Will the costs of “loss & damage” be shared by polluting nations?

From an Article by Bob Berwyn and Zoha Tunio, Inside Climate News, Nov. 19, 2022

SHARM El-SHEIKH, Egypt—A new COP27 agreement that establishes a funding mechanism to compensate developing countries for losses and damages caused by global warming may be the biggest breakthrough in global climate policy since the 2015 Paris Agreement. If it sticks?

The deal was reached as two weeks of nail-biting negotiations here went into overtime with little to show for all the talk. Many negotiators arrived at the conference halls Saturday morning with their suitcases packed for the trip home while facing the prospect of being called out for failing to make progress on one of the key promises of the United Nation’s effort to address increasingly severe climate change impacts like floods, droughts and deadly heat waves.

Along with finding ways to stop the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to slow global warming, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was established in 1992 to address the fundamental inequalities of climate change impacts. Developed countries in the Global North are responsible for about 79 percent of cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, but less developed countries in the Global South have taken the biggest hit from climate change and don’t have the financial and technical resources to recover from them.

That disparity is at the heart of global climate justice and the 1992 United Nations climate framework committed all the parties to take “into account their common but differentiated responsibilities,” with developed countries committing to assist developing countries “that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in meeting costs of adaptation to those adverse effects … by providing new and additional financial resources.”

The 2015 Paris Agreement added more detail by recognizing “the importance of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and slow onset events” like sea level rise.

“The issue of climate justice has been at the heart of the climate negotiations from its inception over three decades ago,” said Lavanya Rajamani, an international law expert who advised African nations at COP27. “Yet it is only now that its crucial importance in addressing climate change is being realized. The U.N. climate regime needs to place as much emphasis on adaptation, loss and damage and support as it has on target-setting for mitigation, in fairness to vulnerable nations, and in light of the increasing incidence of devastating impacts as mitigation efforts fall short.”

On Saturday at COP27, 30 years after those first promises were made, developed countries finally agreed to “establish new funding arrangements for assisting developing countries in responding to loss and damage, including a focus on addressing loss and damage by providing and assisting in mobilizing new and additional resources.”

The 11th hour deal was sealed Saturday afternoon when the United States reversed its earlier opposition and agreed to the creation of a specific loss and damage fund, surprising climate activists who just hours earlier had been excoriating the U.S. for its decades of obstruction.

This response to the long-standing demand by developing countries was overdue, said Harjeet Singh, who leads global political strategy for Climate Action Network International, an umbrella organization representing 190 civil society groups in 130 countries.

Intensifying global warming impacts require a systemic response, not just piecemeal post-disaster relief efforts, he said. “Humanitarian aid is welcome, but was never sufficient to help people recover from these impacts,” he said, “We wanted the U.N. climate change system to come in and actually create a mechanism that can help people at scale.”

Under the framework U.N. climate treaty, “Countries with the greatest historical responsibility for emissions, and the greatest capacity to act, have committed to bear the costs of climate change,” said Brian O’Callaghan, lead researcher with Oxford University’s economic recovery project. “Rich countries should act with speed or otherwise increase their future liability.”

The complex negotiations on loss and damage featured shifting alliances among various groups of countries that, at different times in the process, put competing proposals on the table. Ahead of COP27, United States climate envoy John Kerry was careful not to commit to a specific loss and damage mechanism, promising only that the U.S. was open to talking about the issue in the coming years.

Singh said that before COP27 started, the United States appeared to be opposed to the creation of a specific loss and damage fund, preferring to talk about potentially restructuring existing climate finance mechanisms to address those climate impacts that go beyond countries’ capacities to adapt.

The collective push from developing countries and resistance from a large part of the developed world led some attendees to fear a repeat of COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009, where a similar rift between the wealthy nations most responsible for climate change and poorer ones that are enduring its worst impacts led to an impasse.

At the end of the two-week talks in Copenhagen, world leaders dropped many of their goals for the negotiations and significantly lowered their targets. The parties agreed to recognize the scientific evidence for keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, but made no tangible commitments to reduce emissions in order to achieve that goal.

But this year, civil society groups applied relentless pressure during the talks, and Singh credited activists with keeping negotiators and the public focused on the topic of loss and damage. At the same time, developing countries maintained a unified front in the talks, “which actually made a huge difference in getting this over the line,” he said. Ultimately, it was the United States taking the step and backing the loss and damage funding mechanism that made the difference, he added.

