EnviroPolitics Blog

New York State award will more than double the number of wind turbines planned for Long Island’s South Shore

A rendering of an offshore wind port facility planned for the South Shore. Credit: Equinor

By Mark Harrington mark.harrington@newsday.com, Newsday

New York State’s decision last week to award two “massive” offshore wind power contracts to Norwegian energy giant Equinor will more than double the size of a planned wind farm off the coast of Long Island. It also promises “substantial” upgrades to a section of the electric grid at Oceanside.

The plan, announced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last week as part of an expansive post-COVID-19 green economy, would bring the number the number of turbines expected to be spinning off the South Shore by 2027 to around 170, encompassing some 80,000 acres from Jones Beach to Islip, the company said. New York has a stated goal of some 9,000 megawatts of wind power by 2035, to displace carbon-belching conventional plants.

The state awarded the projects to Norwegian energy giant Equinor, which in 2019 was awarded a separate contract for 816 megawatts in a project called Empire Wind 1, some 15 miles off Jones Beach. That project will be constructed by 2024 directly adjacent to the newly awarded Empire Wind 2 and will be “built as one project, in sequence,” said Siri Espedal Kindem, president of Equinor’s U.S. Wind division. Empire Wind 2 is expected to be comprised of some 90 turbines.

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She said the company is interested in bidding for new lease areas off the coast of Long Island, a process that has been stalled under the Trump Administration.

Empire Wind 2 would have a maximum capacity of 1,260 megawatts, while the second state-awarded project called Beacon Wind, to be located 60 miles northeast of Montauk off the Massachusetts coast, has a capacity of 1,230 megawatts.

The combined 2,490 megawatt output from the latest round of turbines, which could be more than 800 feet tall, would be enough to power millions of homes throughout the downstate region. By comparison, the Northport power station owned by National Grid, has a maximum capacity of around 1,600 megawatts.

For Long Island, the Empire 2 project, which will be built some 20 miles off Jones Beach and as far as 35 miles eastward toward Islip, promises “substantial” local grid upgrades in Oceanside, commitments for job training and recruitment from surrounding communities, and Long Island’s share of $47 million in workforce development and community benefit funds the company is making available statewide, the company said.Get the Biz Briefing newsletter!

Empire Wind 1 and 2 will be run from an operation-and-maintenance facility planned for South Brooklyn, with hiring expected to come from Nassau County and Brooklyn, said Julia Bovey, Equinor U.S. Wind’s director of external affairs.

A map shows a planned wind farm area for New York. The state last week to award two offshore wind power contracts to Norwegian energy giant Equinor. Credit: Equinor

Equinor’s bid included commitments to manufacture wind turbine towers and foundations at a new port facility in Albany, with finished components to be shipped via the Hudson River. The bid also included a commitment to create 5,200 direct jobs statewide for the two projects, contributions to a state Offshore Wind Training Institute, and a significant investment in two ports, in South Brooklyn and Albany, to manufacture project components.

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Joe Biden sworn in as the 46th president, as the Trump era ends amid a national rift

(Jonathan Newton photo for The Washington Post)

By Toluse Olorunnipa and Annie Linskey, Washington Post

With his hand on his family Bible, Biden recited the oath taken by his predecessors, promising to “faithfully execute the office of president of the United States,” and, with the help of God, “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

“This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge,” Biden said in an inaugural address that called on the nation to end its “uncivil war” and embrace a united front amid a series of daunting problems. “Unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail.”

With his hand on his family Bible, Biden recited the oath taken by his predecessors, the pinnacle of a career in public leadership that began a half century ago.

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Kamala D. Harris sworn in as vice president, shattering gender and racial barriers

By Chelsea Janes and Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post

Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as vice president of the United States on Wednesday, stepping into history as the highest-ranking female politician in American history.

As the world watched and worried and hoped, Harris raised her right hand, face steeled as it was through so many hearings and debates that it became her signature stare.

Then, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor read “so help me God,” the stoicism broke.

“So help me God,” Harris repeated, overcome with a smile as her sister, Maya, broke into tears behind her. She hugged her husband. She found Joe Biden waiting, shaking his fists in triumph. Then she walked back to her seat and into history.

Hawaii to power its clean grid with 6,000 home batteries

Swell will link batteries in 6,000 different homes to create a decentralized power plant for the local utility.

By Julian Spector, gtm

Hawaii’s largest utility enlisted a new tool in its quest for a carbon-free electricity system: thousands of batteries installed in people’s homes.

Hawaiian Electric won regulator approval for a $25 million plan to harness solar and batteries at 6,000 homes across the islands of Hawaii, Maui and Oahu. Venice Beach, Calif.-based startup Swell Energy will oversee customer outreach, installation and operation of the network, which will serve as a virtual power plant.

Once complete, the portfolio will supply 25 megawatts of solar power and 80 megawatts of battery capacity, which Hawaiian Electric can use as electricity during hours when grid demand surges, as well as delivering rapid-fire fast frequency grid response.

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The virtual power plant model offers homeowners backup power and power bill savings from self-supplying electricity for more hours of the day. The battery capacity is also available to the utility to deal with the systemwide challenges associated with the transition to cleaner energy. This requires balancing grid needs with ensuring that customers are backed up and fairly compensated.

