Energy and Other Events Monthly

by gmoke Mon Jan 31st, 2022 at 03:42:17 AM EST

These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them.

This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https:/theworld.com~gmoke/AList.index.html).

A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn't already been done.

If anyone knows of such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.

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MIT
Concrete's Greener Potential
Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 1:00pm
RSVP at https:/mit.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrcu2orD4qGt3QVYHH_KjsF0repMOX67GY

Concrete is the backbone of our society, used to build bridges, roads, hospitals, and shelters, among others. However, given its ubiquitous use, it is responsible for up to 1% of the U.S.'s CO2 emissions. For this reason, intensive research is on its way to rethink concrete's future and composition, in order to meet the environmental challenges of global warming. This talk will discuss some of the developments going on in my lab on the potential of "green" concrete, ranging from concrete as a carbon sink to Roman-inspired self-healing concrete, all based on progress in our nanoscale assessment of the heterogeneous chemistry of cement hydration and CO2 mineralization in concrete. These science-enabled pathways all aim at making this multifunctional material part of the solution for the sustainable development of our society at large.

This webinar will be presented by Admir Masic, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT.

The Masic Lab @ MIT investigates the nanochemomechanics of mineralization and biomineralization processes of materials ranging from construction materials to archeological and biological materials. With research projects that span from Roman concrete to modern Portland cement, from nacre to kidney stones, from ancient colors to Dead Sea scrolls, the goal of The Masic Lab is to translate the fundamental knowledge gained in the lab into real-world applications for a sustainable future.

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Harvard
Artificial Intelligence and the Past, Present and Future of Democracy
Thursday, February 3, 2022
4 - 5 p.m.
RSVP at https:carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/os_events/nojs/registration/1426583

SPEAKER(S) Mathias Risse, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Faculty Director; Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy
Moderator: Sushma Raman, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Executive Director

Towards Life 3.0: Ethics and Technology in the 21st Century is a talk series organized and facilitated by Dr. Mathias Risse, Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, and Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs, and Philosophy. Drawing inspiration from the title of Max Tegmark's book, Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the series draws upon a range of scholars, technology leaders, and public interest technologists to address the ethical aspects of the long-term impact of artificial intelligence on society and human life.

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From Doomsday to Hope: Covering Solutions to the Climate & Energy Crisis
Thursday, February 10
12 - 1 p.m.
RSVP at https:/www.belfercenter.org/event/doomsday-hope-covering-solutions-climate-and-energy-crisis

SPEAKER(S) Sarah Kaplan, Environment reporter, Washington Post
Sammy Roth, Environment reporter, Los Angeles Times
A webinar featuring two leading environment reporters, Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post, & Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times,. While much of the news coverage of climate change has focused on the immense global "gloom & doom" problems ahead, there is a new push in journalism to reach out to the public by featuring innovative solutions to the climate & energy crisis.
CONTACT INFO Liz Hanlon ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu

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Yale Center for Business and the Environment
Net Positive
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022
12:00 PM EST -- 1:00 PM EST
RSVP at https:/cbey.yale.edu/event/net-positive

Facing issues like runaway climate change and rampant inequality, the world is calling upon business to step up and make bold changes to help create a better future. A key framework for these necessary changes is becoming "net positive"--in short, courageous companies will thrive by giving more than they take from our communities and ecosystems.

But...what would it take for companies to actually create more environmental and social benefit than harm? What does a net positive company look like?

This is the premise of Net Positive, a new book from Paul Polman, the legendary former CEO of consumer products giant Unilever, and Andrew Winston, world-renowned sustainable business expert and graduate of Yale's School of Environment. By telling stories of how Unilever navigated the fight for their Sustainable Living Plan as well as lessons learned from other pioneering companies, they share how business can profit from fixing the world's problems instead of creating them.

