In urban situations, space is limited, there may be little or no access to land, and various regulatory restrictions when it comes to gardening or backyard animals. We want to share some of the concepts that people have used in urban settings which allow them to circumnavigate these obsticles. Below is a list of some solutions practiced by various groups in cities across the nation. It is a mix of approaches, ranging from gardening to co-parenting, going across of aspects of sustainability.
Inspirational ebooks on Permaculture Media Blog:
Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community - Food Not Lawns doesn?t begin and end in the seed bed. This joyful permaculture lifestyle manual inspires readers to apply the principles of the paradise garden?simplicity, resourcefulness, creativity, mindfulness, and community?to all aspects of life. Plant "guerilla gardens" in barren intersections and medians; organize community meals; start a street theater troupe or host a local art swap; free your kitchen from refrigeration and enjoy truly fresh, nourishing foods from your own plot of land; work with children to create garden play spaces.
Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems: Principles and Practices- shows how cities and their residents can begin to reintegrate into their bioregional environment, and how cities themselves can be planned with nature?s organizing principles in mind. Taking cues from living systems for sustainability strategies, Newman and Jennings reassess urban design by exploring flows of energy, materials, and information, along with the interactions between human and non-human parts of the system.
Community Gardening (Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide) - This all-region guide, filled with hands-on tips, offers a snapshot of today?s vibrant North American community gardening movement. Whether you are already a member of a community garden, want to get involved in one, or are just curious, this guide will inform and inspire you. Models include vegetable gardens, aesthetic and art gardens, children?s and youth gardens, and several others. Using real-life case studies from around North America, the expert contributors show how community gardening produces safe, eco-friendly food; brings neighbors together; offers valuable lessons for children; and gives each participant the personal satisfaction that comes with cultivating the land and making things grow.��
Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway - This extensively revised and expanded second edition broadens the reach and depth of the permaculture approach for urban and suburban growers.
Many people mistakenly think that ecological gardening?which involves growing a wide range of edible and other useful plants?can take place only on a large, multiacre scale. As Hemenway demonstrates, it?s fun and easy to create a ?backyard ecosystem? by assembling communities of plants that can work cooperatively and perform a variety of functions, including:
* Building and maintaining soil fertility and structure
* Catching and conserving water in the landscape
* Providing habitat for beneficial insects, birds, and animals
* Growing an edible ?forest? that yields seasonal fruits, nuts, and other foods
Critical Mass: Transport, Environment and Society in the Twenty-First Century - This book, pointing out that car-dependency is shared throughout Europe, Asia and North America, argues that the problems can only be solved globally by a shared recognition of common needs. In addition, with transport inextricabley linked with consumerism and the lifestyles that car ownership has created, the book argues that the challenge is to replace the current technology with an alternative that is sustainable and will solve the fundamental problems of poverty, inequity and social development.
City Farmer: Adventures in Growing Urban Food - celebrates the new ways that urban dwellers across North America are reimagining cities as places of food production. From homeowners planting their front yards with vegetables to guerilla gardeners scattering seeds in neglected urban corners, gardening guru Lorraine Johnson chronicles the increasing popularity of innovative urban food growing.
"Vibrant and alive... a spirited journey to meet those who are rediscovering the economic, social, and healing power of growing food in the city"
Ecocities: rebuilding cities in balance with nature- is about re-building cities and towns based on ecological principles for the long term sustainability, cultural vitality and health of the Earth?s biosphere. Unique in the literature is the book?s insight that the form of the city really matters ? and that it is within our ability to change it, and crucial that we do. Further, that the ecocity within its bioregion is comprehensible and do-able, and can produce a healthy and potentially happy future.
Sustainable urban planning: tipping the balance - introduces the principles and practices behind urban and regional planning in the context of environmental sustainability. Its publication reflects a growing recognition in the fields of planning and environmental studies that cities, where the majority of humans now live, need to be developed in a sustainable way. The text takes a balanced approach, weaving together the concerns of planning, capitalism, development, and cultural and environmental preservation. It helps students and planners to connect the needs of the environment with the need for financial gain. This approach is mirrored in the structure of the book which is divided into two parts, one focusing on theories and the other on techniques.
Climate Resilient Cities: A Primer on Reducing Vulnerabilities to Disasters - provides city administrators with exactly what they need to know about the complex and compelling challenges of climate change. The book helps local governments create training, capacity building, and capital investment programs for building sustainable, resilient communities. A step-by-step self-assessment challenges policymakers to think about the resources needed to combat natural disasters through an innovative hot spot risk and vulnerability identification tool. This primer is unique from other resources in its treatment of climate change using a dual-track approach that integrates both mitigation (lowering contributions to greenhouse gases) and adaptation (preparing for impacts of climate change) with disaster risk management.
Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change - The authors of this spirited book don?t believe that oblivion is necessarily the destiny of urban areas. Instead, they believe that intelligent planning and visionary leadership can help cities meet the impending crises, and look to existing initiatives in cities around the world. Rather than responding with fear (as a legion of doomsaying prognosticators have done), they choose hope. First, they confront the problems, describing where we stand today in our use of oil and our contribution to climate change. They then present four possible outcomes for cities: ?collapse,? ?ruralized,? ?divided,? and ?resilient.? In response to their scenarios, they articulate how a new ?sustainable urbanism? could replace today?s ?carbon-consuming urbanism.?
You can also take some inspiration here:21 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Permaculture and Guerrilla Gardening Activists in Your LifeThe Essential Gardening and Food Resilience Library
��
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Job Losses Push Need for Energy Bill
America's urgent need for new job creation may be the driver that pushes the Senate to pass a jobs & energy bill this year. After the loss of 8.4 million jobs in the current Great Recession, Congress is searching desperately for any means to create new jobs.
Unemployment vs. Deficit "Conundrum". As former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Saturday on National Public Radio, "we as a nation save too little and we borrow too much, both individually and the government." In Paulson's new book On the Brink, he argues that Americans' relative lack of savings helped to propel the financial crisis.
Paulson: "Conundrum"
However, Paulson acknowledged to NPR host Scott Simon, the "conundrum" is that to spur the economy, we now need to spend more and create more jobs. Paulson did not offer a solution to this impasse.
Indeed, this contradiction is now paralyzing the nation's political life, as Americans are worried about both high unemployment and record deficits. The Obama Administration and Congress are now walking a tightrope between these anxieties.
Investment as Solution. The solution to this jobs vs. savings conundrum is to invest money now, into projects that when completed will help us individually and as a nation to save more.
For instance, an investment now into energy efficient buildings would create desperately needed construction jobs, but pay for itself with increased energy savings.
Investments in an advanced electric grid using renewable energy will create the engine to power the economy, without skyrocketing fuel costs.
Investments to wean our cars and trucks off imported oil can stop the transfer of wealth of trillions of dollars from the U.S. economy that is now building the economies of oil exporting nations, many of them hostile. These dollars can instead remain in the U.S. to build our own economy.
Measures which spur investments that help us to save thus meet both the urgent need for more jobs and make structural changes to help America thrive through thrift.
Private Sector Key. It is neither desirable nor possible for government to put everyone back to work with public works projects. While some investments must be made to make government operations more thrifty, the biggest savings must come in the private sector. More efficient operations will help the entire economy to thrive and compete.
The challenge, then, is to find ways to spur these private investments.
Cap & Trade in Jeopardy. The mechanism favored by economists to spur private investment in a more efficient economy is the "Cap and Trade" approach. A "Cap" on emissions is set, but polluters can "Trade" by paying someone else to cut their emissions if it is cheaper. The overall emissions limits spur investment in new technologies, and those investments create jobs. This approach is the centerpiece of the House energy and climate Bill.
However, very effective "Cap & Tax" media campaigns by large polluters and Tea Party style activists, have placed the "Cap & Trade" concept in serious jeopardy. "Cap and Trade" is not a tax but in fact is the lowest-cost means to set a pollution limit. Opponents have nevertheless loudly condemned Cap & Trade as a tax-like economic levy. Both Democrats and Republicans remember well the 1994 mid-term election debacle after Bill Clinton proposed what was deemed a "BTU Tax". Republicans have vowed to use Cap & Trade as a hammer against its supporters in this November's elections.
Climate Bill "Lite"? Some Senators are now pushing an approach that would accomplish only a handful of key measures. For instance, one proposal would require action only by electric utilities. While any progress is welcome, the failure to achieve significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions would doom the ability of the U.S. to negotiate with other countries for a world climate deal.
As global warming is by definition a worldwide problem, the failure to achieve agreements with other countries would mean the U.S.would still suffer the effects of catastrophic worldwide climate changes.
Number of Days/Yr > 100 Degrees F
Source: National Science & Technology Council
While Kansas might install efficient wind farms, it would be of little help if worldwide global warming proceeds unabated and turns Kansas into a region stricken by a Dust Bowl style permanent drought, destroying its agriculture.
Five Key Energy & Jobs Measures. If we assume for the sake of discussion that a limited jobs & energy bill this year won't include either Cap-and-Trade or new taxes, what measures are are critical? Could substantial greenhouse gas emissions cuts still be achieved? What must proponents of good bill insist be included?
The following five key measures could begin to spur investments in private job creation and greenhouse gas reductions across multiple sectors of the economy:
1. Better Energy Building Codes: Buildings account for almost 50% of total U.S. energy use and 70% of our electricity use. This makes new energy building codes the single most effective energy saving and emissions reductions measure available. The jobs created would be in the severely distressed construction industry.
Source: Architecture 2030
The group Archictecture 2030, comprised of the nation's most prominent architecture and building firms, has estimated the new energy building codes contained in the House jobs & climate bill would save six times more greenhouse gases than could be saved by a fleet of 100 new nuclear reactors. By the year 2050, the new energy building codes would by themselves reduce building sector CO2 emissions by 49% below 2005 levels. Since the building sector accounts for almost half of total U.S. energy use, the new building codes could achieve a reduction of almost one quarter of total U.S. energy-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
The new building codes adopt standards whose cost as part of a mortgage payment must be less than the cost of the energy saved -- so they cannot be required unless they save money.
Building better buildings also creates more construction jobs. Doing the things needed to make buildings more efficient -- better caulking, insulation, etc -- are low tech and highly labor intensive.
If builders had a way to move most of the money consumers are spending on utility bills, and instead buy better houses with this same money, they would shift those monies tomorrow. Better energy building codes accomplish this.
We already know how to build more efficient buildings. It just makes sense to stop building things wrong so we don't have to go back and fix them later.
2. Energy Saver Home Tax Credit for New & Retrofit Homes. To provide an immediate jobs boost to the construction industry and ease the transition to more energy efficient homes, Congress should revise the Homebuyer Tax Credit The current Homebuyer Tax Credit expires April 30, 2010. As the housing industry is still severely depressed, it is a sure bet there will be calls to extend it.
However, studies have shown the current Homebuyer Credit is not creating many jobs. Simply selling homes does not require hiring construction workers. Homes need to be newly built, or retrofitted, to create new construction jobs. An Energy Saver Home Credit could implement an effective requirement for job creation. As it would be more targeted, it could pay for itself through economic multiplier effects.
Architecture 2030 has estimated that a similar measure to promote new and retrofit home energy efficiency would create 4.5 million job years if only 2.2% of homes participate.
To receive a Credit for purchase of a new home, the new Energy Saver Home Credit would apply when the new home meets energy standards at least 20% better than energy building codes. For instance, if mandatory energy building codes require a 30% savings compared to 2006 codes, the new Energy Saver Home Credit would require a 50% savings. This would reward builders who do the extra work (and hire the extra workers) to make the home more efficient than required.
To receive an Energy Saver Home Credit for the purchase -- or refinancing -- of an existing home, an energy retrofit achieving at least a 20% energy reduction would be required. Thus, as existing homes are purchased, or refinanced, there would be a strong incentive to bring those homes up to more efficient energy standards.
3. Economy-Wide New Equipment and Transportation Efficiency Standards: Another key provision to stop building things wrong is to enact improved energy efficiency standards for lighting, appliances, and heavy trucks and transportation equipment. The House energy & climate bill contains these provisions to require cost-effective changes to how new equipment is built.
These new lighting, appliance, and equipment standards would bring into effect savings across all sectors of the economy -- industrial, commercial, residential, agricultural and the critically important transportation sector. As new energy efficient technologies are available that become cost-effective, new equipment would need to be manufactured to these more efficient standards.
This provision would create jobs by helping the U.S. economy run more efficiently and competitively. It would also create a significant export opportunity for the U.S. to design and manufacture energy-efficient equipment to the world market.
4. Renewable Energy and Efficiency Standard (REES) for Electric Utilities. Energy Information Administration Modeling of the House energy & climate bill has indicated that under that bill's provisions, over 80% of the actual reductions in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 would be implemented by electric utilities. This is because, as shown in the EPA chart below, electricity generation accounts for the lion's share of U.S.direct CO2 emissions. Most importantly, conversion of electric utilities to low-carbon sources is readily workable, whereas other sectors of the economy such as transportation may take longer to reduce emissions.
