New Evidence Of More Climate Trouble

One of the most troubling ideas about climate change just found new evidence in its favor

Chris Mooney, March 27, 2017 (Washington Post)

“…[S]cientists have been debating a complex and frankly explosive idea [since 2012] about how a warming planet will alter our weather…[If it’s correct, it] would have profound implications…where hundreds of millions of people live…The idea is that climate change doesn’t merely increase the overall likelihood of [extreme weather but also] changes the flow of weather…[causing] weather to become more stuck in place…[and driving] extreme droughts, heat waves, downpours and more…[A new study finds evidence that the flow of weather is, in fact, slowing. In a way, this isn’t] complicated. The Northern Hemisphere jet stream flows in a wavy pattern from west to east, driven by the rotation of the Earth and the difference in temperature between the equator and the North Pole. The flow is stronger when that temperature difference is large…But when the Arctic warms up faster than the equator does — which is part of the fundamental definition of global warming, and which is already happening — the jet stream’s flow can become weakened and elongated. That’s when you can get the resultant weather extremes…” click here for more

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Wind Now Matching Coal In The Market

Wind Energy Now Directly Competing With Coal On Cost

Gregory Brew, March 27, 2017 (OilPrice.com)

“…[Increasingly, companies are finding that the wind-is-cheap argument] gets better traction from skeptical consumers and fidgety investors…[because its low price allows wind to compete with natural gas and overcome] promises of President Donald Trump to bring back American coal…[Analysts say the falling costs of wind power, which are now an estimated $20/MWh as against coal’s $30/MWh, directly threatens 56 GW of coal power…Total U.S. wind energy capacity grew 19 percent in 2016 and reached 5.5 percent of total generating capacity…Much of the surge in added capacity came from power companies and utilities eager to take advantage of the PTC before it is cut from 80 percent to 60 percent…The EIA estimates that without tax credits, the costs of constructing and maintaining equal capacity wind power and natural gas power plants are nearly the same: $58.50 per MW-hour versus $56.40…” click here for more

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New Energy Vs. Utilities In Indiana

Solar energy at crossroads in Indiana

Robert King, March 22, 2017 (IndyStar via USA Today)

“…[Solar energy enthusiasts say] the future of a growing Indiana industry [that benefits homeowners, small businesses, churches and schools and provides good jobs and helps the planet] is at stake...[Indiana utilities say] the solar industry is well enough established in Indiana that it should be able to stand without the incentives that got it off the ground, and that could someday become costly to other power customers…[But there’s little argument that Senate Bill 309, being debated in the Indiana House, will decide the fate of] the financial incentive that helps offset the considerable installation costs of solar panels, wind turbines and other equipment for small producers, through a process called net metering…The bill would eventually lower the credit for the surplus [from its current retail rate of $0.11/kWh to the $0.035/kWh] wholesale rate…The Solar Foundation estimates that Indiana employed 2,700 people in the solar industry in 2016, up from 1,500 the prior year. An estimate by the Environmental Law & Policy Center says that, in wind and solar combined, there are nearly 4,000 people in the industry across 64 companies…” click here for more

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Only PBS Is Covering Climate Change

PBS is the only network reporting on climate change. Trump wants to cut it; During a record-breaking hot presidential election year, American news networks failed to report on climate change

Dana Nuccitelli, 27 March 2017 (UK Guardian)

“…In 2016, evening newscasts and Sunday shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC, as well as Fox Broadcast Co.’s Fox News Sunday, collectively decreased their total coverage of climate change by 66 percent compared to 2015 [ according to a new report from Media Matters]…In all of 2016, these news programs spent a combined grand total of 50 minutes talking about climate change. More than half of that come from CBS Evening News, which nevertheless only spent half as much time talking about climate change in 2016 as it had in 2015…PBS NewsHour was the only show that examined what impact a Trump or a Clinton presidency would have on climate-related issues and policies before the election. The PBS news program aired more than double the number of climate news segments as any of its network competitors…” click here for more

