Tor aka "@SolarFred" is the founder of solar PR agency UnThink Solar & chief storyteller at @ProbTrueSolar, an odd solar fiction podcast. Bluesky: torsolarfred.
San Francisco Bay Area
Joined June 2009
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- Following2.2K
- Followers20.5K
- Likes8.4K
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Today's #HydrogenSoufflé is brought to you by the EU, where just one of 23 industrial decarbonisation projects awarded a 2025 European Union Innovation Fund grant relates to hydrogen. In previous rounds #hydrogen and CCS soaked up 77% of the money. #ElectrifyNow
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
The two states with the most solar and storage—CA & TX—saved $6 billion in electricity costs this summer.
With the midterm elections focused squarely on affordability, solar and storage are flexing their power in red and blue states alike.
seia.org/news/analysis-solar…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Battery electric vehicles were the largest market segment in France in September at over 40%.
Pure combustion vehicles are taking their final breaths. Petrol at 11% and diesel at 2%.
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
I’ve been in the clean energy industry as an entrepreneur for 15 years after a prior career in Dem politics as a bona fide progressive. Without changing many of my views I’ve left that community behind. By far the most frustrating experiences I’ve had on the ground developing solar were in counties run by leftie democrats in my home state of Maryland which is behind now on clean energy goals. They always thought they had a better idea or were smarter than the entire solar community combined. I see that same dynamic with @RepHuffman on permitting reform. Jared, your home state of California is BEHIND on the SB 100 goals. Permits, interconnects, transmission are part of the reason why. THIS is the legislation we believe in. We know our businesses and what removes the rate limiters.
We need to elect politicians who want to BUILD the future. (Oh by the way Maryland Dem legislature eventually passed a great permitting bill.)
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
RENEWABLE RELIABLITY: When heatwaves stressed grid resources, renewables stepped up to supply most of the extra electricity needed.
See how solar and storage investments are boosting grid reliability.
More from: @Reuters
reuters.com/commentary/reute…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
No longer active on X, but if you want my solar opinions for 2026, they're on bluesky, mastodon, and substack:
solarchase.substack.com/p/20…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Good morning with good news: US solar & wind surged 24% to record high September level of 76.6 TWh!
S&W were 18.9% of US power vs. 16.5% in 9/2025.
S&W's monthly record production was 96.5 TWh in June 2026.
S&W's monthly record high share was 26.5% in April 2026.
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Musk spends $366 million dollars to keep Republicans in control of Congress. Tell him in the booth that your vote isn’t for sale.
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Solar Eating Coal!
China's solar panels in Pakistan cut operations and revenues of coal plants that China built.
Reduced coal plant revenues force discussion of early coal closures, repurposing of coal plants, and extending debt repayment time.
bloomberg.com/news/features/…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
⚡Energy storage is hitting record after record in 2026, doubling in just the past 18 months.
seia.org/news/largest-quarte…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Heatmap has spent all day digging into the bipartisan permitting deal. Here’s our guide: heatmap.news/politics/bipart…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
This is chilling. It's going to get so ugly when it becomes obvious that the US doesn't need 1 TW of new data centres, it needs about 50GW by 2035.
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Bernie sitting on the Capitol steps alone after his amendment to reduce Medicare drug costs was defeated 99-1. All he's ever done is try his damned hardest to make survival for American workers easier and I wish we deserved him.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The attached photo of Sen. Sanders on the Capitol steps is from August 2022 during the Inflation Reduction Act vote-a-rama. A similar amendment on Medicare drug prices and benefits was defeated 99-1 then but 47-53 in a recent vote.
papermag.com/bernie-sanders…
truthout.org/articles/nearl…
congress.gov/amendment/119t…
denvergazette.com/2025/07/01/big…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
"Former VP Al Gore: A clean Earth is within world’s grasp even as climate dangers accelerate" by @borenbears for @apnews.com:
apnews.com/article/al-gore-c…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me 4 times…. I’m an idiot.
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
We need a federal ban on AI use in political ads immediately
"Senator Jon Ossoff spends more money than any Washington politician on hair and makeup. I know what you're thinking. Yes, even more than the ladies...Ossoff needs to put down the mascara and join the real world."
Senate Leadership Fund is up with a new #GASen ad.
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Ossoff calls for this ad to be taken down during a presser this morning:
"The ad is weak & ineffective, but it is deeply troubling to see this deepfake videos used to fabricate political advertising & it's a slippery slope toward the destruction of truth in political debate."
"Senator Jon Ossoff spends more money than any Washington politician on hair and makeup. I know what you're thinking. Yes, even more than the ladies...Ossoff needs to put down the mascara and join the real world."
Senate Leadership Fund is up with a new #GASen ad.
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
👀 NEWS from @anna_c_kramer: For over a year, the National Park Service has been quietly working to fulfill an unprecedented directive from Trump officials: Parcel off a corner of Yosemite National Park to give to a private developer
notus.org/agencies/trump-adm…
Tor "@SolarFred" Valenza retweeted
Donald Trump had a brief and highly damaging exchange with a reporter, which has already been dubbed a betrayal of American farmers, regarding the prospects of the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections:
Trump: "We will be buying Argentine beef."
Reporter: "What about the American farmers who are suffering?"
Trump: "Argentina is fighting for its life. Do you understand? They are dying."
This dialogue occurred against the backdrop of recent financial aid of $20 billion provided to Argentina by the government of Javier Milei, a long-time ally of Trump. At the same time, the US administration decided to quadruple the tariff quota for Argentine beef, which has already caused outrage among American farmers.
Opposition media outlets immediately pointed out that in March 2026, Chinese customs suspended the import of 22 tons of Argentine beef from the ArreBeef plant in the province of Buenos Aires after the discovery of chloramphenicol – an antibiotic banned for use in cattle intended for human consumption since 1995 due to its association with serious blood diseases. Beijing suspended further imports of products from this plant and launched an investigation to trace the origin of the products.
Therefore, the product that China does not want to accept is the very product that is being sent to American tables, while American farmers are suffering losses, and Milei is receiving financial aid, according to media outlets sympathetic to the Democratic Party.
