2018-09-06 Energy Week, Number 280

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Thursday, August 30:

Hoover Dam

• “Los Angeles Wants to Use the Hoover Dam as a Giant Battery. The Hurdles Could Be More Historical than Technical”
  Los Angeles is looking into whether it should spend an estimated $3 billion on a massive, 20-mile underground pumped hydropower storage system that would be connected to the iconic Hoover Dam. [Government Technology]
• “Tesla “Big Battery” Responds To “Power System Emergency” In Australia”
  Lightning strikes caused power system emergency across the eastern Australian states. Lights barely flickered in South Australia, as the Hornsdale Power Reserve backed up the grid, and in Queensland, as home battery systems filled the gap there. [CleanTechnica]

Garzweiler II mine, covering 48 km², or 18.5 mi² (Wikipedia)

• “Before coal disappears from Germany, more villages will”
  The village of Keyenberg is in a German region with a long history of coal mining and the heart of the country’s post-war industrial growth. It is ancient and atmospheric, with ruins dating from the Roman era. But it will be destroyed to extend an open-pit mine. [WBFO]

Friday, August 31:

• “Climate change is going to cost California, and the bill will be staggering”
  As California lawmakers struggled this week to address an apparent new normal of epic wildfires, there was an inescapable subtext: Climate change is going to be staggeringly expensive, and virtually every Californian is going to have to pay for it. [CALmatters]

Exhaust from burning coal (Brian Snyder | Reuters)

• “Trump administration reconsiders rule on coal’s mercury pollution”
  The EPA said it was reconsidering part of an Obama-era rule on emissions of mercury from coal-fired plants, its latest move to ease coal industry regulations. Mercury is dangerous to pregnant women and can put infants and children at risk of developmental problems. [Reuters]
• “California energy storage subsidy extension passes Assembly”
  After the passage of a California bill to mandate 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045, another bill which may contain one of the keys to making that happen has passed the Assembly. It will support the installation of nearly 3 GW of behind-the-meter storage. [pv magazine International]

Saturday, September 1: 

Petrochemical facilities (David J Phillip | AP)

• “The Oil and Gas Industry Wants Us to Protect It From Climate Change”
  The state of Texas is pursuing a $12 billion, mostly taxpayer-funded project to erect a 60-mile-long barrier made up of concrete sea walls, steel levees, and the like to keep rising waters from destroying all that is to be found along the Gulf coastline. [Natural Resources Defense Council]
• “Inspector general to review whether politics influences EPA’s science”
  he EPA inspector general’s office announced that it will review the “extent and type of employee concerns, if any, with scientific integrity.” The review is significant because of the Trump administration’s focus on how the EPA and other offices conduct and use science. [CNN]
• “Lawmakers approve bill that makes PG&E, ratepayers share wildfire costs”
  PG&E will be allowed to have ratepayers shoulder some of the multibillion-dollar cost of last year’s wildfires under a bill approved by both houses of California’s Legislature. But PG&E must open its books for an examination by regulators. [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]

Sunday, September 2: 

Wind turbines at night

• “Companies Have Bought More Clean Energy Than Ever This Year, and It’s Only August”
  According to the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center, increased corporate procurements of renewable energy have already made this year a record breaker, with four months still to go. There are nearly sixty companies leading the way. [Gizmodo UK]
• “Champagne region struggles to adapt to climate change”
  Temperatures have risen 1.2° C (2.16° F) in 30 years, and pickers are scrambling to bring in yet another early harvest. The spectre of climate change is haunting the vineyards of France, and its creeping effects, including chaotic weather, are becoming the new normal. [CP24 Toronto’s Breaking News]

Frades II

• “Award-Winning Pumped-Storage Hydro Facility a Modern Marvel”
  The Frades II pumped-storage project in Portugal took advantage of existing dams for a scheme that includes the largest variable-speed reversible units ever installed in Europe. The facility provides a versatile option for managing wind and solar power fluctuations. [POWER magazine]

Monday, September 3: 

• “Can Miami’s Aquifer Survive Climate Change?”
  Climate change is endangering drinking water resources in Miami-Dade County. The geography of the Miami area makes it particularly difficult to protect drinking water resources. Officials are puzzling over how Miami can keep its water safe and what that will cost, as sea levels rise. [Water Online]

Wildfire (Kent Porter | The Press Democrat via AP, File)