“What do homeowners think about this? Folks dig it,” CEO Suleman Khan told Greentech Media in a December interview. “The dual use case is quite efficacious for both parties.”

This is still an emerging asset class, but last month Swell revealed it had raised a $450 million project finance fund from Ares Management Corp. and Aligned Climate Capital. The fund provides the venture-backed startup with low-cost capital to build out battery networks, in anticipation of the long-term contracted revenue Swell will earn from utilities once the fleets are operational.

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U.S. deaths from Covid-19 surpass 400,000

The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines

By Christina Maxouris and Jason Hanna, CNN

(CNN) The United States has reported at least 400,000 deaths from Covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of Tuesday afternoon.

That’s more than the number of Americans who died in World War I, Vietnam War and the Korean War combined, and nearly as many Americans who died in World War II. It’s far higher than any other country’s Covid-19 death toll.The pandemic’s death toll has risen sharply in increments of 100,000 since the first coronavirus death in the United States was reported February 29 in Washington state. (Later in the spring, two earlier deaths in California were posthumously confirmed to be from Covid-19.)

84 days after the first recorded death, the US surpassed 100,000 deaths on May 23, 2020.
121 days later, the US surpassed 200,000 deaths on September 21, 2020.
84 days later, the US surpassed 300,000 deaths on December 14, 2020.
36 days later, on January 19, 2021, the US topped 400,000 deaths.

Those who’ve died will be in focus Tuesday evening, when President-elect Joe Biden, one day ahead of his inauguration in the nation’s capital, is set to attend a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool at 5:30 p.m. ET to honor Covid-19 victims.Biden’s inaugural committee is inviting cities and towns across the country to join in by illuminating buildings and ringing church bells “in a national moment of unity and remembrance.”

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Coronavirus Update With CDC Director Rochelle Walensky

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How mattress recyclers are adapting to evolving consumer trends

Bulky, hard to compact and ubiquitous, mattresses are seen as a promising area to help reduce hauling costs and drive progress on recycling.

By Karine Vann @karinevann, Waste Dive

As more states consider policy moves to bolster mattress recycling, changes in the way mattresses are purchased may have effects on the recycling process years down the line.

The promises of mattress recycling are appealing to local governments hoping to lower hauling costs and reach zero waste goals. Because they are bulky and exceedingly difficult to compact, mattresses are a challenge for the waste industry, and in some areas municipalities can be charged significant sums to dispose of them.

As a result, legislation around mattress recycling has gained momentum in recent years. Since 2015, California, Connecticut and Rhode Island have all launched extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for these products. Other states are hoping to follow suit. A similar program is now being considered by legislators in Massachusetts, which generates 600,000 mattresses per year according to the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). An estimated 75% of that volume ends up in landfills or incinerators. The agency is also pursuing its own disposal ban on mattresses.

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But as the pandemic accelerates the ongoing shift toward a mail-order “bed in a box” system, the industry will have to consider the implications of new purchasing habits and materials that may increase the number of mattress disposed of each year, and decrease the variety of traditional end markets.

Mattress recycling today

As an item historically designed for longevity, there is a significant lag between when a mattress is purchased and when it is discarded. According to Mike O’Donnell, managing director at the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) – a group forged by the International Sleep Products Association to oversee and expand mattress recycling in the U.S. He said this is an important factor in considering how programs will evolve.

“We have about an 11-year delay between what is being manufactured and when it comes into our recycling facilities,” said O’Donnell, referring to a study performed by MRC in 2019 that looked at the date tags on inbound mattresses, to help the organization begin to “forecast for the future.”

The industry has long been dominated by traditional box spring mattresses. These consist of a variety of materials, from the steel in its springs to the wood in its frames.

But in the last decade or so, modern mattresses have shifted toward a more homogenous composition, made of polyurethane foam.

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NJ Senate committee to take up energy, solar, other bills

The Senate Environment and Energy Committee will meet remotely on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 10 a.m.

The committee will consider the following bills:

S83 (Bateman / Codey) – Establishes “Jersey Native Plants Program.”

S329 (Smith) – Establishes “Solar Roof Installation Warranty Program” in EDA and transfers $2 million from societal benefits charge to initially fund program.

S2605 (Smith / Bateman) – Directs BPU to establish utility-scale solar energy development program; modifies State’s renewable energy portfolio standards.

S2846 / A740 (Gopal / Johnson / Conaway / DeCroce) – Requires State agencies in awarding contracts for purchase of items that require power source to consider items powered by fuel cells.

S3184 (Greenstein) – Provides corporation business tax credit and allows gross income tax deduction for purchase and installation of electric vehicle charging stations.

FOR DISCUSSION ONLY:

S2679 (Beach) – Requires paint producers to implement or participate in paint stewardship program.

The Committee will take oral testimony on bills, by telephone and video. If you are interested in registering your position with the Committee, please fill out the Registration Form located on the New Jersey Legislature Home Page under the applicable Committee heading. For those individuals who wish to testify, please check the box “Do you wish to testify?” on the Registration Form. Instructions for testifying before the Committee will be forwarded to you after you submit your Registration Form. The form must be submitted by 3:00 PM on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.

The public may also submit written testimony electronically in lieu of oral testimony. Written testimony will be included in the Committee record and distributed to all the Committee members. Written testimony should be submitted to OLSAideSEN@njleg.org.

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