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Stephen Lacey

@stephenlacey.bsky.social
1.4K followers 504 following 126 posts

Executive editor of Latitude Media. Co-host of "Open Circuit," a show decoding the energy transition.

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Reposted by Stephen Lacey
Jigar Shah @jigarshahdc.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Bill Gates hasn’t made sense on Climate since he teamed up with Bjorn Lomberg in 2009. This is just a restating of Bjorn’s book from this year about how we have a finite amount of money and we shouldn’t use it for climate. What they get wrong is that climate solutions are now fully profitable.
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Advanced Energy United @advancedenergyunited.org · 06/10/2025
In an interview with @latitudemedia.bsky.social's @stephenlacey.bsky.social, United’s President & CEO @honeill.bsky.social discussed how, with waning federal support, businesses must shift their focus to the states & regions. Listen to the full interview: buff.ly/aTh4qXE
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Quentin Watkins @quentinwatkins.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Such an interesting discussion about climate risk. Thanks @stephenlacey.bsky.social and team! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
podcasts.apple.com
JPMorgan’s climate scientist thinks differently about risk
Podcast Episode · Open Circuit · 09/05/2025 · 53m
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Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 25/07/2025
I got to be a guest host on the Open Curcuit podcast with @stephenlacey.bsky.social & @cleangridview.bsky.social this week, & here’s how we talked about the One Big Beautiful Bill & what it does to raise costs, raise emissions, & reduce reliability. 🔌💡 Listen: www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-ci...
Bike man meme. 

 Riding the bike: we need energy dominance and affordability!

Putting a stick through the spikes: OBBB, permitting restrictions,
red tape, cancelling a transmission line

