Hydroelectric

Biden-Harris Admin Announces $366 Million to Lower Energy Costs & Enhance Energy Security in Rural…

President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Supports 17 Projects Across 20 States and 30 Tribal Nations and Communities, Bringing Clean Energy, High-Quality Jobs, and Energy Justice to Every Pocket of America TEMECULA, CA — As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced more … [continued]

ORNL and UT researchers created a new method to calculate the power grid’s inertia in real time, using signals from pumped storage hydropower facilities such as TVA’s Raccoon Mountain project, pictured here. Credit: Tennessee Valley Authority

New Method Monitors Grid Stability With Hydropower Project Signals

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have developed an algorithm to predict electric grid stability using signals from pumped storage hydropower projects. The method provides critical situational awareness as the grid increasingly shifts to intermittent renewable power. Hydropower is a renewable energy source directly … [continued]

Biden-Harris Admin: Nearly $72 Million in Largest Single Investment to Support America’s Hydropower Facilities

President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Funds the Largest Single Investment in the Nation’s Waterpower Production, 46 Projects Across 19 States Funded to Increase Access to Affordable, Clean Electricity WASHINGTON, D.C. —  In support of the President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) yesterday announced the … [continued]

The Ansel Adams Wilderness of the California Sierra Nevada mountains is likely to experience major effects from climate change. Depending on future greenhouse gas emissions, it could have low-to-no snow winters as soon as 35 to 60 years from now. Image courtesy of Alan Rhoades, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Energy Facts: Impact of the Investing in America Agenda on Nevada

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visits Nevada On January 30, 2024 through January 31, 2024, Secretary Granholm will travel to Nevada to tour the Allegiant Stadium — described as the first National Football League stadium to be powered by 100% renewable energy. Secretary Granholm will also meet with members … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image that visualizes the concept of Energy Returned on Energy Invested (EROEI) through the metaphor of a balance scale

Energy Return On Investment Rears Its Misshapen Head Again

Over the past year or so, energy return on energy invested (EROEI) has shown up multiple times for me as an attack on technologies that are now superior. A nuclear shipping advocate tried to gotcha me with that for biofuels for shipping. Others reasonably asked about it for biofuels in … [continued]

Projected Zero-Carbon Electricity Growth Highly Dependent On Cost In Parts of Asia

We project low zero-carbon technology costs will drive substantial growth in zero-carbon electricity capacity and generation and limit growth in fossil fuel-fired generation in parts of Asia between 2030 and 2050 in our International Energy Outlook 2023 (IEO2023). In the region we call Other Asia-Pacific (OAS), we project the electric power sector’s CO2 emission … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image of a very large ammonia carrier ship.

Importing Ammonia As An Energy Carrier Is Bad Policy & Worse Economics

Many power-to-x firms and energy exporting companies are looking at Japan especially, but also other hydrocarbon light countries as a great market to send ammonia to as an energy carrier. That’s not going to end well. Why not? Let’s start with ammonia itself. It’s hydrogen and nitrogen. The nitrogen doesn’t … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image of a pulp and paper mill heated by hydrogen

Prince George Teralta Hydrogen For Energy Initiative Actually Makes Sense

It’s incredibly rare that any hydrogen for energy play pencils out compared to alternatives. There’s a village in the African country of Mali where geological hydrogen vents up through the ground and is burned to generate electricity for the 4,000 person village. And then there’s Prince George, British Columbia, which … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image depicting the river race with boats representing natural elements and energy sources. The renewable energy source boats are moving swiftly with the current, while the boat shaped like a nuclear reactor struggles against the natural flow.

Nuclear Continues To Lag Far Behind Renewables In China Deployments

Since 2014 I’ve been tracking the natural experiment in China regarding the ability to scale nuclear generation vs renewables. My hypothesis was that the modularity and manufacturability of wind and solar especially meant that it would be much easier for them to scale up to massive sizes. That hypothesis was … [continued]