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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 #368: 4/23/2020
Thursday, April 16
Solar panels (Pixabay image)
- “Colorado Springs Utility Announces The Start Of Its Largest Solar Project” • Duke Energy Renewables and Colorado Springs Utilities announced the start of operation for the Palmer Solar generating project. The 60-MW project has more than 220,000 solar panels on about 700 acres of land southeast of Colorado Springs. [Environment + Energy Leader]
Meltwater canyon (Ian Joughin | University of Washington | PA)
- “Scientists Confirm Dramatic Melting Of Greenland Ice Sheet” • Greenland’s ice sheet melted dramatically in the summer of 2019, researchers confirmed. A study reveals the loss was largely down to a persistent zone of high pressure. If such high pressure zones become regular weather features, future melting could be twice as high as currently predicted. [The Guardian]
University of Pennsylvania campus (Credit: Chase Sutton)
- “Penn Signs Power Purchase Agreement To Supply Campus With Solar Energy By 2023” • The University of Pennsylvania signed a Power Purchase Agreement for the construction of two new solar energy facilities, with the combined capacity of 220 MW, in central part of the state to supply campus with renewable energy. [The Daily Pennsylvanian]
Friday, April 17
Lake Mead (Getty Images)
- “US Megadrought Already Under Way” • A drought, equal to the worst to have hit the western US in recorded history, is already under way, according to scientists. Researchers say the megadrought is a naturally occurring event that started in the year 2000 and is still ongoing. Climate change is having a major impact, making the drought more severe. [BBC]
GM corporate office (Image credit: General Motors)
- “Work Begins On GM/LG Chem GigaPower Battery Factory” • Tesla isn’t alone working toward an electric automobile future. Just one day after getting approval from the Army Corps of Engineers, work began to clear the land for what GM calls its “GigaPower factory,” a battery manufacturing facility on 158 acres in Mecca Township, Ohio. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbines in Kansas (Chris Ochsner | The Star)
- “For First Time, Wind Energy Overtakes Coal In Kansas” • Wind energy has overtaken coal in Kansas for the first time. The American Wind Energy Association reports that wind accounted for the largest share of energy production in Kansas and Iowa in 2019. It is the first time that wind was the top source of electricity for any states. [Kansas City Star]
Saturday, April 18
5000 HP electric dragster (HyperPower courtesy image)
- “The Tiny 1,340 HP Electric Motor Driving The Hyperloop” • Reading the specs on HyperPower’s electric motor is a dizzying experience. At 18 inches by what looks like less than 4 inches, each motor reportedly delivers 1 MW of power, or 1,340 HP. HyperPower has developed the motor so units can be ganged in a compact common shaft engine. [CleanTechnica]
Air pollution, destroying our health (WHO via Twitter)
- “200,000 Americans A Year Die From Air Pollution” • This is a reprint of a 2017 article, but worth review. As we now consider, perhaps more than ever, how much different things cause death in the USA, we should take note of the vast number of premature deaths that come as a result of air pollution – 200,000 a year in the United States. [CleanTechnica]
Offshore wind farm (Rachel Cooper | Unsplash)
- “Covid-19: UK Wind Farms Could Be Switched Off” • National Grid warned that it could ask UK power plants, including some wind farms, to switch off in order to avoid the network being overwhelmed with electricity as the Covid-19 pandemic hits demand. The UK network operator said there has been a 10% drop in power demand. [reNEWS]
Sunday, April 19
Solar farm in China (Brant Cumming | ABC News)
- “The World’s Energy Order Is Changing – And China Is Set To Reap The Strategic Benefits” • The production cap agreed on by OPEC+, the instability of the markets, the economic fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, and ongoing technological changes are playing out in a power shift. And it looks like China is set to be the main beneficiary. [ABC Science Online]
Greenery (Credit: Jennifer Roper)
