Energy Week #470: 5/5/2022

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 #470: 5/5/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, April 28

EV charging in California (Kindel Media, Pexels)

Minute 2 
¶ “California Sets Standards For 100% EV Sales” • In just over a decade, all cars sold in California will be electric, based on new proposed standards from the state’s Air Resources Board. The proposed standards require about 35% of vehicles sold by car manufacturers to be EVs starting in model year 2026 and 100% in model year 2035. [CleanTechnica]

Ventura County (Ian Isaacs, Unsplash)

Minute 5
¶ “Southern Californians told to reduce outdoor watering in ‘unprecedented’ order amid historic drought” • Facing extreme drought conditions caused by a “changing climate,” Southern California officials are demanding businesses and residents in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties cut outdoor watering to one day a week. [CNN]

Charging a car (Ed Harvey, Pexels)

Minute 8
¶ “Korean Researchers Develop Battery Tech With Blistering Charge Speeds” • The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology say they did some battery development that is pretty astonishing. They claim to be able to make a hybrid lithium-ion battery that could theoretically reduce the charging time for an electric car to one minute. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, April 29

Fossil fuels costing us (From the Profundo report)

Minute 11
¶ “Trillions In Unpaid Health And Environmental Costs” • The five biggest oil majors in Europe pocketed €47 billion – mostly in profit for shareholders and management – in 2021, taking their total profits to €850 billion since 1993, a study shows. The study also shows that their pollution, public health effects, and carbon emissions total €13 trillion. [CleanTechnica]

Submarine cable (Z22, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

Minute 13
¶ “Xlinks wants CFD support for UK-Morocco link” • Xlinks is in talks with the UK government about possible Contract for Difference support for a project that would link power generated at a solar and wind facility with storage in Morocco to the UK. The project aims to cover connect 3,800 km (2,361 mi) of HVDC subsea cables, the company said. [reNews]

Dream of the future (FPL image)

Minute 16
¶ “FPL Package Deal – EV Charger, Installation, And Unlimited Off Peak Charging For $38 A Month” • Florida Power & Light has a deal for EV drivers that sounds rather tempting. For just $38 a month, it will install an EV charger at your home and provide unlimited off-peak electricity to charge your car for one low fee. A ten year contract is required. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, April 30

Howitzer similar to 72 going to Ukraine (US Army photo)

Minute 19
¶ “Ukraine War: Clean Energy Tipping Point?” • The US and its allies have also tried to sanction Russia as severely as possible for their aggression in Ukraine. To do that, it is necessary to greatly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Solar and wind electricity generation are already less expensive than electricity from coal or fossil gas. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbines in Michigan (NOAA via Flickr)

Minute 22
¶ “Time To Shine: Solar Power Poised To Surpass Wind As Michigan’s #1 Renewable Energy Source” • DTE, southeast Michigan’s largest energy provider, says it’s working to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2040, and net-zero carbon by 2050. Wind will continue to be important, but solar is likely going to be DTE’s driving force moving forward. [WXYZ]

Solar panels in Virginia (USDA via Flickr)

Minute 24
¶ “RFPs Solicited By Dominion For Renewable Energy Projects In Virginia” • Dominion Energy Virginia issued a request for proposals for up to 1,200 MW of new solar and onshore wind projects, as well as about 125 MW of energy storage. Another RFP, looking proposals for power purchase agreements, will be issued in September. [North American Windpower]

Sunday, May 1

Satellite image of methane from cattle (GHGSat image)

Minute 27
¶ “Planet-Warming Emissions From Cow Burps Have Been Seen From Space” • Methane emissions in cow burps have been observed from space. The emissions were detected by GHGSat’s high-resolution satellites in February, the company said. In April GHGSat analysis confirmed that the emissions came from a cattle feedlot in California. [CNN]

Picking tea leaves in Kenya (CIAT, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 30
¶ “Climate Change Storm Threatens Kenya’s Tea Production” • Kenya’s tea production is likely to drop significantly within the next decade because of climate change, threatening the country’s foreign earnings from the crop. A senior researcher at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization’s Tea Research Institute voiced concerns on the issue. [KBC]

