Energy Week #365: 4/2/2020

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 #365: 4/2/2020

Thursday, March 26

Attaching a blade (GWEC image)

• “Wind Capacity Grows By Over 60 GW In 2019” • Global wind energy capacity increased by over 60GW in 2019, making it the second highest year for new installations, according to a report from the Global Wind Energy Council. The 15th edition of the “Global Wind Report” said year-on-year growth in 2019 was 19%, with 60.4 GW installed. [reNEWS]

Depending on coal (Bloomberg image)

• “Coal power remains in global decline, despite Chinese surge” • The impact of coronavirus has prompted a surge in coal-fired power plant construction permits in China, with the government issuing more permits in a couple of weeks of March than it did all of last year. However, would-be developers are having difficulty finding financing. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

Sign of the times (Image: Federal Reserve Bank Of New York)

• “Nature Is Trying To Tell Us Something. Is There Anybody Listening?” • The coronavirus has upended our society. The head of the Federal Reserve predicts a 50% reduction in America’s GDP in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of this year with unemployment of 30% or more. Meanwhile, President Trump is pushing for the pandemic to be over by Easter. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, March 27

Construction at Hornsea One (Ørsted image)

• “UK Renewables Bask In Record 2019” • Renewable energy generated a record 37% of the UK’s electricity demand in 2019, with wind contributing more than half of the amount, according to new statistics released by the UK government. Onshore and offshore wind farms each contributed 9.9% of the total amount of electricity generated. [reNEWS]

Solar farm (RenewEconomy stock image)

• “AEMO Warns Any Further Delays In Renewables Transition Could Hit Gas Supplies” • Australia’s Energy Market Operator has warned that any delays to at least 30 GW and up to 47 GW of new renewable energy capacity required to realize its draft Integrated System Plan could force it to lean more heavily on costly and polluting gas. [RenewEconomy]

Tribal land (Credit: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe)

• “Federal Judge Rules Permits For Dakota Access Pipeline Are Invalid” • Even though the Dakota Access pipeline has been completed and placed in service, a federal judge ruled this week that all the environmental permits for it were granted without adequate review or input from the Indigenous communities impacted by it. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, March 28

Car on a train (Image: Volvo Cars)

• “Volvo Moves To Rail Transport To Reduce Carbon Emissions” • Volvo is just one of the many companies switching from over-the-road trucks to rail transport to move cars from its factories to storage depots across Europe, China, and the US. The switch to rail reduced CO₂ emissions by nearly 75% (!) on one European delivery route. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels in China (Davidzdh, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Renewables Set To Win During China’s COVID-19 Lockdown” • In China, lower demand for electricity during the COVID-19 downturn is affects power generation sectors unevenly. Thermal power generation dropped 9% year-on-year during the first two months of the year, but wind generation increased by 1% and solar generation was up 12%. [Smart Energy]

Wind Farm in Kansas (Drenaline, Wikimedia Commons)

• “US Renewable Energy Increases In 2019” • The production of US energy from solar sources increased by 13.85% in 2019 while output from windpower grew by 10.06%, according to a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of newly-released data from the Energy Information Administration’s latest issue of the Monthly Energy Review. [North American Windpower]

Sunday, March 29

Wyoming coal train (Greg Goebel, Wikimedia Commons)

• “US Coal Exports Declined In 2019” • In 2019, US coal exports fell to 93 million short tons, down 20% from the previous year, the Energy Information Administration’s Annual Coal Report says. Steam coal exports were affected by the downturn in global coal demand, dropping 30% in 2019 from 2018. Metallurgical coal was down 12%. [Beckley Register-Herald]

Out of date and just a little bit obsolete

• “Exxon May Crush Bailout Hopes For Suffering Fracking Companies” • In a remarkable interview on March 26, CEO Scott Sheffield of shale firm Pioneer Natural Resources gave great clarity to why shale companies are unlikely to get bailed out and why the American Petroleum Institute has been touting free markets and opposing bailouts. [EnerCom Inc]

Misinformation (Neysa McMein, Wikimedia Commons)

• “‘Misinformation Kills’: The Link Between Climate Denial And Coronavirus Conspiracies” • Misinformation is being spread, scientific warnings are being ignored, and leading Republicans have said that addressing the problem is either too expensive or too difficult. No, this isn’t climate change: This is the new reality of the novel coronavirus. [Grist]

Monday, March 30

BYD Blade Battery (Image credit: BYD)

• “BYD Unveils New Fire-Resistant And Explosion-Resistant Blade Battery” • BYD announced its new Blade Battery. The company says it can withstand all sorts of punishments that cause ordinary lithium battery cells to burn or explode. These are things like being punctured by a nail, crushed, bent, heated to 300°C, or overcharged by 260%. [CleanTechnica]

