High-flying kites could generate enough wind energy to power New York.
The energy starved world of today is looking for possible ways using which the maximum amount of renewable energy could be generated that could not just power a city block or a small town but the largest cities in the world and probably the entire world as well. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution and California State University have identified New York as one of the prime locations where high-flying kites can be used to convert high-altitude winds into energy.
Unlike winds close to the surface of earth, winds in the upper regions of the atmosphere preferably those which make the jet streams can be harnessed to produce tens of times of output than conventional wind turbines that are used on the surface. Ideally, the turbines, which would be high-altitude flying kites tethered to the surface, would have be placed at a height of around 30,000 feet.
Jet stream winds are generally 10 times faster than winds near the ground and most importantly they’re steady as well. More wind speed means more energy, which made scientists at these universities believe that they can power entire cities by flying these kites, a process which looks simple on paper but might get complicated if actually planned. These scientists predict up to 40MW of electricity can be generated by the current designs and transmitted to the ground via the tether, which is about four times the output of current designs used on the surface.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Mazda Painting its Cars Greener
The Mazda Motor Corporation continues to find ways to be a better global citizen with a car painting system that it says has the lowest environmental impact in the world. The new “Aqua-Tech Paint System” reduces the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by 57% and, happily, improves the paint job.“Aqua-Tech” maintains the same world-class low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as Mazda’s existing “Three Layer Wet Paint” system but further reduces VOC emissions to just 15 grams per square meter of body surface.While water-based paints are naturally lower in VOC emissions than solvent-based paint, drying them uses much more energy and, thus, increases CO2. Mazda have overcome this with a combination of improved paint technology and a more efficient evaporative drying system.Mazda has successfully launched the Aqua-tech Paint System for vehicle body painting at its Ujina Plant No.1 in Japan.
Europe's Solar Power Will Be Competitive From 2010
Photovoltaic solar electricity is poised to become a significant and competitive supplier to the European electricity market, concludes a comprehensive study conducted by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) with the strategic management consultancy A.T. Kearney.
The SET For 2020 study explores different deployment scenarios: Under business-as-usual conditions, photovoltaic power should supply between 4% and 6% of Europeans’ electricity needs by 2020. However, photovoltaic power could supply as much as 12% of EU electricity demand by 2020 - up from less than 1% at present - if more favourable conditions are established by European policy makers, regulators and the energy sector at large.
"Photovoltaic electricity generation will already be competitive in parts of southern Europe by next year," said Dr. Winfried Hoffmann, EPIA president. "The study shows that under the 12% scenario, photovoltaic electricity will be competitive with other power sources in as much as 75% of the EU electricity market by 2020, without any form of external price support or subsidy."
Providing a unique combination of facts, figures and analysis, the study shows that boosting the share of photovoltaic electricity will yield huge benefits to European society and its economy.
Europe now needs to recognise the important role photovoltaic power can play in meeting its energy sustainability goals," said Adel El Gammal, EPIA secretary general.
"The photovoltaic industry is committed to delivering energy technology that is sustainable and competitive on a large scale. We are calling on political and regulatory decision makers and on the energy sector to support photovoltaic deployment without delay."
The SET For 2020 study explores different deployment scenarios: Under business-as-usual conditions, photovoltaic power should supply between 4% and 6% of Europeans’ electricity needs by 2020. However, photovoltaic power could supply as much as 12% of EU electricity demand by 2020 - up from less than 1% at present - if more favourable conditions are established by European policy makers, regulators and the energy sector at large.
"Photovoltaic electricity generation will already be competitive in parts of southern Europe by next year," said Dr. Winfried Hoffmann, EPIA president. "The study shows that under the 12% scenario, photovoltaic electricity will be competitive with other power sources in as much as 75% of the EU electricity market by 2020, without any form of external price support or subsidy."
Providing a unique combination of facts, figures and analysis, the study shows that boosting the share of photovoltaic electricity will yield huge benefits to European society and its economy.
Europe now needs to recognise the important role photovoltaic power can play in meeting its energy sustainability goals," said Adel El Gammal, EPIA secretary general.
