This Week at Rotary
Thursday, October 3, 2024
IN PERSON & ZOOM
For Those Attending in Person
Lunch Buffet
11:30AM START
(Zoom Meeting Opens at 11:45)
(Link Sent Thursday Morning)
At
Kitchi Gammi Club
Daniel Tranter, MPH Minnesota Department of Health
This week's program will feature Daniel Tranter, MPH Minnesota Department of Health Indoor Air Hazards
Dan Tranter is the supervisor of the Indoor Air Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health. He has been with the Indoor Air Unit since 2001 and has a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Minnesota. The Indoor Air Unit conducts research, education and outreach concerning indoor air quality, especially radon, mold and carbon monoxide. Unit staff also regulate smoking in public places, air quality in enclosed sports arenas, and radon professional licensure.
Highlights from Last Week’s Meeting
By Anthony Nordan
President Elizabeth Simonson rang the bell. This week we were greeted by an old but familiar smell for lunch, stuffed peppers. We met in the 1st floor south room. President Elizabeth Simonson led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Rotary 4-Way Test.
Jeff Wencl offered the Reflection: on a nuclear aircraft carrier. The story of a nuclear aircraft carrier telling a light house to change directions is a well told story. It is a warning to not assume just because you are the strong with power behind you does not make you correct. A nuclear carrier strike group could not continue their path forward because running aground is not good for the health and wellbeing of the sailors. In the end the carrier strike group turns once they realize that a lighthouse is warning them to turn away.
Jeff Wencl
We had no guests this week except for our guest speakers.
Announcements. Rotary Roses were brought up as a point of importance. A dozen roses will cost $25. The money that we raise with rose sales will go towards food and jackets for kids. Rose sales will need to be returned by Oct 17th with distribution on October 24th and 25th. You can sell roses online at rotaryroses.com. If people put a Rotarian’s name on their online sales, then you can get credit for those sales. Distribution on Friday will be from 9am-6pm and from 12pm-2pm
on Saturday.
Past President Gary Melander – Rose Godfather
Jerry Thoreson with Jim Schwartz
Past Presidents stuffing rose tickets
Self-Reporting. We had several self-reports today.
- Dr. Steve Hadley asked for prayers for Florida. They have a category 5 Hurricane heading their direction at time of writing. Rob concurred with his request.
- Jay Ott turned 65 on Monday. He gave 2 extra dollars since his insurance premiums have gone down a little.
- President Elizabeth Simonson challenged everyone to pay $1 if you operated a gas operated vehicle / machine today.
Steve Hadley
Jay Ott – ready for Medicare?
The Chair of the Day Past President Dean Casperson introduced our 2 guest speakers today: Ed Neuman and Philip Hult are co-guest spoke about nuclear energy. Ed Neuman has worked at Amsoil for over 30 years, he has an article published in Business North about the energy grid in February of 2024, he has a master’s degree in nuclear energy from the University of Cambridge, and he speaks on climate change.
Ed Neuman
Ed spoke about the challenges to the energy grid, Minnesota’s challenges in particular, and what fuels our lives. His part of the presentation started with a reminder of 1979 Puerto Rico. This is when he became interested in the power grid and how it interacts with our lives. During that time the grid there had rolling black outs and brown outs. He asked what make the difference between a blackout and brownout. The difference is when it is time to eat ice cream. Since that is one of the first items to go bad in a blackout.
The energy grid in the United States mainland has a reliability of 99.95%. This is taken for granted by many in the US. An example in our lives may be even when the power goes out that we may flip light switches when we enter rooms. It is a natural reflex for us to expect the power to be available, but this isn’t a reality everywhere. Three things that will stress our energy grid into the future are: server farms for cloud services, Electric Vehicles, and Heat Pump technology. By 2040 the demand on the grid is expected to grow by 30% from current levels.
The energy grid can be disrupted and there are many threats to it. The energy grid needs to be maintained at 60hz to keep it from failing. To much deviation from this can result in damage to the machines that operate the grid. There are 3 key words in energy affordability: reliability, affordability, and safety.
