December 2008 Archives Week 2
December 18, 2008 |
Ocean-Bound Plastics Come Back to Bite Us
The U.S. National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leading an international effort to halt plastics in the world’s oceans. According to NOAA, the effort "is undertaking a national and international effort focusing on identifying, reducing, and preventing debris in the marine environment."
The millions of pounds of plastic used across the globe are disintegrating into smaller pieces and particles now termed microplastics and floating in the oceans. “During a 1998 survey, 89% of the trash observed floating in the North Pacific Ocean was plastic” (BlueOceanSociety).
As the plastics are exposed to salt water and other environmental conditions, toxins are released into the water. As if that environmental degradation wasn’t enough, marine life are ingesting the microplastics. Now, several scientists involved with the effort and Environmental Science and Technology have released various studies detailing their experiments with aquarium-based marine life. The groups are using plastics found on beaches that release chemicals common to microplastics and impact marine food chains.
This affects humans in multiple ways. Of course, any fish consumed may contain toxins or plastic particles exposing humans to an accumulation of chemicals. This brings a whole new dimension to food poisoning. On a separate note, an opportunity is completely wasted by not collecting the millions of pounds of plastics and recycling that plastic for additional uses. And, for future endeavors, it will be interesting understanding if and how microplastics will affect desalination operations.
For NOAA, this effort is one of the greatest challenges facing the organization where thousands of dollars will be spent to accomplish their mission, to protect and preserve oceans that lap against American shores. Starting on an international level, multiplying clean-up efforts, is definitely a way to make significant headway protecting and preserving oceans.
Getting Smart About California Delta Water Usage
Earlier this week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued their formal biological opinion that limits drinking water supplies for Californians in an effort to spare endangered and listed species from extinction.The ruling finally begins to halt habitat destruction by reducing pumping overall and apply a complex operational system that details when pumping can occur and under what conditions. The opinion also requires a portfolio of water supplies in order to reach California’s water needs.
For some, the opinion that reduces pumping by 17 percent during typical years, and potentially 33 percent during drought years, is long overdue. Water suppliers will have to call upon above ground and underground reservoirs, increase their use of reclaimed water limiting where fresh water supplies are used (let’s not send millions of gallons of fresh, drinking water to a golf course or acres of crops please), continue and possibly increase conservation to every extent possible, and consider desalination, and other water retention measures.
“This is a heralding in a new era of water management. Change is difficult. But it is necessary” said Doug Obegi of the Natural Resources Defense Council. While change may be difficult, it should have been expected. Any Delta water user has known for decades that the amount of water available for both habitat and people depends on the snow pack, which depends on the winter season’s precipitation. What has not always been expected is that environmentalists would gain ground protecting endangered species. Water users still expect Delta water to irrigate their Central Valley’s crops.
How inefficient! It is incredibly surprising that a state, which touts itself as a forward thinking leader in environmentalism, failed to set aside a contingency plan for this day.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the San Francisco Bay water system (Delta) is a network of rivers and tributaries receiving water from the melting Sierra Mountain snow pack. The system provides water supplies to hundreds of communities in the Sacramento, Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area regions nourishing incredibly large populations and the state’s agriculture industry. As a result of years of pumping, fish entrainment, drought and impending climate change, the Delta’s fish are facing colossal habitat loss and species face extinction.
Last December, after a lawsuit brought by environmentalists against the Bush Administration for violating the Endangered Species Act, the court ordered that pumping be curtailed during spawning seasons. The order, the Wanger decision, gave strict instructions on how to operate the Delta during the sensitive time of year. Following that, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began working on a biological opinion that establishes new guidelines for pumping water from the Delta.
Longer Laptop Battery Lifecycle Reduces Waste
As laptops have grown in popularity in both corporate and consumer markets, so too have complaints about their batteries. While continuous refinement in production and material technologies have reduced the weight and increased the charge life of batteries, the ubiquitous power source still suffers from a gradual—and in some cases, not so gradual—loss of power over time.
This shortcoming, in addition to its obvious inconvenience, floods landfills and collection centers with partially-used batteries, as demanding business travelers replace them with fresh models for maximal life. But now, Westborough, MA firm Boston-Power is rolling out a new line of rechargeable laptop batteries that go a full 1000 charge cycles without noticeable degradation—several times what current batteries offer.
