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chrisjardine.energy

@chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social
197 followers 72 following 225 posts

Dr Chris Jardine Solar pioneer, renewables expert, energy educator Honorary Research Associate at Oxford University www.chrisjardine.energy

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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It can now be cleaner to heat your house with your fridge than with a gas boiler. UK emissions: Gas: 0.181 kgCO₂/kWh Electricity: 0.131 kgCO₂/kWh Most electricity used indoors ends up as heat. The question is how quickly our infrastructure and habits catch up.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Why is electrification so powerful? EVs use around ¼–⅓ as much energy as petrol/diesel cars. Heat pumps can deliver 3–4× as much heat as gas boilers for the same energy input. So we get cleaner electricity AND use much less energy. Short primer with Prof Nick Eyre.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Are we putting batteries in the wrong places? A Fraunhofer study says substation batteries could unlock 150 GW more solar in Germany. Put storage where the grid needs it. www.pv-magazine.com/2026/09/21/s...
pv-magazine.com
Study finds potential for 150 GW of additional PV at substations in Germany - pv magazine Global
A Fraunhofer IEE study estimates that battery storage could enable around 150 GW of additional PV capacity to connect at 1,313 rural substations in Germany. By absorbing generation peaks, storage coul...
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I've studied solar energy for decades, but I never thought of looking underwater. Perovskite cells can be tuned to the blue-green light that penetrates water, reaching ~34% conversion efficiency at 10 m depth. Potential uses: sensors, cameras and underwater vehicles.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Energy efficiency is about much more than energy. Warmer homes. Lower bills. Less damp and mould. Better health. Cleaner air. Local jobs. We call these the “co-benefits” of energy efficiency. But for many people, aren't they actually the main benefits?
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Opposition to ULEZ is often framed as if restricting urban pollution is a new idea. In 1306, King Edward I banned the burning of highly polluting 'sea-coal' in England. Perhaps the idea that we shouldn't pollute the air around other people isn't such a modern imposition. It's 720 years old!
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Our energy systems are still incredibly wasteful 😢 LEDs are a great example of energy efficiency. The savings from better end-use appliances compound through the whole energy system. Use less at the end, and you need less energy throughout the system. That keeps fossil fuels in the ground. 💪
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Try this. How do you feel if someone asks you to: • shower half as often? • drive less? • stop flying? The emotions these questions provoke may explain why tackling climate change is so difficult.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Energy efficiency may be the biggest climate success story that hardly anyone talks about. Since 1970, improvements in energy efficiency have contributed around five times more than cleaner fuels to reducing energy intensity. Here's a one-minute explanation. 🎥
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The Telegraph seems to be making some wild claims about solar panels losing efficiency. Even on a hot day, modern TOPCon panels only lose around 4.5-6% efficiency. That's hardly dramatic. And on crisp, sunny days? They perform even better. www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
telegraph.co.uk
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
A solar farm shaped like a galloping horse 🐎 Part of a 100GW project in Inner Mongolia that's generating electricity while helping to hold back desert expansion. www.autonocion.com/us/great-wal...
autonocion.com
China is building a 250-mile "great wall" of solar panels along a desert, wide enough to see from space, and one piece is shaped like a galloping horse the size of a small city, a Guinness record visi...
Getting a new power line approved in the US is a multiyear slog of hearings, permitting, and the occasional lawsuit, all before a single steel tower goes up.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Energy efficiency has arguably done more to reduce emissions than renewable energy over the last 50 years. Yet it rarely gets the same attention. I spoke to Professor Nick Eyre for my latest video on why energy efficiency may be the most underrated climate solution. youtu.be/g_HUNA1Fj4I
youtu.be
Energy Efficiency: The Most Underrated Solution to Climate Change | Energy 101, Ep 9
YouTube video by chrisjardine.energy
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Reposted by chrisjardine.energy
Bo Vagner Hansen @bovagner.eurosky.social · 09/06/2026
2/3 of all energy going into the energy system globally goes to waste. @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social discusses energy efficiency with @nickeyre.bsky.social. Energy efficiency is responsible for more decarbonization than renewable energy, and still holds huge potential. youtu.be/g_HUNA1Fj4I
youtu.be
Energy Efficiency: The Most Underrated Solution to Climate Change | Energy 101, Ep 9
YouTube video by chrisjardine.energy
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Energy efficiency saves energy, but it also creates purchasing power. The money saved on fuel, heating, or electricity usually gets spent somewhere else instead, sometimes on highly energy-intensive activities. Economists call this the indirect rebound effect. Latest short explainer 👇
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
If your car becomes twice as efficient, you’d expect to use half as much energy. But that’s not what happens in reality. Because when driving becomes cheaper, people often drive more. This is called the rebound effect.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Making coal use more efficient caused society to burn more coal. That was the insight behind Jevons Paradox in 1865, and it still matters today. Efficiency improvements reduce costs, expand markets, and can increase total resource use across society.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
We’ve spent decades making technology more energy efficient. So why does global energy use keep rising? The answer is something called the rebound effect, and at societal scale, Jevons Paradox. New video: youtu.be/3ypxcJhFgOM
youtu.be
We Made Energy More Efficient… So Why Are We Using More? | Energy 101
YouTube video by chrisjardine.energy
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Rising fuel prices is an equity issue. It hits the poorest hardest. So it's perhaps no surprise to see a split between the South East and the rest of England. Some areas are spending more than double on fuel costs, as a percentage of income. The question, of course, is what we can do about this?
