Grid Stability Problems
Energy Terminal Weekly Newsletter
October 18th 2022 | Issue #28 | Subscribe here
Happy Tuesday!
Welcome to the ET weekly, a platform dedicated to building the next generation of energy leaders. In this week's issue we cover:
⚡ Solar panel garments
💵 $40 billion in savings from renewables?!
🪨 Coal in West Virginia
💌 Solar panels brightening aftermath of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona
💥 Mitigating grid strain
🌟Startup Spotlight: Seafields
Seafields is an industrial scale carbon removal aquaculture business, which will grow a brown seaweed, Sargassum, in hyperscale farms in the middle of the South Atlantic. The compressed Sargassum bales are natural ‘carbon batteries’: ocean grown seaweed, sunk to the plain of the ocean, which are locking away the CO2 for millenia.
📣 Episode 16 Out Now !
In Episode 16, Haroon Inam, Chief Technology Officer of Smart Wires, joins Michael for Energy Terminal’s first podcast recording in front of a live audience as part of Duke University’s Climate Commitment. Haroon and Michael discuss the double-sided impact of the energy transition on the electricity grid: higher renewable energy generation on the supply side, and greater electrification on the demand side. They then move into Smart Wires’ revolutionary technology to mitigate grid strain, before sharing career advice and ways for students to get involved.
⏰ Missed Episode 15?
Episodes released bimonthly, subscribe to stay updated!
📚 Reading List (10/10 - 10/17)
Wearable solar panels? Increased renewable generation? Politics of Coal? Check out this week’s handpicked reading list to learn more about these groundbreaking energy topics 🔥
🎙️Podcasts:
Energy Policy Now, How Coal Maintains Its Political Hold on West Virginia
Summary 📖 :
West Virginia still gets 90% of its energy from coal, displaying how dependent the state still is on the coal industry and how unprepared they are to benefit financially from clean energy
Coal is a part of the culture and identity of the state, nonetheless, they’re having to learn how to honor the role that coal has played in the past but also acknowledge the need for an energy transition
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has played a prominent role in shaping national energy policy as he frequently acts as the swing vote in the Senate when it comes to environmental bills
Politico ENERGY, Solar power flourished during recent storms. Will that brighten its future?
Summary 📖 :
Solar was able to keep people’s power on in Puerto Rico and Florida during Hurricanes Ian and Fiona
This refutes the narrative that solar is not a reliable energy source
There is an argument to make renewable energy more affordable for Puerto Rico
Lawmakers are asking to use emergency funding to make solar and storage more affordable for low-income residents and residents with disabilities
Solar has been growing for a few years, but recently there is a bigger push to move to clean energy
We are going to continue to see increased support for solar power both politically and culturally
📰️ Articles:
Popular Science, A new experiment fabric can turn a coat into a mini solar farm
Summary 📖 :
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University have developed wearable solar panel fabric that is capable of recharging smart phones and smart watches
The prototype fabric swatch includes 1,200 mini solar panels
Solar panels are composed of silicon so that fabric wearers won’t notice a change in the garment they are wearing
Also, garment works like traditional textiles, it can be washed in a washing machine
Scaled up usage includes outerwear, backpacks and travel bags
World Economic Forum, ‘Wind and Solar are Proving Themselves’: Renewables Met Rise in Electricity Demand During First Half of 2022
Summary 📖 :
All increased electricity demand of the first half of 2022 was met with renewable energy sources, showing increased fossil fuel exploration is unnecessary
In first 6 months of 2022, global electricity demand increased 3% as compared to first 6 months of 2021
Renewables met 107% of demand, with wind and solar taking up 77% and hydropower filling the remaining 30% demand
Growth in renewables prevented a 4% increase in fossil fuel generation, saving $40 billion in USD fuel costs and 230 million tons of CO2 emissions
World War Zero, Is Germany’s Nuclear Shutdown a “Bad Idea”?
Summary 📖 :
Germany planned to shut down existing nuclear reactors by the end of 22, but the war in Ukraine has increased energy pressure which has led to them re-evaluating their decision. At the moment, they’ve extended the life of two nuclear plants but also allowed multiple coal plants to re-open
Closing nuclear plants is frequently linked with increasing emissions as countries, like Germany, increase coal usage rather than renewables in an attempt to be energy independent
Nuclear energy is still controversial in most contexts, but climate organizations like the IPCC have stated that while it isn’t a perfect energy source, it is one part of the solution to the looming environmental crisis
And head here to check out previous reading lists !
☄️ Thanks for reading this edition of ET weekly!
New episodes will be out soon, get excited. And, if you missed Episode 14 listen here!
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