The heat is on | To exit or not to exit | Single option
Happy Friday afternoon folks.
While today actually feels like winter, the trend over the past decade has been toward warmer temperatures. From the AP in the New York Times, “The decade that just ended was by far the hottest ever measured on Earth, capped off by the second-warmest year on record, two U.S. agencies reported Wednesday. And scientists said they see no end to the way man-made climate change keeps shattering records. “If you think you’ve heard this story before, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said at the close of a decade plagued by raging wildfires, melting ice and extreme weather that researchers have repeatedly tied to human activity. Schmidt said Earth as a whole is probably the hottest it has been during the Holocene — the past 11,500 years or so — meaning this could be the warmest period since the dawn of civilization. But scientists’ estimates of ancient global temperatures, based on tree rings, ice cores and other telltale signs, are not precise enough to say that with certainty. The 2010s averaged 58.4 degrees Fahrenheit (14.7 degrees Celsius) worldwide, or 1.4 degrees (0.8 C) higher than the 20th century average and more than one-third of a degree (one-fifth of a degree C) warmer than the previous decade, which had been the hottest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”
Climate change is giving Connecticut energy leaders second thoughts about staying with the regional electric grid. From WNPR, “The state’s commissioner of energy and environmental protection said Wednesday that Connecticut is being forced to invest in natural gas plants it doesn’t want or need. Katie Dykes’ comments on the future of Connecticut’s energy policy came up during a forum at Trinity College, and they come as the legislature prepares to convene next month. Speaking to a crowd at the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, Dykes said a ‘lack of leadership’ at ISO New England, which oversees the regional power grid, is hindering the state’s fight against climate change. ‘We are at the mercy of a regional capacity market that is driving investment in more natural gas and fossil fuel power plants that we don’t want and we don’t need,’ Dykes said. ‘This is forcing us to take a serious look at the cost and benefits of participating in the ISO New England markets.’ The department has scheduled a meeting on the issue for Wednesday, Jan. 22.”
The last highlight for this week comes from the Cape Cod Times, “State officials are taking the first steps toward having a single underwater transmission line that could feed electricity generated by multiple offshore wind farms into the regional power grid. The Department of Energy Resources is asking for comments on the idea of it putting out to bid ‘offshore wind energy transmission sufficient to deliver energy generation procured under’ a 2018 clean energy law that signaled Massachusetts’ intent to pursue enough additional renewable energy to double its amount of possible offshore wind power. The department will accept all comments, but is particularly interested in thoughts on ‘the general cost and benefits of coordinated offshore wind transmission for the region and/or a potential independent transmission procurement in Massachusetts.’…One primary transmission system ‘has the potential benefit of minimizing impacts on fisheries, optimizing the transmission grid, and reducing costs,’ a department report concluded.”
That’s the recap for this week. Stay warm, be careful in tomorrow’s snowstorm, and have a great weekend!
Natural Gas/Oil/Pipeline/Drilling
Natural gas prices in 2019 were the lowest in the past three years
UPDATE: Technicians going door to door restoring gas after major leak in Salem (NH), Eagle Tribune
Massachusetts holding hearings on gas disaster, Eagle Tribune
2020 outlook: Natural gas faces regulatory, environmental scrutiny but still wants role in carbon-free grid, Utility Dive
Green hydrogen could price gas out of power markets by 2050, Energy Voice
Ashland Conservation Commission, citing impact on wetlands, denies Eversource pipe plan, MetroWest Daily News
15 states oppose Trump plan to allow LNG shipments by rail, AP
BlackRock to sell $500 million in coal investments in climate change push, CBS News
Communities weigh closing off gas hookups, Eagle-Tribune
Residents fume as Nat Grid builds north Brooklyn pipeline, Brooklyn Paper
Rep. Joe Kennedy Still Pushing For Answers On Controversial Weymouth Gas Compressor Project, WGBH
Weymouth: Protest Continue at Fore River Compressor Station Site, WATD-FM
Arsenic near Weymouth compressor site ‘not imminent hazard’, Wicked Local
Nine more arrested in compressor station protest, Patriot Ledger
TCI
Straus says TCI is getting in the way, CommonWealth Magazine
Mills becomes latest governor to express concern about regional fuel pact, Boston Globe
NH Gov. Sununu predicts TCI failure, as Mass Legislature floats Plan B, Boston Herald
DeLeo doesn’t see ‘a whole lot of support’ for a regional climate pact, Boston Globe
Transportation and Climate Initiative: Caution lights are flashing, New Hampshire Union Leader