The fact that the agreement came during a climate summit on a continent enduring some of the world’s most severe climate impacts gave it particular relevance. During the two-week conference, 14 flood alerts were issued for Africa, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

“After 30 years a loss and damage fund is coming home and it’s coming home on African soil,” said Mohamed Adow, director of energy and climate change for Power Shift Africa on Saturday afternoon during a press conference by Climate Action Network International.

As written, the loss and damage agreement includes views from all countries, but discussions about “some of the thorny issues around who will pay and where it (the funding mechanism) is going to be located have been moved to next year,” Singh said. “In fact, that’s exactly what we as civil society … were also demanding, because the most important thing to be done here was to establish the fund. You cannot do everything in two weeks.”

Yet to be determined is how the fund will be administered, who will pay into it, and which countries will receive money. He said there is still a long road ahead before it actually starts helping people hurt by climate impacts, “but the important thing is we now can send a message of hope to people who are suffering right now.”

Q.E.D.

Labor programs train workers for wind turbine energy projects

From an Article & Web Site of OffshoreWindAlliance.org, August 3, 2022

Annapolis, MD – Ørsted, the U.S. leader in offshore wind and developer of Skipjack Wind in Maryland, today commended the U.S. Department of Commerce and State of Maryland for a $22.9 million federal investment in the state’s offshore wind workforce training and pledged to work closely with State leaders to prepare Maryland residents for its offshore wind workforce. The State of Maryland, through the Maryland Department of Labor, will utilize the funds to create Maryland Works for Wind, a regional consortium to establish the state as a key hub for offshore wind training, fabrication, and employment.

Ørsted will invest nearly $735 million in Maryland and create thousands of local jobs during Skipjack Wind’s development and operation. As part of this effort, Ørsted is committing $10 million to STEM education and workforce development programs in Maryland. These programs will convene Maryland colleges, universities, community colleges, school systems, registered apprenticeship programs, pre-apprenticeship programs and community organizations to ensure the industry’s immense opportunities are available equitably and sustainably.

“Ørsted is proud to be making significant commitments to develop supply chain, manufacturing, and operations capabilities across Maryland as we develop Skipjack Wind,” said David Hardy, CEO of Ørsted Offshore North America. “The Maryland Works for Wind initiative positions the state to build a pipeline of skilled talent to support Skipjack Wind’s development and other projects in the U.S. and globally. Ørsted is excited to work with the Maryland Department of Labor and its partners to ensure all Marylanders have access to the skills needed to secure good-paying jobs in offshore wind.”

Building on Ørsted’s landmark agreement with the North American Building Trades Union, and the Baltimore – D.C. Metro Building and Construction Trades Council, Ørsted is committed to working in partnership with organized labor to build Skipjack Wind’s onshore and offshore construction, and ensure those who are building this clean energy infrastructure are paid decent wages, work in a safe environment, and have a voice on the job.

Ørsted’s labor agreements have set the bar for working conditions and equity in the offshore wind industry, and will inject new dollars in middle-class wages into the American economy, create apprenticeship and career opportunities for communities most impacted by environmental injustice, and ensure projects will be built with the safest and best-trained workers in America. The Maryland Works for Wind initiative will be critical in helping to reach these goals.

Ørsted is also partnering with Tradepoint Atlantic to build Maryland’s first offshore wind staging center. Ørsted invested $13.2 million in port infrastructure upgrades for handling offshore wind components such as nacelles, blades, and towers, and will develop 50 additional acres for the laydown, storage, and assembly of components. Ørsted will also enable the development of a subsea array cable and turbine tower manufacturing facilities in Maryland to serve offshore wind projects in the U.S. and globally, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in local investment and creating hundreds of local jobs.

On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Ørsted entered into a $70 million supply agreement to establish Maryland’s first offshore wind steel fabrication center at Crystal Steel Fabricators and will construct Maryland’s first zero-emissions operations and maintenance facility in west Ocean City.

About Skipjack Wind

Skipjack Wind is a 966-megawatt offshore wind project under development off the Maryland-Delaware coast. The project will create nearly 1,400 jobs in the Delmarva region, power approximately 300,000 homes in the region with clean energy, and enable more than $500 million in economic investment. Learn more at www.skipjackwind.com.

About Ørsted Offshore North America

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Four years in a row, Ørsted earned recognition as the world’s most sustainable energy company by Corporate Knights, including for 2022. The company is a global clean energy leader and has the largest portfolio of offshore wind energy in the world.

In the United States, Ørsted operates the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm, and constructed the two-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project – the first turbines to be installed in federal waters. Ørsted has approximately 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy in development in five states and across seven projects. Ørsted Offshore’s North American business is jointly headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island and employs approximately 250 people. To learn more visit us.orsted.com or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@OrstedUS).

