The UNEP Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008 Report makes some interesting reading. It appears that sustainable energy is on the rise; nearly $150 billion of new money was raised in 2007 representing a 60% increase from 2006. Wind energy appears to be leading the way and this trend is set to continue according to the European Wind Energy Technology Platform . In their recently published Strategic Research Agenda they indicate that wind energy could provide up to 28% of EU electricity consumption by 2030. Certainly it appears that the UK will be have more wind capacity online soon with the recent announcement that a 315MW wind farm off the coast of Norfolk have been given the thumbs up by Government. However, a word of warning has been sounded about a shortage of skilled operation and maintenance teams for wind farms – it appears that in the US up to 60% of turbines may be behind in critical maintenance.
Moving from wind to solar energy, scientists at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute have proposed to turn asphalt roads and car parks into a giant solar collector. The idea relies on capturing the heat by passing water in pipes through the hot asphalt roads. The hot water could be used "as is" for heating buildings or in industrial processes, or could be passed through a thermoelectric generator to produce electricity.
Maintaining a surprisingly consistent animal theme it has been proposed that Australia should switch farming focus from sheep and cows to kangaroos. It has been estimated that belching (cows) and flatulent (sheep) livestock contribute a whopping 11% of Australia's carbon emissions. Kangaroos, of which there are around 60 million or so (that's three kangaroos to every Australian if my calculations are correct), have a more climate friendly digestive system that means they produce virtually no methane.
Friday, 15 August 2008
Carbon capture and corrections
It has been a rather quiet week in the energy news. UKERC's personal highlight was a letter published in the Guardian in response to George Monbiot's column about carbon capture and storage (CCS). In related news a post-combustion carbon capture pilot plant has been officially launched in Beijing, China. The plant is designed to capture (in a liquid – presumably an amine of some sort) around 3000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
The proposed emission banding of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) has been debated at length this week. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report into VED declared it to be a "step in the right direction" but suggested that it did not go far enough and that there should be "really penal rates for high-emission cars and really attractive 'carrots' so that tax is almost nothing on the greenest models". Furthermore a car scrappage scheme to pay drivers of high emission cars to switch to a more environmentally friendly model was also advocated.
The Renewable Fuels Agency has released its first monthly report on the supply of biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The report contains some interesting statistics. Biofuels now account for 2.14% of UK road fuel; the majority (86%) comprises biodiesel with bioethanol making up the rest. The market is dominated by imported biofuels (percentage not given) with America being the most important supplier of biodiesel and unsurprisingly Brazil being most important for bioethanol. Only 19% of biofuels met the UK environmental standards and in total biofuels accounted for a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas savings (presumably compared to the petroleum displaced). These savings did not account for changes in indirect land use as noted in the Gallagher review.
In energy news elsewhere, Nissan has developed an eco-accelerator pedal that pushes back if you are being heavy footed. In a more startling eco-car development students at Stuttgart University have developed a vehicle powered entirely by wind . Defra's Chief Scientist, Professor Bob Watson, has warned that the UK should take steps to prepare for a temperature rise of up to 4C . Closer to home for me (being a Cumbrian lad) Cumbria has announced a £2 billion Energy Coast vision that focuses on both nuclear (with an emphasis on power and skills) and renewable energy. Finally, continuing an extended bovine theme it is proposed that homes in a new Pembrokeshire eco-village could be fuelled by cow dung.
The proposed emission banding of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) has been debated at length this week. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report into VED declared it to be a "step in the right direction" but suggested that it did not go far enough and that there should be "really penal rates for high-emission cars and really attractive 'carrots' so that tax is almost nothing on the greenest models". Furthermore a car scrappage scheme to pay drivers of high emission cars to switch to a more environmentally friendly model was also advocated.
The Renewable Fuels Agency has released its first monthly report on the supply of biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The report contains some interesting statistics. Biofuels now account for 2.14% of UK road fuel; the majority (86%) comprises biodiesel with bioethanol making up the rest. The market is dominated by imported biofuels (percentage not given) with America being the most important supplier of biodiesel and unsurprisingly Brazil being most important for bioethanol. Only 19% of biofuels met the UK environmental standards and in total biofuels accounted for a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas savings (presumably compared to the petroleum displaced). These savings did not account for changes in indirect land use as noted in the Gallagher review.
