Transparent Wood | Housing Upgrade | No. 1 Threat to the Grid
Happy Friday afternoon.
This week we start with something that’s seems fantastical but is possible – see-through wood. From the New Scientist, “Transparent wood could one day replace glass in windows. A process for turning it see-through also gives it heat-retaining powers, which could help regulate the temperature of buildings. Céline Montanari at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and colleagues built on previous work which created transparent wood by removing a structural component called lignin from wood, allowing light to filter through. For the next stage, the team soaked de-lignified birch wood in PEG (polyethylene glycol), a polymer that is also found in theatre smoke machines and toothpaste. When encapsulated in the wood panels, this makes it harder for heat to cross – whether you’re insulating a building against the cold outside, or trying to keep out summer heat…’When we build we try to use a lot of glass, but it has a drawback of being a bad insulator, so there are large amounts of heat loss,’ says Montanari. ‘Wood is really amazing, 10 times better at insulating, but it does not transmit light.’ The composite wood isn’t quite as good an insulator as natural wood, but is around four times better than high-end double glazing. The material can also bear heavy loads and is biodegradable, making it easier to dispose of than concrete or glass.”
Next we have a story that I don’t think anyone can complain about. From WCAI, Energy Company Gives Osprey Pair A Housing Upgrade. “Harwich residents brought doughnuts out for Eversouce Energy workers on Tuesday morning as the crew put up a nest platform for a pair of ospreys on Route 28. The birds arrived in the area at the end of March for nesting season but when they went to settle into their old haunt on top of a telephone pole, the nest was gone. Eversource had dismantled the osprey’s nest and covered the site with a rounded plastic guard because the nest posed a safety hazard, says Eversource spokesman Reid Lamberty. ‘It is a matter of a risk to our electric system, to people and to ospreys themselves, in fact, as these nests do have the potential to cause a fire.’ Every time Eversouce takes down an osprey nest from one of their utility poles, they look for a nearby location to build an alternative nesting platform, Lamberty says. But they can’t always find a good spot…This time though, the birds got lucky. After bird watcher Sally Steinmann of South Harwich complained to Eversource, the company agreed to build a nest platform off a nearby utility pole. ‘The public outcry is what made this happen,’ Steinmann says. ‘But it’s the birds who made us want to help them.’”
Speaking of grid hazards, most people think cyber attacks are the greatest threat to the electric grid. It turns out that’s not the case. From Inside Sources, “Last week, President Donald Trump released an executive order intended to protect the U.S. from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks against the electric grid. But there is another threat to the grid, one that is far more low-tech and far more common, than a smuggled EMP device: Squirrels. ‘I’m all for increasing grid resilience, but here’s a threat priority list: 1. Squirrels 2. Tree branches 3. Heat waves/hurricanes/other climate-amplified threats,’ joked Costa Samaras, an Adjunct Senior Researcher at the RAND Corporation in a tweet. He may have been joking, but his math is dead on. For a small mammal, squirrels cause a surprising amount of damage to the grid. In 2016 alone, utilities reported 3,456 outages caused by squirrels, cutting off power to more than 193,873 customers. These incidents are more common in the spring and fall but can happen throughout the year. To try to stop the furry menaces and to keep equipment safe, utility companies employ a variety of deterrents like wheels, cages, and guards. Despite these efforts, squirrels are a constant operating hazard.” And here I thought keeping them out of the bird feeder was hard enough.
That’s the news for this week. Enjoy the stories below. Have a great weekend. And if you’re running Boston on Monday, take care and have fun!