Alberta tar sands (Howl Arts Collective, Wikimedia Commons)

• “No One Is Buying Canada’s Oil: A Preview Of The Near Future New Normal” • As Saudi Arabia and Russia engage in a price war, lower grades of oil get hard to sell. One result is that Alberta’s crude oil is selling for less than it costs to ship it. Western Canada Select, the domestic heavy oil benchmark, has come in at $4.58 (US) per barrel. [CleanTechnica]

Coronado Global Resources workers

• “Coal Miner’s Coronavirus Calamity” • Troubled Pan-Pacific coal miner Coronado Global Resources had to idle its Central Appalachian thermal and metallurgical coal mines. It blamed the COVID-19 induced economic downturn in much of the world. All hourly employees will be laid off. Essential salaried workers will keep working. [mining-journal.com]

Tuesday, March 31

Offshore windpower (Northland Power image)

• “Northland Makes Canadian Offshore Move” • Northland Power, a Canadian company, is to buy an early-stage offshore wind development from NaiKun Wind Energy Group off British Columbia, Canada. The deal, which is expected to close in mid-2020, will see Northland take 100% ownership of the NaiKun offshore wind farm. [reNEWS]

Solar cell (Natalia V Osipova)

• “This Company Wants To Turn Your Windows Into Solar Panels” • What if every window could generate electricity? MIT spin-off Ubiquitous Energy has developed transparent solar cells. Its ClearView Power windows are “solar glass” that turn sunlight into energy without the blue-grey opaque panels we generally associate with solar energy. [CNN]

Solar Farm (GCL image)

“GCL Plans To Invest $2.5 Billion In World’s Largest Solar Panel Factory” • A report published by Power Technology says China’s GCL Systems Integration Technology plans to invest more than $2.5 billion to build the world’s largest solar panel factory. It will reportedly be able to produce enough solar panels to meet half of global demand. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, April 1

Nightingale (Warrieboy, Wikimedia Commons)

• “Warming Clips The Nightingale’s Wings” • One of the world’s favorite songbirds may be undergoing some profound physical impacts as temperatures rise. Researchers in Spain found that over a 20-year period, nightingales had been growing to have smaller wingspans. The scientists say this is linked to a changing climate in the region. [BBC]

Cars on the road

• “Trump Cuts Fuel Efficiency Standards, Chastises ‘Foolish’ Auto Executives On Twitter” • The Trump administration cut fuel standards and ushered in a plan calling for significantly lower annual increases in fuel efficiency. But not all auto makers were happy. He had some words for the car industry’s leadership and called them “Foolish executives!” [Benzinga]

Empty beach (NASA image)

• “Silver Linings Playbook: Coronavirus Edition” • With the pandemic, we’re in the middle of a global wakeup call. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to look forward and see what we’ll gain by waking up. Some things will be minor compared to the damage inflected by COVID-19, but some will be major. What are the silver linings? [CleanTechnica]

Have a perfectly untroubled week!

---

Energy Week #365: 4/2/2020

A federal judge ruled that Dakota Access pipeline permits were ruled. US coal exports declined in 2019. BYD has a new battery. The price of one grade of Canadian oil fell below $5 per barrel. GCL wants to build a $2.5 billion PV factory. President Trump cut fuel efficiency standards. And there is more

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

Energy Week #364: 3/26/2020

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 #364: 3/26/2020

Thursday, March 19

Fully electric house (Photo by Chuck Field)

• “Electrifying Everything Will Reduce Contagion Spread In Epidemics” • Oil is pumped, transported, refined, delivered, and sold. All of this requires human activity and human contact, which is largely out of sight, just to enable a car to be driven to a grocery store or a sporting event or work. That contrasts sharply with renewable electricity. [CleanTechnica]
• “Renewable Fuels Could Soon Be Cost Competitive With Petrol, Gasoline” • Liquid fuels produced with renewable energy could be cost competitive with petrol and gasoline within the next two years, according to a new commentary published on the prospects of ‘direct air capture’ techniques that convert CO₂ into net-zero-emission fuels. [RenewEconomy]

Rutgers University Marine Field Station (lifeontheedgedrones)

• “Coastal Scientists Prepare To Retreat From Field Station Threatened By Rising Seas” • Scientists at a coastal research station that studies how rising sea levels are threatening Shore communities and the environment are preparing to move their work inland to escape worsening flooding and erosion on an isolated New Jersey peninsula. [NJ Spotlight]

Friday, March 20

• “We Can No Longer Rely On Historical Data To Predict Extreme Weather” • We’ve always been able to use historic weather patterns to help predict extreme weather events. But a new study published in Science Advances shows that in just a decade, the climate has shifted so drastically historic weather is no longer a reliable predictor. [Popular Science]

