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:

• “Oklahoma Co-op Targets Largest Wind, Solar, And Storage Facility In US” • In Oklahoma, Western Farmers Electric Co-op has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with NextEra Energy Resources. The Skeleton Creek project will supply the electricity. It will have 250 MW of wind power, 250 MW of solar power, and a 200-MW/800-MWh battery. [CleanTechnica]

Notre Dame Cathedral (Bertrand Guay | AFP | Getty Images)

• “Europe’s Heat Wave Is Shattering Temperature Records And Cities Are Struggling To Cope” • Europe is suffering through the latest heat wave in a summer that has seen at least 12 countries experience record-breaking temperatures. Scientists warn that the world should expect more scorching heat waves due to climate change. [CNN]
• “Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, And BMW Negotiate Their Own Deal With California (Go Around USA)” • California has the right to set its own emissions standards, and other states are allowed to use them. While the Trump administration tries to end that right, four big car makers made a deal with California. It offers predictability. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, July 27:

Tummel hydroelectric station (Peter Ward, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Renewable Energy Sources Now Generate One-Third Of UK Energy” • Renewable sources generated 33% of the UK’s energy in 2018, according to statistics published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The proportion of energy from renewable sources generation rose by 3.8% from 29.2% in 2017. [Power Technology]
• “Renewable Natural Gas Close To Taking Off In US” • RNG, Renewable natural gas, is methane collected from waste and manure. It is a popular source of energy in Europe, but is just establishing itself in the US. New York City joined a growing network of 530 RNG fueling stations run by a T Boone Pickens company, Clean Energy Fuels. [OilPrice.com]

Pollution (Photo: Jeff Zehnder | Alamy)

• “War On Science: Trump Administration Muzzles Climate Experts, Critics Say” • According to whistleblowers, Trump officials are censoring warnings about the climate crisis, moving critical agencies out of Washington and enacting far-reaching changes in what facts regulators can consider when they choose between industry and the public good. [The Guardian]

Sunday, July 28:

• “A Fungus Is Now Infecting Humans And Global Warming May Be To Blame” • A fungus is beginning to infect human beings for the first time. Three distinct strains appeared in three continents, as the fungus had to adapt to ambient temperatures closer to the body temperatures of mammals. It also became resistant to drugs. [CleanTechnica]

Hybrid wind-solar farm (Washington State Department of Commerce)

• “The Best Trees To Plant For Global Warming Have Three Blades And Generate Electricity” • What is better, a forest or a wind farm? Calculations show a wind farm is about eight times more effective at reducing CO₂e annually than a forest. Also, it eliminates a bunch of other air and water pollution, and reduces habitat destruction. [CleanTechnica]
• “Amazon Deforestation Is Fast Approaching A ‘Tipping Point,’ Studies Show” • New satellite data shows that the rate of deforestation is increasing in the Amazon, prompting fears that the rainforest could reach a tipping point beyond which it could not recover. The rainforest plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate. [The Weather Channel]

Monday, July 29:

Contrails (Larry MacDougal | AP file)

• “Do airplane contrails add to climate change? Yes, and the problem is about to get worse” • Scientists say contrails contribute to climate change by trapping heat that radiates upward from Earth’s surface. A study published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics suggests that the global warming effect will triple by 2050 as air travel grows. [NBCNews.com]
• “Renewable Energy Accounted For 20.3% Of Electrical Generation In US” • Renewable energy sources accounted for 20.3% of net electrical generation in the US during the first five months of 2019, data published by the US. Energy Information Administration shows. Renewable energy outproduced both coal and nuclear for the period. [Greentech Lead]
• “‘Nuclear Energy Is Never Profitable,’ New Study Slams Nuclear Power Business Case” • A study from DIW Berlin, a leading German economic think-tank, found that nuclear power has never been viable. The average 1,000-MW nuclear power plant built since 1951 resulted in an average economic loss of €4.8 billion (A$7.7 billion, $5.34 billion). [RenewEconomy]

Tuesday, July 30:

Planting trees (Ethiopian Prime Minister’s Office)

