Climate research fellow position is now posted at UC Berkeley Law! We are looking for law and policy research to support cutting-edge environmental, energy and climate policies, largely focused on California but also global in scope. This is high-impact work involving a range of emerging climate issues, from land use and transit to batteries and zero-emission vehicles. Fellowships are one-year positions with opportunities for renewal. More details and application here: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04351
SMNRs aren't new, aren't solving any critical problems and are a costly distraction from the energy transition. We must remember that net zeroing the economy is just 1/25th the scale of the larger problem of getting back to 300 ppm CO2. We could and will likely net zero the economy, just a question of how fast. But we will still have run away climate chaos which will suck 5 to 20 percent of global GDP. We must focus on greater visions of returning to 300 ppm and the solutions that are right under our nose like OIF. Please bring Peter Fiekowsky onto the show. Thanks for all you do. - Tim Montague, Clean Power Hour podcast and website
Regarding nuclear power: you are doing a huge disservice by never discussing the cost of NOT having firm dispatchable power. Wind and solar capacity factors can drop to low single digits in much of the country during periods measured in days, especially in winter. If we are trying to run data centers and heat our buildings with electricity, we need uninterrupted service. The peer reviewed journal Science Direct published an analysis in December 2021 showing that we need about 6 full power weeks of stored energy to get through a typical US winter. (link at end of this post). "Capital costs associated with electricity storage at this scale using, for example, batteries and hydroelectric technologies are measured in hundreds of trillions of dollars for the United States alone and thus are not viable."
By not talking about the need for firm dispatchable electricity, and consistently talking about nuclear only through the lens of cost overruns (for a first of a kind in a generation), you are grossly misleading your otherwise informed listeners. Using terms like "dumpster fire" reflects an unscientific bias that will turn off many listeners who understand the nuances of our grid and the role of nuclear. I live in northern Illinois where our electricity generation is over 50% nuclear. We have one of the most stable grids in the country, and electricity prices many areas are jealous of.
The biggest factor impacting nuclear costs is construction time. South Korea and China have this figured out, and so can we.
Regarding nuclear waste, I'd like to simply remind listeners that this is not a safety issue, and not an engineering issue. It is a purely political issue. We have been disposing nuclear waste (from the US weapons program) in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for several years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified WIPP for safe, long-term disposal of TRU wastes (essentially the same as spent fuel) in 1998. Why can't commercial nuclear reactors dispose of spent fuel in a similar manner? Opposition for political gain, and opposition by FF funded interests in order to hurt one of their major competitors: nuclear power.
A story for the moment we're living in, to equip people with resources and direction and a vision. You can read at https://pss.pm/1c
I'm thinking about distribution for this, how to get it in the hands of more people. Outlets/publishers with audiences that would find it useful, syndication, other approaches. Any help or collaboration to that end would be greatly appreciated! Somebody has already reached out with interest in adapting it to a graphic novel, and very open to collaboration in different formats as well.
1. Utility-scale solar power is invariably cheaper to generate than rooftop solar power.
2. As one expert says, "Rooftop solar creates a solar-shaped hole in the demand curve." IOW, rooftop output peaks just when solar farms might be curtailed due to lack of demand.
There are some undeniable advantages to rooftop, for instance the reduction of load on the wide-area power grid.
If you want to save the world, Texas is the place to do it. We emit more global warming pollution than any other state, but we also lead the nation in renewable energy. Environment Texas is seeking a Clean Air Advocate to stop pollution from the petrochemical industry, transition to 100% clean energy, and work on other campaigns to ensure clean air for all Texans. https://jobs.publicinterestnetwork.org/en/postings/7342afdf-6c69-40ef-8853-40bde5c0f3c7
Why is no one talking about removing fossil fuel subsidies? Isn't it time??? I know there are many different ways to count these but why aren't we at least tackling the low-hanging fruit here?????
--- MAILBAG QUESTIONS ---
--- SHARE WORK, ASK FOR HELP, FIND COLLABORATORS ---
--- CLIMATE JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES ---
--- CLIMATE EVENTS & MEETUPS ---
--- DAVID'S NOTES ---
--- EVERYTHING ELSE ---
Climate research fellow position is now posted at UC Berkeley Law! We are looking for law and policy research to support cutting-edge environmental, energy and climate policies, largely focused on California but also global in scope. This is high-impact work involving a range of emerging climate issues, from land use and transit to batteries and zero-emission vehicles. Fellowships are one-year positions with opportunities for renewal. More details and application here: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04351
Job posting: Our Kids' Climate (OKC) is hiring for a Community and Fellowship Manager. https://ourkidsclimate.org/work-for-us/ Deadline to apply 3/18
Have you done a pod on stranded assets?
