View of a windmill farm in the Tehuantepec Isthmus region, Mexico, on July 27, 2017. PATRICIA CASTELLANOS / AFP / Getty Images
By Sam Edwards
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico is one of the windiest places on earth. Hemmed in by two mountain ranges, the flat strip of land between the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico is a natural wind tunnel. A single gust can flip over cars. It's the perfect place for turbines.
<p>The unique geography of the isthmus has brought it mixed fortunes. Union Hidalgo, once a sleepy, agrarian town, is among the predominantly indigenous communities in the area that began experiencing a "wind rush" in the 2000s. Some dubbed it "La Nueva Conquista" — the new conquest — as large, often European, corporations hurried to harness the isthmus' natural power.</p><p>Like so many in this area, Guadalupe Ramirez's home in Union Hidalgo is dwarfed by seemingly endless rows of wind turbines.</p><p>In 2009, Ramirez, an indigenous Zapotec housewife-turned-activist now in her 60s, signed a 30-year lease for her land to be used for a wind power project. She has been fighting ever since to ensure others are better informed than she was before making a similar deal.</p><p>"We want people to be informed of what will come [with new wind parks], to know that it won't just bring benefits but also many problems," she told DW. "When people have all the facts, it won't be so easy to convince them."</p><p>Ramirez and other activists argue that Mexico's wind farms bring little or no economic benefit to the local community. They also compete for space with small-scale farming, the main source of income for many in the town.</p><p>The principle problem, though, lies with the fraught consultation process. Under Mexican law indigenous communities should be given a deciding vote on projects but in practice, activists say, the information they are given beforehand is often incomplete or misleading, and those opposed to new developments sometimes face harassment and intimidation.</p><p>Ramirez is now placing her hopes on an ongoing legal battle that could shape the course of clean energy in Mexico by halting the latest controversial project before construction begins.</p>
Clean Energy at a Price
<p>The Gunaa Sicaru wind park is planned to be built next to Union Hidalgo. Run by French energy giant EDF, it would provide 252 megawatts of power. But first it needs approval from locals through an ongoing public consultation. And as for many multinational-backed wind parks in Oaxaca, that's proving a challenge.</p><p>In a country historically reliant on oil revenue, wind power and other renewables could bring a transition to cleaner energy. But Alejandra Ancheita, director of NGO ProDESC, warns green power must not replicate the environmental harm and mishandling of local communities typical of the global fossil fuel sector.</p><p>"Renewable energy projects can't be justified solely on the basis they are creating clean energy," Ancheita told DW. "It's not 'clean energy' if it isn't developed with a strict respect for the local communities where the project will be built."</p><p><span></span>ProDESC's legal team represents a group of Union Hidalgo residents in an injunction against EDF and local authorities, alleging violations of the consultation process. The NGO claims the local authorities and EDF failed to provide accurate information on the project's impacts and distributed misleading translations from Spanish to Zapotec.</p>Community Conflict
<p>Ramirez and other local activists say oil runoff from the turbines that already dominate the landscape pollutes waterways, while the sound of the wind farms — many of which are close to towns — disturbs residents and local birdlife.</p><p>But while Ramirez and others fight to prevent further damage to their land, some in Union Hidalgo support the development, particularly those who can earn a steady income from leasing their land.</p><p>"It's creating a lot of division in our community," Ramirez said.</p><p>According to a report by the Berlin-based <a href="https://www.ecchr.eu/fileadmin/Publikationen/ECCHR_PP_WINDPARK.pdf" target="_blank">European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights</a> (ECCHR), conflict in the community escalated in 2018, after critics of the project were condemned as "enemies of development" in the EDF consultation meetings.</p><p>ProDESC and ECCHR said in a formal letter last year, that the company needed to do more to prevent conflict in the community.</p><p>EDF told DW it had met its obligations in the consultation process for Gunaa Sicaru but it was the Mexican authorities who ultimately bore the responsibility for ensuring residents were informed and free to make a decision. EDF has received no reports of threats against critics of the Gunaa Sicaru project, the company added.</p><p>The Oaxaca state government did not respond to DW's request for comment.</p>Future of Clean Energy
<p>Mexico, one of the world's top 15 carbon emitters, has committed to producing 35% of its electricity from clean energy by 2024. Renewables have drawn significant interest from investors since a reform opened the sector to private investment in 2013. Both the solar and wind sectors reported record growth last year.</p><p>But observers fear the future of renewables is uncertain under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado. Lisa Viscidi, from think tank The Inter-American Dialogue, told DW that regulatory changes under the current administration are undermining incentives to invest in the sector. Winning consent from communities in Oaxaca has been another significant challenge. A 2019 report authored by Viscidi on Mexico's first clean energy auction found several projects had been delayed due to a failure to get the community on board.</p>Alternative Development
<p>The challenges of wind energy in Oaxaca are not unique.</p><p>The transition to renewables will be an "epochal shift" in most countries, says Cymene Howe, an anthropologist with Rice University in Texas and author of a book about wind energy in Oaxaca. That's because energy infrastructure will move into parts of the planet untouched by fossil fuel industries.</p><p>"[It will be] a fundamental shift in how we imagine landscapes, what land is to be used for, who lives there and who has responsibility," she said. "This is a new frontier."</p><p>In Union Hidalgo, Ramirez says the conflicts over wind parks have already forced some people to move elsewhere searching for work or new land to farm. She fears that if Gunaa Sicaru goes ahead, the town will soon be bordered on most sides by wind turbines and unable to grow.</p><p>"No one is coming here to force us off our land. [But] one day we'll have to leave ourselves because we won't be able to handle being surrounded," Ramirez said.</p><p>For her, it is not about stifling wind power development, but empowering locals to shape it — for example through community-owned wind parks that would funnel profits back into the local community.</p><p><span></span>"Development can take many forms," Ramirez said.</p>From Your Site Articles
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signs the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act on July 18, 2019 in New York City. Scott Heins / Getty Images
By Cullen Howe
When Governor Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) into law in July 2019, it cemented New York State as a national leader in ramping up clean energy and the broader fight against climate change. In addition to reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050, the law requires that the state obtain 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 (and that it be emissions-free by 2040). No state has a more aggressive emissions reduction target.
