Watt’s Happening aims to provide breaking news, sharp analysis, and thoughtful commentary from the cutting edge of the energy sector as this dynamic area of the world continues to expand and grow before our eyes.
Weekly Highlights:
A New Venture Between the United States and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman capped off his visit to the United States by summarizing the two nations’ recent agreements, which include a defense pact and (more important to the readers of this article) an agreement that allows the United States to access Saudi rare earth minerals. This is being portrayed as a huge win for the United States, as Saudi Arabia allegedly has the fourth-highest level of mineral resources in the world. The goal of such a deal, obviously, is to wean the United States away from China’s monopoly over these minerals, which are used in everything from cell phones to fighter jets.
Ohioans Push Back
While the United States seems to be divided into areas of the country that are embracing clean energy and those that are rejecting it, the identity of which state is in which camp is constantly in flux. For instance, although three dozen counties in the state of Ohio have made large-scale solar illegal, residents of Richland County, in the form of the Richland County Citizens for Property Rights and Job Development, are fighting back. Indeed, the organization has succeeded in getting a measure on the ballot that will reverse the ban in the county.
Some Good News Amidst the Gloom
While energy-related news often seems to sport an atmosphere of doom and gloom, there are always some exceptions. One such event that bucks the trend is the IAEA’s recent report stating that the rate of global improvement in energy efficiency is set to rise by 1.8 percent after being stagnant at 1.3 percent over the past couple of years. As the target rate for 2030, set in 2023, was set at four percent, there is still much left to do, especially in fields like industry (where the bulk of new demand is) and not a lot of time left to do it. Nor does the report state that we should throw in the towel, arguing that policies being allowed to catch up to technological advancement would do a great deal to close the gap.
Drilling for Oil in Alaska
The White House has recently opened more of Alaska’s North Slope for oil and natural gas drilling, and some people are very happy. Indeed, Kaktovik Inupiat Corp.’s president Charles Lampe praised the decision as being not only in the national interest, ensuring a reserve supply of oil and gas until solar and wind power become more reliable, but also in the interest of providing employment to the area’s local Native American tribes. Of course, there is a flip side to this that President Lampe doesn’t mention — the ecological degradation and the continued delay of the shift to green energy.
Why Aren’t Fossil Fuels Being Replaced Faster?
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Adjunct Associate Professor of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Jay Gulledge recently spoke about the fact that the cheapest way to expand the nation’s electric generation capacity was to build more coal and natural gas plants. Happily, that is no longer the case. Indeed, solar and wind power, according to Dr. Gullege, are now cheaper on a utility-scale basis than coal and natural gas. So, if they’re cheaper, why aren’t fossil fuels even more on the way out than they already are? Is it a lack of will, political gridlock, or something else?
About the Author: Toni Mikec
Toni Mikec is the managing editor for Energy World, a publication of the Center for the National Interest. Before that, he worked as a political consultant for Your Voter Guide in Sacramento and as a senior editor at Eagle Financial Publications in Washington DC. He holds a B.A. in International Relations (summa cum laude) from the University of California, Davis and a M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Image: Shutterstock/Tamer A Soliman