Source: EPA Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A majority of states now require increasing percentages of kWh's to be generated by renewable energy. California has a 33% by 2020 standard, and Colorado is now moving to adopt a 30% by 2020 standard. (Colorado is particularly noteworthy as it began with over 2/3 of its electricity generated by coal in 2005) Overall, 29 states have adopted minimum requirements for renewable generation and 4 have adopted "goals":
Source: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The public has embraced this approach as it focuses on adoption of new technologies rather than economic measures.
The House climate bill contains a flexible Renewable Energy and Efficiency Standard (REES) requiring utilities to obtain 20% of their kWh's from a wide selection of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources by 2020. That standard also gives credit to utilities who choose to meet part of their kWh's using Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS), new hydro, or new nuclear power.
A report prepared by the Chicago consulting firm Navigant has recently estimated that a standard requiring 25% of the nation's electricity to be supplied by renewable sources by 2025 can create 274,000 new jobs. The report's sponsors noted that meaningful requirements for renewables are critical for the U.S. to compete with China in attracting renewable industry manufacturing facilities.
While the House bill's REES standard stopped at only 20%, the bill ultimately used Cap & Trade to require electric utilities to achieve much greater reductions in emissions -- roughly 50% by 2035 and over 80% by 2050. If Cap & Trade is not adopted, however, a continuing "ratcheting upward" of REES levels might instead be used to achieve similar electric utility emissions reductions.
If a REES requirement at high levels is adopted, it should also include power plant efficiency conversions. Natural gas power plants and efficiency tune-ups can also help utilities lower emissions. To allow more flexibility at lower cost than a strict renewables-only requirement, REES levels above 20% should include improvements to generator efficiencies (e.g. fuel-shifting to natural gas from coal, or overall efficiency upgrades) as a qualifying REES energy efficiency measure.
To complement a Federal REES, the bill must include strong Federal transmission siting measures to insure needed transmission lines from new renewable power plants can be built.
5. Agricultural and Local Governments Offsets Programs. The House climate bill creates a special "Offsets" program to allow polluters subject to its Cap-and-Trade measures to instead pay to help farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These USDA-administered programs might include carbon sequestration through better pasture management, conversion of crop residue (straw) to biochar, or paying for a dairy farmer to install a methane generator.
Source: USDA Harvesting Clean Energy Conference
While technically this program is something like a "Trade" provision in a "Cap and Trade" bill, its separate administration by USDA would allow it to be included in a new bill even without an overall "Cap and Trade" scheme. For instance, electric utilities might be allowed to purchase some Agricultural Offsets from USDA as one means of meeting their REES levels.
If the USDA program proves successful, another special-purpose Offsets program might also be developed, for local governments. For instance, EPA might advance a program to fund methane capture & usage at municipal waste treatment plants and landfills.
Some Measure of Success. The inclusion of the above Five Measures in a Jobs & Energy bill this year would accomplish many of the job creation and greenhouse gas emissions reductions that might have been included in a more comprehensive jobs & climate bill. Almost all sectors of the economy would be touched, but directly rather than through cross-funding mechanisms.
Nothing to Call a "Tax". A limited jobs & energy bill enacted this year might not include any requirements for oil refineries or natural gas distributors to meet "Caps" on their sales or purchase "Allowances" and "Offsets". Hence, it is unlikely voters would see such a bill as imposing any kind of levy that opponents could label a "tax".
No New Money Raised. None of the above measures require adoption of major new funding mechanisms. (The Energy Saver Home Credit requires funding, but it is proposed as a more effective replacement to an existing Homebuyer Tax Credit.) All other measures are regulatory in nature and only require administration. They are funded by the private sector (e.g. electric utility bonds, and home mortgages) and adopt measures which will pay for themselves through lower fossil fuel costs.
Many Programs Not Possible. With no new funding mechanism, no new money would be raised. Therefore, measures which require significant funding might not be adopted. These include proposed funding for new state energy office programs, increases in low income weatherization, funding of advanced automobile research & development, rebates to impacted electric and gas local distribution companies, funding of international projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, funding of loan defaults to investment bankers by utilities who build new nuclear power plants, or a proposed $60 billion in new funding for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology.
Many of these additional programs might also create jobs and significantly reduce greenhouse gases. Some may be critically necessary to achieve an international climate agreement. Many are demanded by regional lobbies to ease the perceived costs of converting to cleaner energy. Some are simply demanded by powerful lobbies who want Federal funding.
However, they are not included in the Five Measures above, because there would be no way to pay for them.
Trading May Yet Come. If Congress wishes to fund these additional efforts, adoption of a more comprehensive bill including Cap & Trade is likely to be required. Such an Act, if structured as economists recommend such as in the House bill, would require all polluting industries such as oil refineries, factories, and natural gas distributors to purchase pollution Allowances if they wish to continue to emit greenhouse gases or to sell to end users who would burn their fuels. Industries could choose to reduce their emissions, or pay for Allowances and Offsets for someone else to reduce emissions. Prices for such fuels as gasoline, diesel fuel, and natural gas would rise slightly if consumers do not reduce total usage below the emissions "Caps".
Polluters would not pay one dime for any Allowance or Offset, however, unless it was cheaper to buy than to reduce their own emissions. Many industries will ask Congress for this option, so a "Trade" may yet come to pass in any climate pollution-capping bill.
Half-Assessed? Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has maintained his strong support for a comprehensive jobs & climate Bill, because he sees the need for enacting many of these other efforts. He has recently been quoted as saying anything less than a comprehensive bill is "Half-Ass..d".
Ultimately it will not be sufficient to adopt just the Five Measures above. Global warming is real. China is racing ahead of us now, and we need strong action to compete. In other words, in many ways Senator Graham is right.
Enacting any kind of bill without the Five Measures above, however, is also "Half-Ass..d". To fund nuclear power loan defaults, CCS, and offshore oil drilling and not do the measures that create the most jobs would ignore our best opportunities. Other countries will move ahead and steal the lead.
America's jobless deserve better than that. Congress needs to move now to adopt a Jobs & Energy bill that will put Americans back to work.
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Unemployment vs. Deficit "Conundrum". As former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Saturday on National Public Radio, "we as a nation save too little and we borrow too much, both individually and the government." In Paulson's new book On the Brink, he argues that Americans' relative lack of savings helped to propel the financial crisis.
Paulson: "Conundrum"
However, Paulson acknowledged to NPR host Scott Simon, the "conundrum" is that to spur the economy, we now need to spend more and create more jobs. Paulson did not offer a solution to this impasse.
Indeed, this contradiction is now paralyzing the nation's political life, as Americans are worried about both high unemployment and record deficits. The Obama Administration and Congress are now walking a tightrope between these anxieties.
Investment as Solution. The solution to this jobs vs. savings conundrum is to invest money now, into projects that when completed will help us individually and as a nation to save more.
For instance, an investment now into energy efficient buildings would create desperately needed construction jobs, but pay for itself with increased energy savings.
Investments in an advanced electric grid using renewable energy will create the engine to power the economy, without skyrocketing fuel costs.
Investments to wean our cars and trucks off imported oil can stop the transfer of wealth of trillions of dollars from the U.S. economy that is now building the economies of oil exporting nations, many of them hostile. These dollars can instead remain in the U.S. to build our own economy.
Measures which spur investments that help us to save thus meet both the urgent need for more jobs and make structural changes to help America thrive through thrift.
Private Sector Key. It is neither desirable nor possible for government to put everyone back to work with public works projects. While some investments must be made to make government operations more thrifty, the biggest savings must come in the private sector. More efficient operations will help the entire economy to thrive and compete.
The challenge, then, is to find ways to spur these private investments.
Cap & Trade in Jeopardy. The mechanism favored by economists to spur private investment in a more efficient economy is the "Cap and Trade" approach. A "Cap" on emissions is set, but polluters can "Trade" by paying someone else to cut their emissions if it is cheaper. The overall emissions limits spur investment in new technologies, and those investments create jobs. This approach is the centerpiece of the House energy and climate Bill.
However, very effective "Cap & Tax" media campaigns by large polluters and Tea Party style activists, have placed the "Cap & Trade" concept in serious jeopardy. "Cap and Trade" is not a tax but in fact is the lowest-cost means to set a pollution limit. Opponents have nevertheless loudly condemned Cap & Trade as a tax-like economic levy. Both Democrats and Republicans remember well the 1994 mid-term election debacle after Bill Clinton proposed what was deemed a "BTU Tax". Republicans have vowed to use Cap & Trade as a hammer against its supporters in this November's elections.
Climate Bill "Lite"? Some Senators are now pushing an approach that would accomplish only a handful of key measures. For instance, one proposal would require action only by electric utilities. While any progress is welcome, the failure to achieve significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions would doom the ability of the U.S. to negotiate with other countries for a world climate deal.
As global warming is by definition a worldwide problem, the failure to achieve agreements with other countries would mean the U.S.would still suffer the effects of catastrophic worldwide climate changes.
Number of Days/Yr > 100 Degrees F
Source: National Science & Technology Council
While Kansas might install efficient wind farms, it would be of little help if worldwide global warming proceeds unabated and turns Kansas into a region stricken by a Dust Bowl style permanent drought, destroying its agriculture.
Five Key Energy & Jobs Measures. If we assume for the sake of discussion that a limited jobs & energy bill this year won't include either Cap-and-Trade or new taxes, what measures are are critical? Could substantial greenhouse gas emissions cuts still be achieved? What must proponents of good bill insist be included?
The following five key measures could begin to spur investments in private job creation and greenhouse gas reductions across multiple sectors of the economy:
1. Better Energy Building Codes: Buildings account for almost 50% of total U.S. energy use and 70% of our electricity use. This makes new energy building codes the single most effective energy saving and emissions reductions measure available. The jobs created would be in the severely distressed construction industry.
Source: Architecture 2030
The group Archictecture 2030, comprised of the nation's most prominent architecture and building firms, has estimated the new energy building codes contained in the House jobs & climate bill would save six times more greenhouse gases than could be saved by a fleet of 100 new nuclear reactors. By the year 2050, the new energy building codes would by themselves reduce building sector CO2 emissions by 49% below 2005 levels. Since the building sector accounts for almost half of total U.S. energy use, the new building codes could achieve a reduction of almost one quarter of total U.S. energy-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
The new building codes adopt standards whose cost as part of a mortgage payment must be less than the cost of the energy saved -- so they cannot be required unless they save money.
Building better buildings also creates more construction jobs. Doing the things needed to make buildings more efficient -- better caulking, insulation, etc -- are low tech and highly labor intensive.
If builders had a way to move most of the money consumers are spending on utility bills, and instead buy better houses with this same money, they would shift those monies tomorrow. Better energy building codes accomplish this.
We already know how to build more efficient buildings. It just makes sense to stop building things wrong so we don't have to go back and fix them later.
2. Energy Saver Home Tax Credit for New & Retrofit Homes. To provide an immediate jobs boost to the construction industry and ease the transition to more energy efficient homes, Congress should revise the Homebuyer Tax Credit The current Homebuyer Tax Credit expires April 30, 2010. As the housing industry is still severely depressed, it is a sure bet there will be calls to extend it.
However, studies have shown the current Homebuyer Credit is not creating many jobs. Simply selling homes does not require hiring construction workers. Homes need to be newly built, or retrofitted, to create new construction jobs. An Energy Saver Home Credit could implement an effective requirement for job creation. As it would be more targeted, it could pay for itself through economic multiplier effects.
Architecture 2030 has estimated that a similar measure to promote new and retrofit home energy efficiency would create 4.5 million job years if only 2.2% of homes participate.
To receive a Credit for purchase of a new home, the new Energy Saver Home Credit would apply when the new home meets energy standards at least 20% better than energy building codes. For instance, if mandatory energy building codes require a 30% savings compared to 2006 codes, the new Energy Saver Home Credit would require a 50% savings. This would reward builders who do the extra work (and hire the extra workers) to make the home more efficient than required.
To receive an Energy Saver Home Credit for the purchase -- or refinancing -- of an existing home, an energy retrofit achieving at least a 20% energy reduction would be required. Thus, as existing homes are purchased, or refinanced, there would be a strong incentive to bring those homes up to more efficient energy standards.
3. Economy-Wide New Equipment and Transportation Efficiency Standards: Another key provision to stop building things wrong is to enact improved energy efficiency standards for lighting, appliances, and heavy trucks and transportation equipment. The House energy & climate bill contains these provisions to require cost-effective changes to how new equipment is built.
These new lighting, appliance, and equipment standards would bring into effect savings across all sectors of the economy -- industrial, commercial, residential, agricultural and the critically important transportation sector. As new energy efficient technologies are available that become cost-effective, new equipment would need to be manufactured to these more efficient standards.
This provision would create jobs by helping the U.S. economy run more efficiently and competitively. It would also create a significant export opportunity for the U.S. to design and manufacture energy-efficient equipment to the world market.
4. Renewable Energy and Efficiency Standard (REES) for Electric Utilities. Energy Information Administration Modeling of the House energy & climate bill has indicated that under that bill's provisions, over 80% of the actual reductions in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 would be implemented by electric utilities. This is because, as shown in the EPA chart below, electricity generation accounts for the lion's share of U.S.direct CO2 emissions. Most importantly, conversion of electric utilities to low-carbon sources is readily workable, whereas other sectors of the economy such as transportation may take longer to reduce emissions.
Source: EPA Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A majority of states now require increasing percentages of kWh's to be generated by renewable energy. California has a 33% by 2020 standard, and Colorado is now moving to adopt a 30% by 2020 standard. (Colorado is particularly noteworthy as it began with over 2/3 of its electricity generated by coal in 2005) Overall, 29 states have adopted minimum requirements for renewable generation and 4 have adopted "goals":
Source: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The public has embraced this approach as it focuses on adoption of new technologies rather than economic measures.
The House climate bill contains a flexible Renewable Energy and Efficiency Standard (REES) requiring utilities to obtain 20% of their kWh's from a wide selection of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources by 2020. That standard also gives credit to utilities who choose to meet part of their kWh's using Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS), new hydro, or new nuclear power.
A report prepared by the Chicago consulting firm Navigant has recently estimated that a standard requiring 25% of the nation's electricity to be supplied by renewable sources by 2025 can create 274,000 new jobs. The report's sponsors noted that meaningful requirements for renewables are critical for the U.S. to compete with China in attracting renewable industry manufacturing facilities.
While the House bill's REES standard stopped at only 20%, the bill ultimately used Cap & Trade to require electric utilities to achieve much greater reductions in emissions -- roughly 50% by 2035 and over 80% by 2050. If Cap & Trade is not adopted, however, a continuing "ratcheting upward" of REES levels might instead be used to achieve similar electric utility emissions reductions.
If a REES requirement at high levels is adopted, it should also include power plant efficiency conversions. Natural gas power plants and efficiency tune-ups can also help utilities lower emissions. To allow more flexibility at lower cost than a strict renewables-only requirement, REES levels above 20% should include improvements to generator efficiencies (e.g. fuel-shifting to natural gas from coal, or overall efficiency upgrades) as a qualifying REES energy efficiency measure.
To complement a Federal REES, the bill must include strong Federal transmission siting measures to insure needed transmission lines from new renewable power plants can be built.
5. Agricultural and Local Governments Offsets Programs. The House climate bill creates a special "Offsets" program to allow polluters subject to its Cap-and-Trade measures to instead pay to help farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These USDA-administered programs might include carbon sequestration through better pasture management, conversion of crop residue (straw) to biochar, or paying for a dairy farmer to install a methane generator.
Source: USDA Harvesting Clean Energy Conference
While technically this program is something like a "Trade" provision in a "Cap and Trade" bill, its separate administration by USDA would allow it to be included in a new bill even without an overall "Cap and Trade" scheme. For instance, electric utilities might be allowed to purchase some Agricultural Offsets from USDA as one means of meeting their REES levels.
If the USDA program proves successful, another special-purpose Offsets program might also be developed, for local governments. For instance, EPA might advance a program to fund methane capture & usage at municipal waste treatment plants and landfills.
Some Measure of Success. The inclusion of the above Five Measures in a Jobs & Energy bill this year would accomplish many of the job creation and greenhouse gas emissions reductions that might have been included in a more comprehensive jobs & climate bill. Almost all sectors of the economy would be touched, but directly rather than through cross-funding mechanisms.
Nothing to Call a "Tax". A limited jobs & energy bill enacted this year might not include any requirements for oil refineries or natural gas distributors to meet "Caps" on their sales or purchase "Allowances" and "Offsets". Hence, it is unlikely voters would see such a bill as imposing any kind of levy that opponents could label a "tax".
No New Money Raised. None of the above measures require adoption of major new funding mechanisms. (The Energy Saver Home Credit requires funding, but it is proposed as a more effective replacement to an existing Homebuyer Tax Credit.) All other measures are regulatory in nature and only require administration. They are funded by the private sector (e.g. electric utility bonds, and home mortgages) and adopt measures which will pay for themselves through lower fossil fuel costs.
Many Programs Not Possible. With no new funding mechanism, no new money would be raised. Therefore, measures which require significant funding might not be adopted. These include proposed funding for new state energy office programs, increases in low income weatherization, funding of advanced automobile research & development, rebates to impacted electric and gas local distribution companies, funding of international projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, funding of loan defaults to investment bankers by utilities who build new nuclear power plants, or a proposed $60 billion in new funding for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology.
Many of these additional programs might also create jobs and significantly reduce greenhouse gases. Some may be critically necessary to achieve an international climate agreement. Many are demanded by regional lobbies to ease the perceived costs of converting to cleaner energy. Some are simply demanded by powerful lobbies who want Federal funding.
However, they are not included in the Five Measures above, because there would be no way to pay for them.
Trading May Yet Come. If Congress wishes to fund these additional efforts, adoption of a more comprehensive bill including Cap & Trade is likely to be required. Such an Act, if structured as economists recommend such as in the House bill, would require all polluting industries such as oil refineries, factories, and natural gas distributors to purchase pollution Allowances if they wish to continue to emit greenhouse gases or to sell to end users who would burn their fuels. Industries could choose to reduce their emissions, or pay for Allowances and Offsets for someone else to reduce emissions. Prices for such fuels as gasoline, diesel fuel, and natural gas would rise slightly if consumers do not reduce total usage below the emissions "Caps".
Polluters would not pay one dime for any Allowance or Offset, however, unless it was cheaper to buy than to reduce their own emissions. Many industries will ask Congress for this option, so a "Trade" may yet come to pass in any climate pollution-capping bill.
Half-Assessed? Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has maintained his strong support for a comprehensive jobs & climate Bill, because he sees the need for enacting many of these other efforts. He has recently been quoted as saying anything less than a comprehensive bill is "Half-Ass..d".
Ultimately it will not be sufficient to adopt just the Five Measures above. Global warming is real. China is racing ahead of us now, and we need strong action to compete. In other words, in many ways Senator Graham is right.
Enacting any kind of bill without the Five Measures above, however, is also "Half-Ass..d". To fund nuclear power loan defaults, CCS, and offshore oil drilling and not do the measures that create the most jobs would ignore our best opportunities. Other countries will move ahead and steal the lead.
America's jobless deserve better than that. Congress needs to move now to adopt a Jobs & Energy bill that will put Americans back to work.
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Public health in the era of peak oil (Canada)
Introduction by EB contributor Dr. Dan Bednarz
Donald Spady, MD, discusses the potential impacts of peak oil on the social determinants of health in Canada. These are the factors that are associated with keeping people healthy and are critical to maintaining personal health in a post-peak world. They also are integral to the infrastructure of both the health care system and the public health system.
There are at least three salient differences between Canada the United States. First, Canada is geographically large with a relatively small population of approximately 34 million. Approximately 21 million live in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, with 13 million spread across the vast geography of the eight other provinces and three territories. The entire province of New Brunswick, for example, is 28,000 square miles and has approximately 750,000 residents; in contrast, Massachusetts has 6.5 million residents on 7,800 square miles. The point is that health care systems must cover wide expanses.
Second, Canada has a national health plan; anyone who has seen Michael Moore?s ?Sicko? will recall the scenes from the health clinic in Windsor, Ontario ?across the river from Detroit- in which Moore asks Canadians how much their medical care will cost; they don?t know and find his question humorous. In 2006 Canada spent US $3,678 per capita on health care, while the U.S. spent $6,714, per-capita for health care.
Third, Canada is a relatively energy rich nation and an exporter to the US. These importance differences shape Canadians vulnerability to the health consequences of peak oil.
Excerpts from the Interview
Human life is impossible without energy. It can indeed be understood as a process of energy exchange between human beings and their environment. Oil today is the single most important energy resource for the lives and the way of life of Canadians.
However, oil is a finite resource, and there is an ongoing debate surrounding what has been termed ?peak oil? . Current discussions are not so much focused on whether peak oil will happen, but rather, on when it will happen, and what will be the scope and range of its effects.
Some U.S. researchers have begun to examine how this phenomenon affects health outcomes and to consider possible responses by the public health sector. Many of these researchers attended a conference entitled ?Peak Oil and Health? organized by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in March, 2009. Canadian public health circles have thus far been less engaged with these issues. To begin to clarify what is at stake specifically for Canadian public health with regards to peak oil, Fran�ois Gagnon from the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) interviewed Dr. Donald W. Spady, a paediatrician/epidemiologist in the Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who is keenly interested in this issue and has been following these debates and engaging in conferences and webinars about them for the past few years.
---
Fran�ois Gagnon (NCCHPP) ? Why should public health professionals be concerned with peak oil?
Dr. Donald Spady (DS) ? Since there are no clear and easy sources of energy to replace oil, and adequate amounts of affordable energy are essential to Canadian life, peak oil could affect the health of Canadians in significant ways. It will affect many parts of the infrastructure of Canadian society that largely determine the health of the Canadian population. For public health professionals, peak oil is significant because it will affect what are commonly called the social, environmental and economic determinants of health. For example, it will significantly affect, and require some reorganization of, our economic, transportation, and food systems. It is also important to public health professionals because it will very likely affect how health services are organized (the use of products and services dependent on petroleum permeates our health care system), but I understand the mandate of the NCCHPP does not cover this area and thus I will not expand on this now.
---
NCCHPP ? Can you share your thoughts on the links between peak oil, the food system and health outcomes?
DS ? Petroleum is used in virtually all aspects of food production and transportation, therefore peak oil presents a significant threat to Canadian food security. While this could pose a problem as petroleum supplies diminish, the immediate problem in Canada is not food production, it is food security; i.e. finding and buying adequate amounts of affordable and nutritious food. Peak oil will likely affect every component of food security: accessibility, availability, adequacy, acceptability, and agency. It will do so mainly and initially through economic factors, but ultimately also through the consequences of the lack of fuel and fertilizers which will be secondary to an absolute lack of petroleum. Food security is a common problem in an economic downturn where unemployment is high, but it is always and specifically the case in more remote areas of the country and on native reserves, where food is expensive and choice is limited. As well, some segments of the population, such as the elderly or single parent families, are always more exposed
to food insecurity because they may lack the ability to find and purchase adequate amounts of nutritious food.
The 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey found that 9.2% of Canadian households were food insecure at some point in the previous year and 8.8% of the population lived in food insecure households in 2004. It was the poorer person, often on social assistance, worker's compensation or unemployment insurance, who was at greatest risk. Another group, at risk for many problems besides food insecurity, was the Aboriginal household living off the reserve. Lone-parent families, larger families, and families with young children were at particular risk. Housing costs can play a role in determining food security status in low-income households and living in rental housing posed a particular risk. Quite possibly rent trumps food; these days a mortgage or a high energy bill may do the same.
In Canada in 2008, food prices rose 7.3% over the year, as compared to a rise in the Consumer Price Index of only 1.2%. Reasons for these rises include: high oil costs, climate change and associated crop losses and decreased yield, more land and food crops being used for biofuel production, and market speculation. It is reasonable to expect that these factors will persist over the next decades.
Depending on where you live, food prices in Canada can vary by as much as six-fold for the same product, and it has been reported that between 14% and 40% of Canadians face a problem of no or limited access to desirable nutritious foods, even when money is adequate. Food costs and value are particular problems in remote areas of Canada, especially Northern Canada, the high Arctic and on First Nations Reserves, where the types of food are less varied and the food is often of lower quality. For all Canadians, a lack of food access and variety may become a significant issue as long distance transport becomes increasingly expensive or even absent.
Two other issues that may affect the Canadian food supply are long-distance foods and corn-based biofuels. Much of our food travels thousands of kilometres to reach our table. These ?long-distance? foods may be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than similar local foods, especially if foods are transported in large volumes, and thus long-distance foods should not be dismissed arbitrarily. Biofuels grown in North America are more problematic, with concerns about their energy benefits, their high fertilizer, fuel and water requirements, and their potential competition with food production contributing to concerns of food security. Other forms of biofuel, such as sugar cane and palm oil, are less 'food' based and have better energy characteristics; but, they also can have significant environmental impacts.
Full interview is here:
English: http://www.ncchpp.ca/67/New_Publications.ccnpps?id_article=541.
French: http://www.ccnpps.ca/88/Nouvelles_publications.ccnpps?id_article=542.
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Donald Spady, MD, discusses the potential impacts of peak oil on the social determinants of health in Canada. These are the factors that are associated with keeping people healthy and are critical to maintaining personal health in a post-peak world. They also are integral to the infrastructure of both the health care system and the public health system.
There are at least three salient differences between Canada the United States. First, Canada is geographically large with a relatively small population of approximately 34 million. Approximately 21 million live in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, with 13 million spread across the vast geography of the eight other provinces and three territories. The entire province of New Brunswick, for example, is 28,000 square miles and has approximately 750,000 residents; in contrast, Massachusetts has 6.5 million residents on 7,800 square miles. The point is that health care systems must cover wide expanses.
Second, Canada has a national health plan; anyone who has seen Michael Moore?s ?Sicko? will recall the scenes from the health clinic in Windsor, Ontario ?across the river from Detroit- in which Moore asks Canadians how much their medical care will cost; they don?t know and find his question humorous. In 2006 Canada spent US $3,678 per capita on health care, while the U.S. spent $6,714, per-capita for health care.
Third, Canada is a relatively energy rich nation and an exporter to the US. These importance differences shape Canadians vulnerability to the health consequences of peak oil.
