Seaside cities globally are facing the ever harsher reality of rising seas and accelerating erosion and as the costs grow, more attention is being given to cities engineered to float. The idea has a history dating back to Herodotus but is getting a fresh look from leaders and companies such as Oceanix, whose vision embraces urban areas built on floating hexagons that are self-sustaining and produce no waste.
The workplace will be permanently changed by the coronavirus crisis, according to organizational strategy consultant David Belden, with more teams working efficiently from home. In addition, the Trust Alliance recently discussed counseling services for employees during times of personal crises and isolation as well as other support systems to build trust among employers and employees.
Congress can bring stability to the US wind industry and ensure the sector continues to support workers and rural communities that benefit from land lease agreements and other policies by including tax credit extensions and a "direct pay" provision in the next stimulus package, says American Wind Energy Association President and CEO Tom Kiernan. "What we're looking for is some confidence that these policies that Congress has enacted in the past are available going forward as presumed when these projects were designed and the initial planning was going on," he said.
Policymakers looking to put the US on the path to economic recovery should invest in modernizing the nation's transmission infrastructure in order to improve reliability, create jobs and support the transition toward clean energy, writes Devashree Saha of the World Resources Institute. "As we prioritize economic recovery and job creation, we must do so in a way that simultaneously makes progress on climate goals," she writes.
ENGIE North America is developing the 88-turbine King Plains project in Oklahoma and the 92-turbine Triple H Wind site in South Dakota, with plans to launch both projects in the second half of the year. The projects will feature turbines from GE Renewable Energy.
NextEra Energy Resources is moving forward with plans to begin building a transmission line and launch construction of the 250-megawatt Skeleton Creek project in Oklahoma this spring, and doesn't expect any coronavirus-related delays, said executive Sara Cassidy. The project is "on track to achieve commercial operation by the end of this year," she said.
Bladt Industries has secured contracts to deliver 39 monopile foundations for Innogy's Kaskasi Offshore Wind Farm in Germany and to build the site's offshore substation. Installation of the substation will likely be completed in 2022.
People can learn a lot about the way Americans use energy, and identify areas for improvement, by viewing the federal government's Hourly Electric Grid Monitor, which tracks energy consumption in real-time, writes Karin Kirk. Kirk uses the monitor to show how renewables consumption varies in Texas and California depending on access to natural resources and the season, and argues the results make a strong case for adding more energy storage capacity.
Lawmakers in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota have paused or slowed work on various pieces of legislation that could shape the future of clean energy locally due to the coronavirus. Illinois lawmakers continue to work on the Path to 100 Act, a bill that would increase the state's renewable energy standard to 40% by 2030, but progress has slowed as the governor focuses on curbing the spread of the virus.
Leaders in New York have advanced the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, a part of the state's fiscal 2020-21 budget that will accelerate the siting and development of clean energy sites. The new law will create the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting and supports Gov. Andrew Cuomo's goal to source 70% of the state's electricity from renewables.