Photo credit: Flickr (koocbor)

I’m pleased that the ENR committee is highlighting these important issues. All policymakers need to understand that climate impacts – such as sea level rise and extreme weather – are harming us in ways that may not appear readily connected. In fact, a 2011 NWF report More Extreme Weather and the US Energy Infrastructure focused on exactly these sorts of connections between climate change and the vulnerability of our energy systems.

Coastal Energy Infrastructure at Risk

Rising sea level certainly does threaten our near-shore oil and gas pipelines and refineries, as well as power plants, which are often located near the coast to make use of the ample water available needed for standard electricity generation. And, climate change is the main driver for sea level rise, especially for the 21^st century.

Over the last century, climate change has contributed to about 8 inches of sea level rise globally. Some areas, like the Gulf Coast, have experienced even more sea level rise due to local land subsidence.  The best scientific projections for the coming century: 1-2 feet of global mean sea level rise by 2050, and 2-6 feet by 2100.  About 3 feet of sea level rise would inundate more than 9000 km² of coastal areas in the lower 48 states, according to a new study lead by Climate Central.

And, it’s not just sea level rise. Coastal energy infrastructure is also vulnerable to hurricanes. NWF’s 2011 report highlights how vulnerable oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf region is to hurricanes:

About 30 percent of the U.S. oil supply and 20 percent of the natural gas supply is produced in the Gulf of Mexico region, an area highly vulnerable to tropical storms and hurricanes. As climate change makes it likely that these storms will become more intense and bring more severe flooding, the billions of dollars worth of infrastructure invested in this region are at risk. This includes some 4,000 offshore oil and gas platforms, 31,000 miles of pipeline, and more than 25 onshore refineries. To make matters worse, much of this infrastructure is aging, making it even more susceptible to failures.

Weather-Related Power Outages

Power outages are becoming a more frequent nuisance for many of us, and an increasing number are due to weather. Just check out this chart that NWF created based on the reports submitted by electricity companies for major outages. Changes in extreme weather, power transmission infrastructure and maintenance practices, and demographic trends may all be contributing to more frequent power outages.

Furthermore, electricity generation is likely to be affected by water shortages, especially as climate change brings more extreme heat and drought. About 89 percent of electricity in the United States is generated in thermoelectric power plants that require water for cooling. Water demand from the energy sector is projected to increase by 32 percent by 2030, while droughts are expected to become more frequent and severe. This impending crisis is not widely recognized as a future cause of electricity outages.

Building a Better Energy System

The climate-related threats to our nation’s energy systems compound the vulnerability associated with the aging and crumbling energy infrastructure, which is already causing environmental damage. It is high time that we make investments in a new energy infrastructure that is more resilient in the face of more extreme weather and climate. We recommend that the nation undertake a detailed national climate vulnerability assessment for the energy industry and develop climate adaptation plans to address vulnerabilities.

Furthermore, we must begin designing, strategically locating, and making investments in energy systems—such as appropriately sited offshore wind and distributed photovoltaic solar—that are more resilient to severe weather and climate disruptions, while at the same time help us take meaningful steps away from our dependence on coal, oil, and gas. EPA’s carbon standards for new power plants are an important step toward helping us build a more resilient power infrastructure and one that is not adding to the problem is critical.

The room was full yesterday at a wind meeting held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), despite starting off with 45 minutes of powerpoint presentations about the federal government process.

Heather, a student at BU, said “The view from my home was marred by coal smokestacks. I wish it could have been wind turbines instead”. Heather grew up near Salem, MA, where a plant has been pumping out mercury, CO2, and other air pollution for decades. She wants to see our dirty energy like coal replaced with clean energy like offshore wind.

The BOEM staff went through how we are on step one out of 4, (essentially just starting to think about leasing the area), and I personally was encouraged to see that clearly there is a strong commitment to include everyone and a dedication to getting it right. Many of those who spoke and who asked questions after the presentations pointed out that this wierd winter showed we need a clean alternative to our dirty power, like coal, that we are currently using.

AlthoughValentine’s Day and the hearing are both over, you can still show some love for offshore wind here.

