February 2011
Some energy posts for you today
A couple of posts on the subject of energy, specifically on how to produce enough of it in the future. This first post from the Climate Spectator blog says that the best way to ensure we have enough is to use less -
The biggest challenge is how to manage the growth in peak demand, which is growing at a phenomenally faster rate than baseload power. It will come as something of a shock to most consumers that their soaring power bills are not the fault of green energy subsidies, but mostly because of the neighbour’s newly installed air conditioning unit. Or their own.
and
Not much has been heard from the Australian government since, but that could be because it has embarked on a series of “on road consultations” to find out what the “stakeholders” have got to say about it. There are some fears that Canberra’s sudden aversion to “complementary measures”, now to be found in the same storage bin as budget deficits – break glass and use only in an emergency – may undermine the push.
But at least the government does not have to worry about accusations that it is acting “ahead of the world.” The task force report found that energy efficiency in Australia was so bad that even a concerted effort would not enable it to catch up with its competitors. And now China and India are also putting us to shame.
Interesting stuff. Full article here - http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/easy-way-cut-power-bills?u...
And a very encouraging report out a few weeks ago from the folks at the WWF shows how we could switch to 100% renewables by 2050. And it won't cost the earth -
this study has a broad portfolio of existing renewable energy sources with geothermal and tidal providing a base load and solar and wind supplementing when available. The study also discounts nuclear power as a dirty and expensive form of energy in the long run and eliminates it from the energy mix. The report supports carbon capture but does not believe that the technology will be mature enough to be economically feasible by the time renewables are in place.
The Energy Report goes further in detailing transportation solutions, social energy equity, and broad conservation as pivotal to the success of the proposal. This means biofuels, vast grid networks and distributed energy generation, and zero energy building and retrofits similar to the Passivhaus standard. The study places great emphasis on reducing energy demand which also lowers costs. Another positive aspect is that while the study notes that the implementation of renewables at such scales is costly, the ongoing energy generation is less expensive than our current system so in the bigger picture, it will not necessarily cost more.
Full report avaiulable for download here - http://assets.panda.org/downloads/101223_energy_report_final_print_2.pdf (be warned.. its long and not exactly light reading)
Could New York be powered by its own Sewage?
Could New York be powered by its own sewage? Its department of Environmental Protection certainly thinks so -
New York is one of the greatest cities in the world and home to almost 20 million people — however as a result of its size, the city produces an enormous amount of sewage, which is often blamed for contaminating waterways. However New York’s Department of Environmental Protection believes the city’s waste could become its saviour, and it has unveiled a plan to utilise the vast amounts of sludge, methane gas and other byproducts of sewage as potential sources of renewable energy
Full story on Inhabitat - http://inhabitat.com/could-new-york-city-be-powered-by-its-own-sewage/
How not to do climate change policy
In another questionable decision, the state government is now promising to shield consumers from electricity price rises. Naturally, the money to pay for this is being stripped from climate change initiatives. So its a double whammy - less money for climate change and energy stays cheap so everyone can use more and more of it. But it will win them votes so it must be OK. -
Keneally has also flagged that she will announce an electricity rebate for households earning less than $150,000 a year.
To pay for the policy changes, the government will strip money from its Climate Change Fund's green projects until 2020, including scrapping its long-running rainwater tank rebate, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Full (depressing) article on the Climate Spectator here - http://www.climatespectator.com.au/news/nsw-government-pay-cost-solar-bo...
And a good article, also from Climate Spectator on the federal government's proposal to scale back climate change programs to pay for the Queensland flood reconstruction -
Of particular concern was the prime minister’s proposal to abolish, defer and cap eight carbon abatement programs to help pay for flood damage. The messaging was counter-intuitive: Cutting climate change solutions to fix the consequences of climate change.
It’s risky to claim any single climate event has been caused solely by anthropogenic climate change. Floods and droughts are part of the landscape. But most climate scientists continue to warn of the risk of greater climate volatility as the result of more energy in global weather systems as global average temperatures continue to rise.
http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/flood-poor-policy-decision...
Some good news stories for a change
Three good news stories from this week's Inhabitat blog -
A Japanese inventor has developed a machine that can turn plastic into fuel -
to’s inspiration for the method came from the simple realization that plastic bags are created from oil, thus they should be able to be converted back to their original form. The highly efficient, non-polluting machines can process polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene but not PET bottles, and they can convert 2 lbs. of plastic into a quart of oil using just 1 kilowatt of power.
When you consider that using that 1 quart of oil as fuel will generate a lot more than 1 kilowatt of power that's a fantastic achievement. http://inhabitat.com/japanese-inventor-akinori-ito-creates-machine-that-...
Wikileaks Strikes Again - Saudi oil reserves may be overstated
An interesting piece in the Guardian for you today. It seems that the latest batch of US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks contains some very sobering information about Saudi oil reserves. They contain a warning from a senior Saudi government oil executive that the kingdom's crude oil reserves may have been overstated by as much as 300bn barrels – nearly 40%.
Sadad al-Husseini, a geologist and former head of exploration at the Saudi oil monopoly Aramco, met the US consul general in Riyadh in November 2007 and told the US diplomat that Aramco's 12.5m barrel-a-day capacity needed to keep a lid on prices could not be reached.
According to the cables, which date between 2007-09, Husseini said Saudi Arabia might reach an output of 12m barrels a day in 10 years but before then – possibly as early as 2012 – global oil production would have hit its highest point. This crunch point is known as "peak oil".
Full article here - http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/feb/08/saudi-oil-reserves-overst...
Natural swimming pools
Pools are great in the summer but less great when the power and water bills come in. Pool pumps, heaters and other accessories can drive your power bill sky high. Not to mention the water used to fill and keep it topped up. Maybe this Australian design is the answer - A natural rock billabong pool.
Offering a non-chemical alternative to chlorine and saltwater pools, the billabong is a swimmable rock pool filled with rainwater harvested from water tanks, roof run offs, driveways and more!
Suited to any environment, indigenous aquatic plants act as a filter system, and locally sourced rocks and native plants create a natural habitat to support flora and fauna.
Natural swimming pools
Pools are fantastic in the summer but much less fantastic when the power bill comes in. Pool filters, heaters and other accessories can drive your power bill sky high. Not to mention the water to fill and keep it topped up. Possibly this Australian design is the answer - a natural rock billabong pool. You can even convert your existing pool.
Offering a non-chemical alternative to chlorine and saltwater pools, the billabong is a swimmable rock pool filled with rainwater harvested from water tanks, roof run offs, driveways and more!
Suited to any environment, indigenous aquatic plants act as a filter system, and locally sourced rocks and native plants create a natural habitat to support flora and fauna.
Transition Sydney 2010 Year In Review
At the last Transition Sydney Bioregion meeting last December, one of the key frustrations expressed by the participants was knowing what was happening in all the various local groups. To try to address this, the various local groups who were represented at the meeting decided to start a Transition Sydney Newsletter. This is the first one...