When two Biologists spend the weekend with you at the start of a heatwave, when you don't have air conditioning, when you live in VT, spending the weekend in the house isn't an option. Strawberry picking, walking the West River Trail, ice cream, swimming, chilling at the Vernon dam, all made the list of things to do while they reset for the week ahead. We also tried the Broad Brook falls, but the parking area was already filled.
Helen (formerly of Vernon) and Kirk spend an evening at the Vernon dam.
It's Monday morning and our guests have gone back to the coast of ME to help conserve the Saltmarsh and Nelson Sparrow, Piping Plover and Least Tern chicks there. The 4th of July with its crowds, beach parties, loose dogs and fireworks, is a particularly disastrous time during the breeding season for these threatened and endangered species. But that's not the complete story. There is coastal development to contend with and the ever increasing higher tides flooding the salt marshes and eroding coastal nesting sites. Warmer summers also mean warmer ocean waters. The small fish that Terns and other seabirds feed to their chicks retreat to cooler ocean depths, making the fish inaccessible. Human caused Climate Change is taking its toll on one of America's favorite tourist destinations. (see further reading)
Least Tern chick by Helen Manning
With social media and the news filled with heat index warnings for the week, I decided to follow Green Mountain Power's energy conservation recommendations and did my laundry well after I was ready for bed.
For dramatic pause, I include this deceased mole on the West River trail.
and this deceased shrew on the same trail and day.
I understand that to those who are coping with record temperatures in the triple digits out west, it may seem somewhat unbelievable that a small town Vermonter, would concern themselves and others about doing chores after hours. But hopefully there is a method to my madness or suffering through another late night screening of Thor (who fancies himself a thunder god) while my socks were drying was a complete waste of my time.
Now to be honest, I have struggled with how to exactly untangle the reasons for why it is important for a small town Vermonter to spend the hottest time of the year doing chores in her jammies, especially when that small town Vermonter is from Vernon, home to a now retired nuclear power station. We are also home to a switch yard on the Southern Loop Connector, and we host an operating hydroelectric station.
It's complicated:
There are those who are eminently qualified micro and macro examiners of this huge topic, one of whom is author and energy analyst Meredith Joan-Angwin. I'm not claiming that I know what time of day or night that Meredith does her dishes, but I do know that she understands how we arrived at a place where the largest utility in our state is asking that it happens after midnight.
The below screenshot was taken of the ISO New England- Real Time Maps* on 6/28/2021 at seven in the morning (before the workday starts). The maps show the System Demand to be at 16134 MW and fossil (greenhouse emitting fuels) accounting for about 67% of the grid's fuel mix.
"Our energy supply is 95% carbon free and more than 64% renewable." ** I'm not entirely certain of all that figures into the math at GMP, but the ISO real time map shows that at seven this morning, the NE grid was being supplied with approximately 67% carbon producing fuel. Now the process of generation, purchase contracts, auctions and RECs to name a few components, is quite complex and I encourage you to read over Green Mountain Power- Energy Mix customer friendly statements. I think that it's important to note however, that there is a discrepancy between what our electric company has contracted for and the actual percentage of any given fuel source supplying the grid at any given time.
Under the auspice of the VT Public Service Board, GMP contracts for a certain amount of energy, from a certain source, at a certain price all of which is tiered based on actual consumption.
There are twenty electric utilities operating in Vermont of which GMP is the largest. All of these utilities have (as much as VT laws allow) their own energy portfolios and energy goals. All of the twenty utilities operate under a certificate of public good. Utilities within VT for the most part do not own a significant amount generation capacity within the state*** Moreover, there are bigger powers at play (see what I did there?) in the compilation of the energy mix on the NE grid than the twenty utilities contracting for power in VT. (Eversource, that supplies Boston comes to mind.)
With all of these fuel sources for energy generation and all of the utilities contracting for their own portfolios, how does the grid operator who keeps the grid stable, decide which sources to bring online and when to do so? I mean, GMP strongly favors climate friendly renewable energy, so shouldn't that be what is delivered to our meters? Click here to find out the answer to these questions. Please pay particular attention to the discussion on stability. This is also an area that Meredith Joan Angwin expertly addresses in her book Shorting The Grid.
A little less complicated:
It's 12:00 noon and ISO New England is at 73% carbon producing natural gas, 17% Nuclear, 7% renewables, and 2% hydro* Wayne and I have deployed our (until now) secret strategy for circulating the cooler air in our basement throughout the house.
It's not Ginny dog's first rodeo
At 3:00 and system demand is 23394. The grid is above predicted usage and there is a "power systems conditions alert". Something else has shown up on the map. In addition to < 1% coal there is now < 1% oil. The ISO has started to call up reserve sources for electricity.
Time NG Demand Demand met by NG
7:00 am, 66% of 16,134 MW = 10,648.44 MW
5:00 pm, 70% of 24,178 MW = 16,924.60 MW
8:40 pm, 75% of 23,225 MW = 17,418.75 MW
I find this entire scenario exceedingly frustrating! How am I supposed to make a case for saving Least Terns nesting in ME during a heat wave if we are actually creating more greenhouse gasses after the sun goes down? How am I, from little ole Vernon, VT supposed to create meaningful impact on the climate crisis which in turn will help the Terns?
Natural gas emits 910 pounds of CO2 per megawatt. ****
Oil emits 2,130 pounds of CO2 per megawatt. ****
Well after much deliberation, it occurred to me, that perhaps the change I sought by performing my household chores after hours might actually be targeting a smaller percentage of the fuel mix than natural gas on the NE grid. I began to think about that "oil" category, the source that wasn't even on the fuel mix chart until 3:00 pm when predicted demand was exceeded. Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies could offer an opportunity for consumers like me.
Could this possibly be where I come in? What if I were to personally reduce my consumption in such a way as to help prevent peak demand and calling up higher carbon / ready reserve fuels? What if instead of doing chores during heat waves, I read a book, played a game, sat under a tree or went to the Vernon dam? What if everyone of us prioritized reducing our personal demand, then could we finally begin to reverse the tide?
Time Oil Demand Demand met by oil
5:00 pm, 2% of 24,178 MW = 483.56 MW or 1,29982.8 pounds of CO2 emitted
I get it, I really do. If conserving electricity during record temperatures and heat waves isn't something your family can safely do, then do what you can in other areas of your life to reduce your carbon footprint. For example, driving less frequently and driving a more fuel efficient automobile is an important strategy in combatting Climate Change. Today it's the seabirds & shorebirds that are reaping the consequences of our love affair with carbon; but it won't be too much longer before the impact of Climate Change makes its way into our daily lives here in Vernon! -Norma Manning
Adult Least Tern by Helen Manning
Further reading:
* ISO New England, Real-Time Maps and Charts
** Green Mountain Power, Energy Mix
*** State of VT, Department of Public Service, Energy
**** eia, How much carbon dioxide is produced per kilowatt hour of U.S electricity generation?
eia, Electric generator dispatch depends on system demand and relative cost of operation
EPA, Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies Calculator- Calculations and References
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