Already slated for use in HP laptops, Boston-Power's longer term plans include some hybrid car applications, and further improvement of its production methods to eliminate heavy metals from the manufacturing process and ease recycling—a good idea, given the ease of recycling currently offered by other battery technologies.
Chrysler Announces Temporary Production Halt
Citing the limited credit currently available to American car buyers, Chrysler has been the first of the big three automakers to announce a complete, month-long cessation of production. After the last shift this Friday night, Chrysler will discontinue production operations until at least January 19th, 2009. Having failed to attain taxpayer funds for a line of credit, the Big Three automakers have all announced production cuts; GM will limit production in the early part of next year, while Ford will extend the holiday vacation by a week. The cutbacks represent a sort of survival mode for the three firms, as they hold out hope that better economic conditions or an infusion of cash from the financial bailout approved earlier this year.
It may also be worth noting that Chrysler, the first of the big three to announce a shutdown, has also had the worst fuel economy across its fleet on the American market in recent years. In fact, during the fuel price spike earlier this year, the company even subsidized fuel costs to entice new drivers. While gasoline may be historically cheap now, this still ought to serve as a powerful warning to automakers attempting to design their way out of the current crisis.
Photo by Flickr user Willvision Photography
Outdoor Installation Shows the Power of Solar Art
The art of being green is being taken to a new level by artist Lynn Goodpasture.A just-opened San Jose, CA city library has completed the installation of her all-in-one art exhibit complete with photovoltaic cells. The Pearl Avenue Branch Library, Peters Glass Studios, and Goodpasture have merged glass and solar cells into a permanent exhibit that reflects not only the sun, but the green and artistic spirit of the San Jose community.
“Art and technology intersect in a creative and inspiring way, recognizing our community’s diversity, celebrating the history of innovation, and highlighting the great strides we are making with the San José Green Vision” said Chuck Reed, Mayor, in a press release.
The exhibit, Solar Illumination I: Evolution of Language, provides enough captured solar energy to power an LED lamp inside the library. In an intriguing display on each of the four windows/photovoltaic cell platforms, artistic inscriptions in multiple languages traverse the window showing evolutionary patterns of language.
Outdoor art at museums could help to power the computers at ticket booths, or even the batteries for the audio walking tour equipment. Taking it a step further, think of the applications energy-generating art can have for buildings, lawns, or even (gasp) advertising.
The Lure of the Biodegradable Fishing Line
A Portland, Oregon doctor has taken the idea of dissolving sutures and applied it to create a biodegradable fishing line.The BioLine is just like traditional fishing line in durability and casting distance complete with a biodegradable spool. But, the BioLine adds environmentally safe features that can reduce the environmental impact on fish.The BioLine is easily untangled by wildlife, does not harm coral reefs or animals when ingested, according to the company.
The BioLine polymer biodegrades after a mere five years when left in the wilderness, as opposed to traditional, nylon lines, which take 500 years to decompose. What’s left after five years is carbon dioxide and water.
With biodegradable line and spool, fresh bate that is naturally biodegradable (sorry worms) boats that run on solar power or biofuel, the only fishing gear that's left to green is the hook. Wonder if that can be made from recycled aluminum? When the green movement has reached decreasing the environmental impacts of pastimes and hobbies, it is then that being green has moved from a trend to a lifestyle.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Higher Education Appropriate to Test Carbon Strategies
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One of the most interesting things about the recent economic downturn is how it has left almost no sector of the economy unscathed. Other than perhaps collection and reposession agencies, everyone from lofty wall street financiers to average American homeowners have found themselves bogged down in the current recession. Even the lofty towers of academia, once described as "hedge funds with non-profit status", are feeling the pinch. But because of their unique structure, and motivated, climate-aware populations, colleges and universities are in a unique position to test new climate- and money-saving approaches, and provide leadership to both the private and public sector in adjusting to new environmental and economic realities.
Even in the face of a financial crisis which many have blamed on the excesses of deregulation, the ability of free enterprise to rapidly adjust to the changing market situation is still the best bet to lead us out of this down economy.
