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Energy storage in New York isn’t easy

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The state of New York has the ambitious goal of having 70% of its electricity come from renewable sources in 2030 and a 100% zero-emission electric grid by 2040.  Meeting these goals is becoming increasingly unlikely as the state faces multiple challenges including local opposition to projects, rising inflation, and the termination of offshore wind projects.

Solar and wind power are key elements of New York’s renewable plans, and both require battery energy storage so that excess energy can be saved when there is plentiful sun and wind so that there will be power available when nature hasn’t cooperated.

There are now over 6,000 battery storage projects in the state, mostly relatively small in magnitude.  Currently, the state has a storage capacity of about 445 megawatts, enough to power roughly 300,000-400,000 homes.  The state has a goal of having 6 gigawatts of storage by 2030, more than a dozen times more than exists today.

Most of New York’s electricity demand is downstate, in and below the Hudson Valley.  Real estate is limited and expensive and there is lots of opposition to big energy projects in the region. 

However, installing the actual battery systems themselves can be one of the easier parts of the process.  Obtaining permits from state and local authorities, buying or leasing land, negotiating with grid operators, completing environmental reviews, overcoming local opposition, and especially, connecting to the electric grid, are all challenging and very time consuming.

Meeting the state’s energy storage goals is not easy.

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Figuring Out a Battery Storage System to Fit New York’s Wind and Solar Ambitions Has Not Been Easy

Photo courtesy of NineDot Energy.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The demise of American offshore wind

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Europe has 37 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity. China is catching up rapidly.  Across the globe, offshore wind is an increasingly important source of clean, renewable power.  The United States had previously set ambitious goals to join the international effort.  But in the aftermath of the 2024 election, offshore wind in the US is basically dead in the water, pun intended.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced at the end of July that it is rescinding all designated Wind Energy Areas on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, effectively ending all offshore wind development across the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Maine, the New York Bight, California, Oregon, and the Central Atlantic.  Additional policy measures announced by the Department of the Interior ended special treatment for what it called “unreliable energy sources, such as wind.” 

The two significant offshore wind projects underway in the US are both under serious attack by the administration and by newly emboldened special interests.  Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, with 17 turbines already in operation, is under assault by tourist town forces and fishing groups.  Empire Wind, in New York, which resumed construction after efforts by Governor Kathy Hochul, is under pressure by various special interest groups that are urging President Trump to halt the project.

The current administration has very public and very pronounced antipathy towards wind power in general and towards offshore wind in particular.  And this has brought to a rapid halt billions of dollars in investments and will eliminate tens of thousands of jobs.

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US offshore wind, long ‘dead,’ now really dead

Photo, posted September 15, 2016, courtesy of Lars Plougmann via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Geothermal energy may be safe

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The Trump Administration is outwardly hostile to renewable energy, especially solar and wind power.  Federal support for these energy sources that are by far the most rapidly growing energy sources across the globe is being gutted while fossil fuels are being propped up.

There is also renewed enthusiasm for nuclear power and, somewhat surprisingly, geothermal heat.   Geothermal is a renewable and clean energy source that has long been mostly overlooked and underfunded.  The main reasons are its expense and the fact that its large-scale use is unproven. 

Historically, geothermal energy has relied upon naturally occurring features such as hot springs and shallow underground heat sources.  However, technological breakthroughs that began in 2013 have led to enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS.  EGS makes use of the fact that if you drill deep enough into the earth pretty much anywhere, you will encounter substantial amounts of heat.  EGS plants pump water three miles down or more where it encounters rock that reaches over 500 degrees.  The piping hot water is then brought to the surface where it spins turbines to generate electricity.

Several companies are developing EGS in the U.S.  financed by tech companies seeking power for their AI activities, the Defense Department, and even by fossil fuel companies who use comparable drilling technology for fracking.

The so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress in July that eliminates tax credits for wind and solar energy preserves tax credits for geothermal projects.

