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Venn Chesterton

@vennche.bsky.social
353 followers 189 following 53 posts

Deputy Director, Driving the Electric Revolution at Innovate UK. Views are mine, expect typos.

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Reposted by Venn Chesterton
Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
There's been a sustained campaign about problems & challenges of electric vehicles in parts of UK media It's likely contributed to weakening of the shift amongst individual buyers Actual owners & users, on the other hand, are mostly very happy www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electr...
thisismoney.co.uk
Only 3% of electric vehicle owners would go back to a fossil fuel car
Zap-Map surveyed 3,746 EV owners for its annual survey to gauge insights into behaviours, attitudes and satisfaction of EV drivers. We reveal the results.
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Felix Hamer • electricfelix @electricfelix.eurosky.social · 08/12/2024
Pretty fascinating that in The Netherlands growth at Volvo is simply astonishing, all thanks to #EX30 #alwaysbecharging
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Hannah Ritchie @hannahritchie.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
What's the deal with vertical farming? *Can* potentially work for a small group of crops: mostly greens and possibly some fruits. But far too expensive for cereals or other staple crops. My latest Substack which digs into the numbers: www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/vertical-f...
sustainabilitybynumbers.com
Vertical farming: a local solution for greens, but not feeding the world any time soon
While it has lots of benefits, the economics just don't work.
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Was with Zemo this morning. Turns out the Netherlands has roughly the same transport-related emissions as us—even with all that cycling.
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Robert Llewellyn @bobbyllew.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
The figures are from electric vehicles UK. Not the SMMT, who do a fine job but represent the entire UK automotive sector, not very EV focused
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💙 Rachel Bolton 👀 @raebolt.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Reading the Far Side constantly as a 9 to 12 year old shaped much of my personality.
The far side gallery by Gary Larson
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Ha! Nah, they’ll be fine I think.
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Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
That's not what this study actually says. This study adds to the reams of others showing that plant-based meat alternatives have lower env. impacts than animal meat, & that plant-based milk alternatives have lower env. impacts than cow's milk. Open access to study here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Per-serving comparison of meat and milk alternatives across environmental aspects (GHG emissions, land use, and water use). The environmental comparison is expressed in relation to a benchmark food, in particular beef in the comparison of meat alternatives and milk in the comparison of milk alternatives, whose environmental impacts were normalized to 100% for the comparison.

Beef has highest impacts of meats, followed by pork and poultry. All are higher than all of the processed and unprocessed meat alternatives.