• “Ethiopia Plants More Than 350 Million Trees In Twelve Hours” • Ethiopia planted more than 353 million trees in twelve hours on Monday, which officials believe is a world record. The burst of tree planting was part of a wider reforestation campaign named “Green Legacy,” spearheaded by the country’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. [CNN]
• “Planned Pilbara Renewable Energy Hub Scales Up” • The capacity of a giant renewable energy project proposed for the Western Australia has been scaled up by more than one third of its former capacity. The hybrid wind and solar development the Asian Renewable Energy Hub has had its capacity increased from 11 GW to 15 GW. [The West Australian]

Greta Thunberg and her father, Svante, meeting Boris Herrmann (photo: birte lorenzen)

• “Greta Thunberg Will Sail Across The Atlantic On A Zero-Emissions Yacht For The UN Climate Summit” • Climate activist Greta Thunberg will cross the Atlantic on a zero-emissions sailboat on her way to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23. They will set off in mid-August from an undisclosed location in the UK. [CNN]

Wednesday, July 31:

• “Coke And Pepsi Abandon The Plastics Lobby” • Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, two major sellers of plastic bottles, have made sweeping sustainability commitments. Now they are stepping away from a plastics lobbying group. The association took positions that “were not fully consistent with our commitments and goals,” Coca-Cola said in a statement. [CNN]

Greenland (Jakec, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Greenland Is Melting In A Heatwave. That’s Everyone’s Problem” • Extreme heat bowled over Europe last week, smashing records in its wake. Now, the heatwave that started in the Sahara has rolled into Greenland, where more records are expected to crumble in the coming days. This has effects across the globe. [CNN]
• “Turning Heat Into Light Could Make Solar Panels 80% Efficient, Rice Researchers Say” • Scientists at Rice University are turning heat into light which can be used to make electricity. They say their research could ultimately lead to solar panels that are 80% efficient, nearly four times as efficient as any panels that are commercially available today. [CleanTechnica]

Energy Week #329: 8/1/2019

 

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

Energy Week #328: 7/25/2019

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 #328: 7/25/2019

Thursday, July 18:

RivGen® system (Courtesy of ORPC)

• “Alaskan Village, Maine Company And Alaska Governor Launch Sustainable River Energy Project” • The Igiugig Village Council and Maine-based ORPC, have celebrated the launch of ORPC’s commercial RivGen® Power System, a unique sustainable solution now available to remote river communities in Alaska and worldwide. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
• “Rural Electricity Provider Announces Early Coal Plant Closure, Focus On Renewables” • Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association announced plans to develop an “aggressive” energy plan to incorporate more wind and solar. The power provider currently relies on renewable energy for 30% of its power supply. [Colorado Public Radio]

Proterra bus (Proterra courtesy image)

• “Rock Hill, SC Installs A New Free-To-Ride Fully Electric Transit Bus System” • The city of Rock Hill, South Carolina, has added transit bus service for residents that is the manifestation of the future of transit in two key areas. First, the new bus fleet is fully electric from day one. Second, and perhaps most important, the new buses are free to ride. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, July 19:

• “Car Parts From Weeds: The Future Of Green Motoring?” • Cars are responsible for a lot of the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming, but their manufacture can emit as much CO₂ as all the fuel they burn. Could plastics made from weeds, modular designs, and other innovations help the motor industry reduce its carbon footprint? [BBC]

Dandelions (Ion Chibzii, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Last Month Was The Hottest June On Earth Ever Recorded” • If you thought last month felt really, really hot, you were right. June 2019 was the hottest June on record for the globe. The sizzling average land and sea temperature of June 2019 was 1.71°F (0.95°C) above the global average temp, making June 2019 the hottest June in 140 years. [Live Science]
• “New York Climate Law Aims To Drive Dramatic Changes Over Next 30 Years” • A bill signed into law by New York Gov Andrew Cuomo sets the nation’s most aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions. The law is intended to drive dramatic changes over the next 30 years. It calls transitions in electricity, heating, and transportation. [PBS NewsHour]

