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didn't think the incentives would be as popular as they have been.","_rev":"nGVGpqymM9rmqMoU3zwuCo","_updatedAt":"2024-08-07T21:37:02Z","visibility":"true","_createdAt":"2024-08-07T21:37:02Z","_type":"story","category":"energy","body":[{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The Inflation Reduction Act covered a variety of issues, many of which related directly to the promotion of environmental protection, i.e. cutting emissions and advancing renewable energy programs.","_key":"019d8c84f0f70"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"94bdf0033672"},{"children":[{"_key":"67da1d6accc60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And one way the federal government sought to "},{"_type":"span","marks":["1bff9da6cd72"],"text":"encourage","_key":"67da1d6accc61"},{"text":" such behavior was through the availability of tax credits. 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But there hasn’t been a lot of coherence on the global scale regarding the best way to actually achieve that lofty goal.","_key":"8ab52879d3d30","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"630c66bce3cc"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"a384be336d82","markDefs":[{"_type":"link","href":"https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/google-clean-energy-partnership/","_key":"cbcc0c0be64f"}],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"But one of the world’s most influential tech firms thinks it has found a ","_key":"d65990be87370","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":["cbcc0c0be64f"],"text":"reliable","_key":"d65990be87371"},{"text":" path toward meeting its sizable electricity needs while doing its part to protect the environment.","_key":"d65990be87372","_type":"span","marks":[]}]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"What makes it different","_key":"f13af253c56c0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"015376afe991"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Google confirmed it had reached a landmark agreement with NV Energy, the public utility company that serves communities throughout Nevada.","_key":"679e57ef08860"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"4a72bca5f08a"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"ac1ad0b39532","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"2aad7edb22cb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While it’s not the first company to establish such a partnership, the terms of this deal are unique. 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States like Texas and Arizona are also taking a leading role as the nation’s battery storage capacity is expected to double this year alone.","_key":"52bac076e082"}]}],"_updatedAt":"2024-05-07T23:49:42Z","publishDate":"2024-05-08","_id":"c441b063-5f6c-422a-a2c1-7e9f57be317e","id":"SnPLRbtt","_rev":"wB0WK8lj43kJgbaPQGyidt","category":"energy","visibility":"true","_type":"story","slug":"/story/2024/05/why-solar-energy-production-struggles-to-meet-reallife-electricity-demands","summary":"California is paving the way for a new era of clean energy storage.","image":{"hotspot":{"_type":"sanity.imageHotspot","width":0.8904109589041093,"x":0.5,"y":0.5,"height":0.945205479452055},"_type":"image","attribution":"Giphy","asset":{"source":{"name":"Well Done Good Job GIF by Proven Energy","id":"dOrKc4pASvkZfdu5uz","url":"https://giphy.com/gifs/ProvenEnergy-solar-panel-peter-sutrin-proven-energy-dOrKc4pASvkZfdu5uz"},"assetId":"da2023f45aa0430f8e8ff7d937e66160ff1c6d7f","_createdAt":"2024-05-07T23:48:05Z","_id":"image-da2023f45aa0430f8e8ff7d937e66160ff1c6d7f-480x300-gif","originalFilename":"28840619-e840-4668-a373-6d8df2474d15.gif","extension":"gif","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","mimeType":"image/gif","_rev":"wB0WK8lj43kJgbaPQGyeb3","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/8mioycse/v3/da2023f45aa0430f8e8ff7d937e66160ff1c6d7f-480x300.gif","metadata":{"_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","palette":{"lightMuted":{"population":0.78,"background":"#c39689","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#000","title":"#fff"},"vibrant":{"foreground":"#fff","title":"#fff","population":1.38,"background":"#38629d","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch"},"dominant":{"background":"#d9f5f9","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#000","title":"#000","population":9.09},"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"background":"#2d3f67","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#fff","title":"#fff","population":4.54},"muted":{"title":"#fff","population":1.05,"background":"#a86654","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#fff"},"lightVibrant":{"background":"#d9f5f9","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#000","title":"#000","population":9.09},"darkVibrant":{"background":"#04295b","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#fff","title":"#fff","population":0.04}},"hasAlpha":true,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","width":480,"aspectRatio":1.6,"height":300},"isOpaque":true,"blurHash":"VdAT]0D*n~jsWY?wIBoJj@WV.8Mxn%bHf5%gRQWAbHoJ"},"uploadId":"MWIRhTKT8Tk3hLIeeVdErJ4afn6QZScn","_updatedAt":"2024-05-07T23:48:05Z","sha1hash":"da2023f45aa0430f8e8ff7d937e66160ff1c6d7f","path":"images/8mioycse/v3/da2023f45aa0430f8e8ff7d937e66160ff1c6d7f-480x300.gif","size":2432701},"crop":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"_type":"sanity.imageCrop","right":0}}},{"_updatedAt":"2024-04-23T22:14:52Z","_rev":"88day3EElo7PwvFFgvu1Kv","category":"energy","_type":"story","_id":"7958da63-e696-41e3-b6d3-7c5a27f7bccf","summary":"The investment is part of a long-term strategy to eliminate its carbon footprint.","publishDate":"2024-04-24","title":"Which Company Operates The Most EV Charging Stations? 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Last year, Amazon emitted roughly"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" 71 million metric tons","_key":"ff85eaf504b8"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" of carbon dioxide — or 40% more than it did the year the company set its 2040 goal.","_key":"978c8fce0894"}],"_type":"block"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"7d10fd1dd8d6","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"0f0a368ea8850","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"But with a massive investment in hardware and the added power demand of charging all these vehicles, Amazon has shown its commitment to practice what it preaches."