In energy news elsewhere, Nissan has developed an eco-accelerator pedal that pushes back if you are being heavy footed. In a more startling eco-car development students at Stuttgart University have developed a vehicle powered entirely by wind . Defra's Chief Scientist, Professor Bob Watson, has warned that the UK should take steps to prepare for a temperature rise of up to 4C . Closer to home for me (being a Cumbrian lad) Cumbria has announced a £2 billion Energy Coast vision that focuses on both nuclear (with an emphasis on power and skills) and renewable energy. Finally, continuing an extended bovine theme it is proposed that homes in a new Pembrokeshire eco-village could be fuelled by cow dung.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Birds, cows and electric cars
There has been heavy traffic in the news about cars this week. For starters, the future for electric cars is looking bright. In Spain the government aims to have 1 million electric cars on the roads by 2014 as part of a plan to cut energy consumption and dependence on expensive imports. In the shorter term the Spanish also plan to cut speed limits around cities by up to 20 percent. Closer to home, the mayor of London, Boris Johnson has announced that the number of electric vehicle recharge points in London will be almost trebled. This is good news if you are thinking of splashing your cash on one the new high performance electric sports cars unveiled at London's International Motor Show.
Electric vehicles aren't the only ones benefiting from positive news this week. A new thermoelectric material has been developed that could convert the waste heat from internal combustion engines into electricity and boost efficiency by up to 10 percent. Elsewhere second generation biofuels have been receiving attention with breakthroughs announced in converting yard waste and sawdust into biofuels. The optimism regarding biofuels is not shared by EU leaders. Recent press regarding sustainability and food vs fuel issues has changed minds and they are considering reducing the EU biofuels target in favour of increased targets on saving energy.
Moving away from cars, a few stories have caught the eye this week. Firstly, Hewlett Packard are proposing to deploying trillions of sensors to measure and diagnose what ails the Earth and presumably to prescribe a treatment. Geologists are also in on the global act and have stripped the Earth naked to reveal a digital map of her geology. Fuel cells also made the headlines with the announcement that the new World Trade Centre will have a 4.8MW fuel cell capacity as well as other renewable energy generation technologies. Further good news on this subject was announced by Professor Daniel Nocera of MIT who has developed a new efficient catalytic system to produce hydrogen from water.
In animal related news, it seems that climate change is good news for the Dartford Warbler. The bird, which almost died out in the cold winter of 1962-1963, is now positively thriving in the milder Kent weather. Continuing a previous theme of burping cows, but focusing rather on the other end, it has been postulated that cow dung, via anaerobic digestion, could provide up to 3 percent of the power for North America.
Electric vehicles aren't the only ones benefiting from positive news this week. A new thermoelectric material has been developed that could convert the waste heat from internal combustion engines into electricity and boost efficiency by up to 10 percent. Elsewhere second generation biofuels have been receiving attention with breakthroughs announced in converting yard waste and sawdust into biofuels. The optimism regarding biofuels is not shared by EU leaders. Recent press regarding sustainability and food vs fuel issues has changed minds and they are considering reducing the EU biofuels target in favour of increased targets on saving energy.
Moving away from cars, a few stories have caught the eye this week. Firstly, Hewlett Packard are proposing to deploying trillions of sensors to measure and diagnose what ails the Earth and presumably to prescribe a treatment. Geologists are also in on the global act and have stripped the Earth naked to reveal a digital map of her geology. Fuel cells also made the headlines with the announcement that the new World Trade Centre will have a 4.8MW fuel cell capacity as well as other renewable energy generation technologies. Further good news on this subject was announced by Professor Daniel Nocera of MIT who has developed a new efficient catalytic system to produce hydrogen from water.
In animal related news, it seems that climate change is good news for the Dartford Warbler. The bird, which almost died out in the cold winter of 1962-1963, is now positively thriving in the milder Kent weather. Continuing a previous theme of burping cows, but focusing rather on the other end, it has been postulated that cow dung, via anaerobic digestion, could provide up to 3 percent of the power for North America.
Friday, 13 June 2008
Fuels woes and burping cows
It has been another energy intensive week in the news. Not all that surprising considering that fuel prices have remained high. This has started to have a knock-on effect on fuel use with retailers reporting a 20% fall in demand. Curiously, amongst all the angst, it has been argued that high fuel prices could, under certain circumstances, be beneficial for truckers.
Elsewhere carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been attracting significant coverage. A consortium of science academies from various countries has urged G8 leaders to commit to fitting power stations with carbon dioxide capturing technology to curb climate change. In the meantime it has been argued in a report that the UK has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the race for the development of CCS. Several NGO’s have clubbed together to state that there should be an emissions limit for power stations of no more than 350g of CO2/kWh to encourage CCS. Finally it appears that, perhaps unsurprisingly, companies are in a race to be second when it comes to adopting CCS technology; no-one is willing to be a potentially disastrous frontrunner.
On the bright side (perhaps) European energy and emission targets appear to be helping member states partner up with each other. Germany and France have now jointly agreed to a European Commission goal of cutting average carbon dioxide emissions for new cars. Not to be outdone, Germany, Britain and Poland are urging EU ministers to allow nations to join forces in pursuing their renewable energy targets.
Finally, you’ll all be relieved to know that scientists in New Zealand think they have cracked the problem of methane burping cows.
Elsewhere carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been attracting significant coverage. A consortium of science academies from various countries has urged G8 leaders to commit to fitting power stations with carbon dioxide capturing technology to curb climate change. In the meantime it has been argued in a report that the UK has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the race for the development of CCS. Several NGO’s have clubbed together to state that there should be an emissions limit for power stations of no more than 350g of CO2/kWh to encourage CCS. Finally it appears that, perhaps unsurprisingly, companies are in a race to be second when it comes to adopting CCS technology; no-one is willing to be a potentially disastrous frontrunner.
On the bright side (perhaps) European energy and emission targets appear to be helping member states partner up with each other. Germany and France have now jointly agreed to a European Commission goal of cutting average carbon dioxide emissions for new cars. Not to be outdone, Germany, Britain and Poland are urging EU ministers to allow nations to join forces in pursuing their renewable energy targets.
Finally, you’ll all be relieved to know that scientists in New Zealand think they have cracked the problem of methane burping cows.
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Another gloomy week in energy
It has in all honesty been another rather gloomy week for energy. For starters the IEA have told that it will cost $45 trillion to halve world emissions, which is a lot of money in anyone’s book. More worryingly, despite our efforts it appears that energy consumption by UK businesses has been increasing and more widely EU industries within the EU emissions trading scheme have increased their emissions slightly. It would be unfair if I didn’t point out that businesses have been growing economically faster than their emissions, so to some extent growth is being decoupled from emissions.
High fuel prices continue to make motorists grumpy, and evidence emerges that fuel demand in Europe will drop for the first time in a decade this in 2008. Amidst the gloom, it appears that motorists should be having celebrating as the cost of motoring has actually reduced by 4% since 2005. The high cost of fossil fuels does appear to be having a positive effect on the price of carbon under the EU ETS which has shot up by 25% over the past three months.
There have been several proclamations of note over the past week. WWF have launched a report that examines the meaning of carbon ready. It appears that some tension has developed between environmental groups over carbon capture and storage. The UK Government has announced that up to 7,000 off-shore wind turbines could be deployed by 2020. Finally, GM has claimed that they will be launching their all-electric Chevrolet Volt in 2010.
Ending on a positive note, two stories have caught my eye this week. Firstly, the first green TV cable channel, Planet Green, has been launched by Discovery that will deliver eco-tainment to our living rooms. Secondly, Origo Industries claim to have invented a technology that not only captures and stores the CO2 from a vehicle but also uses the same CO2 to feed algae and produce a biofuel that you can use to fuel your car. It sounds too good to be true, but then again…
High fuel prices continue to make motorists grumpy, and evidence emerges that fuel demand in Europe will drop for the first time in a decade this in 2008. Amidst the gloom, it appears that motorists should be having celebrating as the cost of motoring has actually reduced by 4% since 2005. The high cost of fossil fuels does appear to be having a positive effect on the price of carbon under the EU ETS which has shot up by 25% over the past three months.
