Energy Week #374: 6/4/2020

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 #374: 6/4/2020

Thursday, May 28

The Icebergs, Frederic Edwin Church (Dallas Museum of Art)

¶ “The Climate Change Clues Hidden In Art History” • As scientists, policy-makers, and members of the public attempt to make sense of the climate crisis, art historians are finding clues about how our relationship with nature has changed, about past and present societies’ ideas of climate, and even about the physical changes of our planet. [BBC]

Coal loading facility (Richard Hamilton Smith | Getty Images)

¶ “Coal’s Decline Continues With Thirteen Plant Closures Announced In 2020” • Power companies have announced plans to close thirteen coal plants this year, according to an E&E News review of federal data and companies’ closure plans. Two other plants will be converted to natural gas. Burning coal is no longer economically sound. [Scientific American]

Wind farm (Image: blog.ucsusa.org, via Twitter)

¶ “Renewables Crushing Coal – Won 100 Days Already In 2020” • The US has seen year-to-date performance for renewables that is dramatically above any previous year’s. Renewables are on a streak going on right now, overtaking coal for production of electricity on a daily basis for 100 days so far this year, and for 60 days in a row. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, May 29

e5 tanker (Courtesy of Asahi Tanker | e5 Consortium)

¶ “Consortium Created To Promote Zero-Emission Electric Vessels” • Seven Japanese companies have joined forces to launch a zero-emission electric vessel consortium, the e5 Consortium. Three of them, Asahi Tanker, Exeno Yamamizu Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, recently built the world’s first electric ocean vessel, the e5 tanker. [CleanTechnica] (Largest supertankers are 500,000 tons or larger, 1000 times the size of this ship.)

View from research ship Agulhas II (Julian Dowdeswell)

¶ “Antarctic Ice Sheets Capable Of Much Faster Melting Than We Thought” • Antarctic ice sheets retreated at speeds of up to 50 meters (164 feet) a day at the end of the last Ice Age, researchers have found. They warn that we could soon see similar levels of ice retreat, should climate change carry on weakening ice shelves in coming decades. [CNN]

Solaris Urbino 18 electric bus in Cracow (Solaris courtesy image)

¶ “City of Cracow Orders 50 Electric Buses” • In Poland, the city of Cracow has decided to order 50 Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses to help clean up its air and help stop global warming. The new 50 buses will be added to an existing fleet of 28 Solaris electric buses. The order, including 50 bus charging stations, is to be delivered this year. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm (DPA | Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

¶ “Just How Good An Investment Is Renewable Energy? New Study Reveals All” • Renewable energy investments deliver massively better returns than fossil fuels in the US, the UK and Europe, according to analysis. Despite this, the total volume of investment is still nowhere near what will be required to mitigate climate change. [Forbes]

Saturday, May 30

Electric Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (magniX image)

¶ “The World’s ‘Largest All-Electric Commercial Aircraft’ Has Completed Its First Flight” • The “largest all-electric commercial aircraft” completed its maiden flight. The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was flown at Moses Lake, Washington, and used a 750-horsepower all-electric motor developed by magniX, a company based in Redmond. [CNBC]

Wind turbines

¶ “EIA: US Renewable Energy Consumption Surpasses Coal For The First Time In Over 130 Years” • In 2019, US annual energy consumption from renewable sources exceeded consumption of energy from coal for the first time since before 1885, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Energy Review. [Power Engineering Magazine]

Solar panels

¶ “This Huge Natural Gas Company Looks To Power Operations With Solar Energy” • US natural gas processing and transmission firm Williams is looking to develop solar installations on land it owns close to its existing facilities to power its operations with electricity from solar energy. Williams owns and operates about 30,000 miles of pipelines. [OilPrice.com]

Sunday, May 31

Bug hotel at an Audi site (James B via Twitter)

¶ “Audi’s New ‘Mission:Zero’ – Protecting Natural Habitats & Biodiversity” • Audi has been a member of the “Biodiversity in Good Company” initiative for five years. Volkswagen Group has numerous projects to preserve biodiversity at Audi sites. The Audi Environmental Foundation has plans to expand that commitment to benefit biodiversity. [CleanTechnica]