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The Job-Creating Engine That Is Wind Energy

Wind energy works to create American jobs

Tom Kiernan, March 24, 2017 (The Hill)

“The new administration is taking notice: wind energy is a job-creation engine that speeds up the path to American energy independence…[As recently acknowledged byInterior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, recent wind growth verifies recent forecasts that the industry could provide the U.S. with almost a quarter million jobs by] the end of President Trump’s first term…Many of these jobs are in manufacturing, so they help revive part of the job sector that has struggled for decades…Over 500 U.S. factories employ 25,000 workers who build wind-related parts…Many are bringing jobs back to the Rust Belt…Ohio leads the way with 62 wind factories, while Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have 26 apiece. By 2020, 33,000 Americans could be working in wind manufacturing, a gain of 8,000 U.S. factory jobs in President Trump’s first term…The wind industry also proudly offers good career opportunities for the men and women who serve our country—they find wind-related jobs at a rate 50 percent higher than the average industry…” click here for more

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U.S. Solar Should Follow China Solar -- Stanford

Stanford researchers recommend changes to U.S. solar policies, encourage collaboration with China; Stanford researchers suggest reforming U.S. solar policies and encourage closer collaboration between the United States and China on solar energy in a new report.

Alex Shashkevitch, March 21, 2017 (Stanford News)

“The rapidly expanding solar energy industry could meaningfully contribute to curbing climate change only if governments and the private sector approach it more economically and efficiently…A key recommendation [of new research from Stanford]is that China, which is the major driver of the global solar industry, and the United States work more closely together with each country capitalizing on its particular strengths…With a new federal administration and a new Congress, this is the time to be thinking about what…[future U.S. solar policy should be as the industry grows form 1 percent of global electricity to 16 percent or more] by the middle of this century…The U.S. government should embrace a globalizing solar industry, continue to invest in the deployment – as well as research and development – of solar energy, and, above all, prioritize plans that reduce the cost of solar power, the researchers said…” click here for more

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Eight Things To Do About Climate Change

Climate change is happening now – here’s eight things we can do to adapt to it; Donald Trump has rejected global leadership on the issue, so now it’s down to us as individuals to plan, and push through new policies change where we can

Dr. Missy Stults, 21 March 2017 (UK Guardian)

“…2016 was the warmest year on record, breaking the record previously held by 2015, and before that by 2014…[Dozens of climatological experts] have repeatedly stated that the global climate is changing and that society is now in ‘uncharted territory’…[This leads to] real and significant impacts to human health, livelihoods, cultural assets, economies, ecosystems, and society as a whole…[But] the Trump administration has decided to gut all programmes related to climate and many related to disaster-preparedness…Here are eight initial actions that individuals, as well as governments, could take immediately to prepare…1) Make a plan…2) Get to know your neighbours…3) Reduce your carbon footprint…4) Call your legislators today, and every day…5) Integrate climate change into all policies, programmes, and decision-making processes…6) Invest in climate science…7) Embrace green infrastructure…8) Embrace climate action as a means of advancing economic development and social justice…” click here for more

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The Fight For New Energy Wires

Wind energy firm trying again for OK of cross-country line

Daniel A. Lieb, March 21, 2017 (Associated Press via Jacksonville Journal Courier)

“...[Renewable energy transmission builder Clean Line Energy Partners faces opposition from landowners as Missouri utility regulators begin hearing testimony on a request…to build a high-voltage] line from western Kansas across Missouri and Illinois to an Indiana power grid that connects with eastern states…[It has already won approval] from other states for its 780-mile-long power line…[The Grain Belt Express demonstrates] one of the toughest challenges for those seeking to nudge the U.S. toward a greater reliance on renewable energy. Although converting wind and sun into electricity is increasingly affordable, it can be difficult to gain the regulatory and legal approval necessary to carry the power from remote areas where it’s produced to the places where it’s needed most…Other large-scale renewable energy projects in the Midwest, South and West also have faced denials or delays in transmission line approvals from federal and state regulators and courts…” click here for more

