Volume 11, Issue 3
March 8, 2021 – March 14, 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
AP Interview: DOE reviving loan program, Granholm says
March 3, 2021 | Associated Press | Matthew Daly
Jennifer Granholm, the new Energy Secretary, recently announced that the Biden administration plans to reinstate a loan program for renewable energy companies. The loan program was previously used to provide billions of dollars in loan guarantees for companies like Tesla, an electric car manufacturer, and Solyndra, a solar company that failed to come to market; it helped launch some of America’s first wind and solar utilities under President Obama, but remained largely unutilized under President Trump. President Biden plans to revive this loan plan as part of his agenda to create more “green jobs” and increase investment in clean energy. Granholm predicts that up to $40 billion dollars will be available for clean-energy projects. -RZ
The Shift to Renewable Energy Can Give More Power to the People
March 4, 2021 | The New Yorker | Bill McKibbenn
There is tension between the land requirements for scaling up renewable energy, and nature-lovers who don’t want wind turbines and solar farms to obstruct their view. “Not in my backyard,” NIMBY for short, is traditionally associated with local communities fighting against unwelcome industrial pollutants and development projects. However, the philosophy is gaining traction in a new, unfortunate context: to stall progress on renewable energy projects needed in the fight against climate change. One proposed response to the local pushback against renewables is to follow Germany’s lead in encouraging community participation and ownership in development projects. The challenge, then, is giving this power to the people in a world where power is increasingly limited to corporate hands. -AA
Energy Companies Reluctantly Embrace Carbon Pricing
March 3, 2021 | Scientific American | Corbin Hiar
Oil and gas companies, who have long been fiercely opposed to carbon tax policies, are starting to ease their stances. The change in opinions came to light last week during the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference, an annual energy conference organized by the Texas company. While most oil and gas companies have investments in renewables, carbon capture storage, and other clean technology, the push for carbon pricing comes from European oil companies like Repsol SA. But although commitments to clean energy appeal to many, especially on the political left, it is uncertain who will be paying for this switch. “At the end, the whole story about setting a carbon price or border tax adjustment is how to pass the cost of decarbonization to the final user of energy,” Luis Cabra, deputy CEO of Repsol SA, said. -RB
Texas officials are investigating outrageous energy bills in storm price surge
February 20, 2021 | CNN | Konstantin Toropin and Shannon Liao
A recent deep freeze in Texas created life-threatening conditions and left some with the stress of overwhelming increases in their energy bills. Millions of homes in the state lost power due to the winter storm, and the governor is now convening an emergency meeting to investigate the situation. The Public Utility Commission of Texas is also looking into why so many homes lost power. A lack of energy supply created extraordinarily high bills for some; energy usage pricing is determined by the grid supply and demand at any given time.The Railroad Commission of Texas aims to keep natural gas flow into the state high to avoid this situation from occurring again. -NC
Why Bioenergy Matters In Our Future Sustainable Energy System
March 1, 2021 | Forbes | Nils Rokke
The importance of biomass for energy production is a debated topic, with the truth behind its climate neutrality often bogged down in facts repeated out of context. A recent report has called for an honest discussion surrounding the sustainability of woody-based bioenergy, which is created through the burning of plant matter and can be used to generate electricity. This is an important step towards considering all options for our future energy system. Even though biomass combustion appears to be a “trendy” solution, the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) is a leading voice claiming that it is bad for the climate. The truth behind its carbon dioxide emissions and effect on deforestation will hopefully be clarified as policies work to nail down sustainable practices and regulations for woody biomass as bioenergy. -JK
'It's gigantic': Battery storage grows exponentially
March 4, 2021 | E&E News | Corbin Hiar
The energy storage industry grew rapidly in 2020, adding nearly 2.2 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy storage systems in just the fourth quarter. This rate of growth outpaced the previous record-high quarter by 182%, according to the energy consultant firm Wood Mackenzie. Energy storage systems play a crucial role in supporting renewable energy. Wind and solar energy is usually intermittent, which means that optimal periods for energy generation often do not overlap with peak demand. With greater energy storage capacity, wind or solar energy can be stored when supply exceeds demand and then drawn on when needed. Last month, a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recognized the importance of energy storage in the path towards net zero carbon emissions in the U.S. Wood Mackenzie also projects energy storage growth in Texas after the recent power outages devastated the state. -BB
Open AI Energy Initiative Partnership Formed
February 26, 2021 | AutomationWorld | David Miller
Shell is already investing in advanced technology to improve sustainability. Its systems still face a major issue, however: downtime caused by outdated software. To address this, Shell recently partnered with 3 companies to optimize operations with AI. Baker Hughes specializes in energy technology, Microsoft offers cloud services, and C3 AI provides AI services. The resulting Open AI Initiative (OAI) provides an open set of AI tools for the energy industry and beyond. -SJ