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63 votes
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San Francisco coyote swims to Alcatraz for first time ever
18 votes -
J. David Bamberger, Church’s Chicken tycoon who made land conservation his mission, dies at 97
15 votes -
Danish energy company Ørsted said on Friday that it had launched a legal challenge to the US government's suspension of its Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island
9 votes -
A history of PG&E and how we got here
15 votes -
USGS V1cam livestream of erupting Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii (west Halemaʻumaʻu crater)
29 votes -
How New York keeps its unfiltered water safe: spending millions on land
15 votes -
How sewage can be used to heat and cool buildings
13 votes -
NOAA deploys new generation of AI-driven global weather models
14 votes -
The science and strategy behind Wyoming’s snow fences
12 votes -
For Americans: You can check out your local electric options!
I'm not sure where exactly to post this, but most folks in the US and Canada can check out where their power is coming from. I work in the power generation industry, and I feel there are many...
I'm not sure where exactly to post this, but most folks in the US and Canada can check out where their power is coming from. I work in the power generation industry, and I feel there are many aspects that people just do not understand when it comes to generation and what we need to go fully renewable and/or carbon free.
"Independent system operators" (better known as ISOs) can provide you with your local power information. A nice overview can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_transmission_organization_(North_America)#Independent_system_operators_(ISOs)
I live in New England, so my local info can be seen here: https://www.iso-ne.com/isoexpress/
I can see the projected MW load, how much was scheduled to cover it, the cost per MW, where the power is coming from (at the moment, 5% is oil, 6% is hydro, 12% is "renewables"... as burning trash is considered renewable as much as solar and wind lulz, 19% is nuclear, and 52% is natural gas [NG]), and I can also see the CO2 outputs (which before you make a judgement call to state that yes, NG is the highest producer of CO2, if you look at the MW produced per ton of CO2, it's WAY better than the others!).If you're in Texas and were there in early '21 during the Uri storm, I'm sure you've heard of ERCOT (https://www.ercot.com/gridmktinfo/dashboards). That region has a much higher demand for power in general, and I do find it amusing (yet not at all surprising) that no CO2 info is offered.
In the California area (which is where I hail from), it's displayed here: https://www.caiso.com/supply. I have, at times, found that their imported MW actually were the main supplier, which let's just be honest: they buy power from NV and AZ and that power isn't "clean", but they tote that they're so good to the environment! (Please also note, CA is a huge supplier of CO2 courtesy of all the forest fires.) Also, note that my company literally owns two "peakers" (that's a term for an engine you can turn on and get power out of quickly, without all the slow startup times or shutdown issues that typical power plants have - think of it as a jet engine you just turn on for quick power with really high emissions compared to most plants) that put out more emissions than were typically allowed on permits when they were commissioned, but glorious Newsome realized that balancing the ability to charge your Tesla and having rolling blackouts was a bit precarious. Also alsø: if you look at the CaISO page, the geothermal output is all my company. That range of plants takes the grey water from SF and reincorporates it into the geysers to keep up the 100% clean output.
So, after the fact, I'll state that I'm a little biased: I grew up in CA, and I'm very conscious about emissions and climate change (and yes, I believe that has been playing into effect for a while). But I also am a realist living near California's little red-headed stepsibling Massachusetts that is trying to shoot their foot for carbon emissions and the like.
But, I wanted to put this out there because I hope that folks (who aren't in the industry) might appreciate the insight, and also learn how to figure out what is going on when you plug your <insert power demand item here>. :)
13 votes -
A rare “Polar Express” winter pattern is forecast over the United States and Canada, following a Polar Vortex split
38 votes -
National Data Buoy Center - BuoyCAMs
11 votes -
The secretive cabal of US polluters that is rewriting the EU’s human rights and climate law
14 votes -
Tweaks to state laws mean many Americans will be able to benefit from small, simple plug-in solar panels
32 votes -
Farms and data centers contribute to a water pollution crisis in Eastern Oregon
13 votes -
In Alaska, fishing skippers and hungry orcas vie for halibut pulled from the deep
8 votes -
MIT researchers develop polymer film that could prevent solar panel corrosion
11 votes -
As the US and the West races to break China's stranglehold over rare earths production, some firms are betting that Greenland will become a new mining frontier
6 votes -
How Bill Gates is reframing the climate change debate
34 votes -
There’s a reason US electricity prices are rising. And it’s not data centers.
24 votes -
Salmon clear last Klamath dams, reaching Williamson and Sprague rivers
28 votes -
‘World’s largest’ industrial heat battery is online and solar-powered
24 votes -
Base Power raises $1B to deploy home batteries everywhere
9 votes -
America's dumbest crop: grass
52 votes -
US solar will pass wind in 2025 and leave coal in the dust soon after
38 votes -
‘Grue jay’ hybrid spotted in Texas
34 votes -
Human impacts of wildfires worsen even as total burned area declines
6 votes -
Fat Bear Week is here early, and the bears are fat and playful
32 votes -
The 2025 prediction map for when fall foliage will reach different areas of the US
21 votes -
California's next energy experiment is happening above aqueducts, reducing evaporation and increasing solar panel efficiency
12 votes -
Commentary: prepare to say a frond farewell to Los Angeles’ palm trees
30 votes -
From sea to table to sea: How recycled oyster shells are restoring the Alabama coast
10 votes -
A mysterious rose survived weeks under water after Hurricane Katrina. Its origins are still unknown but fans are planting it across the US.
24 votes -
Donald Trump administration issues stop-work order for US offshore wind project
29 votes -
Sweden to build more nuclear plants with US or UK technology – Vattenfall says it will chose between GE Vernova and Rolls-Royce's small modular reactors
12 votes -
Google has released data on how much energy an AI prompt uses
36 votes -
Researchers discover stunning ecological changes after reintroducing wolves to national park: young Aspens are growing again
15 votes -
Donald Trump administration proposes regulatory changes that threaten every unfinished wind project in the US
18 votes -
Rescue crews are searching for US climate journalist Alec Luhn, who vanished while hiking on a glacier in Folgefonna National Park in southwestern Norway
14 votes -
Florida snake hunters deploy robotic toy rabbits to capture invasive Burmese pythons
6 votes -
NASA won't publish key climate change report online, citing 'no legal obligation' to do so
34 votes -
California farmers are installing solar, providing financial stability and saving water
12 votes -
Make electricity cheap again (part 1)
7 votes -
8.8 magnitude earthquake near Russia prompts tsunami alerts in Hawaii, Alaska and West Coast
42 votes -
US federal government ends information delivery contract critical to hurricane forecasting
20 votes -
Malaysia no longer takes US plastic waste, creating a dilemma for California
42 votes -
Nebraska sues neighboring Colorado over how much water it’s drawing from the South Platte River
19 votes -
'I can't drink the water' - life next to a US data centre
26 votes -
Why America built a forest from Canada to Texas
14 votes