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The Best New Energy Battery

Study: Li-ion Maintains Cost Advantage For Stationary Energy Storage

Joseph Bebon, March 10, 2017 (Solar Industry)

“Providing stationary energy storage is vital to the stability of the power grid as renewables grow and demand rises, but cost has been a challenge…[L]ithium-ion batteries will dominate the stationary energy storage market, though current generation flow battery technology has an economic case for certain very large and long-duration applications…Lux Research says analysts developed new battery cost models based on size, duration, architecture and chemistry, as well as compared Li-ion and flow battery costs…Li-ion beats the most popular vanadium-based flow battery technology on LCOS due to higher round-trip efficiency (83% vs. 65%)…Current technology won’t get lower than $0.35/kWh…Application stacking and multiple value streams will gain importance as energy storage costs fall to about $0.30/kWh by 2036…” click here for more

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$19 Trillion Benefit In Global Climate Fight

Paris climate deal could make the world $19 trillion richer; Investing heavily in renewable power and energy efficiency, in accordance with the Paris climate deal, will increase the global economy around 0.8% by 2050, says IEA

Jessica Shankleman and Joel Ryan, March 20, 2017 (Live Mint)

“Stopping global warming won’t just keep the planet habitable. It would also boost the global economy by $19 trillion…[because investing] in renewable power and energy efficiency to keeping warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), in accordance with the landmark Paris Agreement, will increase the global economy around 0.8% by 2050, [according to an International Renewable Energy Agency/International Energy Agency report. The study] forecasts that 65% of electricity will be generated from clean power by 2050, up from around 15% in 2015…[and] energy intensity improvements will double…[The profit would come from] $145 trillion of investment in low-carbon technologies by the middle of the century…[that would] force fossil fuel companies to leave $10 trillion of coal, oil and gas [in the ground]…” click here for more

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U.S. New Energy Now A $200Bil Biz

U.S. Study Puts Impressive ‘Advanced Energy’ Revenue In Perspective

Joseph Bebon, March 7, 2017 (Solar Industry)

“…[The New Energies made up] a $200 billion industry in the U.S. and a whopping $1.4 trillion industry globally as of the end of 2016 [according to new Navigant Research work for Advanced Energy Economy (AEE). It] covers seven [advanced economy] segments: electricity generation, including wind and solar; fuel delivery; industry, including industrial combined heat and power and manufacturing machinery and process equipment; transportation; fuel production; electricity delivery and management, including transmission and energy storage; and building efficiency…U.S. advanced energy revenue for 2016 was nearly double that of the beer industry and equal to that of domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing – and it was even approaching revenue from wholesale consumer electronics. As for global revenue, it was almost twice that of the airline industry and nearly equal to that of apparel…” click here for more

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$10Bil EV Buy Planned By Band Of Cities

30 cities join to explore $10 billion electric-car purchase

Stephen Edelstein, March 17, 2017 (Green Car Reports)

“…A group of 30 U.S. cities is discussing a major purchase of electric cars for their municipal fleets…The cities have jointly asked automakers for cost and feasibility estimates of providing 114,000 cars, to be split among them…Those vehicles would augment and in many cases replace thousands of existing cars and light trucks that rack up considerable mileage every year in city-fleet service…The deal could be worth $10 billion, and would be equivalent in volume to 72 percent of U.S. plug-in electric-car sales last year…The joint-purchase effort is led by Los Angeles, and includes other major cities like New York and Chicago…The majority of vehicles will likely be light-duty cars and trucks, but some cities are reportedly inquiring about vehicle types that may not be current available with electric powertrains, such as fire engines…The mayors hope to spur manufacturers by showing that demand for electric vehicles is robust…Such a large order—and the fact that it will likely be spread out over several years—could indeed be an enticing prospect for automakers…” click here for more

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The Cost Of Climate Change

Curbing climate change has a dollar value — here’s how and why we measure it

Joseph Aldy, Marcvh 12, 2017 (The Conversation)