Saturday, July 20:

Ørsted turbine in the UK (Ørsted image)

• “New York Completes Nation’s Largest Renewable Energy Procurement” • New York has completed the single largest renewable energy procurement in any US state’s history. The state made awards for two offshore wind projects that total nearly 1.7 GW. The winning bids were Sunrise Wind for 880 MW and Equinor for 816 MW. [Energy Manager Today]
• “Trump’s USDA Buried Sweeping Climate Change Response Plan” • The Agriculture Department quashed the release of a sweeping plan on how farmers could respond and adapt to climate change that was finalized in the early days of the Trump administration, according to a USDA employee with knowledge of the decision. [Politico]

Volkswagen EVs at the LA Auto Show

• “European Electric Car Market News – Triple The Number Of Models And More Battery Factories” • Analysis by IHS Markit found that European car makers plan to triple the number of models with plugs by the end of 2021, from 60 today to 210 just eighteen months from now. Europe will also see rapid growth in the capacity of battery factories. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, July 21:

• “Can ‘Supercharged’ Plants Solve The Climate Crisis?” • The fight against climate change may seem hopeless, but humanity has a simple and powerful ally in plain sight: plants. At least that’s the belief of the botanist Joanne Chory and her team of scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego. They are modifying plants to absorb more CO₂. [Foreign Policy]

Trees in Chicago (Crimson3981, Wikimedia Commons)

• “US Cities Are Losing 36 Million Trees A Year. Here’s Why It Matters And How You Can Stop It” • Trees can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10°F, according to a recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But tree cover in US cities is shrinking by 36 million trees annually, according to a US Forest Service study. [CNN]
• “Speakers At DCD-San Francisco Ask, ‘Why Won’t Utility Companies Give Us The Renewable Energy We Want?'” • At this year’s Data Center Dynamics conference in San Francisco, speaker after speaker took to the stage to lament how utility companies refuse to provide even the largest corporations with the renewable energy they want. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, July 22:

NextEra Energy solar farm (From NextEra Energy website, cropped)

• “NextEra Energy Predicts 50% Renewable Energy In US By 2030” • In a meeting with investors in May, NextEra Energy used data from IHS Markit projecting that the US would get 25% of its electricity from renewable energy resources by 2030. For the June meeting, it used data from NREL projecting 50% renewables by 2030. [CleanTechnica]
• “Electricity Prices Across The Grid Fall To Zero As Renewables Reach 44% Share” • You don’t get to see this very often. For one 5 minute dispatch period, all of the state-wide power grids in Australia carried electricity priced at zero or below. These grids cover Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. [RenewEconomy]
• “Australia-Singapore Power Link project awarded Major Project Status” • The Northern Territory Government has awarded Major Project Status to Sun Cable’s Australia-Singapore Power Link. The proposed Australia-Singapore Power Link is a $20 billion, 10-GW solar farm and a storage facility of up to 30-GWh near Tennant Creek. [Utility Magazine]

Tuesday, July 23:

Melting Valdez Glacier (US Government image)

• “Record High Temperatures Far Exceed Record Lows – A Trend Of The Climate Crisis” • More than 400 places in the US reached record-breaking temperatures last week. Over the same week, only about 100 places saw record-breaking lows. The 4-1 record ratio is partly due to the heat wave. A 2-1 ratio is more normal in the US due to climate change. [CNN]
• “South Australia Has 10-GW Wind And Solar In Pipeline As It Heads To 100% Renewables” • South Australia’s conservative Liberal government has boasted that it has 10 GW of large scale wind and solar projects in the development pipeline, moving the state toward its anticipated milestone of “net” 100% renewables by 2030. [RenewEconomy]

Nacelle of the 12-MW Haliade-X (GE image)

• “GE Finishes First Nacelle For 12-MW Offshore Wind Turbine” • In a plant in Saint-Nazaire, France, General Electric finished manufacturing the first nacelle for its new 12-MW offshore wind turbine, known as the Haliade-X. The company is pushing to establish itself as an offshore market rival to Siemens Gamesa and MHI Vestas. [Greentech Media]

