Offshore Wind Trumps Offshore Drilling in Job Growth and Energy Generation

Cole Mellino  ::  EcoWatch  ::  14 January 2015 

The oil and gas industry has been lobbying to expand offshore drilling for years, claiming it will increase U.S. energy independence, result in millions of dollars in state revenue and create thousands of jobs. A new report, Offshore Energy by the Numbers, An Economic Analysis of Offshore Drilling and Wind Energy in the Atlantic, from Oceana challenges these claims byshowing that “offshore wind would produce twice the number of jobs and twice the amount of energy as offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.”

In the next 20 years, offshore wind could create about 91,000 more jobs than offshore drilling and could generate enough energy to power over 115 million households. Photo credit: Shutterstock

It turns out that the fossil fuel industry’s estimates on revenue and job creation potential have been inflated because of the “inclusion of oil and gas resources that are not economically recoverable” and a reliance on “an assumption of a state revenue-sharing system” that just does not exist. Not only are the benefits exaggerated, but the estimates do not account for the loss of jobs and revenue in fishing, tourism and recreation, which depend on a healthy marine ecosystem. Drilling threatens the aquatic life in this ecosystem, nearly 1.4 million jobs and more than $95 billion in gross domestic product.

Oceana points out offshore drilling poses a serious threat to aquatic life even before “a rig is ever put in the water” because oil and gas companies use seismic air guns, which “make dynamite-like blasts to search for oil and gas deposits deep below the ocean floor.” The Obama administration announced its decision last July to consider proposals for the use of seismic air guns from Delaware down to Florida.

“Based on the government’s own estimates, seismic blasting in the Atlantic could harm fish populations while injuring as many as 138,000 marine mammals like whales and dolphins, disturbing the vital activities of as many as 13.5 million more,” said Andrew Menaquale, report author and energy analyst at Oceana. Menaquale also found, again based on the government’s own estimates, that “if all of the economically recoverable offshore oil and gas in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf were extracted and used, oil demand would only be met for less than five months and gas demand would only be met for less than 10 months, at current consumption rates.”

Alternatively, the report shows, “in just 13 years, offshore wind could generate more energy than could be provided by all of the economically recoverable offshore oil and gas resources.” And in the next 20 years, “offshore wind could create about 91,000 more jobs than offshore drilling” and “could generate enough energy to power over 115 million households.”

“Unlike offshore drilling, offshore wind provides power directly to coastal communities where we need energy the most, without the risk of oil spills or carbon pollution,” said Menaquale. “It’s time for the U.S. to use the lessons learned from more than 20 years of offshore wind development internationally and apply them to generating clean, renewable energy off our coasts.”

UK Wind Power Smashes Records As Scotland Eyes Fossil-Free Future

Gabrielle Bailey  ::  TckTckTck  ::  5 January 2015

Wind power went from strength to strength in the UK in 2014, with new figures from the National Grid showing the sector smashed its previous energy generation record last year.

Across the board, UK wind power generation is breaking records. December generation broke records, with wind’s contribution to the electricity mix rising to 14 percent. Photo credit: Creative Commons / André van Rooyen, 2009

It was revealed this week that the wind power in the UK climbed 15 percent in 2014 and now powers a quarter of British homes.

Wind power generation rose from 24.5 terawatt hours to 28.1TWh—enough to supply the needs of more than 6.7 million households across the UK.

Across the board, UK wind power generation is breaking records. December generation broke records, with wind’s contribution to the electricity mix rising to 14 percent.

In Scotland too, energy generation from wind broke records—in November alone, energy from Scottish wind farms provided power for 107 percent of homes in the country.

Maf Smith, deputy chief executive of RenewableUK, said:

It’s great to start 2015 with some good news about the massive quantities of clean electricity we’re now generating from wind, with new records being set month after month, quarter after quarter, and year on year, as we increase our capacity to harness one of Britain’s best natural resources.

He noted the importance clean energy would play in the forthcoming general elections:

We’re now into a general election year so we know that the political temperature is set to carry on rising over the next few months. The cost of energy has become an important political issue, so now would be a good time for voters, prospective parliamentary candidates and MPs to take account of the fact that onshore wind is the cheapest form of renewable energy we have at our fingertips.