Wave (Silas Baisch, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “Tri-Cities Scientists “Magically” Mining Metals From Water” • Scientists at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working with industry to test an approach that uses magnetic nanoparticles surrounded by an adsorbent shell to capture critical materials, such as lithium, from various water sources, possibly including seawater. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, May 2

Bike shelter made from a part of a recycled wind turbine blade (Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy)

Minute 35
¶ “There’s Value In Old Power Generation Components” • The market for recycled power equipment components is getting a boost due to ongoing global supply chain issues, particularly for those in the renewable energy sector. The so-called “circular” supply chain provides a solution for companies finding it difficult to source raw materials. [Power Magazine]

Solar farm in California, seen from space (NASA, public domain)

Minute 38
¶ “California 100% Powered By Renewables For The First Time” • Renewables met 100% of California’s electricity demand for the first time on April 30, most of it from solar power produced along Interstate 10, an hour east of the Coachella Valley. The milestone lasted almost 15 minutes before edging back down to about 97% renewables. [Yahoo]

Small hydropower (US DOE photo)

Minute 40
¶ “River-Powered Villages To Hydropower Water Power Successes: WPTO Accomplishments Report” • This year, several of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s recent water power successes earned spots in the 2020–2021 Accomplishments Report, which was published by the US Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, May 3

Minute 43

View from Mount Washington (Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash)

¶ “Climate Change Is Coming For New England’s Highest Peak” • Mount Washington in New Hampshire is famous for some of the world’s worst weather. But Mount Washington’s weather is starting to shift significantly because of climate change. A study from the Appalachian Mountain Club found areas on and near Mount Washington warming. [NHPR]

Pumpjack (Jeremy Morris, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “Germany Will Support An EU Oil Embargo On Russia” • Germany is ready to support a European ban on imports of Russian oil, and won’t be “blackmailed” by Moscow into paying for natural gas in rubles. Finance minister Christian Lindner said Germany would agree any new sanctions on Russia with its partners in the EU. [CNN]

Tesla (Matt Weissinger, Pexels)

Minute 48
¶ “Biden Administration Making $3 Billion Investment In Lithium Ion Battery Production” • President Joe Biden is building on his EV goal with a $3 billion investment aimed at boosting the US supply of lithium ion batteries. The move is aimed at fighting climate change, but also to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [CNN]

Wednesday, May 4

Stationary battery (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

Minute 51
¶ “Biden Admin: $3.16 Billion From Bipartisan Infrastructure Law To Boost Domestic And Battery Manufacturing” • The US DOE said that $3.1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will fund more batteries and components in America, bolster domestic supply chains, create good-paying jobs, and help lower costs for families. [CleanTechnica]

Lake Powerll, Glen Canyon Dam (Joshua Sukoff, Unsplash)

Minute 54
¶ “Lake Powell Officials Take Unprecedented, Emergency Steps To Delay Water Releases As Level Plummets” • The federal government announced unprecedented steps to help boost water levels at Lake Powell. The measures are intended to buy the surrounding communities more time to plan for what happens if the reservoir runs out of water. [CNN]

Hydrogen ship (Courtesy of C-Job Naval Architects)

Minute 56
¶ “New Class Of Hydrogen Ship Design From C-Job” • C-Job Naval Architects designed a new class of liquid hydrogen tanker that may revolutionize the renewable energy market. The tanker concept, developed in partnership with LH2 Europe, is a critical element in realizing a green end-to-end liquid hydrogen supply chain. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #470: 5/5/2022

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 #469: 4/28/2022

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 469: 4/28/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, April 21

German town (Kai Pilger, Unsplash)

Minute 2
¶ “This Measure Of German Inflation Just Hit Its Highest Level Since 1949” • German annual producer price inflation topped 30% in March, the country’s Federal Statistics Office said. That’s its highest level since the agency began collecting data 73 years ago. The biggest culprit? Energy prices, which rose nearly 84% from the same month last year. [CNN]

