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Electric planes: Fantasy or reality?

December 1, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Airplanes have been around for over a century, but the idea of powering them with electricity rather than with liquid fuels has been little more than a fantasy. Over the years, billions of dollars have been invested trying to make electric planes practical. In recent times, progress on battery technology has provided a much-needed boost for the field.

Electric planes are nowhere near becoming competitive with long distance commercial aircraft. The weight and power requirements for such craft are far beyond what electric plane technology can do. But electric planes could offer a very practical solution for transporting relatively small numbers of passengers over relatively short distances.

A plane built by the well-funded private company Beta Technologies has flown as far as 386 miles on a single battery charge. The company envisions such planes to be mostly used for trips of 100 to 150 miles. These planes could open new opportunities, like better connecting rural areas that have little or no direct air service.

Their latest model was tested on a trip between Burlington, Vermont and Florida, making multiple stops and flying through congested airspace over Boston, New York, and Washington.

Commercial versions of the planes will likely have lift rotors to take off and land like helicopters, making them deployable in a wide range of places. Many companies are working on electric aviation, and they have backers like major automakers, major airlines, and large investment firms.

Electric planes are not likely to replace conventional aircraft but are likely to have a meaningful impact how we move goods and services and reconnect rural parts of the country.

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Electric Planes, Once a Fantasy, Start to Take to the Skies

Photo courtesy of Beta Technologies.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Hydrogen hubs

November 2, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 earmarked $7 billion in federal funding aimed at accelerating the commercial-scale deployment of hydrogen as well as driving down its cost. Clean hydrogen is considered to be a key technology for cleaning up hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors like refining, chemicals, and heavy-duty transport.

On October 13th, the Department of Energy named seven regional clean hydrogen hubs which will provide clean hydrogen production, storage, delivery, and end-use components. The so-called H2Hubs are expected to collectively produce three million metric tons of hydrogen annually.

One selected project is the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub that includes West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Another is the California Hydrogen Hub, that will produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass. Then there is the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, centered in the Houston, Texas region. A fourth hub is the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, which includes Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. A fifth hub is the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, that includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. The sixth is the Midwest Hydrogen Hub that includes Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Finally, there is the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub that includes Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Each of these hubs involve multiple partner organizations in their regions and each has specific goals and strategies. The seven centers are located all around the country and are intended to jumpstart a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure.

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Hydrogen hubs have arrived. Here are the big winners of the $7 billion sweepstakes

Photo, posted August 17, 2010, courtesy of David Stanley via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Banning Gas-Powered Cars | Earth Wise

May 12, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The European Union has banned the sale of new gas-powered cars starting in 2035. The vote came after weeks of negotiations related to possible exemptions to the rule.

Germany lobbied for an exemption to be made for cars powered by e-fuels. These are made by combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide that has been removed from the atmosphere using processes powered by renewable energy. Because of this source of the carbon dioxide, such fuels are considered to be carbon neutral. The EU agreed to grant this exemption, so there can be cars that run only on e-fuels after 2035.

About a quarter of carbon emissions in the EU come from transportation. The new law requires a 55% drop in carbon emissions from new cars by 2030. Poland voted against the new law, while Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy abstained. (Italy wanted an exemption for biofuels, but it was not granted).

Here in the US, seven states have adopted rules banning the sale of new gas-powered cars in 2035. These are California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

California has committed to having 35% of new car sales being zero-emission vehicles by 2026, and the number rising to 68% by 2030.

As these policies proliferate around the world, the auto industry is moving ahead to keep up with them. Most automakers are planning to have substantial parts of their product line be electric by 2030. Given the financial and physical inertia involved in shifting to electric vehicle production, regardless of what happens with policies around the world, there is little possibility of turning back from the electric vehicle transition.

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EU Approves 2035 Ban on Sales of Gas-Powered Cars

Photo, posted May 31, 2012, courtesy of Mike Norton via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Canada Lynx And Climate Change | Earth Wise

April 19, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Canada lynx are medium-sized North American big cats known for their long, black ear tufts, and their ability to hunt across the surface of deep snow. Historically, the predator’s habitat ranged across Alaska, Canada, and much of the Northern United States. But in the contiguous U.S. today, the Canada lynx exists only in several disjunct populations in Maine, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Washington and Montana.

While Glacier National Park in Montana is famous for its grizzly bears and mountain goats, the park also holds a surprising number of Canada lynx, and could serve as a much-needed climate refuge for the big cats in the future.

Glacier National Park is one of the few, large, protected areas located within the Canada lynx range in the Lower 48. Using an array of 300 motion-sensitive cameras on hiking trails throughout Glacier, researchers from Washington State University conducted the first parkwide occupancy survey for Canada lynx inside the park. They were surprised to find that Glacier is home to roughly 50 Canada Lynx. In fact, the researchers found that the iconic predator resides across most of the park’s 1,600 square-mile landscape, although at lower densities than in the core of its range further north.

The researchers also found that Canada lynx are distributed at lower elevations inside Glacier. Since the cats are a cold-adapted species that need the deep snow, within Glacier, they have a lot of room to climb in elevation as the climate warms.

The researchers hope their survey can serve as a baseline population estimate to help their collaborators with the National Park Service keep tabs on the numbers of Canada lynx in Glacier.

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Glacier National Park could be climate haven for Canada lynx

Photo, posted February 22, 2014, courtesy of Eric Kilby via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Antibiotics In Animal Agriculture | Earth Wise

April 13, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

In animal agriculture, farmers use antibiotics to treat, prevent, and control animal diseases, and to increase the productivity of their operations. According to the FDA, approximately 80% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are purchased for use in food-producing animals.

The routine administration of antibiotics to farm animals for non-therapeutic purposes promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with repercussions for human and animal health. As antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads, medicines used to treat human diseases can become less effective.

According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Washington, a California policy restricting the use of antibiotics in farm animals is associated with a reduction in one type of antibiotic-resistant infection in people in the state. The findings, recently published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, suggest that regulations limiting the use of antibiotics in livestock can significantly impact human health.

In 2018, California Senate Bill 27 banned routine preventive use of antibiotics in food-animal production and any antibiotic use without a veterinarian’s prescription. Last year, the European Union passed a law restricting antibiotic use to only sick animals on farms. And coming this June, most antibiotics – those that are medically important to humans and animals – will be by prescription only in the United States.

Despite these changes, antibiotic resistance is projected to remain one of the biggest threats to human health over the next 50 years because resistance continues to grow and few new antibiotics are coming online.

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Restricting antibiotics for livestock could limit spread of antibiotic-resistant infections in people

Ranchers should prepare now for 2023 animal antibiotic guidelines

Photo, posted May 8, 2018, courtesy of Preston Keres / USDA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Renewables’ Growing Share | Earth Wise

March 15, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Not long ago, many states across the country were setting goals to obtain 20% of their electricity from renewable sources. For a few states, like New York and Washington, ample amounts of hydropower made 20% an easy target. But for many others, 20% seemed like a very ambitious objective.

Things have certainly changed. According to the latest monthly Short Term Energy Outlook, a report from the federal government, the combination of wind, solar, and other renewable sources will exceed one-quarter of the country’s generation by 2024.

Renewables are already at 24% of U.S. electricity generation and are expected to rise to 26% by next year. Coal, which used to be the largest source of electricity, will continue to drop from its current 18% to 17% by next year. Overall, renewables passed coal for the first full year in 2020. Coal staged a bit of a comeback in 2021, but has once again resumed its decline. Many coal-fired power plants continue to close, and there are not new ones being built because of diminishing economic benefits as well as concerns about emissions.

The largest source of electricity generation continues to be natural gas at 38%, but that number is also expected to slowly decrease over time. The growth in renewable energy is coming from wind and solar power. Two-thirds of that growth is from solar and one-third is from wind.

Together, wind and solar power will add up to 18% of the country’s electricity supply. The government still tracks them lumped together as renewables, but both are so large and growing so quickly that the Energy Information Agency is likely to soon start tracking them as separate categories.

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Renewables Projected to Soon Be One-Fourth of US Electricity Generation. Really Soon

Photo, posted April 18, 2011, courtesy of Allan Der via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Driving Electric Is Cheaper For Almost Everyone | Earth Wise

February 24, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A study by University of Michigan researchers found that about 90% of U.S. households would save money on fuel costs by owning an electric car rather than a gas-powered car. So apart from the environmental benefits of electric cars, there are real economic benefits as well.

Both the price of gasoline and the price of electricity vary considerably across the country, so there are differences by location. The study found that 71% of U.S. drivers would see their fuel expenses cut at least in half by driving an electric car.

Drivers in California, Washington, and New York would see the largest fuel savings as well as the biggest emissions reductions from a new electric car. Those states have cleaner electric grids and a bigger gap between the cost of electricity and the cost of gas.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, only looked at fuel costs and did not take into account the purchase cost of new cars. Generally speaking, plug-in cars have higher sticker prices than gas-powered cars but multiple studies have shown that over their lifetimes, electric vehicles end up being cheaper to own than comparable gas-powered vehicles because of lower maintenance costs on top of the fuel savings. The price gap between equivalent gas and electric cars continues to narrow in any case as the cost of batteries continues to decline. On top of that, the recent expansion of federal tax credits on electric cars is making the vehicles cost-competitive right at the point of purchase.