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Why U.S. Geothermal May Advance, Despite Political Headwinds

Photo, posted September 30, 2019, courtesy of Stephen D Strowes via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Coexisting birds and solar energy

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Floating photovoltaic systems – known as floatovoltaics – are becoming increasingly popular.  These are arrays of solar panels installed over artificial water bodies such as irrigation ponds, wastewater treatment plants, and reservoirs.  These projects maximize the space for producing clean energy while not taking up natural lands.

Wherever there are bodies of water, there are waterbirds.  A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Davis looked at the potential impact of floating solar projects on birds and other wildlife. 

Birds face many threats from habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and disease.  Many bird populations are in decline.  So, it is important to consider the effects of floating solar projects on birds. 

The researchers have observed birds resting on floating solar structures before dawn, birds jockeying for favorable sites on the structures, and some nesting under the panels.  These are positive interactions.  On the other hand, it is possible that pollutants could be released or leached from floating solar infrastructure.  Such risks must be mitigated.

Floating solar on irrigation ponds and reservoirs can reduce evaporation and reduce algae growth, which benefits both humans and wildlife.

The researchers will continue to monitor bird behavior at floating solar installations using expertise in ecology and energy system science to identify risks and solution pathways so that negative impacts are avoided, and potential ecological benefits are realized.  It is important that as floating solar continues to become more popular, it and waterbirds can coexist.

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Helping Birds and Floating Solar Energy Coexist

Photo, posted February 28, 2019, courtesy of Renee Grayson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Five amazing renewable energy projects

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Worldwide investment in renewable energy topped $2 trillion in 2024.  For Climate Solutions Week, we wanted to highlight some amazing projects around the world that showcase innovative technology, ambitious scale, and the commitment to a cleaner and sustainable future.

In Morocco, the Noor Solar Power Station is a huge concentrated solar power facility that generates power for more than a million Moroccans.  The facility stores some of the heat generated by the sun in molten salt so it can continue to produce power after sunset.

The Three Gorges Dam in China is the world’s largest power plant by installed capacity.  The 32 turbines generate enough electricity to power millions of homes. 

The Alta Wind Energy Center in California is one of the largest onshore wind farms in the world.  The 600 turbines at the facility provide clean electricity for up to 450,000 homes.

The Yamakura Dam Floating Solar Project in Japan has more than 50,000 solar panels that provide electricity for about 5,000 households.  The plant is located atop the surface of the Yamakura Dam reservoir and is one of the largest floating solar installations in the world.

The Hellisheiði Power Station in Iceland is one of the world’s most technologically advanced geothermal energy plants.  It taps into Iceland’s volcanic geology and draws both high-pressure steam and hot water to provide both electricity and heat to thousands of local homes and businesses.  

These five projects are just a sampling of the renewable energy development going on all over the world.

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Powering the Future: Innovative Renewable Energy Projects Around the World

Photo, posted December 1, 2019, courtesy of Richard Allaway via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Modeling geoengineering

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As the impacts of climate change continue to mount up, there is increasing interest in radical intervention measures designed to keep a lid on rising global temperatures.  Such measures are fraught with potential dangers and unintended consequences but there is no guarantee that one or another of them might still be attempted in the future.  Increasing international interest in geoengineering as a potential strategy for mitigating climate change has created a pressing need to consider its impact before any potentially irreversible actions are taken.

The Natural Environment Research Council in the UK is funding four research projects aimed at understanding the potential consequences of solar radiation modification (SRM) being deployed in the real world.

SRM consists of methods to reflect some of the Sun’s radiation back into space instead of allowing it to reach and warm the earth. 

One approach is stratospheric aerosol intervention in which particles such as sulfates are introduced into the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight thereby producing a dimming effect.   The idea is to mimic the effects of large volcanic eruptions, which naturally send sulfates into the atmosphere.

A second approach is marine cloud brightening, which increases the reflectivity of clouds over the ocean by spraying very small droplets of sea water into the air.  The fine particles of sea salt enhance cloud condensation nuclei, producing more cloud droplets and making clouds more reflective.

