2015-10-01 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, September 24:

• “Shame upon them! The government’s nuclear lies exposed” There’s no doubt about it. The UK Government is spreading untruths about the price of renewable energy. Is it deliberate? One can only assume so owing to the consistency of the pattern. And, it’s always in the context of supporting nuclear power over renewable energy sources. [The Ecologist]
• Yesterday, Hillary Clinton announced that she opposes the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. Today, she released her energy infrastructure plan. First item on the list: repairing and upgrading our existing pipelines. The words, “solar,” “wind,” and “alternative,” do not appear in the plan at all, and “renewable” shows up only twice. [AMERICAblog]
• The Vermont Public Service Department released the Public Review Draft of the 2015 Comprehensive Energy Plan. The plan emphasizes the importance of efficiency and conservation. Since the last CEP was published in 2011, Vermont has added more than 100 MW each of wind and solar PV, while power rates grew slower than inflation. [Vermont Biz]

Friday, September 25:

• The University of Texas at Austin has let out word that a research team guided by professor John Goodenough, the man who invented lithium-ion batteries, has come up with a new cathode material leading to the development of a marketable sodium-ion battery. The new energy storage involves eldfellite, a yellow-green mineral. [CleanTechnica]
• In what’s being referred to as the “first utility-adopted” solar sharing program, Yeloha and Green Mountain Power have partnered to offer GMP’s customers the opportunity to go solar, even if it’s with someone else’s roof. Yeloha acts as a middleman between people who want solar and people with places for panels. [CleanTechnica]
• More than a quarter of the UK’s electricity came from renewables this spring, official figures show. Renewables accounted for 25.3% of electricity generation in the second quarter of 2015, up from 16.7% for the period in 2014, and overtaking coal for the first time. Coal generating fell to 20.5% in the same period. [Business Reporter]

Saturday, September 26:

• Just at a time some are calling for the use of US RICO laws to investigate and possibly prosecute those who may have been attempting to defraud us about the climate, we have found that Exxon was concealing its own science predicting climate change. A look at the data shows their predictions were nearly spot-on. [CleanTechnica]

• Based on estimates of the amounts of excess pollutants released by the 11 million cars VW admitted to fitting with cheating software, Kevin Drum has come up with a rough estimate of a death toll. Worldwide, it may be that 3,700 people died because VW cheated. This is a problem professions will doubtless take up. [CleanTechnica]
• The presidents of the US and China have made a bargain. China will implement a national cap-and-trade program, requiring Chinese electric companies, iron and steel plants, and other manufacturers to trade emissions credits beginning in 2017. The US will make its carbon cuts through existing or planned regulations. [World Magazine]
• The overall collective risk of cancer via exposure to 7 toxic air contaminants in California has declined by an incredible 76% since comprehensive air quality regulations went into effect there back into 1990, according to a new study from the California Air Resources Board. The worst offender is said to be diesel particulates. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, September 27:

• A study prepared by DIW Econ, a German institute for economic research, found that, as a whole, countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have already decoupled their economic growth from emissions. This means they can grow without increasing greenhouse gas emissions. [The Guardian]

Monday, September 28:

• A Volkswagen engineer warned the company about cheating over its emission tests as early 2011, a German newspaper reports. Separately, Bild am Sonntag said the internal inquiry had found that parts supplier Bosch had warned Volkswagen not to use its software illegally. Volkswagen said they would not comment on “newspaper speculation”. [BBC]
  Relevant to this article: In a lunchtime address at New York University on September 10, Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates rolled out a new blueprint for prosecutors across the US. Their priority should be to hold individuals to account for corporate crimes, not just to impose big fines on firms. [Bloomberg]
• Twenty-one new hydroelectric projects that will utilize already-existing dam infrastructure in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi, are set to be developed, following closure of a senior loan facility between Free Flow Power New Hydro and Crestline Investors. They are expected to produce over 200 MW. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, September 29:

• “People Power Just Defeated Shell in the Arctic. Here’s How You Did It” Years ago, Shell paid billions of dollars for the right to drill for oil in the Arctic. Now, the company is pulling out and has no plans to go back. It is a huge victory for everyone who took action, whether writing a letter or climbing a giant skyscraper in protest. [RYOT]

• Deutsche Bank analysts say China may increase its 2020 solar power target to 150 GW from the current target of 100 GW. China also proposes a competitive power dispatch that prioritizes the emissions-free, near-zero marginal dispatch cost of renewables, which would reduce carbon emissions by 200 million tonnes per year. [CleanTechnica]
• The Vermont Public Service Department has released the state’s 2015 Comprehensive Energy Plan for public review, and has scheduled five meetings in October to take comment. The plan reaffirms Vermont’s goal of meeting 90% of the state’s energy needs through renewable sources by 2050, with emphasis on microgrids. [Utility Dive]

Wednesday, September 30:

• Western Power, the state-owned company that operates the grid in the south-west corner of Western Australia, may take some communities completely off grid so that it can save money on costly network upgrades and extensions. They are considering up to ten stand-alone systems, using solar, batteries, and back-up diesel. [One Step Off The Grid]

• BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company, did an analysis of climate change, and issued the findings in a report. The company says it believes climate change is real and that action will be taken. In fact, the introduction calls for an agreement to restrict global warming to 2 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels. [Business Insider Australia]
• Solar energy pricing is at an all-time low, according to a report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Driven by lower installed costs, improved project performance, and a race to build projects ahead of a reduction in a key federal incentive, utility-scale solar PV power sales agreements are averaging just 5¢/kWh. [solarserver.com]

 

2015-09-24 Energy Week

Thursday, September 17:

• Offshore wind installation vessel Pacific Osprey has installed the 100th pile installation at Northland Power’s 600-MW Gemini offshore wind project. The 161 meter, six-legged jack-up is pushing on to complete work at the project, located in the Dutch North Sea. Two substations and the first transition pieces are already in place. [reNews]

• A report looks at whether coal from two sources would be sold at all without subsidies. It concludes that significant subsidies backing the production of coal in Australia and in the Powder River Basin in the US are “distorting the market, driving up emissions, and acting as a barrier to entry for cleaner energy sources.” [CleanTechnica]
• A 52-MW battery system being developed by SolarCity in Hawaii will be adjacent to one of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative’s existing 12-MW solar fields. Under a 20-year power purchase agreement with SolarCity, the co-op will pay 14.5¢ per kWh for battery-stored power, primarily during KIUC’s evening peak demand hours. [Electric Co-op Today]

Friday, September 18 :

• Toyota now collects more than 90% of the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in its hybrid cars, and is aiming for 100% collected. But what happens to the batteries after they’re collected? Some are recycled, but from an environmental perspective, it’s even better if they are reused. They have a second life in Yellowstone Park. [The Guardian]
• The mayor of London, reminded cabinet ministers that 10,000 local jobs were dependent on this renewable power technology which had, in his view, “many, many attractions”. The warning from the high-profile Conservative came as the chief executive of Shell predicted solar would become the “backbone” of our energy system. [The Guardian]
• The Department of Transportation in Washington wrapped up a bid proposal for up to 800 electric buses in 12 different categories. BYD buses has been awarded the contract in 10 of those categories. The contract may be the biggest in US history. It includes buses from 30 to 60 feet in length for highway and intra-city applications. [CleanTechnica]
• Two extensive studies reveal that major US business identities have knowingly undermined the health, safety, and survival of real humans and other living things in regards to climate. One examines ExxonMobil’s actions, and the other implicates almost half the world’s 100 largest companies in obstructing climate change legislation. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, September 19:

• The summer of 2015 is Earth’s hottest on record. The meteorological summer of June-July-August saw its highest globally averaged temperature since records began in 1880, according to NOAA. Those record highs occurred on the surface of both land and sea. Scientists had predicted a record-breaking summer based on modeling. [CNN]
• The US DOE, collaborating with National Institute of Building Sciences, has officially defined zero energy buildings, which also are referred to as net zero or zero net energy buildings. The definition extends to communities, campuses, and portfolios. They published guidelines for measurement and implementation. [Energy Manager Today]

