GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES

[ronwagn + 6,290]

4 hours ago, Jay McKinsey said:

I heard Trump was speaking to an empty arena.

He had more attending than Biden had all year at all of his venues combined.

[ronwagn + 6,290]

2 hours ago, Ecocharger said:

When production of EVs gets into the large numbers, cost of inputs will hit a brick wall and no one will be able to afford an EV, unless they are very well off.

https://www.edmunds.com/electric-car/articles/cheapest-electric-cars/

[Ecocharger + 1,474]

2 hours ago, Jay McKinsey said:

By law, electricity from coal will not be allowed after 2026.

Laws can easily be changed or overridden by government fiat.

[ronwagn + 6,290]

2 minutes ago, ronwagn said:

https://www.edmunds.com/electric-car/articles/cheapest-electric-cars/

Starts at about double what my 40 mpg Mitsubishi Mirage cost. The other compacts or subcompacts cost almost as much as my Nissan NV3500 cost us. It has twelve large leather seats and a 5.3 liter engine. 

Edited December 15, 2021 by ronwagn

[Ecocharger + 1,474]

2 hours ago, turbguy said:

So, you are agreeing that China is "right"?

Or perhaps just misguided...

Per BTU, coal is cheap.

Cheap does not equal "right".   Particularly when you through away at least half of the BTU's.

In this case, it means "right". Coal is needed.

[turbguy + 1,544]

15 minutes ago, Ecocharger said:

In this case, it means "right". Coal is needed.

The truth is indeed that coal is currently needed.

It is also true that it has been used less and less.

It is also true that it will continue to be used less and less.

It's gonna take a decade or so.

Just watch...

Edited December 15, 2021 by turbguy

[Ecocharger + 1,474]

11 minutes ago, turbguy said:

The truth is indeed that coal is currently needed.

It is also true that it has been used less and less.

It is also true that it will continue to be used less and less.

It's gonna take a decade or so.

Just watch...

Coal still has long legs...just watch.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,490]

1 hour ago, ronwagn said:

He had more attending than Biden had all year at all of his venues combined.

We don't care about such things but Trump sure does. 

 

[Jay McKinsey + 1,490]

1 hour ago, Ecocharger said:

Coal still has long legs...just watch.

Not in the USA. The coal pant closure notices continue to come fast and furious.

Nation’s 3rd-largest utility to shut down half of coal fleet

By Kristi E. Swartz | 11/05/2021 06:16 AM EST

Georgia Power Co.'s Plant Scherer. Georgia Power

 

Southern Co. announced yesterday that it will shutter roughly 55 percent of its coal fleet by the end of the decade as the company shifts to a net-zero electricity mix.

The closures include units at the nation’s two largest coal-fired power plants, as well as the previously announced Plant Daniel, one of the last coal generators in Mississippi. The move will reduce the amount of coal on Southern’s system by 80 percent since 2007, company CEO Tom Fanning told Wall Street analysts yesterday.

Atlanta-based Southern — the nation’s third-largest utility — once operated 66 generating units of coal, producing 20,450 megawatts across its Southeastern territory. It now operates 18 units producing 9,799 MW, according to the company. Once these additional units are closed, that figure will fall to roughly 4,300 MW at eight units, Fanning said.

https://www.eenews.net/articles/nations-3rd-largest-utility-to-shut-down-half-of-coal-fleet/

Ameren fast-tracks closure of Rush Island coal plant

 

File Photo / Eli Chen

/

St. Louis Public Radio

Ameren Missouri announced it will close its Rush Island coal plant earlier than expected.

Ameren Missouri announced Tuesday that it will close its Rush Island coal plant earlier than expected.

In a court filing, Ameren announced that it will close the plant by spring 2024, a court-imposed deadline for the utility to install a flue-gas sulfurization system. Ameren had planned to close Rush Island in 2039.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2021-12-14/ameren-fast-tracks-closure-of-rush-island-coal-plant

 

Colorado is Now Talking About Closing Its Last Coal Plant

Something that just a decade ago would have been extraordinary, a debate about Colorado’s last coal plant, is underway this week.

