chicagoans really love transit
3 replies 1 reposts 15 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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😬
0 replies 0 reposts 6 likes
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isaac
@sevier.io
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There are 48 million adults (not counting children) in the U.S. who cannot afford their energy bills right now. The Dem and left climate and energy community has to do more than promise that renewables or the green transition will eventually trickle down to solve this problem.
3 replies 11 reposts 23 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Well said!
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Jan Rosenow
@janrosenow.bsky.social
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Carbon Brief asked me what I think the incoming UK government’s top priority for meeting UK climate targets should be.
This is what I told them.
www.carbonbrief.org/experts-what...
2 replies 8 reposts 26 likes
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Richard Waite
@waiterich.bsky.social
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Pet peeve: when an article about food & sustainability does not include one (1) single data point about how the foods in question perform on sustainability. Plant-based beef alts have *way lower* GHG footprints vs conventional beef. Grass-finished beef often has *higher* GHGs vs conventional beef!
3 replies 4 reposts 32 likes
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David Weiskopf
@weiskopf.bsky.social
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"While supportive, [Weiskopf] said $10 billion simply does not undo decades of environmental damages done to California’s natural landscapes in the name of fossil fuel profits."
Read more at: www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
1 replies 5 reposts 16 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Definitely! All indoor environments, really. Schools are especially important.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Anna Orridge
@anna-orridge.bsky.social
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The built environment is so important, and I see this mostly in relation to schools, which I work for. But yes, residential areas too. Everywhere people need to be for extended periods of time, and there's not much that can be done cheaply, esp with retrofit.
1 replies 2 reposts 5 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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As humans make the outdoors weirder by changing the climate - more heatwaves, severe storms, wildfire smoke and other air pollution - it's getting more important to ensure safe, comfortable, affordable housing for all. People who caused more of these problems should do/pay more to help solve them.
0 replies 12 reposts 28 likes
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isaac
@sevier.io
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If Project 2025 becomes policy, at Department of Energy:
❌ energy efficiency work (EERE)
❌ grid planning
❌ battery research
❌ Loan Program Office and loans
❌ carbon capture
❌ ARPA-E
❌ Clean Energy Corps
✅ repeal IIJA & IRA
✅ manipulate EIA
✅ expedite LNG builds
democracyforward.org/the-peoples-...
1 replies 20 reposts 40 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
[ View ] |
Today in "everything old is new again:" ⚡Electrify everything ⚡ In 1985, 70% of *all new homes built in the US* used electricity for space heating, water heating, and cooking, and had no gas connections. Electrify everything pretty much means "undo our mistakes from 1986-1992."
2 replies 16 reposts 66 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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preeeeach
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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What if we banned advertisers from hawking overpriced polluting nonsense and guaranteed everyone food, housing, and health care? Hard to imagine how much less we'd pollute if we didn't have to work all the time to meet basic needs or chase garbage that marketers and tech companies laser-target at us
1 replies 10 reposts 42 likes
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Lissa Harris
@lissaharris.bsky.social
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“More free time can also be a climate strategy.” I know this in my soul, and have been working on building my life that way on purpose, partly to make way for volunteer work but also partly just to disengage from the emissions-intensive rat race even though I know this! the guilt is hard to shake
3 replies 11 reposts 57 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Just throwing this out there: Reagan (then the oldest president ever) had hearing problems, colon and skin cancers, and Alzheimer's, and the powerful people around him pushed through a ton of judges including Scalia and three other Supremes, passed the Deficit Reduction Act (lol), etc.
2 replies 3 reposts 12 likes
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tweety fish
@sifu.tweety.fish
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You can learn about the astounding profusion of helpful and delightful shit the new deal built in @rauchway.bsky.social’s “Why The New Deal Matters”! We should do that again!
1 replies 4 reposts 16 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Buying less bullshit and spending more times at free community centers - public libraries, pools, beaches - is underrated climate action! (Also, apparently the New Deal built 750 public pools between 1933 and 1938? FDR sure loved swimming and investing in shared free infrastructure!)
0 replies 16 reposts 78 likes
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isaac
@sevier.io
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A positive vision of the good life we could all have ahead when we fight for it together, from @jbozuwa.bsky.social 🚄🥾🏖️🤽🏊🏸 💛prospect.org/sponsored/thegoodlife/2024-06-13-why-we-should-care-about-low-carbon-leisure/
1 replies 15 reposts 28 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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I believe so, but haven't read it closely enough to be certain. I've mainly looked at applications to oil and gas infrastructure.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Andrew Dessler
@andrewdessler.bsky.social
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Can we air condition our way out of extreme heat? A primer on air conditioning from The Climate Brink
www.theclimatebrink....
