Energy Week #417: 5/6/2021

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.

Minute 0: Energy Week #417: 5/6/2021

Thursday, April 29

Wind turbines in Texas (Leaflet, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 2
¶ “Wind Power A Smaller Contributor To Texas Electricity Crisis Than Initially Estimated, ERCOT Analysis Shows” • An updated analysis of February’s Texas power crisis by experts at ERCOT shows that lost wind generation played a small part of problems that blacked out much of the state during a lengthy period of severe cold weather. [The Texas Tribune]

Indian Point nuclear plant (Peretz Partensky, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 5
¶ “Indian Point Is Closing, But Clean Energy Is Here To Stay” • New York will mark a milestone in the state’s energy landscape when the Indian Point nuclear power plant, just north of New York City, permanently closes this week. The plant has a history of operational, safety, and environmental problems. The state is rapidly building renewable energy. [NRDC]

Wind turbines (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “Renewable Energy Is Suddenly Startlingly Cheap” • If you want real hope, the best place to look may be a little noted report from the London-based think tank Carbon Tracker Initiative. Solar and windpower can supply the world with 100 times its demand, using less of the surface than fossil fuels do. And the price is startlingly low. [The New Yorker]

Friday, April 30

California solar array (Tom Brewster Photography, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 11
¶ “California Just Hit 95% Renewable Energy. Will Other States Come Along For The Ride?” • For all the time we spend talking about how to reach 100% clean power, it sometimes seems like a faraway proposition. But on Saturday just before 2:30 pm, one of the world’s largest economies came within a stone’s throw of getting there. [Los Angeles Times]

Charging locations (General Motors image)

Minute 13
¶ “GM Announces Ultium Charge 360 Partnership With Seven Electric Car Charging Companies” • General Motors and seven electric car charging networks are partnering to make sure the people who buy its EVs will be able to find places to plug them in no matter where they go. An updated GM owners app will show their charging locations. [CleanTechnica]

Farm field (PA government image)

Minute 16
¶ “Meet Dick, The Weed-Killing Robot With A Tesla Heart” • A UK startup called the Small Robot Company is about to change how farming is done. SRC uses two field units powered by Tesla batteries. One gathers detailed data about a field and transmits that to an AI unit. The AI unit gives the data to the second field unit, which zaps the weeds. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, May 1

Boston (todd kent, Unsplash)

Minute 19
¶ “Cities Should Be At Heart Of America’s Infrastructure And Economic Recovery” • A report from Bloomberg Philanthropies and RMI found that placing local governments at the center of our recovery gives the US its best chance for our climate and economy. President Biden’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan can accomplish that. [CleanTechnica]

Trout (Sticker Mule, Unsplash)

Minute 22
¶ “Climate Change Challenges Trout Industry In North Carolina” • North Carolina ranks second in trout production nationally, producing 5 million pounds of trout annually. The trout industry supports thousands of jobs in the state. But the trout need cold, clean, oxygen-rich water to survive, and the supply of that water is threatened by climate change. [The Mountaineer]

RMI Portal (Image via RMI’s Utility Transition Hub)

Minute 24
¶ “RMI Shows The ‘How To’ Of Limiting U.S. Warming To 1.5°C” • RMI is unveiling a series of resources that provide analysis and guidance for how the US can align its economy to limit warming to less than 1.5°C. The first two reports will help policymakers, corporations, and other stakeholders balance near-term actions and longer-term planning. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, May 2

Tesla in Amsterdam (Jannes Glas, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Why E-Fuels In Cars Make No Economic Or Environmental Sense” • With the review of the EU CO₂ emissions standards for cars and vans scheduled for June 2021, some are advocating CO₂ credits for advanced biofuels and synthetic fuels. Transport & Environment’s analysis shows why this is neither environmentally nor economically credible. [CleanTechnica]

Victoria Falls before it dried out (Datingjungle, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “When Silence Descended Over Victoria Falls” • In a drought described as the worst in a century, the flow of the Zambezi was reduced to a relative trickle and Victoria Falls ran dry. As one of the region’s biggest attractions for tourists, Victoria Falls is a valuable source of income for Zimbabwe and Zambia, but there has been a big drop in tourist numbers. [BBC]

Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Macaron (Image via Wikipedia)

Minute 32
¶ “Over Two-Thirds Of Citizens Want Their Country’s Climate Target Raised” • Public opinion in the EU strongly supports more ambitious national climate targets, according to poll taken in 12 European countries. The poll for Transport & Environment reveals that 68% of respondents who gave opinions want their country’s climate targets increased. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, May 3

Children (Mohit Tomar, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “How Calls For Climate Justice Are Shaking The World” • Young activists are breathing new life into the debate over climate justice – the framing of global warming as an ethical issue rather than a purely environmental one. The activists see the environmental transition needed for climate change as necessarily having a societal element. [BBC]

Renewable car park in South Australia (Flicker02, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 38
¶ “New Record Low For Renewable Energy Prices In South Australia” • The Australian Energy Market Operator reported record low daytime wholesale prices for the first three months of the year. Renewables drove power prices into negative territory many time, which bumped South Australia’s average quarterly price down by $10/MWh. [Energy Matters]

