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Tope Alake

@topealake.bsky.social
180 followers 16 following 18 posts

Power & EV charging reporter for Bloomberg News. Views my own

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Reposted by Tope Alake
Lauren Rosenthal @laurenthal.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
NEW: Weather models were performing worse ahead of a devastating storm in Alaska compared to a year ago. As one scientist @ecmwf.int put it, "the fact that all the models mis-captured this event tells us something." From me + @joewertz.bsky.social (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Deadly Alaska Storm Hit After a Month of Wider Forecast Errors
Scientists say outages at federal monitoring sites in the state may have contributed to confusion over the storm’s predicted track.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Coco Liu @cocojournalist.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Why has Beijing decided to curb the export of its batteries? My latest with @lilipike.bsky.social @topealake.bsky.social for @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
China’s New Weapon in US Trade Talks: Batteries
The US is heavily reliant on Chinese batteries as it seeks to stabilize the grid and support explosive data center demand for power.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
US investments in renewable energy projects plunged 36% in the first half of the year as developers responded to White House policy shifts targeting the sector. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US Renewable Investments Fell 36% on Trump’s Policies, BNEF Says
US investments in renewable energy projects plunged this year as developers responded to White House policy shifts targeting the sector.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
The good news is the researchers say the risks can be reduced by adding filters and choosing smarter locations. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
EV Fast Chargers Have a Surprising Health Downside
The fans that keep them cool appear to kick up particulate matter, but there are fixes.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Here’s something to keep in mind. A recent study found that the air around some fast-charging stations contains higher levels of fine particulate pollution, raising questions about how “clean” the charging experience really is.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Ever stopped at a fast EV charger to top up your battery or thinking about using one soon?
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Skipper predicts that if ConEd gets approval for the rate increases it’s seeking, consumers will revolt. “We are going to see mayhem in and around our city and the county if these rates increase any more,” she said. Gift link to full story here: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
ConEd Power-Bill Backlash Threatens New York's Climate Goals
Higher electricity rates are needed to fortify the power grid against extreme weather, the utility says.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
The mounting anger over power bills comes as Americans grapple with stubbornly high inflation, while climate change and AI-driven demand further strain the grid. Con Edison said the requested hikes are needed to fund grid resilience against extreme weather.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Another 62-year-old customer, Debbie Wangenstein, fears the soaring cost of electricity may force her and her husband to sell the home they have been living in since 1984 and move somewhere cheaper.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Yonkers resident Kisha Skipper said her energy bill is so high, she can’t decide whether to feed her child or pay her medical bill. She was one of dozens of people who attended a ConEd public input session organized by the Westchester County Board of Legislators in June.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
But the proposal is facing stiff resistance from residents and top officials, including Governor Kathy Hochul, amid mounting pressure on politicians to rein in consumer costs.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
New Yorkers may soon see double-digit increases in their utility bills, as Con Edison seeks to raise electricity rates by more than 11% and gas charges by over 10%.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Lauren Rosenthal @laurenthal.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Neil Jacobs - the weather scientist who was in charge at NOAA during "Sharpiegate" - is poised to come back. “I’m hopeful that he’s learned how to fight within the political system," one former NOAA chief said, "because he is going to have to fight." / 1 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US Weather Boss During ‘Sharpiegate’ Nears Return to a Shrinking Agency
Trump’s appointee to run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has vowed to support the president's massive cuts.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Fluence Energy Inc. said it can work with US Senate Republicans’ latest version of President Donald Trump’s fiscal package, which would preserve tax credits for the industry while gutting incentives for wind and solar power. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Battery CEO Says US Senate’s Clean Energy Bill Is ‘Workable’
Battery storage company Fluence Energy Inc. said it can work with US Senate Republicans’ latest version of President Donald Trump’s fiscal package, which would preserve tax credits for the industry wh...
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Blistering heat is straining power grids across the eastern half of the US, leading to a blackout in part of New York City’s borough of Queens as the local utility issued a warning to conserve electricity. www.bloomberg.com/news/article... via Bloomberg. @naurtorious.bsky.social
bloomberg.com
NYC Heat Triggers Blackout as Soaring Temperatures Stress US Grids
Blistering heat is straining power grids across the eastern half of the US, leading to a blackout in part of New York City’s borough of Queens as the local utility issued a warning to conserve electri...
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Over $15.5 billion in new factories and clean energy projects have been canceled or delayed since January, including $9 billion worth of investments in GOP districts, which would have created nearly 12,000 new jobs. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US Clean-Energy Project Cancellations Hit GOP Districts Hardest
