QUICK NEWS, March 28: New Evidence Of More Climate Trouble; Wind Now Matching Coal In The Market; New Energy Vs. Utilities In Indiana

New Evidence Of More Climate Trouble One of the most troubling ideas about climate change just found new evidence in its favor

Chris Mooney, March 27, 2017 (Washington Post)

“…[S]cientists have been debating a complex and frankly explosive idea [since 2012] about how a warming planet will alter our weather…[If it’s correct, it] would have profound implications…where hundreds of millions of people live…The idea is that climate change doesn’t merely increase the overall likelihood of [extreme weather but also] changes the flow of weather…[causing] weather to become more stuck in place…[and driving] extreme droughts, heat waves, downpours and more…[A new study finds evidence that the flow of weather is, in fact, slowing. In a way, this isn’t] complicated. The Northern Hemisphere jet stream flows in a wavy pattern from west to east, driven by the rotation of the Earth and the difference in temperature between the equator and the North Pole. The flow is stronger when that temperature difference is large…But when the Arctic warms up faster than the equator does — which is part of the fundamental definition of global warming, and which is already happening — the jet stream’s flow can become weakened and elongated. That’s when you can get the resultant weather extremes…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

Wind Now Matching Coal In The Market Wind Energy Now Directly Competing With Coal On Cost

Gregory Brew, March 27, 2017 (OilPrice.com)

“…[Increasingly, companies are finding that the wind-is-cheap argument] gets better traction from skeptical consumers and fidgety investors…[because its low price allows wind to compete with natural gas and overcome] promises of President Donald Trump to bring back American coal…[Analysts say the falling costs of wind power, which are now an estimated $20/MWh as against coal’s $30/MWh, directly threatens 56 GW of coal power…Total U.S. wind energy capacity grew 19 percent in 2016 and reached 5.5 percent of total generating capacity…Much of the surge in added capacity came from power companies and utilities eager to take advantage of the PTC before it is cut from 80 percent to 60 percent…The EIA estimates that without tax credits, the costs of constructing and maintaining equal capacity wind power and natural gas power plants are nearly the same: $58.50 per MW-hour versus $56.40…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

New Energy Vs. Utilities In Indiana Solar energy at crossroads in Indiana

Robert King, March 22, 2017 (IndyStar via USA Today)

“…[Solar energy enthusiasts say] the future of a growing Indiana industry [that benefits homeowners, small businesses, churches and schools and provides good jobs and helps the planet] is at stake...[Indiana utilities say] the solar industry is well enough established in Indiana that it should be able to stand without the incentives that got it off the ground, and that could someday become costly to other power customers…[But there’s little argument that Senate Bill 309, being debated in the Indiana House, will decide the fate of] the financial incentive that helps offset the considerable installation costs of solar panels, wind turbines and other equipment for small producers, through a process called net metering…The bill would eventually lower the credit for the surplus [from its current retail rate of $0.11/kWh to the $0.035/kWh] wholesale rate…The Solar Foundation estimates that Indiana employed 2,700 people in the solar industry in 2016, up from 1,500 the prior year. An estimate by the Environmental Law & Policy Center says that, in wind and solar combined, there are nearly 4,000 people in the industry across 64 companies…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet