juliusa
Active Member
I hope you are right. Seems a lot of natural gas plants being built.
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Climate Change / Global Warming Discussion
- Thread starter Raffy.Roma
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- Energy Environment Policy
Why would anyone be building natural gas power plants instead of cheaper renewable+battery plants? "Alternative fact" maybe?
That's why I scratch my head until I realized that demand outpaces supply (production of renewable+battery), so of course then you would build NG plants. In TX, it is because the state wants to residents to pay for more stranded assets when renewables take over so they have a talking point for the next election.
I was referring to oil/gasoline. It appears you are referring to natural gas, which is a good point to bring up as theoretically we could be substituting one for the other as we move to electric vehicles. However, the U.S. is already a net exporter of natural gas and the medium/long term trend should continue.
Consumption of natural gas in the US may have peaked in the last 2 years. In the future, stability of consumption followed by decreases are likely with renewable energy generation further entering the grid. At that point NG consumption decreases with moving over to heat pumps from natural gas furnaces and water heaters, and demand management, including with electric vehicles.
The current and future situation for natural gas plants is for them to be used more for their potential generation capacity to fill in renewable gaps as opposed to being 24/7 high output primary generation in the past.
U.S. Natural Gas Net Imports (Billion Cubic Feet)
juliusa
Active Member
Gas consumption seems to have been increasing each year through 2019. May have peaked, or may just be the pandemic - time will tell. Seems there is more natural gas plant capacity planned to come online in the coming years than is being retired, but I agree they will likely be increasingly used as backup to renewable generation.
My policy point is very much in line with what you have posted. The environment is all about consumption. Geopolitics is all about production.
My opinion is policy that hinders US fossil fuel production is bad for geopolitics, the economy, and hurts average Americans while doing little for the environment. Policy that targets fossil fuel consumption is what is needed to address the climate crisis.
Here is an example of what I believe is misguided policy:
EO 13990 to address public health and the climate crisis. (1/20/2021)
Rescinds:
EO 13783 promoting energy independence
EO 13795 implementing america-first offshore energy strategy
EO 13868 promoting energy infrastructure and economic growth
EO 13927 accelerating recovery from COVID-19 by expediting infrastructure investments
Norway gets it - major oil exporter (production) and EV capital of the world (consumption).
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
The price of natural gas has increased ~300% here. LOTS more interest in heat pumps. LOTS more interest.... is it your opinion that those events are completely unrelated?
MontyFloyd
Member
Finally!
California project to cover a network of canals with solar panels
Project Nexus will cover segments in Stanislaus County near Modesto, producing enough power for 100,000 homes, with work due to start this fall and finish in 2024.www.dailymail.co.uk
2 birds one stone. Renewable energy + reduced water evaporation. Love it!
India built a stretch of this concept.
MontyFloyd
Member
That remains to be seen.
Europe and China / east Asia is aggressively and rapidly going EV, so some of the biggest markets will literally dry up quickly, so who will buy US export's?
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Black carbon pollution from tourism and research increasing Antarctic snowmelt, study says
Black carbon pollution, which is generated by burning fossil fuels, causes snow to darken, absorb more solar energy and melt faster
www.theguardian.com
Scientists have estimated that the black carbon produced by vessels, planes and diesel generators results in 23mm of additional snowmelt each summer in the most frequently visited areas of the ice-covered landmass.
US new EV sales were 4% last year but only the end of the year had high gas prices that drove more EV sales. Current and foreseeable trends are reducing ICE demand but US oil production continues to climb. The oil/gas international market continues to say “much more please”. Meanwhile shale fields are producing at high margins.
A large percent of international petroleum used is actually for heavy vehicles which EV transition hasn’t significantly touched yet.
The rapid demise of petroleum would be welcome by most of us here, but it is not a scenario I would bet money on in the next few years. It’s also used for plastics and roads, so we have much work to do.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Impact of climate crisis much worse than predicted, says Alok Sharma
Alok Sharma, who led the Cop26 climate summit last year, said: “The changes in the climate we are seeing today are affecting us much sooner and are greater than we originally thought. The impacts on our daily lives will be increasingly severe and stark. We will be doing ourselves and our populations a huge disservice if we fail to prepare now, based on the very clear science before us.”
In a report to be published on Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is expected to show that droughts, floods and heatwaves will increase in frequency and intensity, with devastating consequences, and all parts of the globe will be affected.