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<p>The new law also requires New York to add 9,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind by 2035, 3,000 MW of storage by 2030, and 6,000 MW of distributed solar (the type that normally goes on rooftops) by 2025.</p><p>Meeting these targets will dramatically reduce fossil fuel generation that harms our health and worsens the effects of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> while providing <a href="https://www.e2.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/E2-Clean-Jobs-New-York-2019.pdf" target="_blank">important job and grid benefits</a>. </p><p>Here's a look at three key steps the state needs to take to ensure it is on the path to achieving its renewables targets:</p>
1. The PSC Should Act on NYSERDA’s Petition to Boost Local Solar
<p>Even before the CLCPA's passage, New York was a leader in making <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> more accessible to homeowners and businesses. In 2014, Governor Cuomo established <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/NY-Sun" target="_blank">NY-Sun</a>, a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)-administered program that seeks to add 3,000 MW of installed solar capacity by 2023. The program works by establishing cash incentives for developers that decline over time as solar installations increase in different parts of the state.</p><p>The results have been impressive: Almost 1,000 MW of NY-Sun supported projects have been installed, with another 1,000 MW in the pipeline. Just this week, <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2019-Announcements/2019-12-17-NYSERDA-Announces-Milestone-of-Two-Gigawatts-of-Solar-Capacity-Installed-in-New-York" target="_blank">NYSERDA announced</a> New York has surpassed 2,000 MW of installed solar generation (including non-NY Sun projects), enough to power almost 250,000 homes.</p><p>In addition to the 2,000 MW of solar that's been installed, another 1,262 MW of solar is under development, including 351 <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/samantha-wilt/community-solar-comes-new-york" target="_blank">community solar projects</a> (this week, the Public Service Commission (PSC) approved consolidated billing for these projects, which should spur <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/cullen-howe/new-york-state-greenlights-boost-community-solar" target="_blank">their deployment in the state</a>).</p><p>In November, NYSERDA filed a <a href="http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=14-M-0094" target="_blank">petition</a> with the PSC seeking $573 million in additional funds to extend the NY-Sun program through 2025. If approved, approximately half of the funds would be added to existing cash incentives to support an additional 1,800 MW of solar projects. About a quarter of the money would be used to replenish "community adder" incentives for community solar projects in certain utility territories, providing additional compensation for these projects. </p><p>Importantly, NYSERDA proposes using $135 million of the additional funds to expand NY-Sun programs focused on low-to-moderate income (LMI) customers, as part of a new Framework for Solar Energy Equity. Among other things, the Framework envisions an expansion of its <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/NY-Sun/Solar-for-Your-Home/Community-Solar/Solar-for-All" target="_blank">Solar for All</a> program, which provides no-cost community solar to low-income households. It also provides incentives for projects sited on affordable housing, LMI homeowners who install rooftop solar, and projects that pair solar with energy storage. Combining solar and energy storage provides resiliency benefits and can also reduce local air pollutants from fossil fuel peaking units, which are often located in environmental justice communities.</p><p>The PSC hasn't yet acted on NYSERDA's petition, which sets forth a roadmap for meeting the state's 6,000 MW goal by 2025.</p>2. The PSC Needs to Move Quickly to Decarbonize the Power Sector
<p>Achieving 70 percent renewable energy in the power sector by 2030 won't be easy. Currently, New York gets <a href="https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=NY" target="_blank">28 percent of its total electricity</a> from renewable sources, and the vast majority of this (about 80 percent) comes from legacy large hydropower facilities <a href="https://www.nypa.gov/power/generation/generation-overview" target="_blank">owned and operated by the New York Power Authority</a>. Scaling up renewables to hit 70 percent in 10 years will require a massive amount of new clean generation to come online. </p><p>The first step to make this happen is commencing a proceeding to establish how this process will work, which the CLCPA requires by 2021. There is little time to waste. NRDC, along with a number of other environmental organizations and clean energy industry partners, last week <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6586462-E93F0201-61A9-4C53-A36D-EAE5C4AE6E04.html" target="_blank">filed a list of eight principles</a> we believe should guide the state through this process. The principles include establishing a full procurement schedule to get to 70 percent renewables by 2030, the creation of new tiers of renewable energy credits for existing renewable energy facilities, and a PSC final implementation order by the end of 2020. This deadline is especially important because it takes approximately four years between the approval of contracts for large-scale renewable projects and their completion and operation (thus, the state will need to approve contracts no later than 2026 for projects to be up and running by 2030).</p>3. NY Needs to Improve the Siting Process and Ensure Adequate Transmission
<p>Reaching the state's 70 by 30 goal will require that renewables projects are sited quickly and that there is enough transmission to transport this power to where it is needed. Unfortunately, the processes for both need fixing. </p><p>The siting process, known as <a href="http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/W/PSCWeb.nsf/All/D12E078BF7A746FF85257A70004EF402?OpenDocument" target="_blank">Article 10</a>, establishes a procedure for approving energy production facilities over 25 MW. However, it has not worked well for renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Major delays within the Article 10 process have resulted in a bottleneck <a href="https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/22/environmental-groups-demand-clean-energy-action-from-nys-we-cant-afford-to-wait/" target="_blank">jeopardizing over 8,000 gigawatt-hours per year of land-based wind and solar projects</a> pending before the state's Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (known as the "Siting Board"), which considers these applications. For example, although the Article 10 process should take approximately 24 months, most of the pending renewable projects have taken much longer and most are still waiting for approval or have been withdrawn. </p><p>There are a number of steps the Department of Public Service (DPS) can take to improve Article 10, including enforcing application deadlines, completing compliance reviews on a fixed timeline, and reducing reliance on paper by expanding the use of digital technologies. To its credit, DPS has increased its staff to process these applications, and last week the Siting Board approved the <a href="http://www.calpine.com/operations/power-operations/our-fleet/new-york/bluestone" target="_blank">Bluestone Wind Farm</a>, a 124 MW project located in upstate New York, in the process overruling a local law that had placed a moratorium on wind turbines. This follows <a href="http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/All/763B187DD5A792DE8525847400667D6B?OpenDocument" target="_blank">approval of three other renewable projects in the last four months</a> after only one had been approved since 2011. While these approvals are encouraging, the pace of the approval process must be dramatically increased to meet our 2030 goal.</p><p>Similarly, the process for constructing transmission lines to carry electricity from generation to end use must also be streamlined. <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/miles-farmer/ransmission-project-approvals-help-unlock-nys-clean-future" target="_blank">As I wrote in April</a>, the approval process needed to integrate clean energy was adopted under a 2011 order from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which regulates interstate transmission of electricity. FERC's <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/industries/electric/indus-act/trans-plan.asp" target="_blank">Order 1000</a> requires the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and other grid operators to develop a process to consider transmission needs driven by public policy requirements established by federal or state laws or regulations (such as New York's Clean Energy Standard) in the local and regional transmission planning process.</p><p>This year, NYISO <a href="https://www.nyiso.com/documents/20142/1390750/Board-Decision-AC-Transmission-2019-04-08.pdf/32323d32-f534-a790-1b03-2cb110033320" target="_blank">announced</a> the selection of two transmission projects that will enable the delivery of power from generating facilities in upstate New York, including significant amounts of renewable energy, to downstate population centers like New York City. This was an important milestone, and just the second and third time that so-called "public policy" transmission upgrades have been approved. However, the state will need more such upgrades to handle the coming influx of wind and solar power.</p><p>NYISO and the PSC have begun the process of identifying additional transmission needs beyond these projects, but the process is stuck in limbo. The PSC has yet to issue a decision identifying additional transmission needs, which it needs to do as part of the Order 1000 process. It should do so quickly so that this process can move forward.</p><p>New York accomplished a great deal in 2019, with the adoption of aggressive renewables targets that reflect the state's role as a leader on climate and clean energy. The state must take key steps in 2020 to ensure that these goals remain within reach.</p>
<p class=""><em></em></p><h2><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/cullen-howe" target="_blank"><del><br/></del></a></h2><p><em>Cullen Howe is the senior renewable energy advocate for NRDC's Climate & Clean Energy Program.</em></p><p><em><span></span>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/cullen-howe/2019-was-big-year-renewable-energy-new-york" target="_blank">NRDC</a>.</em> </p>From Your Site Articles
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Photovoltaic cells that work at night could generate renewable energy from the heat difference between Earth and space. vencavolrab / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Solar panels that work at night? The idea isn't as far-fetched as it might seem.
