Regulation, Sourcing Renewables  -  November 14, 2020

Weekend reads: Green hydrogen's role in renewable energy; World leaders turn to Biden to lead the fight against climate change

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web.

The world is ready to support Joe Biden on climate change (Quartz) Almost as soon as a winner was declared, the world began lining up to work with the incoming US president on climate change. In the UK, prime minister Boris Johnson sent well wishes to US president-elect Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris, offering to work closely together on “our shared priorities from climate change to trade and security.” In Fiji, which in danger of drowning under rising seas, the prime minister tweeted his congratulations to Biden: “Together, we have a planet to save from a #ClimateEmergency.”

California has the technology and know-how to meet its energy needs; it needs the right regulations (Utility Dive) The extreme heat storms that hit California this August and September stressed our electricity systems in ways our energy planning agencies did not expect or plan for, forcing us to rethink the quantity and type of electric capacity needed to meet customers' demand. The energy challenges caused by climate change require solutions that address near term needs to "keep the lights on," while not worsening an already dire situation by burning more fossil fuel.

Groups Sue Energy Dept. For Failure to Update 25 Overdue Efficiency Standards (NRDC) Six environmental and consumer groups are suing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for failing to review and update energy efficiency standards for more than two dozen categories of consumer and commercial appliances and equipment, including large energy users like refrigerators and water heaters. The 25 overdue standards—the most under any administration—could cost U.S. consumers and businesses billions of dollars and significantly increase climate pollution. The standards apply to a wide range of common household appliances—such as microwaves, dishwashers, furnaces, washers and dryers—as well as commercial equipment like large air conditioners and refrigeration equipment.

Wind Turbine Blades Can’t Be Recycled, So They’re Piling Up in Landfills (Bloomberg Green) A wind turbine’s blades can be longer than a Boeing 747 wing, so at the end of their lifespan they can’t just be hauled away. First, you need to saw through the lissome fiberglass using a diamond-encrusted industrial saw to create three pieces small enough to be strapped to a tractor-trailer. The municipal landfill in Casper, Wyoming, is the final resting place of 870 blades whose days making renewable energy have come to end. The severed fragments look like bleached whale bones nestled against one another.

Green Hydrogen Could Fill Big Gaps in Renewable Energy (Scientific American) When hydrogen burns, the only by-product is water—which is why hydrogen has been an alluring zero-carbon energy source for decades. Yet the traditional process for producing hydrogen, in which fossil fuels are exposed to steam, is not even remotely zero-carbon. Hydrogen produced this way is called gray hydrogen; if the CO2 is captured and sequestered, it is called blue hydrogen. Green hydrogen is different.

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