Arcimoto Deliverator (Arcimoto courtesy image)

• “The Arcimoto Deliverator Could Be The Ultimate Last Mile Delivery Vehicle” • Arcimoto, which unveiled the prototype of a last mile delivery version of its electric Fun Utility Vehicle last year and is back with a sleeker, more refined version of the Deliverator. CleanTechnica spoke with Arcimoto CEO Mark Frohnmayer to get the inside scoop. [CleanTechnica]
• “Earth Just Passed Second Hottest February On Record” • The average global land and ocean surface temperature for February 2020 was 2.11°F (1.17°C) above the 20th-century average and the second-highest on record behind 2016, according to NOAA. February also had the highest monthly temperature departure without an El Niño. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, March 21

US Capitol (Tim Evanson | Flickr)

• “Unemployment Poised To Skyrocket, Creating Urgent Need To Spur Renewables: Obama Veteran Of 2008 Financial Crisis” • Power sector leaders are pushing Congress to address hits to the industry in its stimulus package. A former Obama transition team member pointed out that clean energy buildouts could be the first to hire. [Utililty Dive]
• “US Banks Continue To Fund Dirty Energy” • A report from a collection of leading NGOs takes a deep dive into how world banks are fueling the climate crisis. The four biggest fossil fuel financiers are JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, and Bank of America. Together, they have put $800 billion into fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbines (AWEA image)

• “COVID-19: 25 GW Of US Wind Projects At Risk” • As much as 25 GW of US wind projects are being put to risk by COVID-19, according to analysis by the American Wind Energy Association. AWEA said 35,000 jobs could be jeopardy, as well as $43 billion in investments and payments to rural communities through taxes and leasing fees. [reNEWS]

Sunday, March 22

• “Coal Industry Group Asks Federal Lawmakers To Cut Funding For Black Lung Program, Citing COVID-19” • National Mining Association leaders called on the president and congress to cut a tax used to support coal miners with black lung disease and to give other financial benefits for the coal mining industry, as a COVID-19 pandemic response. [NationofChange]

Peat bog in Belarus drawing down atmospheric CO₂

• “World Water Day: Often Overlooked, Water Resources Are Essential Part Of Solution To Climate Change” • On World Water Day, the UN launched a flagship report that says reducing both the impacts and drivers of climate change will require major shifts in the way we use and reuse the Earth’s limited water resources. [UN News]
• “Workers Are Paying The Price As Beijing’s Last Coal Mine Closes” • Gutted factories and crumbling homes that will soon be abandoned dot the scarred hills in Mentougou, home to Beijing’s last coal mine. It is to close this year as the city battles choking smog. The mines have provided energy for Beijing for 300 years, but workers face uncertain futures. [Business Day]

Monday, March 23

Rural Pennsylvania (Nicholas A Tonelli | Flickr)

• “Citizen Science Project In Rural Pennsylvania Aims To Change The Climate Conversation” • A biology professor at Moravian College started the Eastern Pennsylvania Phenology Project in 2010. Local residents submit data about natural indicators of seasonal change. The people involved are starting to see climate change for themselves. [Yale Climate Connections]
• “Thousands Of Oil Workers Are Getting Laid Off In The Permian Basin” • One of the most painful busts in the history of oil happened six years ago when a sharp price drop cost 200,000 roughnecks, almost half the workforce, their jobs. Now, COVID 19 and an oil-price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia threaten to do that again. [The Dallas Morning News]

• “BP, RWE, Others Plan Germany’s First Green Hydrogen Network” • A group of companies, including BP and RWE, agreed to develop Germany’s first green hydrogen network to link producers with industrial customers. They propose a 130-km grid in northwestern Germany to transport green hydrogen from a 100-MW electrolyzer. [Renewables Now]

Tuesday, March 24

• “The Largest Ecosystems On The Planet Could Collapse In A Single Lifetime, Study Finds” • Large ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest and Caribbean coral reefs could collapse within a lifetime, a study found. If these critical ecosystems collapse, they could spark a chain of events that could lead to widespread ecological failure. [CleanTechnica]

Drunken forest on Alaskan peatland (Courtesy USGS)

• “Thawing Permafrost Is Giving Scientists The Chance To Study Long-Dead Diseases (Prepare For The Next Pandemic)” • As the permafrost thaws, it could reveal the origins of many diseases, such as scarlet fever or smallpox, helping scientists understand past outbreaks and cope with new ones. That could lead to life-saving discoveries. [CleanTechnica]
• “Navigant Research Report Shows Offshore Wind Is Expanding To New Markets As Technology Prices Decline And Renewable Energy Becomes More Attractive” • Improved technology and rapidly declining costs have combined to move the offshore wind market forward, according to a report released by Navigant Research. [Oklahoman.com]