Jacana walking on water lily (David Clode, Unsplash)

Minute 5
¶ “Many Protected Areas Do Not Benefit Wildlife, Study Says” • The largest ever study of protected areas – places “set aside” ostensibly for nature – has revealed that most do not actively benefit wildlife. In 1,500 protected areas of 68 countries, it found that success varied hugely around the world and depended a great deal on how an area was managed. [BBC]

Bee on a flower (Diana Parkhouse, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “Parts Of The World Heading Toward An Insect Apocalypse, Study Suggests” • A study published in the journal Nature shows a clear and alarming link between the climate crisis and high-intensity agriculture and showed that insect abundance has already dropped by nearly 50%, in places where the impacts are particularly high. [CNN]

Friday, April 22

Honolulu (Zetong Li, Unsplash)

Minute 11
¶ “Honolulu Is Leading The Way For Solar Power. Here’s How Other US Cities Rank” • Nine US cities have a combined solar capacity greater than the entire country had just ten years ago. Environment America and research firm Frontier Group found that 15 of the 56 cities surveyed reported a tenfold increase in their solar capacity between 2014 and 2022. [CNN]

Gigafactory (Tesla courtesy image)

Minute 13
¶ “Tesla’s Revenue Grew To Over $18 Billion In Q1 2022” • Tesla reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2022, and beat the expectations of certain analysts. Tesla’s automotive revenue reached $16.86 billion, up 87% from Q1 last year. Tesla also said that its growth was impacted by growth in vehicle deliveries and other factors. [CleanTechnica]

Central Park (Jon Tyson, Unsplash)

Minute 16
¶ “New York City’s Central Park A ‘Lab’ To Study Climate Change” • Central Park is now a climate change laboratory that researchers hope will help many US parks more resilient. The Central Park Climate Lab team wants to use data from satellites and on the ground to study seasonal patterns and how plant and animal life respond to shifting weather. [WKZO]

Saturday, April 23

Oklahoma wind turbine (Raychel Sanner, Unsplash)

Minute 19
¶ “Wind Energy Is Booming In Deep-Red Republican States” • Wind energy is thriving in America’s heartland, on the vast plains of Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska. Long an area devoted to oil and gas, Western Oklahoma is now home to one of the worlds’s largest wind farms. As the turbines turn, one mayor said, you can hear “the sound of money.” [CNN]

Murray D Lincoln Campus Center (Ktr101, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 22
¶ “UMass Amherst Launches Ambitious Goal To Power Flagship Campus With Renewable Energy By 2032” • The University of Massachusetts Amherst has unveiled UMass Carbon Zero, a program to limit the dangers of climate change and power the university’s 1,500-acre flagship campus with 100% renewable energy by about 2032. [UMass Amherst]

Long duration energy storage (Courtesy of Energy Dome)

Minute 24
¶ “Instant Long Duration Energy Storage: Just Add Carbon Dioxide” • Carbon dioxide is getting a bad rap these days, but even a molecule that contributes to global warming can help in a climate crisis. A case in point is long duration energy storage, which is the key to shoehorning more wind and solar energy into the grid, more quickly. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, April 24

Renewable energy in Nevada (Greenlink courtesy image)

Minute 27
¶ “Rural Nevada Is At The Frontline Of Renewable Energy Development” • Greenlink Nevada is an NV Energy-led initiative that would put up power lines to transport renewable energy around Nevada. The proposal would have two main energy corridors supplying Las Vegas and Reno, along with three smaller transmission lines. [Sierra Nevada Ally]

H2FLY HY4 in Flight (H2FLY image, cropped)

Minute 30
¶ “HY4 Passenger Plane Sets Hydrogen Altitude Record” • H2FLY set a world altitude record with its four-seat HY4, as it is the first hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft to reach an altitude above 7,000 ft (2,135 m). This came less than a day after the HY4 made the first flight in a hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft between major European airports. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power plant in China (そらみみ, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

