Canas, Nathan. 2024. “EU Parliament Calls for European Strategy on Geothermal Energy.” Www.euractiv.com. EURACTIV. January 22, 2024. https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/new s/eu-parliament-calls-for-european-strategy-on-geothermal-energy/.

The European Parliament called for a strategy to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy, and to increase investments in it. National regulations and authorization processes have largely delayed progress with geothermal energy and this is an effort to address that. There are financial risks associated with geothermal so it also proposes a harmonized insurance scheme so no country suffers massive financial losses. This is ultimately an important step forward as Europe will try to collaborate to implement geothermal. This is a global issue so it makes sense to not have every country come up with their own approach.

Geothermal is an especially promising green source of energy as it is reliable, continuous, and cost effective. There is no worry that the earth will stop producing heat for periods of time, as is often a concern with the sources of other renewable energies. I think that we should focus more than we currently do on geothermal because it lacks the drawbacks many more popular forms of energy have.

The portion of energy in Asia coming from hydropower significantly declined. China and India saw the largest drops. Extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, and decreased rainfall led to far less effective generation of hydropower. While other green sources of energy continued to increase there was also an increase in fossil fuels in order to compensate for this decline in hydropower. Countries other than India and China that also experienced a decline include Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. 

Hydropower is very promising as it can be integrated into already necessary infrastructure like dams, and it can be very cheap to keep running. However, this recent decline exemplifies the risks of hydropower and all other types of green energy. Fossil fuels are very consistent because we just burn however much we need to burn. With renewable sources of energy that process is much different, instead, we have to rely on a steady supply of power. They are also subject to changes in weather and climate such as in this case.

The True Cost of Chinese Solar Panels.” 2024. TIME. January 18, 2024. https://time.com/6564184/chinese-solar-panels-cost/.

China has made great strides in the field of solar technology. They have been able to pump out solar panels. They are far less expensive than panels made in other countries. While a surplus of cheap solar panels is an obviously good thing for the environment as solar panels are a great green source of power, it has also given China a monopoly over the market. This article highlights how environmental issues are often intertwined with politics and other issues. There have been other cases of energy dependence turning out poorly, such as Europe being dependent on Russian gas. Ultimately, for national interests, this is one case where America likely has to not do what’s best for the environment.

I think that solar power will be an important part of our energy future. But we cannot be reliant on a country like China to supply them. The ultimate goal is for the United States, and the world to be running entirely on green power. If the supply of that power is coming from another country, especially one with which we have strained relations, it could potentially lead to disastrous consequences. So I think we should continue implementing solar power, but put guardrails in place to undermine the Chinese monopoly.

“A Sustainable Solution to Increase Clean Energy Deployment.” n.d. Www.nrel.gov. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2023/a-sustainable-solution-to-increas e-clean-energy-deployment.html.

There is the potential for global offshore wind energy capacity to reach almost 400 gigawatts by 2023. An important step in growing wind power is going to be CfDs. CfDs (Contracts for Difference) are essentially agreements that establish a fixed price for electricity. The energy companies pay the governments, or the governments pay the energy company, depending on whether the price of energy falls short or exceeds the agreed-upon price. This is a way of overcoming a major shortfall of wind energy and green energy in general, which is the inconsistent levels of power and prices. There is also hope this will lead to more investors.

I think wind power should be a major source of energy in the future. Similar to solar energy, it is a largely untapped source of power that is always present. However, one major issue with wind energy is that wind levels constantly change, so prices and power levels are not consistent. The emergence of CfDs makes wind power far more attractive because it makes sure prices will always be consistent.

“Norway Makes More Strides on Offshore Storage of Greenhouse Gas CO2 – UPI.com.” n.d. UPI. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/202 3/08/18/norway-carbon-storage-north-sea-licenses/1991692369967/.

‌Norway gave licenses to Sval Energi, Storegge, and Neptune Energy for carbon storage in the North Sea. This is another step in commercial carbon capture. Norway is already a leader in carbon storage with its Northern Lights facility, which furthers its commitment to carbon capture. Norway believes the North Sea could capture around the equivalent of 1,000 years of Norway’s emissions. Other nations, like the U.S., have invested in direct air capture facilities.

This relates to environmental science because it is a potential solution to our high carbon levels. While this doesn’t solve the root of the problem, if done effectively, it could allow us to rely on carbon for far longer and make the transition to greener options less harmful for many people. I think this is an option we should explore, but its poor cost-effectiveness is a severe barrier to gaining popularity.

Roberson, W. (2024, January 29). It works for scooters: Can battery swapping work for electric cars? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/billroberson/2024/01/28/it-works-for-scooters-can-battery-swapping-work-for-electric-cars/?sh=11dc48c37fad

The US infrastructure for charging electric vehicles remains underdeveloped and most people still have “range anxiety” when they think about driving electric vehicles. Tesla has been on the market for more than 10 years and has developed their own charging network. In the meantime, other manufacturers fought against electric cars and then had to play catchup and develop their own models. The result is that not a lot of chargers have been installed around the country, yet there are gas stateions on every corner still.  One technology that might help is battery-swapping. It works well for electric scooters in Europe, but has not been proven yet for cars. If US car companies can agree on a standard battery, battery swap stations around the country could allow people to “fill up” in a matter of minutes in stead of charging for an hour. The article talks about the major challenges to this happening; companies have already developed their own battery designs and shapes, and major infrastructure would need to be developed around battery-swap stations. They suggest that in China where the government mandates everything, it can be done more easily. In the US, the market decides what the market wants however.

