Energy & the Environment News and Discussions

[raklian]

[Time_Traveller]

BP accused of dumping industrial waste in marine-protected area off Shetland

Wed 6 Jul 2022

BP has been accused of dumping industrial waste at sea after starting to drop thousands of tonnes of oil pipes in a legally protected marine wildlife zone in the Atlantic.

Confidential documents seen by the Guardian show the oil company sought approval to dump 14 pipes and control cables 120 miles west of Shetland after finishing drilling at the site.

It started dropping four days ago on to a marine protection area (MPA) after being given clearance last week by the UK’s decommissioning regulator.

The area is designated an MPA under international law because of its rare giant deep sea sponges, gravel ecosystem and ocean quahog, a very slow-growing mollusc. A type of clam, ocean quahog are one of the longest-living animals on Earth, and have been known to live for 400 to 500 years.

BP has been drilling there for 25 years, at depths of up to 600 metres, using a floating oil ship called the Petrojarl Foinaven, which is to be scrapped. The company also plans to drop all the ship’s steel mooring lines and anchors on the site, totalling 4,180 tonnes.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... s-drilling

[caltrek]

There’s a New Hole in the Ozone Layer, and It’s Even Bigger Than the Other Ones
by Hillel Aron
July 5, 2022

Introduction:

(Courthouse News) — As if we needed any more bad news this week: A new hole in the ozone layer has been discovered by Canadian chemical physicist Qing-Bin Lu. Unlike the other two, over the North and South poles, this one is over the tropical regions and can be seen year-round. It is, according to Lu, seven times larger than the better-known hole over Antarctica, though they are similar in depth.

And like that other hole, roughly 80% of the normal ozone value is depleted at the center of the hole (the term “hole” refers to a thinning of the ozone layer past a certain threshold, and not an actual hole).

The discovery comes as something of a surprise.

“We never thought there was any possibility to see a hole over the tropics,” said Lu.

Located in Earth’s stratosphere, the ozone layer is a shield of chemicals (containing a high concentration of ozone) that encircle the Earth that absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Without the ozone layer, that radiation would damage DNA in plants and animals and cause rampant skin cancer.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/theres- ... her-ones/

[caltrek]

Ozone Depletion Over North Pole Produces Weather Anomalies
July 7, 2022

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) Many people are familiar with the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, but what is less well known is that occasionally, the protective ozone in the stratosphere over the Arctic is destroyed as well, thinning the ozone layer there. This last happened in the spring months of 2020, and before that, in the spring of 2011.

Each time the ozone layer has been thinned out, climate researchers subsequently observed weather anomalies across the entire northern hemisphere. In central and northern Europe, Russia and especially in Siberia, those spring seasons were exceptionally warm and dry. In other areas, such as polar regions, however, wet conditions prevailed. These weather anomalies were particularly pronounced in 2020. Switzerland was also unusually warm and dry that spring.

Conclusion:

Normally, ozone absorbs UV radiation emitted by the sun, thereby warming the stratosphere and helping to break down the polar vortex in spring. But if there is less ozone, the stratosphere cools and the vortex becomes stronger. “A strong polar vortex then produces the effects observed at the Earth’s surface,” (Swiss National Science Foundation Ambizione Fellow Gabriel) Chiodo says. Ozone thus plays a major role in temperature and circulation changes around the North Pole.

Greater accuracy possible for long-term forecasts

…(N)ew findings could help climate researchers make more accurate seasonal weather and climate forecasts in future. This allows for better prediction of heat and temperature changes, “which is important for agriculture,” Chiodo says.

(Doctoral student Marina) Friedel adds, “It will be interesting to observe and model the future evolution of the ozone layer.” This is because ozone depletion continues, even though ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been banned since 1989. CFCs are very long-lived and linger in the atmosphere for 50 to 100 years; their potential to cause ozone destruction lasts for decades after they have been taken out of circulation. “Yet CFC concentrations are steadily declining, and this raises the question of how quickly the ozone layer is recovering and how this will affect the climate system,” she says.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/957995

[weatheriscool]

Researchers create method for breaking down plant materials for earth-friendly energy
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-07-met ... nergy.html
by Emilie Lorditch, Michigan State University

With energy costs rising, and the rapidly emerging effects of burning fossil fuels on the global climate, the need has never been greater for researchers to find paths to products and fuels that are truly renewable.