Join us for a conversation with the book's authors hosted by Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy at Patagonia and Resident Fellow at CBEY, as we discuss what it means to be "net positive" and consider what it would take to get there.
Speakers

Paul Polman, Co-Author at Net Positive
Andrew Winston, Co-Chair and Co-Founder at IMAGINE, Master of Environmental Management 2003, Alumni
Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy at Patagonia, CBEY Fellows

RELATED REPORTS
Net Zero: The Next Frontier for Corporate Sustainability
https:cbey.yale.edu/research/net-zero-the-next-frontier-for-corporate-sustainability
Defining Net-Zero
https:cbey.yale.edu/research/defining-net-zero

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Lecture Series
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Tufts
Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lectures
Thursdays at 12:00-1:00pm
January 20 - April 28
Multi-purpose Room, Curtis Hall, Medford Campus
RSVP https:as.tufts.edu/environmentalStudies/lecture

Every week during the academic year, the Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lectures feature speakers from government, industry, academia and non-profit organizations to give presentations on environmental topics. This is a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge beyond the curriculum, meet other faculty and students and network with the speakers.

Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are welcome to attend.

The Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lectures are made possible thanks to the generosity of Daphne Hoch-Cunningham J82, A18P and Roland Hoch A85, A19P.

If you want to receive weekly emails about the Environmental Lectures, sign up for our newsletter.

Video archives of Environmental Lectures: https:/www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFIR3vIBk3VOrRWgFx5nGDy8nm9mdFsp-

You may also subscribe to our e-list, or send an email to: environmentalstudies@tufts.edu.

Spring 2022 Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lectures
* There will not be live-stream broadcast for this lecture, and it will not be recorded.
‡ There will be live-stream broadcast for this lecture, but it will not be recorded.
# This speaker will join remotely
^ Tentative in-person speaker
Jan. 20, 2022 Sunaura Taylor    Disabled Ecologies: Living With Impaired Landscapes
Jan. 27, 2022 Owen Wormser    Turning Lawns into Meadows
Feb. 3, 2022 Nick Dorian^    Can Cities Save the Bees?
Feb. 10, 2022 Candace Fujikane    Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future: Protecting the Waters of Hawaiʻi
Feb. 17, 2022    Ben Dobson    TBD
Mar. 3, 2022 Patricia Alvarez Astacio^    Always Already Sustainable: How Alpaca Wool's Associations with Andean Indigeneity Help Define it as Environmentally Sustainable
Mar. 10, 2022 Amelia Moore^    Coral Reparations
Mar. 17, 2022 Erin Coghlan de Perez^    Anticipating Extreme Events in Our Changed Climate
Mar. 31, 2022 Willie Burnley Jr and Charlotte Kelly^    Willie Burnley Jr & Charlotte Kelly, Somerville City Councilors At-Large
Apr. 7, 2022 Mark Bomford    Enclosing Agriculture's Messy Natures
Apr. 14, 2022 Luke Powell    The Birds, the Bees and the African Chocolate Trees
Apr. 21, 2022 Jen Guyton    Conservation Through a Lens: Why Stories Matter
Apr. 28, 2022 Sophia    Get into Good Trouble - Investigating and Publicly Reporting on Environmental Destruction

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Columbia Climate School: The Earth Institute
Ocean and Climate Physics Seminar Series
https:events.columbia.edu/cal/event/showEventMore.rdo;jsessionid=Ob10Jqb3gskhizQn5FVRuFSWF6siuKe16 uu332w_.calprdapp06
Fridays from January 21 to April 29
11am - 12pm

January 21st, Lettie Roach, NASA GISS/Columbia, "Sea ice from the large-scale to the small-scale" (in-person & live-stream)
January 28th, Jesse Cusack, Rutgers University, Fjord oceanography & ocean internal waves, "Plume-generated internal gravity waves as drivers of melt at LeConte Glacier, Alaska" (live-stream)
February 4th, Christina Karamperidou, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Tropical cyclones & ENSO
February 11th, Angelo Caglioti, Barnard College, History of meteorology
February 25th, Lorenzo Polvani, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
March 4th, Talea Mayo, Emory Univerisity, Hydrodynamic modeling of coastal hazards
March 11th, Lucas Vargas Zeppetello, Harvard University, Vegetation & climate dynamics
March 18th, Spring break, no seminar
March 25th, Nathan Kurtz, NASA, Sea ice
April 1st, Jessica Garwood, Princeton University, Ocean internal waves & zooplankton
April 8th, Mona Hemmati, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Tropical cyclone storm surge and flood-related risks
April 15th, Sonali McDermid, New York University, Climate science, modeling, agriculture & climate
April 22nd, Lee Murray, University of Rochester, Green house gases
April 29th, Ram Singh, CCSR/Columbia, Climate study & human impact
If you want to join the after-seminar meeting with the speakers, or have any questions, comments, or seminar suggestions, please contact the seminar coordinators:

Shuwen Tan- shuwent@ldeo.columbia.edu
Arianna Varuolo-Clarke - ariannav@ldeo.columbia.edu

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Yale School of the Environment
The Future of Forest Products in a Changing Climate: Bioenergy from Forests (BEF)
every Tuesday from January 25 - April 19 from 11:30am-12:10pm US EST. Note: there will be no webinar on March 22.
Register once to attend all webinars and to view the recordings.
https:yff.yale.edu/news/future-forest-products-changing-climate-bioenergy-forests

Energy generated from the combustion of wood and wood wastes or biofuels derived from wood, which is called bioenergy from forests, has been heralded by some as a promising renewable energy source. Yet others raise concerns over negative impacts on the environment and human health and potential increases in green-house gas emissions. In the United States, the Biden Administration's emphasis on climate change has inspired renewed conversations over a full suite of energy technology and natural climate solutions, including biomass energy produced from both hazardous fuels and managed forest systems. Some consider bioenergy from forests an important component in the transition away from fossil fuels while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, key to achieving net-zero economy-wide targets. While for others, the efforts to promote the scaling up of bioenergy from forests raises concerns about natural resource demands and larger sustainability priorities.

The webinar will bring in a wide range of experts to discuss the future role of bioenergy from forests in addressing climate, resource, societal and environmental challenges at regional and global scales. Guest speakers will represent forestry, energy, conservation, and climate science. Speakers will describe their personal and organizational experience with bioenergy from forests, and discuss the environmental, economic, and societal implications for increased use for the energy sector, forest products industry and society.

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MIT
Starr Forum
http://cis.mit.edu/events-seminars/starr-forum-upcoming-events

Thursday, February 03, 2022 12pm
Starr Forum: Autocracy's Assault on Press Freedom
Please register for this Zoom event at https:mit.zoom.us/webinar/register/1816425189798/WN_CKEy28uoSXyxwAKVq3DftQ

Thursday, February 17, 2022 4:30pm
Starr Forum: Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump
Please register for this Zoom event at https:bit.ly/AckermanEvent

Thursday, February 24, 2022 4:30pm
Starr Forum: The Future of US - China Relations
Please register for this Zoom event at https:bit.ly/USAChinaRelations

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Harvard Radcliffe Institute
February 3 - May 11
https:www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/events-and-exhibitions

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Conferences
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NOFA-VT Winter Conference: Dream Into Being
February 17 - March 5
https:nofavt.org/conference

Food and farm enthusiasts, join us for the NOFA-VT 2022 Winter Conference: Dream Into Being, Feb 17th to March 5th! The conference is primarily online, with a featured speaker series, over 40 workshops and panel discussions, in person and on-farm socials, a film screening, trivia night (new!), and more scheduled throughout the days, evenings, and weekends.

You're invited to pause, collectively dream the agricultural future we long for, and learn together about the seeds to plant today to grow the fruits of tomorrow. Every year, this beloved event provides a valuable opportunity for farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, land managers, educators, students, producers, policy-makers, and other food system activists to share ideas, resources, and skills. It is a time to celebrate, gather, and connect.

See details and register (sliding scale) at https:nofavt.org/conference.

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NESEA BuildingEnergy Boston
February 28 - March 1
Westin Boston Seaport District
https:/nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston

BuildingEnergy Boston is a conference designed by and for practitioners in the fields of high-performance building and design, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.