<p>A University of California (UC), Davis engineering professor is developing prototypes of an "anti-solar" cell that would work in the opposite way from a typical solar panel. Instead of being cooler than the air and absorbing sunlight, it would be warmer than the air and give off infrared light.</p><p>"A regular solar cell generates power by absorbing sunlight, which causes a voltage to appear across the device and for current to flow," the professor, Jeremy Munday, explained in a <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/anti-solar-cells-photovoltaic-cell-works-night" target="_blank">UC Davis press release</a>. "In these new devices, light is instead emitted and the current and voltage go in the opposite direction, but you still generate power. You have to use different materials, but the physics is the same."</p>
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<p>While this might sound high tech, <a href="https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/02/05/reverse-solar-panel-technology-still-works-when-the-sun-goes-down" target="_blank">Euronews</a> explained that the principle behind it has been used to cool homes at night for centuries:</p><blockquote>You are using the same theory when you open your windows and doors after a hot day to cool down your house. Essentially this form of passive cooling uses the night sky as a massive heat sink, drawing warmth away from the earth once it gets dark.</blockquote><p>Munday, who published a concept paper of his idea in the January 2020 issue of <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsphotonics.9b00679" target="_blank">ACS Photonics</a>, said that his device could generate around a quarter of the energy a traditional solar panel can during the day — that's up to 50 watts of power per square meter. While less powerful, his device can be used at any time.</p><p>"Solar cells are limited in that they can only work during the day, whereas these devices can work 24/7, which is the real advantage," <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/05/us/solar-panels-work-at-night-scn-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">Munday told CNN</a>. "Nobody wants to lose power once the sun sets."</p><p>His "thermoradiative cell" would also work during the day if it were pointed away from the sun or otherwise blocked from direct sunlight, the press release explained.</p><p>Munday told CNN that the device could be used to achieve carbon neutrality, because it could run on waste heat generated by industry.</p><p>"While these panels can produce carbon-free power [...] when attached to waste heat sources, they can also produce carbon-free power by just sitting on your roof, like a solar panel," he said.</p><p>Munday is working on prototypes of these cells with the hopes of improving their efficiency and the amount of power they can generate, according to the press release. However, he acknowledged to CNN that traditional solar panels have "decades of development" on his idea.</p><p>Munday isn't the only researcher to seek to generate <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a> from the heat difference between Earth and space. In May of 2019, a team of international researchers announced that it was possible to generate electricity by pointing an infrared semiconductor at the sky.</p><p>"The vastness of the universe is a thermodynamic resource," paper author Shanhui Fan said in an American Institute of Physics press release <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/aiop-edg050619.php" target="_blank">published by EurekAlert!</a> at the time.</p>
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April 2020 was the first month ever that renewables generated more electricity than thermal coal in the United States every single day. Crady von Pawlak / Getty Images
By Fino Menezes
April 2020 was the first month ever that renewables generated more electricity than thermal coal in the United States every single day, while across the Atlantic, the United Kingdom's rapid decarbonization of its electricity grid has achieved another significant milestone – completing a whole month (30 days) without coal power for the first time in 138 years.
Renewables Surpass Coal in U.S. Power Generation Every Day in April
<p>April 2020 was the first month in U.S. history that renewables generated more electricity than coal on every day of the month. That's based on new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and compiled by the nonprofit <a href="https://ieefa.org/ieefa-update-renewables-surpass-coal-in-u-s-power-generation-throughout-the-month-of-april-2020/" target="_blank">Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)</a>.</p><p>The daily consecutive run of renewables over coal began on March 25 and continued for 40 straight days through May 3. That breaks the previous record of just nine continuous days.</p><p>The strong output from utility-scale solar, wind, and hydropower is based on several factors, including low gas prices, warmer weather, new renewable capacity connecting to the grid late last year, and lower power demand because of the coronavirus.</p><p>IEEFA <a href="https://ieefa.org/ieefa-update-renewables-surpass-coal-in-u-s-power-generation-throughout-the-month-of-april-2020/" target="_blank">reported</a>: "Coal's high cost has made it increasingly one of the last fuel choices for many utilities, a trend reflected by its declining market share for electric generation: just 15.3% in April, according to preliminary EIA figures.</p><p>"In January, coal's market share fell below 20% for the first time in many decades — and possibly for the first time in the entire history of the U.S. power industry — ending at 19.9%.</p><p>"EIA figures also show its share continued to erode, falling to 18.3% in February and 17.3% in March. As recently as 2008, coal's market share was above 50% in the months of January, February and March."</p><p>IEEFA had previously <a href="https://ieefa.org/ieefa-update-renewable-generation-is-set-to-surpass-coal-in-2021/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://ieefa.org/ieefa-update-renewable-generation-is-set-to-surpass-coal-in-2021/" target="_blank">forecasted that power generation from renewables</a> would likely surpass coal-fired generation in 2021, an important milestone in the energy transition that is well underway. But in the first quarter of 2020, renewable generation unexpectedly exceeded coal, and with this strong performance continuing in the second quarter, there is an increasing chance that the milestone could occur this year.</p>U.K. Goes a Month Without Coal Power for First Time for 138 Years
<p>The United Kingdom's rapid decarbonization of its electricity grid has achieved another significant milestone – completing a whole month (30 days) without coal power for the first time in 138 years, <a href="https://ieefa.org/u-k-electricity-goes-coal-free-for-a-month-a-first-in-138-years/" target="_blank">reported</a> The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) this week.</p><p>The milestone was reached on Sunday 10 May (U.K.) time and celebrated by National Grid ESO, the organization that runs the grid and is responsible for keeping the lights on nationwide. It was the first time this occurred since coal power was first used on the U.K. power system in January, 1882, at Holborn Viaduct.<br></p><p>Within a few years, there will be no coal generation at all – with the remaining plants shuttered, and one or two converted to gas by 2025. National Grid aims to be able to operate a fully zero emission grid when weather conditions allow from 2025, and is accelerating its adoption of new technologies and management systems that will allow it to side line gas power plants when possible.<br></p><p>Just a few days before the new month-long coal-free milestone, National Grid released its latest end of year planning report outlining the main achievements it has made in the long path to a fully decarbonized grid before 2050.</p><p>"We're really proud of our zero carbon targets," National Grid wrote in a blog a few days earlier. "In May 2019 there was a 2-week period where there was coal free operation of Great Britain's electricity system. This has quickly been beaten after the record breaking sunlight in April."</p><p>It noted that the carbon intensity of the electricity system has halved over the last five years, and is down 60 per cent when compared to 2013. "The recent <a href="https://www.nationalgrideso.com/news/day-life-energy-forecasting-manager" target="_blank">low demand for energy</a> due to COVID-19 has dramatically reduced the use of fossil fuel based generation, and this has been supported by our optimized renewable generation," it says.</p><p>"And as supply changes, so to does demand, as renewables capacity and smart grid functionality increases further to enable the side-lining of gas power plants when possible."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Wind turbines are a source of renewable energy. chain45154 / Getty Images
By Deidra Miniard, Joe Kantenbacher and Shahzeen Attari
Political divisions are a growing fixture in the United States today, whether the topic is marriage across party lines, responding to climate change or concern about coronavirus exposure. Especially in a presidential election year, the vast divide between conservatives and liberals often feels nearly impossible to bridge.
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deidra-miniard-1006054" target="_blank">Deidra Miniard</a> is a PhD Student in Environmental Science at Indiana University.</em>
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joe-kantenbacher-1006141" target="_blank">Joe Kantenbacher</a> is a Research Associate in Environmental Science at Indiana University.</em>
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<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shahzeen-attari-1006142" target="_blank">Shahzeen Attari</a> is an Associate Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.</em>
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Disclosure statement: Shahzeen Attari receives funding from the National Science Foundation from Decision, Risk and Management Sciences. This work was also possible in part by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation fellowship and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences fellowship to Attari. <em>Deidra Miniard and Joe Kantenbacher do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
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<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/both-conservatives-and-liberals-want-a-green-energy-future-but-for-different-reasons-134534" target="_blank">The Conversation.</a></em>
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<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920558117" target="_blank">Our research</a> examines <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Mxn0PmkAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">what people know</a> about the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YRtYhoMAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">energy sources</a> in use today in the United States, and what types of energy they would like to see the nation <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DKLxPT8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank">using in 2050</a>. Energy connects to many important issues, including climate change, jobs and economic growth, equity and social justice, and international relations. It would be easy to assume that America's energy future is a highly polarized topic, especially when the Trump administration is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-13/trump-team-is-sued-by-states-over-epa-s-new-dirty-power-rule" target="_blank">clashing with many states led by Democrats</a> over energy policies.</p><p>However, in a nationwide online survey, we recently found that broad support exists across the political spectrum for a future <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920558117" target="_blank">powered mostly by renewable energy sources</a>. Our work highlights a consensus around the idea that the United States needs to move its entire energy system away from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy sources.</p>
Assessing Perceptions
<p>To explore people's views on energy sources, we conducted an online survey of 2,429 adults across the U.S. Our participants represented a range of political ideologies, with 51% self-identifying as liberals, 20% as moderate and 29% as conservative. To investigate patterns in the data, we analyzed responses based on participants' political ideologies.</p><p>Our survey asked people to estimate the shares that various energy sources contributed to all energy use in the United States, including activities like generating electricity, running factories, heating homes and powering vehicles. We asked participants to estimate what percentage of U.S. total energy used came from nine energy sources: coal, oil, natural gas, solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal and nuclear power.</p><p>Next we had participants describe what they viewed as an optimal mix of these nine energy sources that they hoped the U.S. would use in the year 2050. We also asked what kinds of policies they would support to move the nation from its current status to the future that they envisioned. In a follow-on study, we are examining how factors such as cost and environmental impact influence people's preferences for one energy source versus others.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7577c70dfbaf7dc44448c72d61be5800"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ppjmvjpDrbE?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
Estimations of Today’s Energy Mix
<p>We found that our respondents had some misperceptions about <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/" target="_blank">where energy in the U.S. comes from</a>. They tended to underestimate U.S. reliance on oil and natural gas and overestimate coal's contribution. We believe Americans may not realize how dramatically electric utilities have <a href="https://rhg.com/research/preliminary-us-emissions-2019/" target="_blank">switched from coal to gas for power generation</a> over the past decade, and may therefore have dated impressions of coal's prevalence.</p><p>Conversely, we found that participants overestimated the contribution of lesser-used energy sources – specifically, renewables like wind and solar power. This pattern may partially be explained by people's general tendency to inflate estimates of small values and probabilities, which has been seen in areas ranging from <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/107/37/16054" target="_blank">household energy use</a> and <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/111/14/5129.short" target="_blank">water use</a> to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1980-20983-001" target="_blank">risk of death</a>.</p><p>In the case of the U.S. energy system, this bias means that people think our current energy system is greener than it really is, which could reduce the perceived urgency of shifting to lower-carbon sources.</p><iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1252567935807299586" id="twitter-embed-1252567935807299586" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1252567935807299586&created_ts=1587470442.0&screen_name=EIAgov&text=%23TodayInEnergy+-+Wind+and+natural+gas-fired+generators+led+U.S.+power+sector+capacity+additions+in+2019%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FRB0EUmVxlL&id=1252567935807299586&name=EIA" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="ab20141afc9af14a89ad91b6c5b48746"></iframe>