The question is when, not if, Comanche 3 will close.

Xcel Energy, the operator and majority owner of Comanche 3, had proposed to continue operating the plant at Pueblo until 2040, if only on a part-time basis beyond 2030. Major environmental groups believe Comanche can be closed by 2030, maybe even 2027.

A proposed compromise agreement between Xcel and 15 other organizations involved in the discussions calls for the ramping down of operations beginning in 2022 and a final closure on New Year’s Eve in 2034. The plan would get Xcel to 85% to 87% emissions reduction by 2030, as compared to the 2005 baseline. This is ahead of Colorado’s 80% goal for 2030.

Eight coal units in Colorado likely will close by 2030 or, in the case of Pawnee, a plant at Brush, converted to natural gas. That will leave just Comanche 3.

https://pagosadailypost.com/2021/12/09/big-pivots-colorado-is-now-talking-about-closing-its-last-coal-plant/

Edited December 15, 2021 by Jay McKinsey

[Rob Plant + 2,756]

6 hours ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Vehicle stock includes all used cars. The number is 1% of all vehicles on the road are EVs.

is one of those your BMW ICE?

Can you show us a picture of you in your Tesla? Or was that just made up?

[Jay McKinsey + 1,490]

33 minutes ago, Rob Plant said:

is one of those your BMW ICE?

Can you show us a picture of you in your Tesla? Or was that just made up?

You still haven't figured it out? No wonder you voted for Brexit. You aren't very swift. I already gave the answer several times. 

Edited December 15, 2021 by Jay McKinsey

[Rob Plant + 2,756]

22 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

You still haven't figured it out? No wonder you voted for Brexit. You aren't very swift. I already gave the answer several times. 

No , No you didnt, you side stepped answering Ecocharger about it!

Actually I voted remain! but hey what do you know!

I'm swift enough to run a $35M manufacturing business making over $5M per annum EBITDA through Brexit and a global pandemic! How about you??? I'm guessing not.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Rob Plant

[Jay McKinsey + 1,490]

14 minutes ago, Rob Plant said:

No , No you didnt, you side stepped answering Ecocharger about it!

Actually I voted remain! but hey what do you know!

I'm swift enough to run a $35M manufacturing business making over $5M per annum EBITDA! You???

No, you have a boss you have said so. You also said you were pro brexit. It is very weird how you are so fixated on this since it is utterly irrelevant. However I did tell you, but it isn't my problem that you can't figure it out. I guess I will just have to enjoy the fact that it torments you guys so much.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Jay McKinsey

[Rob Plant + 2,756]

2 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

No, you have a boss you have said so. You also said you were pro brexit. It is very weird how you are so fixated on this since it is utterly irrelevant. However I did tell you, but it isn't my problem that you can't figure it out.

Everyone has a boss normally its a CEO and the CEO has investors to report to, it doesnt stop me running the company D'oh! Maybe you have never been in that position so you wouldnt know.

And no I have always said I voted Remain but that the UK will be just fine away from those beurocratic idiots in Brussels. We will have a couple of years of pain and then be fine. if you want to scroll through my posts to confirm (if you have nothing better to do) then be my guest, but it is all there.

I'm not fixated its just that you are soooooo pro all things EV and Tesla but its rather ironic that you claim you "own Tesla" which as Ecocharger points out is most likely a shareholding and not an actual vehicle, which you wont deny. So why not just confirm you own one with a nice picture of you in it (you can take your hat off if you like). If you cant then I think we'll all know why.

[Jay McKinsey + 1,490]

19 minutes ago, Rob Plant said:

Everyone has a boss normally its a CEO and the CEO has investors to report to, it doesnt stop me running the company D'oh! Maybe you have never been in that position so you wouldnt know.

And no I have always said I voted Remain but that the UK will be just fine away from those beurocratic idiots in Brussels. We will have a couple of years of pain and then be fine. if you want to scroll through my posts to confirm (if you have nothing better to do) then be my guest, but it is all there.