"The photovoltaic industry is committed to delivering energy technology that is sustainable and competitive on a large scale. We are calling on political and regulatory decision makers and on the energy sector to support photovoltaic deployment without delay."
Mine may dump waste in lake, justices rule
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a U.S. government permit to dump rock waste from a gold mine in Alaska into a nearby lake, even though all its fish would be killed.
By a 6-3 vote, the justices said a federal appeals court wrongly blocked the permit on environmental grounds.
Environmentalists fear that the ruling could set a precedent for how mining waste is disposed in American lakes, streams and rivers.If a mining company can turn Lower Slate Lake in Alaska into a lifeless waste dump, other polluters with solids in their wastewater can potentially do the same to any water body in America," said Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen said in a statement.
The Army Corps of Engineers in 2005 issued Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp. a permit to put 4.5 million tons of mine tailings into the lake over a decade. The proposed Kensington mine would be north of Juneau, the state capital.
Under the plan, tailings — waste left after metals are extracted from ore — would be dumped into Lower Slate Lake.
Environmentalists sued to halt the practice, saying dumping the mine tailings in the lake would kill fish. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco blocked the permit, saying the dumping is barred by stringent Environmental Protection Agency requirements under the Clean Water Act of 1972.
Inside Tongass National ForestThe Corps of Engineers, not the federal Environmental Protection Agency, has the authority to permit the slurry discharge, and the Corps acted in accordance with the law in issuing the discharge permit to Coeur, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the Supreme Court majority.
The deposits would have raised the height of 23-acre Lower Slate Lake by 50 feet, so the company proposed building a 90-foot-high dam at the site in the scenic Tongass National Forest.
Idaho-based Coeur, one of the world's largest silver producers, argued that depositing tailings in the lake was the most practical and environmentally sound option. It has said it hopes the mine will produce 100,000 ounces of gold a year.
Both Coeur and the state of Alaska appealed to the Supreme Court. The federal government supported their appeals.
Environmentalists argued that modern mines have never been allowed to dump tailings into lakes, and the appeals court ruling confirmed a rule of law in place for more than 30 years.
Writing for the six-member court majority, Kennedy said deference must be given to the reasonable decision by the Corps of Engineers.
Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented.
Activists now hope that President Barack Obama or Congress will repeal a Bush-era rule that they say allowed weakened the Clean Water Act and allowed the Corps to issue the permit.
By a 6-3 vote, the justices said a federal appeals court wrongly blocked the permit on environmental grounds.
Environmentalists fear that the ruling could set a precedent for how mining waste is disposed in American lakes, streams and rivers.If a mining company can turn Lower Slate Lake in Alaska into a lifeless waste dump, other polluters with solids in their wastewater can potentially do the same to any water body in America," said Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen said in a statement.
The Army Corps of Engineers in 2005 issued Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp. a permit to put 4.5 million tons of mine tailings into the lake over a decade. The proposed Kensington mine would be north of Juneau, the state capital.
Under the plan, tailings — waste left after metals are extracted from ore — would be dumped into Lower Slate Lake.
Environmentalists sued to halt the practice, saying dumping the mine tailings in the lake would kill fish. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco blocked the permit, saying the dumping is barred by stringent Environmental Protection Agency requirements under the Clean Water Act of 1972.
Inside Tongass National ForestThe Corps of Engineers, not the federal Environmental Protection Agency, has the authority to permit the slurry discharge, and the Corps acted in accordance with the law in issuing the discharge permit to Coeur, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the Supreme Court majority.
The deposits would have raised the height of 23-acre Lower Slate Lake by 50 feet, so the company proposed building a 90-foot-high dam at the site in the scenic Tongass National Forest.
Idaho-based Coeur, one of the world's largest silver producers, argued that depositing tailings in the lake was the most practical and environmentally sound option. It has said it hopes the mine will produce 100,000 ounces of gold a year.
Both Coeur and the state of Alaska appealed to the Supreme Court. The federal government supported their appeals.
