Energy Week #567 – 4/4/2024

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 #567 – 4/4/2024

Minute 0: Introduction

Thursday, March 28

Wind turbine (Thomas Reaubourg, Unsplash)

Minute 2
¶ “‘Historic Breakthrough’: China’s Installed Wind Turbine Cost Drops To One-Fifth Of The US In Green Energy Race” • Wind power is soaring ahead in China, with the installation price of turbines dropping nearly 45% thanks to economies of scale and technological advancements, according to government tender documents. [South China Morning Post]

Reddy Kilowatt on a booklet (Author unknown, public domain)

Minute 5
¶ “Last Coal Plants In New England To Close; Renewables Take Their Place” • The last coal producers in New England will shutter their doors permanently under an agreement reached with environmental groups and the EPA. Two plants in New Hampshire, Schiller and Merrimack, will voluntarily close down in 2025 and 2028, respectively. [The Hill]

Polar ice at Iceland (Roxanne Desgagnés, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “Polar Ice Is Melting And Changing Earth’s Rotation. And It’s Messing With Time Itself” • One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself. [CNN]

Friday, March 29

Togg T10X, an EV made in Turkey (Togg image)

Minute 10
¶ “The EV Revolution Has Passed A Tipping Point” • By the end of last year, sales of electric cars reached 5% or more of the new car market in 31 countries. The trajectory laid out by countries that had reached that point in the past shows that EVs sales can grow from 5% to 25% of new cars in under four years, according to Bloomberg. [CleanTechnica]

BYD’s first cargo ship (BYD image)

Minute 13
¶ “China Files WTO Complaint Over US EV Incentives” • From the time President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, it was inevitable. The Chinese empire struck back by initiating dispute settlement proceedings against the US at the World Trade Organization to safeguard its interests in the EV industry, the Chinese mission said. [CleanTechnica]

Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro (Commonwealth Media Services)

Minute 16
¶ “Governor Proposes Alternative Plan For Reducing Carbon Emissions” • Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro has proposed a plan aimed at reducing power plant carbon emissions while requiring more electricity to come from renewable sources. Pennsylvania would become the first state to adopt its own carbon-pricing program, if the plan passes. [Bay Journal]

Saturday, March 30

Wind turbines (Waldemar, Unsplash, cropped)

Minute 19
¶ “US Renewables’ Installed Generating Capacity Beats Coal” • Solar capacity additions hit the ground running in 2024, pushing renewables’ installed generating capacity past coal, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission data shows. Solar accounted for 2,527 MW of new installed generating capacity in January of this year, 87.3% of the total. [Electrek]

Curbside EV charging (Image courtesy of FLO)

Minute 22
¶ “Curbside EV Charging In NYC Is A Huge Success” • New York City has a goal of being “net-zero” by 2050. Clearly, that’s not going to happen with zillions of vehicles powered by infernal combustion engines on its roads. Curbside EV charging may help. FLO, a Canadian company, has run 100 curbside chargers in a pilot program since 2021. [CleanTechnica]

Scania truck (Gabriel Santos, Unsplash)

Minute 24
¶ “EPA Sets New Emissions Standards For Heavy-Duty Vehicles In Effort To Fight Climate Change” • The EPA announced its new emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The agency claims the new emissions standards will avoid 1 billion tons of GHG emissions by 2055. The standards will go into effect for vehicles being made in 2027-2032. [ABC News]

Sunday, March 31

Wind turbines (Bastian Pudill, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Significant Renewable Energy Gains In 2023 Put Global Goal Within Reach” • The world added 50% more renewable energy in 2023 than 2022, putting the global goal of tripling clean energy in the next six years within reach, experts have said. The IEA made the announcement after analysis of current policies and market developments. [Yahoo News UK]

Platte River wind turbines (Platte River Power Authority)

Minute 30
¶ “How Platte River Power Authority Is Accelerating Its Energy Transition” • Community-owned Platte River Power Authority is a wholesale electricity provider in northern Colorado. It has a policy goal to decarbonize by 2030. It was the first utility in the state to bring windpower online, and plans to grow its windpower sevenfold by 2025. [Longmont Times-Call]

