Collins, King Back Bill to Support and Expand Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs

Bipartisan legislation also cosponsored by senators from six east coast states currently participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined a number of their colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation to support and expand programs such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a collaborative effort across the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont to use market-based tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. Specifically, the legislation would establish an Office of Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support the establishment of new regional greenhouse gas reduction programs and expand existing programs.

 

“There is no doubt that climate change poses a significant threat to our economy and our natural resources, including Maine’s forestry, fishing, agricultural, tourism, and recreation industries,” said Senator Collins. “This significant challenge requires cooperation at all levels of government and across geographical boundaries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  This bipartisan bill would add to the work already being done through the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative by creating an office within the EPA to strengthen and support new regional greenhouse gas reduction programs.”

 

“Climate change is a global challenge, but that doesn’t mean that the solutions are the same wherever you live,” said Senator King. “Maine’s power needs are different than New Mexico’s, so it’s only makes sense that we would use varied, customized approaches to achieve the same goal. That’s where regional-specific programs come in: by working with neighboring states that share energy opportunities and challenges, we can improve collaboration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These programs have already made a major impact in New England; let’s give them added support so they can do more good work in the fight against climate change.”

 

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2019 would establish an office at the EPA to support the establishment of new regional greenhouse gas reduction programs and expand existing programs. This office would provide analysis and technical assistance to help establish new regional greenhouse gas reduction programs, expand existing programs such as RGGI and the Western Climate Initiative, and support states that are already members of such programs. The bill would also provide grants for state and local governments to take preliminary steps toward developing or participating in a regional greenhouse gas reduction program.

 

This bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.), all of whom represent states currently participating in RGGI, as well as Bob Casey (D-Penn.), whose state has taken steps recently to join the initiative.

https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/collins-king-back-bill-supp...

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Comment by Willem Post on November 20, 2019 at 11:37am

If a lithium-ion battery is rated at 1 MW/4 MWh AC, it means it can deliver 1 MW of AC power for 4 hours.

The battery would be charged to 95% of capacity and discharge to 25% of capacity, for a total range of 70%, to preserve life. This is a typical practice of EV manufacturers.

Usually, batteries have a maximum discharge of 50% or less, for long life.

The loss of one charge/discharge cycle is 100 x (1 – 4/4.62) = 13.51%

 

Table 11/Battery Charging and Discharging

MWh

Discharge mode

Delivered as AC

4.00

Discharge loss

%

7

From battery storage as DC

4/0.93

4.30

Discharge loss from battery storage as DC

4.30 – 4.00

0.30

Stored in battery before discharge as DC

4.30/0.7

6.14

Stored in battery after discharge as DC

6.16 – 4.30

1.84

Charge mode

Charge loss

%

7

From meter to charge battery as AC

4.30/0.93

4.62

Charge loss as DC

4.62 x 0.07

0.32

Stored into battery as DC

4.62 – 0.32  

4.30

Initial charge as DC

1.84

Final charge as DC

4.30 + 1.84

6.14

Charge/Discharge cycle loss, %

100 x (1 – 4.00/4.62)

13.51

Comment by Willem Post on November 20, 2019 at 10:11am

Cancellation of Offshore Wind Turbine Plant: As is well known by now, Cape Wind, 468 MW, started in 2001, turnkey capital cost $2.6 billion, $5550/kW, to be located south of Nantucket, highly visible to many multi-millionaires summering on the Island, has finally been cancelled as of 1 December 2017. See URLs.

 

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/cape-wind-cancelled-as-...

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/a-very-expensive-offsho...

 

The negotiated Cape Wind power purchase agreement, PPA, called for 18.7 c/kWh the first year, increasing at 3.5% per year for 20 years, to reach 37.2 c/kWh in the 20th year. These are the prices at which the variable, intermittent electricity would be sold to a utility. See URL.

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-true-cost-of-wind-e...

 

NOTE: New England wholesale prices have averaged about 5 c/kWh for steady, 24/7/365 electricity since about 2008, primarily due to:

 

- Natural gas; 50% of NE generation; low-cost (less than 5 c/kWh), low-CO2 emitting, no particulates, domestic fuel 

- Nuclear; 26% of NE generation; low-cost (less than 5 c/kWh), minimal-CO2 emitting, no particulates, domestic fuel

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-01/cape-wind-develo...

