Earth Wise

By Randy SimonScience Education Self-Improvement Natural Sciences Nature

Earth Wise episodes

May 24, 2019 The World’s Largest Storage Battery
Many homeowners are installing solar energy systems with battery backup. Energy stored in the battery can be used when the sun isn’t shining. As battery prices come down, utility-scale solar installations are also turning to battery-based energy storage.
Florida Power & Light has announced plans to build the world’s
largest solar-storage combination facility in Manatee County. The 409-MW Manatee Energy Storage Center will
be the largest solar-battery system by a factor of four. The specifics of the technology and source of
the battery system components have yet to be announced.
The system, which is scheduled to be completed in late 2021, will be
charged by a nearby FPL solar power plant.
The plan is to discharge batteries during times of higher demand,
thereby offsetting the need to run other power plants. As a result, there will be reduced emissions
and customers will save as much as $100 million through avoided fuel costs.
Installing the mega-sized battery system will accelerate the
retirements of two nearby 1970’s-era gas-fired generation units. At peak efficiency, the Manatee energy
storage system will be able to power 390,000 homes for up to two hours.
FPL has already been pursuing the use of battery storage
technology. Last year, they added a 10
MW battery storage system to its 74.5 MW Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center in
Charlotte County.
These large battery systems are increasingly practical because of
dramatic reductions in lithium-ion battery costs. The levelized cost of electricity from
lithium-ion batteries has declined a remarkable 38% just since the beginning of
2018. The economics of clean energy
continue to get better and better.
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Web Links
FP&L Plans World’s Largest Energy Storage Battery To Support Its Renewable Energy Goals
Photo, posted April 21, 2010, courtesy of Frank Starmer via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 23, 2019 Getting Rid Of Plastic Here And Abroad
Efforts in the fight against plastic pollution are really stepping up these days.
New York State lawmakers have agreed to impose a statewide ban on most
types of single-use plastic bags from retail sales. The ban would be the second statewide ban
after California, which banned the bags in 2016. Hawaii effectively also has such a ban since
all of the state’s counties have their own bans.
The New York ban would begin next March and would forbid stores from
providing customers with single-use plastic bags. There are a number of exceptions, including
food takeout bags in restaurants, bags used to wrap deli or meat counter
products, and newspaper bags. New York
counties could opt into a plan to charge a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with
proceeds going to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund. Some environmentalists point out, however,
that paper bags have their own issues. While
they do decompose in landfills, they have a substantial carbon footprint since
they are made from wood and being heavier, they are more costly to ship. Business groups are concerned about the
forthcoming ban based on increased costs.
Meanwhile, European Union member states have reached a provisional
agreement to introduce restrictions on single-use plastic products. In 2021. European citizens will say goodbye
to plastic cutlery, plastic plates and plastic straws among other products.
According to the European Commission, plastics make up 85% of beach
litter in the Mediterranean. Large
plastic pieces injure, suffocate, and often kill marine animals but
microplastics have reached record levels of concentration – over a million
fragments per square kilometer – in the Mediterranean.
Both here and abroad, the war on plastics is heating up.
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Plastic Bags to Be Banned in New York; Second Statewide Ban, After California
The End Of Plastic Cutlery, Plates And Straws: EU Market Says Goodbye To Single-Use Plastic Products
Photo, posted March 20, 2007, courtesy of Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 22, 2019 Frogs Are In Big Trouble
Scientists first noticed in the 1970s that some frog populations were declining rapidly. By the 1980s, some species appeared to be extinct. The loss of frog species was mysterious because many were actually living in pristine habitats that did not face pollution or deforestation.
By the late 1990s, researchers had identified that frogs in widely
different places around the world were infected with a deadly fungus called
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis – or Bd for short. The fungus originated on the Korean peninsula,
but the pathogen spread throughout the world, probably via the international
trade in pet amphibians. By 2007,
researchers speculated that Bd might be responsible for all known declines of
frogs that had no other apparent cause – about 200 species.