RNG facility (Align Renewable Natural Gas image)

Minute 40
¶ “Renewable Natural Gas Emerging As Serious Decarbonized Gas Contender” • When Dominion Energy and Smithfield Foods completed a novel renewable natural gas facility in Utah, it was just the first of four projects Align Renewable Natural Gas is building. Other such projects are moving ahead, suggesting that RNG is gaining ground. [POWER Magazine]

Tuesday, May 4

Cosmos to attract bees and butterflies (Courtesy of Navisun)

Minute 43
¶ “Solar Power + Bees = Extra Benefit For Massachusetts” • The solar power company Navisun has just added a couple of solar projects to a special new “pollinator-friendly” solar initiative it has launched in Massachusetts. Furthermore, the projects qualified as pollinator-friendly facilities in the Massachusetts SMART Program. [CleanTechnica]

Power plant in Queens (Jim.henderson, placed in the public domain)

Minute 46
¶ “New York Advisory Panel Recommendations To Include Gas-Fired Plant Moratorium” • New York state’s Power Generation Advisory Panel will recommend to the state’s Climate Action Council a moratorium on construction of plants powered by fossil fuels, the panel’s chair said. The moratorium would include new and repowered gas facilities. [S&P Global]

Gas-and-electric utility (Courtesy of Mitsubishi Power)

Minute 48
¶ “Green Hydrogen Project Warns Natural Gas Stakeholders: Get Out!” • The US utility Puget Sound Energy just pulled a double whammy by closing a deal on a new green hydrogen project that provides for energy storage and fuel production, while pushing natural gas out of the power generation market, too. It could be a trendsetting development. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, May 5

Solar array (American Public Power Association image)

Minute 51
¶ “RAI Signs California Solar PPA For 100-MW Project” • San Diego Community Power signed a power purchase agreement with an affiliate of RAI Energy International, based in Silicon Valley. The project located in Imperial County, California is an integrated 100-MW solar PV energy project with up to 150-MW, 600-MWh of battery energy storage. [reNEWS]

Offshore wind turbines (Reegan Fraser, Unsplash)

Minute 54
¶ “Avangrid Expects Offshore Vineyard Wind In 2023, Bullish On US Energy Transition” • Avangrid’s 8-GW offshore Vineyard Wind project appears on track to be the first large-scale US offshore wind farm. The developer expects a final investment decision in the second half of 2021 and start generation in 2023, executives said. [S&P Global]

Rooftop solar systems (Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

Minute 56
¶ “US Department Of Energy Launches Initiatives To Accelerate Solar Deployment In Underserved Communities” • The DOE announced a slate of new efforts, including $15.5 million in new funding, to support solar energy deployment in underserved communities and build a diverse, skilled workforce, furthering a greener future for the US. [CleanTechnica]

Minute 59 Finis

Notes:

Energy Week #417: 5/6/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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

Energy Week #416: 4/29/2021

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.

Minute 0: Energy Week #416: 4/29/2021

Thursday, April 22

Flooded vineyard (Image courtesy of Terranova Ranch Inc)

Minute 2
¶ “A Stanford-Designed Tool That Could Guide Floodwater Management And Combat Ongoing Drought” • Floodwaters are not what most people consider a blessing. But they could help remedy California’s increasingly parched groundwater systems, according to a new Stanford-led study. The study was published in Science Advances. [Stanford News]

Maps of showing climate change (NOAA image)

Minute 5
¶ “Climate Change Clearly Visible As NOAA Prepares To Release New ‘Normals'” • As weather experts and climatologists discussed the new climate normals being released next month, they came to a conclusion. “Climate change is clearly seen in these new normals,” said Mike Palecki, a project manager for the NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals. [CNN]

North Carolina (Darrell Moore, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “Ten States Leading The Charge On Renewable Energy” • The EPA says that renewable energy can increase grid reliability, improve air quality, and create more jobs. In Addition, renewable energy can lower fuel and electricity costs, reducing the total cost of homeownership. Here are the ten states that are in the lead on renewable energy. [Money Talks News]

Friday, April 23

Earth (NASA image, Unsplash)

Minute 11
¶ “Finally, The Wind Is At Our Back On The Climate Crisis” • History will remember this decade as the climate turning point, the moment we finally woke up to the fact that despite (and because of) shocks like Covid-19, decarbonization, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is now inevitable. The only question is how fast we will achieve it. [CNN]

President Joe Biden (Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 13
¶ “Biden Announces US Will Aim To Cut Carbon Emissions By As Much As 52% By 2030 At Virtual Climate Summit” • President Joe Biden kicked off a virtual climate summit attended by 40 other world leaders by announcing an ambitious cut in emissions of greenhouse gases. He committed the US to reducing its GHG emissions by 50%-52% by 2030. [CNN]

Pollution (Daniel Moqvist, Unsplash)