I'm not fixated its just that you are soooooo pro all things EV and Tesla but its rather ironic that you claim you "own Tesla" which as Ecocharger points out is most likely a shareholding and not an actual vehicle, which you wont deny. So why not just confirm you own one with a nice picture of you in it (you can take your hat off if you like). If you cant then I think we'll all know why.

Why shouldn't an EV investor be even more pro EV than a vehicle owner? Lots of pro EV people haven't yet gotten their new EV, that is why the market is growing so fast.  

Oh it will be a lot more than a few years of pain. Those "trade deals" you guys are making are hilarious and business with the EU is drying up. Except for N. Ireland which I understand is doing fine.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Jay McKinsey

[Rob Plant + 2,756]

1 minute ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Why shouldn't an EV investor be even more pro EV than a vehicle owner? Lots of pro EV people haven't yet gotten their new EV, that is why the market is growing so fast.  

Oh it will be a lot more than a few years of pain. Those "trade deals" you guys are making are hilarious and business with the EU is drying up.

Have you actually ordered an EV?

Again Jay you are trying to be a sooth sayer in predicting the future!

50% of our business is with the EU (which is why I voted remain) but only for a 3 month period was this affected this year. If you make a quality product and are commercially on the money markets will buy from you. We supply to 80 countries globally, inculding China!

[Jay McKinsey + 1,490]

1 minute ago, Rob Plant said:

Have you actually ordered an EV?

Again Jay you are trying to be a sooth sayer in predicting the future!

50% of our business is with the EU (which is why I voted remain) but only for a 3 month period was this affected this year. If you make a quality product and are commercially on the money markets will buy from you. We supply to 80 countries globally, inculding China!

You clearly are fixated on this, very weird.

I'm an economist, predicting the future is the job. I can't wait to see what happens when you guys implement import controls. 

@Ecocharger keeps predicting the future, why don't you ask him if he owns any coal? Maybe he has a lump in his stocking for you.

[Rob Plant + 2,756]

2 minutes ago, Jay McKinsey said:

You clearly are fixated on this, very weird.

I'm an economist, predicting the future is the job. I can't wait to see what happens when you guys implement import controls. 

@Ecocharger keeps predicting the future, why don't you ask him if he owns any coal? Maybe he has a lump in his stocking for you.

Thats a no then on ordering an EV.

Dont blame you they are expensive for what you get.

I have a hybrid BMW but only to save a fortune in car tax, having said that it does give me the best of both worlds and I actually really like the car.

There is NO doubt that EV's are the future which is why all of the major car manufacturers are going in that direction due to governments imposing laws to ban them, so common sense really. It doesnt make the whole EV revolution the correct course of action though.

Coal is a horrible FF, inefficient and incredibly polluting so I'm no fan of that and glad it will be banned by 2024 in the UK. My concern is that the infrastructure in place when it is banned will not be able to cope or be reliable enough to cope with the demand for electricity.

This energy transition period is one of huge risk to countries and economies globally.

Ecocharger is correct in stating FF usage is only going to increase over the next decade or 2 as the demand for power/electricity will sky rocket. Hopefully NG will fill the void whilst we get a more stable and varied supply globally.

Interesting times for sure!

[Boat + 1,324]

1 hour ago, Rob Plant said:

Thats a no then on ordering an EV.

Dont blame you they are expensive for what you get.

I have a hybrid BMW but only to save a fortune in car tax, having said that it does give me the best of both worlds and I actually really like the car.

There is NO doubt that EV's are the future which is why all of the major car manufacturers are going in that direction due to governments imposing laws to ban them, so common sense really. It doesnt make the whole EV revolution the correct course of action though.

Coal is a horrible FF, inefficient and incredibly polluting so I'm no fan of that and glad it will be banned by 2024 in the UK. My concern is that the infrastructure in place when it is banned will not be able to cope or be reliable enough to cope with the demand for electricity.