Environmentalists argued that modern mines have never been allowed to dump tailings into lakes, and the appeals court ruling confirmed a rule of law in place for more than 30 years.
Writing for the six-member court majority, Kennedy said deference must be given to the reasonable decision by the Corps of Engineers.
Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented.
Activists now hope that President Barack Obama or Congress will repeal a Bush-era rule that they say allowed weakened the Clean Water Act and allowed the Corps to issue the permit.
Monday, June 22, 2009
US EPA Issues Clean Energy Action Guide for States
The US EPA issued a report that outlines a strategy to deliver clean, low-cost, and reliable energy to state residents through the use of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean distributed generation. The intent is to provide states with the information they need to determine what energy options would be the most beneficial, practical, and cost-effective.
The potential energy savings achievable through state actions is significant. EPA estimates that if each state were to implement cost-effective clean energy-environment policies, the expected growth in demand for electricity could be cut in half by 2025, and more demand could be met through cleaner energy supply.
This would mean annual savings of more than 900 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) and $70 billion in energy costs by 2025, while preventing the need for more than 300 power plants
and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to emissions from 80 million of today’s vehicles.
Opportunities for State Action State governments are increasingly developing policies and programs that address their energy challenges and spur greater investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean distributed resources. For example, states are: ”? Leading by example by establishing programs that achieve substantial energy cost savings within their own state facilities, fleets, and operations and encouraging the broader adoption of clean energy by the public and private sectors. State governments across the country are collaborating with state agencies, local governments, and schools to identify and capture energy savings within their facilities and operations, purchase or generate renewable energy, and use clean DG/CHP in their facilities.”? Establishing ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs (e.g., public benefits funds) to help over come a variety of first-cost, informational, split-incentive, and other market barriers that limit greater reliance on energy efficiency. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have adopted public benefits funds (PBFs) for energy efficiency, and 16 states have developed PBFs for clean energy supply.”? Adopting state minimum appliance efficiency standards for products not covered by the federal government that yield net cost savings to businesses and consumers. Ten states have adopted appliance standards covering 36 types of appliances (Delaski 2005, Nadel et al. 2005).
”? Establishing renewable portfolio standards (RPS) that direct electric utilities and other retail electric providers to supply a specified minimum percent age (or absolute amount) of customer load with eligible sources of renewable electricity. Twenty-one states and Washington, D.C. have adopted RPS requirements, which are expected to generate more than 26,000 MW of new renewable energy capacity by 2015 (Navigant 2005).
”? Reviewing utility incentives and planning processes and designing policies that accurately value energy efficiency, renewables, and distributed resources in a way that "levels the playing field" so public utility commissions and consumers can make fair, economically based comparisons between clean energy and other resources. More than 12 states have developed approaches that remove disincentives for utilities to invest in demand-side resources
The potential energy savings achievable through state actions is significant. EPA estimates that if each state were to implement cost-effective clean energy-environment policies, the expected growth in demand for electricity could be cut in half by 2025, and more demand could be met through cleaner energy supply.
This would mean annual savings of more than 900 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) and $70 billion in energy costs by 2025, while preventing the need for more than 300 power plants
and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to emissions from 80 million of today’s vehicles.
Opportunities for State Action State governments are increasingly developing policies and programs that address their energy challenges and spur greater investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean distributed resources. For example, states are: ”? Leading by example by establishing programs that achieve substantial energy cost savings within their own state facilities, fleets, and operations and encouraging the broader adoption of clean energy by the public and private sectors. State governments across the country are collaborating with state agencies, local governments, and schools to identify and capture energy savings within their facilities and operations, purchase or generate renewable energy, and use clean DG/CHP in their facilities.”? Establishing ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs (e.g., public benefits funds) to help over come a variety of first-cost, informational, split-incentive, and other market barriers that limit greater reliance on energy efficiency. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have adopted public benefits funds (PBFs) for energy efficiency, and 16 states have developed PBFs for clean energy supply.”? Adopting state minimum appliance efficiency standards for products not covered by the federal government that yield net cost savings to businesses and consumers. Ten states have adopted appliance standards covering 36 types of appliances (Delaski 2005, Nadel et al. 2005).