Wednesday, March 25

Elon Musk at Tesla Model Y unveiling (Kyle Field | CleanTechnica)

• “Musk Delivers On Promise Of Providing Ventilators To Los Angeles” • Elon Musk has made good on his promise to help get more medical ventilators to hospitals in California to treat patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms. The ventilators help people breathe when they cannot do it for themselves, and the machines are in short supply. [CleanTechnica]
• “Panasonic Is Building A Comprehensive Energy Management System For Homeowners” • Panasonic has developed a smart home energy system that appears to be unique. In one version, for example, energy from PVs is not converted from the panels’ DC to household AC and then back again to be stored as DC in the batteries. [CleanTechnica]

Grid and windpower (Letgo1 | Pixabay)

• “Birol: COVID-19 Shock Shows Renewables’ Importance For Power Balance” • Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said the lockdowns due to coronavirus are a stress test for power grids. In his view, the disruptions amid the COVID-19 pandemic point to the future role of renewables in power grid balancing. [Balkan Green Energy News]

Energy Week #364: 3/26/2020

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

Energy Week #363: 3/19/2020

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 #363: 3/19/2020

Thursday, March 12

Pump jacks (David McNew | Reuters)

• “The Oil Industry Doesn’t Want To Be Bailed Out By Trump” • The shale industry that made the US the world’s leading oil and gas producer is facing its deepest crisis yet, triggered by a trade war and the coronavirus. Reportedly, the Trump administration is considering federal assistance. Industry leaders, however, say they don’t want a bailout. [CNN]
• “Renewables To Make A$1 Trillion In New Coal-Fired Plants Uncompetitive” • Analysis published by Carbon Tracker found more than half of coal-fired power stations worldwide were more costly to run than building new renewable energy. And by 2030, all coal capacity will be uncompetitive with renewables in all markets. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

Offshore wind turbines (Shaun Dakin | Unsplash)

• “US East Coast Offshore To ‘Deliver 83,000 Jobs'” • The US offshore wind sector could deliver up to 83,000 jobs and $25 billion in annual economic output by 2030, a report by the American Wind Energy Association says. The report assessed the impact of 30 GW of projects expected to be developed off the East Coast of the US by 2030. [reNEWS]

Friday, March 13

• “39% Of Toxic Air Emissions In USA Come From 100 Facilities” • The Environmental Integrity Project is made up of former EPA enforcement attorneys, public interest lawyers, investigators, analysts, and community organizers. It issued a report showing that 39% of all of the toxic air emissions in the US came from 100 facilities in 2018. [CleanTechnica]

Floatgen (Ideol image)

• “Floatgen Output Soars On February High Winds” • The 2-MW Floatgen floating wind pilot off the French Atlantic coast had its best month for production to date in February. Ideol, which developed the floating foundation, said it achieved a capacity factor of 66.3% and produced 923.2 MWh of clean electricity. Time availability stood at 95.7%. [reNEWS]
• “The US Is Ramping Up Its Wind Power Production” • While solar power projects have become supersized, the size of wind turbines has also grown rapidly. In particular, the growth in the size of wind turbine blades over the last decades has greatly transformed the wind power industry for the better, producing more power from larger “swept areas.” [OilPrice.com]

Saturday, March 14

Stromness, Orkney (Wikipedia)

• “This Small Island Chain Is Leading The Way On Hydrogen Power” • A group of islands off the northern coast of Scotland is an unlikely pioneer in hydrogen power. Orkney, better known for its breathtaking coastal scenery and some of Britain’s oldest heritage sites than for its cutting edge approach to energy, has been quietly leading on hydrogen technology. [CNN]
• “Wind Plants Can Provide Grid Services Similar To Gas, Hydro, Easing Renewables Integration: CAISO” • Wind plants have the potential to provide grid services that match those of a gas plant or hydroelectric facility, the California Independent System Operator has found. In a test, wind provided services at least as well as conventional plants. [Utility Dive]

Energy transition

• “Could The Oil Price Collapse Drive More Investment Into Renewables?” • Low oil prices will test the resolve of the majors’ energy transition plans, but analysts expect the companies’ long-term commitments to decarbonization and renewable energy to remain intact. It might even speed the transition up, if they find there is no profit in oil. [Greentech Media]

Sunday, March 15

• “‘A Step In The Right Direction’: More UW Campuses Moving Off Coal” • The Platteville campus of the University of Wisconsin is transitioning away from coal this month. A total of eight UW campuses doing so, also including Superior, Eau Claire, Stout, River Falls, LaCrosse, Oshkosh and Stevens Point. They are on the move toward more sustainable energy. [WKOW]

