Power Surge 8.7

Volume 8, Issue 7
November 17, 2019 – November 23, 2019
Neha Chauhan '21 | Sabrina Reguyal ‘22 | Joe Kawalec '21 | Rei Zhang ‘21 | Amy Amatya '21 | Patrick Huang ‘21

A Third of All Americans Live Somewhere That Will Use 100% Green Energy
November 14, 2019 | Forbes | Ken Silverstein
With a dozen states and 200 cities and counties committing to 100% green energy, the clean energy movement is getting most of its traction at the local level. Kelly Trumbull, project manager at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, noted the “bipartisan support for clean energy” at the local level and how it “transcends political boundaries.” For example, California has more than 65 cities and counties powered by 100% carbon-free energy and Hawaii passed the nation’s first green law in 2015, with other states currently following in their footsteps. Six investor-owned utilities have also set 100% clean energy or carbon-free targets, boding well for a clean energy transition in the industrial sector. Still, this is not an easy change and prices for these utilities can be expensive, so smart policy-making is necessary for introducing clean energy in new areas. -JK

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America is Now the World’s Top Oil Producer, but Cracks are Emerging
November 7, 2019 | CNN | John Defeterios
In less than a decade, shale exploitation has pushed the U.S. to become the No. 1 oil producer in the world. Much of this comes from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, which is responsible for ⅓ of the country’s output. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) recently predicted that the shale boom will only continue to increase. The gradual movement toward independence in crude oil has had profound effects on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, as seen in President Trump’s reluctance to deploy troops to protect crude flow. We also see the beginnings of vulnerabilities in the U.S. oil market, with downsizing and 200 shale bankruptcies happening in the last four years. -AA

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More Cracks Appear in the Iran Nuclear Deal as Iranian Relations with the West Worsen
The past week has been quite pessimistic with regards to the maintenance of the Iran Nuclear Deal, a process which was kickstarted in May 2018 when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the accord and imposed renewed sanctions on Iran. The 2015 deal was originally designed to reduce sanctions and keep Tehran one year away from creating an atomic bomb. On November 10, 2019, Iran began constructing a second nuclear reactor at the Bushehr power plant, with a third reactor planned in the near future. Iran began enriching uranium to 4.5% in order to supply Bushehr although the deal limits it to 3.67%. Then, on November 11, 2019, the IAEA reported that Iran began refining uranium at Fordow, a location built in a mountain to protect it from aerial attacks and hidden from U.N. inspectors until 2009. The Iran Nuclear Deal had banned enrichment and nuclear materials at that site. Finally, on November 12, 2019, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to EU pressure to stick to the deal with a sharp rebuff, arguing that its critics had not upheld their own commitments during the past 18 months.” -SR

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Formula 1 launches a plan to become carbon neutral by 2030
November 12, 2019 | The BBC | Andrew Benson
Formula 1, the auto racing sport, has often been criticized for its high carbon emissions. To address these criticisms, Formula 1 has published a plan to become carbon neutral by 2030. The sport calculated that it has to offset 256,551 tons of carbon yearly, not including travel by fans. It plans to address this carbon reduction goal through a combination of planting more trees and carbon capture. Formula 1 plans to immediately begin carbon reduction projects to start moving towards this goal. These projects include studying the thermal efficiency of F1 engines, requiring a certain percentage of biofuels to be used in races, and addressing waste at their races. By 2025, the industry plans to make all events sustainable by eliminating single-use plastics and ensuring reuse, recycling, or composting of all waste. -RZ

EU Bank Takes ‘Quantum Leap’ to End Fossil-Fuel Financing
November 14, 2019 | Bloomberg | Ewa Krukowska
The European Investment Bank, a public financial institution whose shareholders are the European Union’s member states, has agreed to enact a new energy policy supporting clean renewable energy while drastically raising the bar on fossil fuels, including natural gas. By 2021, the bank will not consider financing projects that exceed the emissions threshold of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour. As a result, any projects that plan to burn fossil fuels will need to implement technologies that significantly mitigate carbon emissions. Despite some hesitation from Germany and other central European countries that support financing for natural gas projects, this new development is another major part of the initiatives the EU is taking to uphold the commitments made at the 2015 Paris Agreement and combat climate change. -PH

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

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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

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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

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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