Minute 16
¶ “The Latest Area Of Competition Between The US And China: Saving The World” • With Washington rejoining global efforts against climate change under President Joe Biden, the US and China now have a new area of competition – leading the world in staving off environmental catastrophe. It is a competition that allows room for agreement. [CNN]

Saturday, April 24

Offshore wind turbine (Photo courtesy of GE Renewables)

Minute 19
¶ “The Race To 52%: Little Old NJ Leaps Into US Offshore Wind Industry Lead” • New Jersey could be a centerpiece of President Biden’s plans for reducing carbon emissions up to 52% by 2030, not long from now. Shorter version: jobs, jobs, and more jobs. New Jersey has already been setting up manufacturing centers to support offshore wind development. [CleanTechnica]

Gavin Newsom in 2019 (Government of California)

Minute 22
¶ “California Governor Orders Fracking To Be Phased Out” • California will stop issuing new hydraulic fracturing permits by January 2024 as part of an effort to reach carbon-neutrality by 2045. Governor Gavin Newsom directed the state’s Department of Conservation’s Geologic Energy Management to implement rules to end issuance of fracking permits. [CNN]

Honda e (Photo courtesy of Honda)

Minute 24
¶ “Honda Promises To Make Only Emissions-Free Vehicles In The Future” • In his first press conference as CEO of the Japanese automaker, Toshihiro Mibe said the company “will strive” to sell only battery-electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles by 2040 in the three major markets where it primarily sells cars: North America, China and Japan. [CNN]

Sunday, April 25

Low-impact hydropower (Illustration courtesy of Natel Energy Inc)

Minute 27
¶ “Rethinking Hydropower For Energy And Environmental Sustainability” • A California company, Natel Energy, is working on a low-head, low-impact hydropower approach that addresses one of the leading concerns of new deployment – impacts to natural stream flows. To address this challenge, NREL helped Natel rethink hydropower. [CleanTechnica]

Hot spring at Yellowstone (Ashley Knedler, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Climate-Friendly Microbes Chomp Dead Plants Without Releasing Heat-Trapping Methane” • Scientists from the US and China have identified an entirely new group of microbes that live in hot springs, geothermal systems, and hydrothermal sediments around the world. The microbes can break down decaying plants without producing methane. [ScienceDaily]

British Columbia (Lucas Mitchell, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “Renewable Electricity Can Sharply Reduce Cascadia Pollution And Ward Off Climate Change” • Research shows that renewable electricity can move Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia off of fossil fuels affordably, and create jobs as it does. Building a cleaner and more equitable economy is backed by a growing body of regional and international studies. [OPB]

Monday, April 26

Utility-scale solar capacity in five states (EIA image)

Minute 35
¶ “A Third Of New US Utility-Scale Solar In Next 2 Years Will Be In Texas” • Texas, home to the most wind power capacity in the USA, is expected to add 10 GW of utility-scale solar generating capacity by the end of 2022. According to the EIA, that is a third of the utility-scale solar capacity planned to come online in the country in the next two years. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Chelsea, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “Renewable Energy Industry Commits To Biden’s 50% GHG Reduction Target” • After President Joe Biden set a goal to reduce emissions 50% by 2030, major groups including the American Clean Power Association, American Gas Association, Edison Electric Institute, and Electric Power Research Institute all saw such goals within reach. [Daily Energy Insider]

Isle of Man (oliver king, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “Calls For Isle Of Man To ‘Move Forward On Renewable Energy'” • On the Isle of Man, 1% of the energy currently comes from renewable sources, with around 80% met by the gas turbine power station at Pulrose. The government aims to change that so that 75% of the island’s electricity is generated by renewable sources by 2035. [Manx Radio]

Tuesday,  April 27

Fully electric eDumper (Lithium Systems image)

Minute 43
¶ “Lithium Systems Acquires 123 Ton EDumper Project” • The eDumper began life as a Komatsu HD605-7 diesel heavy duty dump. eMining AG converted it to “eDumper” spec using li-ion batteries and a kinetic energy recovering system sourced from Lithium Systems. It can carry 65 tons of ore and recovers a lot of energy going back into the mine. [CleanTechnica]

Global surface mass changes (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

Minute 46
¶ “Climate Change Is Altering Earth’s Axis And Will Cost $27 Trillion A Year, Says Swiss Re” • Conventional wisdom holds that nothing humans can do will affect something so enormous as the Earth. This research proves that conventional wisdom is wrong. Human activity is having an effect on the spin of the Earth, and it will have a huge cost. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission lines (Laura Musikanski, Wikimedia Commons)

Minute 48
¶ “Clean-Energy Experts Predict Federal Dollars Will Spur Nevada Job Boom” • Experts forecast up to 400,000 new jobs in Nevada as a result of the Biden administration’s climate-change goals and infrastructure plan. President Joe Biden has pledged to cut U.S. carbon emissions in half in by 2030, and that means a lot of workers will be needed. [NewsService.org]

Wednesday,  April 28

Offshore wind turbines (J Hunter, Unsplash)

