Volume 8, Issue 2
September 29, 2019 – October 5, 2019
Neha Chauhan '21 | Sabrina Reguyal ‘22 | Joe Kawalec '21 | Rei Zhang ‘21 | Amy Amatya '21 | Patrick Huang ‘21
Nuclear energy too slow, too expensive to save climate: report
September 23, 2019 | Reuters | Marton Dunai, Geert De Clercq
This year’s edition of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) came out this week. It concludes that nuclear power is no longer competitive enough to combat climate change, both in terms of cost and capacity. The WNISR estimates that levelized costs -- a calculation that takes into account the entire lifetime of a plant -- have increased by 23% over the past decade, while for utility-scale solar and wind, it has dropped by 88% and 69%. The average construction time for reactors worldwide is estimated as a bit less than 10 years, which the report’s authors argue is too slow to achieve carbon reduction goals. In considering this article, it is important to note that author Mycle Schneider is aprominent anti-nuclear scientist and activist. Furthermore, the International Energy Agency warned this May that the pending decline in nuclear energy output will endanger climate goals, as advanced economies could lose 25% of their nuclear capacity by 2025. -SR
First gas station in America to ditch oil for 100% electric vehicle charging opens in Maryland
September 26, 2019 | CNBC | Jacob Douglas
In Takoma Park, Maryland, a big step has been taken towards switching from petroleum-powered cars to electric vehicles (EVs) by RS Automotives, a local gas station open since 1958 that is switching to exclusively electric charging. The owner of the station, Depeswar Doley, considered this transition as an alternative to the way that oil and gas companies structure contracts. Maryland already has over 20,700 registered EVs and an electric taxi service, so the arrival of this electric charging station could further encourage EV use. As Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan puts it, “This fully converted gas-to-electric charging station is a prime example of our administration’s commitment to the environment and transportation.” -JK
Southern State Energy Officials Celebrate Fossil Fuels as World Raises Climate Alarm
September 26, 2019 | Inside Climate News | James Bruggers
At the same time as the United Nations Climate Summit, a very different meeting of the Southern States Energy Board was occurring in Kentucky. The Board’s stated mission is to "enhance economic development and the quality of life in the South through innovations in energy and environmental policies." Speakers at the conference doubted “mainstream” climate science and pledged their support of fossil fuels and emitting carbon dioxide. Attendees, from state and federal agencies to fossil fuel industry representatives, were united by their shared goal to ease oil, gas, and coal regulations while the presidential administration is in favor of further deregulation. The meeting was heavily shaped by, and reflected the views of, Governor Bevin of Kentucky; he denies that climate change is a real phenomenon and is dismissive of alarm over climate change. -RZ
New ways to make vertical farming stack up
August 31, 2019 | The Economist
The concept of vertical farming involves growing produce on stacked, modular layers, often in a controlled environment so that less energy and other resources are used in the agricultural process. While traditional greenhouses use natural sunlight for lighting, vertical farms, especially in urban areas where compactness is important, typically rely on LEDs. Intelligent Growth Solutions, a company based in Scotland, has reduced the energy demand of its vertical farming towers by adjusting the wavelengths of light that LEDs emit so that photosynthesis and plant growth is optimized for different crops. This and other processes, according to the company, allow the towers to achieve greater yield compared to other greenhouses with the same amount of growing space and similar energy costs. These developments may increase access to fresh food and do so in a resource efficient manner. -PH
Utilities’ Big Promises on CO₂ Questioned by Analysts
September 25, 2019 | Scientific American | Benjamin Storrow
With the surge in corporations pledging to lower emissions in response to increasing public pressure, some climate analysts are growing skeptical that companies will act on these promises. The list of companies has recently grown to include Duke, American Energy Provider, and NRG - all of which are within the top ten largest carbon-emitting companies. These companies have made plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, a figure that aligns with climate research done on the level of reduction needed to prevent uncontrollable warming. However, most of them also have plans to run coal plants until 2040. Pressures on coal have led them to turn to another fossil fuel, natural gas. In the end, in order to begin to hope for neutral emissions by 2050, companies need to phase out - not replace - their fossil fuel use, starting now. -AA