by Stan Nabozny | Jan 30, 2026 | The Decarbonized Cold Chain
How operators can brace for a year of regulatory squeeze, technological upheaval, and grid weirdness It’s January — operators actually running freezers and blast tunnels are staring down refrigerant phase-outs, grid volatility, and a regulatory environment that’s...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 27, 2026 | Energy Rant
Last week, I mentioned I planned to write about toothpaste, only to be overtaken by more urgent headlines around data center moratoriums, power shortages, grid unreliability, and soaring electricity prices. This week I’m circling back to toothpaste, not because...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 20, 2026 | Energy Rant
I was planning to write about toothpaste this week. Instead, data centers hijacked my inbox—and the headlines. Opposition to data centers is accelerating fast enough that one of my six-pack predictions came true almost immediately: they’re becoming as politically...
by Jake Millette | Jan 14, 2026 | The Big Why
Utility commissions often guide state policy through energy efficiency plans. In recent years, many have approved plans that focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting electrification. However, by focusing on these necessary goals, the plans can create...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 13, 2026 | Energy Rant
Models are useful tools. They simplify complex systems, quantify trade-offs, and provide decision-makers with concrete arguments to support their decisions. But models also share a weakness: they assume cooperation from reality. In energy, electrification, and climate...
by Michaels Energy | Jan 13, 2026 | News
January 2026 – South Dakota State University recently featured Michaels Energy and CEO Jeff Ihnen in its Fall 2025 issue of Impulse magazine, highlighting the company’s national impact on utility energy efficiency, continued growth as a multi-time Inc. 5000 honoree,...
by Jeff Ihnen | Jan 5, 2026 | Energy Rant
My annual predictions are always popular with Rant readers. One reason may be that I go off-road and provide an eclectic and bold set of predictions, some of which have very low odds. In 2025, I went from the baby balance bike to training wheels on the artificial...
by Stan Nabozny | Dec 16, 2025 | The Decarbonized Cold Chain
Refrigeration has been around for centuries. Today, in the face of climate change and grid stress, ice is no longer just about keeping food cold—it’s about keeping the lights on. Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is quietly becoming one of the most important tools for...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 15, 2025 | Energy Rant
This Energy Rant examines the retraction of a high-profile climate economics study from Germany’s Potsdam Institute, which projected catastrophic global economic losses by mid-century. The episode illustrates how implausible modeling assumptions, confirmation bias in...
by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 9, 2025 | Energy Rant
Shortly after the Russia-Ukraine war kicked off, I quoted a panelist from the Wisconsin Public Utilities Institute. He said, “Watch what the Germans do and do the opposite.” My quote referred to the war, but the WPUI gentleman was discussing energy policy....