The hydrogen storage challenges are substantial .....

From an Explainer Article by Quinn Glabicki, Public Source, 8/8/22

Nature’s simplest element is at the center of a new energy strategy that has won the support of much of the Pittsburgh region’s leadership, while drawing scorn from sustainability advocates who say it would actually entrench the carbon economy.

As proponents tout the potential of so-called blue hydrogen to shepherd our region to a sustainable future, climate scientists and financial analysts question the viability — technologically, economically and ideologically — of developing a hydrogen hub reliant on natural gas and carbon capture in Western Pennsylvania.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last November contained $8 billion appropriated for four “clean hydrogen hubs” nationwide. In May, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that his administration would pursue the federal funds for Pennsylvania, and the state’s bipartisan congressional delegation threw its weight behind the effort in June. Even before that, a group of local industrial titans including Shell, EQT and U.S. Steel issued a joint press release pledging support for the idea.

With the process still firmly in the beginning stages, questions remain about how a hydrogen hub would be implemented, who gets a say in that process and whether it advances climate goals.

PublicSource spoke with climate scientists, financial analysts, critics and industry stakeholders in an effort to better understand the status and viability of the proposed hydrogen hub. Here are some of the questions and emerging answers.

What does hydrogen have to do with energy? When hydrogen burns, it produces heat and the only byproduct is water. The most abundant element in the universe, however, is itself not a source of energy.

“Hydrogen is another form of energy storage, like batteries,” said Neil Donahue, a climate scientist and professor of chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University [CMU]. “Batteries are not a form of energy, nor is hydrogen.” The question, says Donahue: Where does the energy needed to produce hydrogen come from?

Renewables, fossil fuels and nuclear power are all potential energy sources for hydrogen production. Each occupies a corresponding space on a figurative color wheel often used in discussions of hydrogen power.

>> Green hydrogen is made using renewables like solar and wind energy through electrolysis to isolate the element.

>> Blue hydrogen is produced using natural gas, and the carbon emissions are captured and stored underground using carbon capture, utilization and sequestration technology.

>> When hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels but the carbon is released into the atmosphere, it’s known as gray hydrogen.

>> Nuclear power can also be used to create hydrogen in a process known as pink hydrogen.

>> Regardless of the energy input, the hydrogen produced is identical.

Experts say that hydrogen, when produced cleanly, has significant potential to reduce global carbon emissions, particularly among heavy industries like steel and concrete manufacturing, in large-scale transportation like trucking and aviation, and as a vehicle for energy storage in fuel cells. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s [IPCC] climate mitigation report released earlier this year listed hydrogen as a viable pathway to net-zero carbon emissions.

What is a hydrogen hub?

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law describes a regional clean hydrogen hub as “a network of clean hydrogen producers, potential clean hydrogen consumers and connective infrastructure located in close proximity.” The bill dictates that two of the four envisioned hubs are destined for areas “with the greatest natural gas resources.”

Because of abundant natural gas resources and infrastructure in Western Pennsylvania, southeastern Ohio and West Virginia, a hydrogen hub in this region would in all likelihood be blue — that is, it would source the energy needed to produce hydrogen from natural gas, at least to start.

….. see this extensive Article from the ‘Public Source’ …

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Public Power Officials Play Key Roles With Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association

Douglas County PUD General Manager Gary Ivory and Tacoma Power Director Jackie Flowers are playing key roles with the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2), serving as the association’s secretary and treasurer, respectively.

PNWH2 recently completed its formation with election of Washington Commerce Director Lisa Brown as chair and Oregon Department of Energy Director Janine Benner as vice chair of the board.

The group is a non-profit, public-private partnership leading a regional effort to land a share of the U.S. Department of Energy’s $8 billion investment in a nationwide network of clean hydrogen hubs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Formed at the direction of the Washington State Legislature, PNWH2 is currently preparing a final call for projects for consideration in its proposal to DOE.

A final request for information for individual project proposals is opening in early September. The RFI will be posted on Washington’s Electronic Business Solutions (WEBS) portal. More Information is available on the PNWH2 website and by emailing info@pnwh2.com.

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Build Back Better Lives Again, Now With Green Hydrogen

President Biden’s signature Build Back Better bill fell into the dustbin of history last summer, but apparently the US Department of Commerce did not get the memo. The agency has just put up $50 million for a green hydrogen hub in the New Orleans region under a new program called the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). That’s going to be a tough row to hoe, considering the grip of fossil fuel stakeholders on the Pelican State. However, Build Back Better is all about transformation, right?