Wednesday, July 24:

The Planet Earth (NASA image, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Climate Change: 12 Years To Save The Planet? Make That 18 Months” • Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5°C this century, emissions of CO₂ would have to be cut by 45% by 2030. But the decisive, political steps to make that possible will have to come very soon. [BBC]
• “Ohio Governor Signs Nuclear And Coal Bailout At Expense Of Renewable Energy” • The Ohio legislature passed a measure that cuts renewable energy and energy efficiency programs while adding subsidies for nuclear and coal-fired power plants. Ohio’s Republican Governor, Mike DeWine, signed the bill into law within hours. [InsideClimate News]

Floating solar array

• “South Korea Unveils Plans For 2.1-GW Floating Solar Plant” • South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it will develop a 2.1-GW floating solar power plant which, upon completion, will be 14-times larger than the world’s current largest floating project. The plant will be built in two stages, to be completed in 2022 and 2025. [RenewEconomy]

Energy Week #328: 7/25/2019

 

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

Energy Week #327: 7/18/2019

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 #327: 7/18/2019

Thursday, July 11:

Renewable energy investment

• “Renewable Energy Investment Dips 14% To $117.6 Billion In First Half” • Renewable energy investment dropped 14% to $117.6 billion in the first half of 2019, according to the latest figures from BloombergNEF. The report said renewable energy investment in the world’s biggest market, China, fell 39% to $28.8 billion. [Greentech Lead]
• “US Is World’s Largest Producer Of Fossil Fuels” • BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2019 was released in June, and the findings revealed that the US is leading the world in production of fossil fuels. Among the important facts in the review, one thing stood out: The US made 98% of total global additions, an astonishing figure. [Modern Diplomacy]
• “‘Opportunities Everywhere’: NREL Study Shows Mass Potential For Storage To Provide Peaking Capacity” • The DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that four hours of storage could meet peaking capacity across the country, with the potential to exceed 50 GW. Currently, fossil fuels are backed up by 261 GW of peaking capacity. [Utility Dive]

Friday, July 12:

Solar farm in California (8minute Solar Energy image)

• “Giant Batteries And Cheap Solar Power Are Shoving Fossil Fuels Off The Grid” • Los Angeles is expected to approve a deal for a solar farm and battery to provide 7% of the electricity for the city at 1.997¢/ kWh for the solar power and 1.3¢/ kWh for the battery. That’s cheaper than any power generated with fossil fuel or nuclear power. [Science Magazine]
• “It’s Lindsey Graham Vs. Donald Trump On Climate Change” • Sen Lindsey Graham is sounding an alarm on climate change, and hoping to make it loud enough for President Donald Trump to hear. Graham said acknowledging – and embracing – climate change as an issue in the GOP can be a good thing, and the party is ignoring it at its own peril. [CNN]

Wind farm in Texas (Photo: Library of Congress)

• “Why The Future Is Bright For 100% Clean Energy” • A city in Texas with oil derricks on its license plates. A Kansas town devastated by a tornado. An isolated Alaskan island, known for its huge bears. What do they have in common? All are in red states, yet their electricity is generated from 100% renewable energy sources. [WhoWhatWhy]

Saturday, July 13:

• “Indian Water Train Arrives With Desperately Needed Relief For Chennai” • A train carrying 2.5 million liters of water rolled into the southern Indian city of Chennai, providing desperately needed relief to residents who have been facing an acute water shortage for the past month. It is the first water train for the city’s 4.5 million people. [CNN]

New Orleans, and the storm hasn’t even hit yet. (Matthew Hinton | AP)

• “New Orleans faces a never-before-seen problem with Tropical Storm Barry” • The Mississippi River, which is usually at 6 to 8 feet in midsummer in New Orleans, is now at 16 feet, owing to record spring flooding along the waterway. Barry is threatening a storm surge of 2 to 3 feet at the mouth of the river, which will bring cresting at 19 feet. [CNN]
• “A Pathway To 350 PPM Part 1: Carbon Sequestration Is Vital” • According to Hansen et al, a safe level of atmospheric CO₂ to avert runaway global warming is below 350 PPM. We are at 414 and climbing. So we have our work seriously cut out for us not only to reduce our emissions, but sequester greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, July 14:

