Random thoughts on life and living in this region:
ON RAMP: The new Interstate 64 westbound on ramp at 29th Street (Exit 15) is too dangerous for my taste. ItƵs too difficult looking for cars about to emerge from behind a concrete barrier, and that assumes theyƵre only doing the speed limit in the construction zone. When the alignment changes, let me know.
ACCESS: Since Gov. Jim Justice took office, itƵs been next to impossible to get information from public affairs officers in state agencies under his control. ThatƵs been my experience and that of reporters here. HereƵs hoping the next governorƵs people will be more willing to answer simple requests for information.
BRIDGE ACCESS: IƵve driven across the West 17th Street Bridge for nearly 50 years, and it still scares me getting on the bridge from West Virginia to Ohio, whether IƵm using the ramp from Washington Avenue or the straight shot from I-64.
JUNK MAIL: If it wasnƵt for unsolicited advertisements for credit cards and health insurance plans I donƵt want, I would have to go to my mailbox maybe once a month except when I order something online.
POLITICS: YouƵll have to forgive me if I donƵt eat, drink and breathe news about the presidential election. I donƵt know who will win, but we pretty much know who will carry this region, and I donƵt think I can change anything here or elsewhere by posting the latest funny meme or lecturing you on who you should vote for. But if you want to see my cat pictures Ƶ
LINKS: Posting pictures on Instagram is a great way to learn who wants me to follow them on . Not that I do or would want to.
COAL POWER I: In heat waves and cold spells, coal-fired power plants contribute a large percentage of the power that keeps people warm or cool. But what about in times of more moderate weather?
That requires a check of the PJM Interconnection website. PJM is the grid operator for this part of the U.S.
The weather was comfortable (but wet) at noon Thursday, Sept. 25. At that moment, coal provided about 10.2% of the total electricity used in the region. Natural gas provided about 49.2% of the regionƵs power needs and nuclear power about 32.7%. Renewables accounted for about 5.6%.
Nuclear power plants cannot be turned on and off easily, so their contribution to the regional grid remains constant, although the percentage changes as demand increases and declines. Coal, being the most expensive of the remaining sources, is usually the last to be called on to supply power.
COAL POWER II: Meanwhile, across the pond, the United KingdomƵs last coal-fired power plant Ƶ the Ratcliffe-on-Soar station in central England, about two hours north of London Ƶ completed its final shift of generating power Monday night. It ended 142 years of coal-generated electricity in the nation.
Coal kept the lights on, but the drive to replace coal with renewable sources was too strong.
According to the BBC, in the early 1990s, coal began to be forced out of the electricity mix in favor of natural gas. Coal generated about 39% in that time. But the UK government decided to force coal out of the mix in favor of renewables.
Last year, coal supplied only 1% of the UKƵs electricity needs. Now it provides none. CNN reported, ƵThe shutdown makes Britain the first country from the Group of Seven major economies to phase out coal Ƶ though some other European nations, including Sweden and Belgium, got there sooner.Ƶ
What took coalƵs place? Wind power.
The website tracks power generation in the UK. It says, “Great Britain’s exposed position in the north-east Atlantic makes it one of the best locations in the world for wind power, and the shallow waters of the North Sea host several of the world’s largest offshore wind farms.”
British government sources say that on Monday, the day the last coal-burning plant shut down, wind provided 44.2% of BritainƵs power needs, natural gas 19.7%, nuclear power 14.4%, biomass 6.8%, solar 1.9% and other sources the rest.
The UK governmentƵs goal is to ƵdecarboniseƵ the nationƵs grid by 2035. Here in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has tried to minimize the use of coal as a power source if not eliminate it entirely. Its most recent proposed change to power plant emission rules has been challenged in court, as most of its previous proposals have been.
READ IT: One of my favorite short stories ever is Mark TwainƵs ƵThe War Prayer.Ƶ If you havenƵt read it, you should. You can find it online.
Jim Ross is development and opinion editor of The Herald-Dispatch. His email address isjross@hdmediallc.com. He is on Instagram at jimross90.