Allegheny River Lock and Dam 2 (Andrew Byrne, US ACE)

Minute 32
¶ “The Real Value Of Electrifying Non-Powered Dams” • Some non-power dams are suitable for conversion to generate power, but few have been in the last 20 years due to the complexity and concerns about economics. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a way to calculate the economic value of a converted NPD. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, April 1

North Atlantic right whales (NOAA Fisheries image)

Minute 35
¶ “Smart Siting Of Offshore Wind Protects Right Whales In Gulf of Maine” • The final Wind Energy Area identified for potential offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine is principally located away from habitats of higher importance to endangered North Atlantic right whales. Smart siting will help the industry advance responsibly. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaics (Connexus image, cropped)

Minute 38
¶ “Farmers In Germany Ready To Embrace Agrivoltaics” • In Germany, researchers associated with the world renowned Fraunhofer ISE published a study designed to shed light on what factors make agrivoltaics – the practice of combining solar panels with farming – attractive to those who are actually engaged in farming. [CleanTechnica]

Grand Tetons (Nate Foong, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “Tesla Seems To Be Focusing On National Park Access With Supercharger Network: Jennifer Sensiba” • In two other recent articles, I spotted some upcoming Tesla Supercharger stations that will greatly improve access to national parks. Now, after seeing a third, and then fourth, fifth, and sixth examples, I see a pattern in Tesla’s behavior. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, April 2 

Lavender Bee (Bennilover, CC BY-ND 2.0, cropped)

Minute 43
¶ “Imminent Insect Demise Means Global Food Web Is On Verge Of Collapse” • Buried in the late Friday afternoon news cycle, the most recent annual assessment from the World Entomology Body on the health of insects indicates that loss of whole insect communities is imminent. This would have disastrous effects for the global food web. [CleanTechnica]

Fuel cell electric bus (Photo courtesy of Ballard)

Minute 46
¶ “New Texas Fuel Cell Gigafactory Pours More Cold Water On Clean Power Foes” • In Texas, public officials have been pulling out all the stops to obstruct clean energy investment, but the hits just keep on coming. In the latest development, Ballard Power Systems is moving forward with plans to set up a 3-GW fuel cell factory in Rockwell. [CleanTechnica]

Jalhaput Dam (zskm10, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

Minute 48
¶ “India Hydropower Output Records Steepest Fall In Nearly Four Decades” • India’s hydroelectricity output fell at the steepest pace in at least 38 years over the year ending March 31, a Reuters analysis of government data showed. Erratic rainfall and high demand forced further dependence on coal-fired power, a major water consumer. [The Globe and Mail]

Wednesday, April 3 

Adani Green Energy wind-solar plant (AGEL image)

Minute 51
¶ “Adani Green Energy Has Over 10 GW Of Renewable Capacity Operating” • Adani Green Energy Ltd has reached an operating renewable energy portfolio of 10,934 MW, the largest in India. AGEL’s operating renewable energy portfolio consists of 7,393 MW of solar, 1,401 MW of wind and 2,140 MW of wind-solar hybrid capacity. [pv magazine India]

Solar + horses (Voltalia image)

Minute 54
¶ “Portuguese Utility Says Renewables Covered 91% Of Demand In March” • Renewable energy covered 91% of Portugal’s demand for electricity in March, according to data from the grid operator. Hydropower provided 47%, followed by wind at 31%, solar at 6%, and biomass at 5%. Natural gas plants generated the remaining share. [pv magazine International]

Offshore wind turbines (insung yoon, Unsplash)

Minute 56
¶ “US Gives Go-Ahead For 2.6-GW New England Wind” • The US government announced its approval of Avangrid’s 2,600-MW New England Wind offshore wind project. With the approval, the Department of the Interior has approved more than 10 GW of capacity from offshore wind projects. It said this is enough to power nearly 4 million homes. [reNews]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #567 – 4/4/2024

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 #566 – 3/28/2024

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 #566 – 3/28/2024

Minute 0: Introduction

Thursday, March 21 

Nuclear power plant (Ondrej Bocek, Unsplash)

