Alicia Wongel

Energy Findings July 31, 2025 AEST Thermal Energy Storage in Dirt for Repowering Decommissioned Coal Plants Alicia Wongel, Jacqueline A. Dowling, Lei Duan, Austin Vernon, Ian S. McKay, Ken Caldeira https://findingspress.org/article/141340-thermal-energy-storage-in-dirt-for-repowering-decommissioned-coal-plants

Can dirt-cheap thermal energy storage be used to repower turbo generators from decommissioned coal-fired power plants?

Initial analysis suggests it could be economically viable to store thermal energy in dirt.

@aliciawongel.bsky.social

findingspress.org/article/1413...

Huge thanks to @kencaldeira.com, @jadowling.bsky.social, @leiduan.bsky.social, Leslie Willoughby, @stevenjdavis.bsky.social, Ian McKay, and Austin Vernon!

Over broad ranges of assumed technology costs, electricity generated from decommissioned turbogenerators repowered by thermal energy storage in dirt could cost-effectively help meet electricity demand peaks currently met using fossil generators.

In our latest research paper, we find that in electricity systems reliant on wind, solar, and natural gas generation, thermal storage in dirt could play a key role in addressing seasonal electricity demand challenges, increasingly so with larger shares of wind and solar generation.

Dirt-cheap energy storage!

Thermal energy storage in unconsolidated rocky material – literally the dirt under our feet – comes at low energy capacity costs as it takes advantage of locally available material.

Read the full article here: findingspress.org/article/1413...

“It is up to all of us to fix this.”

Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.

“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”

It costs a lot less to house people.

You’ve seen this movie before: Maybe Reagan guessed, Bush hoped, and Trump tried—but tax cuts never paid for themselves. Given the mountain of evidence, claiming once again that "tax cuts will pay for themselves" is no longer ideologically motivated optimism.

It's a lie.

The only regime change we’re interested in is one in America.

The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.

AOC: “It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”

One of the biggest problems with the world is that fools are always so sure and certain about everything and intelligent people are so full of doubts and uncertainties.

No Kings Day was one of the largest days of protest in US history. From deep red small towns to our largest cities, millions of people turned out to make it clear that the American people will not bow to fascism. #NoKings

"No Kings Day" protests turn out millions Our unofficial estimate is that around 4 million people attended a protest event yesterday. Anti-Trump resistance is outpacing 2017.

Based on crowd-sourced records of No Kings Day event turnout, and extrapolating for the cities where we don't have data yet, it looks like roughly 4-6 million people protested Trump across the U.S. yesterday. That's nearly 2% of the U.S. pop!

Mobilized anti-Trump resistance is exceeding 2017 levels

No Kings On June 14—Flag Day—Donald Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. ...

No kings protest tomorrow in San Francisco and all over the country!
@50501movement.bsky.social @indivisible.org

www.nokings.org

Trump’s attempt to chill dissent with militarized escalation isn’t working:

“What it’s done is drive so many new people to the No Kings website looking for a way to show up peacefully against this autocratic overreach.” - @ezralevin.bsky.social

Join us on Saturday: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

(around an image of a map of No Kings events) NO KINGS JUNE 14 - NATIONWIDE DAY OF DEFIANCE nokings.org

We will not cower, even in the face of Trump’s militarized escalation.

On Saturday, we are going to rise up all across the country in defiance of this administration’s authoritarian agenda.

Join the nationwide peaceful protests for No Kings Day: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

To the world: we’re sorry for their actions. They’re targeting us too. Americans rushed to help both reporters because the resistance is full of compassion. An attack on the free press is an attack on democracy itself.

This is the only way to get unbiased advice, obviously.

I am in downtown Los Angeles right now and it is completely surreal to hear that Trump is sending Marines here. We are listening to mariachi music. People have dogs. There are teenagers here. It is utterly and completely peaceful. Please tell your friends.

NO KINGS San Francisco Rally · Volunteer organized Time Saturday, June 14 11:30am – 2pm PDT Location Dolores Park to Civic Center Plaza San Francisco, CA 94102 Map About this event Indivisible SF and 50501SF are hosting a No Kings mass mobilization on June 14, 2025. We will gather at Dolores Park at 11:30 AM, and March at 12 NOON SHARP to Civic Center Plaza via Market St. There, we will have a rally showing our commitment to democracy and the power of We the People.

NO KINGS San Francisco

Gather at Dolores Park at 11:30 AM, and March at 12 noon to Civic Center Plaza via Market St.

www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...

No Kings Day in the San Francisco Bay Area

Join us in Dolores Park at 11:30 AM. We’ll march starting at noon sharp to Civic Center Plaza, where we’ll have a brief rally.

indivisiblesf.org/events/2025/...

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

The President just said that he has already negotiated 200 separate trade deals, and frankly, it would be unpatriotic to question his truth. I've got a theory that explains his extraordinary vitality and productivity. 🐧 🐧 🐧

Why were UK Conservatives able to standup to Boris Johnson, while Republicans refuse to even stifle the excesses of Trump? Jon and @rory-stewart.bsky.social discuss Trump’s Thunderdome grip on the GOP.

“Cowardice is contagious — so is courage.”

“That’s what we’ve been seeing month after month... Starting with some people demonstrating courage, and then other people looking around and saying I can do that, too. It’s in my power. I’m not just a victim of world events.” - @ezralevin.bsky.social

NSF starts to kill grants that violate Trump’s war on diversity efforts Attracting women and minorities into science and studying misinformation are no longer priorities, agency says

I feel like I could say this every week...but what a week this has been. Next in the line of attacks on science is NSF, which announced it will terminate grants that have already been awarded. www.science.org/content/arti...

The public record is often written by those in power, but we can write our own.

Let’s take ownership of our history.
Let’s make sure our protests are counted.
Let’s commit to documenting each action like it matters because it does.

We count. Our protests count. Let’s make sure the world knows it.

The post- World War II US investment in R&D is one of the greatest economic and national security engines in history. As I said to @revkin.bsky.social a decade ago, “the budget is policy”. We should expand R&D, not shrink it. Broaden participation not restrict it. archive.nytimes.com/dotearth.blo...

Pete Hegseth is pictured wearing a blue suit, looking to his left. A headline reads: "Pete Hegseth Said to Have Shared Sensitive Attack Details in Second Signal Chat." Photo by Eric Lee/The New York Times

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed information about strikes in Yemen to a second unclassified Signal group chat that included his wife and brother, people familiar with the matter said. nyti.ms/4jBQ1wV

Save the date! May 1st (a Thursday) is a National Day of Action in solidarity with laborers.

Many cities will have events on May 3rd for those who are unable to take a day off on May 1st, and we'll be sure to provide plenty of ways to participate from home.