Tag: Power

Shelling Cuts Off Outdoors Energy to Ukrainian Nuclear Plant

Post author By
Post date September 6, 2022

Shelling Cuts Off Outside Power to Ukrainian Nuclear Plant

Recognition…Jim Huylebroek for the New York Times

Kyiv, Ukraine — Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was disconnected from the country’s power grid Monday after renewed shelling nearby, Ukrainian energy officials said, putting critical cooling systems once again at risk of relying solely on backup power.

Herman Galushchenko, Ukraine’s energy minister, said a fire resulting from the shelling severed the Zaporizhia power plant’s last connection to a back-up line, which was its only source of external power.

Reactor No. 6, the plant’s only functioning reactor, was still producing electricity for the plant itself, and as of Monday evening, engineers had not turned on any diesel generators, according to an official from Energoatom, the Ukrainian company responsible for running the facility.

Mr Galushchenko said it was another precarious moment made even more ominous by the fact that fire crews were unable to reach the scene of the fire.

“Repairs on the lines are now impossible,” he said. “There’s fighting all around the station.”

An International Atomic Energy Agency inspection team that had been at the facility left behind two monitors hoping they would witness unfolding events and the tensions at the facility, which was being held by Russian forces but still operated by Ukrainian engineers will, could alleviate . The greater hope had been that the shelling would stop.

The agency said that according to Ukrainian officials, the reserve line was “deliberately disconnected to put out a fire.”

“The line itself is not damaged and will be reconnected once the fire is out,” said the organization, which is part of the United Nations.

Edwin Lyman, a nuclear energy expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a private group in Cambridge, Mass., said the current situation – with the plant relying on one of its own reactors to power cooling systems – is ” not unique, but it is not common practice.”

He pointed out that the International Atomic Energy Agency, which sets reactor safety standards for nuclear power plants, released a technical document in 2018 detailing the backup procedure.

“Some existing nuclear power plant technologies have this capability,” says the IAEA document, “while others do not.” Even plants that do have the capability could face “a time limit of generally a few hours” for back-up power be.

Najmedin Meshkati, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California, said the external power outage — which has happened at least twice at the Zaporizhia plant in recent weeks — is “one of the most horrific events that could happen at a nuclear power plant.” .”

dr Meshkati, a member of the committee appointed by the United States National Academy of Sciences to learn lessons from the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, said there was no point in running the reactor.

An engineer in contact with people at the facility and in the satellite city of Enerhodar said Monday her colleagues had reported heavy shelling in the area over the past three days.

“Dwelling houses were damaged and many more people were injured and killed than was reported in the Ukrainian media,” said the engineer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared reprisals against her friends and family. “People continue to leave the city, including workers at the plant.”

Ukrainian officials tried to keep up pressure on the International Atomic Energy Agency to propose a robust assessment of both the conditions at the plant and the challenges faced by Ukrainian engineers charged with its safe operation.

Repeated shelling over the past month has damaged all of the facility’s connections to four external high-voltage power lines, forcing it to use a lower-voltage backup line to power the cooling equipment needed to avoid core meltdowns. It was this reserve line that was cut Monday.

When the main power lines and backup line were damaged by gunfire and fires on August 25, a power outage at the facility forced reliance on diesel generators to prevent a disaster.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a news conference on Friday that his main concern for the facility’s physical security is related to a reliable connection to external power supply.

William J. Broad contributed reporting from Brunswick, Maine.

Tags Cuts, Nuclear, plant, Power, Shelling, Ukrainian

World News

Local weather change might convey again wind as the ability supply for ocean ships

Post author By
Post date August 28, 2022

Climate change may bring back wind as the power source for ocean ships

Airseas, the maritime unit of France’s Airbus, has developed a gigantic, automated kite called Seawing, which essentially tows a ship.

Airseas

The shipping industry accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, producing as much manmade carbon dioxide as all the coal-fired power plants in the US combined. Still, it’s a relatively small output within the overall transportation sector, which is responsible for 37% of annual global greenhouse gases.

Yet as international trade continues to grow and heavily rely on oceangoing vessels to move cargo — they currently carry more than 80% of it — some scientists warn that by 2050 shipping could account for 17% of greenhouse gases.

That’s why, after years of lackluster efforts to decarbonize, the industry’s regulatory body is getting on board. In 2018, the International Maritime Organization, or IMO, a London-based United Nations agency comprising 175 member countries — many with delegates directly tied to businesses resistant to curbing emissions — adopted a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases by 50% by 2050 compared to the 2008 levels.

Critics say that goal is too little and too late, insisting the IMO reset its target to 100% decarbonization by mid-century, or preferably sooner.

“The IMO has been rather late to the party, in terms of developing climate measures and coming up with a strategy,” said Lucy Gilliam, shipping policy officer at Seas at Risk and a board member of the Clean Shipping Coalition, both environmental NGOs. She cited the fact that international shipping is not included in the Paris climate accord. Plus, a recent study found that only 33 out of the 94 largest shipping companies have a clearly expressed policy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and/or have committed to the IMO’s goal.

The simplest green shipping solution

Nonetheless, the private sector is undertaking some initiatives to lessen its climate impact. The simplest solution would be for ships to simply slow down, thus using less carbon-emitting fuel. Shipbuilders are also experimenting with hulls coated with air bubbles to reduce drag, as well as sleeker bows, more efficient engines, propellers and thrusters, and AI-assisted navigation systems.

Meanwhile, the industry is beginning to establish green corridors, or specific shipping routes and ports that support zero-emission solutions and policies. The financial world is joining the decarbonization movement as well, with 29 institutions signing onto the Poseidon Principles, an agreement to consider efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions when lending to shipping companies. The signatories represent more than $185 billion in loans to international shipping — nearly half of the global ship finance portfolio.

But with a global supply chain designed for speedy deliveries, the big breakthrough bets are being made on the development of low-emission or zero-emission fuels — including green methanol, hydrogen, liquid natural gas (LNG) and ammonia — to reduce or replace the molasses-thick, noxious bunker fuel that feeds most ships’ massive diesel engines.

These efforts include electric propulsion, several wind-power technologies and nuclear energy, which has driven naval vessels since the mid-1950s and is getting some attention as it generates zero emissions, though safety and security concerns are major impediments.

Here’s an overview of the biggest bets being placed on low-carbon and no-carbon breakthroughs in ocean shipping.

Green methanol

Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk, which moves 17% of the world’s shipping containers, has 13 ships on order from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries that run on green methanol. The first, a small vessel with a capacity to carry 2,000 containers (the largest such ships transport 24,000 containers) will launch next year and operate in the Baltics and northern Europe, said Lee Kindberg, Maersk’s head of environment and sustainability in North America.

“Beginning in 2024, every quarter we are going to launch two 16,000 TEU vessels that will operate on transpacific routes,” she said, using the logistics acronym for twenty-foot equivalent unit, the standard measurement of 20-foot-long containers. “Our current commitment is to go to net-zero carbon shipping by 2040.”

An artist’s rendering of a Maersk 16,000-TEU container ship that will run on green methanol.

AP Moller-Maersk

Most of the methanol produced today is derived from fossil fuels, but Maersk, CMA CGM and other leading shipping companies are testing two different green, carbon-neutral versions. One is made from solid and liquid biomass extracted from agricultural and forest residues and farming and poultry waste. The other is e-methanol, made by combining CO2 with hydrogen produced from water using renewable electricity. Both are liquids that can be safely stored in non-pressurized tanks at ambient temperatures. Although more expensive than bunker fuel and in limited supply, green methanol can be mixed with bunker in dual-fuel engines to effectively lower carbon emissions.

Liquid hydrogen is another fuel option, often touted because it produces almost no carbon emissions when combusted. Yet about 95% of hydrogen is produced by reforming natural gas or other fossil fuels. It can be made renewably, however, by splitting water using energy from solar, wind, nuclear and hydro power. Green hydrogen can be used in a ship’s internal combustion engine or in fuel cells that generate emission-free electricity. And it may become a cheaper and more attractive alternative due to production tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Washington, DC-based International Council on Clean Transportation conducted a study in 2020 on the potential of using renewable hydrogen fuel cells to power container ships servicing the busy corridor between China and the San Pedro Bay near Los Angeles. “Without making any other changes to the vessels, around 43% of the voyages made in 2015 could be made with that technology,” said Xiaoli Mao, a senior marine researcher at the nonprofit organization. “And with minor adjustments to ship design or adding one more refueling stop, 99% could be realized.”

LNG as an alternative fuel source

LNG tops the list of alternative fuels currently used in commercial ships, including some large container vessels, according to Clarksons Research, a shipping analytics firm based in London. Although less than 5% of the current cargo fleet of around 55,000 ships can run on lower-emission fuels, 38% of new builds will have the option, up from 28% a year ago and 12% five years ago. LNG will power nearly a third (741) of those new vessels, while 24 will run on methanol and six on hydrogen.

The knock on LNG for shipping is it’s still a fossil fuel that emits methane and requires considerable capital investment for retrofitting existing engines and fuel tanks. What’s more, it would extend the use of carbon-based fuels for at least another 20 years, which is a typical lifespan for large ships.

