Energy

Anthracite Coal Mines In Pennsylvania

This map shows were anthracite coal is currently mined in Pennsylvania. Anthracite is the hard coal commonly used by farms and rural homesteads for inexpensive heating -- it is much hotter, drier and warmer fire then wood and last much longer a wood fire. Unlike soft coal, it burns without much soot or odor. Most of the best athracite mines are tapped out, so much of what is mined is refuse coal that is being further processed to extract useful bit of coal previously discarded.

Data Source:Β PASDA and Pennsylvania DCNR. Anthracite Coal Mines. http://www.pasda.psu.edu/uci/DataSummary.aspx?dataset=366

US unveils solar energy plan for western public lands | Reuters

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

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.

Big Allis

Ravenswood Generating Station is a 2,480 megawatt power plant in Long Island City in Queens, New York. It is owned and operated by LS Power/Helix Energy Solutions Group. The plant is fueled primarily by fuel oil and natural gas which heats the boilers.

How to get people to kick fossil fuels out of their… | Canary Media

How to get people to kick fossil fuels out of their… | Canary Media

So what’s the biggest barrier people face to making home energy upgrades?

By far, it’s the upfront cost. About 65 percent of all respondents had concerns about the expense, more than double the 29 percent of households that stumbled over the next most identified hurdle: unclear costs and benefits. The researchers say that the cost barrier underscores how important it is to publicize and develop programs, like those in the IRA, that help people pay for decarbonizing tech.

Another clear trend is that renters reported rarely making or instigating home energy updates. That’s not surprising since building owners are typically responsible for major renovations and appliances. But it does underscore the fact that ​“renters need more help” to find opportunities to decarbonize their homes, either on their own or working with the building owner, Fuentes said.

Almost half of the participants surveyed said it’s important to them that the equipment for the upgrade is available through big-box stores, such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Best Buy. Visibility is key, Fuentes told Canary Media. The team recommends programs that promote zero-carbon appliances through these retailers.

As for what motivates people to make home energy upgrades, the team found that across the U.S., residents who have already made decarbonizing updates are strongly spurred by common desires: to reduce their energy bills and environmental impacts, as well as increase the comfort in their homes.

NPR

2023 was the hottest year ever recorded, scientists say : NPR

Last year was the hottest ever recorded, according to temperature data going back to 1850. And it beat the previous record by a wide margin, according to new data released by the European Union's weather and climate monitoring agency, Copernicus.

2023 beat out 2016, the previous leader for hottest recorded global average temperature, by nearly two-tenths of a degree Celsius (about four-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit), according to the E.U. data. The high average temperatures reflected record-high ocean temperatures globally and were exacerbated by a strong El Ni?o climate pattern.

Global temperatures last year were nearly 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than average global temperatures in the late 1800s, when humans first began emitting large amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil.