Month: October 2020

Joe Biden Interview: “Climate is the Number One Issue Facing Humanity”

Pod Save America:

Dan and Jon L. talk with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden about what’s at stake for our democracy in the 2020 election, his final debate with Donald Trump, his plans for tackling the climate crisis, Vote Early Day, and what everyone can do to help in the final days of the campaign.

The Weekend Wonk: New Energy Price Numbers, and What They Tell Us

Turns out, it’s actually cheaper to save the planet than it is to burn it up.

Among energy nerds, the annual Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy numbers are anticipated like Climate nerds anticipate the September Sea Ice minimum, or NASA GISS Average Annual Temperatures.

This year continues the trend. Solar and Wind are the cheapest sources of new electrical energy. Gas is still competitive – but the industry is on the ropes due to Covid and the global economic crisis.

The numbers confirm the stories I’ve been telling in the Yale Climate Connections videos over the last year.

Continue reading “The Weekend Wonk: New Energy Price Numbers, and What They Tell Us”

Climate, Water are Risks for Nuclear, Gas, Coal

Exelon Corp.’s Clinton Power Station nuclear plant in Illinois uses about 248.5 billion gallons of water annually, the utility said in its 2020 report to CDP. The plant is in an area projected to face increased water stress by 2030.
Source: Exelon Corp.

One reason I have some confidence that China is not going to burn as much coal as they project, is that they are simply not going to have enough water to implement that plan.

Standard & Poors Global Market Intelligence:

As global warming climbs and humanity’s water consumption increases, nuclear and fossil-fueled power plants that rely on freshwater for cooling may not be able to perform at their peak capacity or could be forced to shut down temporarily even as demand for their supplies for indoor cooling and other uses increase, according to researchers and industry experts. 

Climate change-exacerbated water shortage issues pose a near-term and longer-term performance risk to power plants, such as hydropower and nuclear, around the world. And in the Lower 48, more than half of the fossil-fueled and nuclear fleet is located in areas forecast to face climate-related water stress by the end of this decade under a business-as-usual scenario, according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Continue reading “Climate, Water are Risks for Nuclear, Gas, Coal”