Excerpts from the Interview
Human life is impossible without energy. It can indeed be understood as a process of energy exchange between human beings and their environment. Oil today is the single most important energy resource for the lives and the way of life of Canadians.
However, oil is a finite resource, and there is an ongoing debate surrounding what has been termed ?peak oil? . Current discussions are not so much focused on whether peak oil will happen, but rather, on when it will happen, and what will be the scope and range of its effects.
Some U.S. researchers have begun to examine how this phenomenon affects health outcomes and to consider possible responses by the public health sector. Many of these researchers attended a conference entitled ?Peak Oil and Health? organized by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in March, 2009. Canadian public health circles have thus far been less engaged with these issues. To begin to clarify what is at stake specifically for Canadian public health with regards to peak oil, Fran�ois Gagnon from the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) interviewed Dr. Donald W. Spady, a paediatrician/epidemiologist in the Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who is keenly interested in this issue and has been following these debates and engaging in conferences and webinars about them for the past few years.
---
Fran�ois Gagnon (NCCHPP) ? Why should public health professionals be concerned with peak oil?
Dr. Donald Spady (DS) ? Since there are no clear and easy sources of energy to replace oil, and adequate amounts of affordable energy are essential to Canadian life, peak oil could affect the health of Canadians in significant ways. It will affect many parts of the infrastructure of Canadian society that largely determine the health of the Canadian population. For public health professionals, peak oil is significant because it will affect what are commonly called the social, environmental and economic determinants of health. For example, it will significantly affect, and require some reorganization of, our economic, transportation, and food systems. It is also important to public health professionals because it will very likely affect how health services are organized (the use of products and services dependent on petroleum permeates our health care system), but I understand the mandate of the NCCHPP does not cover this area and thus I will not expand on this now.
---
NCCHPP ? Can you share your thoughts on the links between peak oil, the food system and health outcomes?
DS ? Petroleum is used in virtually all aspects of food production and transportation, therefore peak oil presents a significant threat to Canadian food security. While this could pose a problem as petroleum supplies diminish, the immediate problem in Canada is not food production, it is food security; i.e. finding and buying adequate amounts of affordable and nutritious food. Peak oil will likely affect every component of food security: accessibility, availability, adequacy, acceptability, and agency. It will do so mainly and initially through economic factors, but ultimately also through the consequences of the lack of fuel and fertilizers which will be secondary to an absolute lack of petroleum. Food security is a common problem in an economic downturn where unemployment is high, but it is always and specifically the case in more remote areas of the country and on native reserves, where food is expensive and choice is limited. As well, some segments of the population, such as the elderly or single parent families, are always more exposed
to food insecurity because they may lack the ability to find and purchase adequate amounts of nutritious food.
The 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey found that 9.2% of Canadian households were food insecure at some point in the previous year and 8.8% of the population lived in food insecure households in 2004. It was the poorer person, often on social assistance, worker's compensation or unemployment insurance, who was at greatest risk. Another group, at risk for many problems besides food insecurity, was the Aboriginal household living off the reserve. Lone-parent families, larger families, and families with young children were at particular risk. Housing costs can play a role in determining food security status in low-income households and living in rental housing posed a particular risk. Quite possibly rent trumps food; these days a mortgage or a high energy bill may do the same.
In Canada in 2008, food prices rose 7.3% over the year, as compared to a rise in the Consumer Price Index of only 1.2%. Reasons for these rises include: high oil costs, climate change and associated crop losses and decreased yield, more land and food crops being used for biofuel production, and market speculation. It is reasonable to expect that these factors will persist over the next decades.
Depending on where you live, food prices in Canada can vary by as much as six-fold for the same product, and it has been reported that between 14% and 40% of Canadians face a problem of no or limited access to desirable nutritious foods, even when money is adequate. Food costs and value are particular problems in remote areas of Canada, especially Northern Canada, the high Arctic and on First Nations Reserves, where the types of food are less varied and the food is often of lower quality. For all Canadians, a lack of food access and variety may become a significant issue as long distance transport becomes increasingly expensive or even absent.
Two other issues that may affect the Canadian food supply are long-distance foods and corn-based biofuels. Much of our food travels thousands of kilometres to reach our table. These ?long-distance? foods may be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than similar local foods, especially if foods are transported in large volumes, and thus long-distance foods should not be dismissed arbitrarily. Biofuels grown in North America are more problematic, with concerns about their energy benefits, their high fertilizer, fuel and water requirements, and their potential competition with food production contributing to concerns of food security. Other forms of biofuel, such as sugar cane and palm oil, are less 'food' based and have better energy characteristics; but, they also can have significant environmental impacts.
Full interview is here:
English: http://www.ncchpp.ca/67/New_Publications.ccnpps?id_article=541.
French: http://www.ccnpps.ca/88/Nouvelles_publications.ccnpps?id_article=542.
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Lawsuit Claims BLM Violated Laws With Wind Energy Project
[WizardRSS: unable to retrieve full-text content]A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Las Vegas claims the Bureau of Land Management violated federal environmental and American Indian cultural laws when the agency approved a wind energy project near Great Basin National Park.Powered By WizardRSSGreen Energy Sources Magnetic Generator
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March Comes In Like A Lion For Solar Training In Rocklin, California
[WizardRSS: unable to retrieve full-text content]Solar training topics for Solar Energy International's three March workshops range from grid-direct solar PV systems and the National Electrical Code (NEC) to solar sales and marketing.Powered By WizardRSSMagnetic Energy Generator
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European Producers Want Credit Relief
BY JOHN W. MILLER
BRUSSELS?European ethanol producers say the extension of a U.S. ethanol tax credit for 2011, approved by Congress last month as part of the $858 billion tax-reduction bill, could prompt them to file a trade complaint with the European Union. European producers failed in lobbying efforts to halt the credit, however, the extension would apply only on sales to U.S. buyers, and not on sales abroad. The tax credit has helped fuel record production by U.S. ethanol producers. Combined with high sugar prices in Brazil and a wheat shortage in Europe, the tax credit has made mostly corn-based U.S. ethanol the ...Powered By WizardRSSMagnetic Generator Cheap Electricity Free Energy Generator Magnetic Energy Generator Magnetic Generators
BRUSSELS?European ethanol producers say the extension of a U.S. ethanol tax credit for 2011, approved by Congress last month as part of the $858 billion tax-reduction bill, could prompt them to file a trade complaint with the European Union. European producers failed in lobbying efforts to halt the credit, however, the extension would apply only on sales to U.S. buyers, and not on sales abroad. The tax credit has helped fuel record production by U.S. ethanol producers. Combined with high sugar prices in Brazil and a wheat shortage in Europe, the tax credit has made mostly corn-based U.S. ethanol the ...Powered By WizardRSSMagnetic Generator Cheap Electricity Free Energy Generator Magnetic Energy Generator Magnetic Generators
European Producers Want Credit Relief
BY JOHN W. MILLER
BRUSSELS?European ethanol producers say the extension of a U.S. ethanol tax credit for 2011, approved by Congress last month as part of the $858 billion tax-reduction bill, could prompt them to file a trade complaint with the European Union. European producers failed in lobbying efforts to halt the credit, however, the extension would apply only on sales to U.S. buyers, and not on sales abroad. The tax credit has helped fuel record production by U.S. ethanol producers. Combined with high sugar prices in Brazil and a wheat shortage in Europe, the tax credit has made mostly corn-based U.S. ethanol the ...Powered By WizardRSSFree Energy Generator Magnetic Energy Generator Magnetic Generators Free Energy Home Home Power Generator
BRUSSELS?European ethanol producers say the extension of a U.S. ethanol tax credit for 2011, approved by Congress last month as part of the $858 billion tax-reduction bill, could prompt them to file a trade complaint with the European Union. European producers failed in lobbying efforts to halt the credit, however, the extension would apply only on sales to U.S. buyers, and not on sales abroad. The tax credit has helped fuel record production by U.S. ethanol producers. Combined with high sugar prices in Brazil and a wheat shortage in Europe, the tax credit has made mostly corn-based U.S. ethanol the ...Powered By WizardRSSFree Energy Generator Magnetic Energy Generator Magnetic Generators Free Energy Home Home Power Generator
Friday, April 29, 2011
First Solar Powered Brewery in New Hampshire
Construction will soon be underway on a 126-panel solar electric system from groSolar, a national solar company that has been installing solar for more than a decade in New England. When completed, the solar panels will be in full view of the pub?s main dining room along with expansive views of Mount Kearsarge.groSolar was one of five companies bidding on the project.
?The decision had to do with company experience and depth, value-added components, and price,? said Tom Mills, owner of the Flying Goose. ?The hard part was choosing one from the five companies, all of which gave good, qualified proposals.?
The installation will lower the Flying Goose?s rising $24,000 annual electric bill by 25 percent with an expected Return on Investment (ROI) of five to eight years.
The solar installation is only part of the brewpub?s $250,000 renewable energy investment, which includes air sealing, insulation, kitchen air balancing, lighting, and compressor motor upgrades. The Flying Goose also just completed a 25-panel solar hot water installation from Clean REsolution and Bright Light Solar.A 30 percent federal cash grant and New Hampshire State rebates were motivation for Mills to make the investment, which he funded with a business loan from his bank.
?The environmental benefit is significant, but we would not be making a $250,000 investment unless it made good business sense,? said Mills.
Mills also plans to use his investment as an educational tool by working with the installation companies to offer solar education seminars and providing a kiosk that shows the real-time performance of the solar power systems that will incorporate a feature provided by groSolar called ?groEnergy Watch.?
?It?s truly commendable for an establishment as well known and respected as the Flying Goose to take the lead as the first solar electric powered brewery in the state,? says Jeff Wolfe, CEO, groSolar. ?We look forward to a long-term partnership with Tom and his management team to help educate businesses and homeowners in the Upper Valley and across New Hampshire about the benefits of going solar.?
About groSolargroSolar is North America?s premier distributor, installer and integrator of solar energy solutions for residential and commercial installations. Founded in 1998, groSolar is the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned distribution company in the solar industry and is a leading national installation company. The company has offices and warehouses across the US, distributing solar electric and solar hot water systems from offices in VT, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, PA, NC, and CA. groSolar integrates components from leading solar manufacturers including Solar World, Astrongery, Canadian Solar, Yingli, SMA, Enphase, Fronius, PV Powered, Zep Solar, QuickMount PV, UniRac and others into simple solar energy solutions for customers that generate clean, reliable energy for decades. groSolar is a mission-driven company dedicated to providing high quality solar energy solutions and whole energy appreciation. groSolar?s venture capital investors include NGP Energy Technology Partners, SJF Ventures, and Calvert Social Investment Fund. Learn more at groSolar.com or call 800.374.4494.
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?The decision had to do with company experience and depth, value-added components, and price,? said Tom Mills, owner of the Flying Goose. ?The hard part was choosing one from the five companies, all of which gave good, qualified proposals.?
The installation will lower the Flying Goose?s rising $24,000 annual electric bill by 25 percent with an expected Return on Investment (ROI) of five to eight years.
The solar installation is only part of the brewpub?s $250,000 renewable energy investment, which includes air sealing, insulation, kitchen air balancing, lighting, and compressor motor upgrades. The Flying Goose also just completed a 25-panel solar hot water installation from Clean REsolution and Bright Light Solar.A 30 percent federal cash grant and New Hampshire State rebates were motivation for Mills to make the investment, which he funded with a business loan from his bank.
?The environmental benefit is significant, but we would not be making a $250,000 investment unless it made good business sense,? said Mills.
Mills also plans to use his investment as an educational tool by working with the installation companies to offer solar education seminars and providing a kiosk that shows the real-time performance of the solar power systems that will incorporate a feature provided by groSolar called ?groEnergy Watch.?
?It?s truly commendable for an establishment as well known and respected as the Flying Goose to take the lead as the first solar electric powered brewery in the state,? says Jeff Wolfe, CEO, groSolar. ?We look forward to a long-term partnership with Tom and his management team to help educate businesses and homeowners in the Upper Valley and across New Hampshire about the benefits of going solar.?
About groSolargroSolar is North America?s premier distributor, installer and integrator of solar energy solutions for residential and commercial installations. Founded in 1998, groSolar is the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned distribution company in the solar industry and is a leading national installation company. The company has offices and warehouses across the US, distributing solar electric and solar hot water systems from offices in VT, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, PA, NC, and CA. groSolar integrates components from leading solar manufacturers including Solar World, Astrongery, Canadian Solar, Yingli, SMA, Enphase, Fronius, PV Powered, Zep Solar, QuickMount PV, UniRac and others into simple solar energy solutions for customers that generate clean, reliable energy for decades. groSolar is a mission-driven company dedicated to providing high quality solar energy solutions and whole energy appreciation. groSolar?s venture capital investors include NGP Energy Technology Partners, SJF Ventures, and Calvert Social Investment Fund. Learn more at groSolar.com or call 800.374.4494.
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NREL Solar Scientists Epitomize Teamwork
December 22, 2010
Enlarge image
NREL scientists Ki Ye and Joe Berry peer into the glass siding of a deposition instrument to view the latest results of an experiment with a new material.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
A Colorado carpenter's son, an African American from Indiana, a post-doctoral researcher from Senegal, and a young woman from China are working together to solve one of the most important problems in solar-cell efficiency.
