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Iain Soutar

@isoutar.bsky.social
14K followers 2.3K following 3.2K posts

Senior Lecturer in Energy Policy at the University of Exeter, UK. Researching change, inertia and public engagement in energy transitions. experts.exeter.ac.uk/19656-iain-sou…

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Reposted by Iain Soutar
Ellie Mae O'Hagan @elliemaeohagan.bsky.social · 9h
OK now I'm back at work I want to talk about GB Grid. I think the govt did the best it could at communicating this announcement but it's quite technical and you need to understand the energy system to fully get it, so it's almost impossible to sum up in a soundbite. Let me explain as far as I can:
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
as a satire on so-called late stage capitalism how could one beat investors pouring a trillion into a company offering to wipe out humankind
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Beau @drbeaubeaumont.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
To be fair, you honestly can’t say that Enid Blyton isn’t prepared to move with the times.
BBC headline: Five arrested as counter-terror police investigate major incident near RAF Fairford
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Ryan @ryanwright.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is how I remember the order of Henry VIII’s wives.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wtaf is this question my university just asked me about my project?
Does the project involve any work that could be interpreted as promoting DEIA, climate change research, or non-compliant to any Presidential Executive Orders?
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Iain Soutar @isoutar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"The agent, which is an autonomous computer program [DESIGNED BY PEOPLE], accessed the statistics portal"
bbc.co.uk
Australia launches urgent review after OpenAI program hacks government health portal
Experts believe it's the world's first known AI breach of a government system.
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Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Good to see @theifs.bsky.social call for more focus on time-of-use pricing for electricity today - this is one of the big opportunities for bringing down electricity bills. Also an interesting idea to move many fixed costs of electricity off unit rates, onto standing charges or taxation...
ifs.org.uk
Electricity prices | Institute for Fiscal Studies
We explore why UK electricity prices are so high and what reforms can be made to improve the efficiency of the market for and taxation of electricity.
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Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Meanwhile, in China.
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Mariana Mazzucato @mazzucatom.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We’re hiring a Policy Fellow in Green Industrial Strategy & Green Finance at @iipp-ucl.bsky.social !
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Enormous drop in oil demand this year due to Trump's war in Iran. As predicted, he has accidentally accelerated the green transition (with, of course, a very heavy and deadly cost in how it's happened) www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-glo...
carbonbrief.org
Analysis: Global fossil-fuel emissions set to fall in 2026 amid Hormuz crisis - Carbon Brief
Global fossil-fuel emissions are set to fall by in 2026 amid the fallout from the Hormuz crisis, according to Carbon Brief analysis.
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Centre for Sustainable Energy @cse.org.uk · 17/09/2026
We welcome the launch of Great British Energy's Community Fund and Partnership Grants today 🎉 We're pleased to see an emphasis on partnership building, community ownership, engagement and long-term local benefit - principles we've long advocated for via our #CommunityEnergy work.
gov.uk
‘People’s Power’ projects to give more control over local energy
Communities across the country will be able to build and control their own clean energy supply.
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Athena Kugblenu @athenakugblenu.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The only way they would shut down AI is if it became self-aware but started to say things like 'net zero now' and 'stop destroying orangutan habitat'. Do you know how quickly they pull the plug if AI came out as woke 😂
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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"Firm renewables are here - Some 75% of the planet can get firm solar + battery + backup supply for under $100/MWh" ember-energy.org/app/uploads/...
Firm renewables are here
Some 75% of the planet can get firm solar + battery + backup supply for under $100/MWh
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Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
My understanding is that the evidence shows LLM-based assessment gives better 'marks' to LLM-written things (essays, grants etc). So by choosing to use LLM-based assessment, UKRI will likely penalise every academic who actually writes their own grants unassisted. Grim.
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Elinor Taylor @elinormtaylor.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Apart from everything else, this is such a massive ‘fuck you’ to incoming students from management. ‘Hello, we’ve decided to spend the next year fighting our entire staff over basic employment issues. Enjoy your course!’
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 16/09/2026
ELECTRIFICATION: Really striking chart showing that three-quarters of final energy demand can now be electrified "economically" (ie at lower lifetime cost) – and 90% electrification is technically possible From the latest @ember-energy.org slidedeck by @kingsmillbond.bsky.social and colleagues
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Peter Whitewood @pwhitewood.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The real test is whether the AI makes a reference to a film from 1998 and is surprised nobody gets it.
thetimes.com
A lecturer replaced himself with AI. No one noticed — could you?
