Power Surge 10.8

Volume 10, Issue 8
November 23, 2020 – November 29, 2020
Neha Chauhan '21 | Sabrina Reguyal ‘22 | Joe Kawalec '21 | Rei Zhang ‘21 | Amy Amatya '21 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Marie Li ‘23 | Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Casey Conrad ‘21 | Christopher Ferrigine ‘21

Idaho is top pick for Energy Department nuclear test reactors
November 19, 2020 | AP News | Keith Ridler

Boise, Idaho, will soon usher in a new energy production era by housing the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR). The VTR is a test reactor for the newest nuclear power generating unit. Commissioned by the United States Department of Energy, the test reactor has some controversy: while it has a “fast-neutron-spectrum” capability — essentially producing energy faster than older models — some scientists denounce the generator as more dangerous than existing nuclear generators. The Idaho National Laboratory, where the unit will be held, is a large complex (890 square miles) and has an in-house nuclear research laboratory. The project is part of the United States government’s effort to increase energy independence and have a diverse energy portfolio. -CC

A Warning From The United Kingdom: Renewable Energy May Not Suffice
November 5, 2020 | Forbes | Ellen Wald

The storage of renewable energy has increasingly become of paramount importance when transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy reliance, with the United Kingdom (UK) serving as a prime example. The UK currently derives more energy from renewable sources than fossil fuel-related sources. On November 3rd, an “electricity margin notice” was issued that meant there was a risk of an energy blackout for the following day. The cause for concern was due to a cold, calm air mass flowing into the UK, causing both an increased need for electricity and significantly less wind for the country’s offshore and onshore wind farms. Due to multiple gas and nuclear power plants undergoing scheduled maintenance, old coal-powered plants had to be fired up to make up the energy deficit. After reviewing the UK energy situation, it’s evident that 100 percent renewable energy dependence must incorporate batteries on larger scales than currently available to avoid the blackout potential. If this level of battery implementation is not available, different fuel sources, such as natural gas, must be ready at a large scale to be utilized in instances of unreliability. -CC

Photographs by Walker Pickering

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How President Biden Can Clean Up the Power Sector
November 18, 2020 | Natural Resources Defense Council | David Doniger & Ben Longstreth

The pursuit of clean energy is central to President-elect Biden’s plans for our country’s battle against climate change. The Natural Resources Defense Council identifies five actions the Biden administration can use to frame its cleanup of the power sector: (1) update and aggressively pursue existing pollutant and emission standards, (2) promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and grid modernization through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Department of Energy (DOE), and Department of the Interior (DOI), (3) work with Congress to invest in a clean energy economy, (4) follow through with Biden’s plans of contributing 40 percent of clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities, and (5) pass a clean energy standard that progressively increases percentages of clean energy that utilities must deliver to their consumers. -AA

Nevada Question 6 Election Results: Require Utilities to Use Renewable Energy
November 5, 2020 | New York Times

On Election Day, Nevada voters passed a ballot initiative amending their state constitution to require utilities to generate at least 50 percent of their energy from renewables by 2030. This constitutional amendment, which cannot be as easily removed by subsequent governments, upholds a previous bill signed by Governor Steve Sisolak in 2019. The ballot passed with 56.6 percent approval, or with 639,652 yays and 491,960 nays. -RZ

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Solar power stations in space could be the answer to our energy needs
November 19, 2020 | Tech Xplore | Amanda Jane Hughes, Stefania Soldini, The Conservation

Originally developed by Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in the 1920s, the concept of space-based solar power stations has the potential to become a reality as the European Space Agency begins to look into such a project. Space-based solar power could produce solar energy 24 hours a day compared to solar farms on the ground which are only able to produce energy when the sun is shining. However, a key challenge for this vision is one of assembling and deploying such a structure – solutions might be to use lightweight materials and program smaller satellites to come together in space. Another major challenge is transmitting the energy back to Earth. Researchers at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have already tried tackling this issue, showing how the scientific community is working on this project across the globe. -JK

Artist impression of a solar disk in space. Image source: NASA

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New initiative, EnergyTag, allows energy users to verify the source of their energy every hour
November 19, 2020 | AltEnergyMag | AltEnergyMag

EnergyTag, a new nonprofit energy information initiative, recently launched on November 19th. It aims to provide electricity users with the ability to receive hourly updates about the source of their energy, along with emissions data. The founders aim to establish these energy certificates as a new industry standard that will help encourage traceability and speed up the switch to renewables. With backers from industry leaders such as Google, Accenture, OVO Energy, Ørsted, and Windtag, among others, EnergyTag hopes to establish a new market for energy certificates. -RZ

Increase in burning of plastic 'driving up emissions from waste disposal'
November 16, 2020 | The Guardian | Sandra Laville