Myanmar (Stefano Alemani, Unsplash)

• “How Solar Micro-Grids Are Powering Myanmar’s Villages” • Yoma Micro Power is building solar power and micro-grids in Myanmar. Each of its 51 micro plants can power a small town and its surrounding areas. By the end of 2019, Yoma Micro Power plans to build 200 more solar power plants. And it is just one of the country’s microgrid pioneers. [GovInsider]
• “Barry Moves Deeper Into Louisiana With More Rain On The Way” • Tropical Storm Barry moved deeper inland, dumping heavy rain and overtopping levees in areas along the Louisiana coastline. Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 175 miles outward from the storm’s center, but the rainfall always posed the greatest threat. [CNN]

Fire and smoke in the Arctic

• “Unprecedented Fires Burn The Arctic” • The wildfires now burning around the Arctic “unprecedented,” according to the World Meteorological Organization. The UN agency noted that over 100 intense fires burned in the Arctic Circle alone over the past six weeks, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere than Sweden does in an entire year. [Mashable SE Asia]

Monday, July 15:

• “America Is Building Another Big Wall. This One Will Protect New York” • By 2025, New York’s Staten Island will be fortified by a towering seawall running 5.3 miles along the coast, an engineering feat designed to ward off a growing threat. The climate crisis is predicted to create more powerful and extreme weather systems all over the world. [CNN]

Agroforestry plantation in Nicaragua (© Ryan Logtenberg)

• “A Pathway To 350 PPM Part 2: Carbon Farming Can Deliver” • Inefficiencies in how we obtain the energy to power the human body provide a lifeline for us to get out of the climate crisis. We have the land we need; we just have to use it better. By reducing the amount of land we need for food, we free up land for carbon sequestration in forests. [CleanTechnica]
• “Scotland’s Wind Could Power Every Home Across Scotland And North Of England” • Figures provided by Weather Energy, show that between January and June, Scottish wind turbines provided enough electricity to power the equivalent of 4.47 million homes for those six months. That is nearly twice the number of homes in Scotland. [WWF-UK]

Tuesday, July 16:

Harley Davidson LiveWire (Harley Davidson image)

• “Harley Davidson LiveWire – 0 To 60 In 3 Seconds, 145 Mile Range, $29,799” • Will an electric motorcycle make Harley Davidson great again? Five years in the making, its LiveWire electric bike will begin production soon, and you can reserve one online today. For $29,799, a buyer gets a bike that screams to 60 mph in 3 seconds. [CleanTechnica]
• “When It Comes To Automotive CEO Longevity, Tesla’s Elon Musk Is Now King” • Elon Musk is famous for making bold claims and big bets, and then pulling off what seemed impossible. Now he has another interesting claim to automotive fame: he is the longest tenured CEO in the automotive world. That’s an amazing feat. [CleanTechnica]

Mangrove trees (CNN image)

• “Abu Dhabi Is Replanting Mangroves In The Fight Against Climate Change” • The coastal city of Abu Dhabi is threatened both by rising sea levels and increasing heat of climate change. By planting mangrove trees along the coastline, it is protecting the land from erosion, wave surges, and floods, and it is drawing down CO₂ from the atmosphere. [CNN]

Wednesday, July 17:

• “Renewable Power Outstrips Fossil Fuels In Europe” • In the first and second quarters of 2019, for the second consecutive year, European renewables produced more power than fossil fuels. Renewable projects generated 245.8 TWh of electricity in the three months to June 30, while fossil fuels produced 202.7 TWh in the same period. [Business Leader]

