Climate Solutions | Bamboo
Happy Friday afternoon.
We start this week with three stories about climate change solutions. There are plenty of bad climate news articles below, so let’s focus on the positive:
How to Cut U.S. Carbon Pollution by Nearly 40 Percent in 10 Years, The Atlantic
Group offers cool ideas for a hotter Boston in coming decades, Boston Globe
Taking a Different Approach to Fighting Climate Change, New York Times
Our new “tech” feature for this week comes from Phys.org, “Visualizing heat flow in bamboo could help design more energy-efficient and fire-safe buildings. Modified natural materials will be an essential component of a sustainable future, but first a detailed understanding of their properties is needed. The way heat flows across bamboo cell walls has been mapped using advanced scanning thermal microscopy, providing a new understanding of how variations in thermal conductivity are linked to the bamboo’s elegant structure. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, will guide the development of more energy-efficient and fire-safe buildings, made from natural materials, in the future. The building sector currently accounts for 30-40% of all carbon emissions, due to both the energy-intensive production of the materials (predominantly steel and concrete), and the energy used in heating and cooling the finished buildings. As the global population grows and becomes increasingly based in towns and cities, traditional building approaches are becoming unsustainable. Renewable, plant-based materials such as bamboo have huge potential for sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. Their use would dramatically reduce emissions compared to traditional materials, helping to mitigate the human impact on climate change. This approach would also help keep carbon out of the atmosphere by diverting timber away from being burnt as fuel.”
Those are the highlights for this week. Enjoy the news below and have a great weekend.
Natural Gas/Oil/Pipeline/Drilling
Local lawmakers press for tougher gas safety rules, Salem News
Cuomo Threatens National Grid: Provide Gas or Lose Your License, New York Times
National Grid to truck natgas to meet winter demand in New England/New York, CNBC
National Grid Says It Will Meet Timeline, CBS Boston / WBZ
Newport gas outage report leads to amended lawsuits, NewportRI.com
Hedlund says compressor may not be needed, calls for review, Patriot Ledger
Weymouth Compressor Station Passes Final State Regulatory Hurdle, WBUR
Senator Markey Statement on Weymouth Compressor Station Final Approval: We Will Not Stop Fighting, US Senate
AP Exclusive: FBI eyes how Pennsylvania approved pipeline, AP News
Fearing for Its Future, a Big Utility Pushes ‘Renewable Gas,’ Urges Cities to Reject Electrification, Inside Climate News
High School Seniors Put Out 1st Documentary On Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions, WBUR
Renewables/Climate Change/RGGI
Why some hydropower plants are worse for the climate than coal, Grist
5 Global Trends Shaping Our Climate Future, New York Times
Climate change could end mortgages as we know them, CBS News
Taking a Different Approach to Fighting Climate Change, New York Times
Group offers cool ideas for a hotter Boston in coming decades, Boston Globe
Shell New Energies EVP: Hydrogen Subsidies Will Pay Off, Just Like They Did for Solar, Greentech Media
How to Cut U.S. Carbon Pollution by Nearly 40 Percent in 10 Years, The Atlantic
Climate change will fundamentally shape the lives of children born in 2019, Fast Company
Renewable ‘blueprint’ for city seen as statewide model, Cranston Herald
Federal Reserve Leaves Action on Climate Change to Politicians, Bloomberg
Why the Fed, Long Reticent, Has Started to Talk About Climate Change, New York Times
Maine’s Shrimp Crisis Reveals A Big Climate Change Problem We’re Not Talking About, HuffPost
Does climate change mean the end of wine?, Quartz
Wind
Associated Industries of Mass. joins the effort to save Vineyard Wind, Boston Globe
State board to hear application for wind farm at Lowville, Rome (NY) Sentinel
With wind turbine decision under appeal, developer turns to solar on Pacheco property, Valley Breeze (RI)
No Consensus on How to Bring Offshore Wind Power Ashore in NJ, NJSpotlight.com
Siting Board Approves Lewis County Wind Farm: 105.8 MW Clean Energy Facility Forecasted to Bring Over $44.2 Million to Local Economy, (NY) Electric Energy Online
Upgrading lakeshore wind turbines will cost $21.3 million, National Wind Watch
Falmouth town meeting approves $2.5M to dismantle wind turbines, Cape Cod Times
Wind turbines off Ocean City would be 200 feet taller than planned, prompting regulators to reopen debate, Baltimore Sun
Offshore wind port facility could be ‘major opportunity’ for Staten Island, SILive
Solar
Giant solar grid completed in New York, Engineer Live
U.S. Solar Companies Are Stockpiling a Massive Amount of Panels, Bloomberg
Solar coalition asks Long Island Power Authority to preserve community solar incentives, Solar Power World
Solar Developers Smell Trouble on Long Island as Offshore Wind Arrives, Greentech Media
Solar growth pushes Peck Company to large revenue increase, VTDigger
R.I. celebrates start of largest ‘community solar’ project, in North Smithfield, Providence Journal
Perovskite solar cells: Possible aspects of high efficiency uncovered, Phys.org
Energy Efficiency/Storage
How do efficiency programs serve low-income communities? New study takes a look., ACEEE
To meet renewable energy goals, Maine must take charge on big battery incentives, Portland Press Herald
Visualizing heat flow in bamboo could help design more energy-efficient and fire-safe buildings, Phys.org
Philanthropic Project Promotes Use Of Existing Energy Efficiency Programs, WAMC
Profiles in Connecticut innovation: High-energy Cadenza makes power storage more efficient, Hartford Courant
Building a Lithium-Ion Battery That Won’t Explode, Bloomberg
EVs
Will Your EV Keep the Lights On When the Grid Goes Down?, Greentech Media
U.S. Electric Bus Demand Outpaces Production as Cities Add to Their Fleets, Inside Climate News
Nuclear
Lessons from the cyberattack on India’s largest nuclear power plant, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
How Nuclear Power Will Impact NJ’s Clean Energy Future, NJ Spotlight
Nuclear a viable part of global energy transition says S&P report, Power Engineering
NRC explores streamlined environmental reviews to accelerate advanced reactor approvals, Utility Dive
Market/Grid/Policy/Prices
NERC’s simulated grid attack leaves thousands of New York customers in hypothetical darkness, Utility Dive
Massachusetts energy commissioner Judith Judson stepping down, MassLive
Regulators approve dramatic rate cut for Emera Maine customers, Bangor Daily News
In net metering talks, state ideals clash with ratepayer realities, VTDigger
The world’s energy report card just came out. We failed 3 subjects., Grist
Eversource earns $319 million, The Telegraph
Electricity will get cheaper for most Mainers, but CMP rate hike could cut into savings, Portland Press Herald
So. Maine lawmakers look to tackle energy, climate change, Seacoastonline.com
National Grid pushed officials to write letters for pipeline, Times Union
Heating costs expected to rise, Eagle-Tribune
Editorial/Opinion
Next steps on offshore wind, CommonWealth Magazine
Rethinking Future Investments in Natural Gas Infrastructure, Greentech Media
How To Reach U.S. Net Zero Emissions By 2050: Decarbonizing Electricity, Forbes
Our view: Move swiftly to address natural gas network, Salem News
Our view: All of this for a clothesline?, Salem News
More steps needed to ensure gas system’s safety, Haverhill Gazette
Letter: Let’s take action against oil companies, Concord Monitor
New York’s reckless gamble on offshore wind power, Crain’s New York
Mindy Messmer: Governor, join other states’ climate-change lawsuit, Conway Daily Sun
Winds of change coming to Connecticut, Connecticut Mirror
