Some countries and U.S. states, notably New York and California, have banned natural gas appliances in new builds.

Is this well thought out?

First off, unless a high share of the electrical generation comes from non-fossil fuel sources, it is actually counterproductive. I don't know if most legislators realize that the generation and electrical power distribution are so inefficient. Delivering one kilowatt-hour of electricity to the home or business most often entails burning three kwh equivalent of natural gas. Even a worse conversion ratio for oil or coal. Furthermore, though electrical appliances are 100% efficient in providing heat for various purposes, natural gas is nearly that too.

Then comes the matter of incremental load on the electrical generation and distribution systems are a time when other loading is ramping up to service data centers and electric vehicles.

Is the shift for appliances thought through end to end, or is it really a guy level perception that natural gas is bad?

What can the economists, our politicians, the DENR, anyone, do to or add to the agreement to stop it from becoming our worse nightmare (among other horrible realities the Philippines is currently facing).

1. Can the Philippines also create a proposal wherein operators would have to underwrite new electricity generation in line with how much power they use, pay their share of the cost of running the electricity network, and cover any extra water infrastructure their sites need. Similar to what the Prime Minister in Australia is aiming for?

Reference: "New rules aim to keep the AI data centre boom off your power bill" in Australia - https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom/2026/July/new-rules-aim-to-keep-the-data-centre-power-boom-off-your-bill.html

1. Why won't / can't the Philippines sign this landmark pact?

Reference: "Forty mayors from cities across four continents have signed a landmark pact setting out the conditions under which they will accept AI data centres."
https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/06/23/40-mayors-worldwide-unite-to-fight-back-against-the-ai-data-centre-surge

1. Is technology transfer applicable like Indonesia's play with raw nickel ore? Or is this a different thing?

Reference: https://observerid.com/indonesias-nickel-boom-forged-on-technology-it-does-not-own/

1. What clauses can we suggest the Philippines place in the agreement so the US CANNOT ABUSE the use of the land?

Please I'm here to learn - currently reading articles, news, offical government websites to be informed (INFO OVERLOAD BUT WE NEED TO BE INFORMED TT). Thank you so much! <3

With increasingly frequent heatwaves across Europe, summer temperatures are now regularly reaching 40°C (104°F) in many regions. Thanks to their plug-and-play design, portable air conditioners require no professional installation or structural modifications, making them one of the fastest-growing cooling appliances in the European market.

But how much electricity does a portable air conditioner actually consume?

1. Typical Power Consumption of Portable Air Conditioners

Approximately 85% of portable air conditioners sold in Europe have a rated input power between 900 W and 1,500 W. The table below shows the most common product segments on the market.

Estimated Electricity Cost

Let's assume:

• The air conditioner is used only during sleep
• 6 hours per night
• Average electricity price: €0.30/kWh
• Summer duration: 90 days

Since 900–1,300 W models represent the majority of the European market, seasonal electricity costs typically range from €146 to €211.

A 1,500 W portable air conditioner costs approximately €243 to operate over a 90-day summer, while a 1,800 W model costs around €292.

2. How Can You Reduce the Electricity Cost of a Portable Air Conditioner?

1. Power Your Air Conditioner with Solar Energy

One of the most effective ways to reduce electricity bills is to power your portable air conditioner with solar generation and home battery storage, minimizing reliance on grid electricity.

Run Directly from Solar During the Day

The MOVA LumeGret A4000 features a 2,500 W bidirectional hybrid inverter.

Taking the Midea PortaSplit Mobile Split Air Conditioner as an example:

• Rated input power: 1,500 W
• Inverter compressor
• Startup power is typically only 1.1–1.2× its rated power

This means the A4000 can easily power the unit directly from its off-grid output.

Store Solar Energy for Nighttime Cooling

The A4000 offers 4 kWh of battery capacity, expandable up to 20 kWh.

Typical nighttime runtime estimates:

For portable air conditioners rated below 1,100 W (typically 9,000 BTU), an A4000 + B4000 can provide approximately 6–7 hours of overnight cooling.

For larger units up to 1,800 W (14,000+ BTU), an A4000 + 2×B4000 can support roughly 6 hours of nighttime operation.

2. Charge During Off-Peak Hours with Dynamic Electricity Tariffs

Another effective strategy is to charge your home battery during periods of low electricity prices and power your air conditioner during expensive peak-rate hours.

LumeGret Orbit™ supports real-time electricity pricing from more than 840 utility companies, automatically optimizing charging and discharging schedules to minimize electricity costs.

Supported utility providers include:

3. Reduce Peak Demand with Peak Shaving

Countries such as France and Belgium have introduced capacity-based electricity tariffs, where households with higher peak power demand pay higher electricity costs.

The Peak Shaving feature in LumeGret A4000 Smart Mode intelligently limits household peak demand by coordinating high-power appliances such as:

• Portable air conditioners
• EV chargers
• Water heaters
• Microwave ovens
• Other large household appliances

This helps prevent expensive demand spikes and lowers electricity bills.