Follow The Money To Green Hydrogen ~ In an interesting twist, South Louisiana’s BBBRC grant dovetails with the U.S. Energy Department’s $8 billion plan to create a network of regional “Clean Hydrogen Hubs” throughout the US. The plan is funded through last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The new grant could give H2theFuture a leg up on the sustainable H2 competition. They’ll need all they help they can get. Also competing for a share of the $8 billion pot is a powerful alliance of six northeast coastal states that are primed and ready to tap into their offshore wind resources. That group initially launched with Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Maine and Rhode Island have also hopped on board.

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Didado Electric to Partner with Newpoint Gas on Advanced Hydrogen Generation and Carbon Sequestration Project in Ohio

Didado Electric announced today that it has signed a teaming agreement with Newpoint Gas to serve as a design assist and installation partner and provide electrical and grid services work on the redevelopment of the former U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) into an advanced hydrogen generation, decarbonization and combustion clean energy manufacturing facility near Piketon, Ohio.

The centerpiece of the h2Trillium Energy and Manufacturing (h2TEAM) Complex, the $1.5 billion project will be an integrated energy system – closed loop manufacturing facility powered by clean hydrogen, with carbon sequestration. At peak, in the construction phase, it will provide approximately 2,900 jobs and, when finished, will produce clean silicon, ammonia, and power.

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Governor Hochul Announces $16.6 Million in Awards for Five Long Duration Energy Storage Projects To Help Harness Renewable Energy and Provide Stored Energy to New York’s Electric Grid

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $16.6 million in awards for five long duration energy storage projects that will help harness renewable energy and provide stored energy to New York’s electric grid. Governor Hochul also announced an additional $17 million in competitive funding available for projects that advance development and demonstration of scalable innovative long duration energy storage technologies, including hydrogen. The projects will support the current Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to install 3,000 megawatts of energy storage by 2030 while facilitating further development to 6,000 megawatts.

Governor Hochul made today’s announcement at the 2022 Advanced Energy Conference in New York City. These awards and new funding are being made available through the Renewable Optimization and Energy Storage Innovation Program administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The awards and funding will advance renewable energy integration and reduce harmful emissions from reliance on fossil fuels. The $16.6 million in awards will support the following projects:

>>> Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. – $2.7 million – To develop, design and construct two stand-alone energy storage systems and perform field demonstrations of a six-hour zinc hybrid cathode energy storage system in New York City to help demonstrate that zinc hybrid technology is economically competitive with lithium-ion.

>>> JC Solutions, LLC dba RCAM Technologies – $1.2 million – To develop a 3D concrete printed marine pumped hydroelectric storage system that integrates directly with offshore wind development in support of grid resiliency and reduced reliance on fossil fuel plants to meet periods of peak electric demand.

>>> Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC- $12.5 million – To demonstrate nuclear-hydrogen fueled peak power generation paired with a long duration hydrogen energy storage unit to help reduce emissions from the New York Independent System Operator electric grid.

>>> Power to Hydrogen – $100,000 – To develop a Reversible Fuel Cell System for Hydrogen Production and Energy Storage called the Clean Energy Bridge and to help facilitate the system’s readiness for demonstration and commercial adoption.

>>> ROCCERA, LLC – $100,000 – To evaluate and demonstrate a novel commercially viable Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell prototype for clean hydrogen production together with a corresponding scalable, more efficient manufacturing process.

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County dominate western Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH – County Executive Rich Fitzgerald issued the following statement regarding the release of the 2022 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), an annual study which tracks employment trends across the energy sector and within key energy technologies:

“The USEER report showed that U.S. energy sector jobs grew 4% over 2020, outpacing overall U.S. employment, while also adding more than 300,000 jobs in the past year. Pennsylvania is one of the top states in terms of percent growth in transmission, distribution and storage energy jobs, and its energy workers represent 3.3% of all U.S. energy jobs, and 4.6% of total state employment. And employers in Pennsylvania are more optimistic than their peers across the country about energy sector jobs growth in the coming year.

“It’s easy to see why. Energy, and our transition to clean energy, has really been this region’s strong suit. We’ve been looking at and finding ways to make the transition from reliance on fossil fuels well before addressing climate change became a priority. We have the country’s first Green Building Alliance, and its largest 2030 District. We have focused on reducing our energy footprint for existing buildings, while also talking about standards for new construction. Pittsburgh International Airport has invested in a microgrid and generates its own power from natural gas and the largest solar farm in the county.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit has begun work to electrify its bus rapid transit (BRT) system. Our building trades have invested in training, green technologies and innovations to build a green workforce. We have invested in hydro by entering into a power purchase agreement for renewable electricity from a new low-impact, run-of-river hydroelectric facility on the Ohio River. The development of autonomous vehicles in our region will assist in net reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Wabtec is located here and is exploring the electrification of rail.