Wildfire in Yosemite National Park

• “PG&E Wildfire Policies Provide Opportunities For Tesla, Sunrun, And Others” • PG&E went bankrupt because fires started from its power lines. A Wall Street Journal story says that to avoid that problem, it has begun notifying customers in high risk areas that they may be without electricity for days at a time when the risk of wildfires is high. [CleanTechnica]
• “Climate Change Driving Growth Of California Wildfires, Study Says” • Climate change caused the increase in size of wildfires occurring across California in the last 50 years, according to a study published in the journal Earth’s Future. The cause of the increase is simple. Hotter temperatures cause drier land, which causes a parched atmosphere. [CNN]

Energy Week #327: 7/18/2019

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

Energy Week #326: 7/11/2019

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 #326: 7/11/2019

Wednesday, July 3:

Wind and coal (Christophe Gateau | picture alliance via Getty Images)

• “Four Reasons Renewables Will Continue To Dominate Fossil Fuels” • Renewables will dominate energy markets in the US because of their economics, even without the support of policy, some analysts agree. To start with, as renewables gain more market share, fossil fuels are displaced, driving up their per-unit costs. But there is more. [Forbes]
• “Last Month Broke The Record For Hottest June Ever In Europe And Around The World” • Will this be a summer for the history books? Average global temperatures were the hottest on record last month, ranging about 0.10°C (or 0.18°F) higher than that of the previous record-holder, the Copernicus Climate Change Service reported. [CNN]
• “Rural America Could Power A Renewable Economy – But First We Need To Solve Coal Debt” • Despite falling prices for wind and solar projects, the electric cooperatives that power most of rural America remain particularly reliant on coal. This is in part because of billions of dollars in debt on increasingly uneconomic coal plants. [Clean Cooperative]

Thursday, July 4:

Dried lakebed

• “Are Parts Of India Becoming Too Hot For Humans?” • Heat waves have already killed more than 100 people in India this summer, and they are predicted to worsen in coming years. India is likely to be one of the countries most affected by climate change, as large parts of the country could become too hot for human habitation. [CNN]
• “Offshore Wind Expected To Grow ‘Clean-Tech’ Jobs” • Job growth for renewable energy and energy efficiency slowed in Rhode Island last year, but employers expect stronger growth this year and in the years ahead because of the expansion of offshore wind, according to the 2019 Rhode Island Clean Energy Industry Report. [ecoRI news]

Friday, July 5:

Swedish spruce forest (W.carter, Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

• “Restoring Forests Could Capture Two-Thirds Of The Carbon Humans Have Added To The Atmosphere” • Restoring the world’s lost forests could remove two thirds of all the planet-warming carbon that is in the atmosphere because of human activity, according to a study from Swiss university ETH Zurich published in the journal Science. [CNN]
• “Anchorage Was 89 Degrees On July 4. That’s Not A Typo” • Alaska’s heat wave continued through Independence Day, and in Anchorage, the temperatures shattered an all-time record. The temperature at the airport was 89°F, besting June 14, 1969, for the highest mark ever reached in the state, according to the National Weather Service. [CNN]

Saturday, July 6:

Belle Ayr mine (Dustin Bleizeffer | WyoFile)

• “Blackjewel Withheld $1.2 Million From Payroll, Didn’t Put In 401(k)s” • Bankrupt coal mine operator Blackjewel LLC has withheld $1.2 million from employees’ paychecks without depositing the funds in the workers’ retirement accounts. The company suddenly shuttered two Wyoming mines on Monday, laying off nearly 600 workers. [WyoFile]
• “Paychecks Bounce, Leaving Kentucky Coal Miners At Bankrupt Blackjewel In A Bind” • It’s been an anxious week for coal miners in Southeastern Kentucky after their last paychecks from a bankrupt coal company bounced, leaving them short on cash and wondering when, or if, they’ll get paid or go back to work anytime soon. [Lexington Herald Leader]
  (Cambrian Coal and Cloud Peak also recently filed for bankruptcy)
• “OPEC Head: Climate Activists Are The ‘Greatest Threat’ To Oil Industry” • What’s one of the world’s most powerful cartel’s afraid of? A bunch of meddling kids. Climate activists and their “unscientific” claims are “perhaps the greatest threat to our industry going forward,” said Mohammed Barkindo, the secretary general of OPEC. [Grist]