The news of wind power’s great success comes as a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) study predicts that Scotland’s power grid could viably become entirely fossil-free by 2030.

The study found the Scottish government’s policy goal of decarbonising Scottish power generation by 2030 was technically possible, due to the country’s abundance of wind and wave energy resources.

Paul Gardner, lead author of the WWF report, said:

Our technical analysis shows that a system with an extremely high proportion of renewable electricity generation located in Scotland can be secure and stable.There is no technical reason requiring conventional fossil and nuclear generation in Scotland.

What’s more, while the Scottish government’s current decarbonisation plan to 2030 relies on untested carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, the latest research shows this is not needed to ensure a fossil-free future.

It states that “a renewables-based, efficient, flexible, electricity system is perfectly feasible by 2030”

To become entirely renewable-dependent would be a cheaper and safer option for the country.

Renewable energy is more than 50 percent cheaper than installing carbon capture and storage in thermal plants, while renewables would be replacing dangerous fossil fuels that have negative effects on the planet and on public health.

Moreover, WWF stated that renewable projects in the pipeline are more than adequate for the country’s electricity needs.

Gina Hanrahan, climate and energy policy officer at WWF Scotland, said:

Pursuing this pathway would allow Scotland to maintain and build on its position as the UK and Europe’s renewable powerhouse, cut climate emissions and continue to reap the jobs and investment opportunities offered by Scotland’s abundant renewable resources.

The report has given the Scottish government a number of policy recommendations to be implemented if the target is to be met, suggesting  Westminster and Holyrood  should work together to support initiatives to reduce the demand for energy.

Richard Branson and Amory Lovins Join Forces to Accelerate Clean Energy Revolution

Richard Branson and Amory Lovins  ::  EcoWatch  ::  17 December 2014

The world’s three biggest carbon emitters—the U.S., China, and the European Union—have allannounced emissions goals or limits in the past few months. That’s great news, but global fossil fuel demand continues to rise, and with it, so do climate change’s risks—to the economy, to the environment, to security, to human health and to people living in poverty in areas whereclimate change will have a devastating impact. The most recent IPCC report (AR5) found that “warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” “human influence on the climate system is clear,” and “limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”

Combating climate change through energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, clean transportation, and smarter land use can reap great rewards both economically and environmentally. Photo credit: Shutterstock

The 2014 report Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United Statesdetailed the serious economic harm we can expect from climate change if we continue on our current path. But the challenge before us is about more than averting the worst economic impacts of climate change. As highlighted in the recently released Better Growth, Better Climate report from The New Climate Economy, it’s also about finding enormous economic opportunity in clean energy solutions that both tackle global warming and unlock growth opportunities for all.

The transformation to a low-carbon future is arguably the greatest business opportunity of our time. Combating climate change through energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, clean transportation, and smarter land use can reap great rewards both economically and environmentally.

Fortunately, an energy revolution is rising all around us—enabled by smart policies in mindful markets, and led by business for profit. Efficient energy use fuels more economic activity than oil, at far lower cost, while its potential gets ever bigger and cheaper. In each of the past three years, the world invested a quarter-trillion dollars—more than the market cap of the world’scoal industry—to add over 80 billion watts of renewable capacity (excluding big hydro dams). Generating capacity added last year was 37 percent renewable in the U.S., 68 percent in China, 72 percent in Europe and 53 percent in the world. Last year, the world invested over $600 billion in efficiency, renewables, and cogeneration.

This growth is accelerating: solar power is scaling faster than cellphones. Last year alone, China added more solar capacity than the U.S. has added in 60 years. Electric vehicle sales are growing twice as fast as hybrid cars did at a comparable stage. Shrewd companies are realizing climate solutions’ enormous business opportunities—a prospect scarcely dimmed by cheaper oil, which makes only a few percent of the world’s electricity.

Global companies like IKEA, Google, Apple, Facebook, Salesforce and Walmart have committed to 100 percent renewable power. Tesla’s stock is up an astounding 660 percent over the past two years and has half the market value of General Motors Corp. The NEX index, which tracks clean energy companies worldwide, grew by 50 percent over the past two years—far outperforming the general market—while equity raisings by quoted clean energy companies more than doubled. Many of the world’s top financial firms concur that the era of coal and of big power plants is drawing to a close; Germany’s biggest utility is divesting those assets to focus on efficiency and renewables.

