iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial]

@volts.wtf.web.brid.gy

3 followers 0 following 66 posts

A newsletter, podcast, & community focused on the technology, politics, and policy of decarbonization. In your inbox once or twice a week. Click to read Volts, a Substack […] 🌉 bridged from 🌐 volts.wtf: fed.brid.gy/web/volts.wtf

Posts Replies Media

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Checking back in with Greenlight America

A conversation with Matt Traldi.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

Volts community thread #31: Postcard from Denmark

Open to all free & paid subscribers.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

What’s up with the new federal permitting reform bill?

A conversation with Daniel Palken of Arnold Ventures.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 07/10/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

The grueling fight to pass the Inflation Reduction Act

A conversation with Leah Stokes.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 02/10/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Best of September 2026

Highlights from the seven conversations released last month.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 30/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

What’s up with heat-pump water heaters?

A conversation with Luke Winston-Almanzar of Reservoir.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 23/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Do small residential batteries make sense?

A conversation with Cole Ashman of Pila Energy.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 21/09/2026

Volts community thread #30: what should I ask the Danes?

Open to all free & paid subscribers.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

How energy politics work inside DC

A conversation with Frank Maisano.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

How to build a more flexible, quieter, less obnoxious data center

A conversation with Nelson Abramson of Verrus.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 11/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Building a big, abundant, clean grid

A conversation with Jane Flegal.

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 09/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Is there way more conventional geothermal than we thought?

A conversation with Carl Hoiland & Joel Edwards of Zanskar.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 07/09/2026

Win tickets to an upcoming event! My NY climate week lineup, new faces at Volts, and just, hey, how’s it going

Also: dogs, Denmark, and a birthday request. Mostly dogs.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 04/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Best of August 2026

Highlights from the eight conversations released last month.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 02/09/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

How to respond to disinformation about clean energy, at scale

A conversation with Leah Qusba of GoodPower.

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 28/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Could we use Trump's tricks to make good green policy?

A conversation with Todd Tucker of the Roosevelt Institute.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 26/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Making data centers flexible so they can serve the grid rather than stress it out

A conversation with Varun Sivaram of Emerald AI.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 21/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Why can't utilities innovate?

A conversation with Quinn Nakayama of PG&E and Hanna Grene of Microsoft.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 19/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

He helped Uruguay decarbonize. Can he help other countries do the same?

A conversation with Ramón Méndez Galain.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 14/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Can public EV chargers be as reliable as gas stations?

A conversation with Seth Cutler of IONNA.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Another bipartisan housing miracle, this time in Idaho

A conversation with Idaho state Senator Ben Toews and Representative Megan Egbert.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 07/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Grid cybersecurity: how big is the threat & what should we do about it?

A conversation with Patrick Miller.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 05/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

What should state policymakers do about data centers?

A conversation with Saleem Chapman of Climate Cabinet.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 02/08/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Best of July 2026

Highlights from the eight conversations released last month.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 31/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Silicon anodes for batteries unlock greater energy density and faster charging times

A conversation with Rick Costantino of Group14.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 29/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Should we feel good about the trajectory of clean energy post-Trump?

A conversation with Lily Bermel.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 22/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

The US is terrible at building public transit. Here's how to get better.

A conversation with Will Poff-Webster of the Institute for Progress and Stephanie Pollack of the MIT Mobility Initiative.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 20/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Making sense of the data center backlash

A crossover with Jigar Shah's "Energy Empire" podcast!

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 15/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Spreading the good news about electrification

A conversation with Hawaii state Senator Chris Lee about his Electric Innovation Initiative.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 10/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Want less sprawl and more urban infill? Try a land value tax!

A conversation with Greg Miller of the Center for Land Economics and Kitty Klitzke of the Spokane City Council.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 08/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Forcing utilities to justify their distribution-system spending

A conversation with Minnesota regulators Sydnie Lieb & Pete Wyckoff.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 01/07/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

A key Arizona race will test clean energy's electoral power

Charlie Fisher and Ning Mosberger-Tang on scaling up the grassroots playbook to flip Arizona's powerful utility regulator.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 24/06/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

How to keep people cool without making the planet even hotter

RMI's Ankit Kalanki on why fixing the way we test air conditioners is the secret lever to slashing global cooling emissions.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 19/06/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

America's flagship automaker enters the home energy market

Aseem Kapur joins me to explain how GM plans to turn its massive EV fleet into a distributed virtual power plant.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 17/06/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Can the UK stay the course with its climate plans?

UK Climate Minister Katie White on navigating the decarbonization challenge amidst rising energy prices and political headwinds.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 10/06/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Why is NERC so worried about data centers?

How massive AI & crypto loads are threatening grid stability, and what Colin McCormick and Doug Bryan say we must do to fix it.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 05/06/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

This oil shock won't be like the others

Kate Mackenzie and Tim Sahay break down why global inflation and Chinese manufacturing mean the old fossil fuel playbook no longer works.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 03/06/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Are plug-in DERs going to spark a grid revolution?

James McGinniss on the rise of permissionless, plug-in energy storage and why it will eventually outcompete the utility-scale kind.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 29/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Giving clean electricity a political voice of its own

Investor Steve McBee discusses a new effort to give the clean electrification sector more political muscle & swagger.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 27/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

A limited defense of Biden's everything-bagel industrial policy

A conversation with Betony Jones.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 22/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

How to phase out residential gas equitably

Panama Bartholomy and Kristin George Bagdanov explain why neighborhood-level "chunky decarbonization" is the key to a fast and fair transition.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 20/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Sooner than you think, electricity is going to be cheap, abundant, and boring

How batteries can enable big new loads like data centers to reduce electricity rates and increase grid reliability.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 18/05/2026

Volts community thread #29

Open to all free & paid subscribers.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 15/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Telling the story of the grid

Stepchange podcast hosts Ben Eidelson and Anay Shah discuss the wild, complicated history of the largest machine ever built.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 13/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Electrifying industrial steam with heat pumps

Addison Stark unpacks how geopolitical gas volatility is making electrified thermal energy an economic necessity for manufacturers.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 08/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

The case for using prices rather than VPPs to coordinate distributed energy

Researcher Bruce Nordman explains how dynamic, real-time pricing can do the work of coordinating DERs.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 06/05/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Streamlining the difficult work of whole-home retrofits

Grant Gunnison explains how digitizing project design can save local contractors from the grueling overhead of the HVAC sales process.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 29/04/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Enabling ordinary people to invest in renewable energy projects

Energea co-founder Mike Silvestrini explains why the best returns in renewable energy are hiding in places often overlooked by traditional investors.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

Tom Steyer wants to be California's climate governor

Tom Steyer joins me to explain his plan to slash California’s exorbitant electricity bills by taking on monopoly utilities.

000

Volts | David Roberts | Substack [Unofficial] @volts.wtf.web.brid.gy · 22/04/2026

[Audio] [Original post on volts.wtf]

The big stories from the last year in electricity

The biggest stories from the global power sector in 2025, from India's new path to a possible plateau in fossil generation.

000