2022 Conference Theme: Who's In?
A sustainable future is possible for the planet and the people who live here, but only with massive, collective, urgent action. With that challenge before us, our theme for this year's BuildingEnergy Boston conference is: Who's In?

Who's in? Who is committed to taking the urgent actions needed to curb the effects of climate change?
Bring us your actionable lessons and roadmaps you've employed to generate real savings and create real change today.

Who's in? Who is the next generation of building and energy professionals?
Demonstrate and share your tactics for driving innovative training, elevating workforce development, and catalyzing the pipeline of skilled, diverse, and committed emerging professionals.

Who's in? And who is still missing? Who continues to be left out of our work, and how do we bring these important voices to the table?
Share your strategies that address justice, equity, and inclusion, particularly ones that reach across historic boundaries to center the voices of those who have been marginalized or left out of the sustainability field.

Are you in?

-------------

Thanks for reading

http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency - zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds

Poll

Votes: 0
Results	\|	Other Polls

Energy and Other Events Monthly | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Energy and APsplainin (none / 1)

US judge strikes down [Barack] Biden ~~climate damage cost~~ GHG price sheet

Known as the social cost [sic] of carbon, the damage figure uses economic models to ~~capture impacts from~~ quantify negative externalities attributed to rising sea levels, recurring droughts[,] and other consequences of ~~climate change~~ industrial pollution. The $51 [2020 NPV earned by polluting enterprises per ton of carbon dioxide wasted] estimate was first established in 2016 and used to justify major rules such as the Clean Power Plan -- former President Barack Obama's signature effort to ~~address climate change~~ restrict industrial pollution by tightening emissions standards from coal-fired power plants -- and separate rules imposing tougher vehicle emission standards. ...

["]Biden["] hikes ~~cost~~ price of ~~carbon~~ GHG emissions, easing path for new climate rules, 26 Feb 2021

[The Interagency Working Group, led by the Council of Economic Advisers, Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Policy] said it was "appropriate" for federal agencies to revert to the Obama-era values, even though "new data and evidence strongly suggests that the discount rate regarded as appropriate for intergenerational analysis is lower."
[...]
The group set a $1,500-per-ton cost for methane emissions and $18,000 for nitrous oxide.
"The IWG will consider the new science and evidence as it works towards a more comprehensive update," the group wrote.

White House EO 13990 Technical Support Document, Calculating the future price of restoring clean air, water, renewable fuels, dwellings, public accommodations, and temperate troposphere

reference
What Is the Clean Power Plan of 2015?
"the final Clean Power Plan creates a new voluntary Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) that will generate additional early compliance [tax] credits" for investor-owned utilities (IOUs).

What Is the Formula for Calculating Net Present Value (NPV)?
"It is widely used in capital budgeting to establish which projects are likely to turn the greatest profit."

k12 Khan Academy micro macro-economic lesson plan

by Cat on Sun Feb 13th, 2022 at 01:32:38 AM EST

Re: Energy and APsplainin (none / 0)

"The carbon benchmark hit a fresh record of 90.75 euros [$102.89] on Wednesday, December 8 (Reuters)."

I suspect the USAmerican Supreme Court will throw out the EPA's ability to regulate carbon emissions by the end of this session if those 6 reactionaries on the bench see any way they can do so.

Solar IS Civil Defense

by gmoke on Sun Feb 13th, 2022 at 09:36:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

heh (none / 0)

1. Since Biden promised, "Nothing will fundamentally change," and I've been monitoring senate confirmation votes on Biden's inferior court nominees as well as White House PR for the trade rags and wikiwtf editorial management of SCOTUS candidates' profiles, I'm comfortable predicting that the senate will produce by a generous margin one more "reactionary"--a Kagan- or Breyer manqué, if you will, of black bourgeois pedigree at some white shoe firm. What's more, I won't be surprised to find immigrant ambition capping the nominee's bona fides. Such was the economical advice provided by campaign 2020 cynics to curry approval from people of color.

In this scenario, a predictable response from the majority to EPA regulatory litigation--depending on the constitutional question-- may well affirm reasoned executive pleadings to administer provisional statutes enacted by CONGRESS, then order review of appellants' proposed remedy to, ahem, tortious? "social cost" basis of accrued global? or state? injuries caused by named? defendants since < checks watch > 2005.