”? Establishing renewable portfolio standards (RPS) that direct electric utilities and other retail electric providers to supply a specified minimum percent age (or absolute amount) of customer load with eligible sources of renewable electricity. Twenty-one states and Washington, D.C. have adopted RPS requirements, which are expected to generate more than 26,000 MW of new renewable energy capacity by 2015 (Navigant 2005).
”? Reviewing utility incentives and planning processes and designing policies that accurately value energy efficiency, renewables, and distributed resources in a way that "levels the playing field" so public utility commissions and consumers can make fair, economically based comparisons between clean energy and other resources. More than 12 states have developed approaches that remove disincentives for utilities to invest in demand-side resources
Desert icon Joshua trees are vanishing, scientists say
A breeze stirs the silence at Joshua Tree National Park as a red-tailed hawk takes flight from the spiky arm of one of the namesake plants in search of breakfast.
It's a scene that national parks protector Mike Cipra has witnessed many times. Still, he can't contain his enthusiasm on this early morning outing, despite the gloomy topic he's discussing with a visitor -- the probable extinction of the Joshua tree in the park that bears its name.
The ancient plants are dying in the park, the southern-most boundary of their limited growing region, scientists say. Already finicky reproducers, Joshua trees are the victim of global warming and its symptoms -- including fire and drought -- plus pollution and the proliferation of non-native plants. Experts expect the Joshuas to vanish entirely from the southern half of the state within a century.
A breeze stirs the silence at Joshua Tree National Park as a red-tailed hawk takes flight from the spiky arm of one of the namesake plants in search of breakfast.
It's a scene that national parks protector Mike Cipra has witnessed many times. Still, he can't contain his enthusiasm on this early morning outing, despite the gloomy topic he's discussing with a visitor -- the probable extinction of the Joshua tree in the park that bears its name.
The loss would be devastating, said Cipra, who is California desert program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit group that evaluates conditions at national parks and lobbies for their preservation.
"Joshua trees aren't just iconic pictures on a postcard. They're essential to a functioning ecosystem," he said. "We're going to be losing a lot of what makes this place special
It's a scene that national parks protector Mike Cipra has witnessed many times. Still, he can't contain his enthusiasm on this early morning outing, despite the gloomy topic he's discussing with a visitor -- the probable extinction of the Joshua tree in the park that bears its name.
The ancient plants are dying in the park, the southern-most boundary of their limited growing region, scientists say. Already finicky reproducers, Joshua trees are the victim of global warming and its symptoms -- including fire and drought -- plus pollution and the proliferation of non-native plants. Experts expect the Joshuas to vanish entirely from the southern half of the state within a century.
A breeze stirs the silence at Joshua Tree National Park as a red-tailed hawk takes flight from the spiky arm of one of the namesake plants in search of breakfast.
It's a scene that national parks protector Mike Cipra has witnessed many times. Still, he can't contain his enthusiasm on this early morning outing, despite the gloomy topic he's discussing with a visitor -- the probable extinction of the Joshua tree in the park that bears its name.
The loss would be devastating, said Cipra, who is California desert program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit group that evaluates conditions at national parks and lobbies for their preservation.
"Joshua trees aren't just iconic pictures on a postcard. They're essential to a functioning ecosystem," he said. "We're going to be losing a lot of what makes this place special
Missing the river for the dam
Two million people have been displaced by the flooding of the river Kosi in Bihar following the breach of the river’s eastern embankment in Nepal on August 18, 2008. The breach, just 12 km upstream of the India-Nepal border, started out measuring 400 m, but is now almost 1.7 km long. Around 800 villages in Madhepura, Supaul and other districts have been affected.
Each major flood in Bihar causes a flurry of aerial surveys, relief packages and evacuations. Each major flood also results in a reiteration of the old demand for a high dam in the upper reaches of Nepal, a demand that Kathmandu rejects, arguing that neither a high dam nor its exaggerated benefits will favour Nepal.