Ten years later, the release of the film The Last Mountain brings to light similar haunting facts about the carnage and destruction inflicted on rural Appalachia, West Virginia happening today.  Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  joins in the fight alongside residents of the Coal River Valley in West Virginia, who endure earsplitting explosions, extreme flooding, raining boulders that tear through communities, toxic sludge and poisoned water wells, life threatening exposure to toxins, and devastating pre-mature deaths.  

Roughly half the electricity in the U.S. comes from burning coal—one-third of that coal comes from the Appalachian Mountains. Yet there is a vast amount of mis-education about coal.  In the film, we are shown a school full of young imperiled children attending an elementary school coated in silica dust just below an impoundment holding 2.8 billion gallons of sludge.  Classrooms are filled with cancer and autism clusters that clearly defy statistical logic.  I couldn’t help but think about the irony that just weeks ago fourth-grade curriculum materials developed by the American Coal Foundation were distributed to tens of thousands of teachers.  The materials included no mention of the adverse environmental or health impacts of coal, presenting an unfair and unbalanced picture for our children.

So while the fourth largest coal company continues to blow up mountain tops for coal, we not only have local communities enduring life-threatening exposure to toxins, but the coal industry is using the classroom as a forum to propagandize kids on behalf of their product leaving out critical implications?  

As the future of the Appalachian Mountains holds great potential to harvest wind energy as an alternative, children have a right to know the full story on electricity production via coal burning.  Environmental and energy-based lesson plans and curricula should present a fair and balanced viewpoint and prepare our children for a complex and possibly perilous set of future environmental realities.

Learn more and get involved in the movement to end mountain top removal. 

The Last Mountain opened last weekend in New York City and Washington, DC. See when this gripping documentary will be playing in a city near you.

Take action against mercury and air toxins from coal-fired power plants!

Paul Ridden of Gizmag.com reports:

“Later this month, Helix Wind Corporation will deliver its first test wind turbines to Eltek Network Solutions Group for installation at two test sites in Nigeria. Sites in the US are also set to take delivery of test modules. The turbines will provide a clean energy solution for mobile phone towers and if tests prove successful, could see wind power being rolled out to hundreds of sites over the next few years.

‘Currently such towers are powered by diesel generators, which are bad for the environment and extremely expensive to operate,’ said Helix Wind CEO Ian Gardner. ‘Anywhere the power grid is unreliable, expensive or simply non-existent, wind is an ideal renewable energy resource able to power these towers and reduce their operating cost.”‘

See full article >>

Times of India reports:

“A Utah-based company has found a new way to store solar energy – in a small ceramic disk which can store more power for less. Researchers at Ceramatec have created the disk, which can hold up to 20-kilowatt hours, enough to power an entire house for a large portion of the day. The new battery runs on sodium-sulfur — a composition that typically operates at greater than 600°F. “Sodium-sulfur is more energetic than lead-acid, so if you can somehow get it to a lower temperature, it would be valuable for residential use”, Ralph Brodd, an independent energy conversion consultant, says. Ceramatec’s new battery runs at less than 200°F. ” See full article >>

Green Stocks Central.com reports:

“[August 3rd] in the Washington Post, General Electric (GE) CEO Jeff Immelt and famed venture capitalist John Doerr wrote an op ed piece highlighting the failure of the US to take the lead in green energy and the emergence of China as the leader.

Some interesting facts:

- China cars are 35% more fuel efficient
- they spend 10x what the US does as a % of GDP on green energy
- China on track to create 150,000 jobs through the deployment of 120GW of wind power within 10 years
- US is home to only one of the top 5 wind turbine manufacturers (GE)
- US is home to just one of the top 10 solar panel producers (hmm.. I thought it was two – FSLR, SPWRA)
- US is home to just two of the top advanced battery makers.  See full article.

(Image: Green DC)

Chris Woodyard at USA Today reports:

“The first truck to run solely on electricity was released by Smith in Washington last month. Smith also announced partnerships with six companies, including Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Staples and AT&T, which plan to make the new trucks part of their shipping and carrying fleets as early as this year. They are interested in a truck that can run a long ways around town: The electric truck has a lithium-ion battery that recharges in a 220 volt outlet in six to eight hours. The battery is good for 100 miles per charge and has a lifetime of about seven to 10 years. The truck drives like a big golf cart — no gears or shifting — but is extremely quiet due to the electric engine. It can reach speeds of up to 50 mph.”  See full article >>