• “Driven by climate change, fire reshapes US West”
  Wildfires in the US have charred more than 10,000 square miles this year, with large fires still burning in every Western state including many that are not fully contained. Whether sparked by lightning or humans, fire has long been a force shaping the landscape of the West. [Phys.Org]
• “The reality is new coal power is not the answer for cheaper electricity bills”
  The tipping point has been reached: renewable energy is now a cheaper source of power for Australia’s future electricity needs than coal. The cold, hard numbers show it, and no less an authority than the Australian Energy Market Operator agrees. [ABC News]

Tuesday, September 4: 

Rotor sails (Credit: Maersk Tankers)

• “Emissions From Huge Vessels Are About To Get Slashed With The Use Of Rotor Sails – Large Scale Testing Begins”
  Two 30-meter tall rotor sails have been installed onboard the product tanker vessel Maersk Pelican, targeting a reduction in fuel cost and associated emissions on typical global shipping routes of 7% to 10%. [CleanTechnica]
• “Utilities are reluctant to invest in coal plants, even after Trump tries to save them”
  No utilities contacted by the Washington Examiner said they would commit to improving their coal plants or re-evaluate planned retirements because of the EPA’s Affordable Clean Energy rule. And none of them have plans to build new coal plants. [Washington Examiner]
• “‘It sort of exploded’: the rapid rise of solar energy in North Carolina”
  Solar energy growth in North Carolina is among the fastest in the country, according to an Environment North Carolina report, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Between 2008 and 2017, the state’s solar production rose from 7 GWh to 5,783 GWh. [The Daily Tar Heel]

Wednesday, September 5: 

Australian dairy farm (Wikimedia Commons)

• “Farmers to flock to solar and battery storage, as power costs bite”
  A report from Commonwealth Bank of Australia suggests the shift to solar and battery storage in the nation’s expansive agribusiness sector has only just begun. It says a staggering 76% of all farmers, nationwide, are planning to tap solar and battery storage. [One Step Off The Grid]
• “EU Removes Trade Barriers On Chinese Solar Imports”
  Following reports last week that the EU was considering scrapping import controls on solar panels and cells from China, the European Commission has announced that it will remove trade duties on solar panels and cells imported from China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. [CleanTechnica]

Fracking and where it’s headed (Image: Zak Tebbal)

• “The Next Financial Crisis Lurks Underground”
  Some of fracking’s biggest skeptics are on Wall Street. They argue that the industry’s financial foundation is unstable: It has not proven that it can make money. “The industry has a very bad history of money going into it and never coming out,” says one hedge fund manager. [New York Times]

2018-08-30 Energy Week Number 279

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.wordpress.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Thursday, August 23:

Wheat, one of four major crops (Credit: Alamy)

• “Are forgotten crops the future of food?”
  Just four crops, wheat, maize, rice and soybean, provide two-thirds of the world’s food supply. Scientists in Malaysia are trying to change that by reviving crops that have been relegated to the sidelines. Crops For the Future researches crops that are virtually unknown outside their home regions. [BBC]
• “Why China, and not the US, is the leader in solar power”
  The solar panel was invented in the US. So why is the US not its biggest proponent? Policy. China has deliberate, conscious, industrial development policies modelled on South Korea’s. In the US, policy supports whoever had the most financial clout to buy it. [Aljazeera.com]
• “India coal project cancellations snowballing”
  Back in 2010, India’s coal pipeline stood at well over 600 GW, a number to have every coal supporter in Australia drooling. Sadly for them, times have changed. Since 2010, India’s coal-fired power station pipeline saw shelved and cancelled projects totalling a staggering 573 GW. [RenewEconomy]

Friday,  August 24:

Wind farm (EDP image)

• “US wind sector riding high”
  The US installed 7 GW of wind in 2017 as the average price of long-term power deals for the sector dropped to 2¢/kWh. DOE figures released this week showed 89 GW of wind farms produced 6.3% of the nationwide energy mix in 2017 with 14 states hitting 10% and four of them getting over 30%. [reNews]
• “The US is on the verge of an offshore wind revolution”
  There is no question the US is a latecomer to offshore wind. It has precisely five turbines, churning out 30 MW since late 2016. In the rest of the world offshore wind is 20 years old and now represents more than 18,800 MW. But the US is poised catch up, and quickly. [Yale Climate Connections]

Oil platform

• “Trump Maladministration Claims America No Longer Needs To Conserve Oil”
  The US has so much oil, it doesn’t need to conserve it any more, according to a memo quietly released by the DOE in support of the EPA’s decision to cancel scheduled increases in fuel economy standards for automobiles and light trucks. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday,  August 25:

