Weather, Climate, and What The Pres Thinks Of His Supporters

The president has again pretended stupidity about climate change to please his base. That he sees a stupid remark as pleasing his base says everything about what he thinks of his base. From PBS Newshour via YouTube

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New Energy Is Winning

The headlines out of Washington are grim but the big picture is bright. New Energy is taking over. There has never been a more important time to fight harder. From The Science Channel via YouTube

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Cool-it-licious! The Climate Change Diet

A plant-rich diet is one of the top-ten ways to cool the planet. From VOX via YouTube

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Why The Climate Fight Will Turn In 2018

Nine Reasons to Be Optimistic About Climate Change in 2018; Amid all the awful news are some points of light.

Geoff Dembicki, December 28, 2017 (Vice)

“…Buried in the avalanche of depressing news [about climate change] this year were legitimate reasons for hope…Any of [the 9 reasons below] on their own is a major step forward for fixing climate change. And taken together, they show we might not be as screwed as the year’s headlines suggest…1. China is making big moves on climate…This year alone, the Communist government promised $361 billion in spending on renewables, said that it will be banning gas-powered vehicles, moved to close hundreds of coal plants, and unveiled the world’s largest financial market for reducing emissions…[Wind and solar are outcompeting fossil fuels on price and over two-thirds of new electricity added to the world in 2016 was from renewables…3. Clean energy survived the GOP tax bill…4. The era of fossil fuel cars is ending…5. Voters are electing climate leaders…6. Fossil fuel divestment keeps growing…7. Climate lawsuits are multiplying…8. States and cities are stepping up…9. Oil companies are questioning their future…” click here for more

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Record-Breaking New Energy Year In UK

UK enjoyed 'greenest year for electricity ever' in 2017

28 December 2017 (BBC News)

“…The rise of renewable energy [in the UK] helped break 13 clean energy records in 2017…In June, for the first time, wind, nuclear and solar power generated more UK power than gas and coal combined [according to government data]…Britain has halved carbon emissions in the electricity sector since 2012 to provide the fourth cleanest power system in Europe and seventh worldwide…In April, the UK had its first 24-hour period without using any coal power since the Industrial Revolution…Separate findings from power research group MyGridGB show that [through December 12] renewable energy sources provided more power than coal for 90% of 2017…British wind farms produced more electricity than coal plants on more than 75% of days this year…[The cost of offshore wind power fell below the price of nuclear for the first time…[T]he UK must now tackle its reliance on gas if it is to meet its emission targets…An Energy Department spokesman said the UK was reducing emissions faster than any other G7 country…” click here for more

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How Solar Is Saving Refugee’s Lives

‘This solar panel saved my life’

John Fitzgerald Weaver, December 26, 2017 (electrek)

“…In southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean we’re seeing solar power – right now – offering huge services to people in trying times…In Myanmar, fleeing Rohingya are carrying one key asset: solar panels…[Myanmar’s military patrols kill the Rohinga they come across. The Rohinga carry $15, 20-watt solar panel kit to charge the mobile phone through which they get information about how to avoid the patrols. Refugee] camps managed by the United Nations have installed larger sized solar installations to take care of longer term populations…Jordan recently completed installation of the largest solar plant at a refugee camp – a 12.9MW plant at the Zaatari refugee camp.. The project, on the border of Syria and Jordan, was funded by the German government and saves the United Nation Refugee Agency $5.5 million a year. The camp of 80,000 Syrians will get electricity from the solar panels for up to 14 hours a day...A camp in Dadaab, Kenya has installed 278 solar panels that are being used to pump 280,000 liters of water per day…” click here for more

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$5.5BIL, 4 GW Of Wind For Turkey’s 2017

Licenses for 4,000-MW wind power capacity granted in 2017

December 27, 2017 (Daily Sabah)

“…[Turkey is set to close 2017] with $5 billion in investment in wind power plants…Following the contracts for 710 megawatts (MW) in June and 1,000 MW in August, an aggregate of 2,130 MW of wind power capacity was auctioned in the last three days. As a result, plants will be established in 32 locations across the country. For the entire year, Turkey has issued licenses for 4,000 MW of wind power…[T]he cost of investments per MW in the wind power plant projects ranged from $1.2 million to $1.4 million…[$6.5 billion] of wind power plants investments were auctioned in 2017, and will be realized in the next [five] years…In April 2018, applications for an additional 2,000 MW will be placed. The aim is to uninterruptedly continue wind power plant investments until 2023…” click here for more