Recently, a group of 41 scientists published the first worldwide
analysis of the fungal outbreak and the devastation turns out to be far worse
than anyone had previously realized.
Populations of more than 500 species of amphibians have declined significantly
because of the outbreak, including at least 90 species presumed to have gone
extinct. These figures are more than
twice as large as earlier estimates.
According to biologists, Bd is now considered to be the deadliest
pathogen known to science. But the
decimation of frogs peaked in the 1980s.
Today, although 39% of the species that suffered population declines in
the past are still declining, 12% are showing signs of recovery, possibly
because natural selection is favoring resistant animals.
There is cautious optimism for the surviving amphibian species, but
scientists worry that another strain of Bd or some different species of fungus
altogether may prove even deadlier. The
best we can do is not participate in moving pathogens around the world.
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Web Links
The Plague Killing Frogs Everywhere Is Far Worse Than Scientists Thought
Photo, posted June 19, 2010, courtesy of Chris Luczkow via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 21, 2019 Protecting Vulnerable Shorelines
Global climate change is having noticeable effects on the environment. For example, glaciers are shrinking. Plant and animal ranges are shifting and populations decreasing. And droughts, floods, and wildfires are becoming more frequent and more intense. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.
Our coastal shorelines, which are
already stressed by human activity, pollution, storms, and invasive species,
are one of many areas expected to be further threatened by climate change. Sea level rise and more intense and frequent
storms are expected to erode and inundate coastal ecosystems and eliminate wetlands. Ocean acidification is also projected to
disrupt marine environments.
But according to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, seagrasses could play a key role in protecting these vulnerable shorelines from this onslaught. The MIT research team demonstrated how the ubiquitous marine plants dissipate wave energy and help protect against erosion, which could help mitigate damage from rising seas.
Using mathematical modelling and experiments, the MIT researchers were
able to quantify for the first time how large and dense a continuous meadow of
seagrass must be in order to provide adequate damping of waves in a given
setting. They also found that seagrasses
offer significant environmental benefits, including preventing beach erosion,
protecting seawalls and coastal structures, improving water quality, and
sequestering carbon.
Submerged aquatic vegetation, including seagrasses, provides an
ecosystem service exceeding $4 trillion annually. Hopefully these findings can help provide
useful guidance for seagrass restoration efforts.
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Seagrass’ strong potential for curbing erosion
The Effects of Climate Change
Photo, posted October 13, 2010, courtesy of the NOAA Photo Library via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 20, 2019 Hybrid-Electric Aircraft
The commercial aviation industry is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions and, as other industries try to move towards decarbonization, its share is getting larger. But reducing emissions from aircraft is challenging because powering planes without burning fossil fuel is hard to do.
The biggest problem is that powering aircraft with electric motors
instead of fossil fuel motors requires so much energy that the batteries needed
to supply it become impractically heavy.
While research goes on to develop lighter-weight batteries, an interim
concept may pay dividends.
Just as hybrid cars represent a stepping stone towards full
electrification, hybrid-electric aircraft may be a way to obtain substantial
reductions in aircraft emissions. The
idea is to use battery-powered electric motors to power planes, but to greatly
reduce the capacity requirements of the batteries by having an on-board
fossil-fuel generator to charge the batteries and supply additional needed
power.
A study by the University of Illinois looked at the potential
emissions reductions for hybrid-electric aircraft taking into account the
emissions associated with generating the electricity that charges the batteries
in the plane. The requirements in the
study were that the plane needs to be able to carry the same number of
passengers and travel the same distance as current aircraft.
The results were that a drivetrain that gets 50% of its power from
battery charge reduced emissions by about 50% over the full lifecycle of the
plane.
As batteries get lighter and the electric grid gets greener, the
possibility of making major reductions in aircraft carbon emissions looks
increasingly realistic. But there is a
long way to go.
