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Energy Week #513 – 3/9/2023
Minute 0: Introduction
Thursday, March
Wind turbines (Pixy.org, CC0)
Minute 2
¶ “Renewables Help Limit 2022 CO₂ Emissions To 1%” • Global energy-related CO₂ emissions rose by under 1% in 2022, less than initially feared, as the growth of solar, wind, EVs, heat pumps and energy efficiency helped limit the impacts of increased use of coal and oil amid the global energy crisis, the International Energy Agency’s latest analysis found. [reNews]
Yosemite National Park (Nate Foong, Unsplash)
Minute 5
¶ “Some Sierra Nevada Forests Are Being Stranded By Climate Change” • Iconic forests that stretch across Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite national parks are beginning to fray at the edges as the warming climate is creating unsuitable growing conditions for them, according to a study led by Stanford University researchers. [National Parks Traveler]
USPS electric delivery vehicle (USPS image)
Minute 8
¶ “USPS Orders 9,250 Ford E-Transit Vans And 14,000 EV Charging Stations” • There’s news from the US Postal Service about electrifying its fleet of vehicles. USPS says it has awarded contracts to Ford to purchase 9,250 left-hand-drive regular production E-Transit electric vans and 14,000 EV charging stations to support their use. [CleanTechnica]
Friday, March
Offshore wind turbine (Grahame Jenkins, Unsplash)
Minute 10
¶ “Why Republicans Are Spreading The Lie That Whales Are Being Killed By Wind Farms” • On February 19, 2023, hundreds of protesters filled the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. Their cause was ostensibly to protect the whales. The protest is not supported by science. But it is supported by some oil-industry interests. [Salon.com]
Tundra (Paxson Woelber, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Minute 13
¶ “Climate Advocates Are Rallying Against The Willow Project. The White House Is Eyeing Concessions To Soften The Blow” • Just days before the Biden administration releases its first major oil drilling project decision, the White House indicated it may reduce the scope of the controversial project. It is criticised by climate advocates fiercely. [CNN]
Tornado (Pixy.org, CC0)
Minute 16
¶ “Californians Snow-Stranded As Twisters Hit Texas And Louisiana” • Snow-stranded Californians in mountain areas are desperately digging out after a “once-in-a-generation” winter storm, even as more snow was forecast for the weekend. In the latest US wild weather, twisters touched down at the same time, in Texas and Louisiana. [BBC]
Saturday, March
Wind turbines (Priscila Nissen, Pixy.org, CC0)
Minute 19
¶ “Renewable Energy Institutional Investment Has Gone “From Niche To Mainstream”” • While there have been bumps along the road, the energy transition has attracted “an unprecedented wave of investment,” Andrew Redinger of KeyBanc Capital Markets said. Institutional investment in renewable energy went “from niche to mainstream” in 24 months. [pv magazine USA]
NKT Victoria laying a subsea cable to Shetland (SSEN image)
Minute 22
¶ “Orkney Subsea Power Link To Mainland Gets Go-Ahead” • A high-voltage subsea power cable to carry renewable energy from Orkney to mainland Scotland has been approved in principle by regulators. Power firm SSEN formally requested to lay the cable in 2018, but first had to demonstrate to the energy regulator Ofgem that it would be used. [BBC]
Geothermal power plant in Iceland (Pixy.org, CC0)
Minute 24
¶ “West Warms To Geothermal Energy As A Path To Clean Power Goals” • Backers think geothermal can play an important role in the clean energy transition, but they say its potential won’t be unlocked without government investments, utility regulations, and other policies to encourage development. Governors in the western US are getting interested. [Alaska Beacon]
Sunday, March
Central Oregon (Tequask, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Minute 27
¶ “As The West’s Drought Eases, This Area Remains In The Worst On Record – And It’s Hitting Farmers Hard” • As much-needed winter storms alleviate drought conditions in California and southern parts of Oregon, the deluge of snow and rain in the West largely missed Central Oregon, leaving Crook, Jefferson, and Deschutes counties dry. [CNN]
Airlander 10 hybrid aircraft (Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd)
Minute 30