“No matter the industry, this region is working towards net-zero emissions. The USEER reflects that investment and our commitment. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $62 billion for the Department of Energy to expand access to energy efficiency, deliver reliable and clean power, and build new technologies. We are thrilled to have had Secretary Granholm here today to release the report and to convene a roundtable of officials to talk about the opportunities for good-paying jobs that will drive clean energy across the country and in this region, while also revitalizing our manufacturing industry.”

“One of the things that we heard today was that between now and 2030, as industries across the globe look to decarbonize, there will be an approximately $23 trillion market in which clean energy jobs will thrive. We look forward to the opportunities and the future growth that these investments will mean to our region. We partner better than anyone – from private companies to public institutions to the building trades, universities and the philanthropic community – and will work collaboratively and cooperatively to meet the needs of our region and this country in clean energy.”

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Office of County Executive Rich Fitzgerald
101 Courthouse │ 436 Grant Street │ Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: 412-350-6500 │ Fax: 412-350-6512 │www.alleghenycounty.us

Announcement of the upcoming hybrid webinar: “Utility-Scale Solar – a Revolution in Progress” — with a live audience in Morgantown, West Virginia, and online via Zoom — on Monday, May 16, from 7-8:00 PM USET.

David Feldman, NREL (US-DOE)

David Feldman will be joined by Danny Chiotos, Sales and Market Development Director at Mountain View Solar in Berkeley Springs, WV, and Betsy Arlen, Director of Development for Sun Tribe Development, a provider of large-scale renewable energy solutions.

The in-person venue will be the WVU Media Innovation Center in the Evansdale Crossing Building, 62 Morrill Way, Morgantown WV 26506 (free parking after 5 PM). Doors open at 6:30 PM USET. WVU’s COVID protocol currently is “masks optional.”

Don’t miss this unique chance to meet and engage with outstanding experts about how we can solve the most important challenge of our time! Registrants who cannot attend will receive a link to a program recording.

To attend and participate in this program — in person or online — register here. For more information, email info@wvclimate.org. Thanks for your climate concerns!

>>> Haley Paul, Project Staff, West Virginia Center on Climate Change

P.S. The March 23 Polar Science webinar had 100 people attending! Thanks goes to everyone who attended, online and in-person. You will enjoy this program, too! Please share this message with others who might be interested! They will appreciate it!

>>> Thanks to the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation and the Dunn Foundation for making these programs possible.

The new wind turbines in Grant & Mineral counties

From a Special Article of the Mineral (County) Daily News – Tribune, December 3, 2021

CURRENT—NEWS—UPDATE: The new Black Rock Wind Farm went online today providing enough electricity for over 50,000 homes. (2/10/22)

KEYSER, WV – Clearway Energy Group has hired five recent graduates of the Wind Energy Technology program at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College in Moorefield.

The five new wind techs will support the operations and maintenance of Clearway’s new 115-megawatt Black Rock Wind Farm near Elk Garden and its 54-megawatt Pinnacle Wind Farm near Keyser. Pinnacle was repowered just this year with new turbine technology.

Along with Clearway’s 240-megawatt Mount Storm Wind Farm, Clearway is now the largest owner-operator of wind farms in the Mountain State, having invested nearly $460 million this year alone.

The five new Clearway wind techs are: Andrew Cosner, 20, of Petersburg — Ian Guckavan, 22, of Moorefield — Austin Locklear, 22, of Petersburg — Logan Reel, 24, of Keyser — Tyler Simmons, 21, of Keyser

“We are excited to welcome five new wind techs into the Clearway family who were hired right here from the local community,” said Doug Vance, Clearway’s plant manager for Black Rock and Pinnacle.

“Our wind energy sites do more than just power homes and businesses, they are also economic engines for the region, creating hundreds of construction jobs as well as long-term operations jobs. Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College has been a great partner for Clearway and we look forward to expanding that partnership with an apprenticeship program next spring.”

One of the new wind techs, Logan Reel, was hired through Clearway’s West Virginia Wind Energy Apprenticeship Program, which helps workers displaced from the coal industry (as well as their family members) find new employment opportunities in renewable energy.

“I grew up looking at the turbines on the mountains in the area and found them inspirational,” said Reel, who grew up in Moorefield. “Wind turbines are a step in the right direction towards a better future. Working in the renewable energy field has given me the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself.”