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Superheroes Would Be Super-CO2-Emitters

Carbon Footprint of Superheroes

Miles Traer, May 23, 2017 (Pop-Scientist At Large)

The ‘best’ carbon footprint probably belongs to Superman or Swamp Thing. Superman’s footprint is equal to zero. Swamp Thing might actually have a negative carbon footprint; he’s taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere…[Oracle/Barbara Gordon has ‘worst carbon footprint’ because she uses] a LOT of electricity to power her computers. The only other serious contender is the Flash, who requires tens-of-billions of calories per second to run at his absurd speeds…

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Yet, these analyses only look at total CO2e emissions. A more helpful metric might be the amount of CO2e released per unit of justice dispensed. Taking the total CO2e emissions per year and dividing by the number of yearly adventures…Oracle/Barbara Gordon still seems to have the worst carbon footprint while Superman and Swamp Thing still battle it out for the best carbon footprint…Spiderman, the Flash, Firebird, and Oracle/Barbara Gordon each release more CO2e per adventure than an average American releases per year…[If we just converted our coal power plants to solar or wind or even nuclear, superheroes] ranging from Batman to Jessica Jones to Spiderman could significantly reduce their carbon footprints...” click here for more

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Solar Solar Everywhere

Green tech will be everywhere in 2018; Politics can't stop the revolution.

Steve Dent, December 27, 2017 (Engadget)

“In 2017, clean power gathered unprecedented momentum…With climate change problems mounting, national and local governments are pushing for more renewable energy and an end to fossil-fueled cars…Elected officials and the public want fewer gas-powered vehicles and coal plants, and more EVs, solar panels and wind turbines…With the expectations of consumers, companies and governments all getting higher, 2018 has a lot to deliver…[But] If 2018 fulfills the potential of 2017, green energy will become an unstoppable force. Any moves the Trump administration decides to make against it will only hurt the US in the short term, as green tech becomes an economic force around the world…[By 2019 and 2020,] with solar and wind starting to beat coal, nuclear and gas-powered plants in price, the power you use for your EV and home will be cleaner and cleaner. Will this save the planet from excess CO2 levels? Maybe not, but we have no choice but to try.” click here for more

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Chicago’s Utility-led EV Ride-Share Program

ComEd Launches Electric-Car Pilot Program in Chicago; An electric utility in Illinois has launched a ride-sharing pilot program on Chicago's South Side that relies entirely on electric cars.

December 26, 2017 (Chicago Tribune via U.S. News & World Report)

“…Dominant Illinois electric utility Commonwealth Edison (ComEd)] has launched a ride-sharing pilot program on Chicago's South Side that relies entirely on electric cars…[In cooperation with several partners, ComEd launched the program in mid-December to] serve residents of TRC Senior Village in the Washington Park neighborhood…A primary aim of the small-scale project is to help the utility study energy and other requirements for such plug-in cars…[It will] use Innova EV Dash vehicles. The two-seat cars are 100 percent electric and have a range of 150 miles per charge. The maximum speed is 35 mph…Drivers operate three days a week for now. The idea is for residents of TRC Senior Village to use the service for errands in or near the neighborhood.” click here for more

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Studies Show Safety Of Ocean Wind

Fishing Report: Developer sets high bar for ocean wind farms

Dave Monti, December 23, 2017 (Providence Journal)

“…[Recently released studies show the] Block Island Wind Farm has had no remarkable adverse effects on the environment, fish, mammals, birds and people… Over 50 scientists presented their research findings at the Southern New England Offshore Wind Energy Science Forum held at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography…[Much] wind farm science is new and it is developing quickly. Three firms have secured leases to build wind farms in federal waters between Block Island and south off Nantucket…Ocean wind farms in Europe have been around for many years; however, most were developed and built with little or no research on how they might impact the fish and environment. Any detrimental effects were discovered and mitigated after they were built. But thanks to Deepwater Wind (DWW) and their Block Island project we have the depth of research to develop a robust protocol for future wind farm development in this nation. DWW facilitated (and in many cases paid for) an army of scientists, engineers, consultants, and universities to study the BIW before, during and after construction…” click here for more

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ORIGINAL REPORTING: How To Prove To Utilities That Innovations Work

5 new strategies to design more effective utility DER pilots; A new RMI report uses insights from utility pilots and demonstration projects to form a roadmap for the energy transition

Herman K. Trabish, July 20, 2017 (Utility Dive)

Editor’s note: A just-proposed pilot to test the viability of time-of-use rates in MN was praised by stakeholders for respecting these 5 tenets.