2 replies 22 reposts 51 likes
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Costa Samaras
@costasamaras.bsky.social
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Another climate big win that’s in the background: developing and signing on to the global methane pledge at COP26 in Glasgow. Cutting methane quickly is one way that will make our climate better quickly. The US pledged a reduction in 2021, then funded that with action in the Inflation Reduction Act.
1 replies 12 reposts 25 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Another unsung win: the Inflation Reduction Act includes a methane tax! Lovers of carbon taxes, rejoice. It's riddled with loopholes and no one knows yet how well EPA will enforce it, but it exists!
community.citizensclimate.org/resources/it...
1 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Cutting methane pollution is one of the best levers we have to quickly slow down climate change.
Under Biden, the US joined 154 other countries in pledging to cut methane pollution 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. Important but unsung international climate policy!
www.globalmethanepledge.org
1 replies 4 reposts 13 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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To be clear, burning methane emits CO2 - which is bad - but directly polluting the atmosphere with methane causes more global warming, faster.
2 replies 2 reposts 8 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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This is great! Methane (aka natural gas) is a fast-acting climate pollutant that has caused about *one-third of all global warming to date.* The EPA historically underestimated methane pollution, but these grants will help measure it (vs. taking companies' word for it) and begin to mitigate it.
1 replies 1 reposts 12 likes
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Costa Samaras
@costasamaras.bsky.social
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Slashing methane is a major climate win from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. It’s $850 million (6% of EPA budget!) for “projects that help track — and stop — methane leaks tied to oil and gas production.” This would’ve a been career-defining win a decade ago. Now it’s Monday after holiday weekend.
4 replies 136 reposts 363 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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For sure! Cars are crucial for mobility for many folks, especially in developing regions.
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Love to see the American Climate Corps kicking off with this mission at heart.
grist.org/culture/barb...
1 replies 6 reposts 17 likes
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Ketan Joshi
@ketanjoshi.co
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It is great to see explicitly anti wind legislation dead, but what's sorely needed is much better regulation (and gov't financial support!) of developers to enable real benefit sharing and community participation, so people welcome these projects instead of either hating them or tolerating them.
1 replies 7 reposts 29 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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👍
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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If you're considering a central ducted AC system, now's a great time to consider getting a two-way heat pump (AC + efficient electric heat) instead of a one-way AC. Cost is typically similar and there are both federal and MA incentives for heat pumps. Could knock as much as $12k off the install.
1 replies 1 reposts 8 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Also interesting that global sale of *cars, period* peaked in 2018. It's nice to see an uptick in electric vehicle adoption, but too bad the downward trend in overall sales seems to have reversed around 2022 or 23. A world where fewer folks needed to drive would be safer, healthier, less polluted.
3 replies 1 reposts 17 likes
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Justin Mikulka
@justinmikulka.bsky.social
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This week OPEC and the IEA will comment on global oil consumption. I expect they will once again say that they expect strong growth....soon...to try to back up their optimistic forecasts. While not mentioning the existence of a new technology that is cutting into demand.
0 replies 2 reposts 9 likes
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Iain Soutar
@isoutar.bsky.social
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Onshore wind developments in England have been, in effect, banned since 2015. The new Labour government has just reversed that. Great to see the cheapest form of power generation regaining the support it needs.
1 replies 6 reposts 25 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Yeah, paperwork and price hikes are real problems with rebates, tax breaks, and other consumer incentives. Significant portions of the public funds spent on them end up lining the pockets of manufacturers, distributors, or contractors.
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Shay O’Reilly
@shaygabriel.bsky.social
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We are incubating some initiatives to organize different categories of people (renters, condo/coop owners) to support big state investment in building decarb and I’m very excited about it.
0 replies 2 reposts 5 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Pains me to say it, but we need about 100 million Thermostat Parents to geek out over electric heat pumps. There are 125 million houses/apartments/condos/trailers/etc. in the US and we need to electrify them all. In like a decade.
youtu.be/5fr-IBiJ3Ts
0 replies 1 reposts 13 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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For more information on federal tax credits and rebates for efficient electric home heating (and other home energy renovations), check out Rewiring America's nice fact sheets.
www.rewiringamerica.org/ira-fact-she...
0 replies 1 reposts 1 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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New York and a few others have big rebates or tax breaks, but more states should do this!
1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
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Prof. Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
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Massachusetts gives rebates on electric heat pumps (the main technology for clean home heating) of up to $16k for low- and moderate-income households and up to $10k for others. Together with the $2k federal tax credit 25C, they can cover most of the installed cost.
www.masssave.com/residential/...
2 replies 1 reposts 5 likes