2.Carbon credits are financial instruments. Finance valuation methods and modeling are not well understood in general or by "economists" whether or not they're conversant with accounting principles or prepared for balance sheet "due diligence"--particularly asset (liability), ahem, profit potential. Which is a shame, given investors' cash flow into share buyback, and the posture of states' legislatures generally is to avoid "accountability" for restraint of trade (other than sex), and federal CBO staff is as yet equipped to calculate and rank comparative "benefit" of EU and US projects presented to each state's "environmental" regulator by TNC and GSE polluting ventures. The exchange demand (price) and volume of marketable carbon credits merely shifts nominal cost of remediation from producers of waste to "consumers" of waste. It hasn't substantively reformed business models, marginal "innovation," and competition nor arrested real output over 30 years as has the Basel Convention in 4 and The Pandemic in 2.

3.Let's be honest. Nothing about US American capitalist enterprise will fundamentally change until circumstances--normative, physical, and statutory--absolutely foreclose future profit by it. In that respect, the conservative value system informing EU governance expresses appreciation of finite resources that align political economies of domestic privation and post-colonial friction with inevitable "structural adjustment" in balance of trade between EU27.

by Cat on Mon Feb 14th, 2022 at 02:26:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Energy and EU Inflation (none / 0)

Looking through higher energy prices? Monetary policy and the green transition, 8 Feb 2022

to < squint > absolute GHG emissions

by Cat on Tue Feb 15th, 2022 at 07:33:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Energy and EU Inflation (none / 0)

According to this carbon countdown clock
https://www.mcc-berlin.net/fileadmin/data/clock/carbon_clock.htm

The IPCC calculates that, from 2020 on, the atmosphere can absorb no more than an additional 400 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 to meet the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold of 1.5º Celsius warming.

Annual emissions of CO2 are estimated to be 42.2 Gt per year, the equivalent of 1,337 tonnes per second

At that rate, the carbon budget to stay below 1.5ºC would be used up in about 7 years and 5 months from Jan/Feb 2022 (June/July 2029)

To stay below the 2°C threshold, the carbon budget is 1,150 Gt, giving us 25 years and 3 months (April/May 2047)

Tic... tic.... tic

Solar IS Civil Defense

by gmoke on Tue Feb 15th, 2022 at 11:17:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Tories' Call For Shale Extraction (none / 0)

David Frost joins Tory MPs in calls for return of fracking in UK [_link]
— The Guardian (@guardian) February 13, 2022

There have also been growing mutterings, although the party is split on this, about the cost of achieving net-zero carbon emissions, with some backbenchers wondering why the UK should bear the cost of big emitters like China refuse to do so and undermine the fight against global warming.

Lord Frost tapped into all these gripes with his stunning resignation and is likely to embolden more of those MPs to speak out, even if as a peer sitting in the House of Lords he lacks the platform to become their figurehead.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun Feb 13th, 2022 at 12:04:01 PM EST

Re: Energy and Other Events Monthly (none / 0)

From the playbook of wars on failed states
https:/www.haaretz.com/israel-news.premium-officials-see-breakthrough-to-ending-natural-gas-disput e-with-lebanon-1.10616921

by Tom2 on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 11:50:58 AM EST

Re: Energy and NiMH or NCA recycling (none / 0)

Ford, Volvo partner with [TSLA spin-off] to revitalize old electric vehicle batteries>, precious metals talking points