Minute 2
¶ “WWF: Nuclear Path To Net-Zero Is A ‘False Narrative’” • As world leaders gather in Brussels for a Nuclear Energy Summit, to identify a role for nuclear energy in the energy transition, WWF argues that the idea that nuclear energy can play a key role in reaching the net-zero emissions long-term goal of the Paris Agreement, is a false narrative. [Panda.org]

Panama City, Florida (Craig Cameron, Unsplash)

Minute 5
¶ “Global Ocean Heat Has Hit A New Record Every Single Day For The Last Year” • The world’s oceans have now experienced an entire year of unprecedented heat, with a new temperature record broken every day, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer. [CNN]

US Crude Oil Exports

Minute 8

¶ “US Crude Oil Exports Reached a Record in 2023” • US crude oil exports established a record in 2023, averaging 4.1 million barrels per day (b/d), 13% (482,000 b/d) more than the previous annual record set in 2022. Except for 2021, US crude oil exports have increased every year since 2015, when the US ban on most crude oil exports was lifted. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, March 22 

Atomium, Brussels (Fisnik Murtezi, Unsplash)

Minute 10
¶ “Leaders Of Over 30 Countries Meet In A Brussels Summit To Promote Nuclear Energy” • In the shadow of a giant monument glorifying nuclear power, over 30 nations from around the world pledged to use the controversial energy source to help achieve a climate-neutral globe while providing countries with an added sense of strategic security. [ABC News]

Sea surface temperature anomaly, August 2023 (Copernicus Climate Change Service and ECMWF)

Minute 13
¶ “WMO: The Earth Continues To Warm As Nations Ignore Climate Science” • Scientists and officeholders are gathering in Copenhagen to discuss how to meet nationally set contributions they agreed to at the 2015 Paris climate accords. The nations have been unable to reduce emissions as they strengthen their embrace of fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission lines and Mt Hood (Eric Muhr, Unsplash)

Minute 16
¶ “FERC Affirms Decision To Hold Utilities Accountable For Interconnection Delays” • FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, affirmed its determination on key provisions in Order No 2023, its landmark interconnection ruling. FERC can penalize utilities and transmission owners that fail to respond to interconnection requests in good time. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, March 23 

Palisades nuclear plant (US NRC image)

Minute 19
¶ “International Nuclear Energy Expert Questions Michigan’s Palisades Restart” • Is investing $1.8 billion in federal and state funds to restart the aged Palisades nuclear power plant on the Lake Michigan shore necessary for Michigan’s climate goals? It is one of the questions Paris-based international nuclear policy analyst Mycle Schneider raised. [Michigan Public]

Agrivoltaics using bio-based components to raise solar panels above crops (Courtesy of AgroSolar Europe)

Minute 22
¶ “Gorgeous Agrivoltaic System Gilds The Rural Solar Lily” • The agrivoltaic movement is important for the renewable energy field because it pulls the rug out from under critics, who argue against siting solar arrays on farmland. The only thing missing now is aesthetics, and the European research firm AgroSolar Europe has the solution. [CleanTechnica]

Vermont State House (Bob P B, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 24
¶ “A Debate About The Cost Is Dogging A Renewable Energy Bill” • It is not certain how much it will cost if utilities are required to sell only renewable electricity by 2035. That’s the goal of H.289, a bill that raises the state’s renewable energy requirements. Cost estimates have ranged from as little as $150 million to as high as $1 billion. [Seven Days]

Sunday, March 24 

Walking for water (Jeff Ackley, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Renewable Energy Key To Tackling Global Water Crisis – IEA” • The International Energy Agency is seeking to reduce the amount of water used in generating energy globally. In place of fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, the IEA said use of renewable energies like wind and solar panels would reduce water use in the energy sector. [Punch Newspapers]

Australian paddock (britt gaiser, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Farmers Double The Value Of Back Paddocks With Renewable Power Deals” • The founder of Australia’s first renewable energy land acquisition agency, Daniel Moroko says he found land for 4 GW of big battery projects and 800 MW of solar farms over 30 individual agreements in four Australian states. Some farmers doubled the value of back paddocks. [RenewEconomy]