"We use 20 million barrels of oil a day in the U.S.; that's about a fifth of the world's usage," said Ned Jackson, a professor of organic chemistry in the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University. "All our liquid fuels and nearly all of our manufactured materials, from gasoline and gallon jugs to countertops and clothes, start with petroleum—crude oil."

Developing the tools to move from fossil fuels to renewable sources of carbon for all these components of daily life is necessary. But according to the most optimistic projections, Jackson said, "What we could harvest annually from biomass in the U.S. only has about two-thirds as much carbon in it as the crude oil that the nation uses."

Jackson and his former graduate student Yuting Zhao, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois, have developed a chemical method that enables electricity and water to break the strong chemical bonds in biomass or plant matter. This "electrocatalytic" process could be applied to lignin, a carbon-rich biomass component that is usually discarded or simply burned as a byproduct of making paper. This new tool also has the potential to destroy environmental pollutants.

[weatheriscool]

Wind and solar produce more electricity than nuclear for the first time in the US

For the first time ever, wind and solar produced 17.96% more electricity in the month of April than nuclear power plants.

Further, electrical generation by clean energy – which included biomass, geothermal, and hydropower and was driven by strong solar and wind growth – accounted for almost 30% of total US electrical generation in the month of April, according to a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of newly released US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.

https://electrek.co/2022/07/07/wind-and ... in-the-us/

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

Final destination deep sea: Microplastics' impact on ocean floor even greater than assumed
https://phys.org/news/2022-07-destinati ... mpact.html
by Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum

Senckenberg researchers Serena Abel and Angelika Brandt, together with colleagues from the Alfred Wegener Institute—Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and Goethe University in Frankfurt, have investigated microplastic pollution in the Western Pacific Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. They found between 215 and 1,596 microparticles per kilogram in each of a total of 13 sediment samples from depths of up to 9,450 meters—more than previously detected. Their study, recently published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, reveals that the deep sea serves as the "oceans' garbage dump"—and it is surprisingly dynamic when it comes to deposition. The high biodiversity at the deepest ocean floor is severely threatened by microplastic pollution.

Microplastics are everywhere. Tiny plastic particles pollute nearly every ecosystem on Earth. Oceans are particularly affected, and as the newly published study suggests, marine trenches thousands of meters below sea level are the "final resting place" for a disturbingly large amount of the tiniest plastic particles.

Serena Abel, a visiting researcher at the AWI and a research associate at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, along with Prof. Dr. Angelika Brandt, head of the institute's Department of Marine Zoology, and researchers from Goethe University and the AWI, evaluated sediment samples from the bottom of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench in the Western Pacific that were collected in 2016 during a deep-sea expedition with the research vessel "Sonne." "We took a total of 13 samples at seven different stations along the trench, from depths ranging between 5,740 and 9,450 meters. Not a single site was free of microplastics," reports marine biologist Abel, and she continues, "Per kilogram of sediment, we detected between 215 and 1,596 microplastic particles—no one would have expected such a large number prior to this."

[weatheriscool]

Oil prices extend slide, looking to erase the gains seen after Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Source: Market Watch

FUTURES MOVERS

Oil futures were under renewed pressure Thursday, extending a drop below $100 a barrel to trade at their lowest levels since February, in the days surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Price action
West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery fell $3.98, or 4.2%, to $92.32 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It traded as low as $90.56, the lowest intraday level for a front-month contract since Feb. 25, FactSet data show.

September Brent crude the global benchmark, dropped $3.50, or 3.5%, to $96.07 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe.

Back on Nymex, August gasoline dropped 2.8% to $3.1429 a gallon, while August heating oil shed 2.8% to $3.5636 a gallon.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets ... ar-AAZzj1D

[andmar74]

What happens if Russia cuts off gas supplies to Europe? | DW Business Special

Bleak outlook.

[caltrek]

Generating Power Where Seawater and River Water Meet
July 21, 2022

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) Scientists have known since the 1950s that it is theoretically possible to generate electricity through the movement of water at the place where seawater and river water meet. This type of technology is called osmotic power generation or blue energy. Though prototypes of this technology have been built, research is still underway to prove that this technology is scalable and reliable.