Gasoline prices have come down considerably from their peak a year ago, but for almost everyone, it is still much cheaper to drive on electricity.

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Seven in 10 U.S. Drivers Could Halve Their Fuel Costs by Going Electric, Study Finds

Photo, posted April 23, 2022, courtesy of Pedrik via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A Hot July | Earth Wise

August 24, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

At the beginning of July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s monthly climate outlook predicted temperatures well above average across much of the United States. The prediction was quite correct. Beyond that, world-wide, there were multiple heat waves, especially in Europe and Asia, where there were thousands of heat-related deaths. On July 19th, the United Kingdom had its hottest day ever reported with a temperature over 104 degrees.

In the U.S., a series of atmospheric high-pressure systems resulted in stagnant heat domes, which resulted in more than 150 million people living under heat warnings and advisories. Nearly every part of the continental U.S. saw above-average temperatures. There were record-breaking triple-digit highs in several states, sometimes persisting for days.

The south-central part of the country developed a ridge of high pressure that established a heat dome that acted like a lid, trapping hot air over that area. The extreme heat persisted throughout the month, at times expanding to the Southwest, Upper Midwest, and Southeast.

In the second half of the month, the Great Plains experienced temperatures as high as 115 degrees. Utah and Oklahoma both broke long-standing records for the most consecutive days on which temperatures exceeded 100 degrees. Utah saw 16 straight days over 100.

In the Pacific Northwest temperatures reached 110 degrees in Dallasport, Washington, and 114 in Medford, Oregon. In the Northeast, Newark, New Jersey saw a record-breaking five straight days over 100 degrees.

In Albany, New York, where the average daily high temperature is 82 degrees in July, there were 10 days in the 90s, with highs of 97 on three occasions.

July was a hot month indeed.

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A July of Extremes

Photo, posted July 10, 2022, courtesy of Dominic Alves via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Five States Stepping Up On Clean Energy | Earth Wise

February 7, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

While Congress continues to face partisan gridlock on climate issues, many states have moved forward with climate action.

In 2021, five states – Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, North Carolina, and Rhode Island – passed laws requiring a shift to 100% carbon-free electricity or net-zero emissions. Washington State passed a law that helps to implement its strong 2019 and 2020 climate and clean energy laws. Washington’s new legislation establishes a carbon trading program that will help the state to meet its goals of economy-wide emission cuts and 100% carbon-free electricity.

Several other states made progress on climate and clean energy by taking targeted actions not quite as aggressive as 100% laws, but significant, nonetheless.

The five states that entered the so-called 100% club joined with the six states that had earlier passed such legislation. Those are California, Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, and Washington. Both Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. are also members of the club.

The past year may well be the biggest year yet for significant clean energy legislation. Some of the states that finally passed laws had been gearing up for it for years. This is particularly true of Massachusetts and Illinois.

Actions by individual states are not an antidote to inaction by the federal government, but they help. At this point, about one-third of the country’s population lives in states that have laws requiring a transition to 100% carbon-free electricity, 100% renewable electricity, or net-zero emissions.

All of this activity began in 2015, when Hawaii passed its renewable energy law.

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Inside Clean Energy: Here Are 5 States that Took Leaps on Clean Energy Policy in 2021

Photo, posted August 12, 2021, courtesy of Glacier NPS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Drought And U.S. Hydropower | Earth Wise

November 29, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The ongoing severe drought in the western U.S. has led to low water levels in the rivers and reservoirs that feed hydroelectric power systems. The Energy Information Administration is projecting a 13.9% decrease in hydroelectric generation this year compared to 2020.

Water levels in Lake Powell have fallen so low that it may not be possible to operate the power plant at Glen Canyon Dam starting as soon as 2022. California officials took the Edward Hyatt hydroelectric plant offline in August because of low water levels on Lake Oroville. Washington, the state with the most hydroelectric power generation, has seen an 11% drop in electricity generated to date this year as compared to last year. That state is actually doing better than others in the West, such as California, where hydro generation is down 38%.

Hydropower accounts for over 7% of the electricity generated in the United States. Five states – Washington, Idaho, Vermont, Oregon, and South Dakota – generate at least half of their electricity from hydroelectric dams.

The current decrease in hydropower is alarming, but it is not unprecedented. The more significant question is whether the drop in generation this year is a sign that this power source is declining and becoming less reliable. According to some scientists, the West is in a “megadrought” that could last for decades.

