QUICK NEWS, January 16: The Big Apple Takes Big Oil To Court; Solar Power 24/7 Gets Affordable; Demand For New Energy Raises Demand For New Wires

The Big Apple Takes Big Oil To Court United States District Court Southern District Of New York…Complaint Case No. 18 cv 182 City Of New York, Plaintiff…Against BP…Chevron…ConocoPhillips…Exxon Mobil…and Royal Dutch Shell…

January 9, 2018 (Attorney for the City of New York)

“Plaintiff the City of New York…brings this action sounding in public nuisance, private nuisance, and trespass against Defendants…This lawsuit is based upon the fundamental principle that a corporation that makes a product causing severe harm when used exactly as intended should shoulder the costs of abating that harm. Defendants here produced, marketed, and sold massive quantities of fossil fuels—primarily oil and natural gas—despite knowing that the combustion and use of fossil fuels emit greenhouse gases [GHG]…primarily carbon dioxide…Defendants have also known for decades that GHG pollution accumulates and remains in the atmosphere for up to hundreds of years, where it traps heat, a process commonly referred to as ‘climate change’ or ‘global warming,’ and that this process would cause grave harm…WHEREFORE, the City respectfully requests a judgment against all Defendants awarding the city…Compensatory damages in an amount according to proof, for the costs already incurred…[and] the costs of actions the City is currently taking and needs to take to protect City infrastructure and property, and to protect the public health, safety, and property…” click here for more

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Solar Power 24/7 Gets Affordable 24-Hour Solar Energy: Molten Salt Makes It Possible, and Prices Are Falling Fast Molten salt storage in concentrated solar power plants could meet the electricity-on-demand role of coal and gas, allowing more old, fossil fuel plants to retire.

Robert Dieterich, January 16, 2018 (Inside Climate News)

“…[The 110-megawatt concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, built and operated by SolarReserve in Northern Nevada desert is proving] the technology that drives Crescent Dunes can make solar power an affordable, carbon-free, day-and-night energy source, dispatched on the electric grid like any fossil fuel plant…[C]oncentrated sunlight heats molten salt to 1,050 degrees Fahrenheit in [a] shimmering tower; then the salt gets stored in a giant insulated tank and can be tapped [anytime] to make steam to run a turbine…

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If this plant and several similar facilities under construction, or soon to be, prove reliable, the technology is poised to take off. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels can displace fossil fuels during the day, and wind turbines can do the same as long as it's windy. But molten salt towers may be able to meet the challenge of electricity on demand, and push more older, dirtier fossil-fuel plants into retirement…The price of the power generated at SolarReserve's second plant, to be built near Port Augusta, Australia, will be less than half that of the electricity produced by Crescent Dunes…just over $0.06/kWh…” click here for more

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Demand For New Energy Raises Demand For New Wires GM’s Expansion, Energy Goals Hinge on Renewables’ Power Lines

Bobby Magill, January 16, 2018 (Bloomberg News)

“…General Motors is calling for greater access to wind and solar power through expanded transmission lines to feed growing demand for clean electricity by its future factories and customers…Electric power lines delivering wind and solar power are not a constraint on growth today, but, between 2018 and 2050, new transmission connecting wind and solar farms…[will be critical for the success of companies that have committed to obtaining 100 percent of their electricity from New Energy]…Available renewable power transmission and transmission planning might not meet growing corporate demand for renewable power…Companies that are part of…the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, which includes GM, Walmart, and more than 100 other companies, plan to buy more than 60 gigawatts of renewable power by 2025. Only 9 gigawatts have been procured so far…[I]f 90 percent of renewables transmission projects currently in development are built, they would meet 70 percent of the expected demand…” click here for more

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