Wind turbines (Jian Liu, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “Offshore Wind Growth Continues In Pursuit Of Climate Targets” • McKinsey research suggests global installed offshore wind capacity is expected to reach 630 GW by 2050, up from 40 GW in 2020. This is just a small part of wind installations. The IEA says that offshore wind farms account for just 7% of installed wind capacity. [Energy Digital Magazine]

Monday, March 25 

Oil sands site (jasonwoodhead23, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

Minute 35
¶ “Canada Pushes Nuclear Power To Get At Oil Sands” • Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said discussions are already taking place with the oil industry and the province of Alberta to use nuclear power to extract oil from oil sands. He believes nuclear energy helping get heavy crude out of the ground will help cut greenhouse gas emissions. [Reuters]

Kerio River (Rainier5, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

Minute 38
¶ “To Make Water Last Year-Round, Kenyans In Dry Regions Are Building Sand Dams On Seasonal Rivers” • Kenyans are building sand dams so they can harvest water from seasonal rivers. The barriers, typically made of concrete, impede water flow so grains of sand settle behind them, creating artificial aquifers that fill up during rainy seasons. [ABC News]

Second generation Roadster (Courtesy of Tesla)

Minute 40
¶ “Lower Priced Tesla “Model 2” Production To Begin In 2025” • After CleanTechnica’s Zach Shahan termed the coming affordable Tesla the “Model 2” as a joke for a while, Elon Musk said it won’t have that name. Elon Musk loves letters; the Model 3 exists only because Ford has rights to “Model E.” Regardless, the new Tesla is expected to start at $25,000 or less. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, March 26 

Animas, New Mexico (BAlvarius, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

Minute 43
¶ “Geothermal Advancements, Incentives Could Help NM Meet Renewable Energy Goals” • About 75 years ago in Animas, drillers going after water for irrigation stumbled upon extremely hot water naturally bubbling up out of the ground. The spot would later become the location of New Mexico’s first utility-scale geothermal power plant. [AOL.com]

Bananas (engin akyurt, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “Trader Joe’s Just Increased The Price Of A Banana For The First Time In Over Twenty Years” • Trader Joe’s told CNN that it raised the price of a banana to 23¢, an increase of more than 20%. The grocer has sold bananas for 19¢ each for over two decades. World Banana Forum experts had warned that climate change can drive up banana prices. [CNN]

Rendering of TELO Trucks mini truck (TELO Trucks image)

Minute 48
¶ “The TELO Electric Pickup Is A Tiny Truck With Big Features” • If you want to buy an electric pickup truck, your options are still fairly limited, but they are available. However, if you want to buy a little truck, not your standard full-size pickup, you are almost out of luck. TELO Trucks, however, might be about to produce a solution for that. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, March 27 

Wind turbines (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

Minute 51
¶ “Renewables The Only Energy Solution That Can Avert Climate Disaster, Conference Told” • While it is the sovereign right and prerogative of nations to choose their energy mix, the arguments for adding new nuclear capacity are weak, according to the director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Francesco la Camera. [Daily Maverick]

Cherry trees in salt water (Javier Robles, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 54
¶ “Why Stumpy, DC’s Iconic Cherry Tree, Is Drawing So Much Attention” • A hallowed-out, small cherry tree in Washington, DC, is getting a major amount of attention ahead of its removal from the Tidal Basin because of climate change. Over the last century, sea levels in the Washington, DC, area have risen by over a foot, according to NOAA. [ABC News]

Service operations vessel (Courtesy of ESVAGT)

Minute 56
¶ “Offshore Wind Industry Wants To Shed Its Fossil-Fueled Workboats” • The offshore wind industry seems to want to go beyond producing carbon-free renewable energy. They are also replacing the fuels used by their working vessels. Electric power is on the menu as a long term solution, and alternative fuels are getting attention for now. [CleanTechnica]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #566 – 3/28/2024

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 #565 – 3/21/2024

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 #565 – 3/21/2024

Minute 0: Introduction

Thursday, March 14

Alberta (Chris Henry, Unsplash)