What is the best way to track all the solar projects in all of Pennsylvaia's 500+ school districts?
SMNRs aren't new, aren't solving any critical problems and are a costly distraction from the energy transition. We must remember that net zeroing the economy is just 1/25th the scale of the larger problem of getting back to 300 ppm CO2. We could and will likely net zero the economy, just a question of how fast. But we will still have run away climate chaos which will suck 5 to 20 percent of global GDP. We must focus on greater visions of returning to 300 ppm and the solutions that are right under our nose like OIF. Please bring Peter Fiekowsky onto the show. Thanks for all you do. - Tim Montague, Clean Power Hour podcast and website
Regarding nuclear power: you are doing a huge disservice by never discussing the cost of NOT having firm dispatchable power. Wind and solar capacity factors can drop to low single digits in much of the country during periods measured in days, especially in winter. If we are trying to run data centers and heat our buildings with electricity, we need uninterrupted service. The peer reviewed journal Science Direct published an analysis in December 2021 showing that we need about 6 full power weeks of stored energy to get through a typical US winter. (link at end of this post). "Capital costs associated with electricity storage at this scale using, for example, batteries and hydroelectric technologies are measured in hundreds of trillions of dollars for the United States alone and thus are not viable."
By not talking about the need for firm dispatchable electricity, and consistently talking about nuclear only through the lens of cost overruns (for a first of a kind in a generation), you are grossly misleading your otherwise informed listeners. Using terms like "dumpster fire" reflects an unscientific bias that will turn off many listeners who understand the nuances of our grid and the role of nuclear. I live in northern Illinois where our electricity generation is over 50% nuclear. We have one of the most stable grids in the country, and electricity prices many areas are jealous of.
The biggest factor impacting nuclear costs is construction time. South Korea and China have this figured out, and so can we.
Regarding nuclear waste, I'd like to simply remind listeners that this is not a safety issue, and not an engineering issue. It is a purely political issue. We have been disposing nuclear waste (from the US weapons program) in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for several years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified WIPP for safe, long-term disposal of TRU wastes (essentially the same as spent fuel) in 1998. Why can't commercial nuclear reactors dispose of spent fuel in a similar manner? Opposition for political gain, and opposition by FF funded interests in order to hurt one of their major competitors: nuclear power.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040619021001330#fig0010
It was 1.5°C in 2024 ... what could we do?
A story for the moment we're living in, to equip people with resources and direction and a vision. You can read at https://pss.pm/1c
I'm thinking about distribution for this, how to get it in the hands of more people. Outlets/publishers with audiences that would find it useful, syndication, other approaches. Any help or collaboration to that end would be greatly appreciated! Somebody has already reached out with interest in adapting it to a graphic novel, and very open to collaboration in different formats as well.
Fascinated by the podcast "Does Rooftop Solar Actually Help the Climate?" featuring some heavyweights in the alternative energy space: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/does-rooftop-solar-actually-help-the-climate/id1728932037?i=1000648186158
Consider:
1. Utility-scale solar power is invariably cheaper to generate than rooftop solar power.
2. As one expert says, "Rooftop solar creates a solar-shaped hole in the demand curve." IOW, rooftop output peaks just when solar farms might be curtailed due to lack of demand.
There are some undeniable advantages to rooftop, for instance the reduction of load on the wide-area power grid.
Listen and judge for yourself!
If you want to save the world, Texas is the place to do it. We emit more global warming pollution than any other state, but we also lead the nation in renewable energy. Environment Texas is seeking a Clean Air Advocate to stop pollution from the petrochemical industry, transition to 100% clean energy, and work on other campaigns to ensure clean air for all Texans. https://jobs.publicinterestnetwork.org/en/postings/7342afdf-6c69-40ef-8853-40bde5c0f3c7
Why is no one talking about removing fossil fuel subsidies? Isn't it time??? I know there are many different ways to count these but why aren't we at least tackling the low-hanging fruit here?????