The Energy News Digest for November 30, 2020

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Idaho Utility’s Coal Exit Sparks NIMBY Grid Fight (E&E News)

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063719319

Trump Officials Move to Relax Rules on Killing Birds (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/27/migratory-bird-treaty-act/

Nuclear Reactor Testing Device Opens Doors to Safer Energy in Idaho, Nation (Ontario Argus-Observer, OR)

https://www.argusobserver.com/independent/features/nuclear-reactor-testing-device-opens-doors-to-safer-energy-in-idaho-nation/article_427c6592-30d6-11eb-a1cb-03b565417109.html

California Moves Toward All-Electric Home Appliances as Part of Decarbonization Effort (Bakersfield Californian, CA)

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/california-moves-toward-all-electric-home-appliances-as-part-of-decarbonization-effort/article_3c47ca42-30d4-11eb-b7b9-43a2af85145f.html

Cyber Monday Set to Be Biggest Online Shopping Day in U.S. History (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-holidayshopping-cybermonday-idUSKBN28A1ER

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.        Idaho Utility’s Coal Exit Sparks NIMBY Grid Fight

2.        Nuclear Reactor Testing Device Opens Doors to Safer Energy in Idaho, Nation

3.        Okanogan PUD Catching Up with Fire Damages

4.        WA State: Colville Tribes, Franklin PUD Sign Letter of Intent for Electrical Substation Lease

5.        Alaska: New Gunnuk Creek Hydro Plant Reduces Kake’s Reliance on Diesel

6.        Ohio: Moody’s, S&P Lower FirstEnergy Credit Rating to ‘Junk’ Amid More Potential Fallout from Corruption Probe

7.        Electricity Grid Collapses in Nigeria, Africa’s Largest Economy

8.        Public Power Utilities Earn High Scores for Business Customer Satisfaction

9.        Small Business Customer Satisfaction with Electric Utilities Could Use Digital Charge, J.D. Power Finds

10.     Western Area Power Administration Releases FY 2020 Annual Report

11.     California: Magalia Microgrid Set Be Online by Next Month, Pacific Gas & Electric Says

12.     California: Customers in Santa Barbara County to Get Renewable Electricity in January

13.     Top Ten States for Renewable Energy, & Their Renewable Energy Splits – Thanks Hydro

14.     As Winter Arrives, Heaters Become a Survival Tool for Businesses

15.     Outdoor Heaters Seem Like a Huge Waste. Are They Really?

16.     Trump Officials Move to Relax Rules on Killing Birds

17.     Salmon People: A Tribe’s Decades-Long Fight to Take Down the Lower Snake River Dams & Restore a Way of Life

18.     Op/Ed: Oregon Gov. Brown Puts Salmon at Risk

19.     California: A Second Chance for Eel River Salmon & Steelhead?

20.     California Moves Toward All-Electric Home Appliances as Part of Decarbonization Effort

21.     California: San Jose Set to Become Largest U.S. City to Ban Natural Gas in Almost All New Construction

22.     Montana: Bozeman Tweaks Climate Plan to Be More Direct with NorthWestern Energy

23.     Pai Formally Announces Plans to Leave FCC

24.     Remote Work Can’t Change Everything Until We Fix This $80 Billion Problem

25.     Op/Ed: With Election Over, Congress Must Act to Bridge Digital Divide

26.     Continued Bans Against Municipal Competition

27.     Cyber Monday Set to Be Biggest Online Shopping Day in U.S. History

28.     Amazon’s Cloud-Computing Outage on Wednesday Was Triggered by Effort to Boost System’s Capacity

29.     5G’s Rollout Speeds Along Faster Than Expected, Even with the Coronavirus Pandemic Raging

30.     FCC Maintains Ban on Mobile Phone Voice Calls During Flights

31.     U.S. House Bill Proposes $10 Million Grant Program for Localities, Utilities to Aid Electric Vehicle Charging Station Rollout

32.     The Solar Discs That Could Power Earth

33.     An Unusual Snack for Cows, a Powerful Fix for Climate

WORD OF THE DAY

Leitmotif /LITE-moe-teef/ Noun – 1: an associated melodic phrase or figure that accompanies the reappearance of an idea, person, or situation especially in a Wagnerian music drama 2: a dominant recurring theme.