Natural Gas/Oil/Pipeline/Drilling
Sen. Markey unveils federal pipeline safety legislation named after Leonel Rondon, killed in Valley gas disaster, Eagle Tribune
Pennsylvania governor under scrutiny for role in approving pipeline, The Guardian
Trump Plans to Sign Executive Orders to Expedite Pipelines, Wall St. Journal
Study: Natural gas pipelines leaking in Danbury, other cities, Connecticut Post
Power Plant Hearings End, Decision This Summer, ECO RI
Compressor Station Opponents Urged to Oppose Gas, ECO RI
Trump’s order would make it harder for states to block pipelines, Kennebec Journal
Utility Blamed for Gas Explosions Resumes Efforts to Replace Damaged Heating Equipment, NECN
Ocean uproar: saving marine life from a barrage of noise, Nature
Dominion gas explosion kills one, injures 17 in North Carolina, Utility Dive
‘Bomb Trains.’ Trump’s Plan to Ship Natural Gas by Rail Raises Alarm, Fortune
MIT says we’re overlooking a near-term solution to diesel trucking emissions, Ars Technica
Inside the Gas Industry’s Plan to Sink Nuclear Power, Daily Beast
Renewables/Climate Change/RGGI
How Climate Change Is Fueling the U.S. Border Crisis, The New Yorker
Is Mass. Keeping Its Offshore Wind, Hydro Procurement Promises?, Climate X Change
Global CO2 levels ‘unprecedented’ in last 3M years, E&E News
Millennial legislators bond around push for renewables, Taunton Gazette
Investors Should Worry If Climate Goals Are Missed, Report Warns, Bloomberg
Maryland General Assembly approves 50 percent renewable energy target for 2030, The Baltimore Sun
Nahant earns Green Community designation, Daily Item
100% renewable energy ‘moonshot’ for millennials at Fitchburg State forum, Telegram
Among other millennials, Framingham state Rep. Maria Robinson pushes for renewables, MetroWest Daily News
Climate Change Throws Shade on Forest Wildflowers, Boston University
UNH research: 14 wild bee species native to New England on the decline, New Hampshire Union Leader
Biomass plants ask state Supreme Court to intervene over law, WMUR
Wind
State delays decision on Vineyard Wind cable, Cape Cod Times
Vineyard Wind commits to fisheries monitoring, Cape Cod Times
New Jerseyans like the idea of expanding wind power, poll finds, NJ 101.5
New Jersey governor unveils portal to enhance state’s offshore wind supply chain, Utility Dive
US grid developer seeks offshore insights, reNews
Scaling the US East Coast offshore wind industry to 20 gigawatts and beyond, McKinsey & Company
Offshore wind output beats solar for the first time in Germany, Recharge
Windsor and Sanford Residents voice their displeasure with a planned wind turbine project, WICZ
Solar
L.A. could replace traditional power plants with home solar, experts say, NBC News
New community solar project in Hartland, VT converts brownfield to brightfield, VTDigger
As key solar perk hits sunset, CT grapples with net metering, Connecticut Post
SW looks at solar panels on school roofs, Journal Inquirer
Energy Efficiency/Storage
Windows made of transparent wood could help keep buildings warm, New Scientist
States can grow battery resources with ‘one simple step,’ report finds, Utility Dive
Eversource advances Cape Cod battery project, defers 13-mile distribution line, Utility Dive
Energy efficiency utilities offer $500 incentive for weatherization, VTDigger
MASS SAVE earns 2019 Energy Star® partner of the year – sustained excellence award, Utility Dive
Researchers charge ahead on battery storage, Phys.org
Vattenfall to test salt-based power storage technology, Reuters
EVs
Bipartisan group of lawmakers proposes extending tax credits for electric, fuel cell vehicles, Utility Dive
Nuclear
Three Mile Island nuclear reactor dismantling could take six decades, more than $1 billion, Philadelphia Enquirer
NRC sets Sept. hearing date for C-10’s filing, Newburyport Daily News
Indian Point Unit 3 returns to service after final refueling, Mid-Hudson News
Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviewing Millstone decommissioning funds, The Day
Ohio Lawmakers Consider Bailout Plan for the State’s Two Nuclear Power Plants, WKSU
Markets/Grid/Policy/Prices/Etc.
Eversource fights to keep Northern Pass alive, Boston Globe
This Threat To America’s Energy Grid Is Driving Security Experts Nuts, Inside Sources
How the Energy Department Tackles Cyberthreats, Fedtech Magazine
Berkshire delegation says Baker’s cuts to LIHEAP ‘a shock,‘ Berkshire Eagle
ISO-NE considers new seasonal forward market to improve energy security, Utility Dive
CMP wins key certificate from regulators for transmission line, Portland Press Herald
Watertown hydro plant’s three turbines creating power, Watertown Daily Times
Energy Company Gives Osprey Pair A Housing Upgrade, Cape and Islands NPR
Opponents of CMP transmission line project push bills to slow it down, Portland Press Herald
$30M in state funding available for electric grid projects, Syracuse.com
Editorial/Opinion
Nuclear Power Can Save the World, New York Times
Gas hookup moratoriums are not good for any of us, CommonWealth Magazine
Retiring our nuclear plants would be a costly mistake, former federal energy official says, NJ.com
Power companies must prove need for extending natural gas pipelines in New England (Letters), MassLive
Steven Kahl: The Electric Economy is the future, Kennebec Journal
As I See It: Solar on all new homes would help protect Massachusetts’ air and water, Telegram
Retiring our nuclear plants would be a costly mistake, former federal energy official says, NJ.com