Minute 2
¶ “Alberta Commission Finds Renewables Pose Little Threat To Agriculture, Environment” • Alberta’s utilities regulator released a report saying the province’s renewables industry is little threat to its agriculture or the environment. The report says the area of land needed for renewable energy is less than 1% of the area of prime agricultural land. [CTV News Calgary]

Adaptive trail (Screenshot from article’s embedded video)

Minute 5
¶ “First Fully Adaptive E-Bike Trail System Opens in Vermont” • A recent article at Bike Mag shared the story of the first US trail system fully compatible with adaptive bikes, or bikes that cater to the needs of the disabled. It features a total of 11 trails, and a total distance of three miles. The new trails are equally enjoyable by both abled and disabled. [CleanTechnica]

Pilbara region of Western Australia (Chris Stenger, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “bp Increases Stake In 26-GW Australian Renewable Energy Hub” • Macquarie Group sold its 15% share in the Australian Renewable Energy Hub to UK energy company bp, it said. The solar, wind, and green hydrogen project is planned for Western Australia. The project’s estimated worth is $36.4 billion (US), and bp’s share is now 64%. [pv magazine International]

Friday, March 15

Wind turbines (Anna Jiménez Calaf, Unsplash)

Minute 10
¶ “NYPA Seeks Partners For Renewable Energy Projects To Advance New York’s Climate Goals” • The New York Power Authority launched a Request for Qualifications to identify and pre-qualify companies and investors for crenewable energy and storage system projects, aligning with New York State’s ambitious climate action objectives. [SolarQuarter]

Candela P-12 electric boat (Courtesy of Meridian Energy)

Minute 13
¶ “Flying Electric Boat To Haul Commuters At Site Of Epic Environmental Protest” • The Swedish electric boat company Candela is in production of its 30-passenger P-12 hydrofoil ferry. The zero emission watercraft levitates above the water while in motion. Energy efficiency for fossil-free travel is the main benefit of hydrofoil technology. [CleanTechnica]

EV chargers (Gravity image)

Minute 16
¶ “New York City Gets 500-kW Charging Stations” • Gravity Mobility opened up some 500-kW chargers to other companies in New York City. Reuters called them the “fastest EV charger in US.” Though they might not technically be the fastest ever (they may only tie for first place), it’s a big move, and it signals that the kilowatt wars might continue. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, March 16

Coal-burning power plant (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)

Minute 19
¶ “Baseload Power Doesn’t Make Sense Anymore” • Today, despite all the reasons to know better, many people still insist that we need baseload power. I see this every day in the news. I think it is sheer folly. Let me start with a statement that some people might find hard to take: It is not possible to run a grid on just baseload power. [CleanTechnica]

The Dogood Motors ZERO EV (Dogood Motors image)

Minute 22
¶ “The Dogood ZERO: An Electric Microcar For Urban Living” • The little Dogood Motors ZERO EV claims it has more space inside than a Lamborghini, and it has “more electric range than a Ferrari.” While such statements may be technically true, they also seem to be a very funny comparison for an electric microcar that costs £6,000 ($7,640). [CleanTechnica]

Sled dogs (Yann Gbs, Unsplash)

Minute 24
¶ “Dogsledding: How Climate Change Forces Iditarod To Adapt” • For the first time in 25 years of running dogsledding tours, Tanya McCready must invest in snowmaking equipment. The vanishing snow along the trails she mushes her sled dogs and the once frozen lake she says is no longer safe to cross signify a changing climate. [ABC News]

Sunday, March 17

Symbol of Justice (DonkeyHotey, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 27
¶ “Climate Criminals – Prosecuting Big Oil For Environmental Crimes” • David Arkush, who is the director of the Public Citizen Climate Program, and Aaron Regunberg, who is a senior climate policy counsel at Public Citizen, have written an article for “The New Republic” called The Case for Prosecuting Fossil Fuel Companies for Homicide. Wow! Let that sink in! [CleanTechnica]

Radia’s WindRunner (Radia image)

Minute 30
¶ “Radia’s WindRunner To Be The World’s Largest Aircraft Ever Built” • The enormous blades required for today’s most potent offshore wind turbines can’t easily be transported over land. A Colorado-based energy startup believes it has the answer: A colossal plahttps://interestingengineering.com/transportation/radias-windrunner-to-be-the-worlds-largest-aircraft-ever-builtne purpose-built to ferry the largest turbine blades imaginable. [Interesting Engineering]