The skyrocketing growth of utility-scale renewables and distributed energy resources (DER) is stoking a need to develop new grid technologies, business models and customer programs. As a result, utilities face crucial decisions about investing shareholder and ratepayer money. Regulatory disputes across the country continue to stifle innovation and impede the emergence of new utility business models. But The Role of Pilots and Demonstrations in Reinventing the Utility Business Model from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) offers best practices from a variety of utility pilot projects to help regulators and stakeholders sort through the noise and make evidence-based decisions.

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For the new pilot report, RMI partnered with Consolidated Edison (ConEd), Avista Utilities, and Arizona Public Service (APS). ConEd Director Jamie Brennan agrees trial projects could help resolve policy disputes because debates based on real data are less ideological, more analytical, and enable stakeholder engagement that might not otherwise be likely. Today’s pilots and demonstrations, RMI argues, will test utilities’ ability to meaningfully advance cost-effective, collaborative ways to integrate new technology for the benefit of customers, utilities, and the environment. If the pilots and demonstrations are poorly designed, innovation will be ‘bogged down’ in disputes between utilities and technology providers… click here for more

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ORIGINAL REPORTING: Getting Aggregated DER Into Wholesale Power Markets

Hiding in plain sight: Aggregated DERs in wholesale power markets; Distributed resources can't yet compete like traditional generators in US power markets, but demand response products allow them a foot in the door

Herman K. Trabish, July 24, 2017 (Utility Dive)

Editor’s note: This continues to be the frontier of the fight to introduce distributed resources into grid systems.

Aggregated distributed energy resources (DER) are beginning to compete in wholesale markets, but they just aren’t always recognized as such. Two California energy storage providers successfully bid aggregations of automated load reductions into the California wholesale market multiple times during a June heat wave this year, though the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) denies having DER aggregations bid into its market. That is because DER include traditional demand response, energy efficiency, behind-the-meter (BTM) storage, and distributed generation like rooftop solar. The market’s proxy demand response (PDR) product is for demand response and there is another product for DER providers (DERP).

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Leading DER aggregators Stem and AMS are participating in the wholesale market through the PDR product for demand response resources. Demand response is a path to the wholesale market for DER like storage that do not inject power into the grid. The other path is for aggregators of distributed resources to use the DERP tariff but that introduces the more complicated issue of power delivered back into the grid. That requires resolving communications and operational issues. New work to resolve the communications and operational issues could provide a way forward, but in the meantime the resources are getting a foot in the door through the well-established role of demand response providers… click here for more

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TODAY’S STUDY: The Heavy Thinking Needed To Design Effective Electricity Rates

Smart Non-Residential Rate Design; Optimizing Rates for Equity, Integration, and DER Deployment

Carl Linvill, PhD, Jim Lazar, Max Dupuy, Jessica Shipley, and Donna Brutkoski

Executive Summary

According to the Energy Information Administration, electricity use by non-residential customers accounts for nearly 66% of California’s total consumption. Many of these customers are interested in adopting distributed energy resource (DER) technologies and many have access to sophisticated energy management and load control technologies, which means that these customers can be an important grid support resource. All utility customers stand to benefit if non-residential customers support a reliable, clean, and least-cost grid.

Current non-residential rate design, however, does not adequately encourage the deployment and use of non-residential customer resources in support of grid needs. Instead, current rate design encourages customers to control their own bills without synchronizing their consumption and production with the situation on the grid. Getting rate design right will ensure that price signals conveyed to the customer reflect what the power system needs. In other words, non-residential customer resources will become an important resource for integrating renewables and ensuring grid reliability. Well-designed price signals will induce cost-effective use of energy efficiency, selfgeneration, and demand response for the benefit of both the non-residential customer and all customers.

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Effective price signals will increase supply, decrease demand, and thus decrease market clearing prices for energy, capacity, and services.

Many California businesses, educational institutions, and city and county governments have commitments to the state’s decarbonization goals, some have made commitments that go beyond state-level mandates. With well-designed rates, these leaders will have an economic incentive to make private investments that serve the public interest. These non-residential customers could become a large and beneficial contributor to least-cost, reliable decarbonization in California, but aligning their private choices with the public interest requires rate design reform.