Minute 32
¶ “China’s Renewable Energy Capacity Expands In Q1” • In the January-March period, China’s windpower capacity jumped 17.4% YOY to 340 GW, the National Energy Administration said. Solar farms saw capacity reach 320 GW, with an increase of 22.9%. By the end of March, the country’s total installed power generation capacity hit about 2,400 GW. [China.org]

Monday, April 25

Redox Flow Battery (Colintheone, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 35
¶ “Can Flow Batteries Support India’s Renewable Energy Pivot?” • Prof Kothandaraman Ramanujam of IIT-Madras has developed a flow battery based on lead. Ramanujam tells Quantum that the battery has been found to work well and is market-ready. It has the advantage that its source materials are very inexpensive and available in India. [The Hindu Business Line]

Microburst (NOAA, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “Video: Seven TV Meteorologists Discuss Their Coverage Of Climate Change And Weather” • Time was – and not so long ago, it seems – you might have had trouble rounding-up a half-dozen broadcast meteorologists to speak openly about how they address climate change as part of their weather forecasting. That time is changing. [Yale Climate Connections]

Wind turbines in Quebec (Qcgag, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 40
¶ “‘Positively Electrifying’ Renewable Power Buy Will Be Quebec’s Biggest Ever” • Quebec will issue two new requests for proposals for 2,300 MW of new wind and other renewable energy capacity, Premier François Legault announced. The RFPs are on top of three new wind farm contracts totaling 1,200 MW announced last week. [The Energy Mix]

Tuesday, April 26

Pollution (Matteo Catanese, Unsplash)

Minute 43
¶ “Big Oil – PBS Frontline Series On An Industry That Lies To Get What It Wants” • A PBS Frontline three-part series goes into how Big Oil – led by ExxonMobil – used its money and influence to thwart attempts by federal and state officials to reduce carbon emissions. The first video is already available on PBS stations. It will be aired in the UK this summer. [CleanTechnica]

Solar installers (NOAA image)

Minute 46
¶ “The Demand For Green Skills Is Growing Globally” • Climate change, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, economic instability, health, safety, waste, and energy in buildings are all changing environmental factors that point to the need for green jobs and skills. Green investments are most effective in where workers have green skills. [CleanTechnica]

FedEx vans (Photo courtesy of FedEx and GM)

Minute 48
¶ “Brightdrop Zevo 600 Sets Guinness World Record For Electric Delivery Vans” • The world world record for the distance an electric delivery van went on a single charge went to Brightdrop’s Zoev 600. The record, 258.85 miles, was set by Stephen Marlin, a client solutions account executive for BrightDrop, which is a division of GM. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, April 27

Polish wind turbines (Przykuta, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 51
¶ “Ukraine War: Poland Says It Will Manage Without Russian Gas” • Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered “unfriendly” countries to pay for gas in rubles. Poland’s deputy foreign minister says Warsaw can cope without Gazprom’s gas. It has “options to get the gas from other partners,” according to a deputy foreign minister. [BBC]

Tokyu Corporation railroad (MaedaAkihiko, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 54
¶ “Japan’s Main Railway Is Now Powered Solely By Renewable Energy” • Tokyu Railways trains switched to power generated solely by renewable sources. This means that carbon dioxide emissions from Tokyu’s sprawling network of seven train lines and a tram service are now zero, and green energy is being used at all its stations. [The Bharat Express News]

Mars Hill wind farm (Michael Surran, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 56
¶ “New Law Could Boost Labor Union Presence In Maine Renewable Energy Projects” • As Maine expands its investments in renewable energy, organized labor is winning policy victories aimed to boost union workers’ presence in the green economy. A new law will require developers to pay prevailing wages on many renewable energy projects. [Maine Public]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week 469: 4/28/2022

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 #468: 4/21/2022

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 #468: 4/21/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, April 14

Monk seal using a fishing net as a pillow (NASA, Unsplash)

Minute 2 
¶ “COP26 Promises Will Hold Warming Under 2°C” • The carbon-cutting promises made at COP26 would see the world warm by just under 2°C by the end of this century, according to an analysis. The study finds that if all the pledges that countries made are implemented “in full and on time,” temperatures would rise by 1.9° to 2°C. [BBC]