Eastern offers a two-year associate degree in applied science as well as a one-year certificate option for students looking to work in the renewable energy industry. Students in the Wind Energy Technology program learn the skills necessary to service and troubleshoot modern wind power generation equipment while acquiring the background knowledge needed to advance their careers in the power generation field. Eastern has also designed its programs to comply with all American Clean Power Association (ACPA) standards and capitalize on West Virginia’s position as a new leader in the wind industry.

“We are delighted that Clearway has chosen to partner with Eastern and deepen its roots in the Mountain State,” said Curtis Hakala, dean of teaching and learning at Eastern. “As West Virginia continues to diversify and strengthen its economy, it’s wonderful to be able offer programs that provide students the tools to work in this innovation industry and help them secure good-paying jobs close to home.”

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See Also: Citizens Where We Serve: Renewable Energy’s Long-Term Success Begins in Local Communities, Clearwater Energy Group, December 5, 2021

Dominion Energy plans extensive wind farm offshore in VA

From an Article by Sarah Vogelsong, Virginia Mercury, November 5, 2021

Dominion Energy revised the price tag of its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project upward to $9.8 billion from an earlier estimate of $8 billion, company executives announced Friday in an investor call.

Dominion CEO, chair and president Bob Blue attributed the more than 20 percent jump to “commodity and general cost pressures,” as well as the completion of design plans for bringing the power generated by the wind farm to customers onshore in Virginia Beach.

Over the next 30 years, the utility projected the wind project would cost the average Dominion residential customer in Virginia an extra $4 a month, with an initial increase starting September 2022 of approximately $1.45 more per month. During the call, Blue said the project’s increased price tag did not impact those estimates because the company is also projecting that the wind farm will be more productive than originally expected.

On Friday’s investor call, Blue told analysts that $1 billion in federal tax credits for the project could help drive down some of the bill impacts for customers. The company has also said that fuel savings costs are expected to amount to $3 billion over the wind farm’s first 10 years.

Dominion’s plans must be approved by the State Corporation Commission, although provisions of the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act declaring the utility’s construction of the project to be “in the public interest” and directing approval of certain costs will largely tie regulators’ hands.

Offshore wind, along with nuclear, is a key cornerstone of the utility’s efforts to decarbonize its electric fleet — the goal of the VCEA as well as Dominion’s own net-zero pledge. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project “is essential to meeting the policy goals set forth in the VCEA and other legislation mandating the development and deployment of renewable generation resources.”

Critics, however, have contended that the language of the VCEA dealing with offshore wind constitutes an unnecessary giveaway to Dominion that will saddle customers with unreasonable costs. One ProPublica-Richmond Times-Dispatch investigation found that a late change to the law requested by Dominion increased the allowable costs associated with the wind project from $7.3 to $9.8 billion.

One 2020 estimate by the SCC found that by 2030, the VCEA could increase customers’ electricity costs by $800 annually. Republicans, fresh from retaking control of the House of Delegates and executive branch in elections Tuesday, on Thursday said one of their priorities would be rolling back Democrats’ climate change policies, of which the VCEA was the most prominent.

Asked about whether Dominion expects a change in energy policy out of Richmond during Friday’s investor call, Blue said that the utility over the past 15 years “has maintained constructive relationships with members of both parties, and we don’t see any reason that would change.”

Duke Energy’s 9 MW Asheville Battery Installation in Buncombe County

From an Article by Tim Sylvia, PV Magazine, October 26, 2021

A new battery, which uses an electrolyte to convert chemical energy into electricity for storage and deployment, will begin testing in 2022 at Duke Energy’s Emerging Technology and Innovation Center in Mount Holly, North Carolina.

Honeywell, a prominent technology company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, announced that it has developed a new flow battery technology intended for pairing with wind and solar resources. The company has partnered with Duke Energy to field test the product.

Honeywell’s battery uses a safe, non-flammable electrolyte that converts chemical energy to electricity to store energy for later use. The solution can store and discharge electricity for up to 12 hours, according to Honeywell. If proven, the battery would provide the system with another distinct advantage over traditional lithium-ion batteries, which currently can discharge up to four hours.

The battery is also comprised of entirely recyclable components. It is touted by Honeywell as being immune to degradation over long periods of use, a paramount issue for all battery storage chemistries and technologies.

According to Honeywell, the flow battery can be combined with the company’s Experion PKS business and asset management, system, and its enterprise performance management solution, Honeywell Forge, for remote monitoring.

