Energy Matters

PJM upgrading grid for $1.8 billion

I'm typically a fan of investing in infrastructure (mainly rails and public transit) but I'm not sure how I feel about this investment. I was at the Maryland Public Utility Commission meeting 2 years ago when the commission was looking at the future problems with Maryland's grid congestion.

This $1.8 billion grid development project will reduce grid congestion in the same way that building road reduces traffic congestion. But this investment won't produce a single kWh of electricity AND it strengthens its ties to coal power plants.

I was working for BP Solar at the time and my boss asked me how would I solve this problem. Through installing solar panels for distributed generation and encouraging energy efficiency in heavily congested areas, the problem could be solved without adding more transmission lines.  This would be a much cheaper and eco-friendly alternative as it will actually produce energy, unlike the $1.8 transmission plan that will just build the path ways, not the content.

Also there is the whole issue of preserving historic Civil War battlefields from development as some of these powerlines would go through these area. 

But we know powerlines, we have experience putting them up to reduce congestion, and some people don't like change.
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On another note, today is Election Day so go and vote and vote for change!

(and if you are in California vote NO on Prop 8)

HUGE, GIJUNDIC NEWS IN EFFICIENCY

The EU just announced that they are banning the incandescent light bulb by 2010. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) are much more efficient than incandescents and the run a lot cooler. CFLs use 75% less energy than the other kind and they produce 75% less waste heat (touch a CFL and an incandescent that has been on for a while and you'll believe that). In the US each incandescent you replace with a CFL saves you about $30 so the argument of the higher upfront costs of CFLs is moot.

Think of how big this is though. The EU has 500 million citizens. Assuming there are at least 2 incandescents per citizen (a pretty conservative estimate) that's 1 Billion bulbs. Assuming most incandescents are 60W, you have just saved 150 MW of power which is a pretty sizable coal plant. That's doing a whole lot more than just change one light bulb.

The best part about it is this cost nothing, it will in fact save Europe money through lowering electricity demand and costs.

On this side of the pond things will get better as well. Even if we do not make our own ban, the fact that the EU and Australia have means the market for CFLs will greatly expand driving down prices on all bulbs. How convenient that we don't have to carry our own weight when it comes to fighting Global Warming and the energy crisis....

But imagine if we did.

Sarah Palin, "Energy Expert"

During the entire VP debate Sarah Palin tried to make the case that she is an energy expert. But talking about the issue a lot does not make you an expert especially if your views on the subject are horribly wrong and do not mesh with many real energy experts.

I don't care how much Palin talks about energy policy, if her answer to our energy problem is "Drill Baby Drill" she is an utter fool. The facts that oil is a finite resource and Global warming is man-made means that  Drill Baby Drill will fail to result in American energy independence AND it will bring about catastrophic environmental disasters and the deaths of millions across the world.

So doggonit Palin, I know you care just so much about energy and you hear all those hockey mom's and nascar dad's talk about it all the time but your plan is a horrible one. Not only is it a bad idea but it's downright dangerous and shows that you don't care at all about future generations.

Woops, National Park(ing) Day is Today too

I nearly forgot, today is the third annual national (really international) park(ing) day. A wonderful day once a year when people around the world reassert that cities are for people not cars by taking over parking spots and making them mini parks by rolling out sod, bringing a chair and two and such. Cars are demanding beasts that demand not just fuel, but space as well. Cities have become paved jungles to provide cars with places to go and stay when they are not being used. This contributes to the urban heat island effect, storm water runoff and general badness.

This year there are at least 200 spots taken in 50 cities world-wide in celebration of the holiday. This year I missed it but last year I hung out on K & 15th in DC (a few blocks away from the White House) for an hour or so doing Spanish homework. 

So today (or next year) go out and reclaim the cities for people, roll out some sod and enjoy the parks!

GOP Convention

I'm watching the GOP convention and Rudy Giuliani said that John McCain will bring about American energy independence from Foreign Oil. He said the strategy was "Drill Baby Drill" (and he got a chant going). I wonder if he realizes the oil is a finite resource?

More to Sarah Palin got rid of the gas tax in Alaska, so at least she and McCain agree on the whole increasing oil consumption thing.

