Climate Climate & Energy
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No surprises here, please
The electricity grid doesn't like surprises. Sudden voltage spikes or sags do not a healthy grid make. So proponents of large-scale solar and wind are working to create tools to smooth over volatility issues, so these generating resources can be integrated seamlessly onto the grid. If we're going to be in a position to rely on more solar and wind power and use these to replace significant amounts of power generated from coal, the grid planning and dispatch issues must be addressed.
Which brings us to yesterday's announcement by Tucson Electric Power (TEP) that they have received a $100,000 federal grant to study the problem as it relates specifically to solar power. Under the grant, they will "evaluate how effectively solar energy systems can replace traditional utility generating resources."
TEP will also evaluate "the true costs and benefits" of the almost 400 photovoltaic (PV) systems their customers have already installed in their service area through their SunShare program.
Read more here: "TEP Wins Federal Grant to Evaluate Solar Energy Systems."
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Having survived Biosphere, she’s ready to enter the offset debate
A summary overview / intro to offsets by a woman who was one of the Biospherians.
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They might be coming sooner than you think
From a NASA's Earth Observatory:
Hurricanes need two basic ingredients to develop: warm, moist air and a relatively calm atmosphere. Late summer over the Atlantic Ocean provides both things. Ocean waters above about 27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit) give rise to the warm, moist air that fuels tropical storms, and winds that could tear a storm apart are light during the summer. Typically, the Atlantic is primed for hurricanes by early August, and the height of the hurricane season comes in September, though the official hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.
They have a great figure showing that the Gulf of Mexico is now warm and hurricane-ready. Get ready. It might be an interesting August.
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Umbra on wave power
Hello Umbra, I just read a little bit about wave power and was wondering what you think the future potential is for this clean and never-ending energy source? Peter Blomquist Orlando, Fla. Dearest Peter, Wow. I’m a sucker for anything with a good name, like “LIMPET.” There are fun technologies under development to harness the […]
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It’s not a ‘sustainable’ biofuel
So Europeans are buying Indonesian palm oil as a "sustainable" biofuel, but it isn't sustainable, as we've noted before. The tragedy continues:Palm oil companies are burning peat forests to clear land for plantations in Indonesia's Riau province, despite government pledges to end forest fires ... Blazes have started flaring again since the end of June with the start of the dry season.
How a big deal is this? As The New York Times put it earlier this year, "Considering these emissions, Indonesia had quickly become the world's third-leading producer of carbon emissions that scientists believe are responsible for global warming." [Note to NYT: you can drop the "scientists believe" crap. Carbon emissions cause global warming -- deal with it, MSM!]
The emissions from the 1997 fires alone are staggering, as Nature reported in 2002 (sub. req'd):
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Brazil …
… realizes that global warming is going to hurt it too, and starts to come around on the notion of market mechanisms that could prevent further deforestation in the Amazon, one of the principal global sources of greenhouse gas emissions. This is good news — it needs to become more profitable to save the forest […]
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Sleep tight!
I would be remiss if I did not point out that legendary climate scientist Jim Hansen finds it "almost inconceivable that ‘business as usual’ climate change will not result in a rise in sea level measured in metres within a century." That’s some scary sh*t. Hansen seems way out ahead of what any glaciologist is […]
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It’s not the same as a carbon tax, and it’s not cool
I’ve noticed that lots of people talk about a carbon tax and a gas tax as if they’re interchangeable, or the same thing, or connected parts of some larger package. That’s bad. Please stop it. A carbon tax is just that: a tax on carbon content. It could take numerous forms, but it’s generally agreed […]