Shared Goals, Divergent Pathways
<p>When we asked participants to indicate the amount of each energy source they hoped the U.S. would use in 2050, the broad consensus favored a future in which the nation primarily relied on renewable energy and used much less fossil fuel. Conservatives, moderates and liberals shared this outlook.</p><p>Particular preferences for a lower-carbon future varied somewhat by political ideology, but on average all groups supported an energy mix in which at least 77% of overall energy use came from low-carbon energy sources, including renewable fuels and nuclear power.</p><p>This bipartisan consensus wavered, though, when we asked participants whether they supported or opposed 12 energy policies – six that would lead to larger roles for low-carbon energy sources, and six that would increase use of fossil fuels.</p><p>Liberal participants showed strong support for policies consistent with increased use of low-carbon energy sources, such as providing government funding for renewable energy and subsidies for purchasing electric vehicles. They strongly opposed actions that would increase reliance on fossil fuels, such as relaxing oil drilling regulations or lowering fuel economy standards.</p><p>On average, conservative participants supported several policies that favored low-carbon energy use, though not as strongly as their liberal counterparts. Conservatives tended to be closer to neutral or only slightly opposed to policies that promote fossil fuel use.</p><p>The sharpest contrast between the two political groups was over building and completing pipelines to move oil from extraction points to refineries in the U.S. Several <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/824445928/builder-of-controversial-keystone-xl-pipeline-says-its-moving-forward" target="_blank">proposed pipelines</a> have generated <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/climate/dakota-access-pipeline-sioux.html" target="_blank">intense controversy</a> in the past years. Conservatives generally supported pipeline development, and liberals generally opposed it.</p>Achieving a Low-Carbon Future
<p>An important argument for transitioning to low-carbon energy sources is to limit climate change to manageable levels. Recent polls show that climate change remains a politically divisive issue, with <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/276932/several-issues-tie-important-2020-election.aspx" target="_blank">far more Democrats than Republicans</a> rating it as extremely important to their vote in the 2020 presidential race.</p><p>Recent research has shown that both Democrats and Republicans strongly support renewable energy development, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111448" target="_blank">do so for different reasons</a>. Democrats prioritize curbing climate change, while Republicans are more motivated by reducing energy costs. We see these motivations playing out in the real world, where conservative oil-producing states like Texas are experiencing <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/03/12/a-renewable-energy-boom-is-changing-the-politics-of-global-warming" target="_blank">huge booms in renewable energy generation</a>, driven primarily by the improving economics of renewable energy.</p><p>Realizing the shared vision of an energy system dominated by renewable energy will mean reconciling partisan differences over how to achieve that future. While there is no single rationale that will convince all Americans to support a transition to low-carbon energy sources, our results are encouraging because we find consensus on the U.S. energy future – everyone agrees that it should be green. </p>From Your Site Articles
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An artist's rendering of AeroMINES along the edge of a roof and combined with solar arrays. Sandia National Laboratories
By Andrea Thompson
Solar panels perched on the roofs of houses and other buildings are an increasingly common sight in the U.S., but rooftop wind systems have never caught on. Past efforts to scale down the towering turbines that generate wind power to something that might sit on a home have been plagued by too many technical problems to make such devices practical. Now, however, a new design could circumvent those issues by harnessing the same principle that creates lift for airplane wings.
<p>Overall, electricity generated by renewable sources has grown in the U.S. in recent years, and wind power has been a major driver of that trend. It accounts for more than 40 percent of electricity from renewables in the U.S. (though only 7 percent of all electricity production). Unlike solar energy cells, which are limited to collecting energy during daylight hours, wind turbines can run all night in any place with the right conditions—namely, in open plains or gentle hills with consistently sufficient wind speeds. But in addition to those requirements, large turbines need open space, which is not always available near towns and sprawling cities. Installing rooftop wind systems on homes and city buildings could help harness more of this resource.</p><p>When it comes to wind power, size matters. The amount of energy an individual turbine can generate is proportional to the area its blades sweep—so devices that are small enough to fit on a roof are less powerful. "What's kept distributed wind from being successful is that most of the systems are basically miniaturized wind turbines," says Brent Houchens, a mechanical engineer at Sandia National Laboratories. The smaller devices do not produce enough energy to be cost-effective. Plus, their quickly spinning blades create noisy vibrations, and their many moving parts are more prone to breakage. Compared with passive rooftop solar panels, wind turbines have the potential to be quite high-maintenance.</p>
<p>Houchens and his colleagues think they have engineered a solution that overcomes these obstacles by borrowing from a fundamental principle of air flight. The curved shape of an airplane wing—called an airfoil—alters the air pressure on either side of it and ultimately produces lift. Houchens' colleague Carsten Westergaard, president of Westergaard Solutions and a mechanical engineer at Texas Tech University, says he hitched two airfoils together so that "the flow from one airfoil will amplify the other airfoil, and they become more powerful." Oriented like two airplane wings standing upright on their side, the pair of airfoils directly face the wind. As the wind moves through, low pressure builds up between the foils and sucks air in through slits in their partly hollow bodies. That movement of air turns a small turbine housed in a tube and generates electricity.</p><p>Thanks to this design, the device—which the researchers call an AeroMINE ("MINE" stands for Motionless, Integrated Extraction)—can pull wind energy from a larger area (essentially, the AeroMINE's rectangular face) than its turbine blades could on their own in a traditional setup. Houchens likens such standard turbines to cookie cutters that leave wasted dough behind. The new device makes use of all the available wind, allowing it to extract more energy.</p>
<p>AeroMINEs also do not generate the same vibrations and noise as regular turbines; they are "less noisy than a ventilation fan," Westergaard says. The relative simplicity of their design means there are fewer moving parts to malfunction. The turbine, which is housed inside a building, would be easier to access if it does need repairs. This arrangement also keeps the blades isolated from any contact with people or wildlife. The team is designing the system so that it could be used in conjunction with rooftop solar panels, plugging into the existing infrastructure to harvest the energy they generate.</p><p>"I do think this technology could be groundbreaking" for areas with good wind conditions, says Luciano Castillo, a mechanical engineer at Purdue University, who is not involved in the project but has worked with Westergaard in the past. He also thinks the simplicity of AeroMINEs could make them a good option for developing countries, because the new devices do not require specialized parts or tools and are relatively easy to fix. Castillo and Westergaard both see the potential to use the design underwater to harness tidal energy as well.</p>
<p>Jay Apt, co-director of the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center, who is also not involved in the project, agrees that the simplicity of the design is attractive. But he is unsure whether the system can be scaled up to efficiently generate energy at a low enough cost in a real-world setting. Houchens says that with suitable wind conditions, he and his colleagues think AeroMINEs can be competitive with the current cost of rooftop solar power.</p><p>The team, which has received funding from Sandia and the Department of Energy, has tested scaled-down models in wind tunnels to fine-tune the design. In June the researchers have plans to test a four-meter-tall version of the device on a single-story mock building at the Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) facility, part of Texas Tech's National Wind Institute.</p>
<p><em style="">This story originally appeared in <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/" target="_blank">Scientific American</a></em> <em>and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.</em></p>
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Investing in renewables typically pays off over time. Mint Images/ Bill Miles / Getty Images
You may think it would be pricey to rent an apartment in a sleek new complex with rooftop solar and ultra-efficient appliances. But Silver Star Apartments in L.A. houses formerly homeless and disabled veterans.
