Climate Change

As Philadelphia works to tackle climate change, a question emerges: Is PGW on board?

With attempts to electrify grids in a sustainable way, many oil and gas furnaces will inevitably be shut down by 2025. The foregoing is a threat for energy supplies for utilities such as PGW, among utilities that opposed updated and thorough building code implementation. The call to transition...Read more

Without action on climate change, heat is projected to become major global killer

This article talks about several studies documenting the impacts we are going to face if we do not address extreme heat now. That said, projections show that, without any measures taken to address extreme heat, climate change will increase annual deaths by heat that are comparable to annual...Read more

Thousands without power during record-breaking heat

On June 27th, 2021 Portland General Electric said 2,574 customers in Clackamas County, 1,291 customers in Multnomah County, 605 customers in Washington County and 765 customers in Yamhill County were without power due to extreme heat-related outages in the Pacific Northwest. 

Portland...Read more

Report explores a decarbonized future for PGW, cites its current structure and business model as challenges

In December 2021, the much anticipated 81-page PGW Businesss Diversification study was released. The report recommends further study into three separate future pathways for PGW: geothermal energy; expanded weatherization; and harvesting sewer gas or landfill gas that produces methane. The...Read more

Power companies urge Biden to implement policies to cut emissions 80% by 2030

This article reports on a letter signed by thirteen electricity companies that urges the Biden administration to adopt clean energy standards. Specifically, they want to "ensure the electricity industry cuts carbon emissions 80% below 2005 levels by 2030." The letter did not mention Biden'...Read more

The Unyielding Grip Of Fossil Fuels On Global Life

In this article, Michael Klare explains that the use of fossil fuel like coal, oil, and natural gas will not fall, but actually continue to rise in the next decades. I like the way the author shares first the good news about the increase in renewable energy resources and then the bad news...Read more

U.S. Power Crisis Leaves Millions Cold, Dark as Blackouts Expand

This article discusses the power crises occurring in the United States due to the overlapping slow disasters of climate change and COVID-19, revealing inadequacies in energy infrastructure (e.g. electrical grids, power plants) which are overwhelmed by energy demands in areas experiencing extreme...Read more

Op-ed: We have a final opportunity to respond to climate change. Will we take it?

Transitions call for monetary investments and fuel-use cutbacks to be made. This article calls on fast action to be taken just as fast as measures were taken when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The article also calls for rapid adaptive changes to be made for populations most at risk of negative...Read more

Pa. stymies Philadelphia green-energy plan to add biogas to PGW’s fuel

PGW's proposed green energy pilot, which would add Renewable Natural Gas produced from landfills or farm waste into it's natural gas mix, was rejected by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, stating that the pilot would violate state law that requires state-regulated utilities to procure...Read more

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