Vegetable plots occupy a secluded garden

¶ “New-Wave Urban Farming” • People continue to lose their jobs amid pandemic, raising concerns about whether farmers and growers in the production chain can still get their supplies to market. The question also arises as to whether consumers can afford to buy them. Some people have been developing ideas to address food security. [Bangkok Post]

Monday, June 1

Empire State Building (Image credit: esbnyc.com)

¶ “Empire State Building Reduces Carbon Emissions By 40% With Energy Saving Upgrades” • When it was built, during the depression, the Empire State Building projected a message of hope by keeping every room lit for all to see. Today, the energy retrofits the building has had reduce its emissions, enough to show a new hope for the future. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop Solar system in Hawaii (Image: RevoluSun)

¶ “Cities ‘Could Generate Hundreds Of Times More Solar Power Than They Do Today’” • While applauding the rooftop solar progress of dozens of cities, a report from Environment Texas offers policy options for further progress. Per capita solar leaders are Honolulu, San Diego, Albuquerque, San Jose and Burlington, Vermont. [pv magazine USA]

Danish offshore wind farm (Image courtesy of Ørsted)

¶ “What Will Coronavirus Do To Renewable Energy?” • Before the Covid-19 pandemic, renewable energy was growing, but not fast enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s carbon reduction goals, let alone to deal with climate change. Now, the economic shock of Covid-19 is slowing the growth of renewables, at least temporarily. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

Tuesday, June 2

May 30 SpaceX launch (Daniel Oberhaus, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “SpaceX Crew Dragon Gets To The ISS, But What About Doing It With Renewable Energy?” • SpaceX and NASA launched two astronauts to the ISS on the SpaceX Crew Dragon. Calculations show that we could turn water into rocket fuel sufficient for a Shuttle launch using a month’s wind power from a small wind farm at a cost of about $285,000. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm in France (Pascal Rossignol | Reuters)

¶ “Plunging Cost Of Wind And Solar Marks Turning Point In Energy Transition: IRENA” • Plunging costs of renewables mark a turning point in a global transition to low-carbon energy, as it is increasingly cheaper to build solar or wind farms than to run existing coal plants, a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows. [Reuters]

Natural gas pipeline (Portland Press Herald via Getty Image)

¶ “EPA Mounts A New Strike On States’ Rights, This Time To Boost Pipeline Companies” • As chaos grips the nation, the EPA is changing water permitting rules to make it harder for states to block construction of fossil fuel pipelines. The EPA’s new rule prohibits regulators from factoring in a project’s impacts on climate change. [Huffpost]

Wednesday, June 3

Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani (Image: Life tech | Flickr)

¶ “Adani Chief Talks Solar And Hydrogen Storage Opportunity” • Covid-19 presents an opportunity to pause, rethink, and design a faster transition to a clean energy future, according to Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani. He pointed to a 99% drop in the cost of solar modules over a 40 year period, and said he expects the trend to continue. [pv magazine Australia]

Fully loaded oil tankers sitting idle (PO3 Aidan Cooney | USCG)

¶ “The Oil & Gas Industry Doesn’t Have A Bright Future” • The oil and gas industry has been in a recession, effectively since the global financial crisis 11 years ago. Each year, production volumes have increased by more than global demand, meaning that the market has been in decline, with lower prices for crude oil and natural gas the natural result. [CleanTechnica]

Solar and wind power in Lincolnshire (Paul Glendell | Alamy)

¶ “UK Electricity Coal Free For First Month Ever” • The UK’s electricity system had its “greenest” month ever and ran without coal-fired electricity for the full month of May. National Grid, the energy system operator, said the UK’s sunniest spring on record helped reduce the carbon intensity of the grid to its lowest level ever recorded. [The Guardian]

Energy Week #374: 6/4/2020

 

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

Energy Week #373: 5/28/2020

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 #373: 5/28/2020

Thursday, May 21

Sustainable London (EG Focus | Flickr)