In 2022 Honeywell plans to deliver a 400 kWh unit to Duke Energy’s Emerging Technology and Innovation Center in Mount Holly, North Carolina, to determine if the technology is viable for use at scale. Duke will need to make commitments to deploying storage at scale if it hopes to achieve its goals of a 50% reduction of carbon emissions versus 2005 levels by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

According to a Duke representative, the utility plans to install almost 400 MW of battery storage capacity in its service territory over the next five years, though it is unclear if this refers to it’s North Carolina Service area, or total southeast service area including South Carolina and Florida. The representative also added that Duke has a keen interest in breakthrough technologies, like this flow battery.

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PV Magazine is a monthly trade publication launched for the international photovoltaics (PV) community in the summer of 2008. The current print run, based on qualified circulation, is 35,000. The international website, www.pv-magazine.com launched in 2010. (Sep 6, 2021)

Legislation that would create jobs and save money

From the Letter by Eric Engle, Charleston Gazette, February 20, 2021

The West Virginia Legislature’s 2021 session is off to a ferocious start. Bills are being introduced and considered rapidly, with very little time given for public input and very limited public access to committee proceedings or other activities at the Capitol building.

Those of us trying to keep track of legislation have to do all we can to keep the public informed and keep constituents in contact with their delegates and senators. To that end, there are very important pieces of legislation for West Virginia’s economic, energy, public health and environmental future that I’d like to bring to your attention, and I encourage you to contact your representatives about them quickly.

Senate Bill 30, titled “Permitting third-party ownership of renewable and alternative energy generating facilities,” and the similar House Bill 2249, titled “Permitting customers and developers to enter into solar power purchase agreements,” have been introduced to the Senate Economic Development Committee and the House Energy and Manufacturing Committee, respectively.

These bills would legalize power-purchasing agreements (PPAs) in West Virginia and have bipartisan backing, with SB 30 introduced by Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan, and HB 2249 introduced by Delegate Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia.

The coalition West Virginians for Energy Freedom, longtime advocates for PPAs in West Virginia, defines PPAs as “a widely available method to finance distributed energy generation projects such as rooftop solar panels or landfill bio-gas.” West Virginians for Energy Freedom explains: “These third-party agreements are legal in at least 28 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. States such as Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Georgia offer PPAs, but they are not available in West Virginia.”

PPAs can bring renewable energy to West Virginia, while creating jobs, saving West Virginia’s energy consumers money and improving public health and environmental protection as we inevitably move away from fossil fuels. They also help foster the kind of energy independence that both major parties and people along the entire political ideological spectrum can get behind.

Another crucial piece of legislation, introduced by Delegate Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, HB 2287, titled “Providing for solar energy production on formerly mined land,” would “encourage solar energy development on lands formerly used for mining and certain third-party co-generation projects, to provide electricity for commercial, industrial and manufacturing businesses or institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations that are located in or will locate in West Virginia,” according to the summary

Many businesses and corporations are pledging to reduce, and eventually eliminate, their greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years and decades. If we want those entities to locate in West Virginia and bring their jobs with them, we have to be able to accommodate their energy and other infrastructural needs and goals.

HB 2287 gives us a leg up on attracting and retaining these investments, while also providing cheaper energy for our existing commercial, industrial and nonprofit entities. There’s no reason why partisan politics or political ideology should get in the way of all the potential in this bill.

The House Energy and Manufacturing Committee is chaired by Delegate Bill Anderson, R-Wood. The Senate Economic Development Committee is chaired by Sen. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer. Please contact these chairmen and let them know you want to see House Bills 2249 and 2287 and Senate Bill 30 on the committee agendas and see them passed. The legislative session ends April 10.

West Virginia deserves a more diversified economy, with more and better jobs, cheaper energy and better protection of our health and natural resources. These bills can help us get there.

>> Eric Engle is chairman of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, most active in the Parkersburg — Marietta area in the Ohio River valley.

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See also: What West Virginia’s Changing Climate Means for Its Farmers | USDA Climate Hubs — By Evan Kutta, West Virginia University, Institute of Water Security and Science and Jason A. Hubbart, West Virginia University, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

The time has come to add significant renewable energy in West Virginia

From an Article by Charles Young, West Virginia News, January 24, 2021

CHARLESTON, WV — West Virginia’s energy generation landscape remains dominated by coal, with renewable energy sources accounting for just a fraction of all of the state’s power. While the coal and oil and gas industries have their respective lobbying organizations that court members of the West Virginia Legislature, renewable energy sources have few defenders in the halls of the state Capitol.

Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, a professional environmental scientist, is among the handful of lawmakers who consistently advocate for energy diversification, sustainable solutions and green economic development opportunities.