Alok Sharma, who led the Cop26 climate summit last year, said: “The changes in the climate we are seeing today are affecting us much sooner and are greater than we originally thought. The impacts on our daily lives will be increasingly severe and stark. We will be doing ourselves and our populations a huge disservice if we fail to prepare now, based on the very clear science before us.”
In a report to be published on Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is expected to show that droughts, floods and heatwaves will increase in frequency and intensity, with devastating consequences, and all parts of the globe will be affected.
MontyFloyd
Member
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Deforestation emissions far higher than previously thought, study finds
The world’s forests form an enormous carbon store, holding an estimated 861 gigatons of carbon – equivalent to nearly a century’s worth of annual fossil fuel emissions at the current rate. When trees are cut down, they release the carbon they store into the atmosphere. Since 2000, the world has lost about 10% of its tree cover, becoming a major driver of global heating.
The world’s forests form an enormous carbon store, holding an estimated 861 gigatons of carbon – equivalent to nearly a century’s worth of annual fossil fuel emissions at the current rate. When trees are cut down, they release the carbon they store into the atmosphere. Since 2000, the world has lost about 10% of its tree cover, becoming a major driver of global heating.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
As extreme weather ravages the Pacific, there is much to do and no time to waste | Mark Howden and Ofa Ma’asi-Kaisamy
The report shows climate change is already pushing some human systems and ecosystems beyond their tolerance and adaptation limits. It paints a stark picture; that climate change is adversely impacting every region in the world. More worryingly, the report shows that the most vulnerable people and ecosystems will be the worst hit, including in the Pacific. Pacific Island countries and territories are the least responsible for global warming and biodiversity loss yet they are facing the harshest consequences that will continue to worsen in years to come. Their future is uncertain if the world fails to pay attention to the report’s warnings.
The report shows climate change is already pushing some human systems and ecosystems beyond their tolerance and adaptation limits. It paints a stark picture; that climate change is adversely impacting every region in the world. More worryingly, the report shows that the most vulnerable people and ecosystems will be the worst hit, including in the Pacific. Pacific Island countries and territories are the least responsible for global warming and biodiversity loss yet they are facing the harshest consequences that will continue to worsen in years to come. Their future is uncertain if the world fails to pay attention to the report’s warnings.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Ukraine, Fossil Fuels, Bill McKibben, & You - CleanTechnica
Fossil fuels are making the Earth unfit for human habitation, yet the industry is using the invasion of Ukraine to advocate for more.
cleantechnica.com
When history books are written 100 years from now (assuming there are still any people around to write them), February 2022 will be described as a “watershed moment.” The invasion of Ukraine by a deranged Russian lunatic is not specifically about fossil fuels, but it will mark the time when humans decided whether to abandon them and live or embrace them and die.
History will show that there was a time when we could have cut carbon emissions while improving lifestyle at the same time. Instead we ignored all of the “inconvenient “ data until correcting things became a century+ long effort. Very sad. We have been at a stage where we didn’t need perfection and where significant reductions in emissions would have bought time for more advances. Our reluctance to do the basics means that time is past. Very sad.
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
Yet another way we damage the environment, as well as rust our vehicles:
www.inverse.com
Road salt is wrecking havoc on freshwater ecosystems — and our drinking water
In a new study, scientists reveal the effects of human salinization on freshwater ecosystems, including the destruction of lake food webs.
physicsworld.com: Large-scale solar farms could increase rainfall in some arid regions – Physics World.
Solution for California water problem?
Large-scale solar farms could increase rainfall in some arid regions – Physics World
Freshwater supplies could be boosted on the Arabian Red Sea coastal plain, study suggests
physicsworld.com
Solution for California water problem?
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Agribusiness giants tried to thwart EU deforestation plan after Cop26 pledge
The Green MEP Anna Cavazzini told the Guardian: “It is very disappointing that some of the same companies who made pledges at Cop26 to act against deforestation are [asking] the European Commission to water down the legislative ambitions in this area. Real change can only happen if companies practice in private what they preach in public.”
The Green MEP Anna Cavazzini told the Guardian: “It is very disappointing that some of the same companies who made pledges at Cop26 to act against deforestation are [asking] the European Commission to water down the legislative ambitions in this area. Real change can only happen if companies practice in private what they preach in public.”
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