• “Sweden to reach its 2030 renewables target 12 years early!”
  Bloomberg reports that Sweden about to show how fast the deployment of cost-effective renewables is progressing. By the end of this year, Sweden will have added enough capacity to reach its 2030 target of 18 TWh of new renewable energy output 12 years early. [Treehugger]

Coal plant at sunrise (Armando L Sanchez | Chicago Tribune)

• “Amid relaxed coal restrictions, NIPSCO keeps plan to retire plants”
  A spokesman for Northern Indiana Public Service Co, the region’s largest supplier of electricity, said the utility does not anticipate altering its plans as a result of the Trump proposal. It plans to retire half of its coal-fired plants by 2030 and improve its environmental impact. [Chicago Tribune]
• “Climate Change Impacts Are Already Here”
  Nearly $1 billion in property value in Connecticut has vanished due to rising sea levels according to the non-profit First Street Foundation. The organization found that Milford was the hardest hit city or town in the state with $127 million in lost property value between 2005 and 2017. [NBC Connecticut]

Sunday,  August 26:

Navajo Solar farm (Photo: Salt River Project)

• “Navajo Nation solar facility expansion expected to double power output”
  A solar facility in Navajo Nation is expected to double the number of homes it can provide renewable energy to over the next year. Navajo Nation broke ground on the second phase of an expansion project that will provide a 28-MW addition to a solar facility in Arizona. [KTAR.com]
• “Electric utilities focus on power grid work over power plants”
  Electric utilities are pouring billions of dollars into a race to prevent terrorists or enemy governments from shutting down the power grid. Russian hackers have targeted the nation’s energy grid, but so far they seem to be focused on reconnaissance rather than disruption. [Electric Light & Power]

Alliance docked in Ísafjörður (Ari Daniel | Courtesy PRI)

• “Our ocean currents are changing, and scientists are searching for answers”
  The North Icelandic Jet is an obscure ocean current in a remote part of the world, but what happens to it as the oceans warm could affect all our lives. To investigate it, one scientist is heading into the teeth of some of the worst weather imaginable.[The Week Magazine]

Monday,  August 27:

• “China’s Electric Car Sales Up 64% In July – CleanTechnica Report”
  The Chinese plug-in electric vehicle market is in summer-chill mode, up only 64%. This is a slowdown from the three-digit growth rates of previous months, which is explained by reduced subsidies for vehicles with full-charge driving range lower than 150 km. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels (TVA photo)

• “Solar is looking ‘bright’ for the Tennessee Valley Authority”
  TVA officials say renewable energy is an important part of the public utility’s long-term business plan. In particular, solar power is becoming a major part of TVA’s sustainable energy strategy. A spokesperson also added that the TVA will not be going back to burning coal. [Johnson City Press]
• “Trouble in Paradise: TVA studies whether to close more coal plants”
  The Tennessee Valley Authority, which has already shut down more than half of the 59 coal-fired plants it once operated, has decided to launch a new study to determine whether it also may close its Paradise and Bull Run coal plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

Tuesday,  August 28:

Solar energy

• “BNEF 2018 Report: Renewables Surge, China Dominates, Coal Loses, EVs Soar”
  The Bloomberg New Energy Finance 2018 report peers into the future to predict how world energy markets will change between now and 2050. There is much good news. It says falling prices for renewables will propel them to a 50% market share by 2050. [CleanTechnica]
• “Utilities Recommit to Clean Energy in the Wake of the Trump Administration’s Regulatory Rollback”
  After Trump’s plan to replace the Clean Power Plan was unveiled, utilities welcomed increased regulatory roles for states, but they also affirmed their commitment to deploy clean energy and meet emissions reduction targets. [Greentech Media]

London

• “From London To New York, 19 Cities Commit To Net-Zero Carbon Buildings By 2030”
  Last week, 19 mayors from around the world, including Paris, London, and New York, signed a significant commitment to cut greenhouse gasses in their cities by ensuring that all new buildings will operate at net-zero carbon by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday,  August 29:

• “Facebook Pledges to Power Operations With 100% Renewable Energy Within Two Years”
  Facebook announced that it has set a target of powering its global operations with 100% renewable energy by the end of 2020. In addition, it announced that it is committing to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 75% in the same timeframe. [Fortune]
• “California bill requiring 100% renewable power heads to Brown’s desk”
  California took a giant leap toward its climate change goals with lawmakers voting to approve a bill that would require the state to get 100% of its electricity from carbon-free energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal by 2045. The bill has gone to the governor. [The Desert Sun]