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
“Solar and storage” has always felt off to me. Storage is not about one technology. It is about the whole system. The phrase quietly puts the burden of intermittency on solar alone. That is a framing problem, not just a wording one.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Many climate solutions do not fail because the technology is bad. They fail because the system around them is incomplete. No installers. No infrastructure. No coordination. That is the real challenge. #Energy #Climate
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
EV adoption is no longer just a Europe, US, China story. Emerging markets are leapfrogging. Vietnam ~40% EV share. Indonesia ahead of the US. Brazil, India, Mexico ahead of Japan. That is a big shift in where the future market is being shaped.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
The energy transition is not just about building new systems. It is about replacing old ones that are still working, still familiar, and still widely used. That is what makes it hard. #Energy #Climate
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Climate action feels slow for a simple reason. We are not just changing technology. We are trying to change entire systems that were built to resist change. That takes time. #EnergyTransition #Climate
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
"Every dominant civilisation throughout history has been defined by the particular energy source or sources it mastered. [China..] dominant clean energy civilisation, superseding the previously polluting Western civilisation that sparked the first industrial revolution" www.scmp.com/opinion/arti...
scmp.com
My Take | Is China just an emerging electro-state or an electro-civilisation state?
Like every advancing society in the past, it sees the future by seizing new energy sources and their associated technologies.
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Reposted by chrisjardine.energy
Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Why do we keep using worse technology even if there are much better alternatives on offer? Love this new video from @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social @ecioxford.bsky.social! www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtfX...
youtube.com
Why We Keep Using Worse Technology - And Why Climate Action Is So Hard | Energy 101 Ep 7
YouTube video by chrisjardine.energy
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Why do we keep using technologies we know are worse? QWERTY keyboards. British taps. Microsoft Word. Not because they’re better. Because everything around them reinforces their use. The same thing is happening in energy. youtu.be/jtfXFfDYaew
youtu.be
Why We Keep Using Worse Technology - And Why Climate Action Is So Hard | Energy 101 Ep 7
YouTube video by chrisjardine.energy
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
8am. I’m reading an article, in mainstream media, on shifting energy demand to match supply. In the kitchen, the radio is playing an EdF ad offering free electricity on summer Sundays. Is demand flexibility... going mainstream? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Run the dishwasher, plug in the car: how Great Britain plans to use record wind and solar power
With a summer glut on cards, customers are being urged to use more energy when renewables are abundant
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Climate policy has a problem. The tools voters support are the opposite of the ones economists recommend. This article asks: Can education help voters think like economists? But the real question is: Can education help economists think like real people 🤔 energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/04/13/t...
energyathaas.wordpress.com
The Climate Policy Paradox: Why Voters Reject the Tools that Economists Advocate Most
Economists overwhelmingly favor carbon taxes and cap-and-trade over environmental regulatory standards, but voters disagree. Our new research shows that simple economic misunderstandings help expla…
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Turnips + solar = higher yields 😃 New research suggests agrivoltaics could unlock ~$36bn over 25 years. Shift to “food first” solar design to balance crops + power 👍 www.yahoo.com/news/article...
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
There’s no single solution to energy security. Every solution involves trade-offs. That’s what makes it difficult.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The biggest energy risk isn’t today. It’s whether the system can change. Some systems adapt. Others get stuck. Part 5 of a short series on energy security.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The real problem isn’t failure. It’s recovery time. Part 4 of a short series on energy security. Part 4: Resilience
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Energy systems fail suddenly. This is part 3 of a short series on energy security. Part 3: Robustness
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Energy can be available and still unaffordable. This is part 2 of a short series on energy security. Part 2: Affordability
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Energy security is not just about supply. This is part 1 of a short series on the five types of energy security. Part 1: Availability
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
At this time of crisis, it's worth reminding ourselves that energy efficiency is a double win 👍👍 Of course, being more efficient uses less energy, and you therefore save money on your bills. theconversation.com/why-saving-p...