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Web Links
Study Examines Commercial Hybrid-Electric Aircraft, Reduced Carbon Emissions
Photo, posted September 26, 2014, courtesy of Jeff Turner via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 17, 2019 Climate Change And Insurance
While there are still some people who remain dubious about the reality of climate change, insurance companies are not among them. And, in fact, insurers are warning that climate change could make coverage for ordinary people unaffordable.
Munich Reinsurance, the world’s largest reinsurance firm, blamed
global warming for $24 billion in losses from California’s recent
wildfires. Such costs could soon be
widely felt as premium rises are already under discussion with insurance
companies having clients in vulnerable parts of the state.
With the risk from wildfires, flooding, storms and hail increasing,
the only sustainable option for the insurance industry is to adjust risk prices
accordingly. Ultimately, this may become
a social issue. Affordability of
insurance is critical because if rates go up too much, many people on low and
average incomes in some regions may no longer be able to buy insurance.
The great majority of California’s 20 worst forest fires since the
1930’s has occurred since the year 2000 driven by abnormally high summer
temperatures and persistent drought. The reinsurance giant analyzed decades of
data with climate models and concluded that the fires are likely driven by
climate change.
It isn’t just wildfires.
Insurance premiums are also being adjusted in regions facing an
increased threat from severe convective storms whose energy and severity are
driven by global warming. These include
parts of Germany, Austria, France, southwest Italy, and the U.S. Midwest.
Linking extreme weather events to climate change is a bit like
attributing the performance of a steroid-using athlete to drug use. The connections are clearer in patterns than
in individual disasters. But the pattern
these days is pretty clear.
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Web Links
Climate Change Could Make Insurance Unaffordable for Most People
Photo, posted June 12, 2013, courtesy of Jeff Head via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 16, 2019 Drilling In California
More than one million acres of public and private land in California may soon be opened up to oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing, according to a plan recently released by the Trump Administration. The proposal raises environmental concerns, and comes at a time when opposition to oil and gas drilling in the state is growing.
The plan, put forth by the Bureau of Land Management, would end a
five-year moratorium in the state on leasing federal public land to oil and gas
developers. In 2013, a federal judge put
the moratorium in place until the environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing,
or fracking, could be better evaluated.
Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure
underground in order to crack open rocks and extract oil or gas. Well-documented risks associated with
fracking include air and water pollution, as well as increased risks of oil
spills and earthquakes.
Nevertheless, the Bureau of Land Management, which is part of the U.S.
Department of the Interior, released its 174-page environmental impact
statement with the proposal to open up 1,011,470 acres of land to fossil fuel
extraction, impacting the California counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, San Luis
Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.
Unsurprisingly, the draft plan has been praised by industry groups who
say concerns are misguided, and slammed by environmentalists who say the move
poses a serious public health risk and could lead to a “fracking frenzy.”
The proposal is now subject to a 45-day period for public comment, after which the Interior Department will determine how to proceed. A link to weigh in on the proposal can be found here.
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Web Links
Trump fracking plan targets over 1 million acres in California
Bakersfield Field Office Hydraulic Fracturing Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
Photo, posted March 14, 2010, courtesy of Mike Baird via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 15, 2019 Coal Isn’t Even Cheap Anymore
Coal has historically been very cheap compared with many other energy sources and the reason is that it is so plentiful. The United States has especially abundant quantities of the stuff – perhaps a quarter of the world’s estimated recoverable reserves. Estimates are that at the rate at which we are currently using coal here, the remaining reserves would last about 325 years.
That would be great, of course, if the use of coal was not
relentlessly destructive to the environment, hazardous to human health, and a
major driver for global warming. Despite
all of that, the Trump administration is a big booster of coal.
But coal has little chance of holding on to its current status, much
less having some kind of renaissance.