Grizzly bear in Canada

• “Bears Are Waking Up – Because It’s Too Warm, Too Soon” • After record breaking warm weather in Europe and the US this winter, the bears are waking up from hibernation early because they think it’s spring. So why is this early emergence of the bears a problem? Because they are hungry and there isn’t much for them to eat. [Electrek]
• “Trump Strikes Oil After Russia Moves To ‘Cripple’ US Shale” • At a White House Rose Garden press conference, President Trump stated that his administration would orchestrate the purchase of large quantities of crude oil to help the struggling US oil industry and build up strategic national reserves. The move is expected to cost $2.5 billiion. [The Epoch Times]

Monday, March 16

White roofs for cooling – Santorini (Yvette Kelly | AAP)

• “We Must Fight Climate Change Like It’s World War III – Here Are Four Potent Weapons To Deploy” • We are a group of experts in physics, geology, science education, coral reefs, and climate system science. We believe the lack of progress by governments in reducing global emissions means bold solutions are now urgently needed. [The Conversation AU]
• “Renewable Energy Could Power The World By 2050” • Virtually all the world’s demand for electricity to run transport, for heating and cooling, and to provide the power demanded by industry, could be met by renewable energy by mid-century. This is the consensus of 47 peer-reviewed research papers from 13 independent groups. [Truthdig]

Women carrying coal in India (Reuters image)

• “Coronavirus Outbreak: Coal Import Declines 14% To 17 Million Tonnes In February” • India’s coal imports registered a decline of 14.1% to 17.01 million tonnes in February in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to industry data. The overall trend in coal imports had been increasing until the coronavirus pandemic. [BW Businessworld]

Tuesday, March 17

• “US Solar Installations Shot Up Last Year, But Coronavirus Could Have An Impact Going Forward” • A report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables says almost 40% of US generating capacity added last year was solar. The SEIA is monitoring changes to the industry that COVID-19 pandemic could cause. [CNBC]

Solar panels (Mariana Proença | Unsplash)

• “NYSERDA Selects Boralex Solar Projects Under Request For Proposal” • Four solar projects of Canadian renewable energy company Boralex were selected by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority under a solicitation of 2019. One project is Greens Corners, at 120 MW; the others are 19.99 MW each. [Power Technology]
• “The People Cleaning Up The Oil Spills Of The Amazon” • For decades, pits of waste crude have dotted the Amazon rainforest in northern Ecuador. Now people are using resilient plants, fungi and bacteria to try to clean them up. Bioremediation uses living organisms like plants, fungi, and microbes to break down several pollutants, including crude oil. [BBC]

Wednesday, March 18

Pollution in China

• “China’s Coronavirus Lockdown Curbs Deadly Pollution, Likely Saving The Lives Of Tens Of Thousands, Says Researcher” • The drastic measures enforced by China during the coronavirus outbreak have greatly reduced deadly air pollution, potentially saving the lives of 50,000 to 75,000 people, a researcher at Stanford University said. [CNN]
• “A Red State Template For 100% Renewables? Utah Bill Unites Rocky Mountain Power, Cities, And Activists” • Utah got approval from an 80% Republican legislature to move more than one-third of the state’s population to 100% renewables by 2030. By doing that, it has accomplished something that many people thought was impossible. [Utility Dive]

Diversity: Hard hats, pipelines, waste isolation, pumping oil

• “A Faltering Fracking Industry, On The Verge Of A Bailout, Mixes Patriotism And Oil In The Permian” • Abundant signs across the Permian Basin, one of the most prolific oil and natural gas plays in the US, suggest that supporting the industry that’s one of the largest contributors to the climate crisis is a matter of American pride. [DeSmog]

Energy Week #363: 3/19/2020

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

Energy Week #358, 2-13-2020

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 #358, 2-13-2020

Thursday, February 6

Power generation in Europe by wind, solar, and coal

• “CO₂ Emissions Fell By 12%, As Wind And Solar Took The Lead In Europe” • The report “The European Power Sector in 2019” was recently published by climate think-tanks Sandbag and Agora Energiewende. It says that wind and solar provided 18% (569 TWh) of EU electricity in 2019, while coal fell to just 15% (469 TWh). [Saurenergy]
• “Exxon’s Market Value Has Crumbled By $184 Billion” • ExxonMobil, the world’s most valuable public company in 2014, looks like it is in steady decline. A stunning $184 billion, 41% of its value, has been wiped off Exxon’s market valuation since its 2014 peak. It just posted dreadful results that suggest a turnaround is unlikely any time soon. [CNN]
• “Trump Withholding $823 Million For Clean Energy, Democrats Say” • The Trump administration is withholding funding for a clean energy program it unsuccessfully tried to cut, according to Democrats on the House Science Committee. This raises the specter of political interference. The unspent funds now amount to $823 million. [Yahoo News]