When Dr Luke Rowe from Australian Catholic University revealed his ruse, his students said they preferred the fake version
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
New post out: The battle over the Strait of Hormuz combined with the Houthis capturing the coast of Yemen, is putting severe strain on the global economy. We have an alarming guest post from a leading maritime expert on how bad things could get. (£/free trial) samf.substack.com/p/houthis-ho...
samf.substack.com
Houthis, Hormuz and the “chokepoint” threat to the global economy
Today and Thursday we have two posts addressing big risks facing the global economy.
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Ember @ember-energy.org · 15/09/2026
Reducing household dependence on fossil fuels is the best way to protect British families from international energy price shocks Join our webinar as we outline the local benefits of electrotech and how Britain can accelerate uptake over the next decade⚡ us02web.zoom.us/webi...
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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
the things that Brighton university management has decided it simply… no longer recognises? it also no longer recognises UCU or Unison? again: how is this legal!!!!
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Adrian Hiel @adrianhiel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Just recorded the final episode of this series on electrifying my house. It should be out in 2 weeks and it will have a wrap-up of all the costs akd whether I did, in fact, manage to electrify my house for free.
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Daniel C. Blight @danielcblight.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
***URGENT PLEASE SHARE*** University of Brighton management have announced today that they ‘give notice of termination of all collective agreements’. This is a fundamental erasure of workers' rights. Management have announced the termination of all contractual documents, which includes:
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Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Bravo Bristol. The ban covers advertising of petrol, diesel and hybrid-electric vehicles and SUV’s, flights, airports, cruise holidays and travel agents, firms and lobbying related to the fossil fuel industry, and marketing that encourages excessive consumption of fashion products or trends.
bristol247.com
Council bans advertising of fast fashion, flights and cars
Adverts for high carbon products will no longer appear on council-owned ad spaces
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Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch
Chart with headline “The Us has little incentive to ease the global gas squeeze”.
The charts show European (Dutch TTF) prices rising from $10 per MMBtu to nearly $30 now, while US prices have remained mostly flat below $5
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Iain Soutar @isoutar.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Is it too early in term for wine?
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Iain Soutar @isoutar.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Excellent explainer!
theguardian.com
Mapped: the £150bn megaproject that aims to protect Britain from energy shocks
Thousands of miles of new power lines are needed to deliver climate targets and energy security, but bills will rise in the short term and opponents are mobilising
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John Springford @johnspringford.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It is a show of force. Or perhaps a test ...
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Melissa Terras @melissaterras.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I grieved for the Internet, I grieved for Social Media, now I grieve for universities, and their communities. This is all part of a mass-dismantling of social connection (and university leaders have been blithe to their part). What does that leave? We all become selfish? Not why I work at a uni…
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Iain Soutar @isoutar.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I have just dug up a haunted doll's head, so I guess we're going to be tormented by an evil force for the next few weeks.
A muddy and broken doll's head, which is also definitely haunted.
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Jenny TP @jennytpgrows.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
#Bristol friends, please could you give Iain some recommendations?⬇️
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Iain Soutar @isoutar.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Where is nice to eat in Bristol, Blueskyers?
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 11/09/2026
omg. (it wasn't me) www.famouscampaigns.com/2026/09/meta...
famouscampaigns.com
Meta smart glasses mocked by fake notices on London Underground
London’s backlash against camera-equipped smart glasses has reached the Tube, with spoof stickers styled as official TfL safety notices appearing inside Underground carriages and warning wearers that ...
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I know I’m a bore on this but here’s why the Science Minister should absolutely care about the humanities and social sciences rather than thinking it is for DCMS ukri.substack.com/p/why-ai-wil...
ukri.substack.com
Why AI will fail without the humanities and social sciences
AI can transform society. But only if society has a say in shaping it, writes Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of The British Academy.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A cheery message from the new minister responsible for research funding for the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences (and the subjects that the majority of UK taught undergraduate and Masters students study).
thetimes.com
Science and maths degrees offer most value to the nation, says minister
Chris McDonald told a room full of vice-chancellors that science, engineering and mathematics ‘offer the greatest personal, social and economic value’
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Iain Soutar @isoutar.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Two key figures from the National Audit Office transmission report today. 1) we have installed a lot of low carbon generation over the last 25 years, much in places where it is not needed locally and 2), we are consequently spending ever more to turn assets on/off to balance supply & demand.