See Darth Vader’s theme, Star Wars, John Williams, the “Song of the Day.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Idaho Utility’s Coal Exit Sparks NIMBY Grid Fight (E&E News)

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063719319

2.      Nuclear Reactor Testing Device Opens Doors to Safer Energy in Idaho, Nation (Ontario Argus-Observer, OR)

https://www.argusobserver.com/independent/features/nuclear-reactor-testing-device-opens-doors-to-safer-energy-in-idaho-nation/article_427c6592-30d6-11eb-a1cb-03b565417109.html

3.      Okanogan PUD Catching Up with Fire Damages (Methow Valley News, Twisp, WA)

https://methowvalleynews.com/2020/11/25/pud-catching-up-with-fire-damages/

4.      WA State: Colville Tribes, Franklin PUD Sign Letter of Intent for Electrical Substation Lease (Tribal Tribune, Nespelem, WA)

http://www.tribaltribune.com/news/article_93319a22-2f53-11eb-885f-e3e71abc20b2.html

5.      Alaska: New Gunnuk Creek Hydro Plant Reduces Kake’s Reliance on Diesel (KCAW-Radio, Sitka, AK)

https://www.kcaw.org/2020/11/25/new-gunnuk-creek-hydro-plant-reduces-kakes-reliance-on-diesel/

6.      Ohio: Moody’s, S&P Lower FirstEnergy Credit Rating to ‘Junk’ Amid More Potential Fallout from Corruption Probe (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/moodys-sp-lower-firstenergy-bond-ratings-to-junk-as-company-taps-nearl/589753/

7.      Electricity Grid Collapses in Nigeria, Africa’s Largest Economy (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/nigeria-power/electricity-grid-collapses-in-nigeria-africas-largest-economy-idUKL8N2IF0QM

8.      Public Power Utilities Earn High Scores for Business Customer Satisfaction (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/public-power-utilities-earn-high-scores-business-customer-satisfaction

9.      Small Business Customer Satisfaction with Electric Utilities Could Use Digital Charge, J.D. Power Finds (J.D. Power)

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2020-electric-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study

10.   Western Area Power Administration Releases FY 2020 Annual Report (Western Area Power Administration)

https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsReleases/2020/Pages/WAPA-releases-2020-annual-report.aspx

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

11.   California: Magalia Microgrid Set Be Online by Next Month, Pacific Gas & Electric Says (Chico Enterprise-Record)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2020/11/california-magalia-microgrid-set-be.html

12.   California: Customers in Santa Barbara County to Get Renewable Electricity in January (Lompoc Record, CA)

https://lompocrecord.com/news/local/customers-in-santa-barbara-county-to-get-renewable-electricity-in-january/article_35579dfb-3fe2-5971-b306-244357659d25.html

13.   Top Ten States for Renewable Energy, & Their Renewable Energy Splits – Thanks Hydro (Clean Technica)

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/28/top-10-states-for-renewable-energy-split-by-source/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

14.   As Winter Arrives, Heaters Become a Survival Tool for Businesses (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/as-winter-arrives-heaters-become-a-survival-tool-for-businesses/

15.   Outdoor Heaters Seem Like a Huge Waste. Are They Really? (Yahoo News)

https://news.yahoo.com/outdoor-heaters-seem-huge-waste-194653186.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

16.   Trump Officials Move to Relax Rules on Killing Birds (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/27/migratory-bird-treaty-act/

17.   Salmon People: A Tribe’s Decades-Long Fight to Take Down the Lower Snake River Dams & Restore a Way of Life (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/salmon-people-a-tribes-decades-long-fight-to-take-down-the-lower-snake-river-dams-and-restore-a-way-of-life/

18.   Op/Ed: Oregon Gov. Brown Puts Salmon at Risk (Salem Statesman-Journal, OR)

https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/opinion/2020/11/28/lawsuit-oregon-gov-kate-brown-salmon-lower-snake-river-dams/6421638002/

19.   California: A Second Chance for Eel River Salmon & Steelhead? (The Daily Democrat, Woodland, CA)

https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2020/11/28/a-second-chance-for-eel-river-salmon-and-steelhead-tuleyome-tales/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

20.   California Moves Toward All-Electric Home Appliances as Part of Decarbonization Effort (Bakersfield Californian, CA)

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/california-moves-toward-all-electric-home-appliances-as-part-of-decarbonization-effort/article_3c47ca42-30d4-11eb-b7b9-43a2af85145f.html

21.   California: San Jose Set to Become Largest U.S. City to Ban Natural Gas in Almost All New Construction (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/28/san-jose-becomes-largest-u-s-city-to-adopt-a-natural-gas-ban-on-nearly-all-new-construction/

22.   Montana: Bozeman Tweaks Climate Plan to Be More Direct with NorthWestern Energy (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT)

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/bozeman-tweaks-climate-plan-to-be-more-direct-with-northwestern-energy/article_14a368be-3c4f-58a9-9608-9db62d6da9d4.html

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

23.   Pai Formally Announces Plans to Leave FCC (The Hill, Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/527963-pai-formally-announces-plans-to-leave-fcc

24.   Remote Work Can’t Change Everything Until We Fix This $80 Billion Problem (Fast Company)

https://www.fastcompany.com/90578964/rural-internet-broadband-access

25.   Op/Ed: With Election Over, Congress Must Act to Bridge Digital Divide (Morning Consult)

https://morningconsult.com/opinions/with-election-over-congress-must-act-to-bridge-digital-divide/