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The Iran war isn’t really an energy supply crisis. It’s something much more complicated. And most of the commentary you see in the media is missing it completely. 👇 Explained here
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The solar industry has many inherent advantages over its competitors - it's modular and very scalable. But we can add a new adjective to that list: it's also incredibly nimble. www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2026/03/sola...
solarpowerworldonline.com
Solar panels are trying to use less silver. Is that wise?
For a glass rectangle with a simple appearance, a solar panel has a lot of components. Besides the obvious glass, frame, junction boxes and wiring, there
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
There's a lot of stories around at the moment about how renewable energy shields countries from oil price shocks. It's a nice narrative, but one that's not quite right in my opinion,, because it ignores the flows of different fuels within an energy system. www.dw.com/en/iran-war-...
dw.com
How renewable energy shields countries from oil price shocks
The Iran war has sent oil and gas prices surging. As countries like the US double down on fossil fuels, experts say the conflict shows how speeding up homegrown renewables is the only way to avoid fut...
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Knowing who is responsible for carbon emissions is essential for finding ways to reduce them. In the latest episode of my Energy 101 Youtube series, I look at different definitions of energy and carbon. 👇 👇 Link to video in the comments
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
What if we could get more power from hydro by making the water heavier? 😲 A new project in Devon uses a mineral-rich fluid two and a half times denser than water. - A great way to open up new projects? -Or is it pumping chemicals up and down a hill? www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
First of its kind ‘high-density’ hydro system begins generating electricity in Devon
Project employs technology that can be used to store and release renewable energy using even gentle slopes
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Dear Journalists, In light of the recent AR6 auction for new wind farm projects, please note that the agreed price per kWh is NOT a 'subsidy'. It is an agreed price to be paid for the generated electricity.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
The speed of the rollout of renewables in China is at such an unprecedented pace that it's sometimes difficult to take in the numbers. So, instead, here's a wonderful photo essay, capturing the scale, majesty, and yes - beauty - of the energy transition in action 😍 e360.yale.edu/digest/china...
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
New research shows agrivoltaics can reduce the need for fertilisers. Better water retention under partial shade slows nutrient loss and enhances fertility, impacting on both the nitrogen and phosphorous cycles. That means less man-made fertiliser is required 👍 bioengineer.org/boosting-sus...
bioengineer.org
Boosting Sustainable Crops: Agrivoltaics Optimize Fertilizer Use
Agrivoltaics, the innovative integration of solar photovoltaic panels with agricultural practices, is rapidly emerging as a transformative technology poised to reshape sustainable farming,
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
"It's no longer clear that major economies are even running the same race" Great review of the status of the energy transition from BloombergNEF Different industrial strategies are leading to a fragmented approach to energy - petrostate vs electrostate. about.bnef.com/insights/cle...
about.bnef.com
Progress Despite Fragmentation: The Energy Transition to 2030 | BloombergNEF
The second half of the decade will not be straightforward, but count on more progress being made.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
If you're appalled at Trump's military action in Venezuela and are wondering what you can do, the answer is pretty simple. Switch to an electric vehicle. ⚡ 🚗 electrek.co/2026/01/03/e...
electrek.co
Electric vehicles will end oil wars - if we let them
With the news that the US has invaded a country for oil, we are reminded that EVs will remove motivations for this type of conflict.
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Whilst agrivoltaics offer clear benefits in sunnier climes by protecting plants from heat stress, you wouldn't necessarily expect the same to be true in Alaska. www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the...
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Reposted by chrisjardine.energy
Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Energy systems are at the heart of climate change, technology, and the future of how we live, but they’re far more complex than most people realise. This is a great explainer video by @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social that helps to make sense of the energy system. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXG...
youtube.com
How Energy Systems REALLY work - here's 3 ways of understanding Energy Systems | Energy 101, Ep 4
YouTube video by chrisjardine.energy
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chrisjardine.energy @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
So, what are energy systems, exactly? In my latest video, I look at 3 different ways of looking at energy systems - a technical view, as a social system, and even looking at chaos theory and feedback loops. Which one of these approaches resonates with you? youtu.be/sCXGmh4sdP0
youtu.be
How Energy Systems REALLY work - here's 3 ways of understanding Energy Systems | Energy 101, Ep 4
YouTube video by chrisjardine.energy
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