Similarly, cow's milk had higher impacts than soy, oat, almond, and rice milk per serving.
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Amy Peace @amypeace.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
Noticed that there doesn't seem to be an obvious Circular Economy Starter Pack... So, I've started one here (slightly UK/EU centric). Suggestions for additions welcomed, and also how to add people quickly using the app, as it seems quite convoluted: go.bsky.app/JFNr8dw #CircularEconomy
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Robin Hawkes @robhawkes.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
It's even sadder to see that a brand new 1.1GW wind farm has been "off" nearly 70% of the time during 2024… Or to put it another way, for each 1 MWh of generation it had 2.1 MWh of curtailment – that's 2.1 MWh of available wind energy that was simply left to blow by.
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Jon Burke🌍 @jonburkeuk.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Mandatory speed limiters; 100% 20mph zones on Local Road Transport Network roads; life driving bans for those convicted of dangerous driving; heavy custodial sentences for those who flout bans; 100% Low Traffic Neighbourhood coverage of residential areas; 100% School Streets. Nothing else will do.
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Not sure about point 1— is this a wise use of public funds, especially when, for example, buses could benefit from additional subsidies?
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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Growing wine grapes under solar panels can increase yields by 60%. That seems like the definition of unalloyed good news www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/29/a...
pv-magazine.com
Agrivoltaics can increase grape yield by up to 60%
French agrivoltaics company Sun'Agri says that two of its facilities increased grape yields by 20% to 60% in 2024, compared to areas without solar panels. The PV modules helped regulate temperature fl...
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Jan Davis @jandavis.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Article in the Eastern Daily Press by Adrian Ramsay, Green MP for Waveney Valley on 26 November 2024. "The government should look again at its figures - and make sure its policies add up to a new deal for farmers. One which sees tax loopholes closed, family farms supported, food security protected."
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 30/11/2024
Why I regret using 23andMe: I gave up my DNA just to find out I’m British
theguardian.com
Why I regret using 23andMe: I gave up my DNA just to find out I’m British
I gave away my genetic information to a now imploding company for results that inspired nothing but ambivalence 23andMe is facing implosion. As the once-promising genetic testing company flounders – losing 98% of its $6bn value, all its independent board…
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Robin Hawkes @robhawkes.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Sad to see a brand new 1.1GW wind farm being switched off most of this very windy weekend when it should be generating at near full capacity. Explore 👉 renewables-map.robinhawkes.com
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Location pricing needed?
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Gregory Norminton @gregorynorminton.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
I've written the script for a graphic novel adaptation of the great Irish ecological poem THE MADNESS OF SWEENEY. Here's a thread of some of the artwork by my collaborator @zaraslattery.bsky.social. Isn't it marvellous? You can find out more & support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/SweeneysPr... 🧵
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Little Green Space 🐝 @lgspace.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Almost certainly through the creation of new nature-based economic opportunities (alongside a range of other social benefits from health to re-peopling). A study this year found jobs boost of 412% due to rewilding. www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/press-hub/sc...
rewildingbritain.org.uk
412% increase in jobs at Scottish rewilding sites, research shows
Rewilding Britain’s new research reveals that rewilding efforts across Scotland have boosted job numbers by more than 400%.
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
That is awesome. I assume there is also a positive impact on flooding as well?
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Mark Davies Photography @markdaviesphoto.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Ancient woodland now covers just 2.5% of the UK. It’s essential that we resist anything that risks the tiny amount that we still have. Thanks @bylinesnetwork.bsky.social for raising this. The question is, what can be done to safeguard the nature around this development?
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Tony Juniper @tonyjuniper.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Lots of maize is grown across large areas of top quality farm land in East Anglia, much of it on peat (thus with carbon emissions), destined for anaerobic digesters to produce renewable electricity. More power is produced per hectare from solar panels, so a more efficient use of land for electricity
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Spoke to a few friends—sadly, this is a non-starter. Planning permissions and logistical issues like anchoring, grid reconnection, and wear-and-tear make moving arrays a pain. Solar + crop rotation is fascinating, but the economics and practicality don’t line up (yet).
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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Your reminder that during the fossil gas-fuelled inflation crisis of 2022 and 2023, in the UK renewables faced a windfall tax, and gas-fired power stations didn't And still don't www.ft.com/content/d4aa...
ft.com
Daniel Křetínský’s power plants in England enjoy surging profits
Czech billionaire’s gas-fired stations benefit from market disruption in wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
"For nature to be restored to a past version of itself, the question might be less one of human absence, than what form human presence can take." A good exploration of ecological change, abandonment & how humans can sustain rich mosaics of habitats: www.theguardian.com/news/2024/no...
theguardian.com
The great abandonment: what happens to the natural world when people disappear?
The long read: Across the globe, vast swathes of land are being left to be reclaimed by nature. To see what could be coming, look to Bulgaria
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Great use of a large language model: planning multi-day road trips with an EV.
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Mike Pitts @pittso.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Frosty, early start for a day in London. Two speaking slots today.
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Would this be a net positive to the economy?