There have been several proclamations of note over the past week. WWF have launched a report that examines the meaning of carbon ready. It appears that some tension has developed between environmental groups over carbon capture and storage. The UK Government has announced that up to 7,000 off-shore wind turbines could be deployed by 2020. Finally, GM has claimed that they will be launching their all-electric Chevrolet Volt in 2010.
Ending on a positive note, two stories have caught my eye this week. Firstly, the first green TV cable channel, Planet Green, has been launched by Discovery that will deliver eco-tainment to our living rooms. Secondly, Origo Industries claim to have invented a technology that not only captures and stores the CO2 from a vehicle but also uses the same CO2 to feed algae and produce a biofuel that you can use to fuel your car. It sounds too good to be true, but then again…
Friday, 30 May 2008
A week of contradictions
It has been a week of contradictions. For example, there is great confusion over whether record oil prices are good or bad for the environment. On the one hand there appears to be evidence emerging that the era of cheap air fares may be over and that people are switching to more efficient cars and public transport. On the other hand it seems that high oil prices could be an ecological disaster as more carbon intensive resources, such as the Canadian tar sands, become economically viable.
To emphasise the contradictions, it worth having a look at what has been a very long week for the Labour Party. The increases in Fuel Duty and Vehicle Excise Duty announced in the budget have come under severe pressure, most notably through the HGV fuel protest in London. There is the possibility of a Government U-turn on both these measures. In addition the UK Government has been attempting to persuade OPEC to increase oil supply and challenging industry to squeeze more oil out of the North Sea. Naturally, it has been questioned how these potential policy decisions fit with the Government's commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
On the flip side there has been a call, led, perhaps unsurprisingly, by George Monbiot, for OPEC to ignore the call for increased supply. In other quarters it has been questioned whether the proposed 2 pence Fuel Duty increase goes far enough. In fact there have been several calls for the reinstatement of the Fuel Duty Escalator, brought in by Chancellor Norman Lamont in 1993, which committed the Treasury to increasing petrol duties by inflation plus 3 per cent every year.
It is no surprise that these contradictions are confusing consumers. For example, in a letter to the Guardian newspaper, one person, having bought an hybrid car on the basis of Fuel Duty and Vehicle Excise Duty messages, questioned whether they would be due compensation by the Government for this unnecessary purchase. They'll probably be even unhappier when they learn that hybrid may have higher lifetime costs than conventional vehicles.
To emphasise the contradictions, it worth having a look at what has been a very long week for the Labour Party. The increases in Fuel Duty and Vehicle Excise Duty announced in the budget have come under severe pressure, most notably through the HGV fuel protest in London. There is the possibility of a Government U-turn on both these measures. In addition the UK Government has been attempting to persuade OPEC to increase oil supply and challenging industry to squeeze more oil out of the North Sea. Naturally, it has been questioned how these potential policy decisions fit with the Government's commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
On the flip side there has been a call, led, perhaps unsurprisingly, by George Monbiot, for OPEC to ignore the call for increased supply. In other quarters it has been questioned whether the proposed 2 pence Fuel Duty increase goes far enough. In fact there have been several calls for the reinstatement of the Fuel Duty Escalator, brought in by Chancellor Norman Lamont in 1993, which committed the Treasury to increasing petrol duties by inflation plus 3 per cent every year.
It is no surprise that these contradictions are confusing consumers. For example, in a letter to the Guardian newspaper, one person, having bought an hybrid car on the basis of Fuel Duty and Vehicle Excise Duty messages, questioned whether they would be due compensation by the Government for this unnecessary purchase. They'll probably be even unhappier when they learn that hybrid may have higher lifetime costs than conventional vehicles.
Friday, 9 May 2008
Energy wonks and the acronym factory
by Jeff Hardy
Can you speak sustainable energy? Are you an energy wonk? Is a new global language being born? Can you speak in megawatts? Can you speak in negawatts?!? Confused? I am…
I’m not talking about the technical terms associated with these fabulous new energy widgets and gubbins; I’m talking about the language used in the popular press, the blogsphere and in social circles. I’m worried that I might have accidentally become an energy wonk! How did this happen? I’ve only just found out what a wonk is and now I might be one. Apparently policy used to be the predominant domain of wonks, but now wonkism (is that even a word?) has branched out into energy.
