South Dakota

New solar will help keep power on during scorching summer, report says • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

1 month ago

May 25, 2024

New solar will help keep power on during scorching summer, report says • South Dakota Searchlight

With some parts of the country already facing heat waves, the organization in charge of setting reliability standards for the American electric grid is warning that a scorching summer could lead to a shortage of power generation in some regions.

The warning comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there’s a 99% chance that 2024 will rank among the five warmest years on record and 55% chance it will be the hottest on record.

Overall, though, the analysis by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation painted a rosier picture than last year’s report, in part because of a surge in solar power development.

The nation has enough energy supply to handle normal peak demand, called “load” in the electric industry, largely because of 25 gigawatts of new solar power capacity — at full capacity that’s the rough equivalent maximum output of 25 large fossil or nuclear power plants. (The number of homes that can be powered from one gigawatt of solar can vary widely across the country). But the new panels have helped move some areas from what NERC calls “elevated risk” of power shortfalls in last year’s analysis to “normal risk” this year.

“Resource additions are providing needed capacity to keep up with rising peak demand in most areas,” Mark Olson, the organization’s manager of reliability assessments, told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday. New power transfer agreements, growth in demand response programs, which incentivize customers to reduce power usage during times of grid stress, and delayed power plant retirements “are also contributing to an overall improved resource outlook for the upcoming summer,” NERC says.

A solar surge

A separate FERC staff presentation said solar will make up 10% of overall national electric generation capacity by the end of this summer, with natural gas providing 42%, coal providing 14% and wind power at 13%.

Solar power is growing fast across the country, with the U.S. hitting five million total solar installations (most of them residential), per the Solar Energy Industries Association. Reaching that milestone took 50 years, but the industry group projects that hitting 10 million solar installations will only take six years. Solar power for the first time accounted for more than half of new electric generation capacity added in 2023, the group noted.

Federal solar power grants include $260 million for South Dakota tribes, rural areas

The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects “a record addition” of new utility-scale solar power this year, with about 36.4 gigawatts projected to be installed. More than half of that new capacity is planned for Texas, California and Florida.The Gemini facility scheduled to begin operation this year near Las Vegas, with a planned solar capacity of nearly 700 megawatts and battery storage capacity of up to 380 megawatts, is expected to become the nation’s largest solar project. Battery storage is also growing rapidly, with more than 14 gigawatts expected to be added this year, according to the EIA. Batteries complement solar generation well, since solar’s peak production doesn’t generally line up with peak demand on the grid, which happens later in the day. Batteries allow excess solar power to be banked for when it’s needed.

But a changing power mix also comes with new challenges and risks, NERC warned.

In his presentation to FERC, Olson said that while the overall summer electric reliability outlook has improved, some regions are seeing what he described as growing risks during extreme weather.

“Shortages could occur when demand is high and solar, wind or hydro output are low,” he said.

Those regions include parts of the Midwest and South in the grid area managed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, New England, Texas, much of the Southwest and California. Grid operators, though, are becoming increasingly adept at planning and running electric grids with large amounts of intermittent resources.

“It’s refreshing to finally get the recognition that renewables can help with reliability,” said Simon Mahan, executive director of the Southern Renewable Energy Association.

Shifting seasons and climate change

While most of the country has historically been “summer-peaking,” meaning regions hit their highest demand for electricity during the summer months, some areas are increasingly seeing demand spike in winter, a trend that is expected to continue as result of heating electrification, other decarbonization policies and more extreme, protracted cold weather events. Indeed, the majority of recent electric grid failures have been during severe winter weather, such as Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, which caused blackouts in several southern states and Uri in 2021, which caused a catastrophic collapse of the Texas electric grid that caused an estimated 246 deaths.

Regulators approve early start for largest solar farm in state

But summer heat still poses risks, NERC says, contributing to both high demand and power plant outages, such as at natural gas power plants.