Minute 51
¶ “Offshore Wind FIDs ‘To More Than Double’” • Offshore wind project final investment decisions, outside mainland China, will grow 57% in the next 18 months, compared to 2019-2020, an analysis from Westwood Global Energy Group shows. The growth represents an additional 20.4 GW of new power capacity, Westwood found. [reNEWS]

Transmission lines (Jung Ho Park, Unsplash)

Minute 54
¶ “DOE Offers Billions In Loans For Transmission Upgrades To Boost Renewable Energy Resources” • The US DOE announced up to $8.25 billion in loan availability from its Loan Programs Office and the Western Area Power Administration for efforts to expand and improve the transmission grid. It has two separate financing streams available. [pv magazine USA]

Transmission lines in a forest (Christer Andersson, Unsplash)

Minute 56
¶ “New Report Identifies 22 Shovel Ready Regional And Interregional Transmission Projects” • A report identifies 22 shovel ready, high-voltage transmission projects that could create about 1,240,000 jobs and lead to 60,000 MW of new renewable energy capacity, increasing the country’s wind and solar generation by nearly 50%. [CleanTechnica]

Minute 59: Finis

Energy Week #416: 4/29/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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

Energy Week #415: 4/22/2021

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.

Minute 0: Energy Week #415: 4/22/2021

Thursday, April 15

Seaweed (Paul Levesley, Unsplash)

Minute 2
¶ “The poorly understood power of seaweed” • Pia Winberg, a marine ecologist at the University of Wollongong, spent decades studying seaweed. She believes seaweed’s fast growth rate and ability to absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide can help fight climate change, deacidify the oceans, and change the way we farm, both in the oceans and on land. [BBC]

Rhode Island (Rusty Watson, Unsplash)

Minute 5
¶ “States Leading The Charge On Renewable Energy – 2021 Edition” • The EPA says renewable energy can increase power grid reliability, improve air quality and create more jobs. As Congress prepares to debate President Joe Biden’s sweeping $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, SmartAsset looked at data to rank the states that are already leaders. [Yahoo Finance]

Offshore wind farm (Wpwh81, CC-BY-SA 4.0

Minute 8
¶ “30 GW US Offshore Wind Target To Support 77,000 Jobs” • Secretary of Energy Jennifer M Granholm joined the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce at the White House to announce a goal to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. About 77,000 jobs will be created, and the wind farms will generate electricity for over 10 million homes. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, April 16

Zirk Botha (Image supplied by juwi South Africa)

Minute 11
¶ “Energy Transition Through The Eyes Of Solo Atlantic Voyager Zirk Botha” • “It is possible to meet all energy and water needs in a completely sustainable and renewable way.” This was what Zirk Botha had to say after finishing a grueling 72 days’ transatlantic solo rowing voyage from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro to raise awareness of climate change. [ESI Africa]

Scientist at NREL (Science in HD, Unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “JPMorgan Is Deploying $2.5 Trillion To Fight The Climate Crisis And Inequality” • JPMorgan Chase announced that it aims to finance or facilitate investments of $2.5 trillion over 10 years to support solutions that address climate change and contribute to sustainable development. The target includes $1 trillion for green initiatives, such as renewable energy. [CNN]

Alaska (McKayla Crump, Unsplash)

Minute 16
¶ “Rising From The Ashes, Alaska’s Forests Come Back Stronger” • Michelle Mack, an ecologist at Northern Arizona University, did a study of regrowth in Alaskan forest that burned in 2004. It was published in the journal Science, and was unexpectedly hopeful. The burned boreal forests are on track to hold a lot more carbon than they did before the fires. [Grist]

Saturday, April 17

Battery supporting the grid (theslowlane, CC BY 2.0)

Minute 19
¶ “Renewables, Declining Costs Fuel The Global Energy Storage Market” • The continual expansion of intermittent renewables and declining technology costs are key factors fueling the global grid battery energy storage market, according to recent analysis by Frost & Sullivan. The market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of 23%. [Solar Industry]

Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV (GM image)

Minute 22
¶ “The Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV Is Creating An Awesome New Market” • In the middle of last year, General Motors, SAIC, and Wuling partnership released the Hong Guang MINI EV, with a $4,200 starting price. In the second half of 2020, 119,255 MINI EVs were sold in China, second only to the Tesla Model 3, which sold 139,925 units for the year. [CleanTechnica]

Pollution (Image retrieved from NOAA, public domain)

Minute 24
¶ “Three Hundred Business Leaders Ask Biden Administration To Double Emissions Cuts” • A group of 300 major businesses signed an open letter to President Biden asking him to double the carbon emissions reductions the Obama administration had proposed. If enacted, emissions would be reduced 50% by 2030 from 2005 levels. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, April 18

Special Envoys John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua (Ministry of Ecology and Environment)

Minute 27
¶ “US And China Agree To Cooperate On Climate Change After Talks In Shanghai” • The US and China have agreed to cooperate on “addressing the climate crisis” after two days of high-profile meetings in Shanghai, despite rising tensions between them. The two countries said the climate crisis “must be addressed with seriousness and urgency.” [CNN]

Lisbon electric ferry (Image by Astilleros Gondan, ABB)

Minute 30
¶ “Lisbon Orders Ten Electric Ferries” • Electric ferries have been available for years. You don’t often see large orders for them, but Lisbon is shaking things up. It is getting ten electric ferries, with the internal muscle and brains coming from ABB. Public ferry company Transtejo will put the electric ferries into service between 2022 and 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Roscoe wind farm (Matthew T Rader, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “In Response To Outages, Texas Politicians Aim To Penalize Wind And Solar” • Though gas plants played a larger role in the February power crisis, Texas lawmakers are pushing bills to make wind and solar plant owners pay for replacement power that would be ready if their plants underperform, along with grid balancing services. [Inside Climate News]

Monday, April 19

Secretary Granholm (MSNBC via YouTube screenshot)

Minute 35
¶ “Secretary Granholm Shows The Joe Biden Administration Is Focused On Electric Vehicle Matters That Matter” • Secretary Jennifer Granholm gets it. She went on a great rant about this in a recent MSNBC interview. She also touched on other cleantech and energy matters that are of critical importance. You can watch her in a video. [CleanTechnica]

Wall Street (Photo by Josh jfisher on Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “How BlackRock And Vanguard Can Advance The Net-Zero Emissions Movement” • The movement towards net-zero GHG emissions, is gaining traction, especially in finance. But to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, every organization in the field must have robust plans for shifting investment portfolios to net-zero by 2050 or sooner. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbine (Eon image)

Minute 40
¶ “Experts Predict Wind Costs Will Tumble” • Technology and commercial advancements are expected to continue to drive down the cost of wind energy, a survey indicated. The study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of 140 global wind power experts found cost reductions of 17%-35% by 2035 and 37%-49% by 2050 are on the cards. [reNEWS]

Tuesday, April 20

Lake Mead (Ricardo Frantz, Unsplash)

Minute 43
¶ “Grim Colorado River Shows Future Of Water Restrictions Is Here” • The West is dry and getting drier. The US government predicts that Lake Mead’s water level will fall below 1,075 feet (328 meters) by June, the level that triggers official government water shortage procedures for the seven states that get their water from the Colorado River. [Earther | Gizmodo]

Solar panels in Western Australia (ESA_events, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 46
¶ “WA Green Hydrogen Project Grows From 1 GW To 8 GW, Following Commitment From French Powerhouse” • Province Resources has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with French giant Total Eren. Province now saying it plans to install 8 GW of renewable energy capacity. Earlier this year, it announced a project goal of 1 GW. [pv magazine Australia]

Air pollution (Maxim Tolchinskiy, Unsplash)

Minute 48
¶ “Carbon ‘Surge’ Expected In Post-Covid Energy Boom” • The International Energy Agency predicts a major increase in CO₂ emissions from energy this year, as world economies rebound. The IEA says total energy emissions for 2021 will still be slightly lower than in 2019, and increased use of coal in Asia will push global demand up by 4.5%. [BBC]

Wednesday, April 21

Roscoe wind farm (Matthew T Rader, Unsplash)

Minute 51
¶ “Three Texas Bills Under Fire By Investors” • The Lone Star State leads the nation in wind energy, and renewable energy investment continues to grow. However three Texas bills are under fire by renewable energy investors for the effect they will have on the industry. One state senator said they aim to penalize renewables for no reason. [KVII]

Old coal mine (Taton Moïse, Unsplash)

Minute 54
¶ “Coal Miners Join Climate Activists To Back Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan” • Coal country is in free fall and is pleading for help from Washington. That’s why the largest union in one of the dirtiest industries is broadly backing President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion green infrastructure package – adding their efforts to the support from climate activists. [CNN]

Man with intentionally messy hair (UK government image)

Minute 56
¶ “UK Commits To 78% Emissions Cut By 2035” • The UK Government is planning to set the world’s most ambitious climate change target into law to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, it announced. The Carbon Budget will even incorporate the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions. [reNEWS]

Minute 59: Finis

Energy Week #415: 4/22/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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

Energy Week #414: 4/15/2021

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 #414: 4/15/2021

Minute 0

Thursday, April 8

Beta Technologies eVTOL in UPS livery

Minute 2
¶ “UPS Orders 10 Electric Vertical Takeoff & Landing Aircraft” • Through a subsidiary, UPS is jumping into the future a bit faster. UPS Flight Forward ordered electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from Beta Technologies. The eVTOL aircraft will be used in small and midsize markets, and will land directly at the UPS facilities themselves. [CleanTechnica]

Ranchers relying on water (Colorado water trust)

Minute 5
¶ “The Water Fight Over The Shrinking Colorado River” • For years, scientists have predicted that the Colorado River would continue to decline due to global warming and increased water demands. New studies say it looks worse than they thought. The head of Colorado’s biggest water utility says using less water is the only solution. Many people agree. [BBC]

