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Renewable Energy Not a Threat to Grid, Draft of U.S. Study Finds
Wind and solar power don’t pose a significant threat to the reliability of the U.S. power grid, Energy Department staff members said in a draft report, contradicting statements by their leader Rick Perry. “The power system is more reliable today due to better planning, market discipline, and better operating rules and standards,” according to a July draft of the study obtained by Bloomberg. Two people familiar with the report, who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations, confirmed the early conclusions though cautioned they were subject to change. It is customary for administration officials to put their own stamp on reports prepared by career staff at federal agencies. [ read more … ]
Moniz is steamed as Trump team overhauls agency
Moniz responded to an inquiry about a Trump announcement this week to nominate Mark Wesley Menezes and Paul Dabbar to be undersecretary of energy and undersecretary of science, respectively. Moniz consolidated those two positions to put all research and development and the national laboratories under one roof. In part, the idea was to improve integration of labs in the Office of Science and those under the umbrella of applied energy offices. [ read more … ]
Going Around Trump, Governors Embark on Their Own Diplomatic Missions
In ordinary times, most American governors tend to avoid international exploits, boasting of their consuming interest in balancing budgets and operating the machinery of state government. When they venture abroad, it is mainly to hawk products manufactured in their states. But under the Trump administration, that has begun to change: Leadership at the state level has taken on an increasingly global dimension, as governors assert themselves in areas where they view Mr. Trump as abandoning the typical priorities of the federal government. They have forged partnerships across state and party lines to offset Trump administration policies they see as harmful to their constituency. [ read more … ]
Here’s Elon Musk’s Plan to Power the USA on Solar Energy
CEO Elon Musk — whose company makes electric cars and has a new solar roof panel division — reminded more than thirty state governors at the National Governors Association meeting this weekend exactly how much real-estate is needed to make sure America can run totally on solar energy.| “If you wanted to power the entire United States with solar panels, it would take a fairly small corner of Nevada or Texas or Utah; you only need about 100 miles by 100 miles of solar panels to power the entire United States.” [ read more … ]
The Energy 202: Trump gets one thing right when it comes to energy and Russia
While getting many of the finer points wrong, President Trump delivered a larger message Wednesday night about U.S. oil and gas production while defending himself from charges of collusion with Russia during his campaign that is — somewhat uncharacteristically for this president on this topic — correct. [ read more … ]
Trump Names Lawyer to Head Beleaguered Energy Agency
President Donald Trump has nominated energy lawyer Kevin McIntyre to chair the vacancy-plagued commission that oversees the nation’s power grid and natural gas pipelines. Only one commissioner currently serves on the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, leaving it without a quorum and unable to make decisions on interstate pipelines and other projects worth billions of dollars. [ read more … ]
If Warren Buffett’s billions meet Oncor’s wish list, here’s how Texas stands to gain
The utility business is changing fast. Load growth is slowing, renewable energy is gaining, and there’s strong growth in rooftop solar and microgrids. That’s putting pressure on transmission costs. The way Berkshire has embraced change — going all-in on renewables, for instance, and experimenting with home storage batteries — is a promising sign for Oncor. Oncor already has a record of innovation. That includes investing in smart meters and transmission lines to carry wind power, and a proposal to spend $2 billion on storage batteries.It’s too soon to know how Oncor’s wish list would mesh with Buffett’s billions. But it’s safe to assume that the company will have a lot more room to invest and innovate. [ read more … ]
Brown on climate bill: ‘I’m going to be dead; it’s for you’
“I’ll be dead,” he said. “What am I, 79? Do I have five years more? Do I have 10 years more? Fifteen? I don’t know. Twenty? I don’t know if I even want that long. But most of you people, a lot of you people are going to be alive, and you’re going to be alive in a horrible situation that you’re going to see mass migrations, vector diseases, forest fires, Southern California burning up. That’s real, guys. That’s what the scientists of the world are saying. I’m not here about some cockamamie legacy that people talk about. This isn’t for me. I’m going to be dead; it’s for you. It’s for you, and it’s damn real.” [ read more … ]
Wind power will generate 40 percent of OPPD’s electricity by end of 2019
A new wind farm in Wayne County will boost wind power to about 40 percent of the Omaha Public Power District’s electricity generation by the end of 2019. That’s up from less than 20 percent in 2016. OPPD President and Chief Executive Tim Burke said Thursday during the utility’s monthly board of directors meeting that Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources will build a 160-megawatt wind farm, from which OPPD will purchase the electricity generated. [ read more … ]
South Dakota Farmers, Wind Advocates Band Together Against Turbine Ordinance
Farmers and wind energy advocates in South Dakota are coming together to urge citizens of Lincoln County to vote no on an ordinance that requires future wind turbines to be built at least half a mile away from homes. Calling the recently passed ordinance a county-wide “ban on wind farms,” Farmers and Friends For Wind says, “At a time when local and state budgets are being stretched, leaders need to do everything we can to continue to fund the services that contribute to the high quality of life we enjoy in Lincoln County.” [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.