Here comes alternative Energy
Renewables are keeping the lights on when oil and gas fall short.
2023 renewable energy projects are ramping up all through this year on small and large scales across the country. As the numbers and projections from climate scientists quickly go from theoretical scenarios to reality for millions across the US. Multiple once in a lifetime extreme weather events have put our energy grids to the test. Did the fossil fuel industries aging technology hold up in comparison? Personally, I think not.
USA Electric Grid Narrowly Dodged Huge Collapse During Storm
As the cold front moved into North Carolina, instruments froze at two Duke coal plants and three natural gas plants, reducing generation at those facilities, the governorâs office said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. Once Duke started rotating outages, a software problem disrupted automatic restorations, making the blackouts last longer than planned.Â
âThe outages did not occur because of renewable energy generation,â according to the statement.Â
Ready, set, renewable!
State, Federal, and private money are in a race to invest in new forms of energy. Bringing a new edge to the competition that may bring us closer to leveling the playing field in the Energy market. The new projections are in on the efficiency of existing wind and solar energy, and they are on track to outpace coal and nuclear in the US.
Analysis Shows US Wind and Solar Could Outpace Coal and Nuclear Power in 2023
A new analysis of federal data shows that wind and solar alone could generate more electricity in the United States than nuclear and coal over the coming year, critical progress toward reducing the country's reliance on dirty energy.
New tactics coming to the courtroom
Cities in Puerto Rico are taking big oil to court using legislation used to take down mob bosses, racketeering! This is a case of the century that could potentially set enormous precedent for additional cases to be brought against Big oil for their role in climate misinformation.
Puerto Rican cities sue Big Oil over climate collusion
By misrepresenting the risks of fossil fuels to the public, the suit argues, the companies made Puerto Rico more vulnerable to hurricanes like Maria and Irma, which tore through the commonwealth in 2017. Maria alone killed thousands of people and caused $94 billion in damages, wiping out roughly four-fifths of the islandâs crop value that year.
Another announcement I will be very interested to see develop is the Senate Bill S9612 proposed in New York. New Yorkers may have an opportunity to take fossil fuel companies to court for damages.
'Climate negligence' bill could let New Yorkers sue fossil fuel companies. Here's how
The new state bill, introduced Dec. 9, was inspired by oil-rich Texas and its recent abortion law â as unlikely as it may seem for New York, which aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
The piece of legislation is believed to be the first in the U.S. that would empower private citizens to sue companies whose products â oil, gas and coal â contribute to climate change.
âWhat it provides is merely an opportunity for everyday New Yorkers to have their day in court,â state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, the billâs author, told the USA TODAY Network New York.
Many massive shifts, that are very big deals on their own, but together they build a bigger picture that show a monumental change. Under all of the political tension and arguments over âWokeâ Capitalism, insurance companies are pulling out of coal, oil and gas projects.
U.S. states may be fighting âwokeâ capitalism, but the insurance industry is avoiding coal, oil and gas projects anyway
Insurance companies that have long said theyâll cover anything, at the right price, are increasingly ruling out fossil fuel projects because of climate change â to cheers from environmental campaigners.
More than a dozen groups that track what policies insurers have on high-emissions activities say the industry is turning its back on oil, gas and coal.
The alliance, Insure Our Future, said Wednesday that 62% of reinsurance companies â which help other insurers spread their risks â have plans to stop covering coal projects, while 38% are now excluding some oil and natural gas projects.
Now itâs only a matter of time, the course is set. Momentum has started. The new congress in the House is going to do their best to muddy the waters for progress, they favor tactics that do more to elicit a reaction than any actual change. The GOP party will tear itâs self apart fighting over the spotlight, let them. We will continue the work to change the discourse around climate change and drive action. Lets get this done.