Rosendin Renewable Energy Group

Minute 8
¶ “Rosendin Kicks Off Construction On 500-MW Texas Solar Project” • In southeastern Texas, Rosendin’s Renewable Energy Group has undertaken building the largest solar power project in the state. The Aktina Renewable Power Project calls for the installation of 1.4 million solar modules across 4,000 acres in Wharton County. [Solar Power World]

Friday, April 9

Storm (Torsten Dederichs, Unsplash)

Minute 11
¶ “Forecasters Expect Another Overactive Hurricane Season With 17 Named Storms” • Colorado State University released its 2021 Atlantic hurricane season forecast. It predicts above-average activity this year with 17 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes. An average year has 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. [CNN]

Blackout (Claudio Schwarz, Unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “Why Investments In Clean, Renewable Energy Will Avoid Blackouts At A Low Cost” • Many people are concerned about whether the grid can stay stable with only clean, renewable energy running through it, especially after recent blackouts in California and Texas. This article, by Mark Z Jacobson, explains why the system will work. [The Hill]

Minute 16

Five named storms (Image courtesy of NOAA)

¶ “Yes, Industrial Waste Disasters Are More Likely From Climate Change” • The threat of a catastrophic failure in Piney Point, Florida, sending a 20-foot wall of industrial wastewater over homes and businesses illustrates the danger of our reliance on industrial waste ponds. The risk they pose is greater because of climate change. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, April 10

Solar nanogrid operating (Copyright: AUDI AG)

Minute 19
¶ “Audi E-Tron Supports Solar Nanogrid” • Used Audi e-tron batteries are getting another life in India. A German-Indian startup has turned two Audi e-tron battery modules into energy storage for a solar nanogrid. The prototype system can keep about 50 shopkeepers and small businesses working after dark when the grid goes down. [CleanTechnica]

Jordan River, British Columbia (Image © River Jordan for NRDC)

Minute 22
¶ “Evidence Mounts In P&G’s Role In Degrading Intact Forests” • A new NRDC analysis of Canadian logging companies supplying wood pulp to the US marketplace looks at Procter & Gamble’s sustainability claims. Mills supplying P&G allow forest sourcing to come at the cost of Indigenous rights, threatened species, and the global climate. [CleanTechnica]

Cleveland, Ohio (DJ Johnson, Unsplash)

Minute 24
¶ “City Of Cleveland Commits To Solar Panels, Electric Vehicle Stations For Clean Energy Conversion” • The City of Cleveland announced commitments with a goal to use 100% clean energy by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The sustainability manager for the city discussed both a clean energy supply and demand reduced by efficiency. [News 5 Cleveland]

Sunday, April 11

Satellite image of Seroja and Odette (Bureau of Meteorology)

Minute 27
¶ “Gale Winds, Flash Flooding Forecast From Unique Cyclone Event Off WA Coast” • A unique cyclone event off the coast of Western Australia, as two tropical cyclones, Seroja and Odette, formed off the West Australian coast. The Fujiwhara effect, where two systems swirl around each other, is rare. Seroja is set to hit the coast as a category 2 hurricane. [PerthNow]

Colorado River (Gabriel Tovar, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Colorado River Basin Due For More Frequent And Intense Hydroclimate Events” • In the vast Colorado River basin, climate change is driving extreme, interconnected events among earth-system elements. These events are becoming both more frequent and more intense. They are best studied together, rather than in isolation, new research shows. [ScienceDaily]

Floating lidars (Photo by AXYS Technologies)

Minute 32
¶ “Offshore Wind Data Release Propels Wind Prospecting” • In July 2020, NREL published an article about novel techniques and tools to produce offshore wind-speed data. Now those tools have borne fruit. NREL made data available for the outer continental shelf of California, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii. More is on the way. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, April 12

Minute 35

Worker assembling a Zinc8 module (Zinc8 Energy Solutions)

¶ “Progress In US Initiatives To Demonstrate And Investigate Long-Duration Energy Storage Tech” • A zinc-air energy storage system offering 10 hours of storage is being trialed in a New York Power Authority project, and a DOD-funded investigation into flow batteries moved into a physical validation and evaluation phase in Colorado. [Energy Storage News]

Kia drag-race (Screenshot)

Minute 38
¶ “Electric Drag Race: Kia EV6 GT Versus Lots Of ICE Supercars” • Kia recently revealed a new electric crossover called the EV6. While the car’s official specs were initially withheld, the company also released some staggering numbers – 500 km of range, 800V charging, and a claimed 3-second 0-60 MPH time. Remember, we’re talking about a Kia. [CleanTechnica]

Michael Mann in 2013 (Reason4Reason, Wikimedia Commons)

Minute 40
¶ “Michael Mann Slams Murdoch Press For Its ‘Horrifying” Misinformation On Climate And Bushfires'” • A world-leading climate scientist told a senate hearing into Australian media diversity that the Murdoch press served as a “megaphone” for climate disinformation, aiding the agendas of Donald Trump and Scott Morrison. [Renew Economy]