Sunday, September 20:

• It is not clear where the idea of a “global warming hiatus” originally came from, but over the last several years it has been a widely held idea. Now, two papers by different groups of researchers show there has not been any pause in global warming. NASA says 2015 will very likely break 2014’s record as the warmest ever recorded. [Morning Ticker]
• It didn’t add up. VW diesel cars were spewing harmful exhaust when testers drove them on the road. In the lab, they were fine. Discrepancies in the European tests on the diesel models of the VW Passat, the VW Jetta and the BMW X5 last year gave Peter Mock an idea. He checked the cars. VW had a cheat device on them. [Bloomberg]
• Denmark is preparing what may be the biggest IPO in the nation’s history as it sets up the sale of state utility Dong Energy. The government is giving itself a maximum of 18 months. The company, which comprises units in oil, gas, wind parks and distribution networks, could be worth as much as $11 billion. [The Australian Financial Review]

Monday, September 21:

• Greenpeace, working in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center, issued a report saying a 100% renewable power can be achieved by 2050. And not only is this transition possible, but it will create jobs and is cost-competitive, with the necessary investment more than covered by savings in future fuel costs. [Greenpeace International]

Greenpeace volunteers of Youth Solar (Jugendsolar) in cooperation with volunteers from the organisation ‘Solaragenten’, install a photovoltaic power plant on avalanche barriers in the ski resort of Bellwald.

• LG Chem, one of the world’ s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturers, has supplied a 1-MW/2-MWh energy storage system for a solar power station in Cedartown, Georgia. A Southern Company and Electric Power Research Institute initiative, the project is evaluating the grid impacts of the energy storage system. [Energy Matters]
• In Vernon, Vermont, a town hit hard by the shutdown of Vermont Yankee, officials say a natural-gas plant may be in the works. The optimism in Vernon is carefully qualified because the plant is far from a sure bet, and it’s not yet been disclosed which sites are under consideration. Development costs are estimated at $750 million. [vtdigger.org]

Tuesday, September 22:

• Major nations seem to be reducing fossil fuel subsidies but still have “ample scope” for deeper cuts in recent support of up to $200 billion a year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development says. The OECD nations are estimated to subsidize fossil fuels production $160 billion to $200 billion annually. [Times of Malta]
• Volkswagen AG plans to set aside €6.5 billion ($7.3 billion) in the third quarter to cover the costs of addressing irregularities in diesel engines installed in 11 million vehicles worldwide, as the scandal that started in the US widens. Germany, France, South Korea, and Italy have said they would look further into the issue. [Bloomberg]
• Tesla will drive down battery-pack-level costs by 70% (down to around $38/kWh) once the Gigafactory hits peak production via economies of scale, improved chemistry, supply chain optimization, and other factors, according to Jefferies analyst Dan Dolev. Model S battery cells could be brought to 88$/kWh. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, September 23:

• Climate-change denial has been compared to Big Tobacco’s 50-year-campaign to deny the dangers of cigarettes. It’s not widely known, but what ended the Big Tobacco campaign was actual prosecution under the RICO racketeering statute. Now, a group of scientists wants to use the RICO act againt climate deceivers. [Red, Green, and Blue]
• InsideClimate News has a series about Exxon quietly studying fossil fuels and global warming. They found that in 1978, Exxon’s own scientists were telling the company that oil and gas use contribute to global warming that would play havoc on the planet’s climate. Exxon then funded politically motivated climate denialism. [CleanTechnica]
• Energy Watch Group and Lappeenranta University of Technology, in Finland, have published the report which claims the International Energy Agency has been holding back global energy transition for years. EWG-LUT says the false predictions in the WEO reports have led to high investments in fossil and nuclear power sectors. [Greentech Lead]