The truth is that Delhi has got its flood action plan consistently wrong over the years, and so has Patna. Shockingly, it is the flood control measures themselves that have over the years turned north Bihar into a watery grave for millions. Over 2 million people are permanently trapped between the flood control embankments which have been built along the Kosi river since the early-1950s (see a story providing the background on this at http://infochangeindia.org/200501156863/Disasters/Related-Features/Abandoned-victims-of-the-Kosi-embankments.html). An estimated 8 million people are faced with acute water-logging outside of the embankments. Strait-jacketing the silt-laden Kosi has actually caused flood-prone areas in the state to increase threefold since independence, from a low of 25,00,000 hectares to a high of 68,00,000 hectares today. No less than 73% of the entire land mass of Bihar remains flood-prone.
The present deluge upstream of the Bhimnagar barrage on the Kosi has only underlined the follies of the embankments.
In March 2008, an independent fact-finding mission set out to investigate the perpetual flooding cycle of north Bihar. I was part of that team. The dilapidated state of the Bhimnagar barrage could not convince us that it could carry its designed discharge of 950,000 cusecs. The east and west bank canals emanating from the barrage are choked by silt, their combined irrigation capacities reduced by two-thirds on account of the defunct silt ejectors.
Sharing preliminary findings with the press, the fact-finding mission had warned: “..not only are floods in Bihar manmade but the worse has yet to come should the political economy of flood control continue to promote ‘embankments’ as the only solution to the scourge of floods.
Over 3,465 km of embankments have been built in Bihar since 1952. More are in the offing; a Rs 792 crore package to tame the Bagmati has been approved and another proposal to embank the tributaries of the Mahananda at an estimated cost of Rs 850 crore has been planned. The business of embankment-building reflects the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus at its best.
The efficacy of these embankments has always been suspect. Engineer Captain F C Hirst, in 1908, had commented, “in recent times, on the left bank of the Kosi, in the Purnea district, private enterprise has copied the work of the makers of the Bir Band, giving temporary relief which, as will be seen later, is probably a menace to future welfare”. This century-old observation has proved prophetic.
Embankments may work on rivers that are stable and that carry a moderate silt load. The Kosi, in contrast, is a meandering river with maximum available energy-producing currents. Having drifted 160 km in the past 250 years, the natural tendency of the meandering Kosi disproves the traditional 'steady-state' equilibrium approach of the engineers. Once embanked, the river’s incredible silt load only adds to its defiant nature.
The embankments have proven counterproductive in the case of the Kosi, arresting the natural dispersion of sediment on the floodplains. This increases deposition, raising the level of the riverbed and later causing the breaking of the embankments, with resultant floods and water-logging. Thanks to the embankments, the Kosi riverbed has risen by 12-15 feet on account of silt deposition that otherwise would have been spread over the floodplains.
It is erroneous to assume that north Bihar is geographically positioned to remain flooded. Conversely, it’s the state’s arrogance and misplaced faith in engineering that has stopped these rivers from performing their natural task of land-building. Without the nurturing role of these rivers, Bihar would never have become the centre of knowledge.
Can a high dam over the Kosi reverse Bihar’s misfortune? Like the embankments, the chances of a Rs 35,000 crore project (estimated cost of 269 mt high dam) going wrong are high. While silt deposition by the river is one major issue impacting any dam’s lifespan, its proposed location in Nepal’s Brahashetra will capture only 78% of the river’s catchment, leaving a significant 22% of the flows dangerously unattended.
What then is the option? Having failed to tame the rivers Rhine and Meuse, Dutch hydrologists have come to the conclusion that absolute safety from flooding cannot be guaranteed by technical-infrastructural measures. Adopting spatial flood protection measures, they are now implementing a ‘room for the river’ approach, with broad political support. It is measures like these that need to be negotiated with Kathmandu, but not before the political lobbies of Patna (and Delhi) get rid of their misconceptions.
