Dodging And Denying in D.C.

Mike Pence dodges climate change questions as Agriculture Department buries new scientific studies; "We will always follow the science on that in this administration," Pence says of climate change

Matthew Rozsa, June 24, 2019 (Salon)

Vice President Mike Pence avoided pointed questions about climate change during an interview on Sunday [with CNN's Jake Tapper], even as [the current administration] continues to suppress studies about the severity of the climate crisis…[Pence said the administration would follow science but will not pursue the Obama administration’s] Clean Power Plan…

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…[Pence argued the natural gas expansion and clean coal technology, which cause more greenhouse gas emissions than New Energy, are the better approaches to the climate crisis but the White House] has refused to publicize dozens of government-funded studies, which reveal the long-term effects of man-made climate change as compiled by scientists at the Department of Agriculture…” click here for more

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New Energy Buys To Bet On

3 Top Alternative Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now; Want to get exposure to this high-flying industry? Check out these companies.

Tyler Crowe, Jason Hall, And John Bromels, June 23, 2019 (The Motley Fool)

“…[Motley Fool contributors picked three stocks as] worth buying today…TerraForm Power (NASDAQ:TERP)… wasn't in great shape when Brookfield Renewable Partners, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, took a majority stake…Thanks to Brookfield's expertise, [solar and wind project owner] TerraForm has made several operational and financial changes that have set it up for outperformance…[It is on track to] make good on its projected annual dividend increases of 5% to 8% through 2022…[SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ:SEDG)] makes a living mainly supplying solar panel power-management components, like inverters and power optimizers. These key parts are the go-between pieces that convert power from panels so that your home and the power grid can use it, and also maximize and balance the power that panels generate…

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SolarEdge is recognized by panel makers and independent installers as a go-to partner…and its market share continues to grow…[R]ecently, management took a bold step to build a more diversified business in segments that overlap its strength in solar -- specifically, energy storage systems, and electric vehicle powertrain and recharging systems…[Brookfield Renewable Partners(NYSE:BEP)] is a major player in solar, wind, and hydroelectric power…eschews chasing high-valuation, low-return projects for growth's sake and instead focuses on special value situations…The deal to acquire a portion of TerraForm Power was a great example…” click here for more

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The Key Climate Crisis Stat

The number with the power to halt the climate crisis

Phil Davies, June 19, 2019 (GreenBiz)

“…[Researchers continue to work at improving the calculation of] the social cost of carbon (SCC), a wonky number that captures the economic burden to society at a given point in the future of a metric ton of carbon dioxide released today…[This calculation] is vital to efforts to mitigate the climate crisis through regulation and market-based solutions such as carbon taxes… Because people typically value a dollar today more than a dollar tomorrow, a discount rate — typically between 2.5 percent and 7 percent annually — is applied to future damages…[A]t an annual discount rate of 3 percent, $100 of climate damages in 2100 is worth about $7 today…Despite the SCC’s growing prevalence as a regulatory tool, the actual value of the social cost of carbon is a matter of intense debate among climate scientists and economists…

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Many governments have set the SCC at about $50 per metric ton of CO2 — the "central" estimate (PDF) of a federal interagency working group in 2016. This figure is for emissions in 2020…But cost estimates of harm from CO2 emissions range from as little as $1 per metric ton (a number proposed by the Trump administration) to over $400 per metric ton — the number that emerged from a 2018 study by a team of U.S. and European researchers…[Variables creating uncertainty include] the pace of warming and how rising temperatures will affect human health, agriculture, property, energy systems and other aspects of life…After all the revising and tweaking, the SCC is likely to remain an imperfect measure…But researchers hope to reduce that uncertainty and boost confidence in the SCC as the basis for policy aimed at avoiding the worst consequences of climate change…” click here for more

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The New Energy Basics

Renewable energy 101: Key terms you need to know

Anmar Frangoul, June 3, 2019 (CNBC)

“The world’s energy mix is changing. Across the world, major companies and countries are turning to renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal to green their operations and become more sustainable…The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines biomass as being [organic matter available on a renewable basis, including] waste from industrial sources, or feedstock from plants or animals…Bioenergy is energy produced [from biomass and] represents around 9% of the planet’s primary energy supply…[Geothermal energy is] heat from below the Earth’s surface which can be used to produce renewable energy…