However, because corporations are still ultimately accountable to their shareholders, many executives may initially shy away from bold action such as investing in initially unprofitable clean energy projects, or self-imposing company carbon caps. In addressing sustainability, job security will likely motivate many CEOs to stick to conservative strategies and minimize short-term loses.
But with large universities drawing tremendous income from alumni donations, federal and private grants, innovative, if unprofitable moves often pay massive returns in news exposure and presteige, leading to increased long-term financial stability.
Though the prize purses at the DARPA Urban Challenge or the North American Solar Challenge don't come anywhere near recouping the investments large institutions like Carnegie Mellon and MIT have made in their entries, the high-profile performances attract funding, alumni support, and high-quality students, while providing money-making patents for the institution, and technological advancement for the private sector.
The current overlap of financial and environmental woes provides an additional opportunity for institutions of higher learning to test and refine innovations in reducing greenhouse gases. With an administrative structure that is allowed essentially arbitrary rule over the campus community, measures such as climate action plans can be tested for wide-scale efficiency, while the efficacy of more specific carbon-cutters like short showers and turned-down thermostats can be measured on a smaller scale.
With university-backed studies revealing hard, real-world data differing approaches to carbon- and cost-cutting, corporations and municipalities will be able to more confidently stump for improved sustainability to their shareholders and electorate. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education is leading the way by pushing universities to incorporate sustainability.
Because of the sweeping and sometimes controversial nature of things like carbon caps and driving restrictions, solid data can make the transition to sustainability and easier and more efficient pill to swallow.
PowerGenix Batteries Emphasize Recycling
A new rechargeable AA battery that incorporates recycled materials and foregoes heavy metals goes on sale this week. PowerGenix' Nickel-Zinc batteries provide 30 percent higher voltage than traditional AA batteries, which benefits digital cameras by making them more responsive, according to the company. Retailer Ritz Camera has begun selling the batteries and chargers under the Quantaray Super Z brand.
PowerGenix' Nickel-Zinc batteries provide 30 percent higher voltage than traditional AA batteries, which benefits digital cameras by making them more responsive for rapid fire photography, according to the company. Retailer Ritz Camera has begun selling the batteries and chargers under the Quantaray Super Z brand.
PowerGenix batteries are applicable in several industries such as power tools and hybrid vehicles. The batteries are made without using lead, mercury and other heavy metals that can contribute to water and soil pollution if they are thrown away. The batteries are primarily made from recycled materials as well, reducing their carbon footprint and providing a market for materials that might otherwise have ended up in a landfill.
The company is also developing cells for use in hybrid and electric vehicles based on its Nickel-Zinc technology.
If not, regardless of the rechargeable features and recycled contents, if the vehicle battery lifetime is only a few years, it could end up being disposed of unless secondary uses, such as home power backup or to store intermittent wind or solar energy are developed.
What Will Steven Chu Do as Energy Secretary?
Steven Chu was introduced this week as the new Secretary of Energy, and web writers warmly received his appointment. Having a hard-core scientist (he a Nobel Prize winner and director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) that knows how to get to the root of the technical challenges bodes well for addressing climate change and energy security, according to Wired News. The Environment News Service similarly reports that Chu's appointment indicates a new era of embracing science to solve our problems:
Chu is considered an outspoken advocate for scientific solutions to the twin problems of global warming and the need for carbon neutral renewable sources of energy. He has called these problems "the greatest challenge facing science."
Coal mines and their power-producing customers should be nervous about Chu's selection, according to Gas 2.0. It could be that federal dollars for developing "clean coal" technologies dry up under Chu.
However, those who do not consider nuclear energy as clean may at some point take issue with Chu. He clearly prefers nuclear power to coal, as outlined by the political blog Counterpunch.
The Rocky Mountain Institute's Chairman and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins wrote a list of action items for Chu:
* “Get the nuclear weapons and nuclear cleanup missions out of DOE into other civilian agencies, so we finally have an open, unclassified DOE focused exclusively on its civilian energy mission.”
* “Separate Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: they must be closely coordinated but merit separate Assistant Secretaries and budgets.”
* “Combine the divisions that promote fission and fusion. They won't be getting much money anyway if we choose the best buys first and focus on technologies headed for deployment in competitive markets.”
