iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

7/8 What to do: strengthen federal analytical capabilities, incentivize early commercial production, invest in use-inspired RD&D, empower early adopters, and collaborate with allies and partners.

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

6/8 Federal policy has begun to address these challenges across numerous agencies since the pandemic, but it remains fragmented, inconsistent, and insufficiently focused on innovation.

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

5/8 Getting these technologies fielded at scale requires overcoming stubborn challenges, including socially embedded relationships, interdependence across & within supply chain tiers, high upfront costs & risks, & pervasive information gaps. Profile: @silananotech.bsky.social www.silanano.com

silanano.com

Sila - Advanced Silicon Anode Battery Technology Leader

The modern silicon anode was invented and scaled by Sila. Titan Silicon delivers 20% more energy density for batteries powering millions of devices…

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

4/8 Supply chain innovation can & should expand & diversify resource supplies, reduce use of vulnerable inputs, substitute abundant materials for scarce ones, recover value from waste through recycling, & apply AI to discovery, production, and product design. Profile: Nth Cycle nthcycle.com

nthcycle.com

Nth Cycle | Filling the largest and most urgent gap in the critical mineral supply chain.

We refine mined and recycled materials to produce the world’s most valuable industrial inputs. With applications across batteries, magnets, semiconductors, and more, we enable progress across the mode...

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Prof. Kathleen Kennedy and other colleagues at UMD's @ctrglobsust.bsky.social helped curate and edit this work for publication. The Energy and Environment Program of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supported the boot camp. cgs.umd.edu/research-imp...

2024 Energy and Climate-Tech Innovation Policy “Boot Camp” Policy Briefs | Center for Global Sustainability

David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

The second, by Constantine Spandagos of UNH analyzes eligibility for public programs that alleviate energy poverty. Drawing on a unique database and machine learning models, he finds that traditional metrics unfairly exclude a large fraction of the energy-poor. cgs.umd.edu/sites/defaul...

David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

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The first, by Professor Erick C. Jones Jr. of the University of Texas identifies intermediate processing as the missing link in securing the battery minerals supply chain. Prof. Jones' brief relies on modeling and lab experiments to reach its conclusions. cgs.umd.edu/sites/defaul...

David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

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I'm pleased to share two new policy briefs by participants in the University of Maryland & George Mason University Energy Innovation Policy Boot Camp. These briefs are based on and provide links to the authors' peer-reviewed research. cgs.umd.edu/research-imp...

2024 Energy and Climate-Tech Innovation Policy “Boot Camp” Policy Briefs | Center for Global Sustainability

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

So sad. Encapsulates everything that is going sideways, backwards, wrong....

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

8/9 Regional collaborations involving all sectors could implement ED strategies that fill the missing middle. Read @aaronbrickman.bsky.social @benfeshbach.bsky.social & Whitney Mann @rockymtninst.bsky.social “Energy Technology Commercialization Can Power Regional Economic Strategy—and Vice Versa”

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

7/9 Such agencies could also provide support through grants and other forms of financial assistance, easing the capital burden for other investors. Read @adriawilson.bsky.social @cleaneconomy.bsky.social “Creating a Continuum of Support Across the Clean Energy Innovation Pipeline”

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

6/9 Public agencies at the federal and state levels could make similar demand guarantees, and do so in collaboration with private customers. Read Jetta Wong (JLW Advising), “The Power of Demand Pull: How the Government Can Shape Market Dynamics for a Cleaner Future”

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

5/9 Guaranteed demand for emerging energy technologies from groups of private customers reduces risks for potential investors as well. Read @alexkizer.bsky.social (EFI Foundation), “Modernizing American Energy Policy With Demand-Side Tools”

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

4/9 Private non-profit catalytic and philanthropic investors are also taking on risks that conventional investors will not. Read my conclusion: Reflections on the Missing Middle”

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

3/9 Potential solutions involve private/public/collaborative action. Private solutions center on innovative methods of transferring risk, such as new forms of insurance. Read Brentan Alexander (Roebling), “Project Finance: A Tool for Risk Transfer in First-of-a-Kind Projects”

