Earth Wise

Monarch butterflies have been in trouble for quite a while and now it seems like their prospects are worse than ever.  Multiple surveys of butterfly populations are reporting plummeting numbers. Western monarch butterflies spend their winters on the central California coast.  Months later, they breed in California’s Central Valley and as far north and east […]

The last coal-fired power plant in New York State is closing.  The plant, located in Barker, about an hour’s drive from Buffalo, employs 44 people.  The plant’s closure is an early test of New York’s new climate law, which is one of the most ambitious in the country.  The law is supposed to transform the […]

In 2019, the amount of electricity generated by wind power surpassed hydroelectric power for the first time, making wind the largest renewable source of electricity generation in the country.

Total wind generation in 2019 was 300 million MWh, which was 26

million MWh more than was produced by hydroelectric plants.

Hydroelectric generation has fluctuated between 250 and 320 million

MWh over the past decade.  The capacity

base has been stable, so the fluctuations were a result of variable annual

precipitation.   Hydroelectric generation

is generally greatest in the spring when rain and melting snow pack increase

water runoff.

The growth in wind power is primarily a result of increasing capacity

rather than any major fluctuations in wind caused by changing weather.  The U.S. added about 10 GW of wind capacity

in 2019, making it the second largest year for capacity additions ever, second

only to 2012.

Wind energy is an intermittent source, meaning that it isn’t windy all

the time.  The average annual capacity

factor for the U.S. wind fleet over the past decade has been 28 to 35%, meaning

that is the amount of energy actually produced compared with the systems

running at continuous full power all the time. 

By comparison, the U.S. hydroelectric fleet operated at 35 to 43% of

capacity during that period.  So, wind

power is actually not that much less a steady source than hydroelectric power.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the

government’s production tax credit, which was extended through this year, means

that wind power capacity in the U.S. will continue to grow at a robust

pace.  Meanwhile, some dams are being

decommissioned and there is little new construction in the hydropower sector.

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Wind has overtaken the top position for renewable generation in the U.S., EIA says

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Plastics in the ocean are a global problem that has attracted a great deal of attention.  Most of the concern surrounds grocery bags, bottles, six-pack rings, and similar items.  Recent research looked at another source of plastic pollution:  LEGOs.

According to environmental scientists at the University of Plymouth in

the United Kingdom, it can take more than a thousand years for LEGO bricks to

break down in the ocean.  The iconic toys

are made from a strong plastic called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or

ABS.  Pieces of LEGOs are commonly found

in ocean trash hotspots and wash up on shores across the globe by the

thousands.

LEGOs are one of the most popular children’s toys in history and part of what makes them so popular is their durability.  Barefooted parents stepping on one on the floor in a dark room can attest to that fact.  But the full extent of their durability came as a surprise to the researchers.

The scientists analyzed pieces of weathered LEGOs collected from

beaches, confirmed their age, and compared them to unweathered LEGOs from the

70’s and 80’s.  They were able to

determine the extent to which LEGOs had been worn down by ocean waves, sand,

and salt over time.  And it was

surprisingly little.

LEGO has acknowledged the environmental impact of its products and has

launched a goal to make its bricks from more sustainable sources such as

sugarcane-based polyethylene by 2030, as well as improve its efforts to recycle

and reuse old LEGO plastic.

Meanwhile, we should all we careful of where our old LEGOs end up.

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LEGO Bricks Could Linger in the Ocean for 1,300 Years, Study Finds

Photo, posted August 24, 2015, courtesy of Juan Luis via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

With much of the country shut down as the coronavirus forces people to stay at home, there has naturally been a drastic reduction of traffic on roads and highways.   And with that decrease, there has been a dramatic reduction in pollution as well.

A satellite that detects emissions in the atmosphere linked to cars and trucks has observed huge declines in pollution in major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.