NERC is the organization that maintains the grid across much of North America. In our region we are under MISO. This organization makes sure that the grid is operating within parameters. Minnesota is currently under a high risk of blackouts in the near future. MISO stretches from Manitoba, CA to Louisiana, US. The energy grid is an on-demand service. When the power is needed is when it is generated. This means that when demand spikes it need to be produced along with that spike, and same when demand decreases the generation needs to decrease with it.
By the end of the decade the grid will need to increase by 10% and reach that 30% number by 2040 to meet future demands. Larger corporations are already seeing demand being an issue and are using their deep pockets to fix the issue for themselves. Microsoft is purchasing the 3 Mile Island nuclear reaction power generation to meet their cloud server demands.
In Minnesota regulations and laws are inhibiting our ability to meet our CO2 requirements. Governor Walz wants to see greenhouse gases reduced by 2040. Wind and Solar are ways to do that but are intermittent. Nuclear is the only way to keep a steady supply of power and meet our CO2 goals. The issue is that in 1994 Minnesota passed a law putting a moratorium on nuclear energy.
Philip Hult came up to speak on why we need nuclear as well as what it can do for us. Why nuclear? This was his leading question. There are challenges and risks that come with nuclear generation like any other power generation. However, per megawatt hour, nuclear power kills far less people than coal, natural gas, and petroleum-based solutions. Nuclear power is clean and weather resistant. At time of speaking the nuclear plant in Florida was still producing power for the state while being hit with a hurricane. Nuclear plants also have long fuel cycles and that fuel is available.
Philip Hult
Nuclear plants also use less land and less raw material inputs. This means that we can keep much more of the land for other productive uses. All power companies going forward are to look at how they can diversify their power generation to be greener. Excel energy out of the Twin Cities operate the only nuclear plants in Minnesota.
By 2040 we either need to expand our nuclear power plants or hydro. It is much easier to expand nuclear than hydro. The 1994 legacy law stopping us is causing many issues with reaching our green goals. Dr. Hansen spoke to congress about the energy program several decades ago. This isn’t a new concern nor a new problem.
The Questions asked to the guest speakers:
- Reuse nuclear reactions from decommissioned US Navy vessels
- Safe disposal for nuclear materials
- Nevada $2 Billion site
- Yucca Mountain
- Spent fuel can currently sit inside 1 Walmart Supercenter
- What type of nuclear reactions?
- Thorium or Uranium?
- Speaker said Uranium. Meaning that the reactors they were referencing through the presentation would have been of the Uranium variety.
President Elizabeth Simonson thanked Philip and Ed for their presentation.
The 50/50 winner was President-Elect Zach Walters, who won $38. The meeting closed with the ringing of the bell.
Rotary Rose Sale - Bonus - Duluth Holiday Weekend Extraordinaire Giveaway
This year, we are not offering coupon books. Instead, Jerry Thoreson presented a ROTARY ROSE SALE BONUS for 2024: A prize package will be given away in a drawing at Rotary on the Thursday after the Rose Sale! Included in the Duluth Holiday Weekend Extraordinaire:
• Two Night Stay at Pier B Resort, December 13 & 14, 2024 ($600 VALUE!)
• A Bentleyville VIP prize package ($50 VALUE!)
• Two Tickets to “Cinderella” at Duluth Playhouse December 14, 2024 ($130 VALUE!)
• Sauna and Cold Plunge Experience for two at Cedar & Stone floating Sauna at Pier B Resort ($120 VALUE!)
• $50 Gift Card to Chilly Billy’s
• $50 Gift Card to Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants
• 2 Tickets to Glensheen ($40 VALUE!)
• 2 Tickets to Great Lakes Aquarium ($40 VALUE!)
PRIZE PACKAGE TOTAL VALUE – $1,080!
How to enter:
1 ENTRY IS INCLUDED with EACH DOZEN roses purchased or 1 ENTRY IS
INCLUDED with EACH $25 donation.
No purchase is necessary to enter the Duluth Holiday Weekend Extraordinaire giveaway. For complete details, go to rotaryroses.com
SPECIAL ROTARIAN INFO:
When ordering roses in someone else’s name, be sure to put your name in the “Rotarian Sales Rep” blank. This will count as an entry for you in the giveaway.
Service Above Self
Duluth, MN 55802
United States of America