The research aims to deliver independent risk analyses to inform policymakers about the potential environmental impacts of SRM.

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Scientists to model the impact of controlling Earth’s temperature by reflecting solar radiation

Photo, posted May 6, 2009, courtesy of Denys Zadorozhnyi via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Empire Wind moves forward

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Empire Wind 1, the first offshore wind project that will connect to the New York City grid, has received the financing needed to move forward.  Equinor, the Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company developing the project, closed on a more than $3 billion financing package.

The wind farm will span 80,000 acres in an area 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island.  When completed, it will have a capacity of 810 megawatts.  Equinor has executed a Purchase and Sale Agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to purchase power from Empire Wind 1 for 25 years at a strike price of $155/MWh. The operations and maintenance hub for Empire Wind 1 will be at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.  Commercial operation is expected by 2027.

The previously-planned Empire Wind 2 project was terminated a year ago because of inflation, interest rates, and supply chain disruptions.  More broadly, the U.S. offshore wind industry has been struggling for the past year. 

With the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, there is much greater uncertainty facing the industry.  As a result of the election, Attentive Energy, a planned 3-gigawatt wind project off the coasts of New York and New Jersey has been put on pause.  Trump’s public disdain for offshore wind energy is likely to create a major slowdown in the growth of the offshore wind pipeline.  On the other hand, the new administration is less likely to have much influence on projects already in progress including 4 gigawatts under active construction and more than 50 gigawatts in other stages of development.

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Empire Wind 1 secures $3B+ financing package, enters ‘full execution mode’

Photo, posted May 2, 2022, courtesy of California Energy Commission via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Lithium in Arkansas

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Lithium is the critical raw material in the batteries that power electric cars as well as cell phones, computers, and other gadgets.  The stuff has been nicknamed “white gold” for good reason.  Chile and Australia are the world’s largest producers of the metal, which is mostly extracted from brine in evaporation ponds.  The majority of it is then processed in China.  The energy industry has been increasingly working to produce the raw materials needed to produce lithium-ion batteries in the United States and process those materials domestically.  There are multiple projects at various stages across the country.

Researchers at the US Geological Survey and the Arkansas state government recently announced that they have discovered a vast trove of lithium in an underground brine reservoir in Arkansas.

With a combination of water testing and machine learning, the researchers determined that there could be 5 to as much as 19 million tons of lithium in the geological area called the Smackover Formation.  This is more than enough to meet all the world’s demand for it.

Several companies – including Exxon Mobil, which is covering its bets on the future of oil as an energy source – are developing projects in Arkansas to produce lithium.  If these companies can develop and scale up economical new ways to extract lithium from salty water, the region in Arkansas could become the lithium capital of the world.

Energy and mining companies have produced oil, gas, and other natural resources in the Smackover Formation, which extends from Texas to Florida.  The same brines have long been the source of other valuable substances. 

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Arkansas May Have Vast Lithium Reserves, Researchers Say

Photo, posted May 22, 2020, courtesy of the European Space Agency via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Renewables progress

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According to a new report by the International Energy Agency, the world is on track to produce nearly half of the electricity it uses from renewable sources by the end of this decade.  The report also finds that in nearly every country, large wind and solar plants are the cheapest forms of new power.

Between now and 2030, countries will add more than 5,500 gigawatts of new renewable capacity.   That is as much as China, India, the U.S., and the EU combined have at present.  Most of the new capacity will come from solar power.

China is aggressively pursuing renewable power installations with massive solar and wind projects.  By 2030, China will account for nearly half of the world’s renewable power capacity.

This year’s UN Climate Change Conference, held in the United Arab Emirates, established the goal of tripling renewable energy capacity worldwide by 2030. 

The growth in solar power continues to outperform industry expert projections as manufacturing ramps up.  India and the U.S. are both expected to triple their solar manufacturing capacity by the end of this decade.  Manufacturing, largely based in China, is already outstripping demand.