When they're not laughing with each other, or meeting with a group of 20 to share strategies, the foursome of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is trying to control semiconductors' band gaps to make solar cells less expensive and more efficient. And along the way they're attempting to solve fundamental scientific questions about the nature of new opto-electronic materials.
They're the new face of science ? collaborative and diverse, living proof that the age of the solo scientist shouting "Eureka!" has been replaced in the 21st century by multi-disciplinary teams with complementary skills.
David Ginley, the son of a carpenter, who grew up in suburban Denver near NREL's Golden, Colo., campus, leads the team.
He is joined by Joe Berry, a senior scientist, who hails from Indiana; Yi Ke, a graduate student from China who is doing her doctoral dissertation work at Colorado School of Mines and is experimenting with materials in NREL's Pulse Laser Deposition (PLD) lab; and Paul Ndione, the post-doc who oversees the PLD.
NREL Team Searching for Better Top Layer
Enlarge image
From left, Ph.D. student Ki Ye, Research Fellow David Ginley and Senior Scientist Joe Berry work in the Plasma Deposition Lab. They're using sophisticated deposition techniques to find better materials for solar cells.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Despite tremendous gains made in processing and developing solar cells, most arrays on individual rooftops or in grid-connected solar fields still operate well below the nearly 30 percent theoretical conversion efficiency possible for a single absorber device.� There are many opportunities to significantly improve the existing efficiency, sometimes while reducing the cost.
That means any breakthrough to add a percentage point or two to that efficiency is huge, and a big step toward making clean solar energy competitive with fossil fuels.
Most solar photovoltaics are composed of an active semiconductor absorber that absorbs the light, a junction to turn photons into charge carriers, and contacts to efficiently remove the carriers without blocking light. To accomplish this, the top layer, the one facing the sun, needs to be both transparent and able to conduct electrons with very little loss.
It's that top layer that is the subject of the NREL team's work. Lately, solar manufacturers have been using indium tin oxide for that transparent conducting oxide layer. However, indium is difficult to extract and is very expensive. So, scientists are searching for alternatives.
Zinc oxide is a promising candidate because it is both highly transparent and conductive, as well as being much more abundant, Ke said. It is also about 1 percent of the cost of indium tin oxide. �
Ginley and his team want to add magnesium to the zinc oxide to improve its transparency and then to dope the ZnMgO with another material to boost its conductivity, all in the name of developing more efficient and more cost-effective solar cells.
Searching for an Elusive Element
They're rarely without their deluxe-model periodic tables called up on their iPads or iPhones, searching for that elusive element that can best pair with zinc oxide and magnesium to boost the number of electrons that can conduct electricity. This impurity only need be present at less than 1 percent and should not significantly change the structure of the ZnMgO, but it adds the electronic carriers (doping) that are so critical to getting the photogenerated charges out of PV devices without significant loss.
In the transparent conductive semiconductors, most electrons (carriers) are in the conduction band, which means they're free to move and carry an electric current.� The valance band in the material is a lower energy state in which carriers are not as mobile
Between the conduction band and the valence band is the energy gap, or band gap. It's this gap that is so intriguing to scientists, who think they can change the size of the bandgap and simultaneously but independently control the electronic conductivity by doping with an appropriate impurity.
Ginley, Berry and Ke are looking for the best doping agents to push electrons from the atoms in the ZnMgO material to the conduction band of the semiconductor, where they would be in a free electronic state and can help improve the efficiency and lower the cost of PV devices.
When the NREL team finds a promising material, as with the addition of magnesium, the resulting semiconductor layer has a larger band gap and would be more transparent. However, the materials that dope the ZnO do not add electronic carriers to the Mg substituted materials as well. So, this drives the search to look for new dopants.
"As you crank that gap open, you basically make something that is increasingly transparent," Berry said. "That means you can look through it, and for solar that's what you need.
"The fact that you can change the sensitivity to color at which this thing responds means you can make a detector or window that's selective for a particular wave length," Berry said. "Being able to tune that gap is useful in terms of optoelectronics."
The trick is to get the electrons moving without changing the fundamental nature of the semiconductor material.
"What's cool in this system, you can crank substantial amounts of magnesium into ZnO and it basically stays zinc oxide," Ginley said. "You change the electronic properties, but nothing else changes. It� gets much more transparent and its electronic properties are better."
To explore these systems the group uses pulsed laser deposition.� Inside the PLD chamber, they aim lasers at ceramic targets containing the chosen material, inducing tremendous energy in the atoms on the surface. �What erupts is a plasma plume of partially ionized gas that knocks out some atoms and moves some of the electrons from those atoms to a higher energy state.
Imagine a Water Pistol and Some Mud
Enlarge image
This pulse of light is a unique signature for the success of a new material. The NREL team is experimenting with yttrium, manganese, zinc and other materials to get more efficiency out of solar cells.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
A bright light forms in the plasma plume, as those excited electrons release energy while relaxing back into a lower energy state.
Meantime, the fast-moving ions and atoms in the plasma stop abruptly when they run into the plate (or substrate) for the materials being deposited. They solidify into a thin film suitable for incorporation into a next generation of solar cells.
A down-to-earth analogy? "Imagine using a powerful water pistol to shoot at a mound of mud," Ke said. The resulting slurry "sprays on your beautiful clothes."
The water pistol is the laser, the clothes the substrate. The slurry of mud and water is akin to the plasma of atoms and ions, "except the plasma is much more gorgeous and interesting," Ke said.
"For a dopant we're looking at yttrium, scandium, and titanium as possible replacements for the conventional aluminum used to dope zinc oxide," Berry said. "In the magnesium-substituted materials, the question is can you restore the critical ability to dope by going to new dopants."
"If you can control the band gap, while controlling the doping, you can have a huge impact on organic photovoltaic, organic LEDs, silicon, copper indium gallium, PV as a whole," Ginley said. "It would have an immense applicability."� A number of other technologies such as flat panel displays and transparent electronics also depend on these same materials, Ginley said.
Forming a Scientific Team
Ginley says one if his major duties is hiring good people.
"You should hire people that scare you, they're so good," Ginley said, "people who are more likely to replace you than anything else. You shouldn't be timid when you hire. With grad students, we look for people with outstanding potential who have good communications skills and some indication of being able to be team players.
"The era of the lone scientist is over," Ginley said. "The kinds of problems we deal with, you just don't have the horsepower to do it by yourself. That's an increasing realization nationwide. Look at the Energy Frontier Research Centers. These new centers are a reflection of that. People are realizing that big problems take critical-mass teams."
"We don't know enough on our own," Ginley said. "It's that shared knowledge base and experience base that makes things go faster."
Joe Berry, the African American son of a professor, whom Ginley plucked from the National Institute of Standards and Technology up the road in Boulder, concurred. The breadth of the solar cell project, together with the collegiality of the team, gave him a new enthusiasm for his work. "When I was at NIST, I was doing something by myself at a bench," he said. "But the number of people who cared about what I was doing, or who would be impacted by what I was doing, was equally as large."
From China with Aspirations
Ke got her undergraduate degree in China, majoring in electrical engineering. "I started feeling enthusiastic about solar cells" during her college years, she said. "They're things that can really help humans, can give utilities the power to solve a lot of problems. I figured out I could have a great career trying to move that along."
Ke applied to graduate school in the United States because "it has the best higher education in the world," she said. "I feel so fortunate to be here and working with NREL. They have the best scientists, the best mentors ever.� Graduate work here is more challenging that in China."
The chance to work at NREL was the main reason she applied to the Colorado School of Mines, Ke said. "I got accepted at Stanford, but my advisor at Mines talked about the possibility of joining this group and working at NREL. He mentioned Dave, I looked him up and I came here for an interview. I was very lucky to get it."
Ke would be very content working in photovoltaics and renewable energy the rest of her career.
"I really want to be a person who understands the science and the R&D," she said. "But also someone who can apply the technology to industry so I can make some difference. To let people use this and become less dependent on fossil fuels."
She sees herself living part time in the United States, part time in China. "A greener future in both America and China can lead to cooperation between the two countries."
Senegal to France to Quebec to NREL
Enlarge image
NREL post-doc Paul Ndione and NREL scientist Joe Berry spend a great deal of their work lives in the Pulsed-Laser Deposition laboratory where they set up experiments to find the ideal materials to gain more efficiency in solar cells.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Ndione, the post-doc who hails from Senegal, earned his undergraduate degree in Bordeaux, France, and got his doctorate in Quebec, Canada.
Just a thin slice of Senegal's population is college-educated, and to specialize in certain specific areas, a Senegalese has to leave the country. "Now, there are more opportunities for scientists in Senegal," Ndione said. "But to specialize in a field that includes semiconductors and lasers is difficult. We have to go abroad to do it.
"This is what I love," Ndione said, while setting up for another experiment. "The aim in the future is to adapt this technology to our realities in Africa and also, to promote intensive collaboration between the USA and Africa in the field of renewable energy."
Finding a Life of Science
Berry got his undergraduate degree at Goshen College in Goshen, Ind., where his father was a political science professor.
Science and math always suited Berry. It might have suited his father as well, but the elder Berry grew up in the segregated south, the first in his family to get a college degree. "Back then, it was one thing for an African American to learn how to read, quite another to learn how to do trigonometry or calculus," Berry said. "I don't think he ever had the opportunities to do that. He might have been inclined."
The son took the next step, cultivating his love for the sciences. Berry's dad helped him with his homework until high school chemistry, after which he was on his own.
Berry went on to get a doctorate at Pennsylvania State University in condensed material physics, specializing in photon detection.
"These kinds of band-engineering things are meat and potatoes to a semiconductor device physicist," Berry said. "But they're much more challenging than the ones we considered challenges in graduate school.
"NREL being NREL, there's this balance between what we do on the fundamental level and the need to find a way to produce these things at low cost and at scale," Berry said. "NREL is one of those places you always think that it would be nice to work here," Berry said. "I didn't know whether I had the appropriate skill set. But there was an opening and I applied. Dave in his infinite wisdom decided I'd be a reasonable fit for his group. It's been four years. I've been happy as a clam ever since."
Learn more about NREL's photovoltaic research.
? Bill Scanlon
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Offshore wind turbine permits go through teething problems
The report identifies many country-specific challenges, but findings from the report have found general teething problems exist across all countries.
Common barriers in the permitting process include regulatory requirements falling under a number of departments (though many countries are now streamlining this aspect); the party politicisation of renewables; long lead times to obtain the necessary permits, and weak spatial planning policies.
Since investment decisions are influenced by the permitting and planning of wind farms, delayed consents can increase the risk profile of an offshore wind project and affect its economic viability. Slow consenting also makes it difficult to schedule resources, and it can prohibit innovation. A slow permitting process can mean that turbine design has moved on by the time developers get around to installing turbines.
The European Offshore Wind Standards, Permitting & Markets report provides real data, fresh statistics and 100% independent analysis on helping to navigate offshore wind energy standards, permitting and markets. The report focuses on standards in Europe?s major offshore wind markets, including UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany and France.
A free summary of the report is available at:
http://www.windenergyupdate.com/standards/report-summary.shtml
Contact:
Tony JackWind Energy Update
+44 (0) 20 73 75 72 24
+1 800 814 3459 + Ext: 7224
tony@windenergyupdate.com
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Common barriers in the permitting process include regulatory requirements falling under a number of departments (though many countries are now streamlining this aspect); the party politicisation of renewables; long lead times to obtain the necessary permits, and weak spatial planning policies.
Since investment decisions are influenced by the permitting and planning of wind farms, delayed consents can increase the risk profile of an offshore wind project and affect its economic viability. Slow consenting also makes it difficult to schedule resources, and it can prohibit innovation. A slow permitting process can mean that turbine design has moved on by the time developers get around to installing turbines.
The European Offshore Wind Standards, Permitting & Markets report provides real data, fresh statistics and 100% independent analysis on helping to navigate offshore wind energy standards, permitting and markets. The report focuses on standards in Europe?s major offshore wind markets, including UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany and France.
A free summary of the report is available at:
http://www.windenergyupdate.com/standards/report-summary.shtml
Contact:
Tony JackWind Energy Update
+44 (0) 20 73 75 72 24
+1 800 814 3459 + Ext: 7224
tony@windenergyupdate.com
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Energy security
It has become popular to talk about climate change policy in terms of energy security. Rather than saying we need more renewables, efficient building and public transport to meet climate change targets we now say that we need them to achieve energy security.
This trend is likely to continue. In November the British Government will introduce the Energy Security and Green Economy�Bill.�Eager to influence and improve the Act, development NGOs with climate campaigns and environmental organisations will have to talk about what they want in terms of energy security. If we want to be part of the debate we will have to stop calling for cuts in emissions to protect the world's most vulnerable people. We will have to start saying we must get more energy from renewables to increase energy security.?This might appear no different. Just another way of talking about the same thing. Both could involve investing in renewables, reducing the amount of fossil fuels we burn, building efficient buildings.