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

2/9 The missing middle is not irrational. Far from it. Prospective investors don’t see sufficient reward for the risk they’d be taking. Read Jacquelyn Pless (MIT), “From Promise to Performance: Why Energy Innovation Stalls at Scale and Pathways for Bridging the Missing Middle”

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

1/9 Thread: Pleased to share publication of “Financing the Missing Middle: Mobilizing Investment to Scale Emerging Energy Technologies” by @cfr.org This essay collection offers insights on the #MissingMiddle challenge from several perspectives. www.cfr.org/reports/fina...

Financing the Missing Middle | Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan member organization, think tank, and publisher.

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Everyone knows by now that China is winning the US war with Iran as renewable-EV-battery exports grow. But that isn’t the full story. China is also winning w inputs into its new big three, electricity system buildouts, & innovation. My latest @cfr.org www.cfr.org/articles/wit...

With Hormuz Closed, China Is Wiring the Globe’s Clean Energy Future | Council on Foreign Relations

No matter the outcome of the conflict between the United States and Iran, China will be better off in the postwar world order due to its global leadership not only in renewable energy and batteries, b...

David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Did you miss the @cfr.org "Global Energy Innovation Index" when it came out last November? Rectify that error with a listen to this week's @rff.org "Resources Radio" podcast. www.resources.org/resources-ra...

resources.org

Which Countries Lead on Energy Innovation, with David Hart

David Hart shares his insights into the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Energy Innovation Index.

David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

In case you missed it last week, a new piece on energy innovation policy...

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

New! @americanenterprise.bsky.social I make the case that the federal government should accelerate energy innovation by systematically and strategically employing the diverse and powerful tools it has used only piecemeal in the past. www.aei.org/research-pro...

aei.org

David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

So sayeth GAO: DOE created OCED to manage $27 billion[with bipartisan Congressional authorization] OCED committed $18 billion to 100 projects. Significant decrease in workforce reduced its oversight capacity. DOE needs a plan to oversee funds [and spend the rest wisely]. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

gao.gov

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Akkshath connects the dots, linking publication trends to economic outcomes. Chinese publications correspond with industries Beijing has targeted for global leadership: photovoltaics, lithium-ion batteries, and electric vehicles. All the details here: www.cfr.org/articles/wak...

Wake Up Call for American Energy Research: How China is Pulling Ahead | Council on Foreign Relations

Research publications may seem far removed from a country’s industrial competitiveness, but they are in fact an important signal of it. CFR’s Global Energy Innovation Index (GEII) ...

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Drawing on @cfr.org Global Energy Innovation Index, co-author & super-intern Akkshath Subrahmanian shows how China is surging past the United States. For instance, China accounts for nearly half (45%) of all highly-cited publications in fields linked to energy innovation.

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

In case you missed it....looking forward to today's discussion at CFR w colleagues from CRES, Antora Energy, & @americancleanpower.bsky.social

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

New @cfr.org a short version of my recent report on US auto policy: "Compete, Don't Retreat" Protection is necessary now but shouldn't last forever. If we wait too long, we could be shut out of the world's largest manfg sector. www.cfr.org/expert-brief...

A Smarter U.S. Response to China’s Electric Vehicle Revolution

If the United States waits too long to respond more fully and constructively, it could become an isolated island of gas-powered vehicles in an electric vehicle world driven by China.

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Each year @cfr.org asks fellows to visualize key global trends. My pick this year: "the rise of the electrostate" www.cfr.org/article/visu...

Electricity as a share of final energy in China overtakes that of US and Germany between 2000 and 2025. China's exports of batteries, EVs, and solar PV rise dramatically between 2018 and 2025.

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David M. Hart @profdavidhart.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

New @cfr.org a policy strategy to reposition US auto industry to respond to China’s export boom. Temporary protection is necessary but must be used wisely. Indefinite protection will forgo benefits for US consumers & cede ROW to China. #energysky #climatesky www.cfr.org/report/compe...