¶ “Unilever, H&M Among 150 Companies Worth $2 Trillion Urging Net-Zero Pandemic Recovery” • In a CEO-led climate advocacy effort backed by the UN, 155 multinational companies with a combined market capitalisation of over $2.4 trillion signed a joint statement urging world governments to align recovery efforts with climate science. [Green Queen Media]

Australian wind turbines

¶ “Coalition Energy Roadmap For Gas Over Coal” • Australia’s government has highlighted gas as a crucial energy source to back up renewable power generation over the next decade. A long-awaited roadmap to meeting the country’s emission reduction commitments uses gas and pumped hydrogen to back up solar and wind capacity. [Forbes Advocate]

Wind turbines (reNEWS image)

¶ “UK Renewables Output Overtakes Fossil Fuels” • In the UK, renewables generated more than fossil fuels for the first quarter of 2020. In February, UK wind farms averaged a 50% capacity factor for onshore and 60% for offshore, Drax Electric Insights said. By contrast, gas had a capacity factor of 34%, coal had 17%, and nuclear had 59%. [reNEWS]

Friday, May 22

Svolt battery (Svolt courtesy image)

¶ “China’s Svolt Announces Cobalt-Free Battery Production Launch” • Svolt, a Chinese battery company founded in 2018, announced in 2019 that it would build a 24-GWh cobalt-free lithium-ion battery. It seems to have made good on its promise. Svolt says the technology will work in a car for 15 years or up to 1.2 million km (746,000 miles). [CleanTechnica]

Icebreaker wind farm in Lake Erie (LEEDCo image)

¶ “Turbine Restrictions May Be ‘Fatal’ To Icebreaker” • Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, the developers the 21-MW Icebreaker offshore wind farm on Lake Erie, said it is stunned by the regulator’s approval of the project on condition that the six turbines are switched off from dusk to dawn for the most of the year. It may be fatal to the project. [reNEWS]

Tropical forest

¶ “Scientists Find Climate Change Tipping Point For Tropical Forests” • Tropical forests can still act as effective carbon sponges in a warmer world. A team of researchers coordinated by the University of Leeds found rainforests can continue to absorb huge volumes of carbon if global warming remains less than 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels. [The Irish News]

Saturday, May 23

King tide at Miami Beach, Florida (maxstrz, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Miami’s Fight Against Rising Seas” • Just down the coast from Donald Trump’s weekend retreat, the residents and businesses of south Florida are experiencing regular episodes of water in the streets. In the battle against rising seas, the region is becoming ground zero. And it has more to lose than almost anywhere else in the world. [BBC]

Tree deaths linked to gas leaks (insideclimatenews.org via Twitter)

¶ “Natural Gas Leaks Deadly For Trees” • We have long known that drilling, gas extraction, and fracking are associated with huge amounts of water contamination, explosion hazards, and corruption of human health. But the situation is worse than that. Natural gas leaking from pipes is also deadly for the trees that line our city streets. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore windpower (Shaun Dakin | Unsplash)

¶ “Danish Consortium Eyes 10-GW Energy Island” • Danish pension funds PensionDanmark and PFA, energy company SEAS-NVE, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners formed a consortium to invest in an offshore wind energy island of up to 10 GW in the North Sea. The project, VindO, could include 25 traditional offshore wind farms. [reNEWS]

Sunday, May 24

World temperatures, Q1 2020 (Berkeley Earth image)

¶ “Siberia Is Experiencing Record Highs: 40°F Above Average” • Siberia is seeing record high temperatures that are nearly 40°F (22°C) above average. To put that in perspective, The Washington Post writes that some areas of Siberia are hotter than Washington, DC. Snow cover is disappearing, sea ice is melting, and really intense fires are raging. [CleanTechnica]

Navajo Generating Station (David Wallace | The Republic)

¶ “With The Navajo Generating Station Gone, We Need Help Luring Renewable Energy Investment To Our Land” • Navajo Generating Station closed last December, over twenty years early, because it was no longer economically viable for its corporate owners. Navajo Power can provide renewable energy and jobs, but it needs funding. [AZCentral.com]

