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Renewables, batteries & storage: videos Hacker News recommends
Renewable energy: solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, batteries, lithium, hydrogen, grid storage, energy transition, solar panel technology, energy efficiency economics. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (31 explainers, 16 demos, 15 talks), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 3 HN recommenders 8 months 2019–2024N Nysnø Klimainvesteringer · talkFrequently linked as a sobering, data-grounded counterpoint to techno-optimism about decarbonization and green growth.
- 9 HN recommenders 8 months 2022–2023HN's default link for anyone asking whether heat pumps work and why they're efficient, thanks to the presenter's clear and enthusiastic delivery.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2020–2024M Michael Moore · documentaryHN uses it as a contrarian critique of renewables and green tech, often recommended with caveats about bias and flawed conclusions.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2021–2026Recommended as part of an excellent, approachable series explaining residential heat pumps.
- 12 HN recommenders 5 months 2026HN repeatedly recommends it as an up-to-date, fact-focused case for solar and batteries that readers can cite on land use and costs.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2025X X, The Moonshot Factory · documentaryHN recommends it as a technically rich, beautifully made documentary on ambitious hardware engineering and failure.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2022–2023HN recommends the series as an enthusiastic, entertaining deep dive into residential heat pumps whenever heating or climate threads arise.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2025HN people link it as the go-to explainer for grid and inverter stability, especially in threads about blackouts and distributed solar.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2025U Utah State University Extension · lectureHN uses it as the go-to rebuttal to vertical farming hype, since it gives hard numbers from a leading controlled-environment authority.
- 3 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2020S Stanford ENERGY · talkCited in energy threads for Gates's argument on why batteries and renewables alone fall short and nuclear is needed.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2023HN commenters link it repeatedly as a clear, number-based rebuttal to the claim that EVs are worse for the climate than gas cars.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2026HN points to it as an impressive, hands-on DIY demonstration of passive radiative cooling that works in practice.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2021HN links it in hydrogen threads as a clear breakdown of why compounded inefficiencies make hydrogen a poor fit for cars, though one commenter calls it outdated.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2024Recommended as a clear explanation of pumped hydro and its limits in energy storage discussions.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2026A Aging Wheels · commentaryHN cites it as a clear side-by-side showing the papercuts of non-Tesla fast charging in EV debates.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2022–2024HN uses it as the go-to explanation of why hydrogen internal combustion engines do not make sense.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2021A Apogee Instruments Inc. · lectureCited in vertical farming debates as a rigorous look at when indoor crops are economically viable.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2024Linked whenever commenters ask whether Sahara solar could power Europe, as a clear explanation of why it is impractical.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2009–2011HN used it as the go-to introduction to LFTR and thorium reactor technology in energy threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2021Cited in energy debates for its back-of-envelope scale of the transition and the land and storage limits of wind and solar.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2020HN commenters credit it with changing their minds on nuclear power and cite it for the downsides of renewables.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2024HN recommends it as a clear explanation of why batteries limit electric aviation.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2022Offered in energy and nuclear debates as a numbers-based walkthrough of renewable storage costs, though one commenter disliked its tone.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2021Treated as the essential primary source for Tesla's battery and cost-reduction plans, and a feast for engineering nerds.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2022T Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design · lectureHN recommends it as a grounded, data-driven counter to hype about quick energy revolutions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2020A Afrotechmods · demoHN commenters use it as a vivid, math-backed demonstration of what ultracapacitors can do and why shorting them is dangerous.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2017HN recommends it as an approachable, numbers-driven overview of what renewable energy would take.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2026Recommended as an entertaining, in-depth beginner's guide that persuades skeptics that a wall outlet often suffices.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2018T Tony Seba · talkCited as a well-argued case that solar plus batteries and EVs will reach a tipping point sooner than mainstream forecasts expect.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2021S School of Convergence Science · talkHN brings it up in energy storage threads as a promising scalable grid storage technology, and calls it worth the hour.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024S S3 | Science, Startups, & Stories · explainerHN commenters point to it as a clear, short tour of Terraform's synthetic fuel approach and goals.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2022S Swan Bitcoin · documentaryBitcoin advocates on HN cite it to rebut energy-consumption and waste criticisms, though it is an advocacy piece from a Bitcoin company.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2026HN commenters recommend the channel's alternative-living videos, and this one for its look at a net-zero desert home.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025P Projects With Everyday Dave · demoHN points to it as real-world, side-by-side data on vertical versus angled panel orientation.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Frequently linked whenever wind-powered vehicles come up, as the clearest visual explanation of how the craft works.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024HN commenters recommend it as the best overview of power satellites, with pros and cons beyond the construction cost.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025R RethinkX · explainerCited in nuclear-versus-renewables debates to support the argument that cheap renewables undercut new nuclear.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2023HN points to it as a detailed, DIY-able design for desiccant-based cooling.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2017W Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology · lectureHN recommends it as a detailed look at battery degradation, in threads on EV and grid storage lifetimes.