This energy transition period is one of huge risk to countries and economies globally.

Ecocharger is correct in stating FF usage is only going to increase over the next decade or 2 as the demand for power/electricity will sky rocket. Hopefully NG will fill the void whilst we get a more stable and varied supply globally.

Interesting times for sure!

I don’t like government mandates for EV’s for example. The transition will happen without help. Tech will be the driver of cost of these cars over time. Battery chargers potentially could give a car a couple hundred miles in 10 min. Poof, most cars don’t need range if it’s fast and convenient to charge. Smaller batteries of course will be cheaper and lighter. If your willing to give up speed just how small can the battery get. 
The only FF I see growing in demand is nat gas. The only reason coal survives is the time it takes to build out renewables/nat gas infrastructure. 

[Boat + 1,324]

Spread across the estimated 3.1 million abandoned wells, the leaking methane is equivalent to burning more than 16 million barrels of oil, according to government estimates. ... Previous studies have found the basin generates 2.7 billion kilograms of methane per year or nearly 4% of the total gas extracted.Apr 28, 2021.

Is flaring a leak? If you can see the flames from space are your children in danger? Nobody argues economies don’t need FF. But it’s like booger management, there are smart ways to handle them.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Boat

[Ecocharger + 1,474]

11 hours ago, Jay McKinsey said:

Not in the USA. The coal pant closure notices continue to come fast and furious.

Nation’s 3rd-largest utility to shut down half of coal fleet

By Kristi E. Swartz | 11/05/2021 06:16 AM EST

Georgia Power Co.'s Plant Scherer. Georgia Power

 

Southern Co. announced yesterday that it will shutter roughly 55 percent of its coal fleet by the end of the decade as the company shifts to a net-zero electricity mix.

The closures include units at the nation’s two largest coal-fired power plants, as well as the previously announced Plant Daniel, one of the last coal generators in Mississippi. The move will reduce the amount of coal on Southern’s system by 80 percent since 2007, company CEO Tom Fanning told Wall Street analysts yesterday.

Atlanta-based Southern — the nation’s third-largest utility — once operated 66 generating units of coal, producing 20,450 megawatts across its Southeastern territory. It now operates 18 units producing 9,799 MW, according to the company. Once these additional units are closed, that figure will fall to roughly 4,300 MW at eight units, Fanning said.

https://www.eenews.net/articles/nations-3rd-largest-utility-to-shut-down-half-of-coal-fleet/

Ameren fast-tracks closure of Rush Island coal plant

 

File Photo / Eli Chen

/

St. Louis Public Radio

Ameren Missouri announced it will close its Rush Island coal plant earlier than expected.

Ameren Missouri announced Tuesday that it will close its Rush Island coal plant earlier than expected.

In a court filing, Ameren announced that it will close the plant by spring 2024, a court-imposed deadline for the utility to install a flue-gas sulfurization system. Ameren had planned to close Rush Island in 2039.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2021-12-14/ameren-fast-tracks-closure-of-rush-island-coal-plant

 

Colorado is Now Talking About Closing Its Last Coal Plant

Something that just a decade ago would have been extraordinary, a debate about Colorado’s last coal plant, is underway this week.

The question is when, not if, Comanche 3 will close.

Xcel Energy, the operator and majority owner of Comanche 3, had proposed to continue operating the plant at Pueblo until 2040, if only on a part-time basis beyond 2030. Major environmental groups believe Comanche can be closed by 2030, maybe even 2027.

A proposed compromise agreement between Xcel and 15 other organizations involved in the discussions calls for the ramping down of operations beginning in 2022 and a final closure on New Year’s Eve in 2034. The plan would get Xcel to 85% to 87% emissions reduction by 2030, as compared to the 2005 baseline. This is ahead of Colorado’s 80% goal for 2030.

Eight coal units in Colorado likely will close by 2030 or, in the case of Pawnee, a plant at Brush, converted to natural gas. That will leave just Comanche 3.

https://pagosadailypost.com/2021/12/09/big-pivots-colorado-is-now-talking-about-closing-its-last-coal-plant/

Famous last words...we have already seen the reversal in Europe, the shape of things to come.