A coalition of campaigners in the UK consisting of Extinction Rebellion’s zero waste group, Friends of the Earth, the UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN), Greenpeace, and the MP John Cruddas wrote an open letter to the prime minister to advocate for decarbonization in the waste disposal sector by 2035. Expansion of energy-from-waste incineration has led to increased emissions and is likely to interfere with the UK’s plan of net zero emission by 2050. In 2018-19, 43.8 percent of the waste collected was burnt. Yet its net contribution to electricity production is minute compared to that of other sources. In the meantime, 50 other incinerators are either planned or in development. The burning of these wastes, primarily plastic, in incinerators built by 2030 can contribute to 10 million tons of CO2 emission per year. As the letter addresses, the UK must slowly abandon practices of waste disposal that are inconsistent with the Paris Agreement and its goal to decarbonize the economy. -ZL

Power Surge 10.7

Volume 10, Issue 7
November 2, 2020 – November 8, 2020
Neha Chauhan '21 | Sabrina Reguyal ‘22 | Joe Kawalec '21 | Rei Zhang ‘21 | Amy Amatya '21 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Marie Li ‘23 | Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Casey Conrad ‘21 | Christopher Ferrigine ‘21

How the Virus Slowed the Booming Wind Energy Business
October 26, 2020 | New York Times | Ivan Penn

The EDF’s (Environmental Defense Fund’s) $374 million project of installing 99 wind turbines in southern Nebraska was struck by the pandemic in early April. All hopes to complete the project by the end of 2020 were shattered by the persisting pandemic, which has infected many of the workers. At the same time, the project’s cost is expected to increase and threaten its financial viability due to the delay. Moreover, government funded incentives may not apply if the project is postponed for too long. A loss of workers not only affected those on site but also the availability of project components as suppliers also halted their operations in response to the surge in COVID cases. The pandemic and other challenges associated with the upcoming winter leave executives uncertain about meeting the project deadline. The continuous growth of the wind power industry is falling victim to coronavirus like every other business around the world. -ZL

Photographs by Walker Pickering

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World’s First Ocean Hybrid Platform Converts Tidal Waves Into Energy
October 28, 2020 | IEEE Spectrum | Qusi Alqarqaz

Sinn Power, a German start-up, has built the world’s first ocean hybrid platform in Heraklion, Greece. Phillip Sinn, the founder, says the platform harnesses wave, wind, and solar energy to provide from eighty kilowatts of power to houses to up to two megawatts to industrial facilities. In this case, open-ocean power is complicated by the need to shield sensitive components from water. Sinn Power is still testing the structure, but Sinn highlights the interest his product has attracted from numerous investors as a sign of the potential of ocean-energy projects. - RZ

Conceptual rendering of the platform, from Sinn Power

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Oil, Gas Vs. Clean Energy: Which Will Have Best Jobs In The Future?
October 26, 2020 | Forbes | Jim Magill

The energy jobs of tomorrow are currently big questions in the energy industry, as a major transformation from fossil fields to clean energy looms on the horizon. Most experts agree that this transition is inevitable, but the time-scale of large-scale changes can vary from as early as 2030 as proposed by the Green New Deal to by 2050 when many nations have committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions. One recent study found that occupations in clean energy are likely to come with better benefits than jobs across the private sector, and to have pay competitive with that in the fossil fuel industry. However, another study that surveyed energy-related construction trade workers found that participants generally perceived better skill development, benefits, and opportunities in the oil and gas industry. The need for a stable and steady job will be an important factor in the transition of the energy industry, especially considering the recent economic downturn. -JK

These Zombies Threaten the Whole Planet
October 30, 2020 | New York Times | Alec Jacobson

Canada’s zombie wells – oil drilling sites that have been inactive but not dismantled – continue to contaminate the landscape and its people with noxious fumes and toxic chemicals. Nearly 100,000 zombie wells intersperse a country struggling to meet its climate goals. Sites that have been inactive for over a decade persist due to pushback from the oil industry: wells that have been long decommissioned are allowed to be suspended indefinitely rather than removed, and suspension mechanisms can be as simple as leakage-prone rubber plugs and valves. Canada’s rural and farming communities end up bearing the brunt of this contamination. The result is companies’ and governments’ enacting climate violence against the poor, a reflection of the fact that we have a long ways to go in our global pursuits of climate stability, energy transition, and environmental equity. -AA

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Emissions and Coal Have Peaked as Covid-19 Saves 2.5 Years of Emissions, Accelerates Energy Transition
October 27, 2020 | Bloomberg NEF | Veronika Henze

According to Bloomberg NEF’s 2020 investigative report and model, greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector have peaked and are on a clear downward trend for the future. From COVID-19 alone, global emissions are down 8 percent. These impressive predictions are based on expanding solar and wind-powered projects globally, which together will account for more than half of global electricity by mid-century. In China and India, it is modeled that energy derived from coal-fired power plants will peak before 2030. Even given these predictions, the model estimates 3.3 degrees Celsius warming by 2100. A lower warming future is possible further investments and resources are devoted to wind and solar power, electric vehicle adoption, low carbon heating systems, and zero-carbon fuels. To stay below the Paris Agreement target of 2 degrees Celsius by 2100, emissions would need to decrease by 6 percent annually. Between $78 and $130 trillion would need to be invested by 2050 in order to have fully renewable global electricity, manufacturing, storing, and transportation sectors. Hydrogen fuel is a leading candidate in the low carbon transition, though it is still in developmental stages. Time will tell if these predictions hold true in the near future. -CC