Philip Sargent

Düren’s Hydrogen Bet: The Math Behind a Looming Liability - CleanTechnica Hydrogen buses at €6–€8 per km? We model Düren’s real economics and compare diesel, battery electric, and hydrogen.

Lots of detailed numbers on capex and emissions. Needs a projection for lower German grid carbon footprint though.
cleantechnica.com/2026/03/01/d...

Grey, Blue, or Green: The Real Ammonia Math - CleanTechnica Grey, blue, or green ammonia? Carbon pricing at €200–€300 reshapes competitiveness across Europe’s industrial feedstock market.

Wonderfully detailed calculations on when green ammonia can become cost effective in europe.
cleantechnica.com/2026/02/21/g...

But using GWP(100) is just inappropriate for our climate goals. Should be 20.

In the book, Kemp argues that these collapsed states were captured by corrupt elites, who used coercion and stealth to secure their dominance and seize control of community and private resources, leading to extreme social, political and economic inequality,[2] and that this oligarchy eventually led to collapse.[3] "Fiscal fragility, ecological overshoot, legitimacy crises, and polarization typically appear before failure—but are filtered through partisan incentives and short time horizons."[4] Kemp argues these regimes were fragile due to status-seeking elites, especially those with dark triad personality traits.[5] Kemp argues that more democratic societies are more resilient and long-lasting.[6] He also finds that people were generally healthier before these large states appeared when they lived in more democratic hunter-gatherer societies.[5] Some recommendations for the future include running societies through citizens assemblies and taxing wealth.[5]

Our condition and why, longform version:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath...

This and the previous link are identical stories. It's just that one goes back 5000 years, and the other is a photo of nightmare clowns on 1/20/25. TL;DR: recurring nightmare clowns are the problem of human societies.

What does AI mean for organisations' responsibilities? What is the role of the chief executive when he does not know what is going on?

Why constitutions and articles of association need a good hard look in 2026.
philipsargent.wordpress.com/2026/02/21/p...

Space-based solar could be competitive by 2040, UK government finds Investment and support could make small-scale space-based solar power (SBSP) viable, with potential for electricity generated in orbit to participate in UK contracts for difference (CfD) scheme accord...

www.pv-magazine.com/2026/02/19/s...

In depth: Supreme Court delivers 'bombshell' ruling on software patents - or does it? Last week's Supreme Court ruling on the patentability of computer software is certainly bold, but experts doubt that it will lead to the erection of IP barriers around the digital economy.

www.lawgazette.co.uk/news-focus/i...

MPs in call to halt Drax’s £2m-a-day subsidy over sustainability doubts Exclusive: Cross-party group ‘deeply concerned’ power plant may have misled ministers and regulators over source of wood pellets

MPs in call to halt Drax’s £2m-a-day subsidy over sustainability doubts

- Cross-party group ‘deeply concerned’ power plant may have misled ministers and regulators over source of wood pellets

Story by Jillian Ambrose
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

I don't think I have ever been closer than the bypass. So that is strictly an outsider's view.

Former Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission concludes there’s not enough time for nuclear innovation to make a realistic impact on the climate crisis. In other words, the practical contribution of nuclear power to mitigate climate change seems profoundly limited.

Yes indeed, I have often wondered "what's the point of Northampton?"

Increase job mobility if late 20th century doesn't seem to have killed them - yet.

I’m glad someone finally noticed this! It’s a huge problem for the abundance agenda in my opinion, because it puts them face to face with the kind of question they didn’t want to ask

archive.md/tc874

Scaling up enhanced rock weathering for equitable climate change mitigation - Communications Sustainability Enhanced rock weathering can remove up to 0.76 to 1.1 Gigatons of carbon dioxide per year by 2050 to 2100, with low- and middle-income regions as key contributors, based on projections using technolog...

Rock weathering seems an impossible climate mitigation idea - except that we have *already* ground up gigatonnes of rock in mining operations (it needs to be the right mine though).

(Or just grind up a bit of Oman and put it in the sea.)

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

If IPv4 addresses filled 1 square millimeter, you would need approximately 155 million Earth-sized surfaces to hold all the IPv6 addresses.