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[Hydropower is the flow of water through turbines] producing electricity…[It is] the world’s largest source of renewable electricity…[Solar power is energy from the sun harnessed] through photovoltaic and concentrated solar power systems (CSP)…[Tidal power is energy] produced from the tides of the sea…[Wave power is ocean waves’] kinetic and potential energy…Wind energy is] the atmosphere being unevenly heated by the sun; irregularities of the Earth’s surface; and the Earth’s rotation…[and wind turbines to turn the wind’s kinetic energy] into mechanical power.” click here for more

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Climate Crisis Could Threaten Global Financial Stability

Adding to Planetary Alarm Bells, Top US Finance Official Warns Climate Crisis a Recipe for Global Economic Collapse; "It's abundantly clear that climate change poses financial risk to the stability of the financial system."

Jessica Corbett, June 12, 2019 (Common Dreams)

“…[The human-caused climate emergency poses a threat to the economy which rivals the subprime mortgage meltdown that led to the 2008 financial crisis…[according to Rostin Behnam] of the five-member Commodities Futures Trading Commission, an independent federal agency…As the sponsor of CFTC's Market Risk Advisory Committee, he convened a public meeting…to discuss climate-related financial threats…[and call for a panel to review and report on threats and solutions…[Appointed as a required Democratic member to the CFTC, he said] most of the world's markets and market regulators are taking steps towards assessing and mitigating the current and potential threats of climate change…[but, he added,] impacts of climate change affect every aspect of the American economy—from production agriculture to commercial manufacturing and the financing of every step in each process…

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Failing to address financial market risks associated with climate change will impede economic growth, and most likely hit rural communities the hardest…[He said it is time to examine the relationship of [extreme weather event risks to financial] market stability…[The report] would be a product of the federal government… put Mr. Behnam in direct conflict with the policies of the [current] administration…[And, because it would come in 2020 and likely focus] on potential harm to the nation's agriculture sector, [it] is likely to emerge at a moment when [the president] will be making the case to farm states…” click here for more

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Solar Sets Growth Record

U.S. Solar Market Sees Best Q1 in History; Crossing the 2 million solar installations threshold was just one of many highlights on the quarter

June 18, 2019 (Solar Energy Industries Association/Wood Mackenzie)

In the first three months of the year, the U.S. installed 2.7 gigawatts of solar photovoltaics (PV), making it the most solar ever installed in the first quarter of a year…Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables forecasts 25% growth in 2019 compared to 2018, and it expects more than 13 GWdc of installations this year…[T]he U.S. saw 603 megawatts of residential solar installations during the first quarter, up 6 percent annually…[and] 29 percent of residential capacity in Q1 2019 came from markets outside the top 10 solar states by capacity, the highest share for emerging markets in industry history…The non-residential segment, which represents commercial, industrial and public sector distributed solar, saw 438 megawatts of PV installed on the quarter, which was down on both a quarterly and annual basis…

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...[T]his is largely a result of state-level policy reforms in historically strong markets for the segment including California, Massachusetts and Minnesota…[New community solar mandates] in New York, Maryland, Illinois and New Jersey are expected to] help reinvigorate the segment beginning in 2020…Total installed U.S. PV capacity will more than double over the next five years, with annual installations reaching 16.4 GWdc in 2021 prior to the expiration of the residential federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and a drop in the commercial tax credit to 10% for projects not yet under construction…” click here for more

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Dems Evolving A Serious Climate Crisis Plan

Democrats are seriously tackling the climate crisis: No more half-measures or neoliberal compromises; At least seven 2020 candidates have serious climate plans — and they're not bowing to fossil-fuel interests

Carl Pope, June 16, 2019 (Salon)

