iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Tradition. Most of North America used to be La Nouvelle France. We're just returning the favor.

sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

While offshore wind contracts are cancelled in NA, Europe's collaboration has a 300 GW target by 2050 with interconnections to back it up. All TSO's collaborating across North Sea. www.energiogklima.no/nyhet/ser-st...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

but... a picture from "January 1943-Mrs. Mackay using a Riveting gun at a shipyard in Pictou, Nova Scotia." time and location.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Covered by most newspapers. Amusing point = PM Carney had a miniature toy soldier of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock to represent the War of 1812 against one neighbour.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

might even revive debates around shale natural gaz and LNG projects around the St-Lawerence Valley. I'll bet on it.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

China's "investments in renewable energy were four times higher last year than in fossil fuels - with a record high of 1,000 billion dollars." Capital follows signals and politics writes the signals. www.energiogklima.no/meninger-og-...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

From, poweroutage.us, power outages rapidly escalating.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Canada + Greenland share a land border on Hans Island. The site of the so-called friendly Whisky War, where both sides took turns hoisting flags and leaving bottles of liquor in friendly tit-for-tat.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

another sport in Quebec: shovelling.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Have picked up another one from Frogner

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Large computational loads are forcing a permanent shift in how we plan, model, and operate the grid. The era of predictable, passive demand is over. Recommended read for planners, ops, and AI/DC developers. I’m honestly overwhelmed by the scale of the work ahead. www.nerc.com/globalassets...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Closest one will be Beauharnois. Trading already taking place. Interesting fact with HQ gen, they don't sell ICAP as a unit specific gizmo in NY but as full system capacity - ICAP sold is supported by the full fleet regardless of location.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

The rise of AI makes power system engineering more relevant, obviously, not less. www.nerc.com/comm/RSTC/LL...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Concerning..."the power industry is facing a deepening human capital crisis...the system is advancing, but those who understand the system are disappearing." electra.cigre.org/341-august-2...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

AI/DC = same behaviours as IBRs. Challenging and somewhat unpredictable just like snowflakes. www.nerc.com/pa/Documents...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

So obvious + needed to share interconnection capacity at POI = allows for incremental increases in gen without requiring new physical network upgrades surplusinterconnection.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/PJM.pdf

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

According to my map of Canuck natural resources from Imperial Oil Limited, not much rocks in Canada but a lot of pelts. Surprising.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

"the U.S. average energy wallet spending was $5,530 per household, of which $1,850 was for utility electric bills. The largest component of the energy wallet was gasoline, which accounted for $2,930 per household." energywallet.epri.com

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

The better we produce, the sooner "electrification" will be realized.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

and all my mining + processing experience comes from Minecraft..

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

On the "reliable" integration of large AI/DC - NERC has by the end of July, received ~350 comments for two white papers + ~3 hours of meetings almost every week day + about ~140 comments have been addressed. www.nerc.com/comm/RSTC/LL...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

While biking to office, tracking water tanks in Montreal... located at 1025 Lucien L’Allier Street.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Know everything about so-called Stardusters. Just desisting.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Still trying to make green hydrogen before sunset of production tax credit... end of 2027.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

From British and American Ambulance Corps - 1942

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

A sharp + unsettling reminder by @dustinmulvaney.bsky.social mulvaney.bsky.social‬ of how coordinated efforts to roll back environmental regulation continue to shape land policy + power dynamics. Inheritance of the Wise Use Agenda. thebulletin.org/2025/07/the-sagebru…

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Great interactive map tracking new U.S. nuclear projects..."Not shown on this map are the nearly 100 GW of existing nuclear energy capacity generated by 94 nuclear reactors in 54 power plants across 28 states." www.csis.org/programs/ene...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Looking at my colleague, always there staring.

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Just watched a great 2-days presentation on "nuke". Insightful discussion on “whether it is more economical to build one large reactor or many smaller ones (economies of scale vs economies of multiples).” Lots, lots to consider. www.nationalacademies.org/event/44002_...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

// so much overconfidence and optimism bias // historical tendency for the nuke industry + govts to oversell nuclear energy and safety = lead to poor design choices, inadequate safety studies, and lax safety practices. Great read

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

He came put with a new list for this year:

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

Putting aside energy consumption (aka resource adequacy), AI isn’t all good or all bad for power systems, it’s a tool, like any other. What matters is how we use it: for high-value tasks, and to push for responsible applications that benefit the BPS. electra.cigre.org/340-june-202...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Putting resource adequacy on the back burner, AI/DC thrashes the grid with massive swings...this figure "shows an example of a data center load pulse where the doubling of the load caused voltage distortion and flicker issues for those connected to the facility." Source: NERC

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Might say that is more about reassure adequacy than reliability. As for reliability is another story...

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sylvain gignac @sylvaingignac.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Interesting solution for transmission deadlock = 49,000 miles of US interstates could host new transmission, but most states still ban / limit co-locating HV lines along highways. Map shows where barriers remain vs where progress is happening. nextgenhighways.org/resources/co...

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