It's one of a small but growing number of affordable housing developments built to meet stringent green building standards.
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Amanda Sturgeon is former CEO of the <a target="_blank" href="https://living-future.org/">International Living Future Institute</a>. The nonprofit certifies buildings that meet strict targets for energy and water use.
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"Climate benefits are that they're typically zero-energy homes," she says. "So … being able to generate all the energy for the homes from renewable resources."
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She says investing in renewables typically pays off over time. But the upfront cost can be a barrier for affordable housing developers.
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So the institute works with about 20 affordable housing developers in the U.S. And it's created a toolkit with resources for designing and financing affordable zero-energy buildings. Sturgeon says a number are already under construction.
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"Once you have built examples," she says, "you can then sort of show people it's possible, and they can feel it and really see that this is something that other people can invest in."
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<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/04/toolkit-helps-housing-developers-design-affordable-climate-friendly-residences/" target="_blank"><em>Yale Climate Connections.</em></a></p>From Your Site Articles
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Nuclear Power Plant in Cattenom, Northeastern France. © Allard Schager / Moment / Getty Images
By Paul Brown
Nuclear power is in terminal decline worldwide and will never make a serious contribution to tackling climate change, a group of energy experts argues.
<p>Meeting recently in London at <a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/" target="_blank">Chatham House, the UK's Royal Institution of International Affairs</a>, they agreed that despite continued enthusiasm from the industry, and from some politicians, the number of nuclear power stations under construction worldwide would not be enough to replace those closing down.</p>
<p>The industry was disappearing, they concluded, while the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar" rel="noopener noreferrer">solar</a> sectors were powering ahead.</p><p>The group met to discuss the updated <a href="https://www.worldnuclearreport.org/" target="_blank">World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2019</a>, which concluded that <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/nuclear-cannot-help-against-climate-crisis/" target="_blank">money spent on building and running nuclear power stations was diverting cash away</a> from much better ways of tackling climate change.</p><p>Money used to improve energy efficiency saved four times as much carbon as that spent on nuclear power; wind saved three times as much, and solar double.</p>
<p><a href="https://rmi.org/people/amory-lovins/" target="_blank">Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute</a>, told the meeting: "The fact is that nuclear power is in slow motion commercial collapse around the world. The idea that <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/small-modular-reactors-have-little-appeal/" target="_blank">a new generation of small modular reactors</a> would be built to replace them is not going to happen; it is just a distraction away from a climate solution."</p><p>On nuclear and climate change, the status report says that new nuclear plants take from five to 17 years longer to build than utility-scale solar or on-shore wind power.</p><p>"Stabilising the climate is urgent, nuclear power is slow. It meets no technical or operational need that these low-carbon competitors cannot meet better, cheaper, and faster," the report says.</p><p>There was considerable concern at the meeting about the possible danger to nuclear plants caused by climate change. <a href="https://www.worldnuclearreport.org/Who-We-Are.html" target="_blank">Mycle Schneider, the report's lead author</a>, said the reason why reactors were built near or on coasts or close to large rivers or estuaries was because they needed large quantities of water to operate. This made them very vulnerable to both sea and coastal flooding, and particularly to future sea level rise.</p><p>He was also concerned about the integrity of spent fuel storage ponds that needed a constant electricity supply to prevent the fuel overheating. For example, large wildfires posed a risk to electricity supplies to nuclear plants that were often in isolated locations.</p>
Cost Pressure
<p>Loss of coolant because of power cuts could also be a serious risk as climate change worsened over the 60-year planned lifetime of a reactor. However, he did not believe that even the reactors currently under construction would ever be operated for that long for commercial reasons.</p><p>"The fact is that the electricity from new reactors is going to be at least three times more expensive than that from renewables and this will alarm consumers. Governments will be under pressure to prevent consumers' bills being far higher than they need to be.</p><p>"I cannot see even the newest reactors lasting more than a decade or so in a competitive market at the prices they will have to charge. Nuclear power will become a stranded asset," Schneider said.</p><p>The report shows that only 31 countries out of 193 UN members have nuclear power plants, and of these nine either have plans to phase out nuclear power, or else no new-build plans or extension policies. Eleven countries with operating plants are currently building new ones, while another eleven have no active construction going on.</p><p>Only four countries – Bangladesh, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey – are building reactors for the first time. In the last 12 months only Russia and China have started producing electricity from new reactors – seven in China and two in Russia.</p>Unable to Compete
<p>One of the "mysteries" the meeting discussed was the fact that some governments, notably the UK, continued to back nuclear power despite all the evidence that it was uneconomic and could not compete with renewables.</p><p><a href="https://www.ieac.info/" target="_blank">Allan Jones, chairman of the International Energy Advisory Council</a>, said one of the myths peddled was that nuclear was needed for "baseload" power because renewables were available only intermittently.</p><p>Since a number of countries now produced more than 50% of their power from renewables, and <a href="https://www.clickenergy.com.au/news-blog/12-countries-leading-the-way-in-renewable-energy/" target="_blank">others even 100% (or very close) while not experiencing power cuts</a>, this showed the claim was untrue.</p><p>In his opinion, having large inflexible nuclear stations that could not be switched off was a serious handicap in a modern grid system where renewables could at times produce all the energy needed at much lower cost.</p><p>Amory Lovins said the UK's approach appeared to be dominated by "nuclear ideology." It was driven by settled policy and beliefs, and facts had no connection to reality. "Nuclear is a waste of time and money in the climate fight," he concluded.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/nuclear-power-cannot-rival-renewable-energy/" target="_blank">Climate News Network</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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By Gero Rueter
Heating with coal, oil and natural gas accounts for around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. But that's something we can change, says Wolfgang Feist, founder of the Passive House Institute in the western German city of Darmstadt.