That's why IP 6 for internet addresses is a big deal.

Though if you read the wikipedia article more carefully, you will see that compressed hydrogen is stored In ordinary steel cylinders, and always has been, perfectly safely with no embrittlement.

A human lifetime is not long enough to comprehend all that git and github can do, and become maximally capable of using these tools.

I don't want to live forever but I do want to wield that full capability while I'm here, and now I can.

#git #github #agents

Decarbonizing steam methane reforming through direct Joule-heated fluidized bed reactor Steam methane reforming produces over 48% of global hydrogen, while suffering from poor heat transfer efficiency yielding a high temperature gradient …

Now this is interesting for anyone following the blue hydrogen technologies: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

photo of David MacKay gesticulating about small numbers

David MacKay: 10th anniversary

Friday 27 March 2026, 09:00 – 17:45

Cambridge University Engineering Department

This one-day meeting dedicated to his memory: machine learning, information theory, and sustainable energy.

www.cambridgephilosophicalsociety.org/events/event...

From Wikipedia:

An inhibited fuming nitric acid...can be made by the addition of 0.6 to 0.7% hydrogen fluoride (HF). This fluoride is added for corrosion resistance in metal tanks.

The idea that you can add HF to something to make it safer is terrifying.

Hydrogen embrittlement for economists Over the past decade there have been an overwhelming number of techno-economic studies of hydrogen deployment as a means to reduce national carbon emissions. To reduce cost, these have always consi…

Thanks, I had a hand in re editing that. See also philipsargent.wordpress.com/2023/02/06/h...

UK threatens to seize Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in escalatory move Capture of rogue ship could open a new front against Moscow at a time when Russia’s oil revenues are tumbling

If the Government continues to be too cowardly to seize these vessels, the least they could do is issue Letters of Marque to allow the glorious return of piracy to the Atlantic.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

memes of famous scientists Newton - I don't think you the gravity of this Einstein - I believe I'm relatively aware of it Darwin - Guys, don't let this evolve into a huge argument

Science is full of awkward bastards
who follow the data and the evidence.

Inconveniently in science,
just because vast majority of experts agree,
doesn't make them right.

But,
reassuringly,
it does also make it
extraordinarily unlikely
that they would be wrong.

#Science 🧪
#ScienceMatters

i love european olympics opening ceremonies. the second the ioc names a european host city the prime minister calls the culture minister into their office and says "find me your strangest homosexuals. give each of them a period of our great nation's history, a kilo of cocaine, and Ten Million Euros"

One way of getting the numbers up, to get decent returns to scale for SMRs in volume, is shipping.

At last an AI tool I can get behind

“Upload an architectural render. Get back what it'll actually look like on a random Tuesday in November.”

antirender.com

Drax move to become more honest and accountable for its environmental impact (crimes?) is welcome, but ultimately we have to stop this dirty business, burning trees to make electricity is so very last century.

www.drax.com/press_releas...

High-density storage breakthrough paves way for 1000s of sites RheEnergise's high-density hydro system reaches full operational capacity, opening the path to commercial-scale deployment.

High-density storage
www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/energy-stora...

Germany’s Audit Court Calls Time on Hydrogen Inevitability - CleanTechnica Germany’s audit court warns that a pressurized hydrogen backbone with no demand risks billions in public exposure and undermines climate and budget goals.

Adding things up and seeing whether the pile of beans is big enough is something that accountancy is quite good at.

cleantechnica.com/2026/01/25/g...

Europe v America

Post war western Europe is simply the best society that this species has ever managed to create. Never forget it. Defend it for all we're worth.

The points to remember

1) this is not the new normal. This is the beginning of an escalation of these events over the coming decades.
2) Australians were warned, in 1988. They were very well-informed. The political classes massaged the issue to protect coal (domestic and exports).

FAFOcene.

Hydrogen Was The Future A sad farewell to the Mirai

Here's a brief history of the media chatter rise of hydrogen fuel cell car and it's final demise.
It's over, and all the hydrogen bros who endlessly demanded that hydrogen was the future are very quiet now.
llewellyn.substack.com/p/hydrogen-w...