New federal data show global atmospheric concentrations of methane at a record high just as a separate Harvard study shows the US oil and gas industry is emitting far more methane than earlier estimated.
Our best shot to slow climate change now: Cut methane — The Hill
Locked down for a full year now, there was at least one bright spot: The clear drop in air pollution in 2020. But now there’s even a blot on that. This week the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that methane, the second biggest driver of global warming and a major contributor to air pollution, spiked upward last year with the highest growth rate in NOAA’s 37-year record. What’s going on?
Why Duke Energy is spending $283M on retrofitting coal plants to burn natural gas — Charlotte Business Journal
Duke Energy Corp. is modifying its largest coal plants to burn natural gas for at least part of the power they produce in order to reduce coal use in the near term… Some clean-energy advocates worry the work will just extend the life of coal plants, allowing Duke to continue to recover costs for plants they say are no longer economical to operate.
Record surge in methane levels ‘surprising and disturbing’, say scientists — Financial Times
Methane levels in the atmosphere surged during 2020, marking the biggest increase since records began in 1983, in what scientists called a worrying development for the planet.
Methane Emissions From Oil and Natural Gas Production Higher Than Previously Thought–SciTech Daily
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is underestimating methane emissions from oil and gas production in its annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, according to new research from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). The research team found 90 percent higher emissions from oil production and 50 percent higher emissions for natural gas production than EPA estimated in its latest inventory.
Climate watchdogs challenge Duke Energy’s polluting 15-year plan — Facing South
Date on which the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) will hold a public hearing about Duke Energy’s latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), a biennial blueprint for how the company intends to generate electricity for the next 15 climate-critical years: 3/16/2021
New federal assistance funds not enough to protect 100,000s of families from eviction and utility shutoffs — News Release
Despite last week’s passage of legislation allocating nearly $500 million for emergency rent and utility assistance, hundreds of thousands of struggling families in North Carolina will remain at risk of eviction and disconnection from water and energy service if further action is not taken before the end of the month, advocates said today in separate letters to Gov. Roy Cooper and the NC Utilities Commission.
Duke Energy Faces Challenges to its Push for New Natural Gas Plants — GreentechMedia
Duke Energy’s plan to build gigawatts of new natural gas generators to supply its grid over the next 15 years has already drawn fire from clean energy advocates, who say it violates the utility’s long-range decarbonization goals and could leave customers paying for power plants that can’t economically compete with cleaner alternatives.
Add 16 GW solar, 10 GW storage in North Carolina, says alternative resource plan — pv magazine
Duke Energy’s “flawed modeling assumptions” for its 2020 North Carolina resource plan favor new natural gas capacity over new renewables and storage, and the utility’s resource scenarios are “not least-cost,” says a regulatory filing from the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and the Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association.
Legal Challenge: Duke Energy Plans Would Supersize Climate Pollution, Waste Billions on Unused Power Plants — News Release
NC WARN and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed a legal challenge to Duke Energy’s plan to build scores of gas-fired power plants in the Carolinas even though huge amounts of excess generation already sit unused even during the worst winter weather.
See coverage by WXII