Ford F-150 Lightning (Courtesy of Ford)

Minute 32
¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning Race Pits Tesla’s Superchargers Against Electrify America” • Tom Moloughney and Kyle Conner took two Ford Trucks from New Jersey to Florida to see who would get there first. One had to rely on Electrify America stations, and the other had to use Tesla’s Supercharger network. Spoiler: They arrived minutes apart. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, March 18

Solar farm (TotalEnergies image)

Minute 35
¶ “TotalEnergies Reaches 1.5-GW PPA Milestone” • TotalEnergies reached over 1500 MW of signed renewable PPAs with over 600 industrial and commercial customers worldwide. Of this 1.5 GW, 1.1 GW is already operating, generating 1.5 TWh of electricity per year, while 400 MW will be commissioned by year-end, the oil and gas giant said. [reNews]

Rooftop solar panels (Michael Wilson, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “India’s Energy Subsidies Hit 9-Year Peak” • In India, energy subsidies have surged to a nine-year peak, reaching $39.3 billion, amidst the ongoing global crisis. This shows the government’s efforts to cushion the impact of rising energy costs on consumers and industries, while supporting the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy. [Construction World]

Flooded Montpelier (Vermont Agency of Agriculture via YouTube)

Minute 40
¶ “Fossil Fuels Broke The Environment. Who Should Pay To Fix It?” • In his latest blog post on Substack, Bill McKibben wrote that the Vermont legislature is working on an idea that would require companies that produce and distribute fossil fuels to pay for the environmental damage they have caused. (Some people want to make them criminally liable.) [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, March 19

New offshore wind vessel (Courtesy of Maersk Supply Service)

Minute 43
¶ “More And Faster Offshore Wind Is The Aim Of Maersk’s New ‘Rube Goldberg’ Workboat” • Maersk Supply Service has new type of “next-generation Wind Installation Vessel.” It will haul the WIV out to a wind farm construction site and park it there 24/7, while additional components are ferried in by a fleet of other purpose-built vessels. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbines (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “It Was A ‘Monumental’ Year For Renewables In Europe” • Coal dropped 26% in 2023, and another 20% of coal plants in the EU are expected to close this year and next. Surprisingly, gas did not replace coal in the grid, as it saw a decline of 15%, the fourth year of decline in a row. Wind power is now the second-largest source of electricity in the EU. [Corporate Knights]

Grid system (National Grid)

Minute 48
¶ “System Operator Outlines £58 Billion UK Offshore Grid Plan” • The UK Electricity System Operator has published a report proposing a £58 billion investment in the electricity grid to meet growing demand for electricity in Great Britain by 2035. The plan aims to connect 21 GW more offshore wind development off the coast of Scotland. [reNews]

Wednesday, March 20

Post office, village of Khavda (b sarangi, CC0 1,0)

Minute 51
¶ “Coal Billionaire Is Building The World’s Biggest Clean Energy Plant And It’s Five Times The Size Of Paris” • Five times the size of Paris, Earth’s biggest energy plant will make enough electricity to power Switzerland. The Khavda project is turning barren salt desert on the edge of western India into one of the world’s most important sources of clean energy. [CNN]

Wind turbines (Lake Region Electric Cooperative via NREL)

Minute 54
¶ “300 Million Home Sales Prove It: Wind Turbines Don’t Kill Property Values After All” • Fossil energy stakeholders have been ginning up local opposition to new wind farms, partly on account of their supposed impact on property values. A growing pile of evidence shows that impacts on property values are negligible, according to the DOE. [CleanTechnica]

Vermont (Robert Thiemann, Unsplash)

Minute 56
¶ “New Analysis Suggests Lower Price Tag For Changes To Vermont’s Renewable Energy Law” • As a proposed revision of the state’s renewable energy policy comes up for a vote in the House this week, lawmakers will have a new price tag to consider. It is less than half the one originally presented by Governor Phil Scott’s administration. [VTDigger]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #565 – 3/21/2024

