Enquiring Minds Want To Know -- January 30, 2016

Updates

January 31, 2016: update on new energy plant costs in the US:

• Off-shore wind: $7.5 million /MW (intermittent; requires fossil fuel back-up)
• Solar: $3 million / MW (intermittent; requires fossil fuel back-up)
• On-Shore Wind: $2.5 million / MW (intermittent; requires fossil fuel back-up)
• Natural gas: $865,000 / MW

January 31, 2016: Snowstorm Jonas, which was predicted to be one of the biggest snowstorms ever in the US, pretty much lived up to the hype. What I find interesting is how the story -- not necessarily the storm -- just ended. This was the storm that was supposed to wreak as much havoc on New Jersey -- you know, the rising sea levels, the ocean surge, the deluge -- as Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Jonas hit on Friday, and by Sunday night, maybe even by Sunday afternoon, the story was over. Except for an occasional story about Brooklyn folks reporting that their streets have not yet been plowed, there really wasn't much reported. Yes, it's a slow news day.

January 31, 2016: this link was sent to me sometime ago, but I did not get to it until today -- it appears another great theory for energy production is not ready for prime time. This time it is energy provided by the oceans' tidal waves. Northern Ireland is calling it quits. 

A tidal energy turbine installed in Strangford Lough, County Down, is to be removed.

The SeaGen turbine was lowered into place in 2008 and generates electricity from from tidal currents.

Two horizontal axis turbines are anchored to the seabed and are driven by the powerful currents resulting from the tide moving in and out.

Its owners Atlantis Resources said it will be decommissioned later this year. The company said it had been "an essential research and design platform".

January 30, 2016: from a reader -- Just had to share this with you ...

• state-of-the-art combined cycle gas plant to be built in Burrville, R.I.
• 900 MW plant costing $700 million
• Deepwater Wind offshore wind turbines also being built off Block Island, R.I.
• 30 MW capacity (on windy days, I suppose) costing $225 million
• Activists are livid over the gas plant

I've confirmed the data points -- later I will supply the links. If I remember. A huge thanks for the reader who sent me this data. The reason this is so important, it confirms the current cost for a new natural gas plant (about $750K/MW) vs off-shore wind (about $7.5 million, per MW). 

And, no, wind energy is not free once the wind turbines are on-line. Wind turbines need to be backed up by continuous energy sources supplies by fossil fuels. Say, natural gas. 

Again, unfortunately, states are not eligible for the Geico Rock Award.

Cost / MW:

• Natural gas plant: $800,000 MW
• Offshore wind: a whopping $7.5 million / MW

I have no dog in this fight; I don't live in -- nor do I have plans to ever live in -- Rhode Island. The folks who live in Rhode Island are fairly well off, with a median annual income slightly less than North Dakota. Paying $7.5 million/MW shouldn't be an issue for them. LOL.

Median annual income by state:

• Rhode Island: $59,000
• North Dakota: $61,000
• Mississippi: $36,000

Wiki also had a list as of 2014.

Activists must have money to burn. Speaking of which, I wonder if it would be cheaper to burn US one-dollar bills to heat a home rather than paying $7.5 million/MW, off-shore wind? Just curious.
 

Original Post
 

According to the EIA, what is the residential rate for electricity, kilowatt-hour, in each of the 57 states?

Link here. North Dakota moves up a notch to #2 in the nation, ahead of the hydroelectric states of Washington and Idaho. It's possible that southwestern North Dakota leads the nation, even beating out Louisiana, at #1.

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Pretty Cool

On a fairly generic google search, "the million dollar way blog" pops up as the #2 hit out of 162,000 hits.

On another note, among Bakken blogs this site is still #2.  Google "Bakken blog."

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Putting Things Into Perspective

Do you remember the 29 deaths-- or whatever the number was -- blamed on winter storm Jonas, affecting 85 million Americans from Kentucky to New York up to New England? Hold that thought: 29 deaths.

This just in from Iran:

30 Jan 2016 – The vice president of the Red Crescent society said that of the 9,515 injured in the country during the last week, 7,450 of the injuries were related to snow. This included 283 road accidents due to snow and blizzard.

Meanwhile, Mexico has declared a state of emergency in 23 states due to severe cold (same link). More on Mexico here, February 3, 2016:

The situation is particularly worrying in the north, where the thermometer reached the -17 ° C mark. In Mexico City it snowed in January, a phenomenon not seen in the capital since 1967.

31 Jan 2016 – While the storm Jonah was unleashed on the United States, in Mexico temperatures dropped to record lows.

The snow and cold forced the government to declare a state of emergency is declared in 24 of the 32 states in the country.

The National Meteorological System has warned that the worst of winter may be yet to come and that temperatures will fall in the north, northeast, east and center of Mexico.