Sun Sparkling on Ice Covered Trees
The TRUTH about Meal Replacements
I used to be interested in things like sugar-free food and MSG but lately I've decided it's better to avoid all that junk for basic, simple whole-foods.
NY 23 – NY 145 Interchange
A divided highway-high speed interchange with a single two-way stop in the middle for traffic going up NY 23 or head south on NY 145.
US unveils solar energy plan for western public lands | Reuters
The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled a proposal for solar energy projects on federal lands that identifies 22 million acres in 11 western states best suited for development. The announcement is part of the Interior Department's push to site more renewable energy facilities on federal lands, a cornerstone of President Joe Biden's goal to decarbonize the U.S. electricity grid by 2035 and combat climate change.
The draft plan published on Wednesday would update an Obama-era policy that established special zones for solar projects in six states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Interior said changes to the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) 11-year-old Western Solar Plan were necessary due to advances in technology, soaring demand for renewable energy and increased interest in solar development in northern states.
The new plan includes areas in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming and is focused on lands within 10 miles of existing or planned transmission lines because those areas are easier to develop, Interior said.
It also excludes 126 million acres from development due to conflicts with things like critical wildlife habitats, recreation, historic places and old growth forests. The plan relied on federal forecasts for clean energy needs to determine that 700,000 acres of public lands would be needed for solar energy over the next 20 years.
A huge battery has replaced Hawaiʻi’s last coal plant | Grist
Now, Kapolei’s 158 Tesla Megapacks are charging and discharging based on signals from utility Hawaiian Electric. The plant’s 185 megawatts of instantaneous discharge capacity match what the old coal plant could inject into the grid, though the batteries react far more quickly, with a 250-millisecond response time. Instead of generating power, they absorb it from the grid, ideally when it’s flush with renewable generation, and deliver that cheap, clean power back in the evening hours when it’s desperately needed.
Camping at Rennselaerville State Forest on January 14, 2024
Last weekend I decided to do a quick overnight trip between the rain of Saturday and the cold of Martin Luther King Day. Nothing real impressive, but I was glad the ground was frozen and it wasn't too cold or icy.