“…[President Trump and his appointees argue that reversing Obama-era rules to cut carbon pollution and undoing obstacles to coal mining on] public lands…will bring coal miners’ jobs back…although coal industry job losses reflect competition from cheap natural gas, not regulations that have yet to take effect…But they ignore the fact that mitigating climate change will produce large economic gains…[Burning fossil fuels produces benefits but] also generates widespread costs to society…[According to the U.S. government, the social cost of carbon (SCC) is] about US$40 per ton…[T]he Trump administration and critics in Congress may reduce this figure or even stop using it…We can always improve our processes for estimating and using the SCC, but…[a] well-functioning democracy needs transparency about the economic benefits [and costs] of investments driven by public policy…[I]t makes sense that reducing carbon emissions benefits society by reducing risks of flooding, wildfires, storms and other impacts associated with severe climate change…[And] rising carbon pollution will increase the likelihood of lower agricultural yields, threaten public health through heat stress and damage infrastructure through floods and intense storms…” click here for more

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Solar Projects Can Power Coal Country

Large-Scale Solar Facilities Offer Opportunity for Economic Growth

Darlene J. Swiger, March 12, 2017 (West Virginia State Journal)

“…[There are significant opportunities for large-scale solar facilities that promote economic development on degraded lands in West Virginia…[ A new study] identifies nearly 220 square miles of degraded land in West Virginia that could host such facilities, which could employ thousands of West Virginians…[A total of 1,479 of 6,430 sites assessed, including previously mined, brownfield, and other land, were] found to be viable for large-scale solar facility development, based on an analysis that included solar irradiation, site size, proximity to roads and transmission lines, land cover. and topography…The Department of Energy shows [the state] has a yearly average of sun hours of 4.5 hours a day vs. 4.75 hours in Florida…” click here for more

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Maryland Moves Toward Offshore Wind

Maryland takes next step toward offshore wind

Sarah Gantz, Msrch 10, 2017 (Baltimore Sun)

“…[The Maryland Public Service Commission will begin hearings on proposals from two developers to build wind farms [off its Atlantic Coast]…Offshore wind energy, which is booming in Europe, offers significant potential to replace aging energy infrastructure along the East Coast, create jobs and bolster the economy…The federal government has leased thousands of acres off the East Coast to be developed into wind farms, but the industry has yet to take off in the United States…[It] has been hobbled largely by its cost as well as regulatory hurdles and opposition from politicians opposed to subsidizing energy, coastal residents worried about views and environmentalists worried about migratory birds…[One] small offshore wind farm has been installed in the United States [off Rhode Island]…But other projects are in the works off Massachusetts, New Jersey and North Carolinia…If Maryland successfully becomes one of the first states to establish an offshore wind farm, the project could position the state to be a leader in the industry and serve as a hub for the contractors who could service future offshore wind farms up and down the East Coast…” click here for more

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Big Oil Reacts To Climate Change

For big oil, climate change looms large even in Trump era

James Osborne, David Hunn and Ryan Handy, March 10, 2017 (Houston Chronicle)

“…[President Donald Trump’s advisers Scott Pruitt and Peter Thiel may have lost the audience at a just-completed CERA international oil and gas industry-led conference by emphasizing the administration’s climate change skepticism because] energy ministers, CEOs, and other top executives showed that the industry is running ahead of policymakers on climate change, no longer treating it as an inconvenient theory, but rather as a hard reality to which it must adapt and change…Khalid al-Falih, the Saudi Arabian energy minister, called on his colleagues to find ways to ‘minimize the carbon footprint of fossil fuels.’ Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said energy development can only move forward by protecting the environment and climate. Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, said the industry needed to produce more energy with fewer carbon emissions…