Each major flood in Bihar causes a flurry of aerial surveys, relief packages and evacuations. Each major flood also results in a reiteration of the old demand for a high dam in the upper reaches of Nepal, a demand that Kathmandu rejects, arguing that neither a high dam nor its exaggerated benefits will favour Nepal.
The truth is that Delhi has got its flood action plan consistently wrong over the years, and so has Patna. Shockingly, it is the flood control measures themselves that have over the years turned north Bihar into a watery grave for millions. Over 2 million people are permanently trapped between the flood control embankments which have been built along the Kosi river since the early-1950s (see a story providing the background on this at http://infochangeindia.org/200501156863/Disasters/Related-Features/Abandoned-victims-of-the-Kosi-embankments.html). An estimated 8 million people are faced with acute water-logging outside of the embankments. Strait-jacketing the silt-laden Kosi has actually caused flood-prone areas in the state to increase threefold since independence, from a low of 25,00,000 hectares to a high of 68,00,000 hectares today. No less than 73% of the entire land mass of Bihar remains flood-prone.
The present deluge upstream of the Bhimnagar barrage on the Kosi has only underlined the follies of the embankments.
In March 2008, an independent fact-finding mission set out to investigate the perpetual flooding cycle of north Bihar. I was part of that team. The dilapidated state of the Bhimnagar barrage could not convince us that it could carry its designed discharge of 950,000 cusecs. The east and west bank canals emanating from the barrage are choked by silt, their combined irrigation capacities reduced by two-thirds on account of the defunct silt ejectors.
Sharing preliminary findings with the press, the fact-finding mission had warned: “..not only are floods in Bihar manmade but the worse has yet to come should the political economy of flood control continue to promote ‘embankments’ as the only solution to the scourge of floods.
Over 3,465 km of embankments have been built in Bihar since 1952. More are in the offing; a Rs 792 crore package to tame the Bagmati has been approved and another proposal to embank the tributaries of the Mahananda at an estimated cost of Rs 850 crore has been planned. The business of embankment-building reflects the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus at its best.
The efficacy of these embankments has always been suspect. Engineer Captain F C Hirst, in 1908, had commented, “in recent times, on the left bank of the Kosi, in the Purnea district, private enterprise has copied the work of the makers of the Bir Band, giving temporary relief which, as will be seen later, is probably a menace to future welfare”. This century-old observation has proved prophetic.
Embankments may work on rivers that are stable and that carry a moderate silt load. The Kosi, in contrast, is a meandering river with maximum available energy-producing currents. Having drifted 160 km in the past 250 years, the natural tendency of the meandering Kosi disproves the traditional 'steady-state' equilibrium approach of the engineers. Once embanked, the river’s incredible silt load only adds to its defiant nature.
The embankments have proven counterproductive in the case of the Kosi, arresting the natural dispersion of sediment on the floodplains. This increases deposition, raising the level of the riverbed and later causing the breaking of the embankments, with resultant floods and water-logging. Thanks to the embankments, the Kosi riverbed has risen by 12-15 feet on account of silt deposition that otherwise would have been spread over the floodplains.
It is erroneous to assume that north Bihar is geographically positioned to remain flooded. Conversely, it’s the state’s arrogance and misplaced faith in engineering that has stopped these rivers from performing their natural task of land-building. Without the nurturing role of these rivers, Bihar would never have become the centre of knowledge.
Can a high dam over the Kosi reverse Bihar’s misfortune? Like the embankments, the chances of a Rs 35,000 crore project (estimated cost of 269 mt high dam) going wrong are high. While silt deposition by the river is one major issue impacting any dam’s lifespan, its proposed location in Nepal’s Brahashetra will capture only 78% of the river’s catchment, leaving a significant 22% of the flows dangerously unattended.
What then is the option? Having failed to tame the rivers Rhine and Meuse, Dutch hydrologists have come to the conclusion that absolute safety from flooding cannot be guaranteed by technical-infrastructural measures. Adopting spatial flood protection measures, they are now implementing a ‘room for the river’ approach, with broad political support. It is measures like these that need to be negotiated with Kathmandu, but not before the political lobbies of Patna (and Delhi) get rid of their misconceptions.
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