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 #564 – 3/14/2024

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 #564 – 3/14/2024

Minute 0: Introduction

Thursday, March 7

Solar panels (Mariana Proença, Unsplash, cropped)

Minute 2
“UK’s Green Power Industry Receives Surprise £10 Billion Pledge” • Britain’s stressed green power industry has received a surprise fillip after NatPower, a renewables startup that is part of a larger European group, pledged to plow £10 billion into what would become the largest portfolio of battery storage projects in the country. [The Guardian]

Gas prices at the Henry Hub

Minute 5
¶ “Henry Hub Daily Natural Gas Spot Price Fell to Record Lows in February” • Because of high production and relatively low consumption, less natural gas has been withdrawn from storage this winter. US natural gas inventories have been above average. Relatively high storage levels indicate an oversupplied market, reducing natural gas prices. [CleanTechnica]

Baku, Azerbaijan (Tural Taqiyev, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “Azerbaijan Predicts Mutual Benefits Of Foreign Investment In Construction Of Solar Power Plant” • W Hass Future GmbH & Co, a German firm, said it is ready to invest more than €300 million to establish solar power stations in Kyrgyzstan, Azernews reports. The company is also considering wind energy, along with the solar power. [AzerNews]

Friday, March 8

Killington (Emily Ho, Unsplash)

Minute 10
¶ “Vermont Governor Opposes Ambitious Renewable Energy Bill Over Costs” • Citing a disputed cost study, Vermont Governor Phil Scott is pushing back against a bill mandating faster, wider adoption of renewable energy by power utilities. House Bill 289 would require utilities to purchase 100% of their electric power from renewable sources by 2030. [The Energy Mix]

Dog on a hot day (Akanda Kilicarslan, Unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “The Planet Just Shattered Heat Records For The Ninth Month In A Row” • Last month was the hottest February on record. Each of the last nine months set a record for heat, Copernicus’ data shows. February was 1.77°C warmer than the average February in pre-industrial times. The last twelve month period was 1.56°C above pre-industrial levels. [CNN]

Ford E-Transit electric commercial van (Courtesy of Ford)

Minute 16
¶ “Ford Pops E-Transit Van Out Of Stealth Mode To Boost EV Sales” • The good news about EV sales keeps pouring in. Ford Motor Company racked up a strong performance in February with a 93% uptick in sales of the F-150 Lightning, YOY, and a 64% increase for the Mustang Mach-E. Ford released the all-electric E-Transit to keep things going. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, March 9

Hexicon offshore wind farm (Hexicon image)

Minute 19
¶ “Fish To Frolic Among Floating Offshore Wind Turbines” • The rise of the offshore wind industry has sparked a new movement to piggyback other maritime activities onto offshore wind farms. In the latest development, a unique two-headed floating wind turbines has been tapped to host a commercial fish farm off the coast of Sweden. [CleanTechnica]

Bare trees (Dulcey Lima, Unsplash)

Minute 22
¶ “Winter Is Over, And It Was The Warmest On Record. Here’s What The US Missed Out On This Season” • This winter was the warmest on record for the Lower 48, according to NOAA, and the records go back to the late 1800s. The singularly mild winter left vast areas of the country without typical amounts of snow and ice, fueling a worsening drought. [CNN]

Offshore wind farm (Avangrid image)

Minute 24
“Virginia Could Make Almost $5 Billion From This 3.5-GW Offshore Wind Farm” • The 180-turbine Kitty Hawk Wind is an offshore wind project proposed in federal waters over 36 miles from Virginia Beach. It could deliver 3.5 GW of electricity and around $5 billion in economic impact for Virginia. The usual types of opposition seek to prevent that. [Electrek]

Sunday, March 10

Proposed electric eVTOL vehicle (Courtesy of Airbus)

Minute 27
¶ “Electricity And Airplanes – Lowering The Carbon Emissions Of Flight” • We have two news stories that focus on different ways of using electricity to reduce the carbon emissions of airplanes. The first comes from Mercedes-Benz, about an electric refueling vehicle for airplanes. The other is from Airbus, about an eVTOL passenger vehicle. [CleanTechnica]