On the ground, hurt: but, but, but blackouts are coming
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Michael Grunwald @mikegrunwald.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
I talked to the great Open Circuit crew (@stephenlacey.bsky.social @jigarshahdc.bsky.social & Katherine Hamilton) about what energy people should know about food, and what food people can learn from the energy revolution. www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-ci...
latitudemedia.com
What we learned from the ethanol disaster
Michael Grunwald on the hidden emissions of biofuels, the failure of feel-good farming, and how ag tech can learn from energy.
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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 29/06/2025
Elon Musk slammed the Senate’s latest version of President Donald Trump’s tax bill Saturday, raging online that the cuts to electric vehicle and other clean energy credits would be “incredibly destructive” to the US.
bloom.bg
Musk Rages as Trump Tax Bill Slashes Electric Vehicle Credits
Elon Musk slammed the US Senate’s latest version of President Donald Trump’s multi-trillion dollar tax bill Saturday, warning that the cuts to electric vehicle and other clean energy credits would be “incredibly destructive” to the country.
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Avi Zevin @azevin.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
NABTU gets it. “Equivalent of canceling 1000 keystone XLs” "Biggest job killing Bill in the history of the country"
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Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
NOTE TO SELF: Next time google “what does this political party believe” before giving them $277 million
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Robbie Orvis @robbieorvis.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Well we have the new text from Senate Budget, and we did indeed see the high water mark in the Finance text. The latest text is much worse: back to placed in service by and of 2027, same onerous and draconian FEOC requirements, NEW excise on tax on wind and solar.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Climate tech capital is fleeing America. Sightline's Kim Zou joined @open-circuit.bsky.social from London Climate Week. For the first time, US investors are flocking to what's been a sleepy European conference. The reason? "Definitely pullback in the U.S." A thread on what's driving change 🧵
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Tyler Norris @tnorris.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Fascinating exchange on latest Open Circuit episode in reply to @stephenlacey.bsky.social prompt on data center flex, btwn Arushi Sharma Frank & @jigarshahdc.bsky.social @cleangridview.bsky.social: 🔌💡 www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-ci...
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
It's been fascinating to watch the discourse about the Spain blackout over the past month. So much of it predictable, but I'm glad all the people who think mostly about fossil fuels are having to reluctantly learn nerdy things about electricity and grids. It's clear where the future lies.
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Felix Hamer • electricfelix @electricfelix.eurosky.social · 20/06/2025
"World’s largest hydrogen taxi operator hurls accusations at supply giants as it quits H2 in Paris" "Hype, the world’s largest hydrogen taxi operator, is to cease operating its fleet of hydrogen taxis in the Paris area, on the back of surging H2 prices" www.hydrogeninsight.com/transport/a-...
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Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 30/05/2025
I got to talk to @stephenlacey.bsky.social, @cleangridview.bsky.social, and @jigarshahdc.bsky.social on Open Circuit, about the reconciliation bill, abundance, and the future of energy and climate innovation. www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-ci...
latitudemedia.com
The abundance agenda meets scarcity politics
Republicans dismantle the IRA while America faces its biggest infrastructure challenge in decades.
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Jenny Chase @solarchase.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
Here's BloombergNEF's best guess on what increased data center activity means for global electricity consumption, from this year's New Energy Outlook, in the Economic Transition Scenario. (Full report is paywalled: www.bnef.com/insights/361... )
Screenshot of text, from BNEF's 2025 New Energy Outlook report, reading "Data-center power capacity was an estimated 81 gigawatts in 2024, consuming 371 terawatt-hours of electricity, or 1.4% of global final demand. We estimate their capacity will rapidly increase to 179GW by 2030 and 277GW by 2035. To power data centers, annual electricity
demand increases by 2.5 times to 935TWh by the end of the decade and quadruples to 1,600TWh in 2035. Those figures mean about 3% of total power demand will feed data centers by 2030 and 4.5% in 2035. By mid-century they consume 8.7% of electricity."
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Justin Gerdes @justingerdes.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Equinor says the Trump administration has lifted the stop-work order for the Empire Wind offshore wind project - "allowing construction activities to resume" www.equinor.com/news/2025051... 🔌💡
equinor.com
Stop work order lifted, Empire Wind project resumes construction
The stop work order has been lifted for the Empire Wind project, allowing construction activities to resume.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Great analysis of the draft House reconciliation bill from @jessedjenkins.com and @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social on this week's Shift Key. The most depressing takeaway is that Republicans will crush stuff they claim to love -- nuclear and domestic manufacturing -- not just wind and solar. Pure lunacy.
heatmap.news
Shift Key Special Edition: The Fight Over the Inflation Reduction Act Has Arrived
Rob and Jesse digest the Ways and Means budget bill live on air, alongside former Treasury advisor Luke Bassett.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
I don't get how Dems still believe the "death of democracy" messaging will work, when it clearly failed in the election. Every WH action is antithetical to its policy priorities. It's the perfect chance to clearly explain the contradictions, and present genuine counter policies. What am I missing?
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Richard Delevan @richard.wickedproblems.earth · 10/05/2025
Huge congrats to @maeveallsup.bsky.social on her @latitudemedia.bsky.social Open Circuit debut, holding her own with @jigarshahdc.bsky.social, Katherine Hamilton, & @stephenlacey.bsky.social. Smashed it. #climatesky 🔌💡
podcasts.apple.com
Fear and Loathing at the Department of Energy
Podcast Episode · Open Circuit · 09/05/2025 · 53m
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Some juicy details in this story from @maeveallsup.bsky.social about the politics of the DOE's rescinded support for solar/batteries in Puerto Rico. "Who could argue against backup power for hospitals, right?”
latitudemedia.com
Inside the political chess game of funding backup power for Puerto Rico
Modernizing the island’s grid was key to Gov. González-Colón’s campaign. So why has she pulled her support of a key resilience program?
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
We had a fascinating conversation with JP Morgan's Michael Cembalest on @open-circuit.bsky.social this week exploring the state of the energy transition. We discussed: Supply chain impact of tariffs Clean energy bottlenecks AI power demand realities Europe vs China 🧵Here are some of my takeaways:
latitudemedia.com
Tariffs, equipment delays, rising costs: The energy transition faces some harsh realities
JP Morgan's Michael Cembalest offers a data-driven reality check on renewable growth, transmission bottlenecks, and the economics of decarbonization.
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Meade Krosby @meadekrosby.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Well, it's official. We just received notice that all authors on the Sixth National Climate Assessment have just been released from their roles. The NCA is a vital, Congressionally mandated resource for our nation as we prepare for the impacts of climate change. This is a huge loss.
NCA6 Update
April 28, 2025 
Dear NCA6 Participants, 

Thank you for your participation in the 6th National Climate Assessment. At this time, the scope of the NCA6 is currently being reevaluated in accordance with the Global Change Research Act of 1990. We are now releasing all current assessment participants from their roles. As plans develop for the assessment, there may be future opportunities to contribute or engage. 