Friday, February 7

• “Australia Fires: Heavy Rain Extinguishes Third Of Blazes In NSW” • Torrential rain across the east coast of Australia has extinguished a third of the fires in the region and could put more out, officials say. A wide band of rain sweeping New South Wales has put out 20 of about 60 fires in the state in the past day. Now authorities warn of flash flooding. [BBC]

Bumblebee (Natalia Fedosenko | Tass)

• “Bumblebees’ Decline Points To Mass Extinction – Study” • Bumblebees are in drastic decline across Europe and North America owing to hotter and more frequent temperature extremes, scientists say. Data collected for a 115-year period on 66 bumblebee species show how bumblebee populations have changed over the years. [The Guardian]
• “When It Comes To Climate Hypocrisy, Canada’s Leaders Have Reached A New Low” • Canada has made pledges about “net-zero emissions by 2050.” The government would seem to believe the climate crisis is real and dangerous. But it is about to approve a shale oil mine that could use up about a third of the Earth’s carbon budget. [The Guardian]

Saturday, February 8

Jim Cramer (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

• “Mad Money’s Jim Cramer Is Done With Fossil Fuels” • Jim Cramer, a stock analyst and money manager known for yelling about one stock or another on his show Mad Money, was asked about investing in Chevron or Exxon Mobil. This gave him the opportunity to speak out against buying into these oil companies or any other fossil fuel stocks. [Forbes]
• “Justice Department Notifies Four Automakers It Has Dropped Antitrust Investigation” • The Justice Department notified four major automakers that it has closed an antitrust investigation involving the companies, launched after they rejected the Trump administration’s relaxed air pollution and mileage regulations, a department official told CNN. [CNN]

Esperanza Base (Wikipedia)

• “65 Degree Weather in Antarctica Appears to Have Broken Heat Record” • The temperature in northern Antarctica hit nearly 65°F (18.3°C), a likely heat record on the continent best known for snow, ice and penguins. The reading was taken at Esperanza Base, in an area that has warmed almost 5.4°F (3°C) over the past half century. [KTLA]

Sunday, February 9

• “Trump Administration Is Not Trying To Save The Coal Industry, New Energy Secretary Says” • Coal will probably continue to decline as a fuel for US power plants, the secretary of energy said, but it might supply the rare earth elements needed for batteries. The US coal industry has declined faster under Trump than under Obama. [Forbes]

Planting to restore spekboom (UN Environment Programme)

• “How Shrubs Can Help Solve Climate Change” • In South Africa, there used to be a thicket the size of Cyprus that could suck up the equivalent of three times the US’s annual carbon emissions. Spekboom is a shrub that grows in semi-desert. Not only useful as a carbon sink, it has the ability to alter local soil and weather conditions, so other plants grow. [BBC]
  Please Note: Numbers in this article seem to be confused about US emissions. They are not 5,783 million tonnes, as the article states, but 5,783 billion tonnes. Instead of drawing down three times US emissions, the thicket would appear to draw down 0.3% of it. The news is still very good – and the numbers are easier to believe. GHH
• “The 2020 Chevy Bolt – GM Changes The Game, Again” • In 2016, the Chevy Bolt became the first affordable long range EV, beating the Tesla Model 3 to market. Now, it is updated. You can buy a Bolt for around $26,000. It undersells all other affordable EVs you can buy in America, and it also has a longer range than any of them. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, February 10

Please note the correction on the article about shrubs, just above.

Protest sign (Markus Spiske | Unsplash)

• “January 2020 Warmest On Record: EU Climate Service” • Last month was the warmest January on record globally, while in Europe temperatures were a balmy three degrees Celsius above the average January from 1981 to 2010. New temperature highs have become commonplace, mainly due to the impact of climate change, scientists say. [eNCA]
• “Tri-State Will Replace Coal Plants With A Gigawatt Of New Wind And Solar” • Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association will close its coal plants in Colorado and New Mexico and build renewable projects. Tri-State announced 304 MW of new wind projects and 715 MW of new solar projects in Colorado and New Mexico. [Energy and Policy Institute]
• “Sydney Rains: Record Rainfall Brings Flooding But Puts Out Mega-Blaze” • Sydney has been hit by its heaviest rain in 30 years, bringing widespread flooding but also putting out two massive bushfires in New South Wales. Australia’s weather agency said 391.6 mm (15.4 inches) of rain had fallen in the past four days in Sydney. [BBC]