But when we talk about security we mean a world of peace and stability. For us security means peace-building. It means resolving conflicts, not military intervention. It means producing our own energy rather than fighting wars to secure oil and gas from other countries. We waved our ?no war for oil? placards in the run up to the Iraq war. For us security means addressing the root causes of instability. We mean changing the things that make the world unstable and prone to conflict: climate change, competition over resources, the gap between rich and poor. When we talk to people about energy security we imagine that they share this vision.
But we forget that there are other ways of looking at security. And our vision of security is not the dominant one. The approach that most western governments have to security is the exact opposite. Stability is achieved through the vigorous use of force. ?Rogue nations? are contained by military intervention. Insurgents and rebels are contained by special forces. Access to secure supplies of energy is achieved through war. The aim is to keep a lid on instability. Not to question why that instability exists or to do anything about it. The prime example of this approach to security is the ?War on Terror?.
Perhaps we mistakenly think when we talk to people about energy security they buy into our definition of security. Let's not be naive. There is a reason they didn't listen when we talked about preventing drought, floods and disappearing islands. There is a reason they didn't listen when we talked about a just deal in Copenhagen, indigenous land rights and living within our environmental means. It?s because all of these things are inconsistent with their approach to security. In a world with a safe climate, economic justice and fair access to natural resources, their approach to security would be irrelevant.
When nowadays we talk about what we want in terms of energy security what we are actually saying is this: our vision for a renewably powered country is consistent with your vision for containing instability using violence. Our vision for energy efficient homes is consistent with your vision for military intervention. Let?s increase energy security by using renewables, but let?s also secure new energy reserves using force. Crucially we say our vision for energy security does not challenge your approach to global security. Our vision for energy security does not require you to do anything about the actually causes of instability and violence.
Without thinking we?ve given our support to an approach to dealing with the world?s problems that goes completely against our values. The situation is likely to get worse in the run up to the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill. In being forced to frame our demands for better climate policy in terms of energy security, our efforts to improve the Bill will unwittingly add force to a broader programme that is completely at odds with what we believe.
So what should we do? We must be explicit about why we want good domestic climate and energy policy. Let?s say that it is needed to achieve peace and stability. Let?s say that climate change and competition for dwindling energy reserves are both causes of instability and violence. We should make it clear that there the other causes of instability and violence - like nuclear proliferation and inequality - need to be dealt with too. Finally let?s be very clear that our vision for renewables and good domestic climate policy is totally inconsistent with the dominant approach to security.
Alex is a campaigner and activist on climate change and energy issues.
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This trend is likely to continue. In November the British Government will introduce the Energy Security and Green Economy�Bill.�Eager to influence and improve the Act, development NGOs with climate campaigns and environmental organisations will have to talk about what they want in terms of energy security. If we want to be part of the debate we will have to stop calling for cuts in emissions to protect the world's most vulnerable people. We will have to start saying we must get more energy from renewables to increase energy security.?This might appear no different. Just another way of talking about the same thing. Both could involve investing in renewables, reducing the amount of fossil fuels we burn, building efficient buildings.
But when we talk about security we mean a world of peace and stability. For us security means peace-building. It means resolving conflicts, not military intervention. It means producing our own energy rather than fighting wars to secure oil and gas from other countries. We waved our ?no war for oil? placards in the run up to the Iraq war. For us security means addressing the root causes of instability. We mean changing the things that make the world unstable and prone to conflict: climate change, competition over resources, the gap between rich and poor. When we talk to people about energy security we imagine that they share this vision.
But we forget that there are other ways of looking at security. And our vision of security is not the dominant one. The approach that most western governments have to security is the exact opposite. Stability is achieved through the vigorous use of force. ?Rogue nations? are contained by military intervention. Insurgents and rebels are contained by special forces. Access to secure supplies of energy is achieved through war. The aim is to keep a lid on instability. Not to question why that instability exists or to do anything about it. The prime example of this approach to security is the ?War on Terror?.
Perhaps we mistakenly think when we talk to people about energy security they buy into our definition of security. Let's not be naive. There is a reason they didn't listen when we talked about preventing drought, floods and disappearing islands. There is a reason they didn't listen when we talked about a just deal in Copenhagen, indigenous land rights and living within our environmental means. It?s because all of these things are inconsistent with their approach to security. In a world with a safe climate, economic justice and fair access to natural resources, their approach to security would be irrelevant.
When nowadays we talk about what we want in terms of energy security what we are actually saying is this: our vision for a renewably powered country is consistent with your vision for containing instability using violence. Our vision for energy efficient homes is consistent with your vision for military intervention. Let?s increase energy security by using renewables, but let?s also secure new energy reserves using force. Crucially we say our vision for energy security does not challenge your approach to global security. Our vision for energy security does not require you to do anything about the actually causes of instability and violence.
Without thinking we?ve given our support to an approach to dealing with the world?s problems that goes completely against our values. The situation is likely to get worse in the run up to the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill. In being forced to frame our demands for better climate policy in terms of energy security, our efforts to improve the Bill will unwittingly add force to a broader programme that is completely at odds with what we believe.
So what should we do? We must be explicit about why we want good domestic climate and energy policy. Let?s say that it is needed to achieve peace and stability. Let?s say that climate change and competition for dwindling energy reserves are both causes of instability and violence. We should make it clear that there the other causes of instability and violence - like nuclear proliferation and inequality - need to be dealt with too. Finally let?s be very clear that our vision for renewables and good domestic climate policy is totally inconsistent with the dominant approach to security.
Alex is a campaigner and activist on climate change and energy issues.
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Chevron confirms discoveries offshore the Republic of the Congo
Chevron confirms discoveries offshore the Republic of the Congo
Posted: 25 January 2010
Chevron Corporation confirmed discoveries within the Moho-Bilondo license in the Republic of the Congo.
The Bilondo Marine 2 and 3 wells are located approximately 40 miles (70 kilometers) offshore of the Republic of the Congo, in 2,600 feet (800 meters) of water in the central part of the Moho-Bilondo license.
"These discoveries further demonstrate the potential of West Africa where Chevron has made significant investments to develop new energy resources," said George Kirkland, vice chairman, Chevron Corporation, said.
Bilondo Marine 2 and 3 were drilled to a total depth of around 6,000 feet (1,800 m). The Bilondo Marine 2 (BILDM-2) well found 253 feet (77 m) of gross reservoir, while the Bilondo Marine 3 (BILDM-3) well, which had a different reservoir as objective, found 144 feet (44 m) of gross reservoir. Both wells were successfully tested and flowed oil.
"We look forward to continuing the work needed to further evaluate these discoveries and potential development options," said Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company.
The discoveries follow two previous successful exploration wells, Moho Nord Marine-1 and 2, drilled in the permit area in 2007 and the positive appraisal wells Moho Nord Marine-3 in 2008 and Moho Nord Marine-4 in 2009.
The permit area's deepwater Moho-Bilondo project began production in April 2008 and is currently producing 90,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Chevron's subsidiary holds a 31.5 percent interest in the permit area with partners Soci�t� Nationale des P�troles du Congo (15 percent) and Total E&P Congo (operator and 53.5 percent).
�
Posted by Richard Price, Editor, energyme.com.
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Posted: 25 January 2010
Chevron Corporation confirmed discoveries within the Moho-Bilondo license in the Republic of the Congo.
The Bilondo Marine 2 and 3 wells are located approximately 40 miles (70 kilometers) offshore of the Republic of the Congo, in 2,600 feet (800 meters) of water in the central part of the Moho-Bilondo license.
"These discoveries further demonstrate the potential of West Africa where Chevron has made significant investments to develop new energy resources," said George Kirkland, vice chairman, Chevron Corporation, said.
Bilondo Marine 2 and 3 were drilled to a total depth of around 6,000 feet (1,800 m). The Bilondo Marine 2 (BILDM-2) well found 253 feet (77 m) of gross reservoir, while the Bilondo Marine 3 (BILDM-3) well, which had a different reservoir as objective, found 144 feet (44 m) of gross reservoir. Both wells were successfully tested and flowed oil.
"We look forward to continuing the work needed to further evaluate these discoveries and potential development options," said Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company.
The discoveries follow two previous successful exploration wells, Moho Nord Marine-1 and 2, drilled in the permit area in 2007 and the positive appraisal wells Moho Nord Marine-3 in 2008 and Moho Nord Marine-4 in 2009.
The permit area's deepwater Moho-Bilondo project began production in April 2008 and is currently producing 90,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Chevron's subsidiary holds a 31.5 percent interest in the permit area with partners Soci�t� Nationale des P�troles du Congo (15 percent) and Total E&P Congo (operator and 53.5 percent).
�
Posted by Richard Price, Editor, energyme.com.
Follow energyme.com on Twitter @energyme.
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Stan Bull, Long-Time NREL Leader, Named AAAS Fellow
News Release NR-0111
January 11, 2011
Stanley R. Bull, former associate director for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Energy?s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has been awarded the distinction of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Bull, a Midwest Research Institute vice president when he served at NREL, is now MRI?s director of Energy Programs and an NREL emeritus researcher. He was cited for ?distinguished leadership in creating new programs, development of students and staff, and outreach to the technical, policy, and public communities on sustainable energy.?
Bull said he was honored to be tapped for the distinguished award, and said his greatest satisfactions have been the successes of the students he mentored and the NREL colleagues he supervised. His goal always has been ?to empower, motivate, support, and protect them so they can be innovative and productive.?
The best way to accelerate the commercialization of renewable energy is to partner with existing energy companies, including the fossil-fuel industry, and to ?provide our technologies in forms that integrate seamlessly and have inherent advantages with their existing infrastructure,? Bull said. He is confident that renewable energy scientists and engineers at NREL, MRI, and elsewhere will close the technological gap soon to bring solar, wind, biomass and other renewables to cost parity with carbon-based fuels.
Bull has a Ph.D. and M.S. from Stanford University and a B.S. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.� His degrees are in chemical engineering and mechanical engineering.� Professional recognition and honors include a Senior Fulbright-Hays Professorship in Grenoble, France, and the Secretary of Energy Outstanding Program Manager Award.
New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (representing science and engineering, respectively) on Feb. 19 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2011 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association?s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members, or by the AAAS chief executive officer. This year, 503 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world?s largest general scientific society, serving 10 million people. Its mission is to ?advance science and serve society? through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more. The AAAS is publisher of the journal, Science, which has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world.
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, a limited liability company that is equally owned and governed by Battelle and Midwest Research Institute.
###�
Visit NREL online at�www.nrel.gov
For further information contact NREL Public Relations at 303-275-4090.Subscribe to receive new NREL releases by e-mail. Subscribe to RSS feed. About RSS.
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We need freedom of action to confront peak oil
Description:
In the third video in the series ?Peak Oil and a Changing Climate? from The Nation and On The Earth productions, co-editor of The Automatic Earth, Nicole M. Foss, explains how energy relates to the economy and what our impending energy crisis will look like. Foss discusses the issues associated with peak oil in financial rather than environmental terms, because she finds that peak oil has much more to do with finance than it does with climate change.
Foss talks about what she calls a ?false positive feedback loop,? which involves optimism leading to ?caution being thrown to the wind.? When this happens, Foss believes that people become angry. Succumbing to fear and anger might lead to engagement in destructive behavior, which would make it harder for society to confront peak oil and climate change.
Reacting to former vice president Dick Cheney, who once said "the American way of life is not negotiable," Foss says, "That's true because reality is not going to negotiate with you."�
Go here to learn more about "Peak Oil and a Changing Climate," and to see the other videos in the series.
?Kevin Gosztola
Video:
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In the third video in the series ?Peak Oil and a Changing Climate? from The Nation and On The Earth productions, co-editor of The Automatic Earth, Nicole M. Foss, explains how energy relates to the economy and what our impending energy crisis will look like. Foss discusses the issues associated with peak oil in financial rather than environmental terms, because she finds that peak oil has much more to do with finance than it does with climate change.
Foss talks about what she calls a ?false positive feedback loop,? which involves optimism leading to ?caution being thrown to the wind.? When this happens, Foss believes that people become angry. Succumbing to fear and anger might lead to engagement in destructive behavior, which would make it harder for society to confront peak oil and climate change.
Reacting to former vice president Dick Cheney, who once said "the American way of life is not negotiable," Foss says, "That's true because reality is not going to negotiate with you."�
Go here to learn more about "Peak Oil and a Changing Climate," and to see the other videos in the series.
?Kevin Gosztola
Video:
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UK businesses 'failing to invest in green growth'
Many UK businesses are failing to invest in green growth opportunities, despite the fact that 92 per cent of firms believe the industry is important, a new survey shows.A report from the Carbon Trust shows that just one-third of businesses in the UK are investing money in the research and development of green products and services.In addition to this, just one in eight of the firms surveyed believe that the UK is the most prepared country to benefit from green growth. Germany was thought to be the most prepared by the majority of respondents.Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: "Green growth is the only show in town. No other sector can drive the recovery."Commenting, Neil Bentley, director of business environment at the Confederation of British Industry, said: "Unlocking green growth is one of the key challenges for businesses and the government, and much more needs to be done to get us on track to meet our ambitious climate change targets."The government must deliver the right policy framework to attract global investors to low-carbon projects."Posted by Emily Thomas Sign up for regular email updates to help you save money and energy
For more information please see: Green growth campaign� The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited � and do not represent the views or opinions of the Energy Saving Trust.