Yet we need to create even bigger and faster change. Which is why we are delighted to announce that our two nonprofit organizations—Rocky Mountain Institute and the Carbon War Room—are joining forces. By uniting two of the world’s preeminent nonprofit practitioners of market-based energy and climate solutions, we will help turn the toughest long-term energy challenges into vast opportunities for entrepreneurs to create wealth and public benefit for all.

United we stand to make a greater impact more quickly. Indeed, we already are. Our first combined program, the Ten Island Challenge, is making progress in six Caribbean countries. Caribbean economies suffer from some of the world’s highest electricity prices—perpetuating poverty, swelling national debts, and blocking sustainable development. They are also on the front lines of climate change, facing earlier impacts from sea-level rise, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events. Our alliance is laying the groundwork to transform these islands’ energy systems from dependence on costly imported diesel oil to cleaner, cost-effective efficiency and local renewables. This will cut electricity costs, boost private investment, and enhance and diversify local jobs. We are demonstrating that entire economies can adopt low-carbon solutions while strengthening their economies.

And islands are just the beginning as we build on our organizations’ initiatives already underway and on our new joint efforts to go further, faster together. In trucking, the learnings of our North American initiative will seed a new China program—strengthening an exciting collaboration with the Chinese government’s energy analysts that’s already showing the maximum share of efficiency and renewables that could support the forecasted economic growth of what will soon become the world’s largest economy. In cement, we will join forces to offset the energy surge from construction in the world’s fastest-growing economies. And we will combine our work on cracking the biggest nut of all: energy efficiency in buildings. Since they use nearly three-fourths of U.S. electricity, that’s the key to making electricity supply affordable, distributed, diverse, resilient, and largely renewable.

Switching to a fossil-fuel-free energy system will not only cost less, but will help re-ignite the world’s economies. In the U.S. alone, Rocky Mountain Institute’s Reinventing Fire analysisfound that a 158-percent bigger economy could need no coal and oil and one-third less natural gas, yet cost $5 trillion less than business as usual. We are closer than ever before to transforming the world to a low-carbon energy system. Rocky Mountain Institute and the Carbon War Room are excited to coordinate their proven approaches to scaling transformational change worldwide. Together, we will more than double our impact on the scale and speed of the energy transformation to a clean, prosperous, secure and low-carbon world.

We will reach this better world only if we all collaborate. None of us can do this on our own.  That’s why we are thrilled to be joining forces, and hope that others will be inspired to do the same—so we can build this exciting new world of opportunities at the pace our grandchildren require.

UK Wind Power Beats Coal and Nukes

Anastasia Pantsios  ::  EcoWatch  ::  September 2, 2014 

Wind energy continues to set new records in the UK.

Wind energy is taking its place as the UK’s new powerhouse, overtaking coal and nuclear as one of the most important resources we have to keep Britain’s lights on. Photo credit: Shutterstock

The UK enjoyed a groundbreaking month in August, blowing past coal-fired energy generation on five separate days, according to Renewable UK, a trade group that promotes renewable-friendly policies in the UK. That’s a first. The group reported that wind overtook coal in providing energy to the grid on Aug. 3, 9, 11, 12 and 17 and generated more energy than nuclear power on Aug. 29.

On Aug 11., wind set a record, providing 21 percent of UK electricity, breaking a record of 20 percent set last December. Although some of that surge was attributable to the aftermath of Hurricane Bertha, it broke that record on Aug. 17 when wind provided 22 percent of the country’s electricity needs, demonstrating that wind is an energy sector that’s getting stronger.

“Wind energy is taking its place as the UK’s new powerhouse, overtaking coal and nuclear as one of the most important resources we have to keep Britain’s lights on,” said RenewableUK’s director of external affairs Jennifer Webber. “It continues to surpass its own records, and these figures prove that can happen at any time of year. As we approach autumn and winter, we can expect wind to maintain this strong performance and provide electricity when demand is especially high.”
Renewable UK also reported that overall, wind provided 10 percent of the country’s energy in August, not far behind the record of 13 percent set this past December.