energy
We cannot end carbon emissions from power plants until we find a way to efficiently and safely store large amounts of power. We need to master the ability to quickly charge batteries without destroying their lifespans before electric vehicles take over. We need to find a way to store massive amounts of solar and wind power to be distributed upon demand to make renewable energies viable as baseload producers on the grid.
In the letter sent Monday to Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the 11 senators said a ban should be considered to protect U.S. utilities and the power grid. “We understand that Huawei, the world’s largest manufacturer of solar inverters, is attempting to access our domestic residential and commercial markets,” the letter states.
The report--led by former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Energy Futures Initiative founder, Ernest J. Moniz and IHS Markit vice chairman Daniel Yergin--evaluates ways to maintain U.S. leadership in clean energy innovation by better aligning the policies, players and programs that will drive technologies that can keep the nation globally competitive. The report, entitled Advancing the Landscape of Clean Energy Innovation, was commissioned by Breakthrough Energy.
This year, against the backdrop of recent warnings from top scientists about the urgency of climate action, the EIA's projections don't look great. Coal, one of the most carbon-emitting sources of energy, is still projected to provide 17 percent of the United States' electricity in 2050, and that's assuming that no carbon-capture technology has been made mandatory.
As a retiring member and the outgoing chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I can no longer set that agenda, but I can recommend the issues that still need Congressional attention and action. Headlines claiming that Congress is making a “return to science” are ignoring years of progress on policies advancing research, STEM education, and space exploration. America’s continued success in technology, innovation, and energy development depends on a Science Committee that commits to working toward these goals.
The United States is on track for the lowest yearly coal consumption in nearly four decades, the federal government said Tuesday. The Energy Information Administration (EIA), the nonpartisan data arm of the Energy Department, said it is expecting coal use to fall 4 percent, to 691 million short tons, for 2018. That would be the lowest level since 1979.
Coal's inability to compete in the energy market is a major reason for its decline. Utilities have cited higher costs of maintenance, aging plants and regulatory uncertainty for their decision to close down. The closures come despite various administration attempts to subsidize the fossil fuel, and promises that coal was key to the government's energy independence goal. The shifting public opinion on coal has also likely added to its demise, with many consumers opting for cleaner forms of energy.
South Korea’s SK Innovation said on Monday it will spend 1.14 trillion won ($1.01 billion) to build its first electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in the United States to better compete in the global EV battery market. The plant will have an annual capacity of 9.8 gigawatt-hours of batteries. SK Innovation will begin construction in the southeast U.S. state of Georgia in early 2019, with production targeted for 2022, the company said in a statement.
Over 100 people gathered off the tip of Long Island this month to roleplay a cyberattack that takes out the U.S. electric grid for weeks on end.
Sales are surging, but the costs of building the associated infrastructure suggest this will be a lengthy transition. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all drive without dirtying the air we breathe? Alas, not everyone can afford an electric car.