Thank you for your service.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
This is a key point. Shortages are already baked.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
This framing is reasonable. Yes, phasing out fossil fuels is required under any climate framework. But it's clear that positive economic, security, and innovation outcomes resonate far more with people than opposition frameworks. Also, AI will be an extraordinary tool in accelerating solutions.
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Jigar Shah @jigarshahdc.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Great episode with the great expert ⁦‪Ari Peskoe‬⁩. We are clearly investing in a lot of new infrastructure driven by data centers, but also lots of other load growth. There is also a move to upend the norms around how the electricity grid operates. Affordability has to be key.
podcasts.apple.com
Who’s really paying AI’s power bill?
Podcast Episode · Open Circuit · 04/25/2025 · 55m
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 26/04/2025
The Naval Academy cancelled a freakin' Ken Burns documentary showing, not because of the content, but because Burns had been critical of Trump www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...
In November, representatives for the filmmaker Ken Burns reached out to the academy with an offer to screen clips from his new six-part series on the American Revolution at the academy in a private event for a select group of midshipmen. The school accepted and booked the event for April 22.

But in late March, the school’s leadership felt that Mr. Burns’s criticisms of Mr. Trump before the 2024 election could cause another outcry from conservative think tanks and Republican members of Congress.
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Ari Peskoe @aripeskoe.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
I am very grateful to @stephenlacey.bsky.social, @jigarshahdc.bsky.social, and Katherine Hamilton for having me on Open Circuit
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Tech giants are pouring $1 trillion into AI infrastructure, and utility executives are salivating at the chance to build expensive new power plants. But who's actually paying? @aripeskoe.bsky.social joins us on @open-circuit.bsky.social to talk about the secret deals for data centers. #energysky
latitudemedia.com
Who’s really paying AI’s power bill?
As data centers push load growth to historic levels, new research reveals how utilities and developers are inking secret deals.
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lisa martine jenkins @lisamartinejenkins.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
A great @stephenlacey.bsky.social analysis -- and a GREAT @open-circuit.bsky.social episode -- to end the week at @latitudemedia.bsky.social. cc: #energysky www.latitudemedia.com/news/how-tru...
latitudemedia.com
How Trump’s regulatory power grab could raise energy costs
The administration's attack on energy regulatory independence mirrors its outdated manufacturing vision — and could similarly backfire.
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Latitude Media @latitudemedia.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
As data centers push load growth to historic levels, new research reveals how utilities and developers are inking secret deals. This week on Open Circuit: www.latitudemedia.com/news/open-ci...
latitudemedia.com
Who’s really paying AI’s power bill?
As data centers push load growth to historic levels, new research reveals how utilities and developers are inking secret deals.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Our newest episode of @open-circuit.bsky.social is up! This one was fun: we had hundreds of people watching us record behind the scenes. We covered the crazy uncertainty in the business world, and why Trump may be "driving people into the arms" of distributed generation. Plus, a news quiz!
latitudemedia.com
A tsunami of uncertainty for clean energy
With the business world crippled by unpredictable policy, we assess risks and winning strategies in clean energy.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Pray for me. I've started arguing with MAGA people in my life on Facebook.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
A sad account of the "hostile takeover" underway at the Department of Energy. Essential reporting from @maeveallsup.bsky.social and @lisamartinejenkins.bsky.social on the end of the Department of Energy as we know it. #energysky
latitudemedia.com
The end of DOE as we know it
As more major cuts loom, staff tell Latitude Media that it feels like “a hostile takeover” is happening within the Department of Energy.
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jakarta methhead @sweetmax.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
us government went from telling miners “learn to code” to telling coders “learn to mine” in less than ten years
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Justin Gerdes @justingerdes.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
"There’s a deeper, more bewildering incoherence to Trump’s approach to trade — and nowhere is the contradiction more glaring than in clean energy," writes @stephenlacey.bsky.social: www.latitudemedia.com/news/for-tru... 🔌💡
latitudemedia.com
For Trump’s incoherence on tariffs, look to clean energy manufacturing
How the president's trade war could dismantle the very factories he claims to champion.
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Gone from the Naval Academy library after Trump book purge: "Memorializing the Holocaust." Still on the shelves: Two copies of "Mein Kampf." @johnismay.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/u...