“Last summer brought record temperatures, extended heat waves and wildfires to large parts of North America,” the organization said. And though energy emergency alerts were few and no electricity supply interruptions happened as a result of insufficient power resources, grid operators “faced significant challenges and drew upon procedures and protocols to obtain all available resources, manage system demand and ensure that energy is delivered over the transmission network to meet the system demand.” Utilities and state and local officials in many areas also “used mechanisms and public appeals to lower customer demand during periods of strained supplies,” NERC added.

Christy Walsh, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Sustainable FERC Project, said the reliability reports show how climate change is central to the pressures facing the electric grid.

“And it needs to be at the center of our solutions too,” she said in a statement to States Newsroom. “Earlier and more intense hurricanes brought on by increasing sea temperatures are a new and noteworthy concern, and this underscores the need for more large-scale transmission and connections between regions. Most of the new additions were wind, solar and storage, and last summer especially we saw just how crucial these resources can be during extreme heat events. We need to make sure we have a grid that can withstand the weather and move resources around during times of stress.”

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South Dakota

Governor Noem gives update on flooding in SE South Dakota

Published

5 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

Governor Noem gives update on flooding in SE South Dakota

YANKTON, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – On Tuesday afternoon, Governor Kristi Noem held a press conference in Yankton to give the latest update on flooding in Southeastern South Dakota.

During that press conference, Noem said that late last week state officials were informed of different cresting times for rivers. Luckily the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux Rivers crested earlier than anticipated and at different times from one another. The James River was the final river of the three to crest, reaching its peak early Tuesday morning.

As the rivers have started to recede, cleanup is underway. Noem said the state is currently working with 30 counties in assessing to total damage done and submitting their reports to FEMA.

“We have to have a loss in order to qualify for FEMA of $1.6 million worth of property damage in order to qualify,” Noem explained. It’ll take up to 30 days until the state has notice of the funds they received.

However, when it comes to those damages, the governor has her eyes set on McCook Lake as her highest priority. She described how they underestimated the damage it would undergo. She said that they are currently working on a time for residents to obtain their belongings from within their homes and encourages individuals to stay away from the damage.

Noem did make it a point to thank law enforcement and emergency personnel who have traveled from all over that state to Southeast South Dakota to help with the flood waters. She also wants to remind individuals that are traveling on flooded roads or ones with barricades to turn around. For the latest on road conditions, click here.

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South Dakota

South Dakota’s WIC Program implements new income guidelines July 1

Published

12 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

South Dakota’s WIC Program implements new income guidelines July 1

The South Dakota Department of Health has released new income guidelines for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program effective July 1, 2024.

WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provided at no cost to eligible moms, infants, and children. It aims to empower families through support with healthy eating, nutrition, and breastfeeding, as well as offering referrals to other essential services. WIC strives to help improve the overall health and well-being of families.

“WIC makes a profound difference in the lives of families, offering essential nutrition, heartfelt discussions, and unwavering support,” said Department of Health Secretary, Melissa Magstadt. “The mission is to empower moms, infants, and children with the knowledge and resources they need to thrive and live healthier, happier lives.”

If your family’s annual income does not exceed the following amounts for the size of your family, you could qualify for WIC:

Family Size	185% of Federal Poverty Level	Family Size	185% of Federal Poverty Level
1	$27,861	6	$77,626
2	$37,814	7	$87,579
3	$47,767	8	$97,532
4	$57,720	9	$107,485
5	$67,673	10	$117,438

To find out if you or children in your household are eligible for the WIC Program and to apply online go to https://www.sd.gov/wic. Or you can call for an appointment at your local WIC office. Offices can be found under the county listings in your phone book or on the web at https://www.sd.gov/wic.

WIC is an equal opportunity provider. More information about the program is available at https://www.sd.gov/wic.