First Solar manufacturing plant

• “EU Could Move To Scrap Import Controls On Chinese Solar By September”
  Reuters reported that the European Commission proposed to dismiss a request for an “expiry review” of existing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, a move which has received backing from a majority of the European Union’s 28 Member States. [CleanTechnica]

2018-08-23 Energy Week Number 278

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.wordpress.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Thursday, August 16

• “The message of a scorching 2018: We’re not prepared for global warming”
  This summer of fire and swelter looks a lot like the future that scientists are warning about for the era of climate change, and it is revealing in real time how unprepared much of the world remains for life on a hotter planet. The disruptions to everyday life have been devastating. [SBS]

Rhine River at Düsseldorf, 2018

Rhine River at Düsseldorf, 2012 (Kürschner, Wikimedia Commons)

• “EPA Staff Claim Fuel Economy Rollback Based On Junk Science”
  The EPA and the Transportation Department have taken the position that vehicle fuel economy standards put in place under President Obama should be relaxed. But the EPA’s own experts say that the new policy initiative is based on flawed assumptions. [CleanTechnica]
• “A coal company and Interior teamed up to save a power plant”
  In September 2017, Peabody Energy Corp sent the Interior Department a game plan for keeping the coal-burning, 2,100-MW Navajo Generating Station in Arizona operating. A Peabody mine supplies coal to the plant. The plant is a symbol of Trump’s support for the coal industry. [E&E News]

Navajo Generating Station (Wolfgang Moroder | Wikipedia)

Friday, August 17

• “New Jersey Plans Path Toward 100% Clean Energy By 2050”
  The New Jersey Energy Master Plan Committee will host a series of public meetings in September, launching a process to shape converting the state’s energy production profile to 100% clean energy sources by 2050, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced. [North American Windpower]
• “EU backs Norway and Germany power link”
  A power grid link between Norway and Germany is being backed by the European Investment Bank. It signed a €100-million financing agreement with TenneT, one of Europe’s major electricity transmission system operators. The the 624-km, 1.4-GW interconnector will go under the North Sea. [Energy Reporters]

Window Rock (Ben FrantzDale, Wikipedia Commons)

• “Arizona renewable energy referendum meets signature requirement”
  Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona’s initiative to impose a 50% by 2030 renewable energy mandate passed another one of the hurdles standing between it and its place on the ballot in November. A review of petition signatures showed the number was sufficient to move on. [pv magazine USA]

Saturday, August 18

• “Redundancy Failed at Reagan International Airport, Causing 90-minute Outage”
  A 90-minute power outage at Reagan International Airport happened after redundancy built into the power system failed, a Dominion Energy spokesman said. Two utility feeds both failed. Dominion is investigating exactly what went wrong. [Microgrid Knowledge]

Block Island wind farm (provided)

• “Wind energy potential dwarfs today’s electricity use, report says”
  Winds blowing off the Atlantic coast could provide four times more electricity each year than the region currently uses, according to a report from Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center. Just two wind leases off the New Jersey coast could power 1.5 million homes. [Press of Atlantic City]
• “When Fossil Fuel Money Talks, the DNC Listens”
  Lately, the Democratic Party leadership faced a difficult decision relating to global climate change and money-in-politics. Unfortunately, it decided to pass a resolution expressing gratitude for donations from workers in the energy industry and their “employers’ political action committees.” [Sierra Magazine]

Sunday, August 19

• “Ryan Zinke concedes that climate change is a factor in raging wildfires”
  Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recently said things that landed him squarely in a debate over how forests are managed. In one interview, he blamed “environmental terrorist groups” for the California wildfires. He later admitted a connection between the fires and climate change. [The Seattle Times]

Pump jack (Image Credit: Clean Water Action)

• “News study warns fracking is destroying US water supply”
  A study from Duke University puts into perspective the affects fracking has on the US water supply. The researchers, who published the peer-reviewed findings in Science Advances, used years of data to draw the conclusion that fracking is destroying the country’s water. [NationofChange]
• “The US Military Now Has The Money It Needs to Prepare For Climate Change”
  President Trump signed into law the John S McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. The $716 billion military spending bill funds the military’s operations. Included in it are funds to help the military prepare for climate change. [ScienceAlert]

Monday, August 20

Part of a strip mine in Wyoming (Mark Olalde, Energy News Network)

