● Mountain Valley Says Natural Gas Pipeline Timing Depends on Litigation, U.S. Approvals

Why this is important: This is another example of the increased costs resulting from the environmentalist strategy of challenging pipeline infrastructure projects at every step of the permitting process. Originally set to be completed in 2018 at a cost of $3.5 billion, the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline is now set for a mid/late 2021 completion date at a cost of around $5.7 billion. Future projects must expect and, most importantly, budget for frequent and drawn out permit challenges. --- Joseph C. Unger

● U.S. Should Follow EU and China in Setting Carbon-Neutral Target: UN's WMO

Why this is important: There is a wide gulf between China's climate commitments and its climate action. In 2019, China had twice the amount of CO2 emissions as the U.S. and three times the emissions of the EU. During that time period, the U.S. and the EU saw their emissions decrease by 1.7 percent, while China's rose by 2.6 percent. While this article highlights China's leadership and paints the U.S. as the global laggard, in actuality, the EU is the global leader in climate action, China is the global leader in emissions, and the U.S. is in between the two. --- Nicholas S. Preservati

● Coal-to-Gas Plant Conversion is Gathering Pace in the U.S. and Canada

Why this is important: The U.S. Energy Information Agency is finding many U.S. coal plants are being converted to natural gas for power generation. The utilities are making the conversions to deal with stranded assets and repurposing the plants as gas-fired electrical generation power plants. Between 2011 and 2019, 121 coal-fired plants were repurposed to other fuels – primarily natural gas. The changes are occurring to 1) meet stricter emissions standards; 2) use cheap natural gas; and 3) use the more efficient natural gas turbines now available. At least 17 coal-fired plants repurposed to natural gas fueled combined cycle plants now produce 15.3 GW, up from their 7.9 GW coal-fired ratings. In another study of 104 coal plants, 86 were repurposed to natural gas and now produce 14.3 GW of power. These market forces are driving the closure of coal-fired electric generation plants. --- Mark E. Heath

● To Batteries and Beyond: In a High-Renewables World, Pumped Hydro Storage Could be 'the Heavy Artillery'

Why this is important: Renewables like wind and solar provide intermittent power, so utilities are looking at ways to store power in order to level the load when renewables cut out. The current storage champion is not a traditional chemical battery, but kinetic energy stored in water that is pumped uphill during times of excess power generation, and allowed to fall downhill through turbines when additional power is needed. This allows power generation over a longer period of time than lithium ion batteries, but still not more than about 12 hours. Developers are actively seeking out favorable sites to construct new pumped hydro projects to balance increased build out of renewables. --- David L. Yaussy

● Japan's JERA to Shut Inefficient Coal-Fired Power Plants by 2030

Why this is important: Japan’s largest power producer, JERA, wants to cut its CO2 emissions to net zero by 2050 and close its inefficient coal-fired plants by 2030. Japan currently gets 80 percent of its electricity from coal-fired generation plants and those plants account for 40 percent of the country’s CO2 emissions. To reduce coal use, the utility plans to invest in offshore wind farms and using ammonia and hydrogen as fuel for its power plants. By 2035, it wants to use 20 percent ammonia as fuel with coal at its coal-fired electric generation plants. Currently, utilities worldwide are looking at ways to reduce the use of coal for electric generation. --- Mark E. Heath

● Solar the New 'King of Electricity' as Renewables Make Up Bigger Slice of Supply

Why this is important: Power generation from renewables, solar in particular, is expected to set records for deployment in the near future. How high those records will be will depend on adequate investment in every aspect of solar infrastructure, probably the most important of which is battery/storing technology. Lowering energy storage prices is key to the future of solar energy. --- Joseph C. Unger

● New Design Molten Salt Reactor is Cheaper to Run, Consumes Nuclear Waste

Why this is important: Nuclear power has long been hindered with very high costs to build nuclear plants. Most plants today use light water for cooling. A new type of reactor that is actually an old type, is now being built that uses a molten salt core and can burn nuclear waste. The Elysium Reactor is a Molten Chloride Salt Fast Reactor and is being designed so that it can burn nuclear waste, is air cooled, processes heat, can be refueled with no downtime and has lower costs, and does not need a water source. The reactor can even produce hydrogen. Oak Ridge used a molten salt reactor from the 1950s to the 1970s, but the system lost out to light water cooled reactors. This new type of reactor can be built offsite as its not pressurized and could lead to much smaller nuclear plants with zero CO2 emissions. --- Mark E. Heath

● Energy Question of the Week

Should the U.S. rejoin the Paris Accord?

Yes, strongly support - 13%

Yes, moderately support - 8.7%

Neutral - 8.7%

No, moderately oppose - 26.1%

No, strongly oppose - 34.8%

Do not know - 8.7%

● EIA Energy Statistics

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