By 2030, solar and wind power are expected to account for about 30% of global electricity generation, hydropower about 13%, and other renewables such as geothermal power about 5%.

These estimates are based on existing policies and market conditions.  Governments could speed up the shift to clean energy by cutting red tape and by making it cheaper for poorer countries to finance solar and wind projects.

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Renewables 2024

Photo, posted November 23, 2023, courtesy of Rick Obst via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Cities and rainwater

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Cities across the country are grappling with the problem that bigger, more frequent rainstorms occurring as a result of climate change are overtaxing the systems put in place to handle stormwater.  Cities use a combination of so-called green infrastructure – such as rain gardens and porous pavements – and traditional gray infrastructure, such as pipes, tunnels, and pump stations.

In 2011, Philadelphia drew national attention for its Green City, Clean Waters program that was designed to manage the increasing amount of storm water using mostly green infrastructure.  Thirteen years later, the city is experiencing billions of gallons of polluted stormwater overflowing its sewage outfall pipes each year.  Green infrastructure is cheaper and faster to build, but it is not coping with increasing rainfall.

About 700 U.S. municipalities, mostly in the Northeast and around the Great Lakes, rely on these combined sewer systems.  Based on updated climate projections, many are having to greatly increase gray infrastructure projects that include concrete holding tanks, tunnels, and pipes that can divert and hold onto flows until the rain stops, and water treatment plants can recover.  These projects can take decades to implement and cost billions of dollars.

All across the country, cities are going to need to bite the bullet and make large-scale investments in conventional sewage infrastructure and repairs to stop billions of gallons of raw sewage from running into rivers.  The increased storms present a daunting challenge for America’s cities.

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Faced With Heavier Rains, Cities Scramble to Control Polluted Runoff

Photo, posted August 29, 2011, courtesy of Reggie via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Much more energy storage for New York

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As solar and wind power play an ever-growing role in the electricity grid, the need for energy storage also grows.  Even if sun and wind can provide more energy than is needed at a particular time, they can’t provide it at all times.  The ability to store excess energy waiting in reserve for when the sun and wind are not providing it is essential to avoid the need for burning fossil fuels to take up the slack.

The New York State Public Service Commission has announced that it has approved a new framework for the state to have in place a nation-leading six gigawatts of energy storage by 2030.  This represents at least 20% of the peak electricity load of New York State.

An extensive set of recommendations to expand New York’s energy storage programs describe cost-effective ways to unlock the rapid growth of renewable energy across the state as well as to bolster the reliability of the grid.  The buildout of storage deployment is estimated to reduce projected future statewide electric system costs by nearly $2 billion.  New York has previously established goals to generate 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040.

The new roadmap includes programs to procure an additional 4.7 gigawatts of new energy storage projects across large-scale, retail, and residential energy storage sectors across the state.  These future procurements, when combined with the 1.3 gigawatts already being procured or under contract, will allow the State to achieve the 6-gigawatt goal by 2030.

Energy storage plays a critical role in decarbonizing the grid, reducing electricity system costs, and improving the reliability of the electricity system.

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New York approves plan to add six gigawatts of energy storage by 2030

Photo courtesy of NineDot Energy.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The largest carbon removal plant

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Direct air capture (DAC) is process that removes carbon dioxide out of the air and stores it away where it can no longer trap heat in the atmosphere.  It is intended to be a way of getting rid of the greenhouse gases that have built up in the atmosphere.  In principle, it’s a great idea.  In practice, it is a huge challenge.

In 2017, a company called Climeworks became the first company to take carbon dioxide out of the air and sell it as a product for use in carbonated drinks and in greenhouses.  In 2021, the company opened a DAC plant called Orca in Iceland that captures CO2 and permanently stores it underground.  Clients like Microsoft pay Climeworks for doing this as a way of offsetting their own emissions.