2015-09-17 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, September 10:

• California is about to make a historic move on climate change with a package of bills to be voted on this week. One calls for a 50% reduction in petroleum use in cars and trucks, a 50% increase in energy efficiency in buildings, and for 50% of the state’s utility power derived from renewable energy, all by 2030. [ThinkProgress]
• The US residential solar market grew 70% during the first half of 2015. With another 729 MW of utility-scale solar during the second quarter, the nation has installed more than 1 GW of PV for the last 7 quarters. According to the Solar Energy Industry Association’s latest report, US solar power capacity now exceeds 20 GW. [CleanTechnica]
• A broad coalition of Ohio business, health, community and environmental groups called Wednesday for Ohio lawmakers to reinstate mandatory targets for the use of renewable and advanced energy sources such as wind, solar and clean coal. A law to have the state get 25% of its power from renewables is on hold for two years. [News-Herald.com]

Friday, September 11:

• In 2014, the Bullitt Center produced 60% more electricity than it used. This is in part because of an oversized 242-kW array of solar PVs on the roof which provide abundant power. Overall, it is the most energy-efficient office building in the United States by a wide margin, despite the cloudy weather in its home city of Seattle. [Mother Earth News]

• The French government is ending export subsidies for building coal plants abroad, as the country tries to clean up its environmental reputation before hosting landmark UN climate talks. Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced the immediate end to the coal credits, primarily used by French group Alstom, which has not responded publicly. [PennEnergy]
• The International Energy Agency predicts US oil output next year will see the steepest fall since 1992 thanks to low oil prices. US oil production has increased to a record high in recent years as high prices made investment worthwhile. Prices halved over the past year as demand fell in line with slower economic growth. [BBC]
• In the face of intense lobbying from the oil industry, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Wednesday dropped their attempt to pass a law mandating a 50% reduction in petroleum use in the state over the next 15 years. Despite the defeat, Brown vowed to implement the state’s existing low-carbon fuel standards. [Bakken.com]

Saturday, September 12:

• The more renewables a country deploys, the more efficient its energy use, according to a study of the eight countries that consume half of the world’s electricity. The researchers estimate that by combining investments in renewables and in energy efficiency, the world’s total energy demand can be reduced by 25% by 2030. [Truthdig]

• A research team from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has figured out what to do with the carbon dioxide from industrial emissions: convert it into carbon monoxide, and then turn that into useful products such as plastics. Carbon recycling sure beats sequestration for a long term, sustainable solution. [CleanTechnica]
• Regulators have identified almost 1,200 nautical square miles off the South Carolina coast with potential to be leased for the development of wind energy. The federal Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management is publishing maps in the Federal Register as the first step in seeking comment on the proposal. [PennEnergy]

Sunday, September 13:

• “How Vermont became a clean-power powerhouse” David Blittersdorf built his first wind turbine to power the lights in his sugar shack in Pittsford, Vermont, where he boiled maple sap, at age 14. And the Burlington Electric Department’s journey toward becoming 100% renewable first took form at a local Dairy Queen. [Christian Science Monitor]
• “Ohio supplies national solar boom, sees own capacity slip” Ohio is a cautionary tale of how smart government policy, like the federal investment tax credit, can help a young, cutting-edge industry like solar grow, attract investment and create jobs while bad government policy can stunt the growth of an industry. [Crain’s Cleveland Business]

 

Monday, September 14:

• Vattenfall and Stadtwerke München have started inner-park array cabling at the 288-MW Sandbank offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. The developers said the first power cable has been installed between monopiles SB 28C and SB 29C. The inner park cables will transport electricity from the 72 wind power plants to the farm’s offshore substation. [reNews]