“…[Current (perceived) Democratic presidential frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, along with Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke, Jay Inslee, John Hickenlooper and John Delaney] have offered detailed plans for confronting the climate crisis…Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand have sponsored the Green New Deal resolution but have not yet released individual policies…[None] harken back to Barack Obama’s ‘all of the above’ genuflection to the enduring political power of fossil fuels…[or to] Hillary Clinton’s [ambitious but narrow] 2016 proposals, which focused almost entirely on renewable power…They eschew the carbon-pricing emphasis of many Beltway economists and policy mavens. And they avoid the austerity frame that climate deniers have for so long used to dampen public support for clean energy…[They are far broader — and more economically and politically sophisticated…[and include] 1. Climate science and ambitious decarbonization goals are in…2. Climate sacrifice and austerity are out…3. Investment, not carbon pricing, is the new silver bullet…

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4. Standards and regulation are back…5. It’s not just electricity — economy-wide approaches are embraced…Finally, research gets respect…The right wing and the carbon lobby seem to be teeing up their usual [economic] attack on climate advocacy…[But] while swing voters may not prioritize climate, they love clean energy and they want more investment in America — and that’s what Democrats are offering…In many ways, the Democratic field is following the pathway blazed by California under the governorships of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown. Let the public and the legislature set broad and ambitious climate goals. Then pragmatically deploy administrative rules and incentives to test and perfect pathways toward a clean energy economy. As that economy grows in strength, it will challenge and defeat the stranglehold that fossil fuel interests have held…and create the politics for a more ambitious next round…” click here for more

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Offshore Wind Needs Local Support

New Report Argues U.S. Coastal States Must Cooperate, As Well As Compete, For a Global Offshore Wind Industry to Benefit All Americans

June 14, 2019 (Business Network for Offshore Wind)

“…[U.S. states on both coasts must] cooperate on several, important fronts to develop a winning [offshore wind] industry for the country…[Most important are] problems associated with grids and transmission lines needed to deliver ocean power to homes. Other challenges include uncertainty within the supply chain for the U.S. offshore wind industry, cost controls for ratepayers, and the limitation of certain U.S. resources, such as ports [according to a new report from an industry advocacy group. The] U.S. is on track to create an offshore wind energy marketplace exceeding 10 gigawatts by 2030...

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…[The report argues states must] cooperate to minimize public costs, share resources and globalize what the U.S. has to offer…[and] lays out a plan…During the next two decades, East Coast states and California will have over two-dozen offshore wind farms under development in various stages. Despite these ambitious plans, Europe has been way ahead of the U.S. for a much longer time. Today the U.S. has only one functioning offshore wind turbine, compared to Europe’s 4,543 grid-connected offshore wind turbines across 11 countries…” click here for more

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The Climate Crisis Is A Health Crisis

Climate crisis seriously damaging human health, report finds; National academies say effects include spread of diseases and worse mental health

Damion Carrington, 3 June 2019 (UK Guardian)

“…Scorching heatwaves and floods [driven by the climate crisis] will claim more victims as extreme weather increases but there are serious indirect effects too, from spreading mosquito-borne diseases to worsening mental health [according to a report for the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (Easac). It also found] great benefits from action to cut carbon emissions…Extreme weather such as heatwaves, floods and droughts have direct short-term impacts but also [have mental effects include post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, substance abuse and depression] in the longer term…

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The scientists were also concerned by the effect of extreme weather on food production, with studies showing a 5-25% cut in staple crop yields across the Mediterranean region in coming decades…[But] even small cuts in meat eating could lead to significant cuts in carbon emissions, as well as benefits to health…Global carbon emissions are still rising but scientists say rapid and deep cuts are needed to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels and avoid the worst impacts.” click here for more

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Electric Vehicle Sales Rise Steadily

US Plug-In Electric Car Sales Charted: May 2019; During the first five months, some 110,886 plug-in electric cars were sold, and almost 42% of them were Tesla Model 3.

Mark Kane, June 9, 2019 (Inside EVs)

“Plug-in electric car sales in the U.S. increased in May, but not that much to be satisfied with the growth rate.

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…[Data] shows 28,386 sales (confirmed or estimated), which is a 16.8% increase compared to May 2018. Market share also improved from 1.5% year ago to 1.8% now. Close to 75% of total sales fall on all-electric cars.” click here for more

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Bloomberg’s $500 Mil To Bring The End Of Carbon

Joining Forces to Fight the Climate Crisis and Move Beyond Carbon; Earthjustice and Beyond Carbon are partnering to spur a transition to 100% clean energy in communities around the country, and the world.