Recently, Climeworks has started operating a new plant called Mammoth – also in Iceland – that will be able to capture about 10 times more carbon dioxide than Orca.  Iceland is a prime location for DAC technology because its abundant geothermal energy makes powering it cheap and environmentally friendly.

Mammoth, when fully operational, will remove about 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, the largest DAC system in the world.  But there is a long, long way to go.  Microsoft alone emits nearly 13 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

There are multiple DAC projects in development including several in the United States being funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  The four DAC hubs being developed under the program are each supposed to have the capacity to capture at least a million metric tons of CO2 a year.

Whether DAC can make a real difference remains to be seen.

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The world’s largest carbon removal plant is here, and bigger ones are on the way

Photo credit: Climeworks

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A setback for New York offshore wind

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Three major offshore wind projects in New York have been cancelled because of the unavailability of technology critical to the projects.  The projects were part of NYSERDA‘s third offshore wind solicitation and were provisionally awarded last October.  The projects, which totaled more than 4 GW of clean energy, were supposed to begin commercial operation in 2030.

The projects were Attentive Energy One, intended to benefit historically marginalized communities in New York City; Community Offshore Wind, a farm located 64 miles offshore that would power 500,000 homes; and Excelsior Wind, which would have powered 700,000 homes.

What happened is GE Vernova – a GE spinoff energy equipment company – decided to no longer develop its new 18 MW Haliade-X wind turbines and instead concentrate on its lower-powered models which already have ample demand.  The material changes to the three projects using the turbines made them no longer viable and the developers and their partners could no longer come to terms.  As a result, NYSERDA decided to not go forward with the awards.

While this represents a significant blow to the offshore wind industry and to New York’s renewable energy goals, NYSERDA said that it remains committed to advancing New York’s offshore wind industry and expects to announce new plans and additional projects in the near future.

In the bigger picture, 2023 was a record year for wind power; the world installed 117 gigawatts of new wind capacity.  This year has seen the first major offshore wind farms come online in the US.

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Massive New York projects nixed as NYSERDA concludes third offshore wind solicitation

Photo, posted August 7, 2013, courtesy of Department of Energy and Climate Change via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Oases and desertification

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Oases are important sources of water for people, plants, and animals in the world’s desert areas.  In fact, oases sustain 10% of the world’s population despite taking up only about 1.5% of land area.  They form when groundwater flows and settles into low-lying areas or when surface meltwater flows down from nearby mountains and pools.

New research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found that oases added 85,000 square miles of new area from 1995 to 2020, mostly from artificial expansion projects, but over the same period lost 52,000 square miles from desertification and water scarcity.  The net gain of 33,000 square miles is not considered to be sustainable given that it was mostly due to artificial causes.  The oasis expansion projects were in Asia but losses due to desertification were also mostly in Asia.

Today, oases are found in 37 countries.  Increases in oases mostly come from people intentionally converting desert land into oases using runoff water and groundwater pumping, creating grasslands and croplands. This mostly has taken place in China.

Human over-exploitation of dwindling groundwater can limit the sustainability of oases as can the long-term loss of glaciers.

The study highlighted ways to sustain healthy oases, including suggestions for improving water resource management, promoting sustainable land use and management, and encouraging water conservation and efficient water use.  As the climate continues to change, these efforts will be increasingly important for a significant portion of the world’s population.

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World’s Oases Threatened By Desertification, Even As Humans Expand Them

Photo, posted August 3, 2008, courtesy of Paul Williams via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Where not to plant trees

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Planting huge numbers of trees is often proposed as a way to reduce the severity of climate change.  Studies have looked at the potential for Earth‘s ecosystems to support large additional areas of forest and have found that it would be possible to have at least 25% more forested area than we do now.  This in turn could capture large amounts of carbon and substantially reduce the amount in the atmosphere.