Wireless charging (Momentum Dynamics courtesy image)

¶ “Electric Bus Fleet In Washington Has Completed 50 MWh Of Wireless Charging” • In 2018, electric buses started running on urban routes in Wenatchee, Washington. That may not sound groundbreaking, but Link Transit also chose wireless charging for those buses. The buses have now used 50 MWh of energy, charging wirelessly. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, May 25

Canola and wind turbines (Innogy image)

¶ “UK Power Emissions Fall To Record Low” • The UK power system’s carbon intensity fell to a record low on 23 May, pushed down bin increased solar and windpower, according to research by Drax Electric Insights. Average carbon intensity reached 61 grams of CO₂ per kWh, beating the previous record, 76 grams of CO₂ per kWh, set on 17 August last year. [reNEWS]

Nyngan solar farm

¶ “NSW Calls For Wind, Solar, Storage Ideas For First Renewable Zone In Central West” • The government of New South Wales issued a call for 3,000 MW or more of wind, solar, and storage project proposals to join the state’s first Renewable Energy Zone. The zone will be in the Central-West region, centered around the town of Dubbo. [RenewEconomy]

Disney World solar installation (Cynthia Shahan | CleanTechnica)

¶ “Why Are We Subsidizing Fossil Fuels? Seriously” • Supporting renewables can cut emissions and boost the economy, all while providing cost-competitive energy. The Trump Administration, however, continues propping up the fossil fuel industry, despite the sector’s real financial problems, which began long before the COVID-19 pandemic. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, May 26

Offshore Solution (Guardian Geomatics image)

¶ “Oz Crew To Survey Australia-Singapore Cable Route” • Sun Cable hired an Australian company to carry out initial surveys for a proposed cable to trasmit renewable energy from Australia to Singapore and Indonesia. Guardian Geomatics will start the preparatory work this month, and the vessel Offshore Solution is to deliver results later this year. [reNEWS]

Nanotech Energy research lab (Nanotech Energy image)

¶ “Nanotech Energy Claims Its Graphene Lithium Battery Will Charge 18 Times Faster Than Conventional Li-Ion Battery” • Investors have just pumped $27.5 million into Nanotech Energy, based in Los Angeles. Why? The company claims its graphene-based lithium batteries can charge 18 times as fast as the more conventional lithium-ion batteries. [CleanTechnica]

Assembling a rotor (AWEA image via Twitter)

¶ “US Wind Power Plants Show Little Decline With Age” • A report published in the journal Joule by researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concludes that wind turbines in the US remain relatively efficient over a period of time. The report shows only a 13% drop in performance over 17 years of operation. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, May 27

Siemens Gamesa 14-MW turbine (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Lands 2.6-GW Dominion Deal With 14-MW Unit” • Siemens Gamesa has secured a second major order for its 14-MW turbine, from the 2640-MW Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. The exact number of units needed for the project is yet to be confirmed, as it will be based on site-specific conditions. [reNEWS]

Michael Moore (Vittorio Zunino Celotto | Getty Images)

¶ “Michael Moore Film Planet Of The Humans Removed From YouTube” • YouTube has taken down the documentary Planet of the Humans in response to a copyright infringement claim by a British environmental photographer. The movie, produced by Michael Moore, allegedly includes a clip that was used without the permission of its owner. [The Guardian]

Citroen Ami (Credit: Citroen)

¶ “KIA Says Micro-EV Could Replace Public Transportation” • Cities rely on buses, trams, and subways, but the coronavirus pandemic has caused many to rethink the whole idea of public transportation. KIA is looking at inexpensive, ultra-compact, short range electric cars, as be a viable alternative to public transportation, with the Citroen Ami as a model. [CleanTechnica]

Energy Week #373: 5/28/2020

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

Energy Week #372: 5/21/2020

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 #372: 5/21/2020

Thursday, May 14

Rendering of a planned project (Maryland Energy Administration)

