The Electric Exit Ramp
Darwin Award Earth
Wendy Northcutt in the home office today, with Episode2 of CAN YOU FIX STUPID? A lovely marine layer cools the homestead this AM with a high temp of 88. 88 is anecdotally a code for “Heil Hitler” listed in the “Hate Symbols Database.” Holy hotsauce, a hate symbols database? There was kinda not hate speech on the 1990s internet, prior to “social media” we socialized — peacefully. Bulletin boards were informative. Websites were quirky, handbuilt, adorable. “Don’t Feed The Trolls” philosophy was sufficient to quiet conflict, “don’t feed troll” we reminded each other. Internet today is a sad devolution of online communication. An anti-communication device, really. A propaganda gong.
Anyway.
Today I want to talk about the US Department Of Energy. Because our Earth System is slated to win a Darwin Award, and somebody has to do something, and do something soon!
If dirty energy got us into this mess,
then clean energy can get us out.
But who? how?
My friends are frustrated with this speeding JATO Rocket Car of global warming. We hope for a sign of effort to slow the JATO Rocket and reverse course. And whaddaya know, the USA is actually gearing up to downshift (heh get the play on words) and throttle that rocket of doom.
Maria Robinson, Director of the Grid Deployment Office at the DOE, is doing a bunch of things you don’t yet know about. She is using money from the bipartisan Build Back Better act approved by Congress to push hydroelectric plants to get more energy from their dams. Damn!
I am diligent about the DOE YouTube channel. The information from this video (20 min) is not covered in the “mainstream news” but we cover it here at the Whole Earth catalog of Darwin Awards. What follows is only a sip from the firehose of goodness springing from the DOE. Go subscribe.
Hydroelectric is big, it’s 30% of current renewable energy. (heheh current renewable energy) Director Robinson considers hydroelectric ‘key to this nation’s clean energy future.’ The US Hydroelectric Fleet is aging faster than our 2024 presidential candidates. buddaboom! Hey, Maria thinks, let’s offer seed money for delayed maintenance and upgrades, and increase green energy in the grid.
leave a comment about my puns
So Robinson set a minimum goal of 3% efficiency increase, and the Grid Deployment Office solicited bids, reviewed them, and on Feb 2 2024 divided 72 M into smallish grants to 46 hydropower dams in 19 states. The average age of the dams is 70 years! Most are underperforming due to inexpensive repairs and upgrades delayed by local buget concerns. These repairs can add 40 years of life to a dam, in addition to getting more electricity from the outflow.
Now, this is exciting – the goal was 3% improvement, yet the reality averages 14% more efficientcy, 5X higher than target. Wow! That’s a big deal. And plenty more dam owners are lining up to submit proposals to similar DOE programs.
This incentive program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—by our tax dollars—and it’s a bargain because $72 M was a lever that lifted $460 M in total hydroelectric investments. Our tax dollars became a magic dust of federal incentive to made local people excited to improve their own capital assets.
And we are not talking about a lot of money. I am frustrated that money is an ABSTRACT obstacle to the REALITY that energy generation must evolve. Nevertheless, these were low hanging fruits, $1.6 M to $5 M awards, chump change when it comes to updating a complicated hydroelectric dam.
This daily blog is eating into my nightly rest, so I wanna finish fast.
THREE SAMPLE DAMS
~ 15:00 min
Meyers Falls & KettleFalls in Washington, where a water wheel was making power since 1823. In 1915 they added a bronze turbine and began generating hydroelectric power. 109 years later, the original bronze rotors will finally be replaced by stainless steel, and some other gizmo will be rewound to handle more electricity. A 1.2 MW “Small Project” award.
~ 16:00 min
Blind Slough Project, SE Alaska, where a municipality owns a 1920’s hydropower installation isolated from the statewide grid. The 1955 turbines, generator, and penstock (sluice gate) are to receive repairs to improve efficiency and add decades of lifespan. ”A “Small Project” award.
~ 17:00 min
York Haven, Pennsylvania, where a 19 MW “Large Project” will to replace Francis® Turbine Runners && upgrade the gearbox. This increases efficiency, increases generation capacity, increases lifespan. Triple hitter!
The Grid Deployment Office at the DOE has funding for two similar incentive programs, and a landslide of bidders. Grants are awarded only after success milestones are agreed upon in writing.
This is one of many Dept Of Energy info videos that leans me optimistic about the direction our Earth is going. What I say to Doomers is, imma Doomer too, but I’d like to see us die trying.
Goodnight! Ms Darwin signing off.
The USA dirty energy addiction, like all addiction, is very difficult to break.
Improved energy efficiency and the transition to renewable energy are essential but won't end the climate crisis and certainly not the broader and more daunting ecological crisis. We are so eager for our civilizational Darwin Award that we refuse to abate climate change by cutting energy consumption. In fact, we are insanely confident we can consume our way out of the existential global mess we've made. For us, the problem is the solution. According to Statista "Global energy consumption has increased dramatically in recent years and is projected to continue to increase. By 2050 renewable energy consumption is expected to increase and will reach about 247 exajoules. In comparison, the total renewable energy consumption totaled 42 exajoules in 2000."
What is this POLITICAL Garbage doing in my email and on your website ? I see to much of that elsewhere. I'm looking for the gruesome, funny, weird stories.