Volume 11, Issue 8
April 19, 2021 – April 25, 2021
Rei Zhang ‘21 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Joe Kawalec ‘21 | Riti Bhandarkar ‘23
This century-old technology could be the key to unlocking America’s renewable energy future
April 14th, 2021 | Popular Science | James Dinneen
Pumped storage hydro may be the key to meeting renewable power goals for a region in Oregon, for which wind farms and solar arrays might not provide enough continued energy. Through this technology, surplus energy from the grid is used to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher one, and then the flows are released back into the lower reservoir to generate electricity by means of a hydroelectric turbine. Pumped storage hydro currently accounts for a large portion of America’s energy storage capacity but other projects than the one currently being considered for Oregon will be needed to support grids across the country. It has been decades since new pumped hydro systems have been built in the U.S. due to concerns (such as costs), but recent focus on a low-carbon future could reinvigorate efforts. -JK
China ‘must shut 600 coal-fired plants’ to hit climate target
April 14, 2021 | Guardian Energy | Fiona Harvey
China’s coal consumption has been a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emission. In an effort to spur economic growth after the pandemic, plans for new coal-fired power plants have been developed. However, the country cannot meet its 2060 net zero goal if it does not shut down 600 coal-fired plants in the next 10 years. Findings suggest that China could save money in both short and long term if the coal-fired power plants are replaced with renewable energy. According to the company TransitionZero, wind and solar power are currently cheaper than coal power. Additionally, the switch can remedy many of the country’s issues such as significant air pollution and water shortage in central Chinese regions. For China, “‘climate action and economic growth go hand in hand.’” - ZL
New England’s solar growth is creating tension over who pays for grid upgrades
April 5, 2021 | Energy News Network | Lisa Prevost
Despite strong incentives for the addition of solar energy projects to the Rhode Island and Massachusetts electricity grids, costs have emerged as a limiting factor. As transmission line interconnections are added to bring solar onto an aging grid, developers are forced to pay up front for the full infrastructure costs. Frank Epps, the CEO of Energy Development Partners, said that interconnection charges for new projects have grown from $80,000-$120,000 per megawatt to more than $400,000 per megawatt. The huge barriers to entry into the market expose the major underinvestment on the part of the federal government in essential infrastructure and the electricity grid.- RB
Facebook Hits 100% Renewable Energy Target
April 15, 2021 | Environment + Energy Leader | Paul Nastu
Facebook recently announced that they had reached a goal of using 100% renewable energy to support its operations; these sources of renewable energy come from wind and solar energy investments totaling more than $8 billion, across 18 states and five countries. Facebook continues to set a moving target of continuing to remain 100% renewable, even with company growth. Over the past three years, Facebook has also reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 94%; it plans to also aim for net zero emissions across its own operations and its supply chain. - RZ