Green ammonia

Ammonia is garnering attention, too. It’s in abundant supply and can be used in dual-fuel engines and fuel cells. As with hydrogen, most ammonia is derived from fossil fuels and its production releases considerable CO2, although it is made environmentally friendly by combining green hydrogen with nitrogen from the air. Safety is the biggest concern, because ammonia is dangerously toxic to humans and marine life, which could dissuade ports from storing it.

Last December, LMG Marin, a subsidiary of Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine, agreed to design what it describes as the first green ammonia-fueled tanker for a unit of Norway’s Grieg Maritime Group. Planned for launch in 2024, the MS Green Ammonia will, appropriately, transport green ammonia.

On a larger scale, in June, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, announced the completion of the conceptual design of a very large gas carrier (VLGC) initially powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), but adaptable for future use of ammonia as the main fuel. The Tokyo-based shipbuilder previously built more than 80 VLGCs, and the new design will allow retrofitting of those vessels to run on ammonia.

Electric robo ships

Mitsubishi’s designers are also pioneering electric-powered ships with a vessel called Roboship, which will be built by Honda Heavy Industries and launched next year. The 550-ton ship will replace a conventional diesel engine with a hybrid-electric system, including storage batteries, propellers, motors, switchboards and generators. The digital platform used to control the electric propulsion equipment was developed by e5 Lab, a Tokyo startup promoting electric propulsion and digitization of ships.

e5 is collaborating with another Japanese shipbuilder, Asahi Tanker, to build a pair of all-electric, zero-emissions tankers, powered by large-capacity lithium-ion batteries. The workload of the bunker vessels’ crews will be lightened with automated equipment and digital tools. The first model delivered marine fuel to ships in Tokyo Bay in April, with the second scheduled to begin operating next year.

As with electric cars, travel range and battery charging are issues with e-ships, so they’re being designed for short, local voyages. Electrified ferries, pilot boats and cruise ships are showing up in ports and harbors in Japan, Sweden and Denmark.

The Yara Birkeland, billed as the first fully electric and autonomous container vessel, began transporting small loads of fertilizer in Norway last spring. During its initial two years, the ship will operate with a full crew while gradually transitioning toward full autonomy, including unmanned navigation, loading, unloading and mooring. Electrifying larger TEU-capacity container ships capable of traversing longer regional routes would require lower-cost battery storage and expanding on-shore charging infrastructure.

The return of wind-powered cargo ships

The Flettner rotor system used by shipping industry wind power company Anemoia, was invented by German engineer Anton Flettner in the 1920s. It features smokestack-like cylinders mounted on a ship’s deck that rotate rapidly with the wind, generating thrust.

anemoi

Of course, the earliest cargo ships sailed the seas solely under wind power, a concept being modernized today.

“There are currently 20 large vessels under some wind-assisted technology,” said Gavin Allwright, secretary for the London-based International Windship Association. They include tankers, bulk carriers and vehicle transporters, he said, which have enough deck space to accommodate different systems.

The front runner, Allwright said, is the Flettner rotor system, a concept invented by Anton Flettner in the 1920s. It features tall, smokestack-like cylinders, mounted on a ship’s deck, that rotate rapidly with the wind and thrust the vessel forward. Among recent applications, the Australian mining company BHP is partnering with Pan Pacific Copper and Nippon Marine to test a rotor sail system aboard a bulk carrier.

Cargill, the food and agriculture behemoth that charters more than 600 dry bulk carriers, is set to test a ship outfitted with WindWings, solid sails designed by BAR Technologies. “Through this partnership we will bring bespoke wind solutions to customers who are actively seeking to reduce CO2 emissions from their supply chain,” said Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation business. The company reportedly plans to charter at least 20 new wind-assisted ships in the coming years.

A ship outfitted with Wind Wings, solid sails designed by BAR Technologies. Cargill reportedly has plans to charter at least 20 ships using the technology in coming years.

BAR Technologies

Airseas, the maritime unit of France’s Airbus, has developed a gigantic, automated kite called Seawing, which essentially tows a ship. The wind-assist technology, Airseas claims, can reduce fuel consumption by an average of 20%. Another French company, Michelin, is testing its inflatable, retractable, automated wing sail mobility prototype on a ferry running between the UK and Spain.

Despite its embrace of these various decarbonization projects, the maritime industry will have a tough time weaning itself off fossil fuels. Indeed, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is financing some of the IMO’s green shipping efforts. But as Amazon, Ikea, Unilever and other major movers of cargo seek ways to meet their net-zero goals, shipping is a prime target.

“If they want to reduce their emissions,” said Maersk’s Kindberg, “they need us to reduce ours.”

Tags bring, change, Climate, ocean, Power, Ships, Source, Wind

World News

Ida now a tropical storm as greater than 1 million Louisiana utility clients are left with out energy

Post author By
Post date August 30, 2021

Hurricane Ida hit land in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm at wind speeds of 250 mph, one of the strongest storms to hit the region since Hurricane Katrina, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

The Karnofsky Shop suffers severe damage after Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans with strong winds in Louisiana on August 30, 2021.

Devika Krishna Kumar | Reuters

Ida has since been downgraded to a tropical storm and is expected to move further inland across southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi this morning, the National Hurricane Center said. The maximum sustained winds have decreased to almost 60 mph (95 km / h) with higher gusts.

Late Sunday, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster statement for Louisiana, freeing up federal funds for recovery efforts.

New Orleans Police Detective Alexander Reiter looks at the rubble of a building that collapsed during Hurricane Ida in New Orleans on Monday, August 30, 2021.

Gerald Herbert | AP

The storm is expected to subside over the next day or so, and the NHC said Ida is expected to turn into a tropical depression by tonight. The NHC warned that a life-threatening storm surge is expected in Grand Isle, Louisiana, up to the Alabama-Florida border, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans.

The NHC said winds are likely to damage trees and cause power outages as Ida continues inland across southeast Louisiana. Heavy rains are expected in southeast Louisiana, the Mississippi coast and southwest Alabama through Monday and could trigger “significant to life-threatening floods and urban floods.”

According to PowerOutage.us, more than 1 million utility customers in Louisiana were without power as of early Monday. On Sunday evening, New Orleans said the entire city had lost power after “catastrophic transmission damage”.

Ida landed on the anniversary of Katrina, the dangerous Category 3 storm that devastated Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years ago, killing more than 1,800 people and causing $ 125 billion in damage.

Ida’s strength and path will be a major test of flood control from New Orleans to Katrina, including levees, flood walls, and gates built to protect against storms. Katrina had broken levees and caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans.

Ida has also raised concerns about the city’s hospitals, which are already overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients and have little space for evacuated patients. In Galliano, Louisiana, as the storm raged ashore, the battle for patient care was exacerbated after part of the roof of the Lady of the Sea General Hospital was demolished.

Ida intensified so quickly that officers did not have time to order mandatory evacuations. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered a mandatory evacuation for a small portion of the city outside the levee system, but said there was no time to enact one for the entire city.

Emergency shelters in Louisiana are operating at reduced capacity due to the pandemic, although state officials are working to secure hotel rooms for evacuees.

All Sunday flights were also canceled due to the approaching storm, New Orleans Airport announced on Saturday.

Water seeps into a beach house when Hurricane Ida hits land in Grand Isle, Louisiana, United States on August 29, 2021 in this still image from a social media video. Christie Angelette on REUTERS THIS PICTURE WAS SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT

Christie Angelette | Christie Angelette on REUTERS

President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana and Mississippi, a move that empowers the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

“The storm is a life-threatening storm,” said the president on Sunday at a briefing at FEMA headquarters. “The devastation is likely to be immense. Everyone should listen to instructions from local and state officials.”

Cars drive through flood waters along Route 90 as outer bands of Hurricane Ida arrive in Gulfport, Mississippi on Sunday, August 29, 2021.

Steve Helber | AP

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called for a presidential statement on Sunday afternoon for a major disaster for Biden after the storm hit the state’s coastline.

“Hurricane Ida is one of the strongest storms to have ever hit Louisiana,” Edwards said in a statement. “Our goal is to help our local authorities and the citizens of the state as quickly as possible.

A resident picks up sandbags home from a city-operated sandbag distribution point on Dryades YMCA along Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 in New Orleans as residents prepare for Hurricane Ida.

Max Becherer | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans attorney via AP

Harmful winds will spread to southwest Mississippi on Sunday night and early Monday, likely causing widespread tree damage and power outages, as well as heavy rains and expected across the central Gulf Coast, the Hurricane Center said.

As the storm moves inland, the Hurricane Center is forecasting significant flooding in parts of the lower Mississippi, Tennessee Valley, upper Ohio Valley, central Appalachian Mountains and the mid-Atlantic by Wednesday, according to the Hurricane Center.

Ida is the first major storm to hit the Gulf Coast during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record, with 30 named storms including 13 hurricanes.

Scientists warn of increasingly dangerous hurricane seasons as climate change fuels more frequent and catastrophic storms. NOAA expects between 15 and 21 named storms, including seven to ten hurricanes, in the 2021 season.

This story evolves. Please check again for updates.

– CNBC’s Melodie Warner and Christine Wang contributed to this report.

Tags customers, Ida, left, Louisiana, million, Power, Storm, tropical, utility

Politics

Gerrymandering may restrict minority voters’ energy even after Census positive aspects

Post author By
Post date August 14, 2021

Pendler kommen mit Metro-North während der morgendlichen Hauptverkehrszeit am 8. Juni 2020 in New York City an der Grand Central Station an.

Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images

Der Kampf um die Neuordnung der US-Kongressbezirke findet zum ersten Mal seit Jahrzehnten ohne bestimmte bundesstaatliche Schutzmaßnahmen statt, was die Besorgnis aufkommen lässt, dass farbige Wähler ins Abseits geraten könnten, obwohl sie einen größeren Anteil an der Bevölkerung haben.

Das Census Bureau hat diese Woche Daten veröffentlicht, die den Bundesstaaten als Grundlage für die Neuordnung ihrer Kongressbezirke dienen werden. Der Prozess wird die Machtverhältnisse in den Vereinigten Staaten für ein Jahrzehnt beeinflussen und könnte sich in den Zwischenwahlen 2022 auf das eng gespaltene Repräsentantenhaus auswirken.

Die Volkszählungsdaten zeigen, dass die USA in den letzten zehn Jahren vielfältiger geworden sind. Hispanische, asiatische und multirassische Gemeinschaften wuchsen schnell, während die weiße Bevölkerung zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte zurückging.

Obwohl die weiße Bevölkerung immer noch die größte Gruppe in den USA insgesamt ist, schrumpfte sie um 8,6 %. Die hispanische Bevölkerung ist um 23% gewachsen, die asiatische Bevölkerung um 35% und die schwarze Bevölkerung um 5,6%. Auch die multirassische Bevölkerung ist in den letzten zehn Jahren mit einem Anstieg von 276% am schnellsten gewachsen.

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Während diese Daten einen signifikanten Anstieg der Farbgemeinschaften in den letzten zehn Jahren zeigen, könnte ihre politische Repräsentation darunter leiden, wenn Staaten ihre politischen Karten neu erstellen, sagen Experten.

„Es ist sicherlich möglich, dass wir trotz des Bevölkerungswachstums tatsächlich einen Rückgang der Minderheitenvertretung sehen, und wir erwarten, dass dies im Laufe des Jahrzehnts ein Bereich erheblicher Rechtsstreitigkeiten sein wird“, sagte Adam Podowitz-Thomas, leitender Rechtsstratege für das Princeton Gerrymandering Project und das Princeton Electoral Innovation Lab.

Der Oberste Gerichtshof hat 2013 eine wichtige Bestimmung im Voting Rights Act aufgehoben, wonach neun überwiegend südliche Bundesstaaten die Genehmigung für ihre Kongresskarten von der Bundesregierung einholen mussten. Grafschaften in Staaten außerhalb des Südens, wie New York und Kalifornien, unterlagen ebenfalls Vorabgenehmigungsregeln.

Um eine Genehmigung zu erhalten, mussten die Bundesstaaten der Bundesregierung nachweisen, dass ihre Neuverteilungspläne keinen diskriminierenden Zweck oder keine diskriminierenden Auswirkungen aufgrund von Rasse, Hautfarbe oder Zugehörigkeit zu einer sprachlichen Minderheitengruppe hatten, so das Justizministerium.

Das Fehlen einer Vorabklärung in diesem Jahr wird einer stärkeren Gerrymandering Platz machen, die die politische Macht von Minderheitengemeinschaften trotz ihrer wachsenden Bevölkerung in den USA bedrohen könnte, sagen Experten.

„Einzelparteienkontrolle“

Gerrymandering bezieht sich auf die Manipulation von Bezirksleitungen, um eine Partei oder Klasse von Menschen zu begünstigen. Obwohl die Taktik von beiden Parteien angewendet wird, sind die Republikaner in einer stärkeren Position, da sie in mehr Staaten die Kontrolle über eine einzige Partei haben, so Samuel Wang, Direktor des Princeton Gerrymandering Project.

„Die alleinige Kontrolle der Kartenzeichnung in einem Staat ist sicherlich der größte Motivator und Prädiktor für Gerrymandering“, sagte Wang.

Laut einem im Februar vom Brennan Center for Justice veröffentlichten Bericht haben die Republikaner die Kontrolle über das Zeichnen von Kongresskarten in 18 Bundesstaaten und Gesetzeskarten in 20 Bundesstaaten, darunter Florida, Georgia, North Carolina und Texas.

Demokraten hingegen haben dem Bericht zufolge nur die Kontrolle über die Karten des Kongresses in sieben Bundesstaaten und die Karten der Legislative in neun Bundesstaaten. Die verbleibenden Bundesstaaten haben unabhängige Kommissionen und eine parteiübergreifende Kontrolle über die Kartenzeichnung oder sie benötigen keine Karten, da sie Ein-Distrikt-Staaten sind.

Insgesamt haben Republikaner laut NBC News die Möglichkeit, 187 Kongressdistrikte und Demokraten 84 zu ziehen. Die Praxis des Gerrymandering zielt oft auf farbige Wähler ab und kann durch zwei Taktiken erreicht werden, die allgemein als Cracking und Packing bekannt sind.

Die alleinige Kontrolle der Kartenzeichnung in einem Staat ist sicherlich der größte Motivator und Prädiktor für Gerrymandering.

Samuel Wang |

Direktor des Princeton Gerrymandering Project

Cracking beinhaltet die Verteilung einer Minderheitsgemeinschaft auf die Bezirke, so dass sie einen kleinen Teil der Wählerschaft ausmachen und in jedem Bezirk wenig politische Macht haben, so Wang. Aber eine Minderheitsgemeinschaft kann auch in einen einzigen Wahlbezirk gepackt werden, um ihren Einfluss in anderen Bezirken zu verringern, fügte Wang hinzu.

Nach der letzten Volkszählung im Jahr 2010 machten die Republikaner gesetzgeberische Fortschritte, indem sie in einer Reihe von Staaten, in denen sie eine Einparteienkontrolle hatten, gerrymandering machten, so Yurij Rudensky, ein Neuverteilungsberater im Demokratieprogramm des Brennan Centers.

“Es ist wirklich eine Art Subversion dieses demokratischen Prozesses, der unser Regierungssystem bis ins Mark schädigt und erschüttert, weil es bedeutet, dass die Wahlergebnisse vorbestimmt sind und die Wähler ihre Vertreter nicht wirklich wählen können”, sagte Rudensky. “Das haben republikanische Agenten zu Beginn des Jahrzehnts getan.”

Allein das Gerrymandering in Michigan, Ohio und Pennsylvania verschaffte den Republikanern 16 bis 17 Sitze mehr im Kongress, als sie mit unvoreingenommenen Karten gehabt hätten, heißt es in dem Bericht des Brennan Center.

Eine Reihe republikanischer Aktivisten startete auch das Redistricting Majority Project (REDMAP), das 2010 mehr als 30 Millionen US-Dollar für die Neugestaltung von Wahlkarten zugunsten von GOP-Kandidaten aufbrachte, wie aus einer vom Brennan Center erhaltenen Gerichtsakte hervorgeht.

“Dieses Jahr wird das Gerrymandering schrecklich sein”, sagte Steven Ruggles, Demograph von der University of Minnesota. “Ohne die Preclearance können Sie davon ausgehen, dass die Republikaner in Bezug auf Gerrymandering dreister sein werden, sogar noch mehr als im Jahr 2010.”

Das Census Bureau veröffentlichte im April erste Daten auf Bundesstaatsebene, die zur Aufteilung der 435 Sitze im Repräsentantenhaus verwendet wurden, die eine leichte Verschiebung der politischen Macht in den von den Republikanern geführten Süden und Westen zeigten.

Laut den Volkszählungsdaten vom April gewann Texas zwei Sitze im Kongress, während Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina und Oregon jeweils einen hinzugewinnen. Kalifornien, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania und West Virginia verloren jeweils einen Sitz.

Die Demokraten klammern sich an eine knappe Mehrheit im Repräsentantenhaus. Sie kontrollieren 220 Sitze, während die GOP 212 hat. Es gibt drei freie Stellen.

Forderungen nach Reformen

Während es in diesem Umverteilungszyklus wahrscheinlich zu Gerrymandering kommen wird, könnte die Reform die Republikaner zwingen, sich stattdessen an farbige Wähler zu wenden, sagte Simone Leeper, Rechtsberaterin beim Campaign Legal Center.

“Es geht darum, ob sie beim Gerrymandering erfolgreich sind oder nicht. Wenn sie es sind, sind sie bestimmten Gemeinschaften weniger verantwortlich”, sagte Leeper. “Aber wenn wir das Gerrymandering stoppen können, können wir sie zur Rechenschaft ziehen und erwarten, dass sie versuchen, diese Wähler zu gewinnen.”

Bei den Wahlen 2020 gewann der damalige Präsident Donald Trump, ein Republikaner, die weiße Stimme mit 55 % bis 43 %, während der Demokrat Joe Biden, der Sieger, laut Pew Research die Stimmen der Schwarzen, Hispanics und Asiaten mit beträchtlichem Abstand gewann. Bei den hispanischen Wählern erzielte Trump jedoch erhebliche Zuwächse.