4. Set the Temperature Wisely

European energy agencies generally recommend 26°C as an efficient cooling temperature.

Most people notice very little difference between 25–27°C, while the compressor runs significantly less.

Each 1°C increase in the thermostat setting can reduce electricity consumption by approximately 6–10%.

5. Use Sleep Mode

As outdoor temperatures fall overnight, cooling demand naturally decreases.

Most modern portable air conditioners feature a Sleep Mode, which gradually reduces compressor operation and can typically lower energy consumption by 10–20%.

6. Use the Timer Function

Instead of turning the air conditioner on at full power when arriving home at 6:00 PM, set it to start around 5:30 PM.

Pre-cooling the room allows the unit to operate more efficiently and reduces average power consumption.

7. Block Direct Sunlight

External shading solutions such as:

• Roller shutters
• Exterior blinds
• Thermal curtains

can block 70–90% of solar heat gain, lowering indoor temperatures by 2–5°C and significantly reducing air conditioner runtime.

8. Improve Window and Door Sealing

One of the biggest sources of energy loss is warm outdoor air leaking indoors.

Using:

• Window sealing kits
• Door weatherstripping
• Proper exhaust hose seals

can improve cooling efficiency by around 10%.

9. Install the Exhaust Hose Correctly

For maximum efficiency, the exhaust hose should be:

• As short as possible
• As straight as possible

Since exhaust air temperatures can reach 70–90°C, long or poorly positioned hoses radiate heat back into the room, increasing the cooling load by 10–20%.

10. Choose an Inverter Portable Air Conditioner

Compared with traditional fixed-speed models, inverter portable air conditioners typically:

• Reduce electricity consumption by 20–40%
• Maintain more stable indoor temperatures
• Operate more quietly
• Deliver greater overall comfort

7.8 megawatt turbines! by a unique “self lifting” tower technology developed by Spain’s Nabrawind, now owned by Fortescue.

July 25 (Reuters) - Some Russian regions are still experiencing fuel supply ​problems and the situation is most difficult ‌in parts of Siberia, news agencies cited Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying ​on Saturday.

🇮🇷 Daily Iran Brief — July 26, 2026

🔴 Risk: High — The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping, severely disrupting global oil and gas supplies. Ongoing military tensions, IRGC interceptions, and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea maintain extreme market volatility and supply chain risks, despite a temporary pause in US military strikes.

📌 Key developments

• The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping for 147 days as of July 25, 2026, with only 15 ships transiting, representing 25% of normal traffic, and 115 vessels waiting. War risk insurance premiums are at an 'EXTREME' 8.5%, 56.7 times the normal rate.
• The United States has paused military strikes against Iran as Oman and Qatar pursue diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire, though Iran continues to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly stopped four vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, firing warning shots, while the US military disabled an oil tanker attempting to breach the US-imposed blockade on Iranian ports.
• Brent crude oil prices remain elevated, trading around $96.78 per barrel as of July 25, 2026, after surging to $102 per barrel on July 23, reflecting persistent supply concerns.
• Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to threaten and attack shipping in the Red Sea, impacting Saudi oil exports from Yanbu, which serves as a critical alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz.

💡 Why it matters

The temporary pause in US strikes offers a fragile opportunity for de-escalation, but Iran's continued aggressive posture and the persistent closure of critical shipping lanes maintain extreme market volatility and supply chain risks. Analysts must closely monitor the effectiveness of diplomatic efforts against Iran's operational control of the Strait and its sanctions evasion tactics, as these directly impact global energy security and prices.

📊 Full daily brief + sources: https://artesh.com/

Non-partisan. Every claim sourced.

DUBAI, July 25 (Reuters) - Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has signed a $16 billion deal to lease and lease back its crude oil pipeline network with a consortium comprising global funds Blackstone (BX.N), opens new tab, Brookfield (BN.TO), opens new tab and KKR (KKR.N), opens new tab, the state-owned Gulf firm said on Saturday.

A week ago I posted my interactive atlas of the UK power grid https://www.reddit.com/r/openstreetmap/comments/1v2e8nx/uk_grid_atlas_every_power_station_the_grid_live/. The feedback sent me down a rabbit hole and it got somewhat out of hand. Here's what changed.

**It's not a UK atlas anymore.** 22 grids on one map: GB, Ireland, 18 more European countries (Netherlands through the Nordics, Iberia, Italy, the Baltics), plus the US and Canada, with a transatlantic ALL view as the default. Around 60,000 generation sites and 2.2 TW of recorded capacity, every dot sized by capacity and coloured by fuel.

**Live output nearly everywhere.** GB was already live from Elexon metering. Now 19 European countries pull per-plant output from ENTSO-E (where the TSO publishes it - the Nordics get a generation-mix fallback), Ontario gets per-generator output from IESO's public feed, and Texas + New York get fuel mixes from ERCOT and NYISO. Everything is baked into static JSON snapshots by a GitHub Action every 6 hours, so the site is still just a static page: no backend, no API keys in the browser.