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South Dakota

South Dakota high school grad receives full ride college livestock judging scholarship

Published

19 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

South Dakota high school grad receives full ride college livestock judging scholarship

REE HEIGHTS, S.D. — Agriculture has been a way of life for Payton Beare. She was raised on a farm near Ree Heights, started showing livestock at age 4, started 4-H when she was 8, started livestock judging when she was 10 and started FFA when she was in seventh grade.

It was her interest in animals that ultimately got her interested in livestock judging. Through that, she has gained a community.

“The whole FFA and 4-H community, whether it’s cattle, or goats, or sheep or pigs, we are all kind of a family,” she said. “It’s kind of a whole group thing that just kind of gets you involved in everything.”

Payton Beare makes ear tags for her cattle.

Ariana Schumacher / Agweek

Beare has been very successful in her ag activities, especially livestock judging. During her sophomore year of high school, she won the state FFA livestock judging contest. Her success in judging has earned her a full ride scholarship to Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kansas.

“It was a big weight lifted off my shoulders,” she said. “The scholarship will cover classes and books and everything else, and other scholarships will cover the food and the room and that kind of stuff. Then I got an additional scholarship that is for traveling and that additional stuff. So, it’s honestly amazing.”

Women in agriculture

Women always have played significant roles in agriculture. While the stereotypical farmer or rancher in recent centuries became male, women have continued to raise livestock, plant crops, feed crews, perform financial and bookkeeping tasks and more. The 2022 Census of Agriculture says 36% of producers are women, which may be an underrepresentation of women’s contributions to farms and ranches. In this series, we introduce some of the women in agriculture in our region.

Through livestock judging, she will be traveling a lot. Beare said the judging team last year traveled over 46,000 miles.

“I am most excited to travel,” she said. “We will come back to South Dakota, and we will judge at a few contests here. We will go all the way to Texas. We will go to all the big shows, Louisville, Kansas City, Denver, all the big ones. It’s honestly somebody’s dream to get to go to all of those and judge.”

Through livestock judging, Beare has been able to learn things that she can bring back and apply to her own operation.

“You kind of just learn to find functional animals,” she said. “If you are judging livestock, you are not going to look for animals that can’t walk or aren’t structurally sound or able to function, so when you are picking animals for your herd, you are going to look for the animals that are able to meet your standards like you would be when you are judging.”

One skill she has gained through judging is public speaking.

“I think it is really important so we have more people to stand up and speak out about the beef industry or even the livestock industry itself, so that we have leaders and we have people that will stand out for our problems and make a difference,” Beare said.

Payton Beare stands in her cattle herd near Ree Heights, South Dakota.

She will be doing this all while working towards a degree in bovine embryology. Livestock genetics is something that has always interested her.

“We’ve been putting embryos in here for five to 10 years, and I always looked forward to staying home from school, helping with it,” Beare said of their cattle breeding procedure. “Last year, I was loading AI guns for the guy that AIs our cattle and I actually learned how to AI this year, so I will be AIing a bunch of our cattle and that stuff this year.”

She will also be working while in school, both for Reprologix and Competitive Edge Genetics. After her time at Fort Scott, she hopes to transfer to either Oklahoma State University or Kansas State University.

“I hope to then take that experience and hopefully someday own or operate my own genetic company,” she said.

Beare encourages other young people who want to someday judge livestock in college to start learning now.

“The best thing I think that I have done is start going to livestock judging camps,” she said. “Livestock judging is a lot of confidence because you have to give reasons, which is everybody’s enemy. You have to be able to get out of your comfort zone … You have to be able to listen to everybody else’s opinion because not everybody else is going to think the same.”

Ariana is a reporter for Agweek based out of South Dakota. She graduated from South Dakota State University in 2022 with a double major in Agricultural Communications and Journalism, with a minor in Animal Science. She is currently a graduate student at SDSU, working towards her Masters of Mass Communications degree. She enjoys reporting on all things agriculture and sharing the stories that matter to both the producers and the consumers.

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