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For more information please see: Green growth campaign� The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited � and do not represent the views or opinions of the Energy Saving Trust.
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Thursday, April 28, 2011
SkyFuel?s Parabolic Trough Completes a Year of Operation at SEGS II
SkyFuels Parabolic Trough Completes a Year of Operation at SEGS II
Visit http://www.skyfuel.com/index_main.html#/NEWS/ for further information
A loop of SkyTrough concentrating solar collectors, commissioned at SEGS II in January 2010, continues to operate with the high efficiency forecast by NREL tests. This finding was confirmed by independent engineers, Sargent & Lundy.
Submitted on 01/25/11, 09:03 AM
Arvada, Colorado January 25, 2011: A loop of SkyTrough parabolic trough concentrating solar collectors, commissioned at Solar Energy Generating Station (SEGS) II in Daggett, California on January 1, 2010, continues to operate with the high efficiency forecast by National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) tests. Engineering firm Sargent & Lundy used over 100,000 data points to compare actual SkyTrough performance to that indicated by NRELs tests, concluding that the thermal output of SkyTrough solar collector assemblies (SCAs) can be expected to achieve the predicted levels. Sargent & Lundy visited the site, reviewed the test methodology, daily performance data, instrumentation, and engineering drawings. The average measured thermal output for the 24 days of data collection was 978 kW 2% more than predicted by the model. In their report, Sargent & Lundy stated overall, it is [our] opinion that the SkyTrough performance is equal to or greater than the state-of-the-art parabolic troughs being deployed... A white paper on thermal performance measurement is available for download - http://www.skyfuel.com/downloads/brochure/SkyTrough_ThermalPerformance.pdf. After a year of regular non-contact cleaning and constant exposure to the harsh desert environment, the specular reflectance of the ReflecTech mirror surface was measured to have the same value it started with - 94%. The ReflecTech performed just as expected, said David White, SkyFuels Chief Engineering Officer. The monolithic mirror panels were simple to install and are more accurate than glass mirror facets. Independent verification of the performance of SkyFuels first commercial installation, together with a year of continuous and successful operation, demonstrate that the SkyTrough is ready for large-scale commercial deployment. ### Utility scale parabolic trough solar concentrators harness the suns energy to make steam for electricity generation. Patterned after the best of previous, time proven designs, the SkyTrough is a breakthrough in cost and constructability resulting from significant design and material innovations. The SkyTrough is the first utility scale solar concentrator to employ lightweight ReflecTech Mirror Film, developed collaboratively by SkyFuel and NREL, in place of the fragile glass mirrors traditionally used. SkyFuels wholly owned subsidiary, ReflecTech, Inc., holds the exclusive license to manufacture and market ReflecTech Mirror Film. SkyFuel is also developing next-generation, high-temperature parabolic trough and linear Fresnel systems.
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How Would You Use Your Mobile Device to Save Energy?
On Tuesday, Shannon told you about some mobile tools on FuelEconomy.gov that can help you find and compare fuel efficient vehicles.
More and more, people are using their phones and mobile devices to find information, whether they're on the go and need the info now or if they're just at home and choosing to use a phone instead of a computer. Whatever the reason, we know that mobile information and tools are important.
Maybe you would find an energy-saving app useful when you're in a store comparing products, or wondering if a product is eligible for an incentive. Maybe you'd like to follow do-it-yourself instructions from your phone when you're working on an energy project around the house. Maybe you'd like to use an app to conduct an energy assessment and keep track of your home energy improvements.
These are just a few ideas we've had for how mobile apps could help you save energy, but we'd like to hear yours.
How would you use your mobile device to save energy?
Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.
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Wave and Tidal Energy on the Rise: But Will it Work?
Companies have been developing marine energy devices for more than 100 years ? but success has been limited.
With more advanced materials and a long track record of failures to learn from, a number of companies are working on promising technologies. However, leading technology developers like Aquamarine Power, Atlantis Resources Corporation, Ocean Power Technologies, OpenHydro, Ocean Renewable Power Company and Pelamis have been secretive about the performance of their devices.
Because there is little data to evaluate, it's still uncertain how successful wave and tidal companies will be as larger projects are deployed.
The report from Douglas Westwood highlights the many challenges the sector faces: Reliability, cost of electricity, environmental protection issues and availability of project finance. There are many unknowns facing the industry that may prevent companies from reaching the 150-MW projection outlined in the report.
With that said, more governments are providing R&D funding and incentives for project developers, providing a needed boost for these early-stage companies.
According to Douglas-Westwood, The UK, Canada and US will be the three biggest markets through 2015. The UK leads with 110 MW of projected installations. Driven by a strong tidal resource, excellent R&D and support, Canada is the second largest market. The US is also making progress, again with much R&D funding attracting developers.
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Review: Twilight in the Desert by Matt Simmons
Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy
By Matthew R. Simmons
448 pp., hardcover. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ? Jun. 2005. $24.95.
A year ago peak oil author Dave Cohen christened 2009 "A Year We Will Live To Regret."1 But as it happens, 2010 has brought its own mother lode of discouragement, failure and tragedy. It began on the heels of the bungled climate change summit in Copenhagen, a major blackout in southern France and news of a disastrous crash in Yemen's oil revenues. Before the year had rounded its halfway mark, it had presided over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. And as if all this weren't enough, 2010 also saw the sudden and unexpected death of one of the very icons of the peak oil movement, the revered Matthew R. Simmons.
It has been said of Simmons that no one in America was more influential in warning of the coming oil crisis, and that's surely true enough.2 Appearing in documentaries and in frequent TV and radio spots, he was a vital go-between for journalists reporting on the ever-escalating cost of fuel and a pained, bewildered public. He had even been a presidential energy advisor. But that description of Simmons only scratches the surface, for he did far more than simply raise awareness of oil depletion. Above all, he was the voice of informed reason in debates over whether Saudi Arabia, long the world's oil producer of last resort, could indefinitely continue to provide whatever quantities of oil the global economy may need.
His controversial bestselling book Twilight in the Desert represents the seminal attempt to answer this question. He began writing it in 2003, following a visit to the headquarters of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco. Simmons was then chairman and CEO of Simmons & Company International, an investment banking firm that he'd founded in 1974 and that has since acted as financial advisor on more than $134 billion in transactions within the oil and gas services industry.3 During the visit, a Saudi Aramco senior manager explained that the company used "fuzzy logic" to maximize recovery from the nation's oilfields. That term didn't sit well with Simmons, and for the first time he became skeptical of Saudi Arabia's alleged oil potential.
His skepticism was confirmed when he came across an extensive collection of technical papers from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) offering an in-depth look into Saudi oil production over the past 40 years. This collection, containing more than 200 papers, documented a decades-long saga of technical difficulties that had taxed the talents and ingenuity of some of the world's foremost oil engineers. The picture that these documents painted was a far cry from the boastful claims long made by Saudi officialdom regarding the supposed robustness of its oilfields.
To date, Saudi Arabia's all-time record output was roughly 10 million barrels a day, achieved in 1981. Current production fluctuates between approximately 8 and 9 million barrels a day, according to demand. Yet many oil observers insist that the country could raise its output to 12, 16 or even 20 to 25 million barrels per day, and that it could sustain these rates for as long as 50 years into the future. After researching and writing Twilight, Simmons knew better. In my favorite Simmons quote of all time, he wryly remarked to radio talk show host Jim Puplava, "I can tell you on your program that, trust me, my net worth will exceed Bill Gates' by 2030, and you'd be a fool to believe it?unless Bill Gates had a terrible financial collapse. There's nothing illegal about me telling you that. I can want that. And that's kind of what the world has done."4 Simmons' wit was as quick as his energy savvy and wisdom were great.
The most troubling trends dogging Saudi Arabia's oilfields, as revealed in Twilight, are all textbook examples of what can happen when oil reserves are exploited too hastily or vigorously. According to our best current understanding of the science of oil production, Simmons explains, every oilfield has an ideal production rate. Exceeding this rate is known as "overproducing" a field, and it can cause irreparable damage resulting in far more oil being permanently left behind. In short, overproducing brings more immediate returns but reduces the longevity of a field and the amount of oil that can ultimately be recovered.
As the 40-year SPE paper trail attests, multiple generations of Aramco scientists and engineers have been struggling to address the classic signs of overproduction in some of Saudi Arabia?s great oilfields. These include dramatic drops in reservoir pressure, increasing quantities of water produced along with the oil and premature gas cap formation. Simmons argues that they represent the dear price that Saudi Arabia has had to pay for its otherwise commendable decision to assume the responsibility of world's chief swing oil producer.
Based on the available evidence, Simmons concludes that Saudi oil production is at or nearing its peak sustainable level, and that it's likely to start dropping irreversibly in the quite foreseeable future. Further, the decline rate promises to be quite steep because Aramco's experimental use of water injection to maintain reservoir pressure right at the start of the fields? development?rather than at the end, as is standard?has swept the proverbial cupboards bare. Worse yet, because Saudi Arabia is essentially the only oil-producing nation with any spare production capacity left, its peak also signals the world peak.
Twilight is organized into a neat, easy-to-follow structure with four main sections. Parts one and two supply background information that is crucial to understanding the technical discussions in parts three and four. This background includes an account of Saudi Arabia's brief national history and how it came to dominate the world oil market, a detailed run-down of Saudi Aramco's operations and a basic primer on the steps involved in discovering and developing oil reserves. The book?s third part is an exhaustive assessment of each of Saudi Arabia?s dozen or so major fields and their unique technical challenges. And finally, the last section of the book explores at length the social, institutional and economic implications of the waning of Saudi Arabia's oil bounty.
A common theme running through the oilfield analyses is that too much about these fields' geology and behavior remains poorly understood. The mighty Ghawar field is a case in point. Once having supplied as much as two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's total output and six percent of global production, Ghawar is believed to be the largest oil-bearing structure ever to have existed on planet Earth. And yet, only one northernmost region of this great field has proven relatively trouble-free, and has thus been the source of the lion's share of Ghawar's oil. The remaining 80 percent of Ghawar produces far more modest flows because of ?reservoir pressure anomalies" seemingly linked somehow to a baffling set of faults, fractures and other geological phenomena.
In addition to the SPE papers, Simmons draws on an array of other equally revealing primary sources, chief among them a Senate staff report released in 1979. This report seriously questioned Aramco's claimed sustainable peak rate of 12 million barrels a day and quite presciently concluded that 9.8 million barrels a day was probably a more realistic goal. Yet it warned that even at that level the major fields would have tipped into decline before the turn of the century.
One of Simmons' biggest peeves was the secrecy surrounding oil reserves and production not just in Saudi Arabia, but in all OPEC countries. Twilight recounts how OPEC countries once routinely reported field-by-field production figures to industry periodicals like the Oil & Gas Journal but stopped doing this when Saudi oil minister Zaki Yamani took office in 1982. The result was a confusing maelstrom of contradictory reserves and production numbers that continues to this day. Oil-producing countries have little to gain by dispelling this veil of secrecy, because doing so would reveal that the geese laying their golden eggs are steadily succumbing to old age. As a result, the policy of secrecy has stuck.
The book goes into great depth about the need to break this veil and how that might be done. It calls for an international forum for systematically collecting and reporting worldwide energy data, something for which Simmons had long agitated. Indeed, asked once how he would begin to address energy policy if elected president, Simmons began, ?Probably cry??and then, once the laughter had dissipated, added, ?I would basically hold my fireside chat after having the conversation all day with the 20 most important world leaders and saying we need tomorrow morning to slap a $20-a-barrel transportation fine on any producer of oil that will not release their basically field-by-field production statistics, because we have a week to figure out how bad this problem is."5 Witticisms aside, Simmons was so adamant about this need for an international energy forum that he felt Twilight would have done the world a great service if all it did was supply the necessary catalyst.
As an outspoken peak oiler, Simmons was always something of a provocateur. At the end of his life, however, he became a loose cannon. His own firm ended its association with him after he lambasted BP Plc. for its hand in the Deepwater Horizon spill and predicted that the spill would bankrupt BP within weeks. Then he shocked everyone with his suggestion that the wellbore be sealed through the detonation of a nuclear bomb. (He pointed out that the Russians had used this approach repeatedly?and he reasoned that we needn't worry about radioactive contamination because the seafloor well was even deeper than the old Nevada test sites?but his idea was nonetheless roundly attacked as insane.) After "retiring" from Simmons & Co., he devoted full time to the Ocean Energy Institute, a think tank and venture capital fund that he'd established three years earlier to pursue offshore wind energy. Just two months later, on Sunday, Aug. 8, he died of a heart attack in a hot tub at his home in North Haven, Maine, at the age of 67. His hard words for BP had gained him enough notoriety that in no time speculation, never substantiated, was flying around the Web that his death had really been an assassination carried out by some wronged party.6
In the years leading up to Simmons' death, there had been excited murmurings within the peak oil community over his plans to write a second book. According to one source, it was going to deal with the increasingly decrepit infrastructure and aging labor force of the oil industry, and how these threaten to bring about just as serious a collapse in oil production as the one imposed by Mother Nature.7 The world will never know what Simmons might have put in this unwritten book, nor what additional contribution it might have made to the literature. But Twilight remains an essential piece of scholarship that deserves to be remembered and read for decades.