What is a wonk? Wikipedia tells us that a wonk is…
…an expert who studies a subject or issue thoroughly and excessively. This word is most often encountered in the term "policy wonk".
The origins of the word wonk appear to be a bone of contention between two camps. One believes that wonk is “know” spelt backwards (which of course is true). The other contest that it is an acronym derived from “WithOut Normal Knowledge”. Personally, I’m steering well clear of this debate…
Who is the daddy of the energy wonks? The earliest reference I can find (after an extensive minute of Googling) is Amory Lovins. For those of you who haven’t heard of Amory, he’s the chap who thinks it’s possible to wean the United States off oil (see Winning the Oil Endgame). I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Amory speak before and I have to say he makes a compelling argument. My personal favourite quote from Amory is "Energy efficiency isn't just a free lunch, it's a lunch you are paid to eat". You can read more about his research at the Rocky Mountain Institute website.
Wonk, if indeed it is an acronym, isn’t the only acronym that is commonly associated with energy. Those involved in sustainable energy planning are all too aware of NIMBY’s (Not In My Back Yard) but are becoming increasingly aware of the NOTEs (Not Over There Either), the BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) and the LULUs (Locally Unwanted Land Use). Perhaps we need some SENSE (Supportive Environment Needing Sustainable Energy) here (I’ve just made that up).
Are NIMBYs, NOTEs, BANANAs and LULUs cynical because of the Greenwash? Does anyone believe anything that they hear, or do we assume that all environmental claims are seen through green tinted spectacles? Who can we trust to tell us the truth about all this energy stuff? My money is on those who are conducting the energy research as when this community makes claims they get peer reviewed…and let’s face it, researchers like nothing better than to shoot down spurious claims.
Can you speak sustainable energy? Are you an energy wonk? Is a new global language being born? Can you speak in megawatts? Can you speak in negawatts?!? Confused? I am…
I’m not talking about the technical terms associated with these fabulous new energy widgets and gubbins; I’m talking about the language used in the popular press, the blogsphere and in social circles. I’m worried that I might have accidentally become an energy wonk! How did this happen? I’ve only just found out what a wonk is and now I might be one. Apparently policy used to be the predominant domain of wonks, but now wonkism (is that even a word?) has branched out into energy.
What is a wonk? Wikipedia tells us that a wonk is…
…an expert who studies a subject or issue thoroughly and excessively. This word is most often encountered in the term "policy wonk".
The origins of the word wonk appear to be a bone of contention between two camps. One believes that wonk is “know” spelt backwards (which of course is true). The other contest that it is an acronym derived from “WithOut Normal Knowledge”. Personally, I’m steering well clear of this debate…
Who is the daddy of the energy wonks? The earliest reference I can find (after an extensive minute of Googling) is Amory Lovins. For those of you who haven’t heard of Amory, he’s the chap who thinks it’s possible to wean the United States off oil (see Winning the Oil Endgame). I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Amory speak before and I have to say he makes a compelling argument. My personal favourite quote from Amory is "Energy efficiency isn't just a free lunch, it's a lunch you are paid to eat". You can read more about his research at the Rocky Mountain Institute website.
Wonk, if indeed it is an acronym, isn’t the only acronym that is commonly associated with energy. Those involved in sustainable energy planning are all too aware of NIMBY’s (Not In My Back Yard) but are becoming increasingly aware of the NOTEs (Not Over There Either), the BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) and the LULUs (Locally Unwanted Land Use). Perhaps we need some SENSE (Supportive Environment Needing Sustainable Energy) here (I’ve just made that up).
Are NIMBYs, NOTEs, BANANAs and LULUs cynical because of the Greenwash? Does anyone believe anything that they hear, or do we assume that all environmental claims are seen through green tinted spectacles? Who can we trust to tell us the truth about all this energy stuff? My money is on those who are conducting the energy research as when this community makes claims they get peer reviewed…and let’s face it, researchers like nothing better than to shoot down spurious claims.
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