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Climate

AM Briefing: A Deadline Blown​

On the delayed Vineyard Wind 1 project, modular nuclear reactors, and America's sinking cities

Briefing image.
AM Briefing: BYD vs. Tesla
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Parts of northern France are flooded after Storm Henk • China confirmed 2023 broke extreme heat records • A California-bound ship carrying 800 metric tons of lithium batteries is stuck in Alaska, riding out a major winter storm.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Tesla and Rivian release Q4 sales numbers

Tesla and Rivian yesterday reported their production and sales figures for the final three months of 2023: Tesla delivered 484,507, besting expectations. Rivian, a newcomer still trying to secure itself a foothold in the market, delivered 13,972 cars over the same time period, missing estimates by a hair. “The two companies’ numbers serve as snapshots of both the promise and peril of auto electrification as we roll into 2024,” writes Matthew Zeitlin at Heatmap. Tesla, having been overtaken by BYD in the global EV market, must now focus on scaling beyond the early EV adopters. Rivian, however, is at a very different stage, Zeitlin says: “not the early days of using investor money to develop a new vehicle, but the next stage, where you have an actual car to sell but you have to figure out a way to make money doing it.”

2. Vineyard Wind 1 project misses 2023 grid deadline

One of America’s first large-scale offshore wind farms missed its deadline to start supplying energy to the grid by the end of 2023. The Vineyard Wind 1 project is situated about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and will eventually consist of 62 turbines that can power more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts. Its first five turbines have been installed, and things were looking good for a December 31 launch. But at the very last minute a spokesperson said the project needed more testing. No timeline was given but the spokesperson said the goal was to “deliver power to shore soon.” The project was supposed to be fully operational by the middle of 2024 but developers have now “clarified” that the timeline is sometime within 2024. In December, the South Fork Wind project in New York became the first utility-scale offshore wind farm to generate power in the U.S.

3. U.K. fossil fuel electricity generation drops to 66-year low

The amount of the United Kingdom’s electricity that came from fossil fuels dropped by 22% last year to the lowest level since 1957, according toCarbonBrief. Electricity from coal, oil, and gas peaked in 2008 but has since plummeted thanks to the rapid expansion of renewables like wind and solar, a drop in electricity demand, and a boost in electricity imports. Coal use is down 97% since 2008; gas is down by 45%. Meanwhile, renewables output has increased six-fold, and last year renewable energy was the UK’s single largest source of power. “Overall, the electricity generated in the UK in 2023 had the lowest-ever carbon intensity,” CarbonBrief concludes.

On the flip side, UK power generation from nuclear plants dropped to a 42-year low last year as old stations were decommissioned. Without more nuclear power to fall back on during cloudy or wind-free days, the country may have to rely more on fossil fuels, explainsBloomberg.

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  • 4. Wyoming carbon removal project would rely on small modular nuclear reactors

    A major carbon removal project planned for Wyoming would rely on small modular nuclear reactors – a new kind of nuclear power plant that has never been built in the U.S. – prompting concerns about its feasibility, reports E&E News. Climate tech startup CarbonCapture recently received more than $10 million from the Department of Energy to explore plans for a direct air capture hub in Wyoming, dubbed “Project Bison.” Scientists say removing carbon from the air is necessary to help fight global warming. Small modular reactors could, in theory, provide carbon capture facilities with emissions-free power, but the nation’s first small modular reactors were axed last year as costs spiraled out of control. “It adds complication upon complication,” says Wil Burns, co-director of American University’s Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy. “You’re starting off with a complex new technology, and now you’re trying to wed another complex technology, including one that’s in transition.”

    CarbonCapture

    5. Study: Major East Coast cities are sinking

    New research from Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey finds that major cities on the East Coast – from New York to Virginia Beach – are sinking. The team analyzed satellite data to spot land subsidence and found that some areas are sinking by as much as 5 millimeters per year. This subsidence, when combined with sea level rise caused by climate change, means essential structures like roads to airports are at risk in many major U.S. cities. “The problem is that the hotspots of sinking land intersect directly with population and infrastructure hubs," says lead author Leonard Ohenhen.

    THE KICKER

    If you’re a journalist seeking comment on last year’s record temperatures, look no further than climate scientist Andrew Dressler’s “last year was hot” auto-response:

    X/AndrewDressler

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    Sparks

    SCOTUS Says Biden’s Power Plant Rules Can Stay — For Now

    They may not survive a full challenge, though.

    The Supreme Court.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    The Supreme Court allowed the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with its rule restricting climate pollution from power plants on Wednesday, meaning that one of the Biden administration’s key climate policies can stay in place. For now.

    The high court’s decision will allow the EPA to defend the rule in a lower court over the next 10 months. A group of power utilities, trade groups, and Republican-governed states are suing to block the greenhouse gas rule, arguing that it oversteps the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act.

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    Green
    Spotlight

    The Collapse of the Northeast’s Biggest Hydrogen Plant

    Has Plug Power pulled the plug on its upstate New York facility?

    Hydrogen.
    Genesee County Economic Development Center / Getty Images / Heatmap

    In 2021, top elected officials in New York state promised that Plug Power, a nascent company in the growing hydrogen industry, would build a large hydrogen fuel production facility in the Buffalo-Rochester area. It was supposed to make the state an industry leader.

    Today, the project is looking more like a warning sign about the perils of being a first-mover in the unproven hydrogen business.

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    Hotspots

    A Battery Ban, Burning Man, and Lots More Yelling

    The week’s biggest fights around renewable energy

    Map of U.S.
    Heatmap Illustration

    1. San Diego County, California – The battery backlash just got stronger after the city of Escondido, California, indefinitely banned permits to the entire sector in reaction to a battery fire last month.

    • Last week, the city council enacted a 45-day moratorium on permits to construction and operation of battery energy storage systems, or BESS. The moratorium will impact AES Corporation’s Seguro storage project, as well as at least one more pending project, according to staff testimony at the city council meeting on the matter.
    • But for AES and anyone else who hopes this ends quickly, some bad news: Staff also testified it’ll take much longer than 45 days to prepare a report outlining next steps due to the outstanding government workload – and that’ll just be the idea generation phase of the city’s response. A 10-month moratorium was discussed as a potential next step.
    • “I don’t think any of us up here are adamantly opposed to battery energy storage systems,” the city’s Republican mayor Dane White said at the meeting. “However, it has to be done the right way.”

    2. Waldo County, Maine – The potential first floating offshore wind assembly site in America is now one step further in the permitting process, after Maine’s Department of Transportation released a pre-application alternatives analysis required for federal environmental reviews.

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