Auf Bundesebene, sagte Leeper, könnte die Verabschiedung kritischer Gesetze zur Bekämpfung von Gerrymandering beitragen. Dazu gehören der John Lewis Voting Rights Act, der die Vorabgenehmigungspflicht für die meisten Südstaaten wiederherstellen würde, und der For The People Act, der ein Verbot von parteiischer Gerrymandering enthält.

Die Wähler stellen sich am ersten Tag der vorzeitigen Abstimmung in Brooklyn, New York, am 24. Oktober 2020, vor dem Barclays Center, das als Wahllokal dient, an, um ihre Stimmzettel abzugeben.

Jeenah Mond | Reuters

Aber auch auf Landesebene können Minderheitengemeinschaften und Anwälte aktiv werden, sagte Podowitz-Thomas.

Nach Angaben der National Conference of State Legislatures haben ab 2019 acht Bundesstaaten die Möglichkeit, öffentliche Aussagen über die Umverteilung zu treffen, was es den Bürgern ermöglicht, sich in den Prozess einzubringen.

Podowitz-Thomas sagte, Einzelpersonen müssen den Neuverteilungsprozess ihres Staates genau verfolgen und an so vielen öffentlichen Anhörungen wie möglich teilnehmen, um auf eine Reform des Gerrymandering zu drängen.

„Wir sind optimistisch, dass Reformbefürworter und Durchschnittsbürger, die faire Karten wollen, sicherstellen, dass die Karten unabhängig davon, was die Wahlen 2022 bringen, den Willen der Wähler widerspiegeln und nicht nur parteiische Interessen widerspiegeln können“, sagte Podowitz-Thomas.

Allerdings kann das Gerrymandering nur abgeschwächt werden, wenn die Reform erfolgreich ist, bevor die Fristen für die Umverteilung schnell näher kommen.

Die am Donnerstag veröffentlichten Volkszählungsdaten kamen aufgrund der Pandemie Monate später als erwartet. Es gab auch Vorwürfe politischer Einmischung gegen die Trump-Administration, die es versäumte, der Umfrage eine Frage zur Staatsbürgerschaft hinzuzufügen. Die Verzögerung führte dazu, dass die Staaten sich bemühten, vor den Zwischenwahlen im nächsten Jahr neue Distrikte zu gründen.

“Viele Bundesstaaten werden mit beschleunigten Neuverteilungsfristen konfrontiert”, sagte Podowitz-Thomas. „Einige Staaten werden die verkürzten Zeitrahmen als Gründe nennen, den Prozess zu überstürzen und Karten schnell zu übergeben Termin.”

Über den diesjährigen Neuverteilungszyklus hinaus können Bundesstaaten Gerrymandering verhindern, indem sie überparteiliche unabhängige Kommissionen einsetzen, um den Neuverteilungsprozess zu überwachen.

Laut dem Brennan Center-Bericht sind Arizona, Kalifornien, Colorado und Michigan die einzigen Bundesstaaten mit solchen Kommissionen für die Neuverteilung durch den Kongress und die Gesetzgebung. Diese Kommissionen haben “die Aussichten für gerechtere Karten” in diesen Staaten “erheblich verbessert”, heißt es in dem Bericht.

Solche Kommissionen “wäre eine langfristige Lösung, um den Partisanen die Macht der Kartenzeichnung aus den Händen zu nehmen und sie in die Hände zu legen”. [the hands of] überparteiliche, die keinen parteiischen Gerrymander machen wollen”, sagte Leeper.

Einige Republikaner haben sich jedoch gegen die Reform des Gerrymandering ausgesprochen. Laut The Detroit News reichte die Michigan Republican Party 2019 sogar eine Klage ein, um die Bildung einer unabhängigen Neuverteilungskommission zu blockieren, die von den Wählern im Bundesstaat genehmigt wurde.

Mehrere Interessenvertretungen von Minderheiten äußerten die Notwendigkeit, die Reform nach der Veröffentlichung der Volkszählungsdaten am Donnerstag neu einzugrenzen.

„Der Neuzuordnungsprozess muss sicherstellen, dass asiatische Amerikaner und andere ethnische Minderheiten eine vollständige und faire Möglichkeit haben, Kandidaten ihrer Wahl zu wählen“, sagte Jerry Vattamala, Direktor des Demokratieprogramms beim Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, in einer Erklärung.

Thomas A. Saenz, Präsident des Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, sagte, die Organisation erwarte, dass alle Umverteilungen den Veränderungen der Latino-Bevölkerung in den USA Rechnung tragen

„Wir erwarten, dass diese gesetzlichen Verpflichtungen sowohl in Staaten mit seit langem bedeutender und wachsender Latino-Bevölkerung wie Kalifornien, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado und Illinois als auch in Staaten und lokalen Gebieten erfüllt werden, in denen die Latino-Bevölkerung erst jetzt lebt eine kritische Masse zu erreichen, um die Schaffung von Bezirken zu rechtfertigen, in denen Latino-Wähler die Möglichkeit haben, Kandidaten ihrer Wahl zu wählen”, sagte Saenz in einer Erklärung.

Die National Association for the Advancement of Colored People sagte auch, sie werde sich für einen fairen Umverteilungsprozess einsetzen, der die Beteiligung der Gemeinschaft fördert.

„NAACP ermutigt die Wähler, sich am Neuverteilungsprozess zu beteiligen, indem sie sich für einen fairen Prozess einsetzt, der den Beitrag der Gemeinschaft wertschätzt, Kriterien für die Neuverteilung, einschließlich der Einhaltung von Abschnitt 2 des Stimmrechtsgesetzes, und Karten, die die zunehmend vielfältige Bevölkerung dieser Nation widerspiegeln“, NAACP Präsident und CEO Das sagte Derrick Johnson am Freitag in einer Erklärung.

Abschnitt 2 des Stimmrechtsgesetzes verbietet Wahlpraktiken, einschließlich Neuverteilungsplänen, die aufgrund von Rasse, Hautfarbe oder Zugehörigkeit zu einer sprachlichen Minderheit diskriminieren.

Tags Census, gains, Gerrymandering, Limit, Minority, Power, voters

World News

Tidal energy undertaking in Canada secures assist of Japanese companies

Post author By
Post date August 6, 2021

Laszlo Podor | Moment | Getty Images

Two Japanese companies have entered into a joint development agreement with Ireland-based DP Energy to work on the initial stages of a tidal energy project in Canada.

In statements released earlier this week, Chubu Electric Power and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, or “K” Line, said the agreement related to the Uisce Tapa Tidal Energy project. The development is located at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy in the Bay of Fundy, a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Both Chubu Electric Power and “K” Line called it “the first tidal power project that a Japanese company will participate in overseas”.

According to DP Energy, the first phase of Uisce Tapa – Irish for “fast water” – revolves around three 1.5 megawatt turbines. The second aims to increase the capacity of the project to 9 MW.

Uisce Tapa is backed by a 15-year power purchase agreement with Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, which amounts to Canadian dollars 530 (approximately $ 422) per megawatt hour. It also benefits from a grant of approximately $ 30 million Canadian dollars from Natural Resources Canada.

In its announcement on Wednesday, DP Energy described the Bay of Fundy as “home to some of the highest tides in the world”. At the highest surface speed, the tidal currents are “capable of exceeding 10 knots” or 5 meters per second, he added.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the project is being considered for approval by Chubu Electric Power and “K” Line. If everything goes according to plan, the first turbine would go into operation in 2023, followed by two more in 2026.

The news comes the same week that tidal energy company Nova Innovation said it was able to move ahead with a project focused on increasing the production of tidal turbines after receiving funding from the Scottish government.

The £ 2 million ($ 2.77 million) funding increase announced on Thursday will be used to support the Volume Manufacturing and Logistics for Tidal Energy project, also known as VOLT.

According to Nova, VOLT will “develop the first European assembly line for the mass production of tidal turbines” and also “test innovative techniques and tools to ship, deploy and monitor turbines around the world”.

Last week, another company, Orbital Marine Power, announced that its O2 turbine had started producing electricity on-grid at the European Marine Energy Center in Orkney, an archipelago north of mainland Scotland.

The 2 megawatt O2 is known as the “strongest tidal turbine in the world”, weighs 680 tons and is 74 meters long.

Tags Canada, firms, Japanese, Power, Project, secures, support, tidal

Politics

The SEC wants extra energy from Congress to completely regulate crypto, Chair Gensler says

Post author By
Post date August 4, 2021

Gary Gensler

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler said Tuesday that Wall Street’s top regulator needs Congress to grant it additional powers for overseeing a vast and ever-evolving cryptocurrency market.

Speaking about crypto at the Aspen Security Forum, Gensler said the SEC has “taken and will continue to take our authorities as far as they go.”

“Certain rules related to crypto assets are well settled. The test to determine whether a crypto asset is a security is clear,” he said. “There are some gaps in this space, though: We need additional congressional authorities to prevent transactions, products and platforms from falling between regulatory cracks. We also need more resources to protect investors in this growing and volatile sector.”

Gensler, who previously taught classes about blockchain and other financial technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has asked lawmakers to grant his agency the legal authority to oversee crypto exchanges.

He said many of the crypto coins were trading like assets and should fall under the purview of the SEC, which already has significant authority over digital assets.

Despite his deep knowledge of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, Gensler has made it clear that he intends to take a hands-on approach when it comes to new financial technologies. Capitol Hill has for months held hearings on how best to monitor the nascent market, now worth trillions, amid violent price swings and rapid growth.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for example, last week wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to urge her to bulk up oversight efforts.

Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee and a longtime critic of the nation’s largest banks, pressed the Treasury secretary to use her powers on the Financial Stability Oversight Council to bring about a safer crypto market.

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“FSOC must act quickly to use its statutory authority to address cryptocurrencies’ risks and regulate the market to ensure the safety and stability of consumers and our financial system,” the Massachusetts Democrat wrote in a letter to Yellen. “As the demand for cryptocurrencies continues to grow and these assets become more embedded in our financial system, consumers, the environment, and our financial system are under growing threats,” she added.

Chief among regulators’ concerns about crypto are its susceptibly to fraud and market manipulation.

The Federal Trade Commission reported earlier this year that consumers reported losing more than $80 million to crypto scams between October and March, with many of those losses stemming from underhanded scammers targeting small investors on social media, the FTC said.

“The American public is buying, selling, and lending crypto on these trading, lending, and DeFi [decentralized finance] platforms, and there are significant gaps in investor protection,” Gensler said. “Make no mistake: To the extent that there are securities on these trading platforms, under our laws they have to register with the commission unless they meet an exemption. Make no mistake: If a lending platform is offering securities, it also falls into SEC jurisdiction.”

Gensler on Tuesday did not offer comment on the potential for approving a bitcoin exchange-traded fund, a pending decision that many in the crypto market are anxiously awaiting.

Investors are closely following the status of an application by VanEck to list shares of its Bitcoin Trust on the Chicago Board of Exchange’s BTZ Exchange. Regulators said in a letter dated June 16 that they would take additional time to seek comments from the public.

Bitcoin was last seen trading at $38,200, but has been volatile in recent months and in late July dipped below $30,000.

Republican SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, known for advocating somewhat easier regulation of digital assets, told CNBC last month that she’s frustrated with how slow the regulator has been to approve such an ETF.

Denying bitcoin ETF applications not only runs the risk of a double standard but also may leave thousands of investors with few, more-dangerous alternatives, Peirce said.

“The complications of not approving [an application] become stronger, because people are looking for other ways to do the same kinds of things that they would do with an exchange-traded product,” she said. “They’re looking at other types of products that aren’t as easy to get in and out of, they’re looking at companies, perhaps, that are somehow connected with bitcoin or crypto more broadly.”

Tags Chair, Congress, crypto, fully, Gensler, Power, regulate, SEC

Politics

Biden Desires to Embrace Energy Traces. Some Individuals Disagree.

Post author By
Post date July 12, 2021

Die Nation steht einmal in einer Generation vor Entscheidungen darüber, wie Energie an Haushalte, Unternehmen und Elektroautos geliefert werden soll – Entscheidungen, die den Verlauf des Klimawandels beeinflussen und bestimmen könnten, wie die Vereinigten Staaten mit Waldbränden, Hitzewellen und anderen extremen Wetterbedingungen umgehen zur globalen Erwärmung.

Auf der einen Seite wollen große Stromversorger und Präsident Biden Tausende von Kilometern Stromleitungen bauen, um den von entfernten Windturbinen und Solarparks erzeugten Strom in Städte und Vororte zu transportieren. Auf der anderen Seite drängen einige Umweltorganisationen und Gemeindegruppen auf größere Investitionen in Dachsolarzellen, Batterien und lokale Windturbinen.

In Washington und den Hauptstädten der Bundesstaaten findet ein intensiver politischer Kampf um die Entscheidungen statt, die Gesetzgeber, Energieunternehmen und Einzelpersonen in den nächsten Jahren treffen, die ein jahrzehntelanges Energiesystem festsetzen könnten. Die Kluft zwischen denen, die mehr Stromleitungen wollen, und denen, die ein stärker dezentralisiertes Energiesystem fordern, hat die Branche für erneuerbare Energien und die Umweltbewegung gespalten. Und es hat bequeme Partnerschaften zwischen Unternehmen für fossile Brennstoffe und lokalen Gruppen geschaffen, die gegen Stromleitungen kämpfen.

Es geht um die Frage, wie schnell das Land auf saubere Energie umstellen kann und wie stark die Strompreise steigen werden.

Herr Biden hat in einem Infrastrukturvorschlag, dem er und die Senatoren beider Parteien im Juni zugestimmt haben, 73 Milliarden US-Dollar für Tausende von Kilometern neuer Stromleitungen gesichert. Dieser Deal beinhaltet die Schaffung einer Grid Development Authority, um die Genehmigungen für Übertragungsleitungen zu beschleunigen.

Die meisten Energieexperten sind sich einig, dass die Vereinigten Staaten ihre alternden Stromnetze verbessern müssen, insbesondere nachdem Millionen Texaner diesen Winter tagelang gefroren waren, als das Stromsystem des Staates ins Stocken geraten war.

„Die Entscheidungen, die wir heute treffen, werden uns auf einen Weg bringen, der, wenn die Geschichte ein Barometer ist, 50 bis 100 Jahre andauern könnte“, sagte Amy Myers Jaffe, Geschäftsführerin des Climate Policy Lab an der Tufts University. “Auf dem Spiel steht buchstäblich die Gesundheit und das wirtschaftliche Wohl jedes Amerikaners.”

Die von Herrn Biden und einigen großen Energieunternehmen unterstützte Option würde Kohle- und Erdgaskraftwerke durch große Wind- und Solarparks Hunderte von Kilometern von Städten entfernt ersetzen, was viele neue Stromleitungen erfordert. Eine solche Integration würde die Kontrolle stärken, die die Versorgungsindustrie und die Wall Street über das Netz haben.

„Man muss einen großen nationalen Plan haben, um sicherzustellen, dass der Strom von dort, wo er erzeugt wird, dorthin gelangt, wo er gebraucht wird“, sagte Energieministerin Jennifer Granholm in einem Interview.

Aber viele der liberalen Verbündeten von Herrn Biden argumentieren, dass Sonnenkollektoren, Batterien und andere lokale Energiequellen hervorgehoben werden sollten, da sie widerstandsfähiger wären und schneller gebaut werden könnten.

„Wir müssen das Stromübertragungs- und -verteilungssystem für das Stromnetz der Zukunft bauen und nicht das der Vergangenheit“, sagte Howard Learner, Executive Director des Environmental Law & Policy Center, einer gemeinnützigen Organisation mit Sitz in Chicago. „Solarenergie plus Speicher ist für den Elektrosektor genauso transformativ wie drahtlose Dienste für den Telekommunikationssektor.“

Aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach wird es einen Lösungsmix geben, der mehr Übertragungsleitungen und Solarpaneele auf dem Dach umfasst. Welche Kombination entsteht, hängt von den im Kongress getroffenen Vereinbarungen ab, aber auch von Scharmützeln im ganzen Land.

Frau Granholm sagte, die Verwaltung unterstütze Solar- und Mikronetze auf dem Dach, Systeme, die es Städten oder Stadtteilen ermöglichen, ihren eigenen Strom zu erzeugen und zu nutzen. Herr Biden hat beispielsweise eine Investitionssteuergutschrift des Bundes für lokale Energiespeicherprojekte vorgeschlagen. Sie fügte jedoch hinzu, dass dezentrale Ansätze nicht ausreichen würden, um das Ziel des Präsidenten zu erreichen, die Treibhausgasemissionen aus dem Stromsektor bis 2035 zu eliminieren.

Haushalte als Erzeuger, nicht nur als Nutzer von Strom.

Als im vergangenen Sommer Millionen von kalifornischen Häusern während einer Hitzewelle dunkel wurden, kam Hilfe aus einer ungewöhnlichen Quelle: Batterien, die in Häusern, Unternehmen und kommunalen Gebäuden installiert wurden.

Diese Batterien, zusammen mit der Dachsolaranlage, haben während der Krise bis zu 6 Prozent der Stromversorgung des staatlichen Stromnetzes eingeschaltet und halfen dabei, stillgelegte Erdgas- und Atomkraftwerke auszugleichen. Solarkollektoren auf dem Dach erzeugten zusätzliche 4 Prozent des Stroms des Staates.

Dieses Ergebnis – Hausbesitzer und Unternehmen, die das Stromnetz unterstützen – wäre vor einem Jahrzehnt undenkbar gewesen. Seit mehr als einem Jahrhundert fließt Strom nur in eine Richtung: vom Kraftwerk zum Menschen.

Kalifornien hat gezeigt, dass Haushalte und Unternehmen keine passiven Verbraucher sein müssen. Sie können zu Mini-Kraftwerken werden, die potenziell so viel aus der Bereitstellung von Energie verdienen, wie sie für Strom bezahlen, den sie aus dem Netz beziehen.

Haus- und Geschäftsbatterien, die so klein wie ein großer Fernseher und so groß wie ein Computerserverraum sein können, werden über das Stromnetz oder über Sonnenkollektoren auf dem Dach aufgeladen. Sie setzen Energie frei, nachdem die Sonne untergegangen ist oder bei Stromausfällen, die in den letzten Jahren häufiger geworden sind.

Einige Umweltschützer argumentieren, dass der stärkere Einsatz von Solaranlagen und Batterien auf dem Dach aufgrund des Klimawandels immer wichtiger wird.

Nachdem seine Ausrüstung mehrere große Waldbrände entzündet hatte, begann Pacific Gas & Electric, an heißen und windigen Tagen den Strom abzuschalten, um Brände zu verhindern. Das Unternehmen ist im vergangenen Jahr aus dem Konkurs hervorgegangen, nachdem es 30 Milliarden US-Dollar an Verbindlichkeiten für Waldbrände angehäuft hatte, die durch seine Ausrüstung, einschließlich Übertragungsleitungen, verursacht wurden.

Elizabeth Ellenburg, eine 87-jährige Krebsüberlebende in Napa, Kalifornien, kaufte 2019 Sonnenkollektoren und eine Batterie von Sunrun, um ihren Kühlschrank, ihre Sauerstoffausrüstung und ihre Geräte während der Stromabschaltungen von PG&E am Laufen zu halten gut gearbeitet.

„Normalerweise sind es nicht 24 Stunden, wenn PG&E ausfällt, sondern Tage“, sagte Frau Ellenburg, eine Krankenschwester im Ruhestand. „Ich muss die Fähigkeit haben, medizinische Geräte zu benutzen. Um in meinem eigenen Zuhause zu leben, brauchte ich andere Energie als den Stromanbieter.“

Das Unternehmen sagt, es arbeite daran, seine Ausrüstung zu verbessern. „Unser Fokus liegt darauf, unser Verteilungs- und Übertragungssystem widerstandsfähiger und feuerfester zu machen“, sagte Sumeet Singh, Chief Risk Officer von PG&E.

Aber die Ausgaben für den Brandschutz durch kalifornische Versorgungsunternehmen haben die Strompreise erhöht, und Verbrauchergruppen sagen, dass der Bau von mehr Stromleitungen sie noch höher treiben wird.

Die durchschnittlichen Strompreise für Privathaushalte sind in den letzten zehn Jahren um etwa 14 Prozent gestiegen, obwohl der durchschnittliche Energieverbrauch der Haushalte um etwas mehr als 1 Prozent gestiegen ist.

Die Regulierungsbehörden erlauben den Versorgungsunternehmen im Allgemeinen, den Kunden die Investitionskosten zuzüglich einer Gewinnspanne von in der Regel etwa 10,5 Prozent in Rechnung zu stellen, was den Unternehmen einen Anreiz zum Bau von Kraftwerken und Leitungen gibt.

„Natürlich begrüßen wir das Engagement der Regierung für erneuerbare Energien, aber größer ist nicht immer besser“, sagte Bernadette Del Chiaro, Geschäftsführerin der California Solar and Storage Association, einer Organisation, die sich für die Solarindustrie auf Dächern einsetzt. „Smarter richtet sich auf Microgrids ein, einschließlich Solar auf Dächern. Die Versorgungsunternehmen stecken eindeutig im 20. Jahrhundert fest; sie wollen die transkontinentale Eisenbahn des Stromnetzes bauen.“

Ein Bericht des National Renewable Energy Laboratory aus dem Jahr 2019, einem Forschungszweig des Energieministeriums, ergab, dass eine stärkere Nutzung von Dachsolaranlagen den Bedarf an neuen Übertragungsleitungen reduzieren, teure Kraftwerke ersetzen und die Energie sparen kann, die bei langen Stromtransporten verloren geht Entfernungen. Die Studie ergab auch, dass Dachsysteme Druck auf Versorgungsunternehmen ausüben können, um Kabel und Ausrüstung in der Nachbarschaft zu verbessern oder zu erweitern.

Aber die Versorgungsindustrie argumentiert, dass neue Übertragungsleitungen benötigt werden, um zu 100 Prozent sauberer Energie zu kommen und Elektroautos und Lastwagen anzutreiben. Diese hohen Kosten werden durch das Geld ausgeglichen, das durch den Wechsel von fossilen Brennstoffen zu billigeren Sonnenkollektoren und Windturbinen gespart wird, sagte Emily Sanford Fisher, Senior Vice President für saubere Energie am Edison Electric Institute, das die Versorgungsunternehmen im Besitz von Investoren vertritt.

„Nur weil wir Geld für mehr Dinge ausgeben, heißt das nicht, dass wir keine Vorteile für andere bekommen“, sagte Frau Fisher. „Ich denke, das Problem ist nicht, dass wir zu viel Übertragung aufbauen, sondern dass wir nicht genug haben.“

Der Einfrieren von Texas hat Netzschwächen aufgezeigt.

Im Februar war Texas für mehr als vier Tage durch einen Tiefkühlfrost lahmgelegt, der Kraftwerke lahmlegte und Erdgaspipelines lahmlegte. Die Leute benutzten Autos und Grills und sogar verbrannte Möbel, um sich warm zu halten; mindestens 150 starben.

Ein Grund für das Scheitern war, dass der Staat das vom Electric Reliability Council of Texas verwaltete Netz weitgehend vom Rest des Landes getrennt hat, um eine staatliche Aufsicht zu vermeiden. Das hinderte den Staat daran, Strom zu importieren, und macht Texas zu einem Argument für das vernetzte Stromsystem, das Herr Biden will.

Betrachten Sie Marfa, eine künstlerische Stadt in der Chihuahua-Wüste. Die Anwohner hatten Mühe, warm zu bleiben, da der Boden mit Schnee und Eisregen bedeckt war. Noch 75 Meilen westlich brannten in Van Horn, Texas, die Lichter. Diese Stadt wird von El Paso Electric versorgt, einem Versorgungsunternehmen, das dem Western Electricity Coordinating Council angeschlossen ist, einem Netz, das 14 Bundesstaaten, zwei kanadische Provinzen und einen mexikanischen Bundesstaat verbindet.

Ein stärker vernetztes nationales Stromnetz könnte von Katastrophen betroffenen Orten helfen, Energie aus anderen Quellen zu beziehen, sagte Ralph Cavanagh, ein Beamter des Natural Resources Defense Council, einer Umweltgruppe.

Herr Biden stimmt zu. Während seiner Präsidentschaftskampagne forderte er sogar neue Stromleitungen.

Das hätte ihm vielleicht geholfen, die Unterstützung von Stromversorgern zu gewinnen, die in der Regel größere Wahlkampfspenden an die Republikaner leisten. Während der Wahlen 2020 gaben ihm die politischen Aktionskomitees der Branche und ihre Führungskräfte 1,4 Millionen US-Dollar, verglichen mit etwa 1 Million US-Dollar für Donald J. Trump, so das Center for Responsive Politics.

In Washington drängen Entwickler großer Solar- und Windprojekte auf ein stärker vernetztes Netz, während Versorgungsunternehmen mehr Bundesmittel für neue Übertragungsleitungen fordern. Befürworter von Solarmodulen und Batterien auf dem Dach fordern den Kongress für mehr Anreize des Bundes.

Unabhängig davon gibt es in den Hauptstädten der Bundesstaaten heftige Schlachten darüber, wie viel Versorgungsunternehmen Hausbesitzern für den Strom zahlen müssen, der von Solarmodulen auf dem Dach erzeugt wird. Versorgungsunternehmen in Kalifornien, Florida und anderswo wollen, dass der Gesetzgeber diese Sätze senkt. Hausbesitzer mit Sonnenkollektoren und Gruppen für erneuerbare Energien kämpfen gegen diese Bemühungen.

Der Bau von Stromleitungen ist schwierig.

Trotz der Unterstützung von Herrn Biden könnte die Versorgungsindustrie Schwierigkeiten haben, Stromleitungen hinzuzufügen.

Viele Amerikaner wehren sich aus ästhetischen und ökologischen Gründen gegen Übertragungsleitungen. Auch starke wirtschaftliche Interessen sind im Spiel. In Maine zum Beispiel ist eine Kampagne im Gange, um eine 145-Meilen-Leitung zu stoppen, die Wasserkraft von Quebec nach Massachusetts bringen wird.

Neuengland hat die Kohle auslaufen lassen, verwendet aber immer noch Erdgas. Der Gesetzgeber hofft, dies mit Hilfe der 1-Milliarden-Dollar-Linie namens New England Clean Energy Connect zu ändern.

In diesem Frühjahr haben Arbeiter in den Wäldern von West-Maine Bäume gerodet und Stahlmasten aufgestellt. Das Projekt, das vor einem Jahrzehnt erstmals vorgeschlagen wurde, sollte New Hampshire durchdringen, bis der Staat es ablehnte. Bundes- und staatliche Aufsichtsbehörden haben die Maine-Route genehmigt, die von Central Maine Power und HydroQuebec gesponsert wird.

Aber das Projekt ist in Gerichtsverfahren verstrickt, und die Einwohner von Maine könnten es durch eine Abstimmungsmaßnahme im November blockieren.

Umweltgruppen und ein von Calpine und Vistra finanziertes politisches Aktionskomitee, die Gaskraftwerke betreiben, kämpfen beide gegen die Linie. Gegner sagen, es würde die Wanderungen von Auerhähnen, Nerzen und Elchen gefährden und die Baumdecke entfernen, die Flüsse kühlt und Bachforellen gefährdet.

„Diese Übertragungsleitung hätte schwerwiegende Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt und den Lebensraum von Wildtieren in Maine“, sagte Sandra Howard, eine Leiterin der Kampagne gegen die Leitung.

Beamte der Biden-Regierung sagten, sie seien für solche Bedenken sensibel und wollten, dass viele Stromleitungen entlang von Autobahnen, Eisenbahnschienen und anderen bestehenden Wegerechten gebaut werden, um Konflikte zu minimieren.

Aber Herr Biden hat nicht viel Zeit. Die Menge an Kohlendioxid in der Atmosphäre stellte im Mai einen Rekord auf, und einige Wissenschaftler glauben, dass die jüngsten Hitzewellen durch den Klimawandel verschlimmert wurden.

„Getriebeprojekte dauern von der Konzeption bis zur Fertigstellung über 10 Jahre“, sagt Douglas D. Giuffre, Energieexperte bei IHS Markit. „Wenn wir also eine Dekarbonisierung des Stromsektors bis 2035 anstreben, dann muss dies alles sehr schnell geschehen.“

Tags Americans, Biden, disagree, Embrace, lines, Power

Politics

How Republican States Are Increasing Their Energy Over Elections

Post author By
Post date June 20, 2021

LaGRANGE, Georgia – Lonnie Hollis has served on the Troup County’s Electoral Committee in western Georgia since 2013. As a Democrat and one of two black women on the board, she spoke out in favor of the Sunday election, helped voters on election days and moved to a new district in a black church in a nearby town.

But this year, Ms. Hollis will be removed from the board, the result of a local electoral law signed by Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican. Previously, the members of the electoral board were elected by both political parties, the district commissioner and the three largest municipalities in the Troup district. Now the GOP-controlled district commission has sole power to restructure the board and appoint all new members.

“I speak out and know the laws,” said Ms. Hollis in an interview. “The bottom line is that they don’t like people who have any kind of intelligence and know what they’re doing because they know they can’t influence them.”

Mrs. Hollis is not alone. Across Georgia, at least 10 district electoral committees have been dismissed, removed from office, or are likely to be dismissed by local ordinances or new laws passed by the state legislature. At least five are colored and most are Democrats – although some are Republicans – and they will most likely all be replaced by Republicans.

Ms. Hollis, and local officials like her, were some of the earliest victims when Republican-led parliaments took on a massive takeover of the electoral administration in a series of new voting bills this year.

GOP lawmakers have also stripped secretaries of state of their power, exercised more control over state electoral boards, facilitated the overturning of election results, and conducted several partisan reviews and inspections of 2020 results.

Republican lawmakers in 41 states have tabled at least 216 bills to give lawmakers more power over election officials, according to the United States’ United Democracy Center, a new bipartisan organization dedicated to protecting democratic norms. Of these, 24 were enacted in 14 states.

GOP lawmakers in Georgia say the new measures are designed to improve the performance of local bodies and reduce the influence of political parties. But the laws allow Republicans to remove local officials they dislike, and since some of them were Black Democrats, franchise groups fear these are further attempts to disenfranchise colored voters.

The maneuvers risk undermining some of the core controls that served as a bulwark against former President Donald J. Trump as he tried to undermine the 2020 election results. If these bills had come into effect after the election, Democrats say, they would have greatly increased the turmoil Trump and his allies created by attempting to overturn the outcome. They fear that proponents of Trump’s conspiracy theories will soon have much greater control over the levers of the American electoral system.

“It is a barely veiled attempt to wrest control from the officials who led one of the safest elections in our history and to place them in the hands of bad actors,” said Jena Griswold, chairwoman of the Association of Democratic State Secretaries and the current one Colorado Secretary of State. “The risk is the destruction of democracy.”

Officials like Ms. Hollis are responsible for making decisions such as choosing mailbox and district locations, sending out election notices, setting early polling times, and certifying elections. But the new laws also target senior state officials, particularly foreign ministers – both Republican and Democratic – who have stood up against Trump and his allies over the past year.

The Republicans in Arizona have tabled a bill that would largely deprive Katie Hobbs, the Democratic Secretary of State, of her powers on election lawsuits and then expire when she leaves office. And they have tabled another bill that would give the legislature more power in setting guidelines for election administration, an important task currently being carried out by the Foreign Minister.

Under Georgia’s new electoral law, Republicans have severely weakened the office of Secretary of State after Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who is the current secretary, rejected Trump’s demands to “find” votes. You have dismissed the State Secretary as chairman of the state election committee and relieved his voting rights on the board.

The Kansas Republicans in May vetoed Democrat Laura Kelly to pass laws that would deprive the governor of changing electoral law and the Secretary of State, a Republican who repeatedly vouched for the security of postal votes, from the settlement election-related actions without the consent of the legislature.

And more Republicans who hold on to Mr. Trump’s election lies are running for secretary of state, bringing conspiracy theorists to a critical position within reach. In Georgia, MP Jody Hice, a Republican who voted against confirming President Biden’s victory, is running against Raffensperger. Republican candidates with similar views are running for secretary of state in Nevada, Arizona, and Michigan.

“In virtually every state, every polling officer will feel like they’re under the microscope,” said Victoria Bassetti, a senior adviser with the United Democracy Center in the United States.

In the short term, it is local election officials at district and community level who are either deposed or robbed of their power.

In Arkansas, Republicans were stabbed last year when Jim Sorvillo, a three-time state official from Little Rock, lost re-election by 24 votes to Ashley Hudson, a Democrat and local lawyer. It was later found that election officials in Pulaski County, which includes Little Rock, inadvertently tabulated 327 postal ballot papers, 27 of which were from the district, during the vote count.

Mr. Sorvillo filed several lawsuits to prevent Ms. Hudson from being seated, and all of them were denied. The Republican faction considered refusing to seat Ms. Hudson and then eventually voted to accept her.

But last month the Arkansas Republicans passed a new bill that would allow a state committee of electoral officers – made up of six Republicans and one Democrat – to investigate a variety of issues at every stage of the electoral process, from registration onwards, and Initiate corrective action “. for the submission and counting of ballot papers to confirm elections. The law applies to all counties, but it is widely believed to be directed against Pulaski, one of the few in the state who favor Democrats.

The draftsman, State Representative Mark Lowery, a Republican from a suburb of Little Rock, said it was necessary to remove voting power from local authorities, who are Democrats in Pulaski County, because otherwise Republicans could not be shaken fairly .

“Without this legislation, you would have been the only authority to turn to the prosecutor for inappropriateness, who is a Democrat and may have done nothing,” Lowery said in an interview. “This gives another level of investigative power to a state-mandated body to oversee the elections.”

When asked about last year’s election, Mr. Lowery said, “I think Donald Trump was elected President.”

A separate new Arkansas law allows a state board to “vote and conduct” elections in a county when a legislative committee determines that there are questions about the “appearance of an equal, free, and impartial election.”

In Georgia, lawmakers passed a unique law for some counties. For Troup County, State Representative Randy Nix, a Republican, said he only tabled the county electoral board reorganization bill – and which will remove Ms. Hollis – after a motion was requested by county commissioners. He said he was not worried that the commission, a party body made up of four Republicans and one Democrat, could influence the elections.

“The commissioners are all elected officials and will face the electorate to answer for their actions,” Nix said in an email.

Eric Mosley, the county manager for Troup County, which Trump scored 22 points, said the decision to ask Mr. Nix for the bill was intended to make the board more bipartisan. It was unanimously supported by the Commission.

“We believed that the ultimate intent of the board of directors was to choose the removal of both Republican and Democratic representation and the real selection of members of the community who invest heavily to serve those members of the community,” Mosley said. “Our goal is to create both political and racial diversity on the board.”

In Morgan County, east of Atlanta, Helen Butler was one of the most prominent Democratic voices in the state on suffrage and electoral administration. As a member of the county electoral committee in a rural Republican district, she also leads the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, a group dedicated to protecting the voting rights of black Americans and strengthening their civic engagement.

But Ms. Butler will be removed from the county board at the end of the month after Mr. Kemp signed a local law ending the ability of political parties to appoint members.

“I think this is all part of the local electoral board takeover trick that state lawmakers put in place,” Ms. Butler said. “They say they have a right to say whether an election officer is doing it right, even though they don’t work on a day-to-day basis and don’t understand the process itself.”

It’s not just Democrats who are being removed. In DeKalb County, the fourth largest in the state, Republicans decided not to nominate Baoky Vu to the electoral board again after more than 12 years in office. Mr. Vu, a Republican, had written with the Democrats in a letter that opposed an election-related bill that was ultimately not passed.

To replace Mr. Vu, Republicans nominated Paul Maner, a prominent local conservative with a history of false testimony, including the allusion that the son of a Georgia congressman was killed in “a drug deal gone wrong”.

Back in LaGrange, Ms. Hollis tries to do as much as possible in the remaining time on the board. The additional precinct in nearby Hogansville, where the population is roughly 50 percent black, is a top priority. Although the city only has about 3,000 residents, the city is divided by a railroad, and Ms. Hollis said it can sometimes take a long time to clear a freight car line, which is problematic on election days.

“We worked on it for over a year,” Ms. Hollis said, saying the Republicans had put procedural hurdles in place to block the process. But she was not deterred.

“I’m not going to sit there and wait for you to tell me what to do for the voters there,” she said. “I’ll do the right thing.”

Rachel Shorey contributed to the research.

Tags Elections, expanding, Power, Republican, states

World News

Election in East Germany Will Take a look at the Far Proper’s Energy

Post author By
Post date June 5, 2021

BERLIN – Five years ago, the nationalist alternative for Germany shook the country’s traditional parties when it landed in front of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives in the regional elections in the eastern federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, an ominous omen for the growing attraction of the extreme right .

This Sunday, the voters in Saxony-Anhalt will be at the polls again, and the result of this state election, which is only three months before a nationwide election, will be examined whether a nationwide weakened AfD can keep the voters in one of the regions, in which it has shown itself to be strongest.

While much of the Saxony-Anhalt competition is unique to the region and focuses heavily on local issues such as schools and economic restructuring, a strong performance by the AfD – which rode a wave of anti-immigration in 2016 – could be Armin Laschet. Give the chairman of the Christian Democrats a headache from Ms. Merkel. Mr Laschet, who wants to take over from her in the Chancellery, has had a tough time getting through in the former federal states.

“A strong performance by the Christian Democrats would take Mr. Laschet the hurdle and strengthen his position in the national competition,” said Manfred Güllner, head of the political opinion research institute Forsa-Institut.

At the same time he admitted: “If the AfD would do as well as the Christian Democrats, that would have an impact on the Bundestag vote.”

In the midst of an election campaign that was largely conducted online due to pandemic restrictions, Mr Laschet visited the state’s mining region last weekend. He stressed the need for time and investment to successfully move away from coal and promised to provide similar support as his native North Rhine-Westphalia did when it phased out coal.

The effort may have been worth it: A survey published on Thursday showed 30 percent support for his party in Saxony-Anhalt, a comfortable seven percentage point lead over the AfD, which is known by its German initials and currently has 88 seats in the German parliament.

If this lead holds, it could strengthen Mr. Laschet’s reputation, as the election campaign for the September 26 elections begins in earnest despite a bloody battle for the candidacy for chancellor against a rival from Bavaria.

In 2016, Germany prepared for the arrival of more than a million migrants in the previous year and Saxony-Anhalt was struggling with the threat of unemployment. While pollsters had predicted that the AfD, which after it was founded in 2013 to protest against the euro, would easily get seats in the state house, no one expected it to come in second and more than 24 percent support by the two million voters in the region.

Since then, Alternative für Deutschland has swung even further to the right, drawing the attention of the country’s domestic intelligence service, which has placed the AfD leadership under scrutiny over concerns about its anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim statements and links with extremists. The state parties of the AfD in Brandenburg and Thuringia are also being scrutinized, an attempt to monitor the federal party has been put on hold until the outcome of an appeal.

The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has “become very strong despite the various chaotic and dubious scandals,” said Alexander Hensel, political scientist at the Institute for Democracy Research at the University of Göttingen, who studied the rise of the party in the region. “Instead of breaking up, they have consolidated and become an increasingly radical opposition force.”

The continued support for the alternative for Germany in places like Saxony-Anhalt has split many mainstream conservative conservatives over whether the Christian Democrats should be willing to form a coalition with the far-right party if necessary.

Mr. Laschet has made his opinion clear in the last few days. “We don’t want any kind of cooperation with the AfD at any level,” he said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk.

But in view of the wrangling over the future direction of the CDU after 16 years under Merkel’s largely centrist leadership, some members of the party’s right flank see their exit as an opportunity to move more to the right.

In December, the conservative governor of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, a Christian Democrat who is running for another term, dismissed his interior minister because he had promised the possibility of a minority government supported by the AfD.

Mr Haseloff has based his campaign on the promise of stability as the country begins to emerge from the pandemic, with promises to help improve living standards in rural areas, many of which do not have enough teachers, health professionals and police officers.

Saxony-Anhalt has the oldest population in all of Germany, which reflects the number of young people who left the country in the painful years after the reunification of East and West in 1990.

While the state has benefited from the recent government’s attempt to create jobs in less populated areas, including through the establishment of several federal agencies in Saxony-Anhalt, the region’s standard of living is still lagging behind those in similar regions in the former Federal Republic of Germany said Haseloff.

“There are still clear differences between East and West, not only in the distribution of federal offices,” said Haseloff this week before an annual meeting that was about more regional equality.

This time, the alternative for Germany campaigned for a rejection of the federal government’s policy to curb the spread of the corona virus. “Freedom instead of Corona madness” is written on one of his posters and shows a blue-eyed woman with a tear that rolls to the edge of her protective mask.

For the other parties, both the Social Democrats and the Left are in the 10 to 12 percent range, largely unchanged from four years ago.

Both the Free Democrats and the Greens are expected to roughly double their popularity from 2016, which could make it easier for Haseloff to build a government when he returns to office. Analysts said regional wins for them are unlikely to have a major impact on the national race.

“Saxony-Anhalt is a very special situation, they come from a unique history,” says political scientist Hensel. “But regardless of whether the Greens get 10 percent or the FDP 8 percent of the vote, a quarter of the voters support the AfD. You should definitely pay attention to that. “

Tags East, election, Germany, Power, Rights, test

Entertainment

Overview: A Synergistic Duo Takes Again the Energy of ‘Gloria’

Post author By
Post date May 21, 2021

Since working together 15 years ago, Molly Lieber and Eleanor Smith have done dances dealing with trauma – slow, tender, intimate portraits of women who are alternately innocent and knowing. Some were silent, others contained text; often Lieber and Smith played naked, but it was the kind of persistent nudity that made you forget they were naked. The way their bodies locked themselves into the same vibration, rhythm, or mood was more phenomenal than their physicality.

As fluid as her body is, the focus of her work has always been the excavation of an inner landscape that takes the objectification of women into account. In their latest “Gloria”, a dance of perseverance, Lieber and Smith dance vigorously to a pop song – extended cuts from the Laura Branigan hit – on the two lowest levels of the outdoor amphitheater in the Abrons Arts Center.

As an extremely feminist work, “Gloria” adopts the idea of female objectification and uses it like a weapon: What begins aerobic and lively – the dancers hop and hop with swinging arms and high knees – gradually turns into something more lascivious: legs widen. A playful jump descends in the top. The split turns into a sad, silent lament.

Seeing Dear and Smith (in person!) Felt a bit like a favorite band. They are still dancing together; They’re still as tight as ever. If anything, they are more grounded, more precise, and more precise. Sometimes their synergy is almost confusing. With a subtle touch, Lieber in a bathing suit and Smith in a mesh bodysuit – both wearing vintage shorts from the 80s – show how flexibility can overshadow strength or how the right combination of endurance and spirit can make a sexual moment seem sporty.

With increasing exhaustion, the lyrics of the song become stranger and more threatening: “You really don’t remember, was it something he said? Are the voices in your head calling, Gloria? “(I’m afraid I can’t get the song out of my head.)

The subtle shifts are creepy and even disturbing as Lieber and Smith twist themselves into images embedded in shadows of grief: Lieber flexes her chest in the crevices and throws her head and – in short – touches a chest. When a standing smith rounds over straight legs, she is doing something more than just graceful withering; it dissolves in itself. The setting changes over time as Thomas Dunn’s lighting changes from pink to ice blue. The temperature of “Gloria” changes from hot to cold.

But what really holds this world together is James Los’s gorgeous sound design that mixes chirping birds and rippling water with his reinvention of “Gloria”. In a moment it’s full and booming; in another case, it’s scratchy and low-fi – like it’s playing on a car radio three blocks away. In short, he overlays Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” with the familiar texts: “I don’t have to dance, I make money.”

To be honest, I was initially confused about the decision to name a duet “Gloria”. The choreographer Maria Hassabi created an often seen duet with the same title in 2007. But that’s different. It cannot be a coincidence that Branigan’s “Gloria” was playing in the background as the Trump family and their inner circle – Kimberly Guilfoyle’s dance was particularly notable – gathered to watch the January 6 riot.

Towards the end, when dusk falls, the dancers find each other again – Lieber sinks to the floor and touches Smith’s hair, fluffing her curls before they both bend forward and touch her forehead. You made it to the other side. Her “Gloria” is about taking back the song. Her “Gloria” is strong, raw and so soulful that it almost bursts as it shows how powerful the language of dance is. It’s a new “glory” for the here and now.

Gloria

See you Saturday at the Abrons Arts Center, Manhattan; abronsartscenter.org.

Tags Duo, Gloria, Power, Review, Synergistic, Takes