Abigail Dillen, June 7, 2019 (EarthJustice)

“…[Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Bloomberg Philanthropies has committed $500 million to Earthjustice’s Beyond Carbon work to] move the U.S. beyond carbon…From raging wildfires to record-breaking hurricanes, climate disasters are destroying lives, homes, and livelihoods. The window of time left to save our future is narrowing fast. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is choosing to champion dirty, expensive fossil fuels over the clean energy solutions that have emerged as an engine of sustainable prosperity…

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…[Earthjustice is] using the power of the law…[for] retiring coal plants, blocking a rush to burn more oil and gas, and tearing down roadblocks to clean energy…[and] winning these fights…Moving Beyond Carbon means building on the exciting progress that is already underway in our states, cities, and communities as we move towards zero-emissions and 100 percent clean energy…in our transportation, buildings, and manufacturing…” click here for more

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New Energy Officially Passes Coal

FERC'S Latest "Infrastructure" Report Reveals U.S. Renewable Generating Capacity Has Now Surpassed Coal!

Ken Bossong, June 10, 2019 (Sun Day)

“…U.S. electrical generating capacity by renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) has now - for the first time - surpassed that of coal…[Through April 30, 2019,] 18 ‘units’ of new wind capacity (1,545 MW) and 102 units of new solar capacity (1,473 MW) were added during the first four months of this year. Coupled with four units of new hydropower (29 MW), that was enough to push renewable energy's share of total available installed U.S. generating capacity up to 21.56%. By comparison, coal's share dropped to 21.55% (down from 23.04% a year ago)…

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[New Energy capacity is growing,] on average, a percentage point each year…The share of the nation's generating capacity provided by utility-scale solar alone has more than doubled during the past three years from 1.42% to 3.23%...[W]ind's share has increased from 6.43% to 8.25% and is now on track to surpass hydropower (8.41%) within the next few months…[B]y May 2022, proposed ‘high probability’ generation additions and retirements could result in a net increase in renewable energy capacity of 40,993 MW. By comparison, net capacity by nuclear, coal, oil, and natural gas combined could actually decline by 24 MW…” click here for more

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How To Use The Social Cost Of Carbon To Stop The Crisis

The Number With The Power To Halt The Climate Crisis; Wonky as it sounds, the social cost of carbon holds the key to crafting policies that avoid harm from greenhouse gas emissions.

Phil Davies, May 31, 2019 (Ensia)

“…[The social cost of carbon (SCC) is] a wonky number that captures the economic burden to society at a given point in the future of a metric ton of carbon dioxide released today. Because the SCC represents the economic benefit we’ll reap tomorrow by cutting CO2 emissions today, it gives us a way to put a dollar value on efforts to reduce future emissions and forestall climate change…[A number of countries, mainly in North America, have adopted the SCC as a tool for incorporating the impact of carbon into policies intended to prevent harm from climate change. Getting the SCC right — or at least agreeing on a range of values supported by the best available science — is vital to efforts to mitigate the climate crisis through regulation and market-based solutions such as carbon taxes…

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Calculating the SCC involves projecting increases in CO2 emissions due to population and economic growth, modeling the climate’s response to those emissions, and translating climatic change into expected economic damages (and benefits, in some instances) across multiple economic sectors. Because people typically value a dollar today more than a dollar tomorrow, a discount rate — typically between 2.5% and 7% annually — is applied to future damages. Discounting significantly reduces the impact, in current dollars, of damages that occur decades from now, and thus the benefits of preventing them. For example, at an annual discount rate of 3 percent, US$100 of climate damages in 2100 is worth about US$7 today…