Tuesday, February 11

Offshore wind farm (Image: Nicholas Doherty | Unsplash)

• “Red Rock Lights 1-GW Rocket At Inch Cape” • Red Rock Power has applied to boost capacity at its Inch Cape offshore wind farm off east Scotland to up to 1 GW from 700 MW. The capacity increase can be achieved without raising turbine numbers thanks to “technological advances,” the Chinese-owned company told Scottish authorities. [reNEWS]
• “Arctic Permafrost Thawing Will Double Previous Carbon Emissions Estimates” • A study by the Colorado University Boulder shows that the abrupt thawing of the Arctic permafrost will double previous estimates of potential carbon emissions. In fact, it is already changing the landscape and ecology of the circumpolar north. [CleanTechnica]

Chinstrap Penguins (Abbie Trayler | Greenpeace UK)

• “Some Antarctic Penguin Colonies Have Declined By More Than 75% Over 50 Years” • Penguin colonies in some parts of the Antarctic have declined by more than 75% over the past half century, largely as a result of climate change, researchers say. The colonies of chinstrap penguins were last surveyed almost 50 years ago. [CNN]

Wednesday, February 12

• “Global Carbon Emissions ‘Flatline’ In 2019” • Global carbon dioxide emissions plateaued in 2019, defying expectations of a rise, according to International Energy Agency data. After two years of growth, global CO₂ emissions were unchanged at 33 GT in 2019, even as the world economy expanded by 2.9%, IEA found. [reNEWS]

Koala with mittens (Reuters)

• “Australia Fires: 113 Animal Species ‘Need Emergency Help'” • Australia has identified 113 animal species which will need “urgent help” after their numbers and habitats were devastated by recent bushfires. There appeared to be no extinctions, the government said, but almost all species on the list had lost at least 30% of their habitats due to fires. [BBC]
• “Mayflower Wind To Deliver $58/MWh Power” • Output from the 804-MW Mayflower Wind offshore wind farm off the US east coast will be sold to Massachusetts utilities for $58/MWh (€53/MWh), according to documents filed on the power purchase agreement. The regular wholesale market prices are projected to be $84/MWh. [reNEWS]

Energy Week #358, 2-13-2020

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

Energy Week #362: 3/12/2020

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 #362: 3/12/2020

Thursday, March 5

Outdoor cafe in Venice (Stephen Percival, CC BY-NC 2.0)

• “What Does Climate Adaptation Look Like?” • Climate adaptation encompasses a wide array of actions that help people and nature cope with the present-day harms of climate disruption and minimize future harms. Ideally, adaptation allows us to move beyond just surviving the climate crisis to thriving in a fundamentally new world. [CleanTechnica]
• “Utility Investors Risk Billions In Rush To Natural Gas: Is It A Bridge To Climate Breakdown?” • Natural gas was commonly considered a “bridge fuel.” Now, electric utilities now must face the mathematical reality that fast-falling clean energy costs mean the bridge only leads to climate breakdown and the destruction of shareholder value. [Forbes]

Bushfire (Brook Mitchell Getty Images)

• “The Climate Crisis Made Australia’s Wildfires At Least 30% More Likely, Study Finds” • The wildfires that burned across Australia recently were made far more likely and intense by the climate crisis, a analysis shows. Scientists found that chances of the kind of extreme weather that triggered the blazes increased by more than 30% since 1900. [CNN]

Friday, March 6

• “Solar Energy Storage Breakthrough Unveiled In Drive To Deliver Affordable Round-The-Clock Renewable Energy To Millions” • Energy storage start-up Azelio integrated a unique energy storage system at the world’s largest solar power plant, the Noor Solar Power Station in Morocco. Energy stored as heat runs a Stirling engine. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Air pollution (EHN | France24 via Twitter)

• “Air Pollution “Pandemic” Worse Than Wars, Parasitic And Vector-Born Diseases, HIV/AIDS, And Smoking” • Air pollution is taking three years from your life, on average, worldwide. No one is exempt. A study found that about two-thirds of premature deaths worldwide are attributable to human-made air pollution, mainly from fossil fuel use. [CleanTechnica]
• “Europe Has Warmest Winter ‘By Far’ On Record” • Europe has just experienced “by far” its warmest winter since records began, the EU climate change observer Copernicus announced. The average temperature in Europe between December 2019 and February 2020 was 3.4°C warmer than the average for 1981 through 2010. [EcoWatch]

Saturday, March 7

Hudson River (Kevin P Coughlin | Office of Gov Andrew M Cuomo)