Plastic batteries (PolyJoule image)

Minute 5
¶ “These Plastic Batteries Could Help Store Renewable Energy On The Grid” • A new type of battery made from electrically conductive polymers could help make energy storage on the grid cheaper and more durable, enabling a greater use of renewable power. The batteries are made by the Boston-based startup company PolyJoule. [MIT Technology Review]

Solar system (JoergGastmann, Pixabay)

Minute 8
¶ “World’s Renewable Electricity Capacity Surpassed 3 TW In 2021” • Renewables accounted for 38.3% of global electricity generation capacity at the end of last year, compared to 36.6% in 2020, the International Renewable Energy Agency said in its annual statistical report. Renewables grew by 9.1% overall and reached 3.06 TW. [Balkan Green Energy News]

Friday, April 15

Electric bus (Bermuda Government via RMI)

Minute 11
¶ “Bermuda Electrifies 1/3 Of Its Public Bus Fleet” • Bermuda’s Department of Public Transportation launched the first of 30 electric buses into service, a third of its public bus fleet. The electric buses are replacing old diesel-powered buses, cutting capital, maintenance, and operations costs in half. This will save $10 million over their lifetime. [CleanTechnica]

Container ship (Borderpolar Photographer, Unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “Finding The Invisible Climate Killer, So-Called “Green” Ships” • LNG-powered ships look clean, but they have a dirty, invisible secret: methane. In fact, about 80% of Europe’s LNG used by ships today are worse for the climate than the fuels they replace, due to emissions of methane, which is roughly 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide. [CleanTechnica]

Protest (Samuel Jerónimo, Unsplash)

Minute 16
¶ “Ukraine’s President Zelensky To BBC: Blood Money Being Paid For Russian Oil” • In an interview with the BBC, President Zelensky spoke to continued purchases of Russian oil. He singled out Germany and Hungary, accusing them of blocking efforts to embargo energy sales, from which Russia stands to make up to £250 billion ($326 billion) this year. [BBC]

Saturday, April 16

Solar array in Brooklyn (US DOE, public domain, cropped)

Minute 19
¶ “New York Is To Have 10 GW Of Distributed Solar Energy By 2030” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul, in advance of Earth Week, announced that the State Public Service Commission has approved a framework for New York to achieve at least 10 GW of distributed solar by 2030. That would supply annual needs of nearly 700,000 average homes. [CleanTechnica]

Miscanthus (Hamsterdancer, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 22
¶ “Growing Perennial Grasses Could Help Curb Climate Change” • Climate change is driving up temperatures and causing more frequent heatwaves in the American Midwest. But according to a study led by the University of Maryland, growing the perennial giant miscanthus could cut Midwest warming by one degree Celsius. [Earth.com]

Pump jack (Pixabay, Pexels)

Minute 24
¶ “Biden Administration Announces It Will Resume Onshore Oil And Gas Lease Sales With Higher Royalty Rate” • The Interior Department announced it plans to resume onshore oil and gas lease sales on federal land. The royalty rate for companies to pay to the federal government will be higher. The Bureau of Land Management will issue sale notices on Monday. [CNN]

Sunday, April 17

Bjørn Bergum in the vineyard (Slinde Vineyard image)

Minute 27
¶ “We’re Making Wine In Norway” • The fjords don’t freeze any more, and it rains when it used to snow. Norwegian winemaker Bjørn Bergum’s plants grow at 61° north of the equator, far outside the 30° to 50° degrees latitude traditionally considered optimum for wine production. But climate change is pushing vineyards farther from the equator. [BBC]

Marine Le Pen (Olaf Kosinsky, Wikipedia, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 30
¶ “Le Pen Puts Fuel-Tax Cut, Wind Crackdown At Heart Of France Energy Plan” • French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is campaigning on promises to cut taxes on gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, and electricity. She would crack down on wind turbines, build twenty new nuclear reactors, and exit from Europe’s electricity market. [Autoblog]