* “Remember that DOE has two statutory duties: technology research (nearly all its activities) and public-policy development (mostly neglected)”
* “Public policy should emphasize barrier-busting -- turning into a business opportunity, or otherwise correcting, each of the 60-80 well-known market failures to buying energy efficiency (and distributed and renewable supplies). Otherwise little will happen even if we get energy prices right.”
* “Name and shame energy subsidies. Desubsidizing the whole energy sector, so we pay for our energy at the meter or pump, not through our taxes, would be immensely helpful to our prosperity, security, and environment.”
* “As the core principles of energy policy, seek to allow and require all ways to save or produce energy to compete fairly, at honest prices, regardless of which kind they are, what technology they use, how big they are, where they are, or who owns them. Who wouldn't be in favor of that?”
* “Be bold. This is our last and best chance to get energy right. We know how; we just need to go do it.”
With all of the talk of energy efficiency, the Department of Energy itself needs to look at the efficiency of its research operation. The DOE has brilliant minds at work on projects such as developing cost-effective cellulosic ethanol, but the projects are scattered across the DOE's many national research labs, including Los Alamos, Sandia, PNNL, Oak Ridge, NREL, and the EERE.
Chu and new energy czarina Carol Browner could accelerate the commercialization of clean energy technologies by organizing all of this research data into a publicly accessible wiki. Entrepreneurs could learn what projects are already underway so that they aren't duplicating work, and researchers could learn more quickly form each other if the information were organized and searchable. This would also enable the DOE to better use taxpayer by eliminating redundant research between the many labs.
Update: According to Reuters, BP America Chairman and President Robert Malone is also happy with Chu's selection as energy secretary.
"I thought it was an interesting pick and a good pick," Malone told reporters at a BP press briefing. "He's signaling the importance of science to what we do and I view that as a positive."
Environmental Reversals May Prove To Be White Elephants
Traditionally, the post-election, pre-inauguration period is one of political favors and gifts, where lame duck politicians reward their supporters and constituents for their support, all but free from political accountability. Given the friendliness the outgoing Bush administration has historically shown to environmentally destructive industries, it should come as no surprise that the past month has seen several decisions frowned upon in the environmental community. But with the political pendulum swinging toward lasting sustainability in this country, these gifts may prove anything but welcome over the next few years. After four years of pressuring government scientists and handing down seemingly arbitrary decisions through EPA Administrator Steven Johnson, the administration fired a few environmental parting shots earlier this month. First, the administration bowdlerized stricter USDA regulations on the use of the term "organic", allowing industrialized CAFOs to continue to produce milk under the organic label. Then the USDA further relaxed controls on biotech farming, despite the contamination of the food supply with unapproved, genetically engineered crops just the week before.
Finally, through a re-interperetation of the Endangered Species Act, the administration limited the depth of scientific environmental impacts study that must be carried out to begin new development projects. While proponents of the new regulatory approach called it closing a "backdoor for climate policy change", critics of the move decry its obvious benefits for oil companies as yet another last-second push by the Administration to pass unpopular measures without political repercussion.
However, while these lame duck approvals will be harder to reverse now that they are official government policy, the ebb and flow of political will in America prevents them from being written in anything resembling stone. In fact, many of the measure have already been targeted for repeal by incoming Obama staff. Indeed, with a nearly filibuster-proof majority across the legislative branch, it seems very likely the Democratic Party, traditionally more friendly to the environment than its Republican counterpart, will have very little trouble enforcing legislation increasing the nations stability.
This means that if firms do attempt to take advantage of the outgoing administration's 11th hour changes, any new infrastructure developments they make may be subject almost immediately to stiffer regulation. With carbon emissions taxes looming on the horizon, new projects may end up costing industry far more than they would have had existing regulations been maintained. So at best, these parting shots are a nod to the industries that supported Bush throughout his political career, and at worst, a risky window that may end up hurting the environment, and the nation's economic recovery.
Hot Heat: Researchers Say Cogeneration's a Winner
While we wait for renewable energy sources to scale up, we're going to need a stop-gap solution to put the brakes on global warming. A shiny new report (pdf) by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory makes a pretty good case for combined heat and power (CHP) to fill that role.