• “Mine cleanup funds at risk as coal power suppliers lose customers”
  The defection of local electric cooperatives from a Colorado power wholesaler could imperil cleanup funds for coal mines, a complaint to federal regulators says. The funds, which are guaranteed by Tri-State Generation and Transmission, have no outside backing. [Energy News Network]
• “Turnbull just showed what happens when ‘ideology and idiocy take charge of energy policy'”
  Some parts of the government do not believe in climate change. Their ideological ties to the coal-based power systems built 40 to 50 years ago has scuttled every attempt to develop credible climate change energy policy over the past 10 years. [The Guardian]

Rooftop solar (Image supplied by Shutterstock cc: OFC Pictures)

• “Game changer for solar in Victoria”
  The government of the Australian state of Victoria announced a $1.24 billion funding package to install solar on 650,000 Victorian homes over the next decade, adding about 2,000 MW of solar power. Environment Victoria, a leading charity, called the deal a game-changer and a breath of fresh air in the energy debate. [EcoGeneration]

Tuesday, August 21

Students and their experimental vehicle

• “Duke University Students Set World Record For Hydrogen Fuel Cell Fuel Economy – 14,573 Miles Per Gallon”
  Guiness World Records confirmed that Duke University students set a new world fuel economy record for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In an experimental vehicle, the students got a stunning 14,573 miles per gallon. [CleanTechnica]
• “Acting EPA head signs Trump admin proposal that would release more CO2 into the air, WSJ reports”
  The EPA will allow states to set their own emission standards for coal-fueled power plants, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Critics say the decision will result in much more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. [KSHB]

Miami skyline (Daniel Christensen, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Sea-Level Rise Is A Major Urban Economic Risk”
  When we think of sea-level rise due to global warming, we tend to think of beaches eroding or perhaps tiny Pacific nations like the Maldives slowly disappearing. The reality, however, is that it will not be countries or country sides bearing the economic brunt of sea-level rise. It will be cities. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, August 22

• “Arctic’s strongest sea ice breaks up for first time on record”
  The oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic has started to break up, opening waters north of Greenland that are normally frozen, even in summer. This phenomenon, which has never been recorded before, has occurred twice this year due to warm winds during heat waves. [The Guardian]

Coal-fired power plant in Wyoming (J David Ake | AP)

• “Trump Moves To Let States Regulate Coal Plant Emissions”
  The Trump administration has moved to formally replace the Clean Power Plan, an environmental regulation that former President Barack Obama once lauded as the most important step America has ever taken to fight climate change, with a plan of its own. [MTPR]
• “If Trump and GOP don’t understand climate change, they don’t deserve public office”
  Trump’s proposed new EPA rules are not just vindictive, they are dangerous. The administration wants to allow coal-burning power plants to emit more deadly carbon and to give states greater leeway to allow big-money companies to pollute. [CNN]

 

 

 

2018-08-16 Energy Week Number 277

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.wordpress.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Thursday, August 9:

Steam rising from cooling towers of a thermal power plant (Photo: Yves Herman | Reuters)

• “You probably have no idea just how much water is needed to produce electricity”
  Despite the growth of renewable-energy, most electricity is still generated by fossil fuel or nuclear fuel. The trouble is that thermal electricity generation, a category that includes coal, natural gas, and nuclear power, does not just require fuel, but also a lot of water. [Quartz]
• “Solar With Storage Surges as Gas Falls”
  Solar-with-storage projects are surging in many states by beating gas plants on economics and reliability. By 2026, the US is expected to add storage capacity equal to 35 nuclear plants, generating $4 billion in annual savings. Some big utilities are already replacing gas facilities with batteries. [Common Dreams]

Wind farm (Photo: Invenergy)

• “US Wind Industry ‘Full Steam Ahead’ Despite Wind Catcher Cancellation”
  It’s American Wind Week, and the U.S. wind industry has a lot to celebrate. Wind power has become the country’s largest source of renewable energy capacity. Today, the industry employs more than 105,000 U.S. workers and is building more power than ever before. [Greentech Media]

Friday, August 10:

• “US Renewables Are Closing In on Nuclear Generation”
  The US nuclear industry has been stalled for decades. Now cheap wind and solar deployments are taking a lead over it. In the first five months of 2018, renewables produced 20.17% of US electricity and nuclear produced 20.14%, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. [Greentech Media]

Solar array in Missouri (Maria Altman | St Louis Public Radio)

• “Missouri’s clean energy industry is growing but some employers say hiring is not easy”
  Clean energy companies in Missouri are finding it difficult to hire qualified workers, even as the number of residents in the state working in energy efficiency, electric transportation, and renewable energy grows. The shortage of job seekers could take its toll. [KBIA]
• “Portugal Announces Extensive Solar Power Plans During Record-Breaking Heat Wave”
  After getting 103% of its national electricity needs in March from renewables, the country proved that it is indeed becoming a green energy leader. Hydro supplies 55% of Portugal’s renewable energy, and 42% is from wind; now it is turning to solar power. [South EU Summit]