Highway intersection (Denys Nevozhai, Unsplash, cropped)

Minute 30
¶ “Whether Powered By Electrons Or Molecules, Automobiles Are A Curse” • After readers commented that there are too many cars in the world, Bloomberg ran a story entitled “EVs Can’t Fix a Global Epidemic of ‘Car Harm,’ Study Finds.” The modern world moves itself around in roughly 2 billion motor vehicles, 65% of which are cars, Bloomberg says. [CleanTechnica]

Rivian R2 (Rivian image)

Minute 32
¶ “Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe Says He’s Changing Mindsets Of What’s ‘Possible In An Electric Vehicle’” • A common complaint of EVs is that they’re too expensive. That’s why Rivian, the electric carmaker from Irvine, California, just launched three new models to meet this “huge need in the market,” RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and CEO said. [ABC News]

Monday, March 11

Storm (Simon Maisch, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “More Than 30 Million People Under Flood Alerts In The Northeast” • Flood alerts are in effect for over 30 million people in eleven states from Virginia to Maine Saturday night, with both flood watches and coastal flood alerts. The Northeast will see rain and possible flooding after the Southeast had strong winds, rising waters, and even a tornado. [ABC News]

Supernal eVTOL (Hyundai image)

Minute 38
¶ “Electric Aircrafts Will Need Powerful Ports” • Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft might quickly move passengers over mountains or float them across urbanscapes. But an important consideration for these flying batteries is where they will charge and whether the existing power grid infrastructure can satisfy this demand. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm (Henry & Co, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “Irish Firm Wins Gov’t Contract To Build 440 MW Of Wind Power” • Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd marked won two contracts to build two onshore wind projects in the Philippines. The government said it signed contracts with Mainstream to build wind projects, with a combined capacity of 440 MW, in Cagayan province and Leyte. [Inquirer.net]

Tuesday, March 12

Solar power (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

Minute 43
¶ “Equinor Launches 531-MW Solar Plant in Brazil” • Equinor ASA has launched its 531-MW Mendubim solar plant, marking a 30% increase in its equity power production in Brazil. The plant will produce 1.2 TWh of power annually, Equinor said. Around 60% of the energy will be sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement with Alunorte. [Rigzone]

Alberta (Ryan Stone, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “Alberta’s ‘Roping In’ on Renewables Could Hurt C$11 Billion In Investments, Study Says” • Alberta’s ban on some renewable projects could hurt C$11.1 billion ($8.24 billion) in investments and stall up to 6.3 GW of solar and wind power capacity, a study by the Pembina Institute said. The new rules potentially affect 42 projects and thousands of jobs. [EnergyNow]

Tidal energy project on the River Mersey (Liverpool City Region)

Minute 48
¶ “Magnificent Tidal Energy Project To Double As New City Park” • The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that the global amount of technically recoverable, zero emission electricity from tidal motion could add up to 1,000 GW, and that’s just counting locations near coastlines. The world has been getting experience already. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, March 13

Paints and coatings facility in Colombia (AkzoNobel image)

Minute 51
¶ “AkzoNobel Uses 100% Renewable Electricity In Latin America” • All of AkzoNobel’s manufacturing locations in Latin America are now operating on 100% renewable electricity. The company’s ambition is to reduce carbon emissions across the full value chain by 50% by 2030 (baseline 2018). It had achieved that goal in Europe and North America earlier. [AkzoNobel]

Pumped storage facility (UK Parliament via Pixabay)

Minute 56
¶ “Government Must Act Now On Energy Storage” • A UK Parliamentary Committee report on long-duration energy storage concludes that the Government must act fast to ensure that energy storage technologies can scale up in time to play a vital role in decarbonising the electricity system and ensuring energy security by 2035. [UK Parliament]

Coral (roy zeigerman, Unsplash)

Minute 56
¶ “Researchers Discover New Technique To Encourage The Restoration Of Degraded Corals” • Researchers have discovered a way to encourage restoration of coral reef populations degraded by record-high marine temperatures. Underwater speaker that play the sounds of a healthy reef were found to help coral larvae settle up to seven times as fast. [ABC News]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #564 – 3/14/2024

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