Clean Coal?

Carbon sequestration

Clean coal technology is on the drawing board. It’s a part of the great hope. Since coal is our currently ourbiggest source of energy, we must consider ways to clean it, however, we are not there yet. New systems are being considered and perhaps some of them may some day work, but in order to be clear, we must realize that this technology does not yet exist. More later on this subject. Anyone with an opinion or more detailed knowledge is invited to comment further.

(Excerpt from Alternet) By Antrim Caskey
“The Coal Spill Disaster in Kingston – has clued Americans in to the real consequences of coal. We use coal-fired power for almost half of our daily electricity use; when you turn on your lights, your plasma TV or laptop computer, you are probably using coal. The coal industry, which has come under sustained attack, especially in the wake of global climate change, is spending tens of millions of dollars on a public relations war to convince Americans that coal is good and clean.”

Climate 411 – from the Environmental Defense Fund

Akeena Solar in Los Gatos

Akeena Solar, http://www.akeena.net/cm/Home.html

Akeena Solar, located in Los Gatos, is one of the nation’s leading solar installers. Last year they debuted their Andalay panels, which included an integrated racking, wiring and grounding system.

Andalay panels reviewed.

No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses’

THE ENERGY CHALLENGE
No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses’ – By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: December 26, 2008 in The New York Times
DARMSTADT, Germany — From the outside, there is nothing unusual about the stylish new gray and orange row houses in the Kranichstein District, with wreaths on the doors and Christmas lights twinkling through a freezing drizzle. But these houses are part of a revolution in building design: There are no drafts, no cold tile floors, no snuggling under blankets until the furnace kicks in. There is, in fact, no furnace.

(cont,)

Berkeley Artchitect, Nabih Tahan designs passive houses using European techniques. http://www.nabihtahanarchitect.com/

Reflections on U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poznan

Reflections on U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poznan
Jon Forster, first vice president of AFSCME Local 375/DC37 in New York, was in Poznan, Poland, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which concluded Dec. 12. Forster, who was among 100 union delegates, offers his observations on the 12-day event held to build upon the framework negotiated last year in Bali, Indonesia.

Lithium sources

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7707847.stm

Increasing the demand for lithium batteries will drive the cost of lithium.

Bolivia holds key to electric car future:

By Damian Kahya, BBC News, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

High in the Andes, in a remote corner of Bolivia, lies more than half the world’s reserves of a mineral that could radically reduce our reliance on dwindling fossil fuels. (read the whole story)

How To Save A Major Automobile Company

How To Save A Major Automobile Company By Neil Young, from Huffington Post, 11/13/08

Find a new ownership group. The culture must change. It is time to turn the page. In the high technology sector there are several candidates for ownership of a major car and truck manufacturer. We need forward looking people who are not restricted by the existing culture in Detroit. We need visionary people now with business sense to create automobiles that do not contribute to global warming. (read the whole story)

Superlattice and Hybrid Technologies

Hybrid Technologies and Superlattice

Why Battery Electric Vehicle and Not Fuel Cell?

• Fuel Cells consumes 4 times as much electricity per mile as similarly sized Battery Electric Vehicle.
• Fuel Cells require electricity to compress Hydrogen.
• Fuel Cells-Hydrogen emits 12.5 kg of Carbon-di-Oxide per kg of Hydrogen produced.
• Driving range of Battery Electric Vehicle is 2 times compared to Fuel Cell Vehicle using same vehicle weight.
• Fuel Cell Vehicle fueling and system is complicated compared to Battery Electric Vehicle plug-in system.
• Fuel cell hydrogen tank safety is a major concern.

…Dr. Surajit Sengupta, Director of Battery R&D at Hybrid Technologies, states “our objective is to create the next generation of lithium ion polymer battery that is environmentally non-toxic, safe, less expensive and more powerful.” (read more.)

Ike Oil Slick

Hurricane Ike Oil Slick

Oil slicks covering Hurricane Ike floodwaters around High Island, Texas.

Hurricane Ike, Missing Drill Rig, And Oil Spills: It’s The System That Leaks

by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 09.22.08

Oil Slick After Hurricane Ike, High Island, Texas, Smiley N. Pool / The Houston Chronicle, Excerpt

Some politicians consistently say that offshore oil drilling is safe and that drill rigs have withstood Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike without any significant damage or oil spills. The facts, as they often do, tell a very different story. On September 16, the oil drilling company Rowan announced one of its drill rig was missing, and that it had likely capsized and sunk due to Hurricane Ike. (read the whole story)

Hurricanes and Oil Drilling: Ike’s Toll on Big Rigs

Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 12:01 a.m.

Hurricane Ike’s 12-foot storm surge was nowhere near the 20-foot monster that forecasters anticipated, yet it still managed to destroy 52 offshore oil platforms and cripple 32 more.

That is according to The Associated Press, which compiled an environmental score card of the damage caused when Ike hit the upper Gulf Coast on Sept. 13. (more on platform damage.)

Hurricane Ike Spilled 12,000 Barrels of Oil

…The hurricane’s toll highlights the environmental risk in offshore oil.

Hundreds if not thousands of individual spills, from both companies and individuals, resulted from the hurricane, according to the AP. None are classified as “major” but together they add up.

Of about 3,800 oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, 52 were destroyed and another 32 “severely damaged,” according to the AP. (more details on the damage and threat.)

Smart Grid planned for Boulder

Boulder, CO: America’s First Smart Grid

by Cate Trotter,  April 2008

The Smart Grid and all of its energy-saving intelligence is coming to Boulder, Colorado, making this picturesque town at the foot of the Rockies poised to become the nation’s first fully integrated Smart Grid City within the next few years! Chosen by Xcel Energy for its location, ideal size and current infrastructure, Boulder was also chosen because of in-place smart grid initiatives through University of Colorado and several other nearby institutions. Xcel Energy and its Smart Grid Consortium will start research over the next few weeks and the first phase of Smart Grid City could be in place as early as August 2008!

Read the story

the Gore-founded Alliance for Climate Protection

The Gore-founded Alliance for Climate Protection launched an advertising and awareness campaign called  Repower America, which advocates for carbon-free electricity in 10 years.

• Incentives for construction of concentrating solar-thermal power plants in the southwest, wind farms in the Midwest, and plants in geothermal “hot spots.”
• A $400 billion investment over 10 years to build a “national smart grid” to distribute renewable energy, which he said would quickly offset the annual $120 billion loss from power grid failures. The power grid can be outfitted so that consumers have better tools and information for conserving energy.
• Aid to automakers to convert to the production of plug-in hybrids. Smart-grid technology that enables the cars to be charged during off-peak hours.
• A nationwide effort to retrofit buildings, which account for 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, to be more energy-efficient.
• Climate regulations to cap carbon dioxide emissions.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10092364-54.html