Saturday, August 11: 

The Black Fly, a personal air mobility vehicle

• “Electric Flight Dominates Air Mobility News At The 2018 International EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Event”
  This year’s 2018 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh was well worth the travel to get there, as it aimed to show a clearer picture of our near future mobility. Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, air taxis, and electric planes are getting popular. [CleanTechnica]
• “Smoke Alert: Thick plume triggers weekend air alert for all of Minnesota”
  A huge smoke plume is pushing across Minnesota. Rising from wildfires in western Canada, it covers much of North America. We may not be able to blame climate change for an individual smoke event, but we can blame it for their increased frequency. [Minnesota Public Radio News]
• “At America First Energy Conference, solar power is dumb, climate change is fake”
  Messages from the America First Energy Conference included that pumping out carbon dioxide makes the planet greener, the UN puts out fake science about climate change to control the global energy market, and wind and solar energy are simply “dumb.” [New York Post]

Sunday, August 12:

Airbus Zephyr S

• “Airbus Zephyr Solar Powered Plane Sets New Record, Stays Aloft For 26 Days”
  An Airbus Zephyr S solar-powered plane took off from Arizona on July 11 and stayed aloft for 25 days, 23 hours, and 57 minutes. The plane has a wingspan of 82 feet and weighs a feather-light 165 pounds. Its two propellers were powered by solar panels and batteries. [CleanTechnica]
• “Black Widow Spiders Are Heading North Due To Climate Change”
  As the climate change warms, black widow spiders are moving north. Canadian researchers published a report saying that over the past 60 years the northernmost point black widow spiders live has moved north, into southern Canada. They believe this is due to climate change. [Newsweek]

Fire in Orange County (Courtesy Cleveland National Forest)

• “California’s Climate Goals May Go Up in Smoke Because of Recent Wildfires”
  California blazes are spewing enough carbon into the air to undo some of the good done by the state’s climate policies. What is even worse is that climate-warming compounds will continue to be released by the charred forests long after the fires are extinguished. [Times of San Diego]

Monday, August 13:

• “China sets up International Investment Alliance for Renewable Energy”
  Although the Chinese government has recently scaled back solar energy development, it has created a new, large alliance to reach more foreign markets. In addition to focusing on the shipment of PV modules, it will also address financing, EPC, and O&M services. [pv magazine International]

Coal mining

• “Many Hoped for a Rebound in Kentucky Coal Jobs Under Trump; It Has Not Happened”
  The number of coal jobs edged downward in Kentucky between April and the end of June, illustrating the continued struggles the industry has faced despite President Donald Trum’s campaign promise to “put our miners back to work.” [hamodia.com]
• “Five-Fold Growth In Solar Panels On Commercial Buildings”
  A “perfect storm” of rising energy prices, improved technology, and cheaper prices has led to a five-fold growth in the number of Australian commercial premises now installing alternative sources of energy such as solar panels. The increase has come to 400% in three years. [Commercial Real Estate News]

Tuesday, August 14:

Wind turbines

• “Renewable Energy Could “Effectively Be Free” by 2030, Says UBS Analyst”
  A research analyst at Swiss investment bank UBS believes the cost of energy renewables could be so near to zero by 2030 “it will effectively be free.” Renewables could soon be less expensive than all other energy sources, and that this “is great news for the planet.” [Inverse]
• “EIA Data Undermines Trump’s Love Affair With Coal and Nuclear”
  Reports published over recent weeks by the Energy Information Administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission show that coal and nuclear continue their decline across the country. Meanwhile installations of renewable energy continue to increase. [CleanTechnica]

• “Of New Power Generation, How Much is on the Roof? Quarterly Update – 2018 Q1”
  Over the past year, distributed generation, which is electricity produced locally from rooftop solar on homes and businesses or in nearby community solar gardens, has provided on average 18.5% of the electric power that came from from new capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, August 15:

• “Sunrun Installs 91 MW In Mixed Second Quarter”
  In its second-quarter earnings report, US residential solar company Sunrun confirmed itself as the country’s leading solar installer for the quarter by installing a total of 91 MW of new capacity. It was Sunrun’s best ever quarter, despite earnings that were well below expectations. [CleanTechnica]