Tuesday, April 13

Olli outside the Local Motors Knoxville microfactory

Minute 43
¶ “Autonomous Electric Vehicle Olli Now On Roads In Knox County, Tennessee” • Olli is not a free-roaming autonomous vehicle. It can’t go from any odd spot to any other odd spot, even in one region. But it goes from point A to point B autonomously, and when that’s what’s needed many times a day, it can perform a really useful service. [CleanTechnica]

ATR landing at Orly Airport (Daniel Eledut, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “France To Ban Domestic Flights Where Trains Are Available, In Move To Cut Emissions” • France is set to ban short domestic flights in favor of train services, after lawmakers approved a plan that will see several air routes discontinued to reduce emissions. The bill has gone to the French Senate. Some other European countries are also banning short flights. [CNN]

Protesting DAPL (Pax Ahimsa Gethen, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 48
¶ “Army Corps Allows Dakota Access Pipeline To Operate Without Proper Authorization” • The Army Corps of Engineers will allow the Dakota Access pipeline to continue operating while it conducts an environmental review of the project, continuing the posture of the Trump administration. The pipeline was never granted a permanent easement. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, April 14

Opinion poll (By YouGov)

Minute 51
¶ “63% Of Europeans Living In Cities Support EU Ban On Petrol And Diesel Car Sales After 2030” • Almost two-thirds of urban residents support banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in Europe after 2030, according to a YouGov online poll in 15 European cities. A phase-out of fossil-fuel car sales is an option now before EU lawmakers. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind (European Wind Energy Association via Flickr)

Minute 54
¶ “Estonia, Denmark Sign Largest Renewable Energy Agreement In Baltics” • Estonia and Denmark have signed a 10-year power purchase agreement that secures the equivalent of about half of Estonia’s annual electricity consumption in renewable energy. The agreement is for 3.8 TWh of renewable energy over 10 years starting in 2023. [news | ERR]

California Clean Transportation

Minute 56
¶ “CEC Announces Nation’s First Incentive Project For Zero-Emission Truck And Bus Infrastructure” • During a virtual event, the  California Energy Commission  announced approval of a first-of-its-kind project to accelerate the deployment of the infrastructure needed to fuel zero-emission trucks, buses, and equipment. [CleanTechnica]

Finis

Minute 59

Notes:

Energy Week #414: 4/15/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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

Energy Week #413: 4/8/2021

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 #413: 4/8/2021

Minute 0:

Thursday, April 1

Cherry blossoms in Tokyo (ajari, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 2
¶ “Why Kyoto’s Cherry Blossoms Have Bloomed Unusually Early” • Warmer weather has meant that blossoms in the city of Kyoto peaked on 26 March, which is the earliest date recorded since records began in 812 AD in imperial court documents and diaries. Part of the reason for the early date is climate change. Part is the urban heat island effect. [Lonely Planet]

Joe Biden signing things (White House photo, public domain)

Minute 5
¶ “Here’s What’s In Biden’s Infrastructure Proposal” • Now that his massive coronavirus relief package is law, President Joe Biden is laying out his next big proposal: A roughly $2 trillion plan for improving the nation’s infrastructure and shifting to greener energy over the next 8 years. He is set to unveil the effort today at an event in Pittsburgh. [CNN]

Apple computer (Pixabay image)

Minute 8
¶ “More Than 100 Of Apple’s Global Suppliers Are Moving To 100% Renewable Energy” • Apple announced that over 110 of its manufacturing partners globally are moving to 100% renewable energy for their Apple production, with nearly 8 GW of clean energy planned. They will avoid over 15 million metric tons of CO₂e annually. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Friday, April 2

Pine Island Glacier calving event (NASA image, public domain)

Minute 11
¶ “Evidence Of Antarctic Glacier’s Tipping Point Confirmed For First Time” • Researchers at Northumbria University have confirmed for the first time that Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica could cross tipping points, leading to a rapid and irreversible retreat which would have significant consequences for global sea level. [EurekAlert!]

Solar system (Nuno Marques, unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “Latest FERC Reports Show Renewables Significantly Out-Performed Nuclear Power In 2020” • Several reports by the Energy Information Administration and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission show that the mix of renewable energy sources significantly out-performed and expanded their lead over nuclear power in 2020. [Solar Power World]

Wind turbines (Volkswagen image)

Minute 16
¶ “Volkswagen’s European Factories Up To 95% Powered By Renewables” • In 2020, Volkswagen Group increased the share of renewables powering its European factories from 80% to 95%, and ten of its factories became 100% renewably powered. The target is for Volkswagen’s factories to reach 100% renewable power by 2023. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, April 3

Wind turbines and Ailsa Craig (John R, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 19
¶ “Renewables Can Power The Economy Of An Independent Scotland – Lorna Slater” • Nicola Sturgeon was right to point out in debate that 97% of our electricity came from renewables last year. But Scotland’s potential is great enough to provide 25% of Europe’s renewable energy, and renewables can be a driver for an independent Scotland. [The Scotsman]

Farm (Gozha Net, Unsplash)

Minute 22
¶ “Climate Change Cut Global Farming Productivity 21% Since 1960s” • Despite important agricultural advancements to feed the world in the last 60 years, a new study shows that global farming productivity is 21% lower than it could have been without climate change. The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change. [The Tribune]