}]}],"image":{"_type":"image","attribution":"Shutterstock","asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/8mioycse/v3/2203953d2e170864205e0d4ec6af619cea37f294-3648x2414.jpg","creditLine":"Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock","_createdAt":"2024-04-23T22:13:55Z","originalFilename":"sstk-14324174a.jpg","uploadId":"wh6lOdkowFmy9SBVCVafbotG8hwO4v0A","_rev":"88day3EElo7PwvFFgvtq2H","_type":"sanity.imageAsset","assetId":"2203953d2e170864205e0d4ec6af619cea37f294","_id":"image-2203953d2e170864205e0d4ec6af619cea37f294-3648x2414-jpg","metadata":{"hasAlpha":false,"lqip":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","dimensions":{"_type":"sanity.imageDimensions","width":3648,"aspectRatio":1.5111847555923779,"height":2414},"isOpaque":true,"blurHash":"VAGu%gxt00%4IAIxIp?wR;MuICjc~qNLD$IUxu00ae?b","_type":"sanity.imageMetadata","palette":{"lightMuted":{"_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#000","title":"#fff","population":0.07,"background":"#cab1af"},"vibrant":{"background":"#4d61b9","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#fff","title":"#fff","population":4.17},"dominant":{"background":"#423930","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#fff","title":"#fff","population":8.31},"_type":"sanity.imagePalette","darkMuted":{"background":"#423930","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#fff","title":"#fff","population":8.31},"muted":{"title":"#fff","population":0,"background":"#a4a46c","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","foreground":"#000"},"lightVibrant":{"foreground":"#000","title":"#fff","population":0.08,"background":"#cbae8e","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch"},"darkVibrant":{"foreground":"#fff","title":"#fff","population":0.26,"background":"#8d3514","_type":"sanity.imagePaletteSwatch"}}},"mimeType":"image/jpeg","path":"images/8mioycse/v3/2203953d2e170864205e0d4ec6af619cea37f294-3648x2414.jpg","extension":"jpg","sha1hash":"2203953d2e170864205e0d4ec6af619cea37f294","_updatedAt":"2024-04-23T22:13:55Z","description":"Mer electric vehicle charging points at Bramley Station. 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And this makes sense, of course.","_key":"150b16dec98c0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"589e2bff6e4d","markDefs":[]},{"_key":"51f823473ea8","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"After all, not only are Californians generally interested in prioritizing renewable resources, but there’s also just","_key":"1afc8216489a0"},{"marks":["strong"],"text":" a heck of a lot of sunshine","_key":"ff028932c965","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" there.","_key":"1b14d0943334"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"But could there actually be too many panels contributing to the state’s power grid? On the surface, it might sound like an absurd ","_key":"190896f4698d0"},{"marks":["c6a4e1f93436"],"text":"question","_key":"190896f4698d1","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" … but it’s one that experts are seriously asking.","_key":"190896f4698d2"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"d0c5235db74c","markDefs":[{"_type":"link","href":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/04/22/california-solar-duck-curve-rooftop/","_key":"c6a4e1f93436"}]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":["strong"],"text":"Solar energy by the numbers","_key":"3616cd05f0cf0","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"c7e0994b0691"},{"_key":"fd02cbb44e05","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"There are new panels being added everyday, so it’s hard to find up-to-date statistics, but the most recent data available indicates that the state churns out almost ","_key":"0c1758b0e15a0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"47 gigawatts of solar power","_key":"cfdbb3a7e249"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". That’s enough to provide power to almost 14 million homes and it currently accounts for more than 25% of the state’s electricity output.","_key":"4792dbc78cca"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"style":"normal","_key":"6f548e8724c9","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"So what’s the problem? In a nutshell: ","_key":"0aab0af09c570"},{"_key":"6966888739d8","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"springtime"},{"text":".","_key":"8073fb83d6c4","_type":"span","marks":[]}],"_type":"block"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"eebfd9bc300d","markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"The sun is out and the temperature is moderate, meaning energy supply is significantly higher than demand. This creates a scenario in which the cost of electricity is effectively below zero and some of the solar energy is wasted.","_key":"25e722125a1b0","_type":"span"}]},{"_key":"5b31c0ca09b4","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"A nationwide trend emerges","_key":"ea0fc894b3cb0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_key":"45041704d973","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Other U.S. states are ramping up their installation of solar panels with incentives to homeowners who choose to add them to their property. But California’s lead might serve as","_key":"27f6e3cad7e90"},{"_key":"aee91ce04466","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" a cautionary tale"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":".","_key":"11b212ac5cf5"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"style":"normal","_key":"f9bb806bdf00","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"b17035bc83820","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Incentives in that state are being rolled back and the formerly furious embrace of solar panels is cooling off significantly."}],"_type":"block"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Solar energy is still a valuable resource, though, and researcher Michelle Davis says officials just need to figure out the right balance for their respective states.","_key":"6215f3d87e9f0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"5af13fc798d7"},{"_key":"a9b9a8fea9d9","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“These are not","_key":"716803705de70"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" insurmountable challenges","_key":"2212580a1833"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":",” she advised. “But they are challenges that a lot of grid operators have never had to deal with.”","_key":"f3206dceadbd"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"}],"_updatedAt":"2024-04-22T23:30:52Z"},{"category":"energy","publishDate":"2024-04-20","title":"Old Meets New: How High-Tech Needs Are Increasing The Demand For Coal","_id":"2daae149-e538-4948-b544-e15f8d260def","slug":"/story/2024/04/old-meets-new-how-hightech-needs-are-increasing-the-demand-for-coal","visibility":"true","body":[{"style":"normal","_key":"48960c07eb85","markDefs":[{"_key":"68348df0c81f","_type":"link","href":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/data-centers-internet-power-source-coal/"}],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You might have assumed that as technology improves, so would our collective pursuit of cleaner, renewable sources of energy. 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