A recent study by researchers at Clark University in Massachusetts and The Nature Conservancy mapped the climate impact of tree planting across the globe, identifying where it would be most and also least beneficial.  The study, published in Nature Communications, found that trees planted in arid, desert regions or in snowy places like the Arctic would, on balance, worsen warming rather than reduce it.

Trees take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which helps to keep warming in check.  But trees with dark, green leaves also absorb heat from sunlight.   Snow and desert sand, on the other hand, are light-colored and reflect more sunlight back into space.  For this reason, trees planted in snowy areas or in the desert will absorb more sunlight than their surroundings.  This can negate the climate benefits of soaking up carbon dioxide.

Previous studies only looked at how much carbon dioxide would be removed by planting trees in order to determine how much warming would be prevented.  The new study finds that it matters where the trees are planted.

Fortunately, the new study also shows that tree planting projects that are currently underway or that are in the pipeline are largely concentrated in regions where they will indeed help slow global warming.

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This Map Shows Where Planting Trees Would Make Climate Change Worse

Photo, posted April 5, 2022, courtesy of UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Progress on offshore wind in New York

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New York has now conditionally awarded two offshore wind projects that will move towards operation in 2026.  The projects, totaling more than 1,700 megawatts of power, will be the largest power generation projects in New York state in more than 35 years.  It is an important milestone toward achieving the state’s goal of developing 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035.

Empire Wind I, located 15 miles southeast of Long Island, and Sunrise Wind, located more than 30 miles east of the eastern point of Long Island, have already completed most federal and state permitting requirements.  Empire Wind I received final approval of their Construction and Operation Plan from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in late February.

Both projects are expected to ramp up construction activity this year.  Previous awards by NYSERDA for the projects in 2019 included contract provisions for specific economic benefits to New York communities and commitments for purchasing iron and steel from American sources.   Empire Wind I is being developed by Equinor, an international energy company headquartered in Norway.  Sunrise Wind, originally a joint project by Ørsted and Eversource, is now solely being developed by Ørsted, a global energy company based in Denmark.

Following successful execution of the contracts for the two projects, NYSERDA payments under these awards will only begin once the projects have obtained all required permits and approvals, the construction has been completed, and the projects begin delivering clean energy to New York.

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New York selects Empire Wind I and Sunrise Wind offshore projects

Photo, posted June 14, 2022, courtesy of Lissa Eng / BOEM via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Protecting coastal areas with tidal range electricity generation

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Tidal range electricity generation uses the water level difference between high and low tides to operate generator turbines.  The method requires the construction of barrages and sluices to capture water during high tides and then release it during generation at low tide.  Tidal range generation is predictable renewable energy driven by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.

It is only a practical scheme in those places that have large tidal ranges.  The largest tidal range in the world is in the Bay of Fundy in Canada.  The second largest is the Severn Estuary, in the UK.  Tidal ranges are large in many places around Britain’s coasts. But they are also vulnerable to flooding and surges from rising seas.

A new study by Lancaster University in the UK has found that the environmental and economic benefits are huge because tidal range barrages can protect coastal areas from flooding and sea level rise. With two-way generation and pumping, the full range of existing tides can be maintained to protect and support low-lying intertidal areas such as saltmarshes and mudflats. High tides can be limited to existing levels simply by closing sluices and running turbines and low tide levels can be maintained by pumping.  The study determined that with modern technology and operating procedures, these so-called estuarine barrages may be the only practical way to protect vital coastal habitats.

Earlier work by the researchers found that tidal range projects under commercial consideration in the UK can produce about 5% of the country’s electricity use and additional projects are feasible for 4 or 5 times as much generation.

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How tidal range electricity generation can protect coastal areas from flooding

Photo, posted August 17, 2014, courtesy of Andrea via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The slow decline of coal

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Despite the fact that coal is the dirtiest and most climate-harmful energy source we have, the global demand for it hit a record high in 2023. The demand for coal grew by 1.4% worldwide, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency.

Coal use grew by 5% in China and 8% in India.  The two countries are the world’s largest producers and consumers of coal.  Meanwhile, coal use in the U.S. and the European Union fell by 20%.