Oy

Massive Environmental Disaster “suspended indefinitely”

Construction of the Tata Nano factory has been “suspended indefinitely” due to protests over land rights. The Tato Nano is going to be the world's cheapest car (around $2,500) that is geared towards the world's/India's poor. It will also be one of the most fuel efficient cars (about 50 mpg) out there since it has none of the bells and whistles (and probably safety features) of most other cars and it is tiny. But this car will not replace existing cars in existing markets, it will be bought and used by people who have never owned a car before. The last thing this world needs (besides a meteor the size of Texas) is millions of new cars. It's great that the cars are designed to be extremely efficient, but it will still result in a net increase in oil use as more new car drivers buy the Nano. If people started trading in their H1 through H8s  for a Nano, that would be a different matter as it would cause oil consumption to drop. Pumping out a million 50 mpg cars is like putting a hybrid engine in an SUV, it's putting lipstick on a pig.

It'll be interesting to see how traffic fatalities spike in poorer nations after the Tata Nano eventually comes out.

The Solar Taxi

Today I got to sit in the Solar Taxi and talk with its creator, Palmer Louis. Palmer decided to  drive around the world (from Switzerland to Australia to the US and back) without a drop of oil. But since the Tesla Roadster and the Chevy Volt are not out yet, he had to make his own electric car to tow his Q-cell solar array. The car is about the size of a smart car, but much shorter so I had a little trouble getting in and out of it, but it was a blast. He said countries around the world are starting to get it, from Thailand to Saudi Arabia, people know that fossil fuels the past and solar is the future. He and his team have done a great job getting the word out and I wish them luck. Check out their website for more information about his trip.

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Of course I can't just blog about electric cars without pointing out the whole issue with the greeness of the grid. The US electrical grid gets 40% of its power from coal so a plug-in electric car in America is hardly green, it produces no emissions but it displaces those emissions to coal plants. Also cars are responsible for hundreds of thousands of traffic deaths each year world wide and they contribute to the paving of our world which exacerbates the urban heat island effect and storm water runoff management issues. So if you want to truly go green, get a bike.

...Encouraging China fact...#1?

I know I usually share Scary China Facts (1, 2 and 3), but today I have a encouraging fact. China has doubled the taxes on cars with engines bigger than 4 liters (maybe it's an attempt to earn some of the money lost during the Olympics). It is surprising and heartening to see that China is trying to nip its gas guzzling habit in the bud. I hope other nations will start listening up and take note (and I can't believe I'm saying this) but take a page out of China's energy/environmental policy .

Power from Asphalt?

A Dutch company may have come up with a way to generate electricity from asphalt. If this does work it'll be interesting to see how this changes the tone of discussion about urban heat island effect (which is caused by having lots of dark, generally paved surfaces). I still think depaving will have a better environmental impact than using the pavement to generate power since it will both cut down on the urban heat island effect and storm water runoff.

Oh and this blog is really close to having its 1000 visit. w00t

Olympics

The Olympics are a special time when people from all around the world fly to a city that has massively built up its infrastructure to handle this bubble of visitors. It is a time when gigantic buildings that will rarely be used again are built (sometimes in areas that require knocking down old neighborhoods). It is a time where energy use spikes around the world as billions of people turn on the TV.

Don't forget the fireworks and other wasteful spectacles at the opening ceremonies.

And I love it.

I know I am an advocate of efficiency and reducing energy consumption, but I am not a hair-shirt wearing self-denier. Life should be enjoyed, and there are fewer things more fun than the Olympics (the opening ceremony was AMAZING). I think it is fine for the nations of the world to get together once every few years, bond over the accomplishments of our species and celebrate it in an extravagant manner.

The Olympics bring people from around the world together in a moment of international brotherhood and that is worth a little waste. After all, when we solve our energy crisis, we will still have international tension. So, while the green movement is a step towards solving our most immediate problem, the energy and climate crisis,  the Olympics are a step towards solving our most profound problem, learning to live harmoniously with our neighbors. Both issues must be solved, but the solution to one does not have to come at the detriment of the other.

Play on!