¶ “FERC Order Could Bar Offshore Wind From US Power Market” • A controvercial order the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued late last year could block offshore wind developers from the nation’s largest capacity market, analysts say. Now, states with ambitious clean energy goals say they are grappling with how to respond. [E&E News]

Pump jacks (Paul Ratje | AFP via Getty Images)

¶ “Revealed: Long-Troubled US Oil Firms Are Capitalizing On Coronavirus Assistance” • Many American oil and gas companies were in financial trouble well before the coronavirus economic crisis and now are asking for taxpayer assistance to cushion their fall. Many independent drillers were got mired in debt chasing the fracking boom. [The Guardian]

Fermi Nuclear Power Plant (Alessandro Vecchi, Wikipedia)

¶ “Fermi-2 Reactor In Michigan Sees Over 200 Workers Test Positive For Novel Coronavirus During Outage” • Nearly 250 workers at DTE Energy’s 1,250-MW Fermi-2 nuclear reactor in Newport, Michigan, tested positive for the novel coronavirus during the ongoing refueling and maintenance outage, according to a union official. [S&P Global]

Friday, May 15

Solar farm in California, looking from behind (Sammy Roth | Los Angeles Times)

¶ “Boiling Point: Giant Batteries Are Changing Everything For Clean Energy” • Southern California Edison announced that it’s buying 770 MW of batteries. So one California utility is buying more energy storage than was installed in the entire US last year. But the CEO of SCE’s parent company called it “just another stepping stone.” [Los Angeles Times]

Barry Glacier (Don Becker | US Geological Survey)

¶ “Scientists Warn About Risk Of Massive Tsunami In Prince William Sound” • A landslide in Prince William Sound could trigger a large tsunami in an area sometimes frequented by hundreds of fishermen and recreational boaters, according to scientists and state officials. A slope is unstable because a glacier is retreating due to climate change. [Anchorage Daily News]

Coal-fired power plant (Bounzie66, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “US Expected to Generate More Electricity From Renewables Than Coal This Year” • Despite Trump administration efforts to bail out the fossil fuel industry during the coronavirus pandemic, the US is projected to produce more electricity from renewable sources than from coal this year – for the first time ever, as The New York Times reported. [Green Matters]

Tanker (Eddie Seal | Bloomberg)

¶ “Saudi Oil Rush Threatens to Disrupt Stabilizing US Oil Market” • Over 30 tankers laden with Saudi oil are set to arrive at the Gulf Coast and West Coast during May and June, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The oil they bring threatens to disrupt a positive supply development, a decline in US crude stockpiles. [Yahoo Canada Finance]

Saturday, May 16

Great Chaco landscape (Jim Rhodes | Flickr)

¶ “BLM Planning Vast Overhaul of Greater Chaco Land Management Plan During Pandemic” • The US Bureau of Land Management is holding final public comment sessions on oil and gas drilling in the Greater Chaco region online through May 28, effectively excluding local Navajo, and Pueblo peoples, many of whom have no internet access. [Earth Island Journal]

Governor Andrew Cuomo (Darren McGee | Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

¶ “Governor Cuomo Rejects The Williams Pipeline” • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has rejected the Williams Pipeline, which would have carried natural gas that had been fracked in Pennsylvania to parts of New York City. This pipeline would also have trapped New York into several decades of dependence on fracked gas. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, May 17

Dutch surge barrier (Rens Jacobs | Rijkswaterstaat)

¶ “Climate Options: Seawalls, Flooding, or Emissions Cuts?” • Climate change, it’s fair to say, is complicated. And it’s big. One of the main challenges of responding effectively is simply getting your head around the scale of the problem. A study published in the journal Nature Communications clarifies the situation through cost analysis. [The Maritime Executive]

Pump jacks (Image retrieved from YouTube)

¶ “As Big Oil Declines, Bill McKibben Says, ‘So Will Its Political Power'” • In a recent editorial, Bill McKibben declared, “Big Oil is not so big anymore.” At least 90 fossil fuel companies are part of the Federal Reserve coronavirus bond buyback program. “But the key point is that,” McKibben reminds us, “as the industry flags, so will its political power.” [CleanTechnica]

