Energy Exchange

Shell Canada launches methane technology pilot, and its timing is perfect.

By Drew Nelson / Published: August 9, 2017

This week, oil and gas giant Shell announced the launch of a technology pilot at one of its shale gas facilities in Canada that will continuously monitor methane levels and provide real-time leak detection to facility operators. This is a big deal and shows what can happen when companies, environmental groups and innovators work together to find solutions.

The pilot is a product of the Methane Detectors Challenge (MDC), a partnership involving EDF, eight oil and gas operators, technology developers and other experts that aims to spur next-generation solutions that can help the oil and gas industry find methane leaks more efficiently and effectively.

Shell is not alone. Other MDC participants include Statoil, which launched a pilot in Texas early this year, and Pacific Gas & Electric Company, which began a pilot in California in 2016. But the Shell project at Rocky Mountain House is the first MDC technology to be deployed in Canada, where the federal and key provincial governments are both developing regulations that will reduce oil and gas methane emissions.

The timing of this test in Alberta couldn’t be better. Read More »

Posted in Gas to Clean, Methane, Natural Gas / Tagged , , | Comments are closed

These charts show why communities are demanding common sense standards to protect them from oil and gas pollution

By Felice Stadler / Published: August 4, 2017

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been trying every trick in the book to suspend rules that require oil and gas companies to limit pollution from their operations as they look to expand drilling across the country. His attempted delay tactics follows a cozy relationship he’s had with the worst elements of the oil and gas industry in his prior role as Attorney General of Oklahoma, where he sued to block these very rules on the behalf of his oil and gas allies.

Following a historic court decision and subsequent mandate, EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (which set first-ever national methane pollution limits for the industry) are now in effect. However, Administrator Pruitt continues to push to delay these standards with a proposed two-year suspension. The impact of this action is sweeping: Hundreds of thousands of Americans live near the 21,000 oil and gas wells that should be covered by these rules.

The senseless delays of common sense pollution standards have major implications for the health and welfare of communities living downwind of oil and gas development in the U.S. Here’s why:

There is a lot of oil and gas drilling happening. Read More »

Posted in Methane, Natural Gas / Comments are closed

Goodbye, internal combustion! Electric vehicles are rolling in

By EDF Blogs / Published: August 2, 2017

By Rory Christian and Larissa Koehler

Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise on the road, but they’re generating a lot of buzz about the future of this technology and what it means for business and the environment.

Cars, buses, and trucks are the second biggest source of pollution in the U.S. after electricity production. They are responsible for over 26 percent of emissions that adversely affect the health and well-being of the population, and put communities located close to highways and other major thoroughfares at risk. These communities, typically low-income, are often plagued by elevated asthma rates and other pollution-induced health conditions.

When thinking about ways to reduce pollution, EVs can make a world of difference. And, when charged using renewable energy sources, they produce no emissions and can be much cheaper to operate than traditional, internal combustion vehicles. As such, let’s take a look at the global EV market and impacts in the U.S. on the electric grid in two environmentally progressive states ‒ New York and California. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, Electricity Pricing, General, New York REV / Read 3 Responses

Waiting for Perry: Leaked draft gives us a glimpse into the study he should release

By Jim Marston / Published: July 28, 2017

It’s been 100 days (and counting) since Secretary Perry ordered the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a 60-day study of the U.S. electricity system. We expect the final report to be issued any day now.

The initial focus of the study was clear: to determine whether renewable energy policies or regulations have accelerated the retirement of coal and nuclear plants. Perry himself admitted the so-called study was intended to reassess “politically driven policies driven by a hostility to coal,” implying he intends to use the study to discriminate against renewables in favor of dirty, expensive coal.

But a bombshell recently hit. A leaked draft of the study seems to contradict Secretary Perry’s pro-coal thesis and rhetoric.

The draft is thoughtful, and it boils down to some conclusions that Secretary Perry’s political appointees – ahem, editors – will be hard pressed to massage into policy recommendations that call for more coal. Namely, America’s grid reliability remains strong with more clean energy and less coal. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Grid Modernization, Renewable Energy / Comments are closed

Four opportunities to strengthen Canada’s draft methane regulations

By Drew Nelson / Published: July 27, 2017

Canada’s move to reduce methane emissions from its oil and gas sector passed another milestone this week, as the deadline passed for stakeholders to submit comments about the proposed regulations to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). EDF issued extensive comments commending ECCC for moving forward, but urging decision makers to address some critical weaknesses of the draft rules.

EDF is not alone in this thinking. A group of investors from Canada, US, and Europe, which together represent $89 billion CAD in investments, released a synopsis of their comments. Many leading Canadian NGOs, including the David Suzuki Foundation, the Pembina Institute, Environmental Defence (no relation to this EDF), Equiterre, and the Blue Green Alliance, also issued a press release urging ECCC to improve and strengthen the draft regulations.

As Canada’s effort to regulate this potent greenhouse pollutant continues, EDF is focused on ensuring Canada takes advantage of low-cost reduction opportunities, which have the added benefit of improving air quality, eliminating waste, stimulating innovation, and creating jobs. For that to happen, the country’s draft methane regulations need to be strengthened. Read More »

Posted in General, Methane, Natural Gas / Tagged , | Comments are closed

It’s time to harmonize New York’s natural gas and climate policies

By Natalie Karas / Published: July 27, 2017

New York is a national leader on energy and climate. The state’s Clean Energy Standard provides that half its electricity will come from renewables by 2030. The state has also committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new plan to reduce methane pollution directs state agencies to develop policies to inventory emissions and identify strategies to reduce them.

These are ambitious goals that require proactive, flexible policies from New York regulators. However, embedded within New York Public Service Commission precedent and policies are preferences for utility decisions weighted in favor of natural gas utilization and infrastructure. These policies risk locking in that infrastructure at the expense of alternatives.

Dusting off old policies

One such policy, in place since 1989, incentivizes utilities that expand gas service into new areas by increasing the rate of shareholder return they’re allowed to earn on these investments. Others put the finger on the scale for increased utility investment in natural gas pipelines and delivery infrastructure. Read More »

Posted in Gas to Clean, Natural Gas / Read 1 Response