Los Angeles is infamous for its rush-hour traffic but that has pretty

much ceased to exist. Similar changes can be seen in the San Francisco Bay

Area, where nearly 7 million residents have been ordered to shelter in

place.  New York City is less dependent

on car travel than in other metro areas, but the shutdown of office buildings,

schools, and restaurants has nonetheless resulted in a substantial reduction of

traffic on the streets of the city.

While this sudden decline in air pollution over U.S. cities has some near-term health benefits, those benefits are likely to be fairly minor in the big picture.  When the coronavirus outbreak subsides and people are allowed to leave their homes and go back to their normal lives, air pollution will most certainly rebound to previous levels.  In any event, studies have shown that long-term exposure to air pollution has a larger impact on public health than any transient events.

Having much cleaner air for a while is certainly a good thing, but

this shutdown is not a sustainable way to reduce air pollution and the

long-term effects of the coronavirus crisis will certainly not be positive.

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Traffic and Pollution Plummet as U.S. Cities Shut Down for Coronavirus

Photo, posted March 15, 2020, courtesy of Tom Collins via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The Arctic has been warming at the fastest rate of any place on Earth.  There have long been observations of amplification of Arctic warming, meaning that its temperature increases have been well above what would be expected from the global temperature rise.

Many climate models have attributed this warming to the melting of sea

ice.  As the bright white ice disappears

for longer periods of the year, the dark surface waters that are exposed absorb

sunlight rather than reflecting it back into space the way the ice does.  This is known as the ice-albedo feedback.  But it does not entirely explain the amount

of warming in the Arctic.

Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have developed

a new theory that helps to explain what is going on.

In the areas of the Arctic Ocean where there is sea ice, the water is

actually warmer at depth and colder near the surface.  The deeper waters are fed by the relatively

warm Pacific and Atlantic Oceans while the surface water is cooled by the ice.  The increasing temperature difference between

surface and deeper water causes a greater upward flow of heat.  This was first observed in research cruises

that revealed evidence that the Arctic Ocean water was becoming more turbulent

over time.

According to computer modeling, this phenomenon is responsible for

about 20% of the amplification of global warming that occurs in the Arctic.

There are multiple ongoing studies looking at the Arctic warming

trend.  Other factors that have

contributed over time are the presence of chlorfluorocarbons in the

atmosphere.   That contribution is waning

since the use of CFCs has been phasing out over time.

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Researchers Find New Reason Why Arctic is Warming So Fast

Photo, posted April 19, 2017, courtesy of Markus Trienke via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The Monterey County Planning Commission has unanimously approved a joint project between Tesla and Pacific Gas and Electric to turn the Moss Landing Power Plant in California into the world’s largest battery energy storage facility.

The Moss Landing Power Plant is a natural gas-powered electricity

generation plant located at the midpoint of California’s Monterey Bay.  At one time, it was the largest power plant

in the state of California with a generation capacity of 2560 MW but has been

gradually shutting down over time.

The new facility will incorporate 1.2 GWh of storage capacity for energy generated by solar and wind systems.  The stored energy will be available for use during periods of high energy demand and lower output.  This is about ten times larger than Tesla’s Hornsdale energy storage project in Australia, which was three times bigger than any other batter storage facility when it was built a few years ago.  In 2018, the battery system at Hornsdale made back a third of its cost in just one year.  The systems make use of Tesla’s Megapack battery products which come in pre-assembled units that provide 3 MWh of energy storage capacity.

The project will make use of existing power lines to transmit energy around Monterey County and parts of Silicon Valley.  Tesla and PG&E hope to break ground in early spring with completion scheduled for the end of the year.  California has been adding massive amounts of wind and solar power to its electrical grid and incorporating energy storage is an important step towards creating a truly resilient power system.

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Humongous Tesla Battery Plant Approved In California Is 10× Bigger Than World’s Biggest Battery Plant

Photo, posted September 22, 2019, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

These days, consumers have multiple choices for how to shop for even the most mundane products.  There are both traditional and online ways to buy most so-called fast-moving consumer goods, such as cleaning supplies and packaged foods.  Price, quality, convenience, and time-frame guide our choices.

