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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋

@arik.org

769 followers 1.5K following 16K posts

Ex-tech and business journalist. Solar power enthusiast. Portland Timbers, Wrexham and Man City fan. I write about Nordic #genealogy at ariks.substack.com #RCTID 🌻🌻🌻 ↙️↙️↙️ arik.org

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 9h

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 30/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 29/09/2026

In 343 of 345 polls conducted since January, Dems lead for control of Congress in next month's Midterm elections. The latest is a YouGov poll that has @democrats.org up by 15 points. Get ready for some adult supervision in Congress. Gift link from @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The Race for Congress: Latest 2026 Polls (Gift Article)

Track the latest Congressional ballot surveys that ask who Americans plan to vote for in the 2026 midterm election.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 29/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 28/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 27/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 26/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 25/09/2026

Someone tried to email bomb me over the weekend. (I think I know who but whatever.) Here’s what happened: I basically slept right through it. My email setup is carefully hardened against exactly this sort of thing. Didn’t notice until it was basically over.

static.klipy.com

Relaxed Cockerspaniel in Hammock

ALT: Relaxed Cockerspaniel in Hammock

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 25/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 23/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 22/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 21/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 20/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 19/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 18/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Yes, but I think putting solar panels on them might in some cases be a better choice.

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Notice I didn't say all bus stop shelters. But I've seen sunny days in December that require sunglasses in Midtown. Honestly the city has a lot more potential for solar than most people realize. All those tall buildings have exposed roofs without a lot unused space.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Totally fair. It is New York City after all.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

No issues since. No polishing or cleaning or anything like that.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Panels don't need much maintenance. I have 31 on my roof and my solar company has never had a reason to touch them. The underlying infrastructure can sometimes fail - I had to replace a faulty inverter in the basement one year in, and had to replace a faulty lead wire at about the same time.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Exacatly! Hey @mayor.nyc.gov see what @sjoneswastaken.bsky.social just linked to? How about some bus stop structures like that?!?

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

So the lifecycle issue you raised is important, but it's becoming less of a problem every year as the supply chain and lifecycle management processes improve along with the regulatory frameworks at the state and (hopefully someday) federal level.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

The good news is that the cost to recycle has already fallen by more than 40 percent in the last three years. There's a plant in Georgia that recovers 96 percent of the materials in panels, and it's scaling up. Other companies run a closed loop process.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

I'm pretty sure in the next decade we can fix that. In EU panel manufacturers have to pay the cost of eventual recovery up front. In Washingtons State manufactures are required to take panels back at no cost. New York has new regulations under consideration on this front.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

In the U.S. I'll grant that recycling and recovering materials from aged out panels is the weak link. In the EU, 85 percent of the materials from solar panels is recovered vs. 10 percent in the U.S. But my panels are rated to operate for 25 years, and they're only four years into their lifecyle.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

I have 31 panels on my roof. They're from a company called Rec Group, which is Norwegian, with its manufacturing based in Singapore. So it is possible to source solar panels ethically.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Panels themselves are mostly glass, aluminum, and silicon, though, with no rare earths. And it doesn't have to be either/or. Green roofs and solar actually work well together, because the plants keep the panels cooler and that helps them produce more power. I'd love to see more of both.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

You're right that supply chains matter, and the reports linking solar-grade polysilicon to forced labor in China were serious. That's a big reason the U.S. blocks imports tied to the Xinjiang region, and why it's worth asking installers where their panels come from. However....

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Not with the mandated 3-4 inch air gap between the panels and the roof. Since they're outdoors the air that gets warmed in that gap will pass naturally, the the structure should feel cooler as the sunlight is blocked.

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 17/09/2026

Mr. Mayor: Here's a thought: Solar panels on the roofs.

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 16/09/2026

Brilliant.

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Norfolk Southern’s CFO “said fuel prices at the present time are like something out of ‘science fiction.’” $NSC

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 16/09/2026

And people used to tell me my teardown stories for BusinessWeek and the WSJ were "boring."

Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 16/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 15/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 13/09/2026

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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 12/09/2026

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Burns.

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