nytimes.com
Who’s In and Who’s Out at the Naval Academy’s Library?
An order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office resulted in a purge of books critical of racism but preserved volumes defending white power.
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lisa martine jenkins @lisamartinejenkins.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Cannot waaaaaaait to see the @stephenlacey.bsky.social @jigarshahdc.bsky.social and @cleangridview.bsky.social magic live next week! cc: @latitudemedia.bsky.social www.latitudemedia.com/events/open-...
latitudemedia.com
Open Circuit Live
Join hosts Jigar Shah, Katherine Hamilton, and Stephen Lacey for a live, virtual Open Circuit recording on April 16th.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
For Trump's incoherence on tariffs, look to clean energy. He had 900+ factories served to him "on a silver platter." But he's doing everything he can to tear down the industry, putting $90B of factories at risk. My column on the ridiculous contradictions, based on this week's "Open Circuit" episode:
latitudemedia.com
For Trump’s incoherence on tariffs, look to clean energy manufacturing
How the president's trade war could dismantle the very factories he claims to champion.
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 09/04/2025
Bro-casters rode the Trump train until it derailed their portfolios. Shocked they were conned by a con man.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 08/04/2025
Eager to stay in President Trump’s good graces, oil executives have refrained from publicly criticizing him. But privately, some are worried. “I have never felt more uncertainty about our business in my entire 40-plus-year career,” said a respondent on an anonymous survey.
nytimes.com
Oil Executives Refrain From Publicly Criticizing Trump or His Tariffs
Eager to stay in Mr. Trump’s good graces, oil executives refrain from publicly criticizing the president. But privately, ‘Everyone’s afraid.’
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Who knows how long Trump's tariffs will last. One thing is certain: they're just one plot point in a shift in the Post-WWII dynamic, which has big consequences for global energy flows. This week's Open Circuit, @jigarshahdc.bsky.social, @cleangridview.bsky.social & I dig into the "new joule order."
latitudemedia.com
Has the net-zero era ended, and the energy security era restarted?
As the era of liberal free trade ends, have we passed ‘peak trade’ for oil?
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Nursing your Liberation Day hangover? Listen to the latest @open-circuit.bsky.social episode, where we unpack how tariffs, supply chain turmoil, and the breakdown of liberal trade are creating a "new joule order" that is shifting global energy investment flows. #energysky
latitudemedia.com
Has the net-zero era ended, and the energy security era restarted?
As the era of liberal free trade ends, have we passed ‘peak trade’ for oil?
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
As usual, I am shocked, amused, and horrified at once. But not surprised.
garymarcus.substack.com
Did an LLM help write Trump’s trade plan?
Probably yes
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Justin Gerdes @justingerdes.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
"The Trump administration has gutted the federal home energy assistance program as a part of the mass firing of 10,000 Department of Health and Human Services workers." www.latitudemedia.com/news/home-en... via @lisamartinejenkins.bsky.social 🔌💡
latitudemedia.com
Home energy assistance program gutted in HHS mass firings
LIHEAP is among the latest victims of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal government.
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Jesse D. Jenkins @jessedjenkins.com · 03/04/2025
Well, there's one way to pay for your tax cuts for the wealthy I suppose: a new, regressive $700 billion increase in consumption taxes. Cool.
Capitol Economics estimated that the import taxes outlined by President Trump will generate roughly $700 billion a year in custom duties for the U.S. government.
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Destenie Nock, PhD @destenie.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Cutting the nation's most important source of people being able to properly heat and pull their homes literally creates a public health crisis
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Latitude Media @latitudemedia.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
On April 16, we're holding the inaugural Open Circuit Live! This event is free + virtual — with the opportunity to ask @jigarshahdc.bsky.social, @cleangridview.bsky.social, and @stephenlacey.bsky.social your questions through live Q&A. You can register here: www.latitudemedia.com/events/open-...
latitudemedia.com
Open Circuit Live
Join hosts Jigar Shah, Katherine Hamilton, and Stephen Lacey for a live, virtual Open Circuit recording on April 16th.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
I just tried this and it took one second for the paper to come out and someone else took the paper before I was done peeing.
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Stephen Lacey @stephenlacey.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Repealing the Inflation Reduction Act is a highly efficient way to cut GDP, eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs, and raise customer bills.
latitudemedia.com
How much repealing the IRA would cost each state
New research puts numbers on exactly how and where a repeal would have the most impact.
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