Cable laying ship (Nsandel, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 32
¶ “‘Invisible Energy Highways’ Could Usher In A New Era Of Shared Power” • Undersea electricity cables could become more common as governments drive their energy strategies towards renewables. As countries develop wind and solar power, there will be a greater incentive to build undersea cables that can promote power-sharing across regions. [Oil Price]

Monday, April 18

Ships at Singapore (shawnanggg, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “How Climate Change Is Disrupting The Global Supply Chain” • The COVID pandemic has rightly received most of the blame for global supply chain upheavals in the last two years. But the less publicized threat to supply chains from climate change poses a far more serious threat and is already being felt, according to scholars and experts. [GreenBiz]

Glowee grows marine bacteria for lights (Glowee image)

Minute 38
¶ “The French Town Where The Lighting Is Alive” • French start-up Glowee is making bioluminescent lights. Unlike standard streetlamps, which emit a harsh glare and need to be hooked up to the electricity grid, these otherworldly lights are powered by living organisms. Their light has a very soft quality. They will be installed in public places as a test. [BBC]

Installing a tidal turbine (Glen Wallace, Flickr, CC BY-ND)

Minute 40
¶ “Tidal Power Is Set For A Commercial Breakthrough In The UK” • Tidal energy has long been lurking in the UK’s renewable energy arsenal, outshone by its wind and solar counterparts due in part to early issues with technology readiness and high costs. But recent research shows it could provide 11% of the electricity needs of the UK. [The Maritime Executive]

Tuesday, April 19

Hummer EV SUV (Image from gmc.com)

Minute 43
¶ “EVs: The Rise Of The Electron Monsters. Do We Really Need 9000-Pound Electric Vehicles?” • Back in the ’70s, people made up the phrase “gas guzzler” to describe vehicles that consumed way too much gasoline. Now, we have some EVs that consume far more raw materials and electricity than is wise in a world that needs to transition quickly. [CleanTechnica]

Trees with snow (Kostiantyn Li, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “Natural Gas Spikes To Highest Level Since 2008 As Rare Nor’easter Looms” • Natural gas futures surged to levels unseen since 2008 as the Northeast braces for a rare April blast of heavy snow. Natural gas futures soared 9% to $7.96 per million BTU in recent trading, leaving natural gas prices up by a staggering 113% since the end of last year. [CNN]

Wind turbines (Goldwind image)

Minute 48
¶ “Wind Turbines Can Stabilize The Grid” • In a milestone for renewable energy integration, GE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory operated a common class of wind turbines in grid-forming mode, which is when the generator can set grid voltage and frequency and, if necessary, operate without power from the electric grid. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, April 20

Loading PVs (Image courtesy of the Footprint Project)

Minute 51
¶ “Footprint Project And New Use Energy Provide Ukraine With Solar Microgrids” • The Footprint Project and New Use Energy teamed up to quickly provide Ukraine with solar microgrids. Will Heegaard, CEO of Footprint Power, and Paul Shmotolokha, CEO of New Use Energy, have been helping Ukrainians since Russia launched its invasion in February. [CleanTechnica]

RUMSL’s Rewa solar park (RUMSL image)

Minute 54
¶ “Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy Capacity Grew 32-Fold In 12 Years” • Madhya Pradesh, a state in India, has reached 5,152 MW of installed renewable energy capacity, compared to just 160 MW in the year 2010. This includes 2,444 MW of wind power, 2,490 MW solar power, 119 MW biomass power, and 99 MW small hydropower. [pv magazine India]

Tesla Megapack (Tesla image)

Minute 56
¶ “PG&E’s Tesla Megapack Is Now Operational” • Pacific Gas and Electric’s 182-MW Tesla Megapack Elkhorn battery is now in operation, the Associated Press has reported. Included in the system are a total of 256 Tesla Megapacks on 33 concrete slabs. These have the capacity to store and dispatch up to 730 megawatt-hours of energy to the grid. [CleanTechnica]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #468: 4/21/2022