The greater concern is whether the bad years are likely to become more common because of climate change. Climate projections agree that temperatures will continue to rise, but what will happen to precipitation levels in specific places is much less certain. That is what will determine what the future holds for hydroelectric power.

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Inside Clean Energy: Drought is Causing U.S. Hydropower to Have a Rough Year. Is This a Sign of a Long-Term Shift?

Photo, posted May 7, 2014, courtesy of Tyler Bell via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The Hottest June | Earth Wise

July 29, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A series of heatwaves from coast to coast caused June 2021 to be the hottest June on record in the U.S. The average June temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 72.6 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest June in 127 years of record keeping and breaking the previous record set in 2016 by nearly a full degree. Eight states had their hottest June on record and six others marked their second hottest June.

One of the most extreme heatwaves in modern history impacted the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and western Canada late in the month. Temperature records were not merely broken in the region; they were smashed over an incredibly hot four-day period from June 26th through June 29th when all-time records over 100 degrees were set at dozens of locations.

Portland, Oregon’s average high temperature over this period was 112 degrees, breaking the previous 3-day record by an amazing 6 degrees. The high on June 28th was 116 degrees, an all-time record for the city. Seattle set back-to-back all-time heat records of 104 on June 27th and then 108 on June 28th. In the previous 126 years, Seattle had only hit 100 degrees three times. It reached that mark 3 days in a row in June.

Crossing the border, the town of Lytton, British Columbia reached a temperature of 121 degrees on June 29th, the third day in a row in which the town registered a new all-time high temperature ever measured in Canada. To put this in perspective, this temperature is hotter than has ever been recorded in Las Vegas.

June was a hot month indeed.

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June 2021 was the hottest June on record for U.S.

Astounding heat obliterates all-time records across the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada in June 2021

Photo, posted July 7, 2021, courtesy of Poyson / GPA Photo Archive via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

New York And Renewables | Earth Wise

January 7, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

In 2019, New York generated more electricity from renewable sources than all but three other states. The 39.4 million MWh of renewable electricity generated in New York was the largest of any state east of the Mississippi.

New York has been a leader in renewable power long before it became a topic of great interest because of its hydroelectric power. In 2019, 78% of the state’s renewable electricity came from hydropower. The Robert Moses Niagara hydroelectric plant is the second-largest capacity conventional hydroelectric power plant in the country.

The three states that generated more renewable electricity than New York are California, Texas, and Washington. Washington gets 69% of all its electricity generation from its multiple hydroelectric plants which together produce a quarter of all hydroelectric power in the nation. Texas leads the nation in wind-powered generation and gets over 17% of its in-state generation from wind. California gets 14% of its power from solar generation, 7% from wind, and over 16% from its own hydroelectric resources.

Wind is the second-largest source of renewable power in New York, accounting for 11% of renewable generation in the state and 3% of total electricity generation. Solar power is expanding in New York, but the great majority of it is still in the form of small-scale installations on residential and commercial rooftops.

New York’s renewable generation grew from 19% in 2005 to 30% at present. New York’s Clean Energy Standard adopted in 2015 requires the state to generate 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.

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New York generated fourth most electricity from renewables of any state in 2019

Photo, posted October 15, 2010, courtesy of michael-swan via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Droughts And Hydropower

February 7, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Recent droughts in several western states have led to well-publicized problems including wildfires, loss of trees, and damage to crops. A lesser-known impact of drought conditions has been increases in emissions of carbon dioxide and harmful air pollutants from power generation.

When hydropower runs low in a drought, western states tend to ramp up power generation – and therefore emissions – from fossil fuels. According to a new study from Stanford University, droughts caused about 10 percent of the average annual carbon dioxide emissions from power generation in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington between 2001 and 2015.

Water is used in electricity generation both directly for hydroelectric power and indirectly for cooling in thermoelectric power plants. When water for hydropower comes up short because of drought conditions, natural gas or coal-fired power plants are brought online to pick up the slack.

These drought-induced shifts in energy sources led to an estimated 100 million tons of carbon dioxide across 11 western states between 2001 and 2015. That is the equivalent of adding 1.4 million vehicles to the region’s roadways. California, whose legislature has mandated that the state be carbon-free by 2045, contributed about half of this total. Washington, which is considering a similar mandate, contributed nearly a quarter of the total.

Western states in recent years have suffered intense droughts that scientists expect to become more common as global warming continues to intensify. The new study indicates that in regions where clean, reliable hydropower has been an important part of the energy mix, it will be increasingly necessary to provide clean backup energy sources in order to meet emission reduction targets.

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