asa watten

@asawatten.bsky.social

718 Followers 1540 Following

economist. i think about energy technology innovation and climate policy. newly in new orleans. asawatten.net

Lightning within a cloud in the distance. Tropical storm Bertha.
Figure of state-level data center capacity vs average residential price over time. States with the highest prices and price increases had lower than average data center capacity additions.
Fact 1: both renewable diesel and SAF are $2-$5 per gallon more expensive to produce than their fossil counterparts. Therefore, they need substantial subsidies to be cost competitive, otherwise they will not be produced. Fact 2: the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS) requires that a minimum quantity of biomass-based diesel fuels be used in the United States each year. SAF counts as biomass-based diesel in the RFS. If the industry produces more biomass-based diesel than required, then the RFS subsidies will disappear. It has no incentive to go above the mandate because of the first fact. Therefore, more SAF means less renewable diesel in aggregate.
Google search trends for “best heat pump” shows recent upswing.
Build affordable homes
Google Gemini answers: No, if confidence intervals overlap, the difference between the two estimates is not statistically significant. However, it's possible for the difference to be statistically significant even if the confidence intervals overlap.
Picasso's Guernica
Photo of entry way to a Zen temple
Norway's Central Bank interest rate over time. The rate increases sharply in 2023.
Graffiti sticker that says "capitalism grows on you"