• “New York Has Already Moved Beyond Indian Point Nuclear Power; Here’s Where We’re Headed” • New York will have the replacement power it needs to replace Indian Point’s output once it closes, the New York Independent System Operator says. And it can be done with clean energy, transmission improvements, and energy efficiency. [Gotham Gazette]
• “Senate Bill Would End Tax Credits For Renewables And EVs, But Boost Coal, Gas And Nukes” • The US Senate is likely to pass legislation that would fail to extend tax credits for renewable energy and electric vehicles but includes financial incentives for coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. It is the exact opposite of what’s needed. [Environmental Working Group]

Wildfire (Peter Buschmann, US Forest Service, Wikimedia)

• “Spreading Like Wildfire: An Interest In Making Electric Power Public” • Investigations show that mismanagement of PG&E made wildfires more likely and led to they utility’s bankruptcy. California’s legislators and community members are calling for a public takeover of the electric utility. Similar calls are happening in many parts of the US. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, March 8

Rooftop solar systems (Hans.Matthias | Flickr cc)

• “Germany’s Electricity Generation Was 60% Renewable In February – With Wind Power Replacing Lignite Usage” • There were a set of new records set in Germany for monthly electricity generation during February. Wind power generated 45.8% of German electricity. Solar power contributed 4.2%. And at 11%, lignite usage hit a new low. [pv magazine USA]
• “‘Expensive And Underperforming’: Energy Audit Finds Gas Power Running Well Below Capacity” • Energy analyst Hugh Saddler, from Australian National University’s Crawford school of public policy, found the combined-cycle gas plants in the national grid – those described as “baseload” – ran at just 30% capacity across the past 18 months. [The Guardian]

Pollution (JD Pooley | Getty Images)

• “Pro-Trump Climate Denial Group Lays Off Staff Amid Financial Woes, Ex-Employees Say” • The Heartland Institute, an influential climate-denial think tank bankrolled by President Donald Trump’s far-right billionaire donors, has laid off nearly a dozen staffers amid financial troubles, according to three former employees. [HuffPost]

Monday, March 9

• “Renewables Generated More Electricity Than Coal In The US Last Month” • In the dead of winter, renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and hydropower) generated more electricity than coal plants in the US in February, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration. The EIA warns that the data is not final, however. [Saurenergy]

Wright 1 (Wright Electric image)

• “Wright Electric Begins Developing Propulsion System For Commercial Electric Plane” • Wright Electric, an electric plane startup based in Los Angeles, has begun developing the propulsion system for the Wright 1, an electric 186-passenger commercial aircraft. The propulsion system will reportedly have 10-14 electric motors. [CleanTechnica]
• “Oil Prices Plunge As OPEC Countries Fail To Reach Agreement” • The nations that make up the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries met to craft a response to the coronavirus pandemic in hopes of keeping the price of oil for falling. They failed, largely because Russia refused to cut its production, CNBC reported. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, March 10

Visitors to Templederry community-owned wind farm

• “Applications Open For Community Wind And Solar Farms” • Communities across Ireland can now get into the renewable energy business by submitting bids to build their own wind and solar developments. Successful applicants will be awarded State contracts to generate green power for the national electricity grid. [The Irish Times]
• “Honolulu Sues Petroleum Companies For Climate Change Damages To City” • Honolulu city officials, lashing out at the fossil fuel industry in a climate change lawsuit filed March 9, accused oil producers of concealing the dangers that greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum products would create, while reaping billions in profits. [InsideClimate News]
• “Democratic Senators Push To Include FERC Reform In Comprehensive Senate Energy Bill” • Democratic senators filed amendments to the American Energy Innovation Act that would have prevented the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from carrying out some of its controversial orders. The bill would make FERC more politically balanced. [Utility Dive]

Wednesday, March 11

Installing a PV system (Norwich Solar Technologies image)

• “Call to Double Vermont’s Renewable Energy Capacity Ignites Debate” • A bill requiring utilities to get 100% of their electricity from green sources by 2030, up from the existing requirement of 75% by 2032, is viewed by many lawmakers as one of this session’s most consequential pieces of environmental legislation. But the bill has some opposition. [Seven Days]
• “Why Russia And Vladimir Putin Are Waging An Oil War With America” • Vladimir Putin knows America’s fragile oil industry is built on a mountain of debt. Moscow’s refusal to join with OPEC to mitigate oversupply is aimed in part at drowning US shale oil companies that compete with Russian oil but rely on higher prices in a sea of cheap crude. [CNN]

Purple sea urchins (Michael Zeigler | Getty Images)

• “The Purple Food Changing California” • Since 2014, parts of the California coast has lost more than 90% of their bull kelp forest due to problems related to climate change. Losing the kelp forests could mean an ecosystem cascade that would devastate many species and local economies. The solution may involve eating purple sea urchins. [BBC]

Energy Week #362: 3/12/2020

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