And, no, Jay, I do not own coal stocks....you apparently own Tesla stocks?  Just like I suggested to you, and you would not answer?

Edited December 15, 2021 by Ecocharger

[Ecocharger + 1,474]

9 hours ago, Jay McKinsey said:

You still haven't figured it out? No wonder you voted for Brexit. You aren't very swift. I already gave the answer several times. 

Your "answers" usually raise more questions.

And no, those rolling stock figures appear to be merely estimates based on assumptions, not actual figures observed.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Ecocharger

[Ecocharger + 1,474]

Here is where the rebounding upward demand for coal and coal-generated energy in Europe is originating, the tighter supplies of natural gas.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/European-Gas-Prices-Soar-On-Nord-Stream-2-Block-In-Germany.html

"Meanwhile, the certification process for the infrastructure has been suspended by the German authorities because the pipeline must have an operator that is incorporated under German law.

This means that the commissioning of the pipeline could be delayed until March next year. It could be delayed even further because after Germany approves it—if it does—the project will have to go to the European Commission, which would be tasked with making sure it complies with EU regulations.

As a result, natural gas prices on the continent topped $1,400 per 1,000 cubic meters for the January futures. New threats from Belarus that it would turn the transit gas tap off for Europe if the EU decided to impose more sanctions on Minsk did not help matters, adding to upward price pressure.

Meanwhile, the European Union is this week discussing measures to tackle the gas shortage that is fueling the price rally and threatening energy supply this winter. Among the measures are joint gas buying for member states and more disciplined gas storage management to create strategic reserves to protect the countries and consumers."

Edited December 15, 2021 by Ecocharger

[notsonice + 1,255]

Please note.....Coal bites the dust in Florida....FPL opened the year by formally shutting down its last coal-fired plant in the state and now we’re closing the year by shattering a world record and commissioning the largest solar-powered battery in the world,” Silagy said.

World’s biggest solar-charged battery storage system unveiled in Florida

By Andy Colthorpe

December 15, 2021

Manatee Energy Storage Center in Florida during construction earlier this year. Image: Florida Power & Light.

Work has been completed on the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) to have been paired with solar PV to date, with utility Florida Power & Light (FPL) holding a ceremony earlier this week. 

Construction on the Manatee Energy Storage Center in Florida’s Manatee County was completed in just 10 months, having begun in February this year. The 409MW / 900MWh BESS is colocated with FPL’s existing 74.5MW Manatee Solar Energy Center ground-mounted PV plant.

Allowing solar energy to be used in evenings and at night or on cloudy days, the utility company — a subsidiary of electric utility holding company NextEra Energy — has placed 132 battery containers onto a 40-acre plot of land. 

The BESS will charge at off-peak times with abundant solar energy and then discharge to the local grid at peak times, when power is most expensive and often at its most carbon intensive. 

It will reduce the runtime of local fossil fuel power plants and will aid FPL in a plan to ease two 1970s-era natural gas power plants totalling more than 1,600MWh into retirement. 

The company had previously said it would save its customers around US$100 million over its lifetime by offsetting fuel costs when the project was first announced in March 2019. 

FPL president and CEO Eric Silagy said his company’s buildout of solar and battery storage projects has been cost-effective for customers, helping to keep bills lower over the long term. This was the aspect of Manatee’s unveiling that made him “most proud,” Silagy said. 

“It’s been a momentous year for clean energy in Florida – FPL opened the year by formally shutting down its last coal-fired plant in the state and now we’re closing the year by shattering a world record and commissioning the largest solar-powered battery in the world,” Silagy said.

FPL forecasts that close to 40% of its power will come from zero-emissions sources by 2030.

After construction began on Manatee Energy Storage Center in February, the first battery modules were installed in August and from there it has been a rapid ride to the finish line for the project. 