1 Dave Cohen, ?2009 ? A Year We Will Live To Regret,? Energy Bulletin, Dec. 17 2009, http://www.energybulletin.net/node/51013 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
2 Steve Andrews, Sally Odland, John Theobald and Randy Udall and others, ?Remembering the remarkable Matthew R. Simmons,? Energy Bulletin, Aug. 19 2010, http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-08-19/remembering-remarkable-... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
3 ?History and Purpose of EOCM,? Energy Opportunities Capital Management, http://www.energyocm.com/history.html (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
4 Matthew R. Simmons, interview with Jim Puplava, "Financial Sense Newshour," Financial Sense: Uncommon News & Views for the Wise Investor, Apr. 7, 2007, http://www.financialsensearchive.com/transcriptions/2007/0407.html (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
5 Simmons, interview with Puplava, "FSN Expert Roundtable: Energy Roundtable," Financial Sense, Feb. 2, 2008, http://www.financialsensearchive.com/Experts/roundtable/2008/0202.html (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
6 Braden Reddall and Kristen Hays, "Energy bank Simmons cuts ties to outspoken founder," Reuters, Jun. 16, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1617784120100616 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); Rich Blake, "BP Shares Sink on Oil Spill Bankruptcy Worries," ABC News, Jun. 10, 2010, http://abcnews.go.com/Business/bp-survive-company-result-oil-spill-gulf-... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); Kent Bernhard, Jr., "Matthew Simmons Reflects On Deepwater Horizon Disaster: One Lesson From Pearl Harbor," Portfolio.com: a bizjournals property, Jun. 3, 2010, http://www.portfolio.com/industry-news/energy/2010/06/03/matthew-simmons... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); ?Matthew R. Simmons Retires as Chairman Emeritus of Simmons & Company International to Dedicate his Full Attention to The Ocean Energy Institute,? Earth Times, June. 16, 2010, http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/press/ocean-energy-institute,1348001.... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); Scott Malone and Edward McAllister, ?Oil guru Matthew Simmons dies in Maine,? Reuters, Aug. 9, 2010, http://in.reuters.com/article/idINN0926746220100809 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
7 Totoneila, ?DrumBeat: November 8, 2006,? The Oil Drum, Nov. 8, 2006, http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2006/11/8/82046/5724 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
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By Matthew R. Simmons
448 pp., hardcover. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ? Jun. 2005. $24.95.
A year ago peak oil author Dave Cohen christened 2009 "A Year We Will Live To Regret."1 But as it happens, 2010 has brought its own mother lode of discouragement, failure and tragedy. It began on the heels of the bungled climate change summit in Copenhagen, a major blackout in southern France and news of a disastrous crash in Yemen's oil revenues. Before the year had rounded its halfway mark, it had presided over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. And as if all this weren't enough, 2010 also saw the sudden and unexpected death of one of the very icons of the peak oil movement, the revered Matthew R. Simmons.
It has been said of Simmons that no one in America was more influential in warning of the coming oil crisis, and that's surely true enough.2 Appearing in documentaries and in frequent TV and radio spots, he was a vital go-between for journalists reporting on the ever-escalating cost of fuel and a pained, bewildered public. He had even been a presidential energy advisor. But that description of Simmons only scratches the surface, for he did far more than simply raise awareness of oil depletion. Above all, he was the voice of informed reason in debates over whether Saudi Arabia, long the world's oil producer of last resort, could indefinitely continue to provide whatever quantities of oil the global economy may need.
His controversial bestselling book Twilight in the Desert represents the seminal attempt to answer this question. He began writing it in 2003, following a visit to the headquarters of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco. Simmons was then chairman and CEO of Simmons & Company International, an investment banking firm that he'd founded in 1974 and that has since acted as financial advisor on more than $134 billion in transactions within the oil and gas services industry.3 During the visit, a Saudi Aramco senior manager explained that the company used "fuzzy logic" to maximize recovery from the nation's oilfields. That term didn't sit well with Simmons, and for the first time he became skeptical of Saudi Arabia's alleged oil potential.
His skepticism was confirmed when he came across an extensive collection of technical papers from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) offering an in-depth look into Saudi oil production over the past 40 years. This collection, containing more than 200 papers, documented a decades-long saga of technical difficulties that had taxed the talents and ingenuity of some of the world's foremost oil engineers. The picture that these documents painted was a far cry from the boastful claims long made by Saudi officialdom regarding the supposed robustness of its oilfields.
To date, Saudi Arabia's all-time record output was roughly 10 million barrels a day, achieved in 1981. Current production fluctuates between approximately 8 and 9 million barrels a day, according to demand. Yet many oil observers insist that the country could raise its output to 12, 16 or even 20 to 25 million barrels per day, and that it could sustain these rates for as long as 50 years into the future. After researching and writing Twilight, Simmons knew better. In my favorite Simmons quote of all time, he wryly remarked to radio talk show host Jim Puplava, "I can tell you on your program that, trust me, my net worth will exceed Bill Gates' by 2030, and you'd be a fool to believe it?unless Bill Gates had a terrible financial collapse. There's nothing illegal about me telling you that. I can want that. And that's kind of what the world has done."4 Simmons' wit was as quick as his energy savvy and wisdom were great.
The most troubling trends dogging Saudi Arabia's oilfields, as revealed in Twilight, are all textbook examples of what can happen when oil reserves are exploited too hastily or vigorously. According to our best current understanding of the science of oil production, Simmons explains, every oilfield has an ideal production rate. Exceeding this rate is known as "overproducing" a field, and it can cause irreparable damage resulting in far more oil being permanently left behind. In short, overproducing brings more immediate returns but reduces the longevity of a field and the amount of oil that can ultimately be recovered.
As the 40-year SPE paper trail attests, multiple generations of Aramco scientists and engineers have been struggling to address the classic signs of overproduction in some of Saudi Arabia?s great oilfields. These include dramatic drops in reservoir pressure, increasing quantities of water produced along with the oil and premature gas cap formation. Simmons argues that they represent the dear price that Saudi Arabia has had to pay for its otherwise commendable decision to assume the responsibility of world's chief swing oil producer.
Based on the available evidence, Simmons concludes that Saudi oil production is at or nearing its peak sustainable level, and that it's likely to start dropping irreversibly in the quite foreseeable future. Further, the decline rate promises to be quite steep because Aramco's experimental use of water injection to maintain reservoir pressure right at the start of the fields? development?rather than at the end, as is standard?has swept the proverbial cupboards bare. Worse yet, because Saudi Arabia is essentially the only oil-producing nation with any spare production capacity left, its peak also signals the world peak.
Twilight is organized into a neat, easy-to-follow structure with four main sections. Parts one and two supply background information that is crucial to understanding the technical discussions in parts three and four. This background includes an account of Saudi Arabia's brief national history and how it came to dominate the world oil market, a detailed run-down of Saudi Aramco's operations and a basic primer on the steps involved in discovering and developing oil reserves. The book?s third part is an exhaustive assessment of each of Saudi Arabia?s dozen or so major fields and their unique technical challenges. And finally, the last section of the book explores at length the social, institutional and economic implications of the waning of Saudi Arabia's oil bounty.
A common theme running through the oilfield analyses is that too much about these fields' geology and behavior remains poorly understood. The mighty Ghawar field is a case in point. Once having supplied as much as two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's total output and six percent of global production, Ghawar is believed to be the largest oil-bearing structure ever to have existed on planet Earth. And yet, only one northernmost region of this great field has proven relatively trouble-free, and has thus been the source of the lion's share of Ghawar's oil. The remaining 80 percent of Ghawar produces far more modest flows because of ?reservoir pressure anomalies" seemingly linked somehow to a baffling set of faults, fractures and other geological phenomena.
In addition to the SPE papers, Simmons draws on an array of other equally revealing primary sources, chief among them a Senate staff report released in 1979. This report seriously questioned Aramco's claimed sustainable peak rate of 12 million barrels a day and quite presciently concluded that 9.8 million barrels a day was probably a more realistic goal. Yet it warned that even at that level the major fields would have tipped into decline before the turn of the century.
One of Simmons' biggest peeves was the secrecy surrounding oil reserves and production not just in Saudi Arabia, but in all OPEC countries. Twilight recounts how OPEC countries once routinely reported field-by-field production figures to industry periodicals like the Oil & Gas Journal but stopped doing this when Saudi oil minister Zaki Yamani took office in 1982. The result was a confusing maelstrom of contradictory reserves and production numbers that continues to this day. Oil-producing countries have little to gain by dispelling this veil of secrecy, because doing so would reveal that the geese laying their golden eggs are steadily succumbing to old age. As a result, the policy of secrecy has stuck.
The book goes into great depth about the need to break this veil and how that might be done. It calls for an international forum for systematically collecting and reporting worldwide energy data, something for which Simmons had long agitated. Indeed, asked once how he would begin to address energy policy if elected president, Simmons began, ?Probably cry??and then, once the laughter had dissipated, added, ?I would basically hold my fireside chat after having the conversation all day with the 20 most important world leaders and saying we need tomorrow morning to slap a $20-a-barrel transportation fine on any producer of oil that will not release their basically field-by-field production statistics, because we have a week to figure out how bad this problem is."5 Witticisms aside, Simmons was so adamant about this need for an international energy forum that he felt Twilight would have done the world a great service if all it did was supply the necessary catalyst.
As an outspoken peak oiler, Simmons was always something of a provocateur. At the end of his life, however, he became a loose cannon. His own firm ended its association with him after he lambasted BP Plc. for its hand in the Deepwater Horizon spill and predicted that the spill would bankrupt BP within weeks. Then he shocked everyone with his suggestion that the wellbore be sealed through the detonation of a nuclear bomb. (He pointed out that the Russians had used this approach repeatedly?and he reasoned that we needn't worry about radioactive contamination because the seafloor well was even deeper than the old Nevada test sites?but his idea was nonetheless roundly attacked as insane.) After "retiring" from Simmons & Co., he devoted full time to the Ocean Energy Institute, a think tank and venture capital fund that he'd established three years earlier to pursue offshore wind energy. Just two months later, on Sunday, Aug. 8, he died of a heart attack in a hot tub at his home in North Haven, Maine, at the age of 67. His hard words for BP had gained him enough notoriety that in no time speculation, never substantiated, was flying around the Web that his death had really been an assassination carried out by some wronged party.6
In the years leading up to Simmons' death, there had been excited murmurings within the peak oil community over his plans to write a second book. According to one source, it was going to deal with the increasingly decrepit infrastructure and aging labor force of the oil industry, and how these threaten to bring about just as serious a collapse in oil production as the one imposed by Mother Nature.7 The world will never know what Simmons might have put in this unwritten book, nor what additional contribution it might have made to the literature. But Twilight remains an essential piece of scholarship that deserves to be remembered and read for decades.
1 Dave Cohen, ?2009 ? A Year We Will Live To Regret,? Energy Bulletin, Dec. 17 2009, http://www.energybulletin.net/node/51013 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
2 Steve Andrews, Sally Odland, John Theobald and Randy Udall and others, ?Remembering the remarkable Matthew R. Simmons,? Energy Bulletin, Aug. 19 2010, http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-08-19/remembering-remarkable-... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
3 ?History and Purpose of EOCM,? Energy Opportunities Capital Management, http://www.energyocm.com/history.html (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
4 Matthew R. Simmons, interview with Jim Puplava, "Financial Sense Newshour," Financial Sense: Uncommon News & Views for the Wise Investor, Apr. 7, 2007, http://www.financialsensearchive.com/transcriptions/2007/0407.html (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
5 Simmons, interview with Puplava, "FSN Expert Roundtable: Energy Roundtable," Financial Sense, Feb. 2, 2008, http://www.financialsensearchive.com/Experts/roundtable/2008/0202.html (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
6 Braden Reddall and Kristen Hays, "Energy bank Simmons cuts ties to outspoken founder," Reuters, Jun. 16, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1617784120100616 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); Rich Blake, "BP Shares Sink on Oil Spill Bankruptcy Worries," ABC News, Jun. 10, 2010, http://abcnews.go.com/Business/bp-survive-company-result-oil-spill-gulf-... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); Kent Bernhard, Jr., "Matthew Simmons Reflects On Deepwater Horizon Disaster: One Lesson From Pearl Harbor," Portfolio.com: a bizjournals property, Jun. 3, 2010, http://www.portfolio.com/industry-news/energy/2010/06/03/matthew-simmons... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); ?Matthew R. Simmons Retires as Chairman Emeritus of Simmons & Company International to Dedicate his Full Attention to The Ocean Energy Institute,? Earth Times, June. 16, 2010, http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/press/ocean-energy-institute,1348001.... (accessed Dec. 6, 2010); Scott Malone and Edward McAllister, ?Oil guru Matthew Simmons dies in Maine,? Reuters, Aug. 9, 2010, http://in.reuters.com/article/idINN0926746220100809 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
7 Totoneila, ?DrumBeat: November 8, 2006,? The Oil Drum, Nov. 8, 2006, http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2006/11/8/82046/5724 (accessed Dec. 6, 2010).
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