<p>"Buildings can be powered in a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate</a>-neutral way, and that's possible worldwide with <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energies</a>," he told DW, adding that a crucial factor is to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/an-energy-efficient-house-in-south-tyrol/a-19300267" target="_blank">make buildings more efficient</a> so no energy is wasted.</p><p>"With good insulation and ventilation systems, it's possible to achieve energy savings — compared to conventional buildings — of 80-90% in new buildings and 75-80% through energy-efficient renovation in old buildings."</p><p>The remaining demand could then be met with a mix of renewable energies. And this combination can vary, depending on the region, says Feist, who is a professor of physics and a pioneer of efficient construction methods.</p><p>"I see district heating with renewable energies, and heating with ambient heat and heat pumps as important sources here," he says.</p><p>The use of wood or wooden pellets is another way of meeting the heating needs of individual buildings, Feist says, adding however that this is "not a sensible option" for entire cities or industries because it's not sustainable and would create excessive demand for biomass.</p>
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Germany's financial capital has big environmental plans.
<h3>Frankfurt Strives for Climate Neutrality</h3><p>The German city of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/frankfurt-shoots-for-100-percent-renewables/a-36467796" target="_blank">Frankfurt is aiming to become climate neutral by 2050</a>. In order to reach that goal, the financial hub is relying on a range of technologies, says Paul Fay from the city's energy department, who is coordinating the transition. With help from scientists, the city has drawn up a master plan that includes passive houses and energy-efficient refurbishments on older structures.</p><p><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">Solar</a> panels on the roofs of Frankfurt's buildings will generate some of the city's thermal energy. Another share will come from heating pipelines serving the city's districts, where warmth will be created by burning waste and wood, or through waste heat from data centers. Ambient energy from the ground can also be harnessed with the help of heat pumps.</p>
<h3>How Does a Heat Pump Work?</h3><p>In theory, a heat pump works like a refrigerator — within a closed, multistage system, heat is generated in a compressor, while cool air is created in an evaporator.</p><p>A liquid coolant extracts heat from the environment to warm buildings or water. The heat pump takes energy from the ground, groundwater or air.</p>
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<p><br>Heat pumps need electricity as their operating energy, and how well they perform depends mainly on the heat source.</p><p>"We examined 60 heat pump systems in older buildings in Germany," says Marek Miara, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en.html" target="_blank">Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)</a> in Freiburg.</p><p>"Heat pumps in older buildings that use air as a heat source generate an average of around 3 kilowatt-hours of heat from 1 kilowatt of electricity. And heat pumps using groundwater and soil as heat sources generate on average 3.9 times as much heat," Miara told DW, adding that systems in new buildings are generally more efficient.</p>
<h3>Growth in Key Technologies</h3><p>Heat pumps are a core component of plans for climate-neutral energy and heating in the future, and the technology is increasingly replacing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a>-powered heating systems around the world.</p><p>"We're seeing a very positive global trend," says Thomas Nowak from the lobby organization the <a href="https://www.ehpa.org/" target="_blank">European Heat Pump Association (EHPA)</a>. "We're experiencing a golden age for heat pumps, it's becoming a mass market."</p>
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<p>According to an <a href="https://heatroadmap.eu/roadmaps/" target="_blank">EHPA report</a>, 18 million heat pumps were sold worldwide in 2018 — 1.3 million of them in Europe. Global sales are growing by 10% each year, the report said.</p>
<h3>Heating With Less CO2</h3><p>Heat pumps have proven extremely popular in Europe, especially in Scandinavian nations. Electricity in these countries is already generated mainly by climate-friendly <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hydropower">hydropower</a>. According to calculations by Fraunhofer ISE, heat pump systems in Sweden generate 90% fewer carbon emissions than heating systems that rely on natural gas.</p><p>Many countries in the European Union and other parts of the world still get much of their electricity from coal and gas. But according to calculations by Fraunhofer researchers, heat pumps there would also be a more environmentally friendly option than heating with natural gas. Across the EU, using heat pumps would result in an average CO2 saving of around 60% compared to natural gas. In Germany, the saving would be around 30%, the Fraunhofer researchers say.</p><p>If electricity continues to become more climate friendly through the expansion of wind and solar power, as is currently the case in Germany, CO2 savings from heat pump systems will only keep growing. And if the pumps' operating power comes from 100% renewables, then this heating technology becomes climate neutral.</p>
<h3>Heating Transformation Needs Policy</h3><p>Energy and building experts agree that making the switch to climate-neutral heating in all buildings and industries worldwide is certainly possible.</p>
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The Swiss city of Schaffhausen is among the growing number of municipalities using heat pump technology.
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Experts and environmentalists are calling for a ban on the installation of new polluting heating systems.
<p>"However, there is still a need for more training," says Andreas Nordhoff, a consultant for passive house technology who also trains people in the construction industry. "Craftsmen, architects and building owners often lack knowledge about how everything can be optimally coordinated, and how much energy and money can be saved," he says.</p><p>Politics also has an important role to play in establishing a climate-friendly heat supply.</p><p>"What we need now is a ban on new oil heating systems. These are particularly harmful to the climate, so new installations should be prohibited from now on," says Nicolas Besser, project manager for energy and climate protection at the <a href="https://www.duh.de/englisch/" target="_blank">German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH)</a>.</p><p>"Natural gas heating systems are more climate friendly compared to oil heating, but they're still harmful. That's why we also need a ban on installing them from 2025," Besser says.</p><p>In order to reach climate targets set out in the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>, DUH is calling for an emergency climate protection program for buildings. They want to see funding put towards renovating structures, expanding municipal heating networks and accelerating the phaseout of oil and gas heating.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/climate-friendly-heating-how-to-stay-warm-without-fossil-fuels/a-52072206" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Sweden's last coal-fired plant, named KVV6 and located in Hjorthagen, eastern Stockholm, on March 11, 2017. Holger.Ellgaard / CC BY-SA 4.0
The last coal-fired plant in Sweden shut down two years early this month, bringing the tally of coal-free European countries up to three.
