Jason Burwen

The Smart Bomb Trap How Precision Strikes Expand the Wars They Aim to Contain

All of this, on why a US intention of limited war will invariably expand into a structural commitment:

“Strategically, it converts episodic volatility into chronic instability.”

escalationtrap.substack.com/p/the-smart-...

I think about this Tony Benn speech much more than I used to

Storage as transmission also doesn't happen because transmission planning does not take into account the frequency or duration of reliability violations. Same reason flexible interconnection will have a hard time gaining traction. (Which also means there's a common solve for SATA and data centers)

*treasuries

Indeed, as long as the CCP needs to avoid currency appreciation that would lead to goverment-destabilizing unemployment in export oriented sectors, China needs treasures. @braddelong.bsky.social taught me that in 2006!

You read Walter Ong on oral culture vs written culture? Feels apt for the moment, as video tilts society back to oral culture and the attendant psychological/sociological/political implications. Feels like you could do a whole set of posts (not videos!) on this

newlearningonline.com/literacies/c...

I think pears today are like apples 30 years ago. Most people eat Bosc or Bartlett, and both are disappointing.

Red anjou can be pretty good. Comice is delicious. Both do require hitting that right amount of ripeness.

The USA should not initiate a war of choice with Iran. Have we learned nothing from the lies and abject waste of lives and resources that was the Iraq War

Welcome to the storage decade, we're pleased to make it happen 💪💪💪

Rystad says: "Battery storage is no longer just enabling
renewables — it is actively replacing gas
generation."

Batteries globally will jump 136 GW/350 GWh in 2026, ~2X 74 GW added in 2024!

More than 250 GW total was installed globally as of 2025
www.rystadenergy.com/insights/ene... #energysky

would you like to super size your horrors today sir

CC #EnergySky

Holy smokes, the US added over 15 GW of #EnergyStorage in 2025, according to EIA 860m data. That's more than gas (5.1 GW) and wind (5.8 GW) combined!

https://cnevpost.com/2026/01/23/catl-to-begin-fitting-sodium-batteries-passenger-cars-q2/

🔋CATL’s Tectrans sodium-ion batteries to be equipped in GAC’s electric vehicles.

The 45kWh battery pack can be charged in extreme cold, as low as -30°C.

CATL is pursuing a “dual star” trend, developing we both lithium- and sodium-ion batteries.

#batteries #battchat #greensky 🔌💡

2) Thanks to @gridstatus.io we can also see that the battery charge to load ratio is near 40%. This was unthinkable a few years ago.

#energysky

1) Battery storage on #CAISO is now being regularly charged at over 10 GW.

Source: www.caiso.com/todays-outlo...

#energysky

Reposting this for the sonic riches.

And my own contribution: huH music's 1995 techno compilation was my entry into electronic music. Prodigy, Future Sound of London, and KMFDM! (The Fairground remix from Simply Red was also pretty decent but not a fit)
www.discogs.com/release/3175...

YouTube video by llllphaserllll Red Hot Chili Peppers - Search And Destroy - B-Side [HD]

Yes I know “Search and Destroy” is Iggy Pop originally but the RHCP cover gets me going faster youtu.be/VW0sueFgcCk?...

Batteries are going to get a lot cheaper
Gas won't

California invests big in battery storage leaving rolling blackouts behind

California now has around 14GW / 50GWh of utility storage and another 3GW of domestic and commercial storage
www.latimes.com/environment/...

No no no Sega Genesis NHL94 is the true king

NHL94 prize actually would be an honor

Good morning with good news: ERCOT (Texas) solar rose 36X, from 1 GW in 2017 to 36 GW in 2025!

Solar may be ~44 GW in 2026 & ~58 GW in 2027!

Battery capacity surged 15X from ~1 GW in 2021 to ~15 GW in 2025. It may be 24 GW in 2026 and 32 GW in 2027!

WOW!

H/T @douglewin.bsky.social
#energysky

As of 5pm today, batteries were the largest single source of power for the Californian grid www.caiso.com/todays-outlo...

hey NYC friends Limelight has reopened

Didn’t the Catholic Church make inroads in medieval Europe by syncretically adopting folk musics and festivals? Would be a smart call to hold more pope raves

As an energy policy geek and sci fi enthusiast, this thread is delightful

Also he decided Christy Romer was somehow wrong on the amount of fiscal stimulus needed in 2009, when in reality he was wrong and she was right. He didn't even convey her recommendation to Obama. He owns that bit of the Great Recession and the pain household felt

In grad school my wife landed an internship at a distinguished legal NGO, offering a path to full time job doing what she loved. Her (married) advisor made advances at her, made it untenable for her to work there. It changed her professional trajectory permanently.

Fuck all these guys

Costa 2026
"The Electric Bill is Too Damn High"