World’s biggest… so far

In megawatt terms, the project is larger than Vistra Energy’s 400MW Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility project in California, which is the world’s biggest standalone battery system, although in megawatt-hour terms Moss Landing, with four hours’ duration (1,600MWh) is larger. 

With around a third of solar projects in US grid interconnection queues planned to include energy storage as of the end of 2020, the project may be the biggest solar battery system to date but is by no means alone. Not least of all because solar-plus-storage projects in the US qualify for a federal investment tax credit (ITC) incentive, which reduces the cost of equipment by around 30%. 

Two projects in California will be even bigger than Manatee when completed. Developer Clearway started work on its Daggett project in San Bernadino, California, in October, combining 482MW of solar with 394MW of battery storage, to be built in phases. 

Meanwhile another developer, Terra-Gen, and its partners are building the Edwards Sanborn Solar-plus-Storage facility in California’s Kern County, which will include 760MW of solar PV and 2,445MWh of battery storage. From a first phase of 346MWac solar and 1,501MWh of batteries, which was fully financed in August, the rest will be built in 2022 and 2023. Edwards Sanborn combines standalone battery storage and batteries directly charged from the site’s solar. 

Edited December 15, 2021 by notsonice

[notsonice + 1,255]

Please note .....replacing more coal powered electricity with battery backup

 

Repowering project at 40-year old California wind farm will add 200MWh of battery storage

By Andy Colthorpe

December 13, 2021

 

Also known as Dollar Wind, the Pacheco State Park facility’s legacy wind turbines can be seen in the distance. Image: Scout Clean Energy.

A California wind farm which was built in a state park in the 1980s will be rebuilt, increasing its generation capacity by more than eight times over and adding a large-scale battery storage facility.

Pacheco Pass Wind Farm in Pacheco State Park, Merced County, was built with 162 wind turbines, generating up to 18.4MW electricity. A repowering project set to begin construction in 2023 will see the entire fleet replaced with smaller, more powerful turbines with a generation capacity of 147.5MW.

The wind farm, to be renamed Gonzaga Ridge Wind Farm (GRWF), was purchased from its original owner International Turbine Research in 2018 by developer Scout Clean Energy, which owns and operates its renewable energy assets and is a portfolio company of investment group Quinbrook. 

Along with the significant boost in its generation capacity, GRWF will also be equipped with a 50MW, four-hour duration (200MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) which will allow the wind farm’s output to contribute to local energy capacity needs more predictably. 

The repowering project, one of the first of its kind to be carried out on state land, is expected to be complete by the end of October 2024.

“The increase in renewable energy generated from this overall project helps demonstrate the potential for more of these type projects in the future. With some of the aging infrastructure, especially in California, we hope this serves as an example for repowering projects across the country,” Scout Clean Energy CEO and founder Michael Rucker said.

The wind farm was built in the park under a 25-year agreement signed in 1992 by the land’s previous owner, Paula Fatjo. After the owner passed away, the land, including the wind farm, was bequeathed to the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 1997. 

Scout Clean Energy said last week that it has signed an off-take agreement for the project with Peninsula Clean Energy. One of California’s Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) groups, Peninsula Clean Energy will buy 76.35MW of power over a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) term. 

California’s CCAs allow customers to choose the sources of power they buy, while the supplier utilises the grid network of the state’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs). As such, many CCAs offer partial or full renewable energy bill plans and the groups have become prolific in signing clean energy PPAs, with Energy-Storage.news reporting on many solar-plus-storage deals. 

Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Jan Pepper said the project was a “great example of how state-of-the-art wind farms have become far more efficient and powerful in providing clean and affordable energy across our territories during both peak and non-peak hours”.

While hybridisation (pairing generation with energy storage), or colocation (placing separate generation and energy storage facilities on the same grid interconnection point) are both rising rapidly in the US, wind-plus-storage has been slower to take off than its solar counterpart. 

Research published earlier in the year by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) pointed out that as of the end of 2020, in major interconnection queues in the country about 34% of planned solar projects were being developed with batteries included, while the same could be said for only about 6% of wind.