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 #467: 4/14/2022

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 #467: 4/14/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, April 7

Wind farm in Washington State (Jeffrey G Katz, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 2 
¶ “US Wind Energy Just Hit A Major Milestone” • On April 5, wind power was the second-highest source of electricity for the first time since the Energy Information Administration began gathering the data. Wind turbines generated over 2,000 GWh of electricity, edging out electricity generated by nuclear and coal, only trailing behind natural gas. [CNN]

Wind turbine in Germany (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

Minute 5
¶ “Germany Boosts Renewables With ‘Biggest Energy Policy Reform In Decades'” • In the “biggest energy policy reform in decades,” the coalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats proposes to lift the rollout of wind and solar power “to a completely new level” in a draft law aiming at getting near to 100% renewable power by 2035. [Renew Economy]

Installing solar panels (Navajo Tribal Utility Authority/Navajo Nation)

Minute 8
¶ “From Florida To Alaska, Tribes Seek To Harness Energy From Sun, Wind And Water” • From Florida to Alaska, dozens of tribes are working to harness energy from wind, sun, and water to generate revenues, create jobs and reduce utility costs for citizens, while also helping combat climate change and boost energy independence. [InvestigateWest]

Friday, April 8

Liquified natural gas tanker (Joshua J Cotten, Unsplash)

Minute 11
¶ “This Incredibly Potent Planet-Warming Gas Just Set Another Record For The Second Year In A Row” • Methane, the second largest contributor to the human-caused climate crisis after carbon dioxide, increased in the atmosphere by the largest amount in 2021 since measurements began nearly 40 years ago, according to NOAA. [CNN]

Eye of Hurricane Florence, 2018 (NASA image)

Minute 13
¶ “19 Named Storms Expected This Hurricane Season, Above Average But Becoming More Common” • After two consecutive years of exhausting the hurricane name list, forecasters predict 19 named storms this hurricane season, five more than normal. Nine are expected to become hurricanes, and four are expected to become major hurricanes. [CNN]

Grid operations (Photo courtesy of Enel)

Minute 16
¶ “Helping US Utilities Target Grid Resilience” • The US power grids are at the center of a digitalization transformation leading to decarbonizing all economic sectors, increasing distributed renewable generation, and electrifying consumption. The ultimate goal is to improve grid resilience, sustainability, and reliability in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, April 9

Seattle (Thom Milkovic, Unsplash)

Minute 19
¶ “IPCC: City Planners Face “Make-Or-Break” Moment For Climate Action” • Despite cities’ significant contribution to climate change, the IPCC finds that they also represent a huge opportunity for ambitious climate action – if they undertake swift and aggressive measures on the climate. The good news is cities are starting to mobilize. [CleanTechnica]

German trolley (Sasan, Unsplash)

Minute 22
¶ “Federal Minister Of Transport Hands Over Funding Notices To Transport Companies From All Over Germany” • Around 1,700 buses will be procured by transport companies with new German funding, including around 1,400 battery, 150 fuel cell, 50 trolley, and 100 gas buses. Their maintenance and charging infrastructure are also funded. [CleanTechnica]

DeLorean EV (Screenshot)

Minute 24
¶ “DeLorean Will Debut Four New Models In 2022″ • The official launch of the reborn DeLorean Motor Cars EVolved is 90 days away. But the bigger news isn’t about what the electric DeLorean sportscar will be like. Instead, it’s that the new electric DeLorean sportscar is only one of several DeLorean models that will be rolled out this year. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, April 10

Delivery of a turbine blade (ShellAsp, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 27
¶ “Britain Was Promised A Bold And Visionary Energy Plan. But We’ve Been Sold A Dud” • The double threat of climate crisis and war requires an urgent response. The government supplied its energy security strategy, which includes eye-catching headlines, especially on expanding nuclear power. But it fails on immediate, pressing problems. [The Guardian]