¶ “A new generation of airships is taking to the skies” • Other than its enormous size, though, this “whale” has very little to do with its animal namesake. It’s an airship, and French aeronautics company Flying Whales hopes its hybrid-electric, helium-lift vessel will change the shape of sustainable transport. Other companies are pushing similar products. [CNN]
Whale (Thomas Kelley, Unsplash)
Minute 32
¶ “Countries Agree Historic Oceans Treaty To Protect The High Seas” • Nearly 200 countries have agreed to a legally-binding treaty to protect marine life in international waters, which cover around half of the planet’s surface, but have long been essentially lawless. The treaty provides legal tools to establish and manage marine protected areas. [CNN]
Monday, March
Wind turbine (Pixy.org, CC0)
Minute 35
¶ “The Economic Case For Renewable Energy” • Energy security is a pressing issue of our time. Without energy security, we can forget prosperity. The power outages that Bangladesh has gone through recently may have resulted from market volatility, but they did give a glimpse of what may come if Bangladesh does not secure its energy supply. [The Daily Star]
Limón, Costa Rica (Balou46, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Minute 38
¶ “Costa Rica Reached Highest EV Market Share In The Americas In 2022” • Costa Rica retained its leadership position within the Latin American region in 2022 with a record market share of 7.3% for the all-electric light passenger vehicle segment. In fact, Costa Rica ranked as the country with the highest market share for the BEV segment in the Americas. [CleanTechnica]
Gas stove (SubZero image)
Minute 40
¶ “Gas Stove Culture War Boils Over: What Did The Industry Know, And When Did They Know It?” • After a study found connections between use of natural gas stoves and childhood asthma, it was denounced by the gas industry. But it turns out that the gas industry had investigated the possibility and found the connection fifty years ago. [CleanTechnica]
Tuesday, March
Andasol Solar Power Station (kallerna, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Minute 43
¶ “Spain Installed 6.93 GW Of PVs In 2022” • Spain deployed about 8,312 MW of new renewable energy capacity in 2022, provisional figures from APPA Renovables show. Of the new capacity, 5,663 MW was grid-scale, of which wind accounted for about 1,382 MW, and 4,281 MW was PVs. There was also 2,649 MW of smaller PVs. [PV Magazine]
New energy additions (DOE image)
Minute 46
¶ “Wind, Solar, And Batteries Increasingly Account For More New US Power Capacity Additions” • Wind, solar, and battery storage are growing as a share of new generating capacity each year. These technologies make up 82% of the new utility-scale generating capacity that developers plan to bring online in the US this year, DOE data shows. [CleanTechnica]
Blue X wave energy converter (Mocean image)
Minute 48
¶ “Wave Energy, Storage Pilot Begins Orkney Trials” • A project to power subsea equipment with wave power and subsea energy storage has taken to the seas in Orkney, Scotland. The £2 million demonstrator project, called Renewables for Subsea Power, has connected Mocean Energy’s Blue X wave energy converter with a Verlume Halo underwater battery. [reNews]
Wednesday, March
Pressure vessel arriving at Hinkley Point C (EDF image)
Minute 51
¶ “New Nuclear Plants Have Turned Into Money Pits” • Oops sorry. That two-reactor nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C you thought would cost $19 billion? It’s going to cost $26 billion. Actually, make that $35 billion. Wait, no, actually it’s closer to $40 billion. And those two Westinghouse reactors in Georgia at the Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 site? Well … [Counterpunch]
Rail station (Ryan Lu, Unsplash)
Minute 54
¶ “Europe Is Trying To Ditch Planes For Trains. Here’s How That’s Going” • Ever since the “flight shame” movement began encouraging travelers to seek greener alternatives to jet planes, many in Europe have been looking to the continent’s extensive rail network to replace short-haul air travel. There’s definitely been progress, [CNN]
Gemini solar plant in Nevada (Primergy image)
Minute 56
¶ “Solar Takes Center Stage As Renewables And Batteries Dominate New Power Capacity In US” • According to the latest data from the US DOE’s Energy Information Administration, 2023 is set to be a blockbuster year for wind, solar, and batteries. The EIA expects nearly all new generating capacity in the US to be solar, wind, or storage this year. [Renew Economy]
Minute 59: Finis
Notes: Energy Week #513 – 3/9/2023
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 with George Harvey and Tom Finnell 