Bees at work

• “Solar Farms Can Become Pollinator Habitats & Help Save the Bees!”
  At the US DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, researchers are investigating ways to reinvigorate pollinator habitats at solar farms. They hope their work can help rehabilitate pollinator populations that play a crucial role in national and global agricultural industries. [CleanTechnica]
• “Caribbean Nations Partner With Global Superstars & Corporate Giants For $1 Billion Climate Accelerator”
  A coalition of 26 Caribbean nations, over 40 private sector giants, 8-time Olympic gold medal winner Usain Bolt, and global music superstar Sean Paul intend to make the Caribbean region the world’s first climate-smart zone. [CleanTechnica]

2018-08-09 Energy Week #276

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.wordpress.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Thursday, August 2:

California wildfire (John G Mabanglo | EPA-EFE | Shutterstock)

• “NY Times Magazine Devotes Entire Issue To One Devastating Story On Climate Change”
  This Sunday’s NY Times Magazine is entirely devoted to a single devastating story by Nathaniel Rich called “Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change.” Now available online, it is another profoundly upsetting reminder of what is going wrong. [Gothamist]
• “Trump’s Pro-Science Pick To Lead White House Science Office”
  After a long delay, President Trump announced his nomination for the top White House science advisor, meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier. Droegemeier is an expert in extreme weather events and has served on the faculty at the University of Oklahoma in Norman for 33 years. [Forbes]
• “DC Circuit tosses challenge to ISO-NE renewable energy market rules”
  The DC Circuit Court of Appeals upheld ISO-New England market rules that enhance renewable energy, rebuking a challenge from natural gas generators. The ruling is a win for state policies that seek to influence the generation mix in wholesale power markets. [Utility DIve]

Youth plaintiffs (Robin Loznak | Our Childrens Trust)

• “Supreme Court Says Kids Can Sue Trump Over Climate Change”
  The Supreme Court rejected a Trump administration effort to stop a climate change lawsuit filed by 21 youth plaintiffs, who argue that the US government violated their constitutional rights by allowing fossil fuel production to continue, despite knowing its effects on the planet. [HuffPost]

Friday, August 3:

• “Trump Administration Unveils Its Plan to Relax Car Pollution Rules”
  The Trump administration put forth its long-awaited proposal to freeze antipollution and fuel-efficiency standards for cars, significantly weakening one of President Barack Obama’s signature policies to combat global warming. The change is a challenge to states’ rights. [New York Times]

Sacramento (Rich Pedroncelli | AP)

• “These States Are Going to War Over Trump Eliminating Car Emissions Rules”
  After the proposal to cut Obama-era fuel economy standards, twenty state attorneys general vowed to act. A joint statement says, “The Administration’s proposal to weaken these rules will cause the American people to breathe dirtier air and pay higher prices at the pump.” [Mother Jones]
• “More Signs That Renewable Energy Is Winning”
  As the US administration rolls back environmental regulations, many observers have predicted that the trend to clean power would nevertheless continue. They were right. States are supporting clean power, corporate buyers are moving to wind and solar, and political bias is beginning to wilt. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, August 4:

Kebnekaise glacier, no longer the highest point in Sweden (AFP)

• “Europe heat wave: Side effects felt by zoo animals, sprout farmers and more”
  Europe could break an all-time temperature record in the next few days. And parts of southern Spain and Portugal are forecast to go above 47° C (116.6° F), surpassing national records. Here are photos of some of the things the heat wave has caused in Europe. [BBC]
• “Corporate Giants Are Buying so Much Clean Power This Year They Already Broke 2017’s Record”
  Non-utility companies and agencies, acting to curb climate change have agreed to buy 7.2 GW of clean energy worldwide so far this year, already shattering the record of 5.4 GW for all of 2017, according to a report from Bloomberg NEF. [Bloomberg]
• “Germany’s power system weathers heat wave despite fossil plant curbs”
  As Germany is in an extended heat wave and drought, with temperatures rising up to 40° C, some of its coal and nuclear power stations struggle to keep operations running because of cooling problems. But wind and solar power are meeting demand. [Clean Energy Wire]

Sunday, August 5:

Fessenheim nuclear plant (Florival fr, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Hot weather forces 4 French nuclear reactors to shut down”
  Four French nuclear reactors in three power plants near the Rhine and the Rhone Rivers have had to be temporarily shut down. EDF said this was done to avoid overheating the rivers. Nuclear power plants use water from the rivers to cool their reactors, but this heats the rivers. [WTNH.com]
• “Developer Franklin L. Haney reportedly offered $10 million to Trump attorney to help secure federal loan for Bellefonte”
  The president’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was offered $10 million to secure $5 billion in federal loan guarantees for development of a former TVA nuclear plant, The Wall Street Journal reported. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