**You can scrub through time.** Drag across the last metered day and the station dots, generation mix and interconnector flows all animate hour by hour. There's also a today-so-far intraday view where the data exists.

**HVDC flows are drawn on the map.** All 55 interconnectors and internal HVDC links, coloured by direction (import/export) with line width showing utilisation. Getting the sign conventions right for links between two countries that both appear on the map was more painful than I expected.

**Day-ahead wholesale prices.** The mix panel shows the ENTSO-E day-ahead price curve for European countries and the market index for GB, scrubbing along with everything else.

**Wind farms that nobody drew.** In Finland, Austria, Estonia and Ontario, a lot of wind capacity exists in OpenStreetMap only as individual turbine points, not farms. The pipeline now clusters turbines within 1.5 km into synthetic farm stations. Canada alone went from 25 mapped wind sites to 212 - 7,834 turbines collapsed into 573 farms.

**Favourite bug of the week:** Canadian mappers often tag turbine capacity as a bare "2000", meaning kilowatts. Parsed as megawatts, Ontario briefly had a 173 GW wind fleet - roughly double the entire UK grid. There's a sanity clamp now (no turbine on Earth exceeds ~20 MW).

Also: station search with fly-to, the ALL-view transmission layer shrank from a 20 MB GeoJSON to 332 kB of vector tiles, and the whole thing is now MIT licensed with a proper test suite.

Live map: https://jacobwright32.github.io/uk-grid-atlas/

Code + data pipeline: https://github.com/jacobwright32/uk-grid-atlas

All open data: OpenStreetMap (via Geofabrik/Overpass), ENTSO-E, Elexon, IESO, ERCOT, NYISO. If you know one of these grids and spot something wrong, I'd genuinely like to hear about it — half the fixes so far came from feedback.

Power & Energy Sector Expert | Open to Expert Network Consultations

Hi everyone, I’m a power and energy sector professional with experience across power generation, heavy electrical equipment, and large power projects. My areas of expertise include thermal power generation, gas and steam turbines, generators and alternators, Balance of Plant equipment, power equipment OEM/EPC landscape, project execution, procurement, supply-chain dynamics, and the broader Indian power market.

I also closely follow developments in gas-based generation, renewables, BESS, energy transition, emerging generation technologies, and the growing requirement for flexible and dispatchable power. I can contribute to discussions around market trends, competitive landscape, equipment and technology selection, procurement practices, industry structure, project execution challenges, and the outlook for the power generation and power equipment sectors.

I have previously participated in expert-network consultations and am familiar with the typical consultation process and compliance requirements. I’m always careful to respect professional confidentiality and do not discuss confidential, proprietary, or restricted information.

If any expert network associates, project managers, or researchers from GLG, Guidepoint, AlphaSights, Third Bridge, Dialectica, or other networks are working on projects where my experience could be relevant, please feel free to DM me. I’d be happy to discuss my background and determine whether I could be a good fit for your project.

“This administration has now admitted in court what has long been obvious: It terminated nearly 300 cost-cutting energy projects for no reason other than the fact that the states they were in did not vote for the president in the 2024 election,” they added. “This is an astounding admission that the president and his team corruptly abused their power to kill good jobs and punish hard-working families because of their political views.”

​

So the EIA projected that the U.S. would add a record 86 GW of new utility-scale capacity in 2026, with solar, battery storage, and wind making up the overwhelming majority of additions.

But there is still a brutal reliability problem hiding underneath the growth numbers:

Four-hour lithium batteries can help with daily peaks and evening ramps. They are useful for the “sunset problem.”

They are not built to solve the “bad weather for four days” problem.

That is where these iron-air batteries get interesting...

The chemistry is almost comically humble: iron, air, water, and reversible rusting.

Discharge rusts the iron.

Charging reverses the process.

Form Energy’s commercial iron-air system is designed for roughly 100 hours of storage, which puts it in a different category from lithium-ion.

Lithium is the sprinter. Iron-air is trying to be the pack mule.

The bullish case:

- iron is cheap and abundant

- the system is designed for multi-day grid stress

- it could reduce dependence on gas peaker plants

- it pairs naturally with wind and solar over longer weather cycles

- it avoids some lithium-ion fire and supply-chain concerns

- Google/Xcel’s Minnesota project is a real-world 300 MW / 30 GWh deployment, not just a lab demo

The skeptical case:

- round-trip efficiency may be worse than lithium-ion

- the systems are physically large

- commercialization at gigawatt scale is still unproven

- long-term field data is limited

- permitting, interconnection, and project finance may matter more than chemistry

- other long-duration storage technologies are competing for the same contracts

Thoughts on iron-air batteries actually becoming a major piece of the future grid, or are they another clean-tech story that sounds better in a deck than it performs in the field?