two maps of Great Britain, one from 2000 and the other from 2025, showing a huge increase in number of generation plant, mostly wind in the north and solar in the southa stacked bar chart from 2015 to 2025 showing an increase in 'turn up' and 'turn down' elements of constraint costs, the majority of which are paid to gas fired generators to turn up power at short notice
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Jim Dickinson @jimdickinson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
NEW on Wonkhe: Nick Hulbert-Williams argues that what looks like low morale and change fatigue in HE may really be a crisis of belonging buff.ly/7PuwCwl
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Iain Soutar @isoutar.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
So the University of Exeter is not going ahead with compulsory redundancies, but only because enough staff opted for the 'voluntary' package. I'm remaining in post, but I'm gutted to lose so many great colleagues and friends from our dept, and so needlessly.
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
As both an academic and a writer, I am repelled by the "this looks like a long document. Would you like me to summarize it for you?" that seems to appear at the top of every pdf viewer now. NO. The *entire point* of good writing (either books or journal papers) is that every sentence has a purpose.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
From October, methods 'include “exploring the safe use of AI-assisted assessment, supported by appropriate controls and safeguards, starting with a retrospective trial with the UK Metascience Unit to compare what AI would have concluded from past applications against the decisions that were made”.'
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
When asked in the Q&A about arts and humanities he says he personally values them (seems very genuine) but that he is the Science Minister, and it’s for the DCMS Minister to make the case for those. He’s perhaps not yet clocked he is responsible for all R&D. Would Wissenschaft Minister work better?
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Richard Carr @richardcarr.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Today I announce my own iron clad personal guarantee that in no way would I pay lip service to the role of “AI trailblazer” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/all-und...
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alice @alicebennett.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Moodle Champions explaining how to drag and drop files into a VLE. I’ve watched Learning Technology Advocates demo mentimeter in the dark of a sparsely populated lecture theatre. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 09/09/2026
University of Exeter staff have delivered a huge mandate to keep fighting cuts. 91% voted for industrial action on a 74% turnout. The fight to defend jobs and education at Exeter continues.
ucu.org.uk
University of Exeter staff back industrial action in redundancy fight
Staff at the University of Exeter have overwhelmingly backed a mandate for industrial action in a battle to save jobs, the University and College Union (UCU) has announced today.
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Centre for Sustainable Energy @cse.org.uk · 09/09/2026
The Local Power Plan has set a target of 8 GW of #CommunityEnergy by 2030. That's only achievable if the right support reaches the right communities at the right time. Built with Community Energy England and Ashden Climate Solutions, that's what Community Energy GO is designed to do. Explore more👇
communityenergygo.org.uk
Home - Community Energy GO
Welcome to Community Energy GO — Turn your renewable energy idea into reality. We connect community groups across England with expert advice, practical tools and hands-on support to make your project happen.
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Ilikecaketoo (UK) @ilikecaketoo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Disgraceful that the RNLI have to say this today, but here we are 😞. If you would like to donate👇🏻. rnli.org/support-us/g... #RNLI #RNLISavesLives
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Cecilia Keating @ceciliakeating.carbonbrief.org · 09/09/2026
NEW - We looked at what can, and can't, be said about climate change and the 2026 Himalayan floods Attribution is difficult, but rising temps, permafrost thaw and glacier melt may have all contributed to the disaster Feat. insights @iceybethan.bsky.social & Jakob Steiner shorturl.at/J66h
shorturl.at
Q&A: What can – and cannot – be said about global warming’s role in the 2026 Himalayan floods - Carbon Brief
On the morning of 26 August, flash floods surged through a Himalayan border region of Nepal and the Chinese region…
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Adam Bell @adambell.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Am totally fascinated by the AI people who are happy to roll the dice on ending the human race just to ensure that it's their electric toy that gets to murder us all first.
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 09/09/2026
Astrophotographer Adam (AJ) Smadi caught this image a few hours ago from Washington state. A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface. And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
A crescent Moon seen during the day, arcing from upper left to lower right of the frame. At lower centre is the full disk of Jupiter; the small dots to its upper left and lower right and Io and Ganymede, respectively.
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Flicking through a 1976 issue of the NME and discovered this incredible couple of pars. Lesson right here for any commentator talking too confidently about the present day.
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