Power Surge 8.6
Volume 8, Issue 6
November 10, 2019 – November 16, 2019
Neha Chauhan '21 | Sabrina Reguyal ‘22 | Joe Kawalec '21 | Rei Zhang ‘21 | Amy Amatya '21 | Patrick Huang ‘21
In Rhode Island, offshore wind farm emerging as popular fishing spot
November 4, 2019 | Energy News Network | Lisa Prevost
In the area close to the Broad Island Wind Farm, which is the country’s first offshore wind farm located off the coast of Rhode Island, the fishing industry appears to be thriving. Reports are that the steel bases of these large wind turbines are “encrusted with sea life,” attracting mussels and crustaceans by adding structure in an area that didn't have structure before. However, increased boat traffic from the good fishing and general interest in visiting the landmark could be placing excess stress on the local fishery. While it appears that the wind farm is good for fishing and tourism, research has not shown whether there are any negative effects of the turbines themselves on the fish. The apparent positive coexistence between the fishing industry and offshore wind farms bodes well for future offshore wind farms. -JK
First power flows from world’s biggest offshore wind turbine
November 7, 2019 | RechargeWind | Darius Snieckus
In Rotterdam, the world’s largest wind turbine, built by General Electric, has produced its first kilowatt-hour. The 12 MW turbine is called Haliade-X, and was first formally unveiled in March 2018. The turbine has the potential to produce 67GWh of power a year, which is 45% more than the current best machines. The Haliade-X features 107-meter long blades, or around 350 feet, longer than a standard American football field. John Lavelle, GE’s offshore wind CEO, called the production of this first kilowatt-hour a “critical achievement” for offshore wind technology. -RZ
Saudi Aramco Announces Plans to Go Public
November 3, 2019 | NY Times | Michael J. de la Merced and Stanley Reed
Saudi Aramco recently announced that it would be floated on the stock exchange as a public company, which would likely result in the Saudi Arabia state-owned corporation having a higher valuation than even Apple, the world's most valuable public firm. Aramco accounts for about one-tenth of the oil industry's production and generated $111 billion in net income last year. The capital gained from the selling of Aramco shares may not be directed back to company operations, but rather channeled into the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, where it will be used in part to finance renewable energy and real estate projects. Aramco is also indicating a shift away from its core oil business by investing in research and development in areas such as materials and chemicals. Despite what will certainly be a monumental initial public offering due to Aramco’s near term profitability, the future viability of its business contains more unknowns. -PH
An Indian Nuclear Power Plant Suffered a Cyberattack. Here’s What You Need to Know.
November 4, 2019 | The Washington Post | Debak Das
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) confirmed this week that there was a cyberattack on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), India’s largest nuclear power plant, in September. Although it was noticed on September 4 by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, officials at KKNPP initially stated that an attack had not occurred and that such an event was impossible. Further investigation by VirusTotal, a virus scanning website owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, found that a large amount of data from the administrative network has been stolen, meaning that the plant’s critical systems are more vulnerable to subsequent cyberattacks. The consequences for such attacks could lead to sabotage, theft of nuclear materials, and in the worst-case scenario, a reactor meltdown. Further implications are that the NPCIL is ignorant of the vulnerability of Indian nuclear power plants, which is concerning given recent increases in cyberattacks between India and Pakistan and a low threshold for military escalation between the two countries. -SR
California Blackouts Highlight the Importance of a Balanced Energy Mix
November 4, 2019 | Forbes | David Blackmon
The recent California wildfires have renewed conversations on the need for a renewable energy transition in America. While some say that California, a state with a high energy demand, demonstrates the need for reliable energy that might not yet be found in renewables, others argue for balancing our energy mix with more renewable energy (or, at the very least, natural gas). An unbalanced mix means that the grid is overwhelmed by a single source of power and becomes vulnerable, as seen in California’s wildfires. The fires have only strengthened climate change’s presence in the energy transition conversation: by seeking a green energy transition, we also target the worst of climate change, such as increasing wildfire occurrence. -AA