The companies will work to create "efficient, safe and effective recovery pathways for end-of-life hybrid and electric vehicle battery packs," stated news release from the startup, Redwood Materials.
[...]
An initial partnership between Ford and the Nevada-based startup -- which recycles lithium-ion batteries, phones, laptops power tools and other e-waste -- began in September. ... In September, Ford said it had invested $50 million in Redwood to help expand the startup's manufacturing footprint as part of the corporation's overall plan to invest more than $30 billion in electrification ["carbon-neutral EV manufacturing"] through 2025.
JB Straubel, Redwood's co-founder and CEO, also co-founded Tesla, where he served as chief technical officer and then in an advisory role through 2019.
[...]
Each year, Redwood receives about 6 gigawatt-hours of lithium-ion batteries -- the equivalent of 60,000 EVs, and the brunt of North America's recycled lithium-ion battery supply, according to the company.
[...]
Redwood and the automakers will be working directly with dealers and dismantlers in the state to recover the end-of-life packs and then safely package, transport and recycle the batteries at the startup's facilities in Northern Nevada. Following this process, Redwood will then return high-quality, recycled materials to the domestic battery production market, the company said.

archived charge recycling and pack replacement

by Cat on Thu Feb 17th, 2022 at 11:20:00 PM EST

most ignorant, litigious nation on planet REPORTS (none / 0)

APsplainin Race excluded as WH rolls out climate justice screening tool

Administration officials told reporters that excluding race will make projects less likely to draw legal challenges and will be easier to defend, even as they acknowledged that race has been a major factor in terms of who experiences environmental injustice.

the "tools"

"This was a political decision," said Sacoby Wilson, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. "This was not a scientific decision or a data-driven decision." Wilson has studied the distribution of environmental pollutants and helped develop mapping tools like the one the Council on Environmental Quality released on Friday.

oh. really?

by Cat on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 03:55:54 PM EST

Re: Energy and Other Events Monthly (none / 1)

Lifted from MoA
This may or may not be significant or important: while researching many of the aspects surrounding the '14 coup I came across a map showing the known or believed shale gas deposits within Ukraine. One area is in the northwestern part of the country and the other almost exactly superimposes the area under control of the breakaway areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. Also, before '14 the oil majors Exxon, Shell, and Chevron all had signed joint development agreements with entities within Ukraine to develop those plays - remember that HRC is a big shale gas proponent. After the coup all those oil majors got cold feet and reneged.

Like I said this may be of no significance, but, seeing as energy (and $$$$$) is part of the mix in all of this (when isn't it?) just thought I'd add it to the discussion.

by Tom2 on Fri Feb 18th, 2022 at 09:28:37 PM EST

UPSTREAM resistance and Other Events Monthly (none / 1)

The kitchen of the future won't be cooking with gas>

Commercial and residential buildings represent 13 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, making them critical vehicles for reining in climate change even if new rules don't address existing structures. But just as the campaign to force developers to swear off natural gas has started to gain its footing, it's beginning to feel its political limits: There is no federal building energy code, and while climate activists have found success in deep-blue cities like New York [FALSE], Seattle[FALSE,] and San Francisco [FALSE], they've struggled with statewide adoption.
Even in Democratic-controlled states, the prospect of phasing out gas-fired stoves and furnaces has lit new tensions between moderates concerned about energy costs and progressives frustrated by the nation's patchwork approach to global warming.

Balmer minute: 4 quotes later, cost of replacing 25 y.o. HVAC with 2021 "high-efficiency" gas or pump 3-ton EPA-rated system are nearly identical ($15K ± 10% ex financing ± 3%-9%/36+ mo)

One of the sponsors, Democratic state Sen. Vin Gopal, plans to introduce another version of the bill soon that would stymie any sort of statewide ban. Gopal said his main concern is about how much it might cost consumers to switch when about 85 percent of the state relies on natural gas or fuel oil for heat. "We need to make sure we understand the pricing because we don't want to price anybody out," he said in an interview.
[...]
The American Gas Association has also suggested the grid may not be prepared for such a large increase in power demand, particularly as Americans accumulate gadgets and electric vehicles become more widespread -- a concern grid operators monitor but consider overblown. The lack of hookups would also preclude using any cleaner gases in the future.
The industry is taking the threat to their business seriously: ~~At least 19, mostly Republican-controlled,~~ states have enacted laws backed by the fossil fuel industry that prevent cities from placing bans [There's yer problem right there; wrong "tool" for the job. DSIRE in practice is dead, Jim, where state agencies limit qualified contractor payees to plumbing & gas.] on natural gas. Similar bills have been introduced in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Virginia [GOP-controlled states or ... no?] this year.