In the past, these things were always purchased by going to “Bricks & Mortar”, that is, physical retail stores. But now, we can order them from physical stores and have them delivered directly by the store – which is known as “Bricks & Clicks” – or we can order them online from an e-tailer and have them delivered by a parcel delivery company or the post office, so-called “Pure Play” online purchasing..

The carbon footprint of these three approaches depends on multiple

factors according to a new study published in Environmental Science and

Technology.  The study looked at the

impact of transport, warehouse storage, delivery, and packaging.

Overall, the greenhouse gas footprints per item purchased at Bricks &

Mortar were higher than those of Bricks & Clicks but lower than that of

Pure Players.  But the results were

highly dependent upon how many items were actually being purchased, and where

the consumers lived.  The type of items

also mattered.  For example, clothing

purchased from a pure-play online source is much more likely to be returned

than if purchased in a store.

Bricks & Mortar shoppers could reduce their footprint by 40% by

walking or biking to stores, and Pure Players could cut emissions by 26% by

switching to electric vehicles for the delivery of products from parcel

distribution centers to consumers’ homes.

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Comparing greenhouse gas footprints of online versus traditional shopping

Photo, posted July 15, 2017, courtesy of Elaine Smith via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global challenge and nowhere is that challenge greater than in China.  China accounts for 30% of the world’s emissions and much of that comes from coal power plants.  If the world is going to reach its climate targets, China is going to have to replace as much as possible of its current power mix with renewable energy.

As of 2018, China still made 69% of its electricity from fossil fuels.  Its vast coal reserves have driven its rapid industrialization and better standard of living.  But terrible air pollution problems along with climate issues have led to heavy investments and rapid expansion of both wind and solar power in China.

China is now a world leader in renewable energy, both in terms of producing and using renewable power.  At the start of 2016, China had installed a total of 145,000 megawatts of wind power, which is 3,000 MW more than all 28 European Union countries combined.  And this has occurred even though China only started developing their wind power industry 30 years later than the first EU countries.

Until 2009, China exported almost all the solar panels it produced.  But gradually China began to use solar energy in a big way.  The industry took off in 2014, and growth has been exponential.  Solar power production in China is now almost as extensive as wind power.

One has to consider that much of China’s electricity production is

used by industries that produce products for the rest of the world.  In effect, these are exported emissions.  China has a long way to go in replacing its

fossil fuel generation and we all have a stake in China succeeding in the task.

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China’s rapid development of solar and wind power

Photo, posted November 12, 2007, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Convincing industries to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions has not been easy.  Many approaches have been debated, including carbon taxes, carbon tax-and-trade schemes, and passing a giant Green New Deal.  Most economists agree that putting a price on carbon is likely to be the most effective approach.

But there is already in place an adjustment to the US tax code that is more of a carrot than a stick.  It is a tax credit that is designed to make capturing CO2 a financial winner for a number of high-emitting industries.  The credit, called 45Q, was enacted in February 2018.

The 45Q credit earns industrial manufacturers $50 per metric ton of CO2 stored permanently or $35 per ton if the CO2 is put to use.  An earlier credit for capturing carbon dioxide was limited to only $20 per metric ton and was capped at 75 million tons.  Some large fossil fuel companies did make use of the earlier credit.

The new version does not have a cap, but to qualify, companies need to

start constructing carbon-capture facilities within 7 years and have 12 years

to claim their money.

Companies with emission-intensive operations are busy figuring out how

to take advantage of the credit.  These

include cement makers, steel and power plants, corn ethanol producers, and

ammonia plants.

Because the credit mandates that companies start constructing their

carbon-capture facilities within seven years, most companies will tend to rely

on mature technologies.  But the tax

credit should also drive demand for next-generation carbon-capture

technologies, of which there are many under development.  Saving lots of money on taxes is likely to

lure US companies to capture carbon dioxide.

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45Q, the tax credit that’s luring US companies to capture CO2

Photo, posted October 2, 2014, courtesy of Sask Power via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.