Hansen helped pass Senate Bill 583 during last year’s legislative session, which will allow for the development of utility-grade solar projects in the state. The bill received bipartisan support in the House and Senate, but still faced opposition from lawmakers representing coal-producing districts.

Hansen said he has plans to introduce a host of bills during the upcoming session that all have a focus on renewable energy sources and the economic opportunities they present to the state. “I’ve got a package of bills that are related to new energy job creation, and they are bills that would not only create jobs, but would also help address climate change,” he said.

The first bill would allow solar power purchase agreements, which would encourage rooftop solar installation, Hansen said. “It allows a new method to finance solar arrays for nonprofits or for people’s homes, where a company will actually build the solar array at their own cost and you as a nonprofit or a person could save money on your electric bills immediately with no upfront investment,” he said.

The bill has failed to pass during previous sessions, but he’s hopeful about its chances this year, Hansen said. “I can’t make any promises, but I know their are legislators from both parties who are interested in moving that bill,” he said.

A second bill focuses on energy efficiency improvements, Hansen said. “This bill follows up on a study resolution that was passed last session that required a study of energy use at state-owned buildings,” he said. “My bill would set a target of 30% energy savings in state-owned buildings by 2030 and would also set a process in motion to identify electric meters that the state is still paying for that actually don’t provide any electricity — they’re called orphaned meters, and there are a lot of those.”

The efficiency improvements would require an initial investment, which will pay off “very quickly,” Hansen said. “We would save taxpayer dollars, and it would create a lot of energy efficiency jobs across the state,” he said.

A third bill, called the Just Transition bill, would create a process to focus funding and resources into communities impacted by the decline of coal production, Hansen said. A previous version of the bill unanimously passed the House last year, but failed to gain traction in the Senate, Hansen said.

“So we’re adjusting the bill somewhat to better align it with federal policy, because there are efforts now at the federal level to also funnel some new programs and policies to support these communities that are being hit the hardest by this transition,” he said.

Although he knows he will still encounter opposition from advocates of fossil fuels at the state level, the environmental policies and priorities of the Biden administration give him hope about the future of renewable energy sources, Hansen said.

“I appreciate that there’s going to be an effort to address climate change because I think that has to happen,” he said. “I think we have an opportunity as a state, if we’re open to it and if we put the right policies in place, to get a large amount of investments and create a large number of new energy jobs across the state.”

While he knows the urgency and importance of addressing climate change and diversifying the state’s energy portfolio, he believes the best way to help these policies find acceptance is by selling them on their economic merits, Hansen said.

“There’s a lot more that can be done, and in my opinion a lot more that should be done, but I’m trying to propose bills that are achievable in our current political climate and will receive a broad base of support across the parties,” he said. “Saving taxpayer dollars on energy bills at state buildings and creating local jobs to implement the energy efficiency recommendations, those should be the types of things that everybody stands behind.”

James Van Nostrand, director of the West Virginia University College of Law’s Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, said “well over” 90% of the energy produced in West Virginia still comes from coal. The state risks losing out on investments and economic development opportunities if it does not increase its share of renewable energy sources, Van Nostrand said.

“What we’re hearing is the large corporate clients, the potential large employers, a lot of them have these corporate sustainable goals that says you have to have 50%, 75%, 100% of our energy supply from renewables by year 2030 or 2035,” he said. “Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Wal-Mart — they’ve all got them.”

He has often heard West Virginia Secretary of Commerce Ed Gaunch talk about how access to renewable energy sources is among the top priorities for these corporations when selecting a site, Van Nostrand said. “So we’ve got to figure out a way to do that,” he said.

Bills like SB 583 are a step in the right direction because they give companies like FirstEnergy or American Electric Power a way to affordably pursue building solar arrays to fit such a corporation’s needs, Van Nostrand said.

The power purchase agreement bill has been backed by the nonprofit solar advocacy group Solar United Neighbors for the past two legislative sessions, but it has never made it out of committee, Van Nostrand said.

“I think the utilities don’t want it, so it doesn’t get passed,” he said. “But our electricity rates keep going up and it would be nice if people had some ability to hedge against that by investing in solar and making solar accessible by approving power purchasing agreements.”

Lawmakers must act to address the state’s lack of renewable energy policies, Van Nostrand said. “We really don’t have any policies at all in West Virginia promoting renewable energy. There’s literally nothing that is there for a renewable energy developer to think it makes any sense to come to West Virginia,” he said. “We’re just not open for business. That’s the signal that they are all getting, that there is no institutional support in the state for renewable energy.”