Volume 11, Issue 2
March 1, 2021 – March 8, 2021
Amy Amatya '21 | Rei Zhang ‘21 | Ben Buchovecky ‘23 | Joe Kawalec '21 | Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Neha Chauhan ‘21 | Zihan Lin '23 | Sunay Joshi ‘24
Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm confirmed as energy secretary
February 25th, 2021 | NBC News | The Associated Press
Jennifer Granholm, Biden’s nomination for the position of Secretary of Energy, received an official Senate confirmation on Thursday, February 25th. Granholm, as the former governor of Michigan, is expected to mediate the transition from an economy reliant on fossil fuels to one that uses more renewable and clean energy technologies. She especially draws upon her experience with job losses and economic effects from the 2008 recession in her promotion of industry shifts and diversification to electric vehicles and battery manufacturing. She was confirmed by a vote of 64-35. -RZ
Creating Equity in Energy for People of Color
February 23, 2021 | Department of Energy
Shalanda Baker, the new Department of Energy’s deputy director for Energy Justice appointee, hopes to use the newly-established role to address clean energy accessibility among the country’s most vulnerable communities. Her dream of a just grid comes from experiences she shared with indigenous communities in Mexico and Hawaii fighting for energy sovereignty. Working toward an ‘equitable energy future’ looks like including local residents—especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous residents— in decision-making processes, providing structured environmental education, and democratizing the benefits of clean energy through targeted incentivization. The appointment represents a step toward centering both environmental and human well-being in policy matters. -AA
Renewable energy listed for first time as one of Australia's top infrastructure priorities
February 25, 2021 | Guardian Energy | Paul Karp
In response to changing infrastructure needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Infrastructure Australia released 44 new infrastructure proposals totaling $59 billion on its priority list. The proposals focus on connecting regional and remote Australia, advancing digitization, innovating services, and addressing environmental concerns. Among these priorities are energy initiatives that call for the expansion of existing renewable energy zones and the development of dispatchable energy storage. One priority that is setting foot in Australia’s energy market in the next five years is the production of hydrogen infrastructure, which has attracted interest for its net zero carbon emission. These changes are deemed essential for replacing thermal energy facilities. Without new storage, energy cannot be dispatched on command in the case of an outage. In the coming decades, robust energy storage capacities will be important in supporting the transition to the new electricity mix in Australia. - ZL
China accounts for half of last year’s offshore wind installations
February 25, 2021 | CNBC | Anmar Frangoul
In 2020, the world added approximately 6 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity, with China contributing over half of the installations. The new data published by the Global Wind Energy Council’s market intelligence unit shows that China installed 3.06 GW—well ahead of the 1.5 GW installed by its closest competitor, the Netherlands. In comparison, the US only installed 12 megawatts, even as offshore wind expanded along the East Coast. The Global Wind Energy Council attributes this growth to the relatively low impact of COVID-19 on China’s offshore wind sector. Still, the UK remains on top with the most cumulative installations at 10.3 GW of capacity, but China’s rapid expansion to just under 10 GW this past year could indicate change in the global offshore wind sector. This comes just 5 months after President Xi’s UN address charted China on a path to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. -BB
Electricity can be transmitted through the air
February 25, 2021 | The Economist
The Auckland-based firm Emrod and Powerco in New Zealand are working to realize Nikola Tesla’s vision for a system to send energy through the air. ‘Power-beaming’ involves transmitting energy as a narrow beam of microwaves, but has primarily been used for military applications in outer space. Emrod will start by sending a few kilowatts of energy over a distance of 1.8 km, and gradually increase this power and distance by improving efficiency with relays and metamaterials. Relays refocus the microwave beam and can even steer it. Metamaterials composed of small amounts of conductive metals and insulating plastics can be used in receiving antennas to convert the energy into electricity. TransferFi in Singapore, PowerLight Technologies in the United States, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan are also making plans to build air transmission systems for electricity. -NC
It looks like the Batmobile, works on solar energy, and could be the future of cars
February 25, 2021 | The Washington Post | Sarah Kaplan and Aaron Steckelberg
When trying to create cars that run on solar power, companies face numerous problems, including the inevitable change of day to night and subsequent loss of sunlight to keep the car going. Aptera Motors, a start-up in California, approached these issues and is releasing their three-wheel, ultra-aerodynamic electric vehicle into the world this year as the first mass-produced solar car. Through the creation of a car that runs on solar power, they also came across problems of energy efficiency and sustainable design. The article goes into creatively animated detail about facets of their design, including measures taken to reduce drag and friction. -JK