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2024Used as the explanation behind the free-lithium-cell scavenging idea in threads about vapes and battery reuse.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024HN points to it as a solid analysis of EV towing range in truck and highway threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023HN cites it in hydrogen strategy threads as a concise skeptical summary of why hydrogen is not yet viable.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2025J JerryRigEverything · explainerHN points to it as evidence that battery recycling is more advanced and practical than people assume.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2024HN points to it in battery-fire threads as a rare look at what is inside a Li-ion cell and how dangerous disassembly really is.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2021HN commenters point to it in lighting threads for its pros and cons of LED versus sodium lamps, though one calls it almost right.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2011–2022Cited as Bussard's last substantial public presentation on polywell fusion and the source of his claim that about $200M would be enough.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023Linked in fuel and aviation threads as the full story on why ethanol and biofuels are energy-negative or inefficient.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2020HN cites it for Orkney's surplus renewable energy, hydrogen facilities and EV uptake.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2025Referenced as an early, inspiring presentation of the molten-metal battery idea that later grid-storage startups pursued.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2024HN links it as a nice intro to what a realistic Dyson swarm would require, and as a companion to megastructure discussions.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023Cited in grid, smart thermostat and energy storage threads as an accessible explanation of load shifting.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2019C Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) · talkHN commenters cite it as a big-picture case for exponential solar and EV adoption, usually with caveats about whether his predictions will hold.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2025B Bjørn Nyland · demoHN cites it as the evidence that inductive EV charging can match wired charging in efficiency.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2025Q Quint BUILDs · demoHN commenters cite it as an entertaining reality check on home gravity storage, showing the yield is tiny compared to household needs.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2023S Sustainable Minerals Institute UQ · lectureCited in energy transition threads for ballpark numbers on mineral demand, though some commenters criticize its assumptions.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2026H Hydrogen Societies · demoHN cites it in hydrogen car debates, with some seeing it as evidence of relative safety and others finding it unconvincing.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2025T Tony Seba · talkHN cites it as support for the argument that renewables with storage are already cheapest and still getting cheaper.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2024Cited as a technical look at how Tesla's VPPs and Autobidder work as distributed systems.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2024Linked as concrete evidence that automated battery swapping already works in practice, especially in China.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2026G GreatScott! · demoHN commenters cite it as hands-on testing of a solid-state battery claim, though some remain skeptical until products ship.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2023HN cites it as the go-to debunking whenever solar roads come up, because it does the math.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2024HN commenters cite it as a concrete, working example of large-battery electric shipping with fast automated charging.
- cited 3× 0 months 2023S South China Morning Post · news clipLinked as concrete evidence that automated EV battery swapping already works at scale in China.
- cited 4× 0 months 2018–2021HN commenters link it as a defense of Bitcoin's energy use, offered as a rebuttal to claims that mining is wasteful.
- cited 7× 0 months 2019–2023HN cites it whenever grid storage or pumped hydro comes up, as an accessible example of storage at scale.
- cited 4× 0 months 2023–2025HN points to it as a real example of battery swapping and diesel-to-electric conversion for heavy trucks.
- cited 3× 0 months 2016–2020Cited as an example of Orkney's grid innovation and role as a test site for renewable tech.
- cited 5× 0 months 2013–2020S sbknapps · demoLinked as visual evidence that the Model S supported battery swapping whenever swap stations come up.
- cited 6× 0 months 2019–2022Used as a critical reference to argue gravity energy storage is impractical, not as a general recommendation.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022Mentioned only occasionally as a contrarian argument for hybrids over EVs, with no real endorsement.
- cited 3× 0 months 2018–2019Cited as a quick explainer in threads about rooftop solar, renewables, and grid load.
- cited 16× 0 months 2021–2025The standard reference whenever threads discuss electrifying trucking via overhead lines instead of big batteries.
- cited 4× 0 months 2021–2022HN mostly cites it as an example of sponsored content, with critics calling it FUD about battery electric cars, though one commenter noted it as a comparison.
- cited 7× 0 months 2023–2025Go-to reference in EV threads for showing that battery swapping already works in practice.
- cited 6× 0 months 2022–2026HN cites it as the go-to debunk when gravity storage projects appear, usually by commenters who think the idea is a dud.
- cited 4× 0 months 2021–2024T Toyota USA · demoCited in hydrogen debates as evidence that pressurized hydrogen tanks do not necessarily explode when punctured.
- cited 9× 0 months 2017–2024N NOVA PBS Official · demoCited repeatedly as a quick visual demonstration that solid-state or polymer batteries can survive abuse without igniting.
- cited 5× 0 months 2017–2025A Allan · demoHN references it as prior art whenever solar sintering, sand printing or sunlight-based manufacturing comes up.
- cited 8× 0 months 2019–2025HN points to it as the real-world example for the garage orphan problem, meaning EV owners with no home charger.
- cited 3× 0 months 2022Cited as a good explainer on EV charging, including the CCS standard with Tesla as the holdout.
- cited 6× 0 months 2018–2025Cited in threads on atmospheric water harvesting as the standard debunking of such startups.
- cited 4× 0 months 2023–2024S styropyro · demoCited in battery and electrical safety threads as a vivid demonstration of what very high-current battery banks can do.
- cited 6× 0 months 2019–2025HN cites it in wind-power debates as measured evidence that turbine noise is low relative to ambient or road noise.
Questions
What is the most recommended renewables, batteries & storage video on Hacker News?
Václav Smil at Driva Climate Investment Meeting 2019 by Nysnø Klimainvesteringer: Frequently linked as a sobering, data-grounded counterpoint to techno-optimism about decarbonization and green growth.
How is this renewables, batteries & storage list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.