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Technology Connections @techconnectify.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
You ever find yourself near a classic car and notice that... it smells real bad? Like, really bad? A dozen lawn mowers bad? That's because it doesn't have a catalytic converter, so it allows you to smell what burning gasoline actually smells like.
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Rewild Scotland @rewildscotland.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Where are the trees? We have A LOT of this landscape and less than 4% native woodland. This landscape should be a rich mosaic of habitats, moor, bog, woodland, montane scrub…We force it to remain in this artificial state. We don’t need to give every inch of our uplands over to sheep,grouse and deer
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 18/10/2024
This story is one of the most disturbing I've ever covered. It's about how the views of a deeply weird ideological sect affected science, medicine and the media, with devastating impacts on patients. Please read and pass on. This horror has to stop. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Maeve Boothby O’Neill died because of a discredited view of ME. How was this allowed to happen? | George Monbiot
Chronic fatigue syndrome is as physiological as a broken leg. ​We must learn all we can from this tragic case, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Not sure this is high TRL enough for proper development unfortunately. Love to be proved wrong.
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Link?
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Sheep can be a bit nibbley - with those cables…
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
That's a really interesting point. If they were moveable, you could kind of mix solar panels in with traditional crop rotation...
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Does it benefit the soil, leaving it fallow for a few decades?
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Mike Pitts @pittso.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Went to learn about the Chester hydro-hub plans today. Completely fascinating! This area by the Dee was arguably the first Net Zero industrial cluster 1000 years ago. The building at the back is still used to count salmon swimming upstream. 1/3
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Richy Craven @richycraven.bsky.social · 27/11/2023
The most stressed out I've ever been about Christmas was when I was 16 and I got my first ever job, working at M&S in Dundrum. As soon as I started I kept hearing these myths about the Christmas Eve Waste Sale, where all the food that wasn't sold on the 24th was marked down 90%.
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Really nice to see this technology in the real world. I was involved in some trials many years ago and the technology was not quite there yet.
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Felix Hamer • electricfelix @electricfelix.eurosky.social · 24/11/2024
"German automakers, which are struggling with the costly transition to electric vehicles, stiff competition from Chinese rivals & bloated costs, and pharmaceuticals groups would be hit particularly hard Estimates from the Ifo think-tank suggest both would crash by a third in a full-blown trade war"
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Lloyd Alter @lloydalter.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
@globalecoguy.bsky.social of Project Drawdown writes about greenwashing in the beef industry. He makes many of the same suggestions that I have: we need to eat less of it, waste less, and watch our portion size. lloydalter.substack.com/p/beef-consu...
lloydalter.substack.com
Beef consumption is a global problem and meatwashing is making it worse
Jonathan Foley of Project Drawdown looks at the problems of greenwashing beef, and it isn't just the carbon footprint.
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Hans Eric Melin @hanseric.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Recently 3 of the 5 companies that actually make batteries at scale in Europe recently delivered reports with very tight margins. Of the 3 Korean cell makers only Samsung would have made a profit if it wasn't for the AMPC contribution in the US. Why isn't this more discussed?
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
@theguardian.com publishes another article by a man who himself promotes conspiracy theories, like claiming seed oils are harmful www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in.... He calls cranks like Nina Teichholz and GaryTaubes "intellectually honest"! 😠 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Te...
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Simon Edmonds @sjsedmonds.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
There was a great interview between @juergenmaier.bsky.social and Evan Davies on Radio4 PM yesterday. It’s towards the end, it’s about all things green transition, GB Energy and its role. Worth a listen. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
PM - Ukraine uses British-made missiles in Russia - BBC Sounds
Ex-Defence Secretary Grant Shapps says using the weapons is long overdue.
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Everything else aside - fantastic to have someone so prominent challenging ultra processed foods.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21/11/2024
Hear me out: RFK could be a transformational health secretary | Neil Barsky
dlvr.it
Hear me out: RFK could be a transformational health secretary | Neil Barsky
RFK Jr has articulated what our Democratic and Republican leaders have largely ignored: our healthcare system is a national disgrace hiding in plain sight Among the cast of characters poised to join the Trump administration, no one is as exasperating,…
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Oliver Lord @olord.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
The EU has just published new air quality standards aligned with World Health Organization guidelines. Amazing to see this ambition and it means low / zero-emission transport will be more necessary than ever in polluted European cities. Big Q, will the UK align? eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024...
eur-lex.europa.eu
Directive - EU - 2024/2881 - EN - EUR-LexLog inEnglish
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
I generally cycle at c.20 mph. The amount of times I was overtaken in 20mph zones this morning! However, I think the speed is now just below 30 rather than just above. An improvement. Thanks @labourstone.bsky.social
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Venn Chesterton @vennche.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Our book group felt the same and it came 2nd, just below The Safekeep, in our ranking of the shortlist.
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Robert Llewellyn @bobbyllew.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Just finished reading this. Loved every word. An extraordinary book.
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