Carr Fire (Noah Berger | Associated Press)

• “A high-stakes debate looms on wildfire costs”
  A raging debate is emerging over who should pay for the damage of California wildfires. PG&E and other utilities say it is unfair to make them pay for damage caused by power equipment, unless they were negligent. Under the present rules, utilities are on the hook regardless of fault. [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]

Monday, August 6:

• “World now has 1 TW of wind and solar capacity, 2 TW expected in 2023”
  The global wind and solar power capacity has reached 1 TW at the end of June and is expected to double in five years, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said. The 1,013 GW of currently installed capacity is almost equally divided between wind and solar. [Renewables Now]

Oil pump jacks

• “What should be India’s priority: Energy security or ‘America first’?”
  Speculation is rife that oil imports from Iran could slow down from August when some US sanctions against Tehran take effect. However, for now, there is reason to cheer for those who want to see India stand its ground and refuse to buckle under the US pressure. [Modern Diplomacy]

Tuesday, August 7:

Jack-up vessel (Image: Attollo Offshore)

• “Scots bed down at Riffgrund 2”
  Attollo Offshore, a Scottish outfit, deployed an accommodation vessel at Orsted’s 450-MW Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. The vessel will provide accommodation and construction support for connecting and commissioning the project’s high voltage substation, Attollo said. [reNews]
• “Pope urges action on clean energy”
  Pope Francis has said climate change is a challenge of “epochal proportions” and that the world must convert to clean fuel. “Civilisation requires energy, but energy use must not destroy civilisation,” he said. He was speaking to a group of oil company executives at the end of a two-day conference in the Vatican. [BBC]

California firefighters (Reuters image)

• “California wildfire declared ‘largest in state’s history'”
  The Mendocino Complex Fire has grown to become the largest active wildfire in the history of California, officials said. The fires have spread rapidly in recent days to burn 283,800 acres. Governor Jerry Brown has spoken of devastating wildfires fuelled by climate change as “the new normal.” [BBC]

Wednesday, August 8:

• “Partnership grow local renewable energy”
  The Vermont Public Power Supply Authority and Encore Renewable Energy announced a partnership to pursue development of about 10 MW of solar capacity on behalf of VPPSA’s Member municipal utilities. Encore will lead design, development, financing, and construction of solar projects. [Vermont Biz]

Qinghai-Tibet Railway

• “China’s Qinghai province runs on renewables for 216 hours”
  Qinghai province reached a milestone for renewable energy by running on renewables for a full 216-hour period. The province was powered entirely by wind, solar and hydropower for nine days at the end of June, according to wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind. [Energy Digital]
• “Study Finds California Can Close 28 Natural Gas Plants Immediately Without Affecting Electricity Reliability”
  California can retire at least 28 of its natural gas plants because they are not needed to meet its electricity needs and do not help for carbon emissions goals, analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists said. [Union of Concerned Scientists]

Energy Week #329: 8/1/2019

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #329: 8/1/2019

Thursday, July 25

Hemp

• “The Cheapest Way To Save the Planet Grows Like a Weed” • One of the fastest ways to sequester CO₂ is the widespread cultivation of industrial hemp, the nonintoxicating form of cannabis grown for fiber, cloth, oil, food, and so on. Hemp grows to 13 feet in 100 days, making it one of the fastest CO₂-to-biomass conversion tools available. [Truthdig]
• “Could Wooden Buildings Be A Solution To Climate Change?” • Because making concrete emits so much CO₂, some architects are arguing in favor of a return to wood as our primary building material. Wood from managed forestry actually stores carbon as opposed to emitting it, so atmospheric CO₂ can be sequestered in wooden buildings. [BBC]

Greta Thunberg set to talk at the National Assembly in Paris (Image via Twitter)

• “French Labor Union Will Support 350.org Climate Change Protest. Here’s What You Can Do” • 350.org is sponsoring a global week of climate protest beginning Sept 20. Among its supporters is CGT, one of France’s largest labor unions. 350.org has a blueprint for how all of us can organize family, friends, and co-workers to join in. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, July 26

 

Saturday, July 27

 

Sunday, July 28

 

Monday, July 29

 

Tuesday, July 30

 

Wednesday, July 31

 

Energy, renewable energy, wind power, Solar, batteries, Nuclear, coal, oil, gas, Climate Change