Who are they?

The Utility companies are naturally large emitting companies, the cement and, steel industry, and a surprising one, the fertilizer industry. In South Carolina, there are at least two companies that seem to be manufacturing fertilizers, Carolina Eastern, Inc. and the ICL Group. The other companies are more obvious companies like Liberty Steel in Georgetown, and DEECO Metals Inc., to mention a few. Companies like BMW, Volvo, and ZF are also quite naturally large emitting companies if they haven’t moved over to solar, which is hard based on their need for base load energy.

Our needs
Today we are heavily dependent on base load energy since our operations and energy needs are twenty-four-seven and the infrastructure for solar, wind, and biomass isn’t built and the then much-needed storage isn’t in place. 

Will it ever?

Most likely yes, Solar is developing, and the battery industry is one of the hottest industries with companies like Proterra, EnerSys, AESC, and Cirba Solutions already operating in South Carolina.

South Carolina also has a strong biomass industry potential with:

• South Carolina has roughly 12.6 million acres of forestland.
• Of that, around 87% is in private ownership.
• Many private forest owners participate in programs like the Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) which promotes sustainable management practices.
• Biomass as a feedstock can be sourced from “for purpose grown” as well as forestry waste biomass.
• Well-managed industry can help absorb GHG long term as well as provide drought and flood protection, reducing wildfire risk.

So we have a growing Solar industry and a way forward with biomass that potentially can supply South Carolina with a large portion of the energy needs that the nuclear can’t and, shouldn’t do today since the nuclear industry isn’t distributed, doesn’t reduce our waste, restore our soil. 

Does this mean that all fossil fuels should be taken offline?

No, today there is still a need, and there are still areas where it makes sense to have fossil fuel but, we don’t need it to be our primary source of energy any longer.  

In many areas, fossil fuel is also an important part of the many manufacturing processes, especially as chemical feedstock:  Natural gas, particularly the main component methane, is a source of hydrogen and carbon, which are essential building blocks for a wide range of chemicals. These chemicals are used in the production of:

• Plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene, are commonly used in packaging, textiles, and various parts.
• Paints and coatings
• Synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon
• Medicines and pharmaceuticals

It would be a shame if we ran out of highly valuable natural gas so we can’t produce products that our world needs. It took our earth +200 million years to produce fossil fuels, let’s not waste it, let’s be careful.

What about the electric grid – is it ready for the change that needs to be made?

Looking at 2040, there is no exact number on how much we need to invest into the electrical grid but, here’s some information on expected US grid investment:

• A report by TransitionZero, a climate analytics non-profit, estimates an additional $1.7 trillion investment in transmission infrastructure across the US is needed by 2040.
• The Energyst reports that the US grid capacity needs to double by 2040, requiring an investment of $1.9 trillion to achieve.

Regardless if it’s US$ 1.7 or 1.9 trillion, we are talking about the same amount of money as our defense, and social security industries. 

Thoughts and conclusions

Looking at generation, transmission and distribution, EV, and electrification of our industries, our Global political landscape, global warming regardless of the reasons is a fact, we need to have a very holistic view, not put all eggs in one basket. We should diversify our sources of energy and distribute the generation, improving reliability, resilience, and predictable rate development.

Looking at generation and transition from a high degree of fossil fuels to more biomass, that can also produce biochar, we could reduce some of our overall energy needs. This is due to the manufacturing of fertilizers being energy intensive, whereas biochar is a byproduct of energy production.

Biochar will never fully replace fertilizers but, thinking that biochar can replace some of the use of fertilizers increases the opportunity of making the State not only improve the yields both for the farmers as well as the forestry industry, but also become carbon neutral quicker.

A meta-analysis found biochar alone increased crop yield by 25.3%, while inorganic fertilizers increased it by 21.9%. It also showed that mixing biochar with fertilizers will improve the yield even more since the fertilizer won’t leach out of the soil which normally happens. Thus, we will see reduced costs for farmers as well as reduced runoff into water streams, meaning less damage.

With the grid, transmission, and distribution upgrade needs regardless if we invest in older centralized fossil fuel-fed energy or newer distributed renewable energy solutions, we still have to think about things can we use our energy sources long term, and what risks our decisions carry? A larger paper mill told me for example, “We can’t go all in on natural gas, because of the supply not being stable enough for the next 10 years”. This is naturally their conclusion but, it is an example of how everyone should think.

Looking at the way forward

We need to sit down with a broader group of people to bring forward legislation that will lead the way for South Carolina and our development. The question is extremely important as well as complex, it will need innovative solutions, a lot of discussions, and most likely a plan that can be flexible and evolve, because if we build monoliths, then the risk is large that we will see a new Nukegate scandal. 

The US Manufacturers need long-term stable, affordable energy to compete at a Global level, so energy is a very important question and can’t be taken lightly. If utility companies don’t deliver affordable energy or the grids don’t allow it, then our industry won’t grow, there is even a risk that they will turn elsewhere.

Additional reading

• The Nuke Gate Scandal reached over to Sweden, here’s how a part of the media sees the scandal and why it should be seen as an alarm clock for Swedish legislators.
• In a new study, MIT researchers have developed strategies for beneficial electric vehicle charging to reduce peak electricity demand and store solar energy.
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• Utility regulator quits, says SC energy bill may cause repeat of VC Summer nuclear fiasco (NOTE for non-subscribers there is a 48h free service)