- “Designing An End To A Toxic American Obsession: The Lawn” • Lawns cover 2% of the US. Maintaining them produces more greenhouse gases than they absorb. They are biodiversity deserts that have contributed to vanishing insect populations. They require more irrigation than any agricultural crop grown in the country. But there are alternatives. [CNN]
Katy Ayers in her canoe (Courtesy Katy Ayers)
- “Is Fungus The Answer To Climate Change? Student Who Grew A Mushroom Canoe Says Yes” • Catch a glimpse of Katy Ayers paddling her canoe on a Nebraska lake this summer and you might do a double take. Her 8-foot canoe seems much like any other until you look closely. Then you may see it is different; it is made out of mushrooms. [NBC News]
Monday, April 20
Cable wound up on a ship (Image: LS Cable)
- “TenneT Launches 2-GW Cable Project” • TenneT contracted with an international group of cable suppliers to develop a new 2-GW submarine cable connection for offshore wind projects planned off the Dutch and German coasts. The project will deploy a 525-kV high-voltage distributed current extruded submarine cable system. [reNEWS]
Oil rig (Getty Images)
- “US Oil Prices Drop To 21-Year Low As Demand Dries Up” • The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate dropped 14% to $15.65 in Asian trading, its lowest level since 1999. Earlier this month, OPEC and its allies had agreed a record deal to reduce global output by about 10%. But some analysts said the cut was not big enough to make a difference. [BBC]
Solar array in Mexico (Alfredo Estrella | AFP via Getty Images)
- “Green Energy Investment Could Turbo-Charge Economic Growth Post-Covid, Expert Body Declares” • A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency says investment in renewable energy could turbo-charge economic growth in the aftermath of Covid-19, leaving populations richer, healthier, and safe from future climate risks. [iNews]
Tuesday, April 21
Pump jacks (Shutterstock image)
- “How Can The Oil Price Be Negative?” • Oil is the world’s most heavily traded physical commodity, but most of the trades are in the futures market, with the oil not actually changing hands until a contract matures. When that happens, the oil has to be stored. In the US, that usually means it goes to storage tanks in Cushing, Oklahoma, but the tanks are full. [ShareCafe]
Oil price crash (CNBC graph)
- “Anyone Who Thinks Oil Has Hit A Floor Is ‘Playing With Fire’ – Yes, Prices Can Go Lower” • An oil futures contract in the US made a historic plunge, with West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery falling below zero for the first time to settle at negative $37.63 per barrel. Oil demand crashed due to the pandemic, and storage facilities are full. [CNBC]
Wind farm (Adam Śmigielski | Unsplash)
- “Renewables Overtake Coal-Fired Power Generation For First Time” • The International Energy Agency report on key electric power trends in the world’s developed economies, released last week, shows renewable energy overtaking coal as a source of electricity generation for the first time. In 2019, coal use was 13.4% lower than in 2018. [MINING.com]
Wednesday, April 22
Strategic Petroleum Reserve sites (Image: US DOE)
- “Speculation, Hopes, Tweets, And Wishful Thinking: Negative Oil Prices Explained” • On April 20, the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate fell below –$40 a barrel briefly, sending shock waves through the industry and leading to a 600 point drop on Wall Street. How can a barrel of oil be worth less than zero? Here is an explanation. [CleanTechnica]
Monopile foundations on a ship (EEW image)
- “Ørsted, Dominion Primed For Coastal Virginia Build” • Dominion Energy and Ørsted are to begin construction shortly at the two-turbine Coastal Virginia offshore wind demo project, as key components are now on their journey from Europe. Two EEW-fabricated monopile foundations will be the first ever installed in US waters. [reNEWS]
Desert wind turbines (Dennis Schroeder | NREL)
- “US Renewable Energy Additions Completely Overwhelm Those By Natural Gas In First Months Of 2020” • A SUN DAY Campaign review of FERC data has found that solar, wind and hydropower provided 85.7% of new US electrical generating capacity during the first two months of 2020, overwhelming additions of natural gas. [Solar Power World]
Energy Week #368: 4/23/2020
Energy, renewable energy, wind power, Solar, batteries, Nuclear, coal, oil, gas, Climate Change
Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell 