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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Soaring Bitcoin Prices Put Central Washington Electrical
Utilities on Alert (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Centralia, WA – TransAlta Retires One of Two Coal-Burning
Units (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
John Hairston Gets Top Job at Bonneville Power
Administration (Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Energy Northwest CEO Brad Sawatzke Announces Intention to
Retire in June (Energy Northwest)
Washington State Adopts Rules to Guide Utilities to
Coal-Free Status by 2025, Carbon-Free By 2045 (Utility Dive)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1.
Soaring Bitcoin Prices Put Central Washington
Electrical Utilities on Alert
2.
Centralia, WA – TransAlta Retires One of Two
Coal-Burning Units
3.
John Hairston Gets Top Job at Bonneville Power
Administration
4.
What Regional Leaders Are Saying About
Hairston’s BPA Appointment
5.
Energy Northwest CEO Brad Sawatzke Announces
Intention to Retire in June
6.
Utilities Execs Say Alaska Energy Authority’s
Powerline Purchase to Promote Hydropower
7.
Avista (NYSE:AVA) Downgraded by Bank of America
8.
Arizona: Salt River Project Customers Experience
Outage Due to Technical Issue
9.
Op/Ed: Montanans Should Not Be Forced to Pay
Monopolies a Profit on COVID Losses
10.
Nuclear Power Backers Hopeful President-Elect
Biden’s Climate Focus Will Boost Industry
11.
South Carolina: Fight Over Santee Cooper Starts
Before 2021 Session Begins
12.
Wholesale U.S. Electricity Prices Were Generally
Lower & Less Volatile in 2020 than 2019
13.
In 2020, U.S. Natural Gas Prices Were the Lowest
in Decades
14.
The Power Is Out. Now What?
15.
Oregon: SunPower Shutting Down Former SolarWorld
Plant in Hillsboro
16.
Chinese Solar Companies Tied to Use of Forced
Labor
17.
Renewables Account for Most New U.S. Electricity
Generating Capacity in 2021
18.
Seattle City Light Breaks Ground on New Solar
Microgrid at Miller Community Center
19.
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Proposes Hybrid
Solar, Hydro Energy Facility to Help Reach Renewables Targets
20.
North Carolina Panel Moves to Weaken Building
Energy Conservation Rules
21.
New Comfort Ready Home Program Will Help
Homeowners
22.
We Already Have the Key to a Clean Energy
Economy. We’re Just Not Using It – Smart Meters Can Optimize the Grid &
Empower Customers
23.
Washington State Adopts Rules to Guide Utilities
to Coal-Free Status by 2025, Carbon-Free By 2045
24.
Record Broken for Number of Billion-Dollar US
Weather & Climate Disasters in 2020
25.
How Microsoft Plans to Eliminate All the Carbon
It Ever Emitted
26.
The Cost of Using Poles
27.
Data Centers Are Energy Hogs. Could They Help
Power the Grid?
28.
Umatilla Electric Cooperative Uses Apps,
Calculators
29.
Albemarle to Boost Nevada Lithium Output as
Electric Vehicle Demand Climbs
30.
An Employer’s Dilemma: To Mandate (or Not) the
Covid-19 Vaccine?
31. A Strong Atmosphere River Approaches
WORD OF THE DAY
Noetic ● \noh-ET-ik\ ● Adjective – Of, relating to, or based on the intellect.
Smart people are fun
Noetic admiration
A beautiful mind
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
Soaring Bitcoin Prices Put Central Washington
Electrical Utilities on Alert (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
2.
Centralia, WA – TransAlta Retires One of Two
Coal-Burning Units (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
3.
John Hairston Gets Top Job at Bonneville Power
Administration (Oregonian, Portland, OR)
4.
What Regional Leaders Are Saying About Hairston’s
BPA Appointment (Bonneville Power Administration)
5.
Energy Northwest CEO Brad Sawatzke Announces
Intention to Retire in June (Energy Northwest)
6.
Utilities Execs Say Alaska Energy Authority’s
Powerline Purchase to Promote Hydropower (KUAC Radio, Fairbanks, AK)
7.
Avista (NYSE:AVA) Downgraded by Bank of America
(MarketBeat)
https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/nyse-ava-a-buy-or-sell-right-now-2021-01/
8.
Arizona: Salt River Project Customers Experience
Outage Due to Technical Issue (KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ)
9.
Op/Ed: Montanans Should Not Be Forced to Pay
Monopolies a Profit on COVID Losses (Montana Standard, Butte, MT)
10.
Nuclear Power Backers Hopeful President-Elect Biden’s
Climate Focus Will Boost Industry (Reuters)
11.
South Carolina: Fight Over Santee Cooper Starts
Before 2021 Session Begins (Associated Press)
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article248315150.html
12.
Wholesale U.S. Electricity Prices Were Generally
Lower & Less Volatile in 2020 than 2019 (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46396
13.
In 2020, U.S. Natural Gas Prices Were the Lowest
in Decades (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46376
14.
The Power Is Out. Now What? (Aberdeen Daily
World, WA)
https://www.thedailyworld.com/life/the-power-is-out-now-what/
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
15.
Oregon: SunPower Shutting Down Former SolarWorld
Plant in Hillsboro (Portland Business Journal, OR)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/01/oregon-sunpower-shutting-down-former.html
16.
Chinese Solar Companies Tied to Use of Forced
Labor (NY Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/business/economy/china-solar-companies-forced-labor-xinjiang.html
17.
Renewables Account for Most New U.S. Electricity
Generating Capacity in 2021 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46416
18.
Seattle City Light Breaks Ground on New Solar
Microgrid at Miller Community Center (Seattle City Light, WA)
19.
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Proposes Hybrid
Solar, Hydro Energy Facility to Help Reach Renewables Targets (Pacific Business
Journal, HI)
https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2021/01/07/kauai-proposes-hybrid-solar-facility.html
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
20.
North Carolina Panel Moves to Weaken Building
Energy Conservation Rules (Energy News Network)
21.
New Comfort Ready Home Program Will Help
Homeowners (Bonneville Power Administration)
22.
We Already Have the Key to a Clean Energy
Economy. We’re Just Not Using It – Smart Meters Can Optimize the Grid &
Empower Customers (GreenTech Media)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
23.
Washington State Adopts Rules to Guide Utilities
to Coal-Free Status by 2025, Carbon-Free By 2045 (Utility Dive)
24.
Record Broken for Number of Billion-Dollar US
Weather & Climate Disasters in 2020 (The Hill, Washington, DC)
25.
How Microsoft Plans to Eliminate All the Carbon
It Ever Emitted (Forbes Magazine)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
26.
The Cost of Using Poles (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2021/01/11/the-cost-of-using-poles/
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
27.
Data Centers Are Energy Hogs. Could They Help
Power the Grid? (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/energy/googles-data-centers-are-energy-hogs-could-they-help-power-the-grid/
28.
Umatilla Electric Cooperative Uses Apps,
Calculators (Transmission & Distribution World)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
29.
Albemarle to Boost Nevada Lithium Output as Electric
Vehicle Demand Climbs (Utility Dive)
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
30.
An Employer’s Dilemma: To Mandate (or Not) the Covid-19
Vaccine? (Portland Business Journal, OR)
WITHER THE WEATHER?
31.
A Strong Atmosphere River Approaches (Cliff Mass
Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-strong-atmosphere-river-approaches.html
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Mayor of Houston Suburb Chosen by Pulling a Name from Hat
Woman Walking in Nanaimo, B.C., Is Showered with Cash: RCMP
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/01/07/woman-walking-in-nanaimo-b-c-is-showered-with-cash-rcmp/
Woman Swims 280 Feet Under Ice for Guinness World Record
Samosa Sent to ‘Space’ by British Eatery Crash-Lands in France
SONG OF THE DAY
The Fifth Dimension – Up, Up & Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qdCuzjAGmA
LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY
Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media
organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken
links. Possible Paywall restrictions are noted in the media attribution.