<p>Swedish utility Stockholm Exergi announced the closure April 16, a day before Austria also closed its last remaining coal plant, <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/22/sweden-exits-coal-two-years-early/" target="_blank">PV Magazine reported</a>.</p><p>"With Sweden going coal-free in the same week as Austria, the downward trajectory of coal in Europe is clear," <a href="https://beyond-coal.eu/" target="_blank">Europe Beyond Coal</a> campaign director Kathrin Gutmann told PV Magazine. "Against the backdrop of the serious health challenges we are currently facing, leaving coal behind in exchange for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewables</a> is the right decision and will repay us in kind with improved health, climate protection and more resilient economies."</p>
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<p>Sweden had originally pledged to be coal-free by 2022, but its last coal-fired plant, named KVV6 and located in Hjorthagen, eastern Stockholm, shuttered its last boiler permanently after a mild winter meant it was never used. The plant first opened in 1989, according to <a href="https://www.themayor.eu/en/stockholm-gets-rid-of-coal-for-district-heating#about" target="_blank">TheMayor.eu</a>.</p><p>"Today we know that we must stop using all <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>, therefore the coal needs to be phased out and we do so several years before the original plan," Stockholm Exergi CEO Anders Egelrud said in a statement reported by TheMayor.eu. "Since Stockholm was almost totally fossil-dependent 30-40 years ago, we have made enormous changes and now we are taking the step away from carbon dependence and continuing the journey towards an energy system entirely based on renewable and recycled energy."</p>
<p>Egelrud said the utility wouldn't only focus on carbon neutral energy solutions, but also wanted to go carbon negative, according to PV Magazine.</p><p>"Here, the researchers agree: We don't only need to reduce our emissions to zero but also … to develop techniques to specifically reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," he said.</p><p>The announcement moves both Stockholm and the EU forward in their plans to fight the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. The Swedish capital has a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, and the plant's closure will nearly halve the utility's emissions from 800-900 thousand tonnes (approximately 882 to 992 thousand U.S. tons) to about 400 thousand tonnes (approximately 441 thousand U.S. tons) per year, according to TheMayor.eu.</p><p>The announcement, along with Austria's, also advances Europe's movement away from coal, <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/sweden-adds-name-to-growing-list-of-coal-free-states-in-europe/?utm_content=1587464914&utm_medium=eaEnergyEU&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">EURACTIV reported</a>. Belgium became the first EU country to phase out coal for heating and power in 2016. Six more countries have pledged to follow suit by 2025 and five more by 2030. Germany, which is the world's No. 1 producer of brown lignite coal, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/germany-coal-renewable-energy-2644838989.html" target="_self">reached an agreement in January</a> to stop burning the fuel by 2038.</p>
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Students walk by a sign reading "Climate Change" at the Doctor Tolosa Latour public school in Madrid, Spain on Sept. 9, 2014. In the U.S., New Jersey will be the first state to make the climate crisis part of its curriculum for all K-12 students. PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP via Getty Images
New Jersey has invested in the future health of the planet by making sure the next generation of adults knows how human activity has had a deleterious effect on the planet. The state will be the first in the nation to make the climate crisis as part of its curriculum for all students, from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade, as NorthJersey.com reported.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BIG NEWS: <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMurphy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovMurphy</a> and I are proud to announce that New Jersey is the FIRST STATE IN THE NATION to incorporate climate change education across our K-12 learning standards – preparing our students for the future green economy.🌎 <a href="https://t.co/SJ2NS8DtWh">pic.twitter.com/SJ2NS8DtWh</a></p>— Tammy Murphy (@FirstLadyNJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstLadyNJ/status/1268285809611816961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The Garden State's Board of Education adopted the standards on Wednesday, with the intention of implementing them for the start of school in September 2021.</p><p>The move drew praise from former Vice President Al Gore, who said in a statement, according to <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2020/06/nj-schools-will-teach-climate-change-education-with-new-curriculum.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a>: "I am incredibly proud that New Jersey is the first state in the nation to fully integrate climate education in their K-12 curricula. This initiative is vitally important to our students as they are the leaders of tomorrow, and we will depend on their leadership and knowledge to combat this crisis."</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2020/06/nj-schools-will-teach-climate-change-education-with-new-curriculum.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a> reported, the <a href="https://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/2020/" target="_blank">New Jersey Student Learning Standards</a>, which outline what is taught in New Jersey's public schools, now include language that requires <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> education across seven areas: 21st Century Life and Careers, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Languages.</p><p>The move makes New Jersey the first in what is likely to be a nationwide trend. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/22/714262267/most-teachers-dont-teach-climate-change-4-in-5-parents-wish-they-did" target="_blank">According to a NPR/Ipsos poll published last year</a>, more than 80 percent of American parents and nearly 90 percent of American teachers said that climate change should be taught in schools.</p>
<p>New Jersey's First Lady Tammy Murphy had pushed for the change and was thankful to the board for the initiative on Wednesday, saying that it is a symbol of the state's commitment to the health and well-being of future generations.</p><p>"The adoption of these standards is much more than an added educational requirement; it is a symbol of a partnership between generations," said Murphy, in a statement, as <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/wyckoff/new-jersey-curriculum-feature-climate-change-education" target="_blank">Patch</a> reported.</p><p>"Decades of short-sighted decision-making has fueled this crisis and now we must do all we can to help our children solve it. This generation of students will feel the effects of climate change more than any other, and it is critical that every student is provided an opportunity to study and understand the climate crisis through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary lens," her statement added.</p><p>The release noted that climate change standards have also been added to the appendices of the math and English language arts guidelines, which are up for review in 2022, according to <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/wyckoff/new-jersey-curriculum-feature-climate-change-education" target="_blank">Patch</a>.</p>
<p>Governor Phil Murphy first announced the future curriculum change in his State of the State speech in January, saying that it was a cornerstone of his clean energy push, according to <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/environment/2020/06/03/nj-becomes-first-state-require-climate-change-k-12-curriculum/3136671001/" target="_blank">NorthJersey.com</a>.</p><p>Murphy said in a statement that the new standards will prepare a new generation for an economy that will be shaped by impacts from the climate crisis, particularly the energy sector.</p><p>"A top priority of my Administration has been to reestablish New Jersey's role as a leader in the fight against climate change," Murphy said in the statement, as <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2020/06/nj-schools-will-teach-climate-change-education-with-new-curriculum.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a> reported. "The adoption of these standards across our K-12 schools is an important step forward that will strengthen the future of New Jersey's green energy economy."</p>
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