• Global investment bank UBS has conducted the first in-depth analysis of the Labor Party’s proposed 50% renewable energy target for Australia by 2030, concluding that it will require around $80 billion in investment, but much of this would need to be spent anyway. UBS says that up to 20 GW of wind energy will need to be built by 2030, and 26 GW of solar. [RenewEconomy]
• The Energy Information Administration projects lower domestic coal consumption and exports as well as a slight rise in coal imports will add to a 86 million short ton (9%) decline in production in 2015. Coal production is expected to decline in all coal-producing regions in 2015, with the largest decline (on a percentage basis) occurring in the Appalachian region. [World Coal]

Tuesday, September 15:

• Costa Rica, Afghanistan, China, India and Albania are all embracing renewable energy sources. Five experts give their opinions on their futures. Costa Rica is well on its way to becoming the first developing country to have 100% renewable electricity. Hydro, wind and geothermal resources provide 98% of the power already. [The Guardian]

• Malcolm Turnbull has replaced climate change doubter and coal industry booster Tony Abbott as Australian Prime Minister. This means that one of the world’s least enthusiastic backers of a new climate treaty has just been removed from the global stage. While Abbot’s views were not aligned with mainstream science, Turnbull’s are. [Mashable]
• Growth in Vermont’s clean energy jobs is projected to double in the next six to 12 months after a year of outperforming other job sectors, according to a new state report. The growth has generated economic benefits in the form of more jobs and in plummeting utility costs, according to Governor Peter Shumlin, speaking in Williston. [BurlingtonFreePress.com]

Wednesday, September 16:

• A relatively cheap and environmentally friendly battery that uses salt water and other commonly available materials to store electric energy has been awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize. The head of the company making the battery, Aquion, said batteries capable of powering a typical single family home should cost between $1,000 and $3,000. [CNBC]
• Siemens has for some time been known to have its sights on developing the next generation of wind turbines, a class of platforms rated to 10 MW and above. But as a new €200 million manufacturing plant takes shape, the company’s management has begun speaking more openly on activities geared towards those objectives. [CleanTechnica]
• Green Mountain Power’s Mary Powell was joined today by Congressman Peter Welch, Governor Peter Shumlin, Rutland Mayor Chris Louras, and community leaders to announce that Rutland, Vermont is the Solar Generation Capital of New England. More solar power is generated in Rutland per capita than in any other New England city. [Vermont Biz]

 

2015-09-10 Energy Week

Please note that this post is being developed.

Thursday, September 3:

• Iceland is luring business with renewable energy. Emerging from financial isolation, Iceland is making a name for itself in the business of data centres, warehouses consuming enormous amounts of energy to store the information of 3.2 billion internet users. [The Rakyat Post]
• Solar power generation contributed to about 10% of peak summer power supplies of Japan’s nine major utilities, equivalent to more than 10 nuclear reactors. Solar power supplied only 2% of annual needs, but it came at peak demand time. [Economic Times]

Friday, September 5:

• SolarWindow Technologies says they have a working, electricity-generating window with a payback of under a year. It is a transparent window coating. Installed on a 50-story building, it would generate up to 50 times the power of conventional rooftop solar. [ENGINEERING.com]
• French energy giant EDF admitted that construction of the UK’s first new nuclear power plant in decades has been delayed. Hinkley Point C in Somerset will not start generating power in 2023 as planned. Yesterday it claimed no delays were going to happen. [Western Daily Press]
• The California State Assembly passed a bill which will force the state’s two largest pension funds to divest their holdings in thermal coal. The bill requires the funds to divest their holdings in companies that receive at least half their annual revenue from coal mining. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, September 6:

• Plant for the Planet, a global youth initiative that plants trees to reduce the effects of climate change, asked for a worldwide tree count, and scientists at Yale did a study. The good news is that there are 3.04 trillion trees on Earth, 7½ times more than previous estimates. The bad news? The number of trees is down roughly 46%. [CNN]

Clingmans Dome (highest point in the Great Smokies). The effects of clearcut logging and fire are clearly visible on the right; the dead trees are Frasier Fir, killed by the Balsam woolly adelgid. United States Geological Survey photo.

• Compared to “typical” wholesale electricity prices of $25 to $60 per MWh, in the New York ISO’s western region wholesale prices hit $1,100 to $1,200 per MWh during this summer’s heat. There were similar events across the nation. Demand flexibility could help reduce those spikes, ultimately reducing rates for consumers. [CleanTechnica]
• The Vermont Green Line is the latest proposal to run an electric transmission line under Lake Champlain. The 400-MW underwater and underground line would run 60 miles, from Beekmantown, New York, to New Haven, Vermont. The power, from wind farms in northern New York, would be put on the New England power grid. [WAMC]
• One Vermont state park is getting ready to go off the grid. Green Mountain Power is partnering with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to transform the bulk of Emerald Lake State Park in East Dorset into an ePark, powered entirely by solar and the new Tesla Powerwall battery for storage. [vtdigger.org]
• Visiting Australia, Canadian author Naomi Klein said she believes she owes PM Tony Abbott “a debt of thanks.” In Sydney to promote her new book Capitalism versus the Climate: This Changes Everything, Klein said the conflict between what the planet needs and what capitalism needs is exemplified in Australia. [Green Left Weekly]

Sunday, September 6:

• A study from researchers from the Melbourne Energy Institute and RMIT in Australia has highlighted how demand has been reduced in the last five years. But also there are now 1.44 million households with a total of 4.4 GW of rooftop solar. The result is that there have been no more “super peaks” in electricity demand. [CleanTechnica]
• North Carolina health officials in 1999 alone issued 111 orange or red warnings for “bad air days,” days on which sensitive groups or everyone was warned against exercising outside. None were made last year, as clean air standards likely helped cut death rates for asthma, pneumonia and emphysema in the state. [Asheville Citizen-Times]

Monday, September 7:

• In Australia, new TV advertisement that explains the “endless possibilities” of coal in providing “light and jobs” has been labelled “ludicrous” and “desperate” by environmental groups. The groups also criticised a claim that the new coal technology will reduce the emissions by up to 40%. [International Business Times AU]
• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that construction will start on the area’s first ever large scale anaerobic food waste digester system. Located in the Long Island hamlet of Yaphank, it is expected to handle 160,000 tons of waste annually, including solid food waste, fats, oils, grease, and grass clippings. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, September 8:

• Five solar projects along the Massachusetts Turnpike and Route 3 are not the largest in the state, but they are among the most visible and striking examples of a solar industry that has grown more rapidly than most policy makers and energy specialists ever imagined. They will produce a combined 2,500 kW, enough for 500 homes. [Boston Globe]

• Brazil has the highest share of renewables in its power mix, reaching 73% in 2014, within the BRICS bloc which also includes Russia, India, China and South Africa. The renewables percentage in the other countries from the group ranges from just 2%, as is the case in South Africa, to 22% in China. The figures exclude imports. [SeeNews Renewables]
• Nuclear power advocates cling like limpets to the idea of ‘baseload’ power. No surprise there – it’s the only selling point they’ve got. It’s just too bad the idea is obsolete. Variable renewables combined with stronger grids, energy storage and responsive demand can do a better job for a good deal less money. [The Ecologist]

Wednesday, September 9:

• Dutch solar is booming right now. Parties involved have reported sales increases up to 100% in the first half of 2015 compared to 2014. This is primarily due to the fact that the Netherlands has a generous net metering system and the public has faith that these policies will not be adjusted to their disadvantage soon. [CleanTechnica]
• FirstEnergy, with 6 million customers in Ohio and nearby states, owns a handful of big nuclear and coal power plants that are no longer competitive in power markets. Rather than shut down the plants, the company is asking Ohio regulators to force customers to buy the plants’ power for the next 15 years at $26/MWh above market prices. [Vox]
• Rural poor aren’t going to wait for centralised clean coal” Global coal is on the ropes. Prices of thermal coal have collapsed as demand evaporates, stocks have crashed, and companies are going to the wall. The World Coal Association is clinging to parts of the world with limited access to energy as a possible lifeline. [Business Green]