Wind turbines (Dan Meyers, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Three-Quarters Of Britons Back Expansion Of Wind Power, Poll Reveals” • In an Opinium poll, 79% of Tory voters said they were strongly or somewhat in favor of windfarms being installed in the UK, compared with 83% of Labour voters and 88% of Lib Dems. Only 46% of all voters favored new nuclear power stations in principle. [The Guardian]

Russian natural gas facility (JukoFF, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

Minute 32
¶ “EU Foreign Ministers Must Lead On Immediate Sanctions On Russian Oil” • EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels, as the world looks on in horror at the suffering in Ukraine. Discoveries of atrocities makes clear the violent actions against the Ukraine’s people. But the EU still sends Putin $285 million a day to feed its dependence on imported oil. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, April 11

Energy storage system using old wells (Al Hicks, NREL)

Minute 35
¶ “NREL Researchers Plot Energy Storage Under Our Feet” • US National Renewable Energy Laboratory scientists have been researching the use of depleted oil and gas wells as reservoirs for storing compressed natural gas. The wells can subsequently be used to hold other gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or hydrogen, to store energy. [CleanTechnica]

Coal-burning power plant (Pixabay, Pexels)

Minute 38
¶ “Banks Say They’re Getting Tough On Coal, But They Keep Lending Trillions To Polluters” • Banks can’t seem to ditch coal. Over the last three years commercial banks have funneled $1.5 trillion into the industry, according to a recent report by green campaign groups Urgewald and Reclaim Finance, along with more than two dozen other NGOs. [CNN]

Tesla Model 3 (Matt Weissinger, Pexels)

Minute 40
¶ “US Auto Sales Down 18% In First Quarter Of 2022 Versus 2019, Tesla Sales Up 256%” • Compared to the first quarter of 2019, US sales in the first quarter of 2022 were down over 684,000. There are theories about why this happened. But compared to 2019’s first quarter sales, Tesla sales were up 256% in the first quarter of this year, 2022. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, April 12

Renewable energy (IRENA image)

Minute 43
¶ “Clean Power Capacity Grows Over 9% In 2021” • Global renewable generation capacity was 3,064 GW at the end of 2021, up over 9% on the previous year, according to an International Renewable Energy Agency report. Together, wind and solar technologies contributed 88% to the share of all new renewable capacity in 2021. [reNews]

Boy trying to get home (Menyea, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 46
¶ “Southern Africa Storms Fueled By Climate Change – Study” • Climate change fueled heavier rainfall during a series of storms that battered southern Africa earlier this year, scientists say in analysis from the World Weather Attribution group. The region of southern Africa was hit by three cyclones and two tropical storms in six weeks. [BBC]

Tanker at anchor (Ian Simmonds, Unsplash)

Minute 48
¶ “The Global Sprint Away From Fossil Fuels” • With his barbaric war on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has set in motion every outcome he dreaded, including shaking up global energy markets. Now, energy security is at the forefront of the minds of national and regional policymakers, investors, businesses, and consumers alike. Now is a time to act. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, April 13

Joe Biden (Cameron Smith, The White House, public domain)

Minute 51
¶ “Biden Announces Emergency Waiver On Summer Ethanol Ban” • President Joe Biden announced steps his administration is taking to address rising gasoline prices across the country. The steps include emergency measures permitting year-round sales of E15 gasoline, which is not normally sold during the summer because of air quality concerns. [CNN]

Bluebird Vision electric bus (UniversityRailroad, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 54
¶ “New York Enacts First-In-Nation Plan To Electrify All State School Buses” • An agreement reached on New York’s annual state budget builds on Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State and Executive Budget proposals. It aims for all new school bus purchases to be zero emission by 2027 and all buses in operation are electric by 2035. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels in Maine (William Byers, US DOE, public domain)

Minute 56
¶ “Maine Lawmakers Get Pressure To Pass Renewable Energy Expansion” • A decision by the Maine Legislature to order the Public Utilities Commission to expand the number of renewable energy projects in the state has born fruit. The average price of solar projects has fallen to 3.5¢/kWh. Now, the Legislature is being asked to do it again. [News Center Maine]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #467: 4/14/2022

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