Sunday, July 7:

Fully-electric Ford Focus (Courtesy: Ford)

• “Ford To Share Volkswagens’s MEB Electric Vehicle Platform” • A confidential source told Reuters that Ford and Volkswagen have an agreement in principal allowing the American automaker to share VW’s new MEB electric car platform. The arrangement is expected to be formalized at a Volkswagen board of directors meeting on July 11. [CleanTechnica]
• “Forty Shades Of Green And 5,000 New Renewable Energy Jobs For Ireland” • Renewable company Energia has announced a €3 billion investment that will provide up to 5,000 jobs in Ireland over the next five years. Energia plans projects to focus on onshore and offshore wind farms, solar power, hydrogen fuel generation, and bio-energy facilities. [IrishCentral]

Monday, July 8:

Greatest threat to OPEC (Anders Hellberg, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Thunberg = ‘Greatest Threat’ To Fossil Fuel Companies’ | Ocasio-Cortez = ‘Determined To Destroy the America We Know’” • What is it about these two young women, Greta Thunberg, who is 16 years old, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is 29, that squeezes expletives out of some of the world’s most important mouths? [CleanTechnica]
• “FERC Now Expects Big Drop For US Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Power Over Next Three Years, Major Growth For Renewables” • FERC’s latest “Energy Infrastructure Update” suggests that fossil fuel generating capacity may not grow and nuclear capacity may decline by over 7 GW by June 2022. But Renewables could grow by over 45 GW. [Renewables Now]

Boeing Kitty Hawk Cora (Boeing-Kitty Hawk courtesy image)

• “Boeing Gets Cozy With Kitty Hawk” • Boeing is now working with Kitty Hawk’s Cora division, the 2-person electric vertical take-off and landing air taxi. Kitty Hawk, which has been around for some time in eVTOL years, introduced the Cora in March of last year. Since then, Kitty Hawk says it has accumulated more than 700 test flights. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, July 9:

• “E.ON Delivers 100% Green Energy In The UK” • E.ON is now supplying all its residential customers in the UK with 100% renewable electricity as standard and at no extra cost. The change means more than 3.3 million homes now have an electricity supply matched by renewable sources including wind, biomass, and solar, the company said. [reNEWS]

Parallel laser beams make the transparent material visible. (Photo courtesy of professor Evelyn Wang, et al, via MIT News)

• “MIT Aerogel Generates Passive Heat From Sunlight” • In below freezing weather on a rooftop at MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the inside of a device created by researchers is at 220°C. There are no moving parts, compressors, or vacuum pumps involved, just sunlight and a special aerogel developed by their project team. [CleanTechnica]
• “Trump Takes Aim At Green New Deal While Touting His Administration’s ‘Environmental Leadership'” • President Trump held an event to tout his administration’s previous work on the environment Monday during a speech at the White House, despite having rolled back numerous regulations intended to fight the climate crisis. [CNN]

Wednesday, July 10:

Coal-fired power plant in China (Kleineolive, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0)

• “Chinese Thermal Coal Demand Set To Fall With Launch Of New Power Transmission Line” • A tranmission line of ultra-high voltage, at 1.1 million volts, and 3,324 km (2,065-miles) long, has been launched in China. It is expected to cut demand for thermal coal dramatically, according to market sources quoted by S&P Global Platts. [CleanTechnica]
• “Extinction Rebellion And PR agencies Call For Industry To Declare ‘Climate Conflicts’” • Climate activists Extinction Rebellion are supporting a letter signed by more than a dozen PR agencies announcing their refusal to work on fossil fuel briefs, and calling for the PR industry to declare its ‘climate conflicts.’ Several have already begun on disclosures. [PRWeek]

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (CNN image)

• “Sanders And Ocasio-Cortez Pressure Congress To Declare Climate Change A National Emergency” • Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont teamed up with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon to unveil a new resolution that would declare climate change a national emergency. [CNN]

Energy Week #326: 7/11/2019

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