26.   Continued Bans Against Municipal Competition (Pots & Pans)

https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2020/11/30/continued-bans-against-municipal-competition/

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

27.   Cyber Monday Set to Be Biggest Online Shopping Day in U.S. History (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-holidayshopping-cybermonday-idUSKBN28A1ER

28.   Amazon’s Cloud-Computing Outage on Wednesday Was Triggered by Effort to Boost System’s Capacity (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/28/amazon-outage-explained/

29.   5G’s Rollout Speeds Along Faster Than Expected, Even with the Coronavirus Pandemic Raging (C|Net News)

https://www.cnet.com/news/5gs-rollout-speeds-along-faster-than-expected-even-with-the-coronavirus-pandemic-raging/

30.   FCC Maintains Ban on Mobile Phone Voice Calls During Flights (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-27/fcc-maintains-ban-on-mobile-phone-voice-calls-during-flights

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

31.   U.S. House Bill Proposes $10 Million Grant Program for Localities, Utilities to Aid Electric Vehicle Charging Station Rollout (Daily Energy Insider)

https://dailyenergyinsider.com/news/28146-house-bill-proposes-10m-grant-program-for-localities-utilities-to-aid-electric-vehicle-charging-station-rollout/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

32.   The Solar Discs That Could Power Earth (British Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201126-the-solar-discs-that-could-beam-power-from-space

33.   An Unusual Snack for Cows, a Powerful Fix for Climate (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/an-unusual-snack-for-cows-a-powerful-fix-for-climate/

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

David Prowse, Actor Behind Darth Vader’s Mask, Dies at 85

https://www.opb.org/article/2020/11/30/david-prowse-actor-behind-darth-vader-dies-at-85/

Puppy Pipeline Runs from Georgia North to Adoptive Homes

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/weird_news/puppy-pipeline-runs-from-georgia-northward-to-adoptive-homes/article_ca246c06-f9e4-595f-ba63-292585d2e707.html

Mysterious Silver Monolith Disappears from Utah Desert

https://apnews.com/article/mysterious-utah-monolith-disappears-195b819b68942ee782f7d1bc77cd08ca

Fried Chicken in the Fire Grate: KFC Is Bringing Back This Strangely Popular Product for the Holiday Season

https://www.deseret.com/platform/amp/u-s-world/2020/11/3/21547111/kfc-yule-log-chicken-scented-firelog-holiday-product

SONG OF THE DAY

John Williams – Star Wars - Darth Vader Suite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijdah9lenfY

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.

Comments or Questions? Contact the Energy News Digest editor.

California: Magalia Microgrid Set Be Online By Next Month, Pacific Gas & Electric Says (Chico Enterprise-Record)

Earlier this month PG&E Vice President Aaron Johnson told a town hall that Pacific Gas and Electric Company was looking at ways to break Paradise and Magalia away from Feather River Canyon as it relates to public safety power shut-offs in order to lessen the scope of the shut-offs.

In that meeting, Johnson spoke of some work that PG&E had planned to install to help with that.

“We’re installing what is called a pre-connected interconnection hub,” he said. “It’s a place where we can put in a generator free of the event and some of the underground lines there can keep it operational just like we can portions of Skyway with the transmission coming in.”

PG&E announced on Tuesday that it has started building that hub in Magalia. Once that is in place, the company can island Magalia from a broader outage. The company notes that islanding refers to the ability of a microgrid to disconnect from the larger power grid — when the power is turned off during a broader grid outage, the area supported by the microgrid may remain energized and operate autonomously.

“It’s a start, but I really like this idea of being able to break those parts up that way,” he said. “In Magalia, we tap into that underground line, put in a generator there. And then what we have there is what we call a microgrid operating there during an event because we have no lines that are getting power.”

The company says that the site in Magalia was selected through an extensive process involving the analysis of prior and expected future shut-offs, along with overall feasibility and other utility work in the region that could reduce shut-off impacts.

The site is at 14049 Lakeridge Circle and includes PG&E customers in the Skyway and Lakeridge Circle loop and north on Skyway up to approximately Drexel Drive that is served by underground power lines to be safely energized during a power shut-off.

“Our specific objective with the development of temporary microgrids is to provide electricity to resources such as medical facilities and pharmacies, police and fire stations, gas stations, banks, markets and other shared community services when weather conditions make it unsafe to operate the grid,” Debbie Powell, vice president, Asset and Risk Management, Community Wildfire Safety Program, PG&E said in a press release.

Once completed, when conditions allow, PG&E says it will be able to rapidly connect mobile generators to the site, allowing the fire station, sheriff’s substation, post office, water district facility, a gas station, markets, church, drug store and restaurants among other community services to remain energized during future shut-offs impacting the area.