Comment by Willem Post on November 20, 2019 at 10:11am

Wind and Solar Conditions in New England: New England has highly variable weather and low-medium quality wind and solar conditions. See NREL wind map and NREL solar map.

https://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/100m_wind/awstwspd100onoff3-1.jpg

https://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/solar/national_photovoltaic_2009-01...

 

Wind:

- Wind electricity is zero about 30% of the hours of the year (it takes a wind speed of about 7 mph to start the rotors)

- It is minimal most early mornings and most late afternoons/early evenings (peak demand hours), especially during summer

- About 60% is generated at night, when demand is much less than during the late afternoons/early evenings

- About 60% is generated in winter.

- During winter, the best wind month is up to 2.5 times the worst summer month

- New England has the lowest capacity factor (about 0.262) of any region in the US, except the US South. See URL.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=20112

 

Solar:

- Solar electricity is strictly a midday affair.

- It is zero about 65% of the hours of the year

- It is always minimal early mornings and late afternoons/early evenings

- It is minimal much of the winter

- It is near zero with snow and ice on the panels.

- It varies with variable cloudiness, which would excessively disturb distribution grids with many solar systems, as happens in southern California and southern Germany on a daily basis. See Note.

- During summer, the best solar month is up to 4 times the worst winter month; that ratio is 6 in Germany.

- New England has the lowest capacity factor (about 0.145, under ideal conditions) of any region in the US, except some parts of the US Northwest.

 

If we were to rely on wind and solar for most of our electricity, massive energy storage systems (GWh-scale in case of Vermont) would be required to cover multi-day wind lulls, multi-day overcast/snowy periods, and seasonal variations. See URL.

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/wind-and-solar-energy-l...

 

Comment by Willem Post on November 20, 2019 at 10:09am

Historic Build-Out of Wind Capacity in New England: Annual additions of wind turbine build-outs varied from about 139.3 MW in 2009 to 339 MW in 2016.

 

If a 300 MW build-out rate were maintained for the next 10 years, then 1377, existing + 3000, new = 4379 MW would be installed by 2026.

 

It would take about 4 decades to implement Alternative 1, which assumes 1377 x 10 = 13770 MW would be installed at some future date.

https://windexchange.energy.gov/maps-data/321

 

Table 8

VT

ME

NH

MA

RI

CT

NE

Y to Y

Year

MW

MW

MW

MW

MW

MW

MW

MW

2000

6.1

0.1

0.1

0.3

0.0

0.0

6.6

2001

6.1

0.1

0.1

1.0

0.0

0.0

7.3

0.7

2002

6.1

0.1

0.1

1.0

0.0

0.0

7.3

0.0

2003

6.1

0.1

0.1

1.0

0.0

0.0

7.3

0.0

2004

6.1

0.1

0.1

1.0

0.0

0.0

7.3

0.0

2005

6.1

0.1

0.1

1.0

0.0

0.0

7.3

0.0

2006

6.1

9.1

1.1

3.5

0.7

0.0

20.5

13.2

2007

6.1

42.1

1.1

5.0

0.7

0.0

55.0

34.5

2008

6.1

46.6

25.1

5.7

0.7

0.0

84.2

29.2

2009

6.2

174.7

25.2

15.0

2.4

0.0

223.5

139.3

2010

6.2

266.2

25.5

17.7

2.4

0.0

318.0

94.5

2011

46.0

397.0

26.0

47.0

2.0

0.0

518.0

200.0

2012

119.0

431.0

171.0

103.0

9.0

0.0

833.0

315.0

2013

119.0

431.0

171.0

106.0

9.0

0.0

836.0

3.0

2014

119.0

440.0

171.0

107.0

9.0

0.0

846.0

10.0

2015

119.0

613.0

185.0

107.0

9.0

5.0

1038.0

192.0

2016

119.0

901.0

185.0

115.0

52.0

5.0

1377.0

339.0

2017

149.0

923.0

185.0

115.0

54.0

5.0

1431.0

54.0

2018

149.0

923.0

185.0

113.0

75.0

5.0

1450.0

19.0

2019

149.0

923.0

185.0

113.0

75.0

5.0

1450.0

0.0

Comment by Penny Gray on November 15, 2019 at 4:56pm

More government being created to control an issue that controls votes.  No surprise.

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

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 -- Mahatma Gandhi

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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