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Many governments have set the SCC at about US$50 per metric ton of CO2 — the “central” estimate of a federal interagency working group in 2016. This figure is for emissions in 2020…But cost estimates of harm from CO2 emissions [from things like more frequent wildfires and large-scale migration] range from as little as US$1 per metric ton (a number proposed by the Trump administration) to over US$400 per metric ton — the number that emerged from a 2018 study by a team of U.S. and European researchers…Economists and climate researchers are [tapping the power of big data] to get a better handle on the SCC and make it less mysterious to regulatory analysts and policymakers…After all the revising and tweaking, the SCC is likely to remain an imperfect measure…But researchers hope to reduce that uncertainty and boost confidence in the SCC as the basis for policy aimed at avoiding the worst consequences…” click here for more

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The Boom In Battery Storage

U.S. energy storage market breaks record for megawatts deployed in a single quarter, growing 232% year-over-year

June 4, 2019 (Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Energy Storage Association)

“The United States non-residential storage market had its strongest quarter ever in Q1 2019…[and it] was also the second strongest quarter on record for the U.S. residential storage segment…Overall, Q1 2019 was the largest ever single quarter for U.S. energy storage deployments in megawatt terms, an increase of 232 percent year-over-year. The quarter was the second largest ever in megawatt-hour terms. The U.S. saw 148.8 megawatts of energy storage deployed in Q1 2019, breaking the previous megawatt record set in Q4 2018 by six percent…California once again led the U.S. storage market in Q1 2019, while Arizona, New Jersey and New York also posted strong growth.

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State level regulatory activity, such as the Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) proceeding in New York state and the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program in Massachusetts, continue to spur pipeline buildout in these states and position them for substantial growth in the next few years…Wood Mackenzie expects U.S. energy storage deployments in 2019 will be double those seen in 2018. Multiple [utility-scale] projects will come online in 2020, leading to a tripling of the market from 2019 to 2020…” click here for more

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Climate Crisis Requires Big Actions

You can't save the climate by going vegan. Corporate polluters must be held accountable. Many individual actions to slow climate change are worth taking. But they distract from the systemic changes that are needed to avert this crisis

Michael E. Mann and Jonathan Brockopp, June 3, 2019 (USA Today)

“…Personal actions, from going vegan to avoiding flying, are being touted as the primary solution to the crisis. Perhaps this is an act of desperation in an era of political division, but it could prove suicidal…This new obsession with personal action, though promoted by many with the best of intentions, plays into the hands of polluting interests by distracting us from the systemic changes that are needed…There is no way to avert the climate crisis without keeping most of our coal, oil and gas in the ground, plain and simple…Massive changes to our national energy grid, a moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure and a carbon fee and dividend (that steeply ramps up) are just some examples of visionary policies that could make a difference…

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…[T] he "Green New Deal," support it or not, has encouraged a much needed, long overdue societal conversation about these and other options for averting climate catastrophe…[But we] need a national plan of action that will include everyone…With five years of concentrated effort, we could have a supply of clean, renewable energy that is virtually inexhaustible…Focusing on policies that incentivize corporate environmental stewardship will force us to work together and cross political, racial and religious lines…[and] connect us to the rest of the world as we aim to solve a truly global problem…There is still time to avert the worst impacts of climate change, but not without immediate, collective action.” click here for more

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World’s Biggest Energy Storage Project In Utah

World’s Largest Renewable Energy Storage Project Announced in Utah

May 30, 2019 (BusinessWire via Associated Press)

“…[The Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) project in central Utah] will develop 1,000 megawatts of 100 percent clean energy storage… Strategically located adjacent to the Intermountain Power Project, the [ACES] site is positioned to integrate seamlessly with the western U.S. power grid utilizing existing infrastructure…In many parts of the western United States, there are times of day when demand for electricity is lower than the production of renewable power. This leads to curtailment of renewable generation and negative electricity pricing.

Continued deployment of renewables will require that excess power be stored for later use. To serve the needs of the entire western United States, many gigawatt-hours of storage capacity are required…[Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) and Magnum Development will initially] develop enough energy storage to completely serve the needs of 150,000 households for an entire year…[The ACES initiative will deploy four types of clean energy storage at utility scale…Renewable hydrogen…Compressed Air Energy Storage…Large scale flow batteries…[and] Solid oxide fuel cells…” click here for more

Wyoming wind energy can be stored in Utah until Southern California needs it. (click to enlarge)

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