Flood in Key West (Image: Union of Concerned Scientists)

¶ “NASA Explains Sea-Level Rise – And Yes, It’s Real” • NASA science writer Alan Buis published a blog post, “Can’t ‘See’ Sea Level Rise? You’re Looking in the Wrong Place.” We loose 2.5 meters of beach for every inch the sea rises. So what are our options? Either spend a lot of money to combat it with things like higher sea walls or abandon ship and move. [Electrek]

Monday, May 18

Fracking in the Permian Basin (Rhod08, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “US Oil And Gas Rig Count Plunges To Record Low For 2nd Week – Baker Hughes” • The US rig count, an early indicator of future output, fell by 35 to a record low of 339 in the week to May 15, data from energy services firm Baker Hughes Co shows. The data goes back to 1940, and the previous record low of 374 was set last week. [Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide]

Flooding in Hurricane Harvey (Jill Carlson, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Six Years In A Row, A Named Storm Forms Early In The Atlantic” • For the sixth year in a row, a tropical cyclone was named before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. Reportedly, there is even a debate going on at the National Hurricane Center in Miami over moving the hurricane season opening to some date in May. [WTSP.com]

Tesla showroom in Tysons Corner (Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “US Auto Sales Down 496,000 In First Quarter” • After falling in 2019 as a whole, the US auto industry has been slammed by the coronavirus in the first quarter of 2020. With few exceptions, sales of car brands are off badly from last year. One noteable exception to the trend is Tesla, whose sales have increased by 17% from Q1 of 2019. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, May 19

Eye of Hurricane Irma (NASA SPoRT via Twitter)

¶ “Hurricanes, Typhoons, And Cyclones Are Becoming Stronger, According To A New NOAA Study” • It is becoming increasingly evident that cyclonic storms are becoming stronger and deadlier with global warming, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [CNN]

Artist’s impression of the 14-MW turbine (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Unveils 14-MW Offshore Titan” • Siemens Gamesa has unveiled a new 14-MW offshore wind turbine. It is equipped with a 222-meter rotor that offers a 25% increase in annual energy production, compared to its 11-MW predecessor. Each unit will be able to supply annual power needs for around 18,000 European households. [reNEWS]

Appalachian River (Cynthia Shahan)

¶ “The Nature Conservancy To Unlock Solar Potential On Retired Appalachian Coal Mine Land” • With its 65 years of work protecting the environment through conservation, the Nature Conservancy is making its way deeper into coal country. The organization wants to help develop solar power on up to 13,000 acres of cleared coal mine lands. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, May 20

Snow algae on Anchorage Island in Antarctica (Dr Matt Davey | University of Cambridge | SAMS | AFP via Getty Images)

¶ “Climate Change Is Turning Parts Of Antarctica Green, Say Scientists” • Scientists have mapped “the beginning of a new ecosystem” on the Antarctic peninsula as microscopic algae bloom across the surface of the melting snow. While the algae tint the surface green, they potentially creat a source of nutrition for other species. [The Guardian]

Wind farm (William Ian Moran | Moment | Getty Images)

¶ “Coronavirus Crisis To Hit Renewable Energy Installations This Year, But IEA Praises Sector’s ‘Resilience’” • This year, renewable installations are set to fall due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Energy Agency said. The agency’s “Renewable Market Update” projects the first decline in the growth rate in 20 years. [CNBC]

Solar array (Canva image)

¶ “Massive 1000-MW ‘Baseload’ Wind, Solar And Hydrogen Plant Pitched For NSW” • Infinite Blue Energy proposed a A$3.5 billion ($2.3 billion) concept called “Project NEO,” which would see combining up to 1,000 MW of wind, solar, and hydrogen fuel cell generation capacity to deliver continuous power, around the clock, in New South Wales. [RenewEconomy]