In a literature review published on May 28 in Nano Research Energy ( https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.265 ... 2.9120008 ), researchers looked at the different types of materials that can be used in osmotic power generation.

“There are several locations on the earth where the seawater and river water are naturally mixed. The seawater contains positively charged ions such as sodium ions and negatively charged ions such as chloride ions. Utilizing electrostatically charged membranes that are selective to one ion species while blocking the other can generate electricity that can power electronic devices or be stored in batteries,” said paper author Javad Safaei, a researcher at the Centre for Clean Energy Technology at the University of Technology Sydney in Sydney, Australia.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/959475

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

Europe agrees compromise gas curbs as Russia squeezes supply
Source: Reuters

BRUSSELS, July 26 (Reuters) - European Union countries approved a weakened emergency plan to curb their gas demand on Tuesday, after striking compromise deals to limit the cuts for some countries, as they brace for further Russian reductions in supply. Europe faces an increased gas squeeze from Wednesday, when Russian's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) has said it would cut flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to a fifth of capacity.

With a dozen EU countries already facing reduced Russian supplies, Brussels is urging member states to save gas and store it for winter for fear Russia will completely cut off flows in retaliation for Western sanctions over its war with Ukraine. Energy ministers approved a proposal for all EU countries to voluntarily cut gas use by 15% from August to March.

The cuts could be made binding in a supply emergency, but countries agreed to exempt numerous countries and industries, after some governments had resisted the EU's original proposal to impose a binding 15% cut on every country.German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the agreement would show Russian President Vladimir Putin that Europe remained united in the face of Moscow's latest gas cuts. "You will not split us," Habeck said. Hungary was the only country that opposed the deal, two EU officials said.

Russia's Gazprom has blamed its latest reduction on needing to halt the operation of a turbine - a reason dismissed by EU energy chief Kadri Simson, who called the move "politically motivated".Russia, which supplied 40% of EU gas before it invaded Ukraine, has said it is a reliable energy supplier. It also says the invasion, begun on Feb. 24, is a "special military operation". The EU deal would exempt from the binding 15% gas cut countries such as Ireland and Malta that are not connected to other EU countries' gas networks.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy ... 022-07-26/

[Time_Traveller]

UK energy bills forecast to hit £3,850 as Russia cuts gas supply further

Wed 27 Jul 2022 17.25 BST

British households face being told shortly before Christmas to brace for annual energy bills of £3,850, three times what they were paying at the start of 2022, after Russia further squeezed Europe’s gas supplies.

Consumers were also warned that annual charges of more than £3,500 a year, or £300 a month, could become the norm “well into 2024”.

The grim forecasts came a day after MPs said millions of people would fall into “unmanageable debt” without more government help to pay bills, following a surge in wholesale gas prices to near-record levels.

After Russia cut flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday, British wholesale gas for delivery this winter climbed to as high as 535p per therm, while European prices also rose.

The energy-focused management consultancy BFY said the increase meant it now expected October’s price cap – set by the energy regulator Ofgem – to hit £3,420 for the average dual-fuel tariff. Ofgem is expected to lift the cap higher in January, and BFY is forecasting it could reach £3,850.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/ ... e-pipeline

[weatheriscool]

Europe Energy Prices Keep Soaring as Russia Tightens Supply
Source: Bloomberg

European energy extended a scorching rally as Russia tightened its grip on the region’s supply, further threatening the economy and key markets.

Natural gas increased as much as 14%, and prices are more than 10 times higher than the usual level for this time of the year, as supplies through a key pipeline slumped.

The surge is crippling Europe’s industrial output, driving up household bills and pushing inflation to the highest in decades. It’s also fed through to the power market with German futures rising to unprecedented levels, before easing on Wednesday...

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... t-to-slump

[weatheriscool]

Gas Prices Have Fallen for 50 Straight Days, Approach $4 a Gallon
Source: The Wall Street Journal.

