Power Surge 11.3

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

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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

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 '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

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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

Power Surge 11.2

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

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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

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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

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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