This article raised the idea of a technology that can solve a big problem in the electric vehicle market, but at the same time raised several issues that are enormous obstacles to it becoming reality. Imagine what would have to happen so that any electric car used the same battery? Then imagine what would need to happen so that you could pull into a battery-station and just get a new battery swapped out. Would they use robots to do it? Would a battery-station have 10, 20, 100 batteries just sitting there getting charged at all times in case people stop by for a swap? Batteries are large and expensive, so this seems like a highly unlikely solution to the EV market.

Hunter, K., & Mehta, G. (2024, January 26). World’s first sustainable jet fuel plant opens in Georgia. What it means for climate change. Macon Telegraph. https://www.macon.com/news/environment/article284641210.html

A company called LanzaJet has announced that they have a method and a facility for making sustainable aviation fuel. They are using ethanol as well as carbon that has already been “in circulation” to create the first sustainable aviation fuel. The Biden administration has issued a mandate to be 100% sustainable by 2050 and according to LanzaJet, this method of using corn alcohol (ethanol) is likely the only way to achieve the goal. The aviation industry releases millions of tons of C02 into the atmosphere each year, and all of its fuel is currently non sustainable and is mostly from fossil fuels. In addition to using alcohol to create the jet fuel, they are also removing the elements that lead to soot particles in the air, which will be good for the air we breathe.

This technology seems really promising. It doesn’t reduce the emissions of planes exactly, but it allows them to run on alcohol and not fossil fuels. I think the engines can already run on high octane ethanol, but there isn’t enough in the world to supply the aviation industry. Billions of gallons a year will be needed, and this technology is the first plant that will make sustainable aviation fuel. It shows you that companies really are trying to make sustainable solutions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and at the same time they can make money doing it. That’s a good thing because capitalism can drive a lot of innovation.

New Mexico governor proposes $500M to treat fracking wastewater | AP News. (2024, January 23). AP News. https://apnews.com/article/environmentalists-oppose-reuse-fracking-water-1442415343b86ceae9f36d66eaebdacc

This article is less about a technology itself, and more about a controversy surrounding a technology. Recently the governor of New Mexico announced a $500M program where they will process and clean wastewater from fracking to use it for industrial purposes. The goal is to create a new source of water for businesses, farms, and industry in New Mexico so they can use less water from lakes and rivers. People have an issue with this initiative, because by reusing the water it may encourage more fracking in the area and environmentalists would really like to see a shift towards sustainable energy sources like wind and solar. Making fracking more appealing might make people rely on oil and gas longer in New Mexico.

I thought this was especially interesting because I could see both sides of the argument. The initiative allows the state to finally access millions of gallons of water that is brackish from the fracking process, and that seems like a good thing. It helps preserve lakes and river sources of water and that is also a good thing. But I also get how increasing fracking could be a bad thing. Fracking has allowed the capture of a lot of natural gas and oil that previously was not able to get captured, but has created some bad issues too and might even cause some earthquakes. This situation is a reminder that environmental technology is also very political and there are people on all sides of an argument who fight for their interests.

Simon, M. (n.d.). Startups aim to turn plant waste into concentrated carbon—and bury it. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2024/01/biomass-biochar-carbon-capture-storage-startups/

This article talks about the technology from a company called Carba, and others trying the same thing, where they are essentially trying to put coal back in the ground. Coal is created over millions of years under extreme pressure and temperatures. Eventually we found some of it, mined it, and burn it. The carbon in coal is sent up into the atmosphere and is obviously a big part of pollution and climate change. The startup, based in Minnesota, is capturing carbon in order to bury it underground so that it will undergo the same process again. The challenge lies in getting the right combination of microbes so that it doesn’t create the wrong types of gas as it breaks down. These technologies are smart because they allow nature to do the hard part and can help make an impact in carbon in the atmosphere.

I thought this was another interesting article, and it was good to see that several companies are trying to do similar techniques. The implications for the US are huge because there is so much plant waste created and capturing and returning it to the soil in a package that eventually will create coal again is a great idea. It’s not just burying waste in the ground, it’s creating a recipe that is environmentally friendly and something that can be done anywhere. It’s this kind of solution that we need lots of, in addition to ways to reduce emissions themselves. The article brought up this fact, and reminded the authors that capturing carbon is not an excuse to just keep polluting. Emissions levels need to be focused on too.

Lewis, M. (2024, January 23). Here’s how utility-scale solar farms may just help save the bees. Electrek. https://electrek.co/2024/01/23/utility-scale-solar-farms-bees/

Researchers at the US Department of Energy conducted research around solar farms that incorporated native plants and wildflowers and studied the effect on bees. Bees are really important to the ecosystem and are facing a lot of threats in the US in recent years from pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change itself. Bees pollinate plants and play an important role in biodiversity and keeping soil fertile as well. Over the course of 5 years, the researchers studied the number of bees around solar farms and learned that solar farms that used native plants and wildflowers around the panels saw an increase of 20x the number of bees. This contributed to plant diversity and overall helped make farmland locally more healthy.

This was an interesting article and focused on the idea that integrating new technologies with natural resources and habitats can allow the ecosystem to thrive and recover, and at the same time generate electricity for people without hurting the environment. Bees are especially important, and not just because they make honey. This research was a confirmation that it isn’t just about building large solar panels to shift to sustainable energy sources, it needs to be done in a way that maximizes its positive impact on the environment.