Energy Week #372: 5/21/2020

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

Energy Week #371: 5/14/2020

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 #371: 5/14/2020

Thursday, May 7

Solar farm in Masdar City (Marika Krakowiak | CleanTechnica)

¶ “Abu Dhabi To Have Cheapest Solar Power Ever At 1.35¢/kWh” • Abu Dhabi is to have the cheapest electricity ever from a solar farm reports say. As capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi is no stranger to solar price records. And the new low-PV bid chosen by Abu Dhabi’s public electric utility will bring down the cost of solar power to just 1.35¢/kWh. [CleanTechnica]

April heat (Copernicus Climate Change Service | ECMWF)

¶ “Oceans Are Record Warm, Which Likely Means Stronger Hurricanes & Larger Wildfires” • Highly destructive fires in places like California and Australia may be hard to remember adequately, now that they’re being eclipsed somewhat by the coronavirus pandemic. But the oceans are warm; large storms and wildfires are on the way. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind farm (Vattenfall image)

¶ “Coronavirus Impact Lays Bare Inflexibility Of German Power Generation And Demand” • Slumping power demand from the pandemic and April’s strong wind and solar power production have revealed that Germany’s fossil and renewable electricity generation, as well as electricity demand, need to become much more flexible, experts say. [Clean Energy Wire]

Friday, May 8

Rendering of the gas plant (Supplied: Southern Green Gas)

¶ “Coffee-Table-Sized Units To Power New Gas Plant Near Roma” • The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is providing $1 million in funding to give authorities the chance to assess the benefits of using an electrolyzer powered by solar panels to extract hydrogen from the atmosphere. The hydrogen can be used to make renewable methane. [ABC News]

Great River Energy headquarters (Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “Long Duration Breakthrough? Form Energy’s First Project Tries Pushing Storage to 150 Hours” • Form Energy made a deal for its new energy storage technology with Minnesota utility Great River Energy. The battery is competitive on price relative to power output (kW), but it provides an enormous amount of electricity (kWh) at that price. [Greentech Media]

Fledermaus (Stefan25, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “How Climate Change Is Contributing to Skyrocketing Rates of Infectious Disease” • Scientists who study how diseases emerge in a changing environment knew that a pandemic was coming. Climate change is making outbreaks of disease more common and more dangerous, and the number of emerging infectious diseases has been rising fast. [TPM]

Saturday, May 9

Tesla Model 3 (Tesla image)

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Is Best Selling Luxury Car In USA – By Far (Q1 2020)” • The Tesla Model 3 accounted for approximately 21% of new small and midsize luxury car sales in the USA in Q1 of 2020. This should not be a surprise. It has better acceleration, lower operational cost, and higher resale value. It is also rated as the safest car you can buy. [CleanTechnica]

Solar farm (Image: fabersam | Pixabay)

¶ “Renew Power Wins 400-MW Round-The-Clock Renewable Auction At ₹2.90/kWh” • The Solar Energy Corporation of India has concluded the 400-MW round-the-clock renewable power supply auction. Out of nearly 950 MW bid, Renew Power won the entire capacity of 400 MW by quoting the lowest first-year tariff of ₹2.90/kWh (3.8¢/kWh). [pv magazine India]

Child in a heat wave (STR | AFP | AFP | Getty Images)

¶ “Killer Heat And Humidity Combination Not Experienced Before Is Becoming More Common” • A report by The Earth Institute at Columbia University indicates that the combination of extreme heat and humidity once believed never experienced by humans, is already occurring. Such weather surpasses the theoretical threshold of human survivability. [CNN]

Sunday, May 10

Toluca Street, Los Angeles, ca 1900 (Author unknown, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “New California Oil Permits Rose 7.8% In 2020’S First Quarter As Oil Prices Plunged” • As the price of oil went below zero, new oil and gas drilling permits actually increased 7.8% in California during the first quarter of 2020, according to a report by two watchdog groups. Another thing that increased was spending on oil lobbying. [SF Bay Area Indymedia]

Oil drilling rig (Eli Hartman | Odessa American)

