Henry Harrell"s Blog: January 22 Green Energy News

Headline News:

There is a term for what’s going on right now in the Sierra Nevada and the mountains that feed the Colorado River. It is called a “snow drought,” and Nevada climate scientists warn that periods of below-average snowpack have become increasingly common, and more frequent snow droughts are likely as global temperatures rise. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

Not enough snow, Washoe Lake (Benjamin Hatchet, Desert Research Institute)

A report says New England could see rolling power blackouts within years without more stable fuel supplies. ISO-New England is an independent nonprofit that manages the six-state power grid. The group studied how fuel supply and demand might play out in those states in the hypothetical winter of 2024 to 2025. [New England Public Radio]
“The challenges driving microgrids into the mainstream” • Five years ago, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the potential of microgrids became quite clear when widespread disruption caused power outages in several states. Buildings with their own microgrid systems stood out like beacons against a backdrop of blackouts. [Power Engineering International]
Both New England and California have cut greenhouse gas emissions since launching market-based cap and trade programs. But analysts say the programs are not the primary drivers of emissions reductions. If that is true, does cap and trade work? The numbers are not all in and the experts still disagree on the programs’ effectiveness. [Utility Dive]
Now that oil prices have begun to rise again, Norway’s oil and gas development and output will as well, with output perhaps eclipsing the earlier high of 2004 within five years, according to a report from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Norwegian oil and gas investment is expected to begin climbing in 2018, after 4 years of decreases. [CleanTechnica]

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