Ascending clean energy technologies and aggressive California policy are changing the power system from one where we focused on ensuring adequate supply to meet anticipated demand, to one where active supply and active demand are optimized to ensure balance. Smart grid innovations allow utilities and customers to make more granular decisions about their energy use, while new storage technologies (including thermal storage) offer unprecedented opportunities to absorb variable energy production and shift usage. Wholesale markets are increasingly open to DER aggregators, introducing new value streams to customers who invest in DERs. Load control technologies and new end uses for electricity, especially, add new opportunities for system flexibility. For the past 125 years, the electricity industry has focused on controlling resources to match varying loads. In this new landscape, the challenge is increasingly to ensure that the power system is able to use demand and supply resources together to ensure reliability at least cost.

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Rate design needs to embrace these changes—ensuring that customers have incentives to shift or control load and DER production when it benefits the system. Time-varying pricing (TVP) rate designs are necessary to better align private choice with the public interest.1 Dynamic pricing options such as critical peak pricing (CPP) further refine price signals and are easy for customers to understand. More complicated dynamic rates like real-time pricing (RTP) can further refine price signals but require more sophisticated energy management, so are likely to be of interest to those organizations that have or hire sophisticated energy managers.

California’s existing rate design evolved over decades, and transmission and distribution rates in particular have not been generally been updated to reflect the profound changes in customer loads, metering technology, and DER technologies. California is making changes like adapting the timeof-use (TOU) peak periods to match solar impacts, establishing default TOU rates, and encouraging movement toward coincident demand rates from non-coincident demand rates. Despite these interesting steps forward, California non-residential rate design has room for further improvement.

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RAP’s Smart Rate Design for a Smart Future2 undertook an extensive discussion of residential and small commercial rate design, and identified three principles that should, in our opinion, apply to all customer classes:

• Principle 1: A customer should be able to connect to the grid for no more than the cost of connecting to the grid.

• Principle 2: Customers should pay for grid services and power supply in proportion to how much they use and when they use it.

• Principle 3: Customers who provide services to the grid should be fairly compensated for the value of what they supply. In this paper, we propose smart non-residential rate principles that build off of these three. We propose:

• Non-Residential (NR) Principle 1: The service drop, metering, and billing costs should be recovered in a customer fixed charge, but the cost of the proximate transformer most directly affected by the non-coincident usage of the customer, along with any dedicated facilities installed specifically to accommodate the customer, should be recovered in a NCP demand charge.

• NR Principle 2.1: De-emphasize NCP demand charges except as noted in NR Principle 1. All shared generation and transmission capacity costs should be reflected in system-wide timevarying rates so that diversity benefits are equitably rewarded.

• NR Principle 2.2: Shift shared distribution network revenue requirements into regional or nodal time-varying rates. This recognizes that some costs are required to provide service at all hours, and that higher costs are incurred to size the system for peak demands.3

• NR Principle 2.3: Consider short-run marginal cost pricing signals and long-run marginal cost pricing signals together in establishing time-varying rates for system resources.

• NR Principle 2.4: Time-varying rates should provide pricing signals that are helpful in aligning controllable load, customer generation, and storage dispatch with electric system needs.

• NR Principle 2.5: Non-residential rate design options should exist that provide all customers with an easy-to-understand default tariff that does not require sophisticated energy management, along with more complex optional tariffs that present more refined price signals but require active management by the customer or the customer’s aggregator.

• NR Principle 2.6: Optimal non-residential rate design will evolve as technology and system operations matures, so opportunities to revisit rate design should occur regularly. RAP applied these principles to evaluate existing commercial rate designs at each of California’s investor owned utilities. We found that if rate design is not changed to better align with these principles, California will continue to see underinvestment in DER resources and under-utilization of DER resources toward meeting California’s policy goals.

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RAP searched for rate design examples that better comport with these principles in California and elsewhere. The non-residential rate design we found that best comports with the principles and elements we have described above is that of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. SMUD’s non-commercial rate has a fixed charge to recovery customer-specific costs of billing, collection, and customer service; a site infrastructure cost ($/kW) to recover location-specific capacity costs; a super-peak demand charge ($/kW) to recover marginal T&D capacity costs associated with oversizing the system for extreme hours; and a TOU energy cost to recover all generation costs and remaining T&D costs. SMUD’s rate sets it apart as an industry pace-setter, but we believe their rate design can be improved further.

