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Technology

Geothermal Energy Storage is Making a Big Leap in Texas

On the EarthStore project, nuclear-powered ships, and plastic pollution.

Geothermal Energy Storage is Making a Big Leap in Texas
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Hurricane Ernesto could strengthen into a category 3 storm by Friday • Several days of heavy rain in Majorca, Spain, flooded streets and grounded flights • The heat index is hovering around 115 degrees Fahrenheit for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Texas to host first grid-connected geothermal energy storage project

Plans are underway in Texas to build what will become the first geothermal energy storage project to deliver power to the grid. The 3-megawatt EarthStore project will be located in Christine, Texas, and operated by Sage Geosystems. It will connect with the ERCOT grid, storing energy to be deployed on demand. Advanced geothermal reservoirs harness the heat under the Earth’s surface to generate energy. They can store power that’s been generated by wind or solar in the form of hot water or steam, and some research suggests this process could be more efficient and perhaps cheaper than using batteries. Either way, as renewable capacity ramps up, the more storage options, the better. The project is expected to be ready by the end of 2024.

2. Greece assesses damage from wildfire near Athens

The wildfire on the outskirts of Athens this week burned 40 square miles of land, or an area about twice the size of Manhattan, according to satellite data from the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. One person was killed and at least 78 homes were lost to the flames. Intense drought conditions, combined with soaring temperatures, have turned Greece into a tinderbox, with more than 3,500 fires ignited since May, up nearly 50% from the same period last year. More than one-third of the forests surrounding Athens have been scorched by wildfires over the last eight years.

Copernicus Emergency Management Service

3. Report: U.S. will back global plastics treaty

The U.S. will support a United Nations treaty to cap the amount of new plastic produced annually, Reutersreported. America is one of the world’s most prolific plastic makers, and has previously supported the idea that each country should be able to manage its own production. But many other nations have called for limiting and phasing down new plastic production to curb pollution and toxic chemicals, an initiative the U.S. seems to be warming to. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels, and major producers like China and Saudi Arabia have argued that the focus should be on recycling and reusing, instead of limiting production overall. The final talks over the UN plastics treaty are scheduled for November.

4. Maersk joins initiative to study nuclear-powered ships

Danish shipping giant Maersk is interested in studying the feasibility of nuclear-powered cargo ships. The company will team up with maritime services firm Lloyd’s Register and Core Power to figure out how a nuclear reactor could be fitted on a vessel, plus what kinds of safety precautions and regulations would need to be in place. “Nuclear power holds a number of challenges related to for example safety, waste management, and regulatory acceptance across regions, and so far, the downsides have clearly outweighed the benefits of the technology,” Ole Graa Jakobsen, Maersk’s head of fleet technology, said in a statement. “If these challenges can be addressed by development of the new so-called fourth-generation reactor designs, nuclear power could potentially mature into another possible decarbonization pathway for the logistics industry 10 to 15 years in the future,” he said. The shipping sector accounts for about 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and guidelines from the International Maritime Organization set out in 2023 require companies to cut emissions by 40% by 2030.

5. China’s OceanX floating wind turbine reaches wind farm

This week a giant, two-headed, floating offshore wind turbine has been on a 50-hour, 191-nautical-mile journey from Guangzhou, China, to its final destination in the Qingzhou IV Offshore Wind Farm in Yangjiang. Yesterday it finally arrived safely. The OceanX is the world’s largest floating wind turbine platform in terms of capacity. The company behind it, Mingyang Smart Energy, says the platform can produce 54 million kWh annually, enough to power 30,000 households. It’s made to be used in deep water and the company says it can withstand the kind of high winds and waves generated by typhoons.

THE KICKER

New analysis finds that enacting the policies outlined in the conservative blueprint Project 2025 would result in 1.7 million fewer jobs, 2,000 pollution-related premature deaths, and boost U.S. emissions by about 780 million metric tons per year by 2030.

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Politics

Exclusive: Nearly Half of Voters Say Elon Is Turning Them Off Tesla

A new Data for Progress poll provided exclusively to Heatmap shows steep declines in support for the CEO and his business.

Elon Musk.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Nearly half of likely U.S. voters say that Elon Musk’s behavior has made them less likely to buy or lease a Tesla, a much higher figure than similar polls have found in the past, according to a new Data for Progress poll provided exclusively to Heatmap.

The new poll, which surveyed a national sample of voters over the President’s Day weekend, shows a deteriorating public relations situation for Musk, who has become one of the most powerful individuals in President Donald Trump’s new administration.

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Climate

AM Briefing: Climate Grant Drama

On Washington walk-outs, Climeworks, and HSBC’s net-zero goals

A Top Federal Prosecutor Resigned Over the EPA’s Climate Fund Freeze
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Severe storms in South Africa spawned a tornado that damaged hundreds of homes • Snow is falling on parts of Kentucky and Tennessee still recovering from recent deadly floods • It is minus 39 degrees Fahrenheit today in Bismarck, North Dakota, which breaks a daily record set back in 1910.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Veteran prosecutor resigns over Trump administration’s push to investigate climate grants

Denise Cheung, Washington’s top federal prosecutor, resigned yesterday after refusing the Trump administratin’s instructions to open a grand jury investigation of climate grants issued by the Environmental Protection Agency during the Biden administration. Last week EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency would be seeking to revoke $20 billion worth of grants issued to nonprofits through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund for climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives, suggesting that the distribution of this money was rushed and wasteful of taxpayer dollars. In her resignation letter, Cheung said she didn’t believe there was enough evidence to support grand jury subpoenas.

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Podcast

How to Talk to Your Friendly Neighborhood Public Utility Regulator

Rob and Jesse get real on energy prices with PowerLines’ Charles Hua.

Power lines.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

The most important energy regulators in the United States aren’t all in the federal government. Each state has its own public utility commission, a set of elected or appointed officials who regulate local power companies. This set of 200 individuals wield an enormous amount of power — they oversee 1% of U.S. GDP — but they’re often outmatched by local utility lobbyists and overlooked in discussions from climate advocates.

Charles Hua wants to change that. He is the founder and executive director of PowerLines, a new nonprofit engaging with America’s public utility commissions about how to deliver economic growth while keeping electricity rates — and greenhouse gas emissions — low. Charles previously advised the U.S. Department of Energy on developing its grid modernization strategy and analyzed energy policy for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

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