Oklahoma wind turbines (USGS image, public domain)

Minute 24
¶ “Energy Transition To Renewables Likely To Accelerate Over Next Two To Three Years” • The energy transition to renewables in the US is “likely to accelerate” over the next two to three years, says a report. The analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis claims that coal and gas are set to become the “biggest losers.” [nsenergybusiness.com]

Sunday, April 4

NDB Battery

Minute 27
¶ “New Diamond Battery Will Last 28,000 Years, Powered By Nuclear Waste” • A US-based startup uses radioactive isotopes from nuclear waste with ultra-slim layers of nanodiamonds to make a battery that will last up to 28,000 years. The Nano Diamond Battery hopes to start selling the batteries within the next two years. [Indiatimes.com]

Balloon to carry test equipment aloft (Harvard image)

Minute 30
¶ “Plot to Manipulate Weather/Climate Backed by Bill Gates Scrubbed” • A plan to manipulate the weather/climate in an ambitious experiment went public last month. Now it appears plan has been scrubbed, after getting push-back from people around the world and in Sweden, where the initial experiment was to unfold. [Weatherboy]

Offshore wind turbines (Ragnar1904, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 32
¶ “Strong Winds Off The Coast Could Power A Clean Energy Economy In North Carolina” • To learn the direction of energy production in North Carolina, look to a weather vane. Last year, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy of Virginia called off the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Now the weather vane points toward the wind. [Raleigh News & Observer]

Monday, April 5

Renewable energy (IRENA image)

Minute 35
¶ “Record 260 GW Of Clean Power Added In 2020” • A record of over 260 GW of new renewable energy capacity was installed in 2020, despite the impact of Covid-19, according to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency. IRENA said in its “Renewable Capacity Statistics 2021” report that new capacity in 2020 was nearly 50% more than in 2019. [reNEWS]

All in a day’s work (US Army image via Flickr)

Minute 38
¶ “Renewable Energy In The US Military: Creating A Lean Mean Green War-Fighting Machine” • The US military has been one of the greatest tech innovators on Earth. It won’t be different with energy. In addition to improved security with increased military use of renewables, the public stands to gain from the military’s downstream applications. [The National Interest]

Solar panels (Macau Photo Agency, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “ARIES: Advanced Research On Integrated Energy Systems” • Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems is a research platform for understanding the impacts of the millions of new devices – such as EVs, renewable generation, hydrogen, energy storage, and grid-interactive buildings – that get connected to the grid each day. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, April 6

Minute 43

Wind turbines (Christian V, Unsplash)

¶ “How Biden’s Zero-Carbon Revolution Would Broaden The Energy Map” • President Joe Biden’s push for a green power revolution could expand the economic benefits of producing energy more broadly across America. One provision would require every state to generate all of its electricity without carbon emissions by 2035. [CNN]

Hurricane Laura (GOES-16 GeoColor satellite, NOAA)

Minute 46
¶ “Tropical Cyclones Are Growing Stronger, And Climate Change Is Probably To Blame” • A new study published ahead of the next global climate summit has found a definite increase in tropical cyclone intensity over the past four decades. According to the researchers, the most likely culprit for this intensification is climate change. [Yahoo News Canada]

Clover Power Station (Emw, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 48
¶ “J-POWER USA Converting Retired Coal Facility Into New Solar And Storage Facilities” • J-POWER USA Development and affiliates of Fortress Investment Group agreed to develop a 50-MW solar plant and 190 MW of energy storage on the site of the 25-year-old coal-burning Birchwood Power plant in King George County, Virginia. [Environment + Energy Leader]

Wednesday, April 7

Image from Volkswagen ad

Minute 51
¶ “Volkswagen Launches 3 Superb ID.4 Commercials In USA” • Volkswagen’s new EV commercials communicate the benefits of electric vehicles for normal people superbly, wonderfully. The Volkswagen ads dissolve myths, highlight strong points (some being places where gas cars can’t compete), and couch it all in attractive, familiar daily lives. [CleanTechnica]

Smoke (veeterzy, Unsplash)

Minute 54
¶ “2020 Set A New Record For Renewable Energy. What’s The Catch?” • More than 80% of all new electricity generating projects built last year were renewable, leading to a 10.3% rise in total installed zero carbon electricity generation globally. But in spite of reduced energy demand in 2020 due to Covid-19, fossil fuels also grew, as did carbon emissions. [Forbes]

Cefn Croes wind farm from Bwlch Helygen (Rudi Winter, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 56
¶ “Great Britain’s Electricity System Has Greenest Day Ever Over Easter” • On Easter Monday, the wind and sun supplied 60% of all the UK’s electricity as households enjoyed a bank holiday lunch. At the same time the UK’s nuclear reactors provided 16% of the electricity mix, meaning almost 80% of the grid was powered from low-carbon sources. [The Guardian]

Finis

Minute 59

Notes:

Energy Week #413: 4/8/2021

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

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