Scott Hinson

Scott Hinson

Scott Hinson is chief technology officer at Pecan Street Inc. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Pecan Street conducts groundbreaking data research, product testing and policy analysis that accelerate the development and deployment of innovative climate and conservation solutions.

Digital Dirt Update: Using AI/ML to Advance Soil Carbon Sequestration

By Scott Hinson– Pecan Street’s Digital Dirt initiative was designed to accelerate the development of cost-effective ways to predict how land management practices can increase soil organic carbon, a promising climate solution. The next generation of high-tech sensors will surely be part of the solution, but they a still far from being something most producers can use to obtain accurate results. We see significant near-term potential for simulation models to fill this gap.

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During Texas’ Heatwave, Every Degree Matters. And so Do Conservation and Efficiency.

By Scott Hinson, chief technology officer, Pecan Street – For the second time in a week, Texas’ grid operator (ERCOT) and local utilities yesterday issued “calls for conservation” as the state bakes under a prolonged heatwave. Among the requests: increase your thermostat setpoint to 78 degrees to reduce state-wide air conditioner load. It’s unsurprising that air conditioning increases electricity demand during a heatwave. But it may surprise you to know just how powerful a driver it is and how close it can push the state toward a real problem.

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A Tale of Two February Freezes – Can Last Year’s Grid Failure and This Month’s Storm be Compared?

By Scott Hinson, chief technology officer, Pecan Street – The recent freeze gave us an opportunity to compare electricity use in our research network before and during the event to how people used power during last year’s crisis. Did they learn any tips or tricks? Did they panic heat their homes to prepare for power outages? Did they charge their cars any differently? Here’s what we saw.

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