Despite this discouraging news, the IEA forecasts that coal use will decline over the next two years.  There have been declines in coal demand a few times before, but they were driven by unusual events such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Covid-19 crisis.  But the IEA says that the forthcoming decline is different.  It will be driven by the formidable and sustained expansion of clean energy technologies.

According to the IEA, global coal demand will fall by 2.3% by 2026 even in the absence of new policies to curb coal use.  Forces at play will be increased hydropower in China as it recovers from drought and puts new wind and solar projects online.  China is responsible for more than half of global coal demand, but it is also responsible for more than half of the planned renewable power projects coming online over the next three years.  Experts believe that with these forthcoming projects, Chinese emissions may have peaked in 2023.

The projected drop in coal demand is still far short of what is required for the world to avoid catastrophic warming.  Much greater efforts are needed to meet international climate targets.

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After a Record 2023, Coal Headed for Decline, Analysts Say

Photo, posted August 25, 2015, courtesy of Jeremy Buckingham via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

More renewable energy for New York

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In late October, New York announced its largest state investment in renewable energy to date that includes three offshore wind projects, and 22 land-based clean energy projects totaling more than 6 GW of power generation.

The portfolio of projects is expected to create approximately 8,300 jobs and spur $20 billion in economic investments statewide.

The projects support the state’s goal to have 70% of its electricity come from renewable sources by 2030 and to have 9 GW of offshore wind operating by 2035.  The announcement represents the first set of actions taken by the State as part of New York’s 10-Point Action Plan.

The three offshore wind projects include Attentive Energy One, a 1.4 GW project that seeks to retire fossil fuel power generation in New York City.  Community Offshore Wind, a 1.3 GW project will make use of a new grid interconnection in downtown Brooklyn.  Excelsior Wind, another 1.3 GW project, will provide robust energy deliverability to Long Island. 

Apart from the offshore wind projects, there will be 14 new solar projects, six wind upgrading projects, one new wind project, and one return-to-service hydroelectric project.

The average bill impact for customers over the life of the land-based projects is estimated to be approximately 0.31%, or about 32 cents a month for the average customer.  The bill impact for customers utilizing the offshore wind projects is estimated to be about 2.7%, or $2.93 per month.

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NY to invest in 3 offshore wind farms, 22 land-based renewable projects

Photo, posted October 21, 2016, courtesy of B Sarangi via Flickr.

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A Huge American Lithium Discovery | Earth Wise

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Human history has often been described in terms of a succession of metal ages:  the copper age, the bronze age, and the iron age.  In many ways, we have now entered the lithium age.  The light metal goes into the batteries that power smartphones, electric vehicles, and massive storage banks for the power grid.  Lithium has become a critical strategic resource.

As it stands now, the U.S. gets most of its lithium from imports from Australia and South America.  Major lithium sources are not commonplace; in 2022 there were only 45 lithium mines in the world.  Many of the known deposits are not in North America but in Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, China, and Australia.  The current largest known lithium deposits lie beneath the salt flats of Bolivia.

Lithium Americas Corporation, a company dedicated to advancing lithium projects to the stage of production, funded research over the past decade that has identified vast deposits of lithium-rich clay in a dormant volcanic crater along the Nevada-Oregon border.  The McDermitt Caldera is estimated to hold between 20 and 40 million tons of lithium, which would make it the largest deposit in the world.

There are many questions still to answer.  It is not clear how easy it will be to extract lithium from the clay, in particular how expensive or carbon-intensive it will be.  There are also political complexities since the area where the lithium deposit was found is considered to be unceded ancestral land for both the Paiute and Shoshone tribes.

Apart from a dearth of domestic sources of lithium, the US also lags well behind China in lithium processing capabilities.  The country has catching up to do in the new lithium age.

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America Just Hit the Lithium Jackpot

Photo, posted April 19, 2020, courtesy of Ken Lund via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)