[GWSG] Fe-air power; vs. CH4, nukes; French folly; hotter Arctic?; bad, bad drought; big, big money

[Tilley, Al]

1. Form Energy has contracted with a subsidiary of Southern Company to provide up to 15 megawatts of power storage using an iron-air battery. The cost is said to be less than $20/kWh, and the promised 100 hour capacity is larger than lithium-ion batteries can provide. This may be a big step toward ending our methane industry.   https://www.utilitydive.com/news/form-energy-announces-partnership-with-georgia-power-to-test-100-hour-iron-/618626/



2. The new battery is almost as low in cost as a peaking gas plant, but then the real costs of gas are externalized. Our health and the future of the planet should really be included. We won’t even mention nuclear costs. https://www.utilitydive.com/news/form-energys-20kwh-100-hour-iron-air-battery-could-be-a-substantial-br/603877/  Lazard’s levelized cost of energy as of last fall indicates that peaking gas is about $17/kWh. Nuclear is similar but with a larger spread. It's a pleasure to see where wind and utility solar lie.  https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-levelized-cost-of-storage-and-levelized-cost-of-hydrogen/



3. France plans 6 new nuclear plants by 2050 and perhaps 8 others. That gives them some time to change their minds, as they should, but may silence Macron’s right wing opponents, at least on that issue. https://cleantechnica.com/2022/02/14/france-will-build-up-to-14-new-nuclear-generating-stations-by-2050/



4. The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the global average. Change in albedo as the ice melts is only part of the reason. An ice-free Arctic would still be heating faster.  https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-why-does-the-arctic-warm-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-planet?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20220214&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily



5. The drought in the US West is the worst in at least 1200 years, and has not peaked yet. Now that we know the developing conditions, we can choose sustainable pathways.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/15/us-west-megadrought-worst-1200-years-study



6. The big money financing the expansion of fossil fuels and the Republicans who abet it comes from private equity firms largely hidden from public view. A couple of organizations are bringing them into the light.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/15/us-private-equity-firms-funding-dirty-energy-projects

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