New England governors keep signaling second thoughts about Charlie Baker’s climate plan, Boston.com
State’s top environmental official tries to keep climate accord alive, Lowell Sun
Renewables/Climate Change/RGGI
Fever Chart: Earth Had Its Hottest Decade on Record in 2010s, New York Times
U.S. clean energy investment hits new record despite Trump administration views, Reuters
How A Climate Change Nonprofit Got Eversource Thinking About A Geothermal Future, WBUR
This is what energy resilience could look like, GreenBiz
Ocean temperatures hit record high as rate of heating accelerates, The Guardian
What would a $10 per ton carbon price mean for the Northeast?, Utility Dive
Three-Quarters of New US Generating Capacity in 2020 Will Be Renewable, EIA Says, Greentech Media
Cambridge businesses back Carbon Pricing, Wicked Local
Give Kids the Money From Carbon Taxes, New Republic
What is ‘clean’ or ‘green’ energy? Definitions differ across regions., Kennebec Journal
Why Cutting Car and Truck Emissions Is So Hard, Pew Charitable Trusts
Transmission Emerging as Major Stumbling Block for State Renewable Targets, Greentech Media
New York says new renewables financing option to reduce developers’ financial risk, save $4.6B, Utility Dive
Wind
State seeks feedback on offshore transmission tie-in line, Cape Cod Times
New York’s next offshore wind tender to bring at least 1 GW, Renewables Now
Land deal could mean a wind farm coming to Claremont, Valley News
Lowest cost wind price remains under wraps, Herald News
Mayflower Wind, without contract, moving ahead, CommonWealth Magazine
Offshore wind energy giants form global ‘action coalition,’ Energy Live News
Top wind company Ørsted to open innovation hub in Providence, Boston Globe
Solar is the world’s fastest-growing source of renewable energy. Here’s why one of Europe’s largest hedge funds is betting on wind instead., Business Insider
Town of Sanford wind farm meeting gets emotional. Here’s what was said., (NY) Press Connects
Solar
Stamford solar power company gets $10.2 million financing package, New Haven Register
Solar projects continue to pay off for towns and developers, southcoasttoday.com
City of Augusta, Greater Augusta Utility District look to go solar, Portland Press Herald
Net metering emerges as latest Statehouse battlefront, Keene Sentinel
Energy Efficiency/Storage
Cuomo: Additional $2 billion in utility energy efficiency & building electrification initiatives to combat climate change, Niagara Frontier
What Would It Take for the US to Become an Energy Storage Manufacturing Powerhouse?, Greentech Media
Battery storage facility coming to New Windsor, Record Online
Trump Says Water Efficiency Standards Mean Showers, Toilets and Dishwashers Don’t Work Properly, Newsweek
What makes Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings Market Outperforming its Substitutes, MarketWatch
Eversource challenges students to showcase their energy smarts, Revere Journal
Energy Department Launches Challenge for Next-Gen Storage Technologies, NextGov
EVs
New Jersey sets high standard with passage of EV incentive bill, advocates say, Utility Dive
North Shore towns power up with Bolts, charging stations, Salem News
Nuclear
Decommissioning contract awarded, Machinery Market
Is Nuclear Power Worth the Risk?, The New Yorker
Holtec faces tough questions about Indian Point teardown at first public meeting in Buchanan, LoHud
Nuclear Decommissioning panel to NorthStar: Start paying, Brattleboro Reformer
Canada Sends Nuclear Power Plant Warning to Millions — Before Admitting It Was an ‘Error’, YAHOO!
Nuclear safety advocacy group C-10 moves to Amesbury, Wicked Local
Market/Grid/Policy/Prices
Conn. Energy Head Taking ‘A Serious Look’ At Exiting Regional Power Market, WNPR
Stop & Shop, Major Northeast Grocery Store Chain, to Install 40 Microgrids, Microgrid Knowledge
Grassroots Push for Microgrid on Maine Island, Microgrid Knowledge
Electricity bill could drop $150 a year for Nashua residents under new plan, New Hampshire Union Leader
Timeline: Central Maine Power’s project permit woes, Kennebec Journal
Hydro-Quebec Could Face Fine For Late Disclosure Of Efforts To Sway Maine Voters On CMP Project, Maine Public
Group backing CMP power line wins support of former environmental leaders, Portland Press Herald
In Maine’s North Woods, unplugged back-to-landers foresee irreparable harm to trout from power corridor, Kennebec Journal
In an isolated Inuit community, concern is strong over water toxins from hydropower expansion, Sun Journal
Hydro-Québec and NB Power sign electricity purchase agreement, Electrical Business
Editorial/Opinion
Gov. Lamont shamefully defies FOI laws, The Day
Douglas Rooks: Maine’s long quest for public power, Press Herald
U.S. Leadership Needed to Fight Climate Change, Bloomberg
Too much focus on gas tax, when corporations should do more, Boston Globe
Our View: We should heed warnings on climate change, Portland Press Herald
Here’s Something: CMP line poses a dilemma for environmentalists, Portland Press Herald
Letter: N.H. needs a governor strong on climate change, Eagle-Tribune
Editorial: A lackluster approach to green energy, Concord Monitor
Column: Australia shows us the road to climate hell, Hartford Courant
Northeast Energy News 