MARKETS * COMMODITIES * GAS MARKETS

Gas Prices Have Fallen for 50 Straight Days, Approach $4 a Gallon

The cost of fuel in the U.S. is easing after hitting record highs in June

By Joseph De Avila and Lauryn Azu
https://twitter.com/jdeavila
[email protected]
https://twitter.com/lauryn_azu
[email protected]
Updated Aug. 3, 2022 9:50 am ET

U.S. gas prices have fallen for seven straight weeks and are approaching an average price of $4 a gallon, easing the pain of record-high fuel costs amid shrinking global demand for oil.

The average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline sank to $4.16 Wednesday, the 50th straight day that prices have declined, according to OPIS, an energy-data and analytics provider. That is a 17% decline from the previous high of $5.02 a gallon set back on June 14, according to OPIS.

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Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/gas-prices ... 6?mod=e2tw

[MythOfProgress]

sucks the truth is age-restricted, but the pursuit of clean energy will always have victims.

[Nero]

That is hilarious that you think that African countries whose corrupt governments do not allow any form of the profit to be passed on to aiding their workers is the fault of clean energy as whole. Your entire outlook is beyond flawed it is quite frankly, embarrassing.

To be clear, these countries have been exploited for their natural resources since human beings began to trade between nations, this has been happening for thousands of years. This has nothing whatsoever to do with clean energy and is an absolutely ancient issue, but to exemplify how stupid this line of thought is, do you think the thousands of children who died in coal mines hundreds of years ago did not suffer for the fuel they extracted?

[MythOfProgress]

That is hilarious that you think that African countries whose corrupt governments do not allow any form of the profit to be passed on to aiding their workers is the fault of clean energy as whole.

lol, where do you think this goes towards? certainly not the fancy laptops and phones we are typing this on? or the electric cars that keep getting promoted day in day out as if they are the solutions to the infrastructure and pollution problems we have nowadays? you can keep fooling yourself this is all for a "better" cause, you can "laugh" it off as much as you'd like, the truth still stands- people are being hurt by this and left worse off because of it, not to mention the fact that these are inherently unsustainable practices.

Your entire outlook is beyond flawed it is quite frankly, embarrassing.

then please demonstrate so, we had a back-and-forth on the other thread, you stopped for some reason.

To be clear, these countries have been exploited for their natural resources since human beings began to trade between nations, this has been happening for thousands of years.

To be clear, are you telling me that colonialism doesn't play a significant factor in the exploitation of these countries and that its effects still don't benefit us today? if so, for someone calling me stupid you don't seem to know your history all that well.

This has nothing whatsoever to do with clean energy and is an absolutely ancient issue, but to exemplify how stupid this line of thought is, do you think the thousands of children who died in coal mines hundreds of years ago did not suffer for the fuel they extracted?

exactly when did i indicate that they didn't suffer? and furthermore are you implying their lives were worth the "progress" we had? because if so, those are some troubling implications.

[weatheriscool]

Oil slides under $90 to fresh six-month lows on demand worries
Source: CNN Business

New York (CNN)The selloff in the oil market gathered momentum Thursday on growing concerns about weakening demand for gasoline. US oil dropped 2.3% to $88.54 a barrel, the weakest settle since February 2. Brent crude, the world benchmark, fell around 3%. A government report released Wednesday unnerved oil traders by revealing an unexpected build in both crude oil and gasoline stockpiles, suggesting demand is cooling off.

Robert Yawger, vice president of energy futures at Mizuho Securities, noted that the weekly Energy Information Administration report showed a decline in refinery usage, rising gasoline inventories and a shrinking amount of gasoline supplied. "I can't stress enough those three things are not supposed to happen in summer," Yawger said. "It implies there is a bad demand situation out there."

The EIA report indicates that Americans are using less gasoline than they were during not just last summer (when prices were lower), but even during the summer of 2020 when Covid-19 was still restraining travel. The four-week moving average of gasoline supplied for the week ending July 29 stood at 8.6 million barrels per day, down about 9% from the same period of 2021 and slightly below the same period of 2020.

the EIA said. Some people stopped driving as much when gasoline surged above $5 a gallon in mid-June. Since then, the national average for regular gas has declined 51 days in a row, dropping to $4.14 a gallon on Thursday, according to AAA. That is down 14 cents in the past week and 67 cents in the past month. Oil prices have tumbled by 28% since their recent closing high of $123.70 on March 8 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/business ... index.html