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Paying lip service to climate change has been a standard feature of a CERAWeek appearance for years…But in 2017, even with a brutal oil bust still weighing on profits, the issue was front and center, with numerous panel discussions devoted to everything from carbon taxes to renewable energy. Daniel Yergin, host of the event and vice chairman of IHS Markit, endlessly put the topic to CEOs and ministers from foreign petro-states…It became increasingly clear that days of denial or even skepticism around climate change is now out of bounds for executives of publicly traded oil and gas companies. Instead, they backed carbon taxes as an efficient, market-based way to control carbon dioxide emissions. They discussed increasing investments in wind and solar. They talked about unleashing the industry's innovative capacity to find technological solutions, such as carbon capture, to keep fossil fuels viable…” click here for more

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Energy Giant Oklahoma Turns To Wind Power

Oklahoma is kicking butt with wind power

Simon Mahan, March 13, 2017 (CleanEnergy.org)

“Just over 6,600 megawatts of installed wind power capacity exists in the Sooner State – enough to meet about 25% of the state’s annual electricity needs - more than what coal provides. Oklahoma installed nearly 2,000 megawatts in 2016 alone. By the end of the year, Oklahoma became third in the nation for the most wind power installed. Just a couple weeks ago, Oklahoma’s regional grid operator (the Southwest Power Pool, or SPP) reached a record wind power penetration level: at one point, the entire region generated 52% of its electricity from wind power. SPP is eyeing perhaps 75% wind energy penetration levels in the long-term, in part because [Plains states] wind is…at or below two cents per kilowatt-hour ($0.02/kWh)…” click here for more

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Landmark Kauai Solar Plus Storage Power Plant Goes Online

Tesla's new solar energy station will power Hawaii at night; Energy generated during the day will power Kauai when the sun goes down.

Roberto Baldwin, March 8, 2017 (EndGadget)

“…The Kapaia project is a combination 13MW SolarCity solar farm and 53MWh Tesla Powerpack station on the island of Kauai…[The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative project] will store the sun's energy during the day and release it at night. The station (along with Kauai's other renewable resource solutions including wind and biomass) won't completely keep the island from using fossil fuels but it will temper the need. In addition to using Tesla's station to battle the island's incredibly high electric bills, it's also part of a long-term Hawaii-state plan to be completely powered by renewable energy sources by 2045. Kauai has its own goal of using 70 percent renewable energy by 2030…and can now produce 100 percent of the energy it needs during high usage mid days and low loads via renewables during a brief period of time…This is the first big project from Tesla [since its acquisition of SolarCity]…Both companies believe this station is the biggest combination solar panel and storage facility in the world…” click here for more

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‘Hamilton’ Playwright’s Climate Change Playlist

Lin-Manuel Miranda releases climate change-themed playlist

Rachel DeSantis, March 6, 2017 (Entertainment Weekly)

“…[Hamilton playwright and lead actor]Lin-Manuel Miranda added environmental activist to his resume by tweeting] a Spotify playlist of songs about climate change, aptly titled, ‘Climb It, Change Is Real,’ in a dig to the members of the Trump administration who have denied the existence of climate change…The playlist consists of 16 different tunes, all of which include some reference to the Earth or weather, particularly extreme temperatures…[The list includes “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. and “Hot in Herre” by Nelly and “This Is Why I’m Hot” by MiMs] and “Temperature,” by Sean Paul, among others…” click here for more

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The Trump Attack On Energy Efficiency

White House plans to 'close out' Energy Star, other programs

Emily Holden, March 6, 2017 (E&E Publishing)

’ “A preliminary budget proposal from the White House would eliminate federal leadership of Energy Star, a popular voluntary program for companies to seek labels for energy-efficient consumer products and appliances…[A]chieving that might require changes to authorizing legislation from Congress…[The budget proposes transferring Environment Protection Agency energy efficiency programs to non-governmental entities as part of the Trump administration effort] to cut the agency's $8.2 billion spending by about a quarter to help increase defense spending…Energy efficiency advocates and state regulators say Energy Star is one of the programs that it doesn't make any sense to cut, because it saves people money while benefiting the environment…Energy savings experts say a nongovernmental Energy Star program, perhaps one run by industry, would not be as trusted or effective…” click here for more