One important goal for revision of non-residential rate design should be to better adapt to the incorporation of customer resources, such as thermal or electrical storage, customer provision of ancillary services through smart inverters, and customer load control for peak load management. The general framework of the rate design we propose directly compensates many of these through simple, clear, and compensatory TOU rate elements:

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This design is generally similar to SMUD’s, with three important differences. First, it is unbundled between generation, transmission, and distribution to enable more granular application. Second, rather than have a super-on-peak demand charge, those costs are reflected in a critical peak price for up to 50 hours per year. The amount recovered is similar to that for SMUD’s super-peak demand charge, but converted to an hourly rate to directly track high-cost hours and to enable better customer response as system conditions change. Third, we have introduced a super off-peak rate, consistent with the recommendation of CAISO. We have intentionally left the definition of time periods unstated, as these will be specific to particular utilities and particular nodes within each service territory, and will change over time as loads and resources evolve. RAP also reviewed a number of real time pricing tariffs and, while we did not identify one in particular that we would classify as best practice, we did identify lessons learned from Texas, Illinois, Georgia, and Maryland that will be useful to the CPUC as it considers RTP optional tariffs. We suggest designing an RTP option that builds from our TOU plus CPP recommendation, and propose the following simple initial design:

• A wholesale energy cost component, charged on a per kWh basis, that fluctuates hourly. This would be based on the relevant CAISO zonal locational marginal price and would replace the “production cost” component of our recommendation above.

• Transmission costs and distribution costs would be collected in the same way that they are collected under our recommendation above, as would any generation capacity costs that aren’t accounted for in wholesale rates.

Note that this design would not achieve the full benefits of an ideal RTP approach. In particular, this would not include comprehensive price signals reflecting conditions on the local distribution network. Instead, the hourly pricing innovation here is increased exposure of end users to existing CAISO wholesale prices. Over time, as California introduces new approaches that animate the value stack for resources at the distribution level, new rate designs will be able to incorporate more complex and comprehensive RTP components… Introduction…Rate Design Foundations, Ascending Technologies, and California Policy…Principles for Smart Non-Residential Rate Design…Non-Residential Rate Design in California Today…What Can We Learn from Others About Effective Rate Design…Concluding Recommendations…Appendix A: Some Important Rate Design History…Appendix B: Traditional Cost of Service Methods and Their Application to Rate Design…

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QUICK NEWS, December 26: Climate Change Was Impressive In 2017; Get On Board Australia’s Solar Train; France Now Floating Big Wind

Climate Change Was Impressive In 2017 Climate Change Is Happening Faster Than Expected, and It’s More Extreme; New research suggests human-caused emissions will lead to bigger impacts on heat and extreme weather, and sooner than the IPCC warned just three years ago.

Bob Berwyn, December 26, 2017 (Inside Climate News)

“In the past year, the scientific consensus shifted toward a grimmer and less uncertain picture of the risks posed by climate change…[The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared that human causation is ‘extremely likely’ and the United States Global Change Research Program concluded there is not a] ‘convincing alternative explanation’…[The Royal Society called the health impacts ‘a deadly tragedy in the making’ and warned it is likelier that impacts have been underestimated that that science has been] overestimating them…[The American Meteorological Society concluded many of this year’s extreme events] would not have been possible without the influence of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions…The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)said recent melting of the Arctic was not moderating and was more intense than at any time in recorded history…” click here for more

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Get On Board Australia’s Solar Train The World’s First Fully Solar-Powered Train Just Left the Station

Lou Del Bello, December 18, 2017 (Futurism)

“…On December 16, a fully solar-powered train took a short but groundbreaking journey in New South Wales, Australia…[The Byron Bay Railroad Company brought] the vintage passenger vehicle back to life to prove that solar power can actually work for transportation…[The train does its 1.9 mile route] solely on solar panels on its roof and at pit stops…The train originally had two diesel engines, of which one has been replaced by batteries and an electric motor. The other will serve as a backup in case of emergency, although the train will keep going under a cloudy sky, too, thanks to a 77kWh battery. The fully solar-powered train holds 100 seated passengers, with room for others to stand, and completes one round-trip journey every hour…Small vehicles are heavy, and the surface suitable for installing solar panels is too small to produce sufficient power…Trains, on the other hand, travel on a fixed route and can be quickly recharged at each stop using electricity generated by static solar panels…Since January 2017, a fleet of wind turbines have provided all the electricity needed to power the Dutch national railway. In July, Indian Railways debuted trains with solar panels on their roofs to power on-board services such as lights and fans…” click here for more

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France Now Floating Big Wind France Hopes to Get More Wind Energy from Its Coasts

December 17, 2017 (Voice of America)