¶ “Oil Drilling Collapses To 11-Year Low With Explorers In Retreat” • Oil and natural gas exploration fell to an all-time low as the Covid-19 pandemic snuffed out the remnants of the US shale boom. In the span of just eight weeks, 53% of active oil and gas rigs in the country have gone dark, according to data released by Baker Hughes Co. [Free Malaysia Today]

Planned capacity additions for 2020 (US EIA image)

¶ “Renewable Roundup: Solar And Wind Dominate New Energy Installations (Even After The Coronavirus)” • The US Energy Information Administration’s latest information on new capacity additions shows it expects 42 GW to start commercial operation in 2020. Solar and wind represent almost 32 GW, which is 76% of these additions. [Red, Green, and Blue]

Monday, May 11

Drax power station (James Brownbridge | Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “‘Another Milestone For Britain’: UK Grid Completes First Coal-Free Month” • The UK’s record-breaking run without coal power passed another milestone. National Grid ESO confirmed that the grid had completed a full month without any input from the country’s coal-fired power stations. The coal-free run is still continuing. [www.businessgreen.com]

Gas-fired power plant in California (David McNew | Getty Images)

¶ “Trump’s Environmental ‘Blitzkrieg’ Advances Under Cover Of Coronavirus” • Even amid a pandemic, the Trump administration is weakening US environment protections, continuing its rollback as the November election approaches. During the coronavirus lockdown, US federal agencies are pursuing an appalling series of environmental rollbacks. [The Guardian]

Making steel (Dean Lewins | AAP)

¶ “Green Steel Industry Could Secure Jobs Future For Australia’s Coal Mining Heartland” • An Australian green steel industry could create tens of thousands of jobs in regionals reliant on coal mining, giving them a future as demand for carbon-intensive goods falls, a report by the University of Melbourne’s Grattan Institute says. [The Guardian]

Tuesday, May 12

Coal-burning power plant (Roman Eugeniusz, Wikimedia Commons)

¶ “US Coal-Fired Electricity Generation In 2019 Falls To 42-Year Low – EIA” • Output from the US coal-fired generating fleet dropped to 966,000 GWh in 2019, the lowest level since 1976. The decline in last year’s coal generation levels was the largest percentage decline in history (16%) and second-largest in absolute terms (240,000 GWh). [Renewables Now]

Wind turbine (Matt Artz | Unsplash)

¶ “Arkansas Green Lights AEP 810-MW Wind” • Southwestern Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of American Electric Power, got approval from Arkansas regulators to add 810 MW of wind energy from three projects. The projects are to be finished in 2020 and 2021, to supply power to customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. [reNEWS]

Wind turbines (Getty Images)

¶ “India’s Carbon Emissions Fall For First Time In Four Decades” • India’s CO₂ emissions fell for the first time in four decades. Even before India’s coronavirus lockdown, falling electricity use and competition from renewables had weakened the demand for fossil fuels, according to analysis by the environmental website Carbon Brief. [BBC]

Wednesday, May 13

Solar array (OilPrice.com)

¶ “Covid-19 Could Spark A Renewable Energy Boom” • The world finds itself at a crossroads. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the global economy, leading to massive unemployment. The recovery looks like it will take a long time. At the same time, the climate problem is not going away. We have the opportunity to “build back better.” [OilPrice.com]

Musselroe wind farm, Tasmania

¶ “Tasmania Unveils Action Plan To Reach 200% Renewables” • The Tasmania state government unveiled a draft action plan to reach its target of 200% renewables by 2040, saying the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the economy meant there had never been a more important time to manage the transition to renewable energy. [RenewEconomy]

Solar panels in New York (Getty Images)

¶ “Replace NYC Peakers With Renewables+Storage? The Plant Owners Say They’re Working On It” • New York City ratepayers put up $4.5 billion in capacity payments in the last decade to keep 16 fossil gas-fired peaking plants available, analysis by PEAK Coalition shows. The plant owners say work to replace them is under way. [Utility Dive]

Energy Week #371: 5/14/2020

Have a simply magnificent week.

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