According to a new report from renewables analysis firm Energy
Innovation, nearly 75% of coal-fired power plants in the United States generate
electricity that is more expensive than local wind and solar resources. Wind power, in particular, can at times
provide electricity at half the cost of coal.
Wind and solar power are growing by leaps and bounds. The
Guardian reported that by 2025, enough wind and solar power will be
generated at low enough prices in the U.S. that it could replace 86% of the
entire U.S. coal fleet with lower-cost electricity.
It has been known for some time that there are places where the so-called coal crossover has already taken place. But this is actually far more widespread than previously thought. Substantial coal capacity is currently at risk in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Texas. By 2025, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin will join their ranks.
The biggest threat to coal is not regulators or environmentalists; it is economics.
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Renewables Cheaper Than 75 Percent of U.S. Coal Fleet, Report Finds
Photo, posted May 1, 2011, courtesy of Alan Stark via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 14, 2019 Dangerous Cities For Migrating Birds
Billions of birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall. The majority of them fly at night. But as they pass over large cities, the birds can become disoriented by bright artificial light – so-called light pollution, causing them to crash into buildings or windows.
Researchers estimate that 600 million birds die from building
collisions in the United States every year.
Now, a new paper from researchers at Cornell University reveals which
metropolitan areas are most dangerous for birds and why.
The researchers ranked cities where, as a result of geography and
exposure to light pollution, birds are at the greatest risk of becoming
attracted to and disoriented by lights and crashing into buildings. They
combined light pollution levels with bird density data in order to make their
calculations. Their paper was recently
published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Chicago, Houston, and Dallas finished as the three most dangerous
cities for migrating birds. While
migration routes vary depending on the season, these three cities still topped
all others during both the spring and fall migrations due to their size and
geographic positioning in the heart of North America’s most trafficked aerial
corridors.
Audubon’s Lights Out program is one of several national efforts
encouraging cities to reduce light pollution, particularly on heavy migration
nights, in order to reduce bird mortality.
But homeowners need to do their part as well since an estimated
quarter-million birds die from collisions with residential houses every
year. The suggestion to cities and
homeowners alike is the same: If you
don’t need the lights, turn them off.
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Web Links
Chicago tops list of most dangerous cities for migrating birds
Photo, posted May 18, 2017, courtesy of Pedro Szekely via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min
May 13, 2019 Building For Climate Change
The manifestations of climate change are creating increasingly familiar images: floodwaters rising up house windows, charred buildings in the wake of wildfires, and homes and businesses demolished by storm winds. As these sorts of calamities become ever more common, changes to how houses are built are going to be necessary.
How can homes become more resilient against severe and unpredictable
weather?
Research at Carlton University’s Sprott School of Business looks at
this issue.
As an example, houses can be framed and finished in certain ways that
help protect them from wind and flooding.
But such methods are currently only happening in the custom-build
fringes of the housing sector.
Widespread adoption will require, at the minimum, significant changes to
building codes.
Revising building codes is not an easy matter. The codes themselves are highly technical and
complex, and beyond that, the process Is often politicized.
Even simple things like hurricane ties, which are small pieces of
hardware that prevent a roof from lifting during a severe wind are not now included
in building codes. Insurance companies
support their use as inexpensive protection for houses. But even though the overall cost is
relatively minor, the building industry pushes back at the additional expense.
The need to reduce carbon emissions has created a push for sustainable
housing. But the increasingly erratic
weather means that houses also need resilience and adaptation. These features will inevitably add costs and
incorporating them into building codes requires producing convincing business
cases.
The U.S. experienced 394 natural catastrophe events last year costing $225 billion in damage. Finding ways to make homes and businesses more resilient is not just a good idea; it is essential.
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Web Links
How to Start Weather-Proofing Homes for Unpredictable Weather
Photo, posted June 12, 2008, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
2 min

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From green business and new environmental legislation to how nature impacts our environment in ways never before considered, Earth Wise offers a look at our changing environment.