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How To Prepare The Grid For The Temperature Rise

How climate change will stress the grid and what ISOs are doing about it; Global warming is expected to increase peak demand and extreme weather events, but new grid planning practices can help ensure power reliability

Herman K. Trabish, March 7, 2017 (Utility Dive)

“…[W]hile climate change skeptics wring their hands over the theoretical costs of global warming, the nation’s electricity system operators are already feeling it — and planning for its future effects. Average temperatures are rising across the U.S., pushing grid operators to examine whether they have adequate capacity to meet higher power demand and sharper spikes in peak load…[ A new study projects electricity demand to increase 2.8% across the U.S. by the end of the century and 3.5% during the summer in] a business-as-usual scenario. In more extreme cases, peak demand could rise 7.2% to 18%...Meeting that demand could require $120 billion to $180 billion in new natural gas peaker plants. But smart planning could save a lot of that cost…James Hoecker, former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), said that it is often difficult to get policymakers to respond to such long-term concerns…[but] stakeholders should plan today to prevent the need for costly system investments later…” click here for more

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Climate Change Has An Identity Crisis

A Threat by Any Other Name; Climate change is political. Should planners talk about something else?

Henry Grabar, March 6, 2017 (Slate)

“…[On the Republican Party-dominated Great Plains, the average temperature has jumped 1.5 degrees in the last 50 years and is expected to rise between 2.5 and 13 degrees by the end of this century, severely compounding already measurable changes that are transforming the environmental factors. M]ayors, county commissioners, and other officials have been pushing policies to adapt to their changing environment and slow its transformation…Some are basic quality-of-life proposals that establish biking and hiking trails or require developers to plant trees. Other, less popular initiatives were more explicit, like green fleets of municipal vehicles or zoning ordinances that account for sprawl’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions…[Most are not framed as climate change measures but as ways to save money, conserve resources, or preserve] clean water…The Rockefeller Foundation has invested more than $500 million in resilience since 2005 and developed 100 Resilient Cities, an organization that helps [prepare] cities around the world…” click here for more

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Wind Passes 5.5% of U.S. Electric Generating Capacity

US wind generation reached 5.5% of the grid in 2016; 5 Heartland states now more than 20% wind-powered

March 6, 2017 (American Wind Energy Association)

“....[W]ind supplied over 5.5 percent of electricity nationwide, up from 4.7 percent in 2015 [according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)]…With 99 percent of wind turbines located in rural areas, wind power’s steady growth as a share of the nation’s electricity supply has been accompanied by a surge of investment in rural America…[that reached over $13.8 billion in 2016]…In Oklahoma, wind’s share of total electricity generation grew from 18.4 percent in 2015 to 25.1 percent in 2016. In Iowa, wind grew from 31.5 percent to 36.6 percent – the highest in the nation – and in Kansas, wind’s share increased from 24.1 percent to 29.6 percent…[South Dakota became] the second state in the country to generate over 30 percent of its electricity from wind energy, and North Dakota [got] to 21.5 percent wind…” click here for more

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Amazon Adds Rooftop Solar

Amazon to Install Solar Panels to Power Datacenters

March 3, 2017 (Zacks Equity Research via Yahoo Finance)

“…E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. is gearing up for its next project associated with renewable energy initiatives…[T]he firm will harness solar energy by installing solar panels on the roof of its fulfillment facilities across the world…As part of its commitment to advance green power, Amazon has plans of deploying large-scale solar systems on rooftops of more than 15 fulfillment and sortation centers in the U.S. this year. By 2020, around 50 data centers are expected to use solar energy…Amazon said that these solar panels could generate up to 80% of the annual energy requirements of a fulfillment center depending on the project, time of year and other factors. The company already has a network of wind and solar farms in Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. Its largest wind farm is in Texas…This initiative by Amazon is the latest in a string of clean energy investments made by U.S. technology giants in recent months [like Google, Facebook, and Apple]…” click here for more

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