Power Surge 13.7

Volume 13 Issue 7
April 4, 2022 – April 10, 2022
Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Sunay Joshi ‘24 | Freddy Hernandez ‘25 | Michael Tsai ‘25 | Jackson Lichtenberger ‘25 | Wilder Crosier ‘25

Biden Will Tap Oil Reserve, Hoping to Push Gasoline Prices Down

March 30, 2022 | The New York Times | Clifford Krauss and Michael D. Shear

President Biden announced Thursday that he would be releasing one million barrels of oil a day for 180 days from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the latest step in the administration's efforts to tamp down high gas prices. The decision is not expected to be a complete solution to the energy crisis stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, since Russia was exporting roughly three million barrels a day beforehand, but it is expected to help. Energy experts say that oil prices will continue to remain high given the uncertainty of the war if no similarly large price-reduction plans as this are put into effect.   - JL

Methane-Eating Bacteria Convert Potent Greenhouse Gas Into Usable Fuel

March 22, 2022 | SciTechDaily | Northwestern University 

Methanotrophic bacteria is known for its ability to convert the potent greenhouse gas methane into usable fuels. Yet, little has been revealed about the underlying mechanisms. To unravel this mystery, a team of Northwestern University researchers delved into the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion from methane to methanol called methane monooxygenase. Understanding the structure of the enzyme, the transport of methane and methanol to and away from the active, and the role of copper in the reaction will enable bioengineering designs for scaling up the process. More information can be found in their paper published in Science: “Recovery of particulate methane monooxygenase structure and activity in a lipid bilayer.” -ZL 

Can we stop wind turbine blades ending up in landfill?

March 29, 2022 | Financial Times | Esan Swan

Wind power, the fourth largest source of energy in the U.S., is clean and reliable– but it has a recycling problem. After a wind turbine’s 20-to-30-year lifespan, most of its materials can be repurposed for other applications. Until recently, however, the blades, made up of a blend of carbon fiber, epoxy resin, and glass, could not be recycled. Last year, the German-Spanish manufacturer Siemens Gamesa launched a new blade made with a resin that can be separated from the other materials, allowing them to be recycled into boats or cars. The innovation brings us one step closer to zero-waste, zero-emissions energy production. -AC

Global wind and solar growth on track to meet climate targets

March 30, 2022 | Reuters

Independent climate think tank Ember, released a report on Wednesday that claimed renewable energy generation is on track to limit global warming to 1.5 C, using data at the end of 2021. According to the report, global solar power production increased by 23% and wind power also grew by 14%. Solar and wind power accounted for 10.3% of total global energy production, up from 9.3% in 2020. The growth was unequally distributed, however. The Netherlands, Australia, and Vietnam had the fastest growing renewable energy sectors, quickly switching about 10% of their energy production from natural gas to renewable sources. However, coal-fired power plants also increased growth significantly, expanding by 9% to accommodate 59% of the total rise in energy demand. - AJ

Green Growth 50: Learning From Companies Boosting Profits While Cutting Emissions

Nov 6th, 2021 | Forbes | Isabel Contreras and Christopher Helman

Forbes’ Green Growth 50 list is suggesting a watershed moment for private companies in cutting emissions. A major player, eBay, ranked no.11 on the list has emphasized its company’s business model on a circular economy. In addition to finding a new home for your childhood toys, the company has strived to cut down its emissions from its data centers. For the past five years, it has achieved the goal of cutting emissions by thirty percent. This is further echoed by the no.1 company Aptar, a precision medicine biotech company, which is able to achieve “80% disposal avoidance,” a significant feat in an industry defined by medical waste. Additionally, an echoing sentiment among the executives is that the sustainability efforts are consumer-driven instead of incentivized by governments. -MT

Climate Change is making pollen season even worse across the country

March 29th, 2022 | The Washington Post | Kasha Patel

Pollen allergies, for those who already have it bad, have only intensified. According to allergen practitioner Stanley Fineman, pollen season has appeared to begin earlier and come stronger over these past four decades. Lately, he has prescribed his patients with allergies to begin medication as early as Valentines Day. The cause for this? Climate change, and the increase in pollen concentrations will only get worse. Atmospheric scientist Allison Steiner, along with other scientists, agree the rise in global temperatures only drives an earlier growing season. Although different areas of the world will experience their own specific severity of pollen, these circumstances ultimately affect all those with allergies to some degree. A 200% increase in total pollen is expected by the end of the century in the United States, according to Steiner at the most extreme case. This only showcases the importance of climate policy, for these consequences are migatable. For now, Steiner and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration plan on producing a pollen forecast model to assist and advise patients. -FH

Environmental Groups Pressure Bitcoin Community to Lower Energy Use

March 29, 2022 | The Wall Street Journal | Paul Vigna

Environmental groups are advocating for changes to the code underlying Bitcoin. Advocates 

believe that the high amounts of energy required to verify transactions on the blockchain are contributing too much to climate change, and that the Bitcoin network should scrap this “proof of work” mechanism. A group of 250 companies support this transition via the Crypto Climate Accord. It is estimated that the Bitcoin network uses over 134 terawatt hours of energy per year, more than the entire country of Norway. Making the transition away from the current mechanism will be a challenge, as the open-source code can only be changed with the agreement of almost all users on the network. - SJ

Power Surge 13.6

Volume 13 Issue 6
March 28, 2022 – April 3, 2022
Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Sunay Joshi ‘24 | Wilder Crosier ‘25 | Freddy Hernandez ‘25 | Michael Tsai ‘25 | Jackson Lichtenberger ‘25

Koch Industries, Built on Oil, Bets Big on U.S. Batteries

March 22, 2022 | The Wall Street Journal | Amrith Ramkumar

Koch Industries’ investment arm has poured at least $750 million into a range of companies involved in battery manufacturing in the US. This marks a significant change from the CEO’s past stances on energy and the environment. Koch is an oil and gas company, and for years it has lobbied against environmental regulations. Although battery companies have recently been struggling amidst global turmoil, Koch has reiterated its commitment to its investments. Companies in its portfolio include Li-Cycle Holdings Corp., Solid Power Inc., and Aspen Aerogels. – SJ

Rich countries must stop producing oil and gas by 2034, says study

March 21, 2022 | The Guardian | Matthew Taylor 
A study conducted recently by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Manchester University found that wealthy countries must halt all oil and gas production by 2034. Furthermore, this ambitious goal will only give humanity a 50% chance to prevent a 1.5°C temperature rise. For poorer countries with heavy reliance on fossil fuels, the study suggests that this halt can happen by 2050 without devastating their economy. The study quantifies the timeline for different countries by categorizing countries according to their capacity and average non-oil GDP. For the US and Saudi Arabia, the deadlines are 2034 and 2039, respectively. During this transition, wealthy nations must act vigorously and support poorer countries financially. - ZL

​​Tech Billionaires Rally Around Nuclear as Energy Crisis Looms

March 22, 2022 | Bloomberg | Lizette Chapman

Nuclear energy has been the source of explosive debates for decades. Government regulation and common opinion have stifled its development over the past half century as many fear the dangers of reactors and the challenges of waste storage. However, other individuals believe nuclear power is essential for our transition away from fossil fuels. They see it as an energy source with zero carbon emissions that, unlike wind and solar, can produce energy all day. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen called for “1000 new state of the art nuclear power plants” and Elon Musk called nuclear power “critical” to national security as it reduces our dependence on foreign energy. Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Peter Thiel have also been large backers of nuclear startups. As the war in Ukraine shakes the energy industry, many governments may be finding nuclear power increasingly appealing. -WC

Biden’s chance to tackle climate change is fading amidst global energy upheaval 

March 18th, 2022 | The Washington Post | Anna Phillips & Tony Romm

With the spike in oil prices, the West now seeks new methods of energy. Environmentalists view this as an opportunity to push the United States off of fossil fuels; however, a Democrat-dominated Congress has made minimal efforts to shift towards renewable energy. Instead of prioritizing the rising cost of gasoline, experts worry that Congress will not put much effort into pushing for a pro-renewable power USA, which consists of modifying provisions for costs and federal tax breaks for renewable energy producers. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn) sees these Congressional meetings as more of a “casual conversation” rather than “organized negotiations.” Although renewable energy producers have advanced in their efficiency these past couple of years, the current usage across the country remains 45 percent of what’s required to stay on track with Biden’s goal of a “carbon-free power sector.” As of now, the U.S. Energy Information Association published a report stating that oil and gas will lead the power sector by 2050, which is the same year scientists recommend we achieve a “net zero emissions” rate. Currently, Congress is unable to achieve or stick to an agenda. . -FH

There’s A Messaging Battle Over America’s Energy Future

March 19, 2022 | New York Times | David Gelles and Lisa Friedman

The emerging global consensus that there will and must be an ‘energy transition’ to prevent the worst effects of climate change as soon as possible seems promising, but the ambiguity of the term obscures reality: climate activists and the fossil fuel industry are defining ‘energy transition’ in radically different ways. When climate-concerned organizations talk about the energy transition, they mean that we need to swifty cut down our use of fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy. When oil executives talk about it, as they did two weeks ago at CERAweek, an energy industry conference in Houston, the term seemed to have no definition at all. It was used to describe plans that included very little or no fossil fuel energy and at the same time plans that maintained our use of oil and gas along with increased renewable energy. -JL