Clean energy investments in the US are shrinking fast amid the rollback of tax incentives and policy uncertainties under President Donald Trump’s administration, with Republican districts hardest hit.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Lauren Rosenthal @laurenthal.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
FEMA has lost staff + cut back on grants. Its current top boss lacks emergency management experience. As hurricane season opens, "it is a disaster waiting to happen," one expert told @bloomberg.com. Story w/ the excellent @zhirji.bsky.social (free link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
What Trump’s FEMA Cuts Mean for Hurricane Season
The nation’s top agency for response and recovery work has endured significant upheaval since Trump’s return to the White House, and now Atlantic hurricane season is underway.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Meanwhile, tariffs could delay the rollout of EVs in the $25,000 range, crucial for a broader EV adoption and charging deployment, according to WoodMac. Read the full story here: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Charging Installations Drop as Trump Ramps Up Attacks on EVs
The prospect of House Republicans’ cuts to electric vehicle subsidies threatens to further dim the outlook.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
BloombergNEF's 2030 charging installation outlook could be cut by 30% "if we continue in this direction", analyst Ash Wang said. Wood Mackenzie has also lowered its forecast for this year.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
The moves may trigger a negative feedback loop of fewer charger installation and EV adoption. This outcome risks setting EV transition back years, further deepening the range anxiety of EV buyers. Analysts are already slashing projections of plug installations as a result.
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Addition of high-speed EV chargers across the US fell by more than 21% in the first quarter compared to last year. The slowdown may just be beginning as Trump steps up attacks on EVs, and Republicans push to end subsidies. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Charging Installations Drop as Trump Ramps Up Attacks on EVs
The prospect of House Republicans’ cuts to electric vehicle subsidies threatens to further dim the outlook.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Brian Eckhouse @brianreports.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
If there was any lingering doubt about whether gas-fired generation plants are the hottest targets in the US power system, the recent flurry of deals likely extinguished it. My column here: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Gas Power Is Cheaper to Buy Than Build in the US
Companies are adding capacity at comparative bargains to satisfy AI’s thirst for energy.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Brian Eckhouse @brianreports.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Buffett runs a renewables heavyweight and has written that climate change is “highly likely” a “problem for the planet.” Yet Berkshire is a major investor in oil, gas and coal — a position poised to endure well after the 94-year-old retires. My analysis here: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Buffett Handing Complicated Climate Legacy to Berkshire Energy Head
Berkshire Hathaway is at once a renewables powerhouse and a big investor in fossil fuels.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Michelle Ma @michellema.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Each time you ask an AI chatbot a question, it sends a request to a data center and strains an increasingly scarce resource: water. A 🧵on our investigation into how the data centers that power AI are increasingly being built in highly water-stressed places: www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
The AI Boom Is Draining Water From the Areas That Need It Most
A Bloomberg News analysis finds that roughly two thirds of new data centers built or in development in the US since 2022 are in places with high levels of water stress.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Michelle Ma @michellema.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
To read our full story that details why this is happening, how communities are responding and what tech companies are doing to address their water footprint, here's a gift link to the story (lifts paywall for a week): www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
The AI Boom Is Draining Water From the Areas That Need It Most
A Bloomberg News analysis finds that roughly two thirds of new data centers built or in development in the US since 2022 are in places with high levels of water stress.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Mark Chediak @mchediak.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
ICYMI - US set duties as high as 3,521% on #solar panel imports from Southeast Asia countries as part of an investigation into unfair trade practices. US solar manufacturers initiated the probe.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Shoko Oda @shokooda.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
🌞 Some folks are opting to buy solar panels used on classified ad sites, like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay One guy decided to make a swamp cooler for Burning Man using a secondhand panel. Edited by @amandakhurley.bsky.social, gift link valid for 7 days: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
Used Solar Panels Sold on Facebook and eBay Have Cult Following
Devotees of secondhand panels tout their low price and the environmental benefits of keeping them in rotation longer.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Arvelisse Bonilla Ramos @arvelisse.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
A fire on a bucolic stretch of California coast has threatened the rapid growth of an industry considered key to greening the power grid — and keeping the lights on. My latest for Bloomberg → Blaze Triggers Alarm Over Rapid Growth of Big Batteries www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Blaze Triggers Alarm Over Rapid Growth of Big Batteries
A massive California battery fire has become a rallying cry for opponents of the technology, considered key to the climate fight.
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Reposted by Tope Alake
Michelle Ma @michellema.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Join me at 7:30 am Pacific / 10:30 am Eastern today for a live Q&A on climate tech under Trump 👇
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Tope Alake @topealake.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Thanks Michelle!
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