“France recently launched its first floating wind turbine…[The $29.5 million 2 MW Floatgen project is just off the French western coast. It is] France’s first attempt at offshore wind energy: electricity produced by turbines located in the ocean…[The next goal] is 50 much larger offshore turbines that are able to provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes…WindEurope predicts France will become Europe’s second biggest wind energy producer by 2030. Germany would remain the largest producer…Currently, wind power produces about 4 percent of France’s electricity…France is one of a few countries testing the use of floating wind turbines…” click here for more

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A Song For Christmas

Fun! From Not Long 2 Go via YouTube

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Dr. Who Endorses Offshore Wind

A man who has been to the future should know what the present must do to get there, right? From Stewart Seyfried via YouTube

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Save The Snowman!

The time has come. From PoliticOwl via YouTube

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Why Russia Wanted To Win The U.S. Election

Chris Matthews makes his point perfectly and he is exactly right. From greenmanbucket via YouTube

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The Water Is Rising

This is not about hypothetical sea-level rise. This is happening.From YaleClimateConnections via YouTube

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Big Business Backs Wind As Big Solution

The big money at companies like Google, Amazon, and General Motors is going into wind because it’s the best buy in the power sector. From American Wind Energy Association via YouTube

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China Opens World's Biggest Cap-And-Trade Market

China Unveils an Ambitious Plan to Curb Climate Change Emissions

Keith Bradsher and Lisa Friedman, December 19, 2017 (NY Times)

“China is the world’s No. 1 polluter. It burns more coal than the rest of the world combined. It produces more than a quarter of the world’s human-caused global warming gases, nearly as much as North America and Europe put together…[But it will now work to operate] the world’s largest financial market devoted to cleaning up the air…The nationwide market [to trade credits for the right to emit planet-warming greenhouse gases] would initially cover China’s vast, state-dominated power generation sector, which produced almost half of the country’s emissions from the burning of fossil fuels last year.

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…[This] is ‘another powerful sign that a global sustainability revolution is underway,’ [according to Al Gore, the former vice president and a prominent voice on the environment]…China’s emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas have nearly tripled since 2000…[but its] emissions per person are still somewhat less than the average [U.S.] per capita figure…Under emission markets, power companies and others effectively pay for the right to pollute beyond a government-mandated limit. Those that cut their emissions could sell permits to pollute to dirtier companies, ideally at a healthy price…Markets in Europe and at the provincial level in China have faltered because [authorities initially issued too many credits to existing polluters, in anticipating of ratcheting caps down over time…” click here for more

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UK’s Big Oil Buys Global Solar Builder

BP invests in the largest solar development company in Europe

18 December 2017 (Climate Action)

“British Petroleum is set to invest $200 million [over 3 years] to acquire 43 percent of Lightsource, the largest solar power project developer in Europe, as a way to diversify its business portfolio away from fossil fuels…Lightsource will be renamed Lightsource BP…The majority of this investment will be dedicated to Lightsource’s pipeline of projects, which aims to add approximately 8 gigawatts (GW) of large-scale solar projects in Europe, India, Middle East and the US. To date, the project developer has mainly focused on solar projects in the UK and sees the new partnership as a way to expand into overseas markets…[T]he partnership will be equally beneficial for BP since major oil companies are forced to diversify their business portfolios as stringent emission regulations and financial climate risks endanger the prospects of exclusively fossil fuel-focused companies…Even though the amount of $200 million seems significant, BP’s capital expenditure for 2016 amounted to $16 billion…” click here for more

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The Year Of Ocean Wind

2017: a breakthrough year for offshore wind energy

David Foxwell, 19 December 2017 (Offshore Wind Journal)

“2017 will undoubtedly be remembered as a landmark year for the offshore wind energy industry…[T]he cost of energy from offshore wind fell steeply [to below £60/MWh and more] powerful turbines continued to be brought to market, with still larger units in development…[M]ore and more countries became interested in building offshore windfarms…[and] the world’s first floating offshore windfarm entered service…2017 was also a year in which offshore wind’s ability to help regenerate manufacturing and create employment was finally recognised. As a result, 2018 will, it is anticipated, be the year in which in the UK offshore wind gets a ‘sector deal’ as part of the government’s industrial strategy, a kind of partnership between government and industry that, it is hoped, can boost productivity, employment, innovation and skills…[C]hallenges remain: 2017 was also a year in which the industry woke up to the challenge of operations and maintenance. Given its fast pace of growth, with more and more turbines in operation and in need of maintenance, new ways of providing O&M are required…” click here for more

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