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How Renewable Energy Could Emerge on Top After the Pandemic
The short-term prospects for wind and solar power look rocky amid the economic upheaval of the coronavirus. But long term, renewables could emerge stronger than ever, especially if governments integrate support for clean energy into COVID-19 economic-recovery programs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, renewable energy was growing steadily — but still not fast enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s carbon reduction goals, let alone to make the further strides needed to keep climate change from spiraling out of control. [ read more … ]
Climate/Emissions
Climate models got hotter. Why they might be overshooting
If the more sensitive models are accurate, that would suggest future warming might be more severe than scientists previously thought. For now, scientists aren’t sure. Some recent studies suggest that the models might be inflating climate sensitivity. But many experts caution that it’s too early to say for sure. It’s become one of the most intriguing quirks about the development of CMIP6. [ read more … ]
Drivers emerge from lockdown, hinting at higher emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions plunged with free-falling oil demand in April as much of the world sheltered in place to contain the novel coronavirus. The purchase of about 30 million barrels a day, or roughly a third of global oil demand, abruptly halted. Signs are now emerging that the industry has begun to recover. U.S. refiners increased shipments of gasoline last week, as motorists in cities like Houston and Charlotte, N.C., returned to the road in numbers not seen since January. [ read more … ]
Replace NYC peakers with renewables+storage? Plant owners say they’re working on it
New York City ratepayers shelled out $4.5 billion in capacity payments in the last decade to keep 16 fossil fuel-based peaking plants available, according to analysis by environmental justice group PEAK Coalition. The group says the city’s peaking plants run only a few hundred hours per year, when the city’s electricity demand is at its highest and energy most expensive, and recommend the facilities be replaced by distributed energy resources (DER) and energy storage that would not emit greenhouse gasses. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Treasury Department offers wind industry coronavirus lifeline with proposed safe harbor extension
In order to qualify for the investment tax credit (ITC) or the PTC, project developers must meet certain construction deadlines that will ensure those projects are able to secure the financing they need. But supply chain disruptions, worker shortages and other COVID-19-related factors have posed critical delays to renewables projects, leaving potentially billions of dollars in investment at risk. [ read more … ]
Solar Energy
Buffett-Backed Solar Project Near Vegas Wins Trump Blessing
The Trump administration on Monday approved the largest solar installation in U.S. history, giving its blessing to a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary’s 690-megawatt project just north of Las Vegas. When finished, NV Energy’s estimated $1 billion Gemini Solar Project is set to become the eighth-largest solar power facility in the world, spanning some 7,100 acres (2873 hectares) of federal land and generating enough electricity to power 260,000 homes in the region. The current record for a solar plant is 579 megawatts. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.