Do the academics and honestly expect investors representing all those widahs and orphans who rely on "passive income" from index funds and IOU dividend distros to renovate their new or existing Dwell mag models to go quietly? I think not. Dishonesty's the ethical sewer from which they harvest brave, NEW! "sustainable" WiFi-enabled appliances and "renewable" old growth sales and novel vinyl applications.
archive It's frustrating

by Cat on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 07:59:57 PM EST

Re: UPSTREAM resistance- Maryland (none / 0)

DSIRE

New in FY22 (1 July 2021-31 June 2022):
For FY22, MEA is now allowing a new option for whole building upgrades and incremental new construction projects. See the Low-to-Moderate Income Grant Program Funding Opportunity Announcement and Application on the Low-to-Moderate Income Grant Program webpage to learn more.
Program updates for FY22 include:
Some [!] fuel switching comprehensive mechanical upgrades are now possible. All residential projects must have an estimated simple payback [!!] of 15 years or less and result in decreased overall household energy usage.
The cost of MEA's contribution to the energy efficiency upgrade is capped at a maximum of $7,000 per home for projects not involving a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system replacement and a maximum of $12,000 per home for a project involving an HVAC system replacement.
For projects that include fuel switching and require an upgrade to the electric service to facilitate the energy efficient upgrades, an additional amount of up to $3,000 is available exclusively dedicated for upgrades to a dwelling's electrical service as needed to facilitate mechanical energy efficiency upgrades.
Application Deadline: Monday, November 1, 2021 by 11:59PM EDT

I applied for "Whole Home" grant or loan subsidy for HH income < 200 FPL, August 2021. Here's what MEA delivered to me a/o 18 Nov 2021.

no prerequisite DSIRE "audit"
no system RFP
no choice of MEA vendor
no window thermal audit, replacement, or "weather stripping" (MEA discontinued ~ 2016)
MEA-assigned vendor install: 1/6 LED light, 1 digital thermostat*, 50 linear ft 3/4" water pipe insulation, 0/2 shower head (not warranted on inspection) and 0/3 faucet aerators (not warranted). This kit is equivalent to BGE Quick Home Upgrades

ME: I want a heat pump. $/kWH < 30% $/therm. I have three RFQs, one from the utility company (BGE Home). Do you want to see them?
MEA vendor advice: No. You cannot have a heat pump. You're qualified for only hi-fi gas retrofit.
ME: CFM is incorrectly sized to sf. Do you agree? Do you do duct work to fit hi-fi HVAC?
MEA vendor advice: Yes, it is. But I don't recommend retrofit without new duct work.
ME: Do you replace duct work?
MEA vendor: No. MEA discontinued duct work 2018.
ME: Did you notice the exposed water-damaged insulation in my ceilings? Does MEA cover insulation?
MEA vendor: No.
ME: Can I hire your company to replace insulation?
MEA vendor: No. MEA doesn't permit applicants to contract with MEA vendors.

* constant 68F 24/7 setting + 120F boiler actually increased between Nov install - to Feb 2022. So. What thermostat can compensate for seasonal utility kWH + therm rate hikes?

by Cat on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 10:52:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: UPSTREAM resistance and Other Events Monthly (none / 0)

This is BGE/Xcelon's handy Annual Heating Comparison Calculator (unadjusted by either BGE or alternative supplier seasonal rates). "Combined energy cost (ex BGE delivery charges--+89% therm, + 36% kWH--fees, taxes) are unavailable" to individual BGE customers. But the message is obvious: Do not switch fuel from NG.

by Cat on Sat Feb 19th, 2022 at 11:21:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: UPSTREAM resistance and Other Events Monthly (none / 0)

"We don't want to price anybody out" is just a stalling tactic. Income inequity and poverty need to be dealt with as a separable problem from the cost of climate change remediation. Give out incentives to convince people who can almost afford it to change.

by asdf on Sun Feb 20th, 2022 at 01:52:40 AM EST
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Energy and Other Events Monthly | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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