Interesting Links for 20-05-2026

[andrewducker]

1. Did Zohran Mamdani's New Budget Really Eliminate New York City's Deficit?

(tags:budget tax newyork facts )

2. Standard Thermal - dirt cheap thermal energy from renewables

(tags:renewables heating energy )

3. Impressive Gassian splat of a bumblebee. Amazing level of detail.

(tags:photography bee )

4. What do Labour members think of Streeting, Burnham, and other leadership contenders?

(tags:labour politics uk polls )

5. A good video guide to Ozempic, how it works, and what the long term looks like

(tags:obesity medicine video )

6. More than 60 Labour MPs call for review of UK voting system

(tags:voting reform labour UK politics )

7. Autistic children are the best

(tags:children autism funny )

Comments

Re: 2.

[bens_dad]

What form of heating are you using ? I use about 18MWhr of gas and 4MWhr of electricity per year.

So yes I have over-estimated how big a plot I would need, but I don't think my roof would take enough panels
to put that much heat into the ground*.

*I could use a reverse heat-pump to multiply the electrical energy into heat in the ground, but then I would
not get the ground anywhere near 600°C.

Re: 2.

[andrewducker]

Turns out my maths is terrible - and I used about 12MWhr of Gas in the last year. And 3MWhr of Electricity. So less gas than you, but not vastly dissimilar.

I don't think this heating approach is designed for individuals. I think we're talking about something you'd put in next to a power generator to use up excess electricity. Or somewhere industrial. Or otherwise large enough to make building it worthwhile.

I'm still hoping that District Heating takes off. This kind of thing would be perfect for that.

Re: 2.

[lsanderson]

This supersized heat pump will heat and cool a whole St. Paul neighborhood
by Brian Martucci
https://www.minnpost.com/newsletter/this-supersized-heat-pump-will-heat-and-cool-a-whole-st-paul-neighborhood/

Just 'normal' geothermal. Baking the ground seems like an idea whose time will not come, although not a mile away from salt or sand batteries.