CHP, also called cogeneration, greatly increases the efficiency of power plants by harvesting the heat that would normally be wasted and putting it to work. The average electric plant has a pitiful efficiency of 34%. And cogeneration? Up to 80%. Almost 3/4 of CHPs run on natural gas, but the technology works with other fuels such as biomass and digester gas.
In the study, the authors say that using CHP to generate 20% of U.S. electricity capacity by 2030 would reduce annual CO2 emissions by 848 million metric tons (MMT), the equivalent of taking half the US vehicle fleet off the road.
So why isn't this technology being used everywhere? These Oak Ridge boys see a number of barriers to widespread adoption, among them inefficient regulation, grid connection issues, and technical issues. To overcome these, the authors suggest revamped tax incentives, more renewable porfolio standards, and support for the right to sell electricity to distributors.
Today, cogeneration is a proven technology, popular in Europe and Japan as well as contributing about 9% of U.S. generating capacity. Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to grow by 961 MMT by 2020. CHP could reduce that amount by 60%.
While still not an ultra-clean solution, cogeneration may be one of the cheapest ways for America to reduce CO2 emissions in the near future. We'd be wise to put it to use.
Photo by Flickr user Siebuhr
Differences on Energy Can Unite Us
A few days ago I attended a Young Professionals in Energy event in San Francisco, sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric. A panel of leaders within the renewable energy field were on hand to answer questions from the audience.David Hochschild, VP of External Relations at Solaria moderated a session featuring Dr. Jeffery Greenblatt, Climate and Energy Technology Manager at Google.org, Sheldon Kimber, VP of Finance at Recurrent Energy, and Hal LaFlash, Director of Emerging Clean Technology Policy at PG&E.
Each panelist was given a ten minute slot to address the topic of achieving grid parity with renewable energy. What followed was a lively discussion based on questions posed by the moderator and members of the audience. Topics ranged from energy policy to power purchase agreements to feed-in tariffs. While the panelists didn't always agree with one another, their contrasting opinions were likely valuable for members of the audience.
One such clashing of opinions was in regard to the feasibility of feed-in tariffs for California. Would a plan of attack like Germany's generous feed-in tariff's be appropriate? Kimber argued that although he fully supports the advancement of renewable energy, feed-in tariffs may not be the best option. He said that subsidizing renewable energy development for utility companies can remove competitive forces, which are necessary not to only drive down cost, but also to promote more efficient technology. While the other two panelists may not have agreed, having an open discussion can produce a better solution. A closer examination of "green" incentives should yield a better plan of action, as not all well-meaning ideas are the most effective.
Young Professionals in Energy is a global non-profit energy industry networking organization that seeks to "foster an environment where members can learn from each other's experiences," and this was no exception. By assembling professionals with contrasting opinions and backgrounds within the same industry, attendees come away with a deeper understanding of challenges to achieving grid parity. Whether the struggle is on a community or international level, it is far more helpful if proponents for renewable energy can successfully work together.
All too often it seems that individuals in favor of greener practices cannot come to terms on just how to accomplish their goals. Climate change isn't waiting for anyone's approval, so our inability to act cooperatively in a timely fashion only hurts us. I believe that a willingness to share opinions and educate one another is our best bet for combating the consequences of our own mistakes. In the true spirit of an upcoming Obama administration, partnership of public and private entities will be hauled to the forefront of strategy, and with any luck, we'll get somewhere this time.
The event was organized by Young Professionals in Energy's Bay Area chapter.
A Green Scorecard for Stimulating the Economy
President-elect Barack Obama has spent two years talking about how badly this country needs change, particularly on green issues. Now he has a chance to deliver it. But so far, when it comes to his economic stimulus package, the rush to get quick results seems to be pushing the environment to the background and sending the process down a familiar path, as lobbyists and contractors jostle for handouts in another round of what one commentator recently dubbed “K Street Capitalism.”
Despite all the talk about breaking our oil addiction and addressing global warming, most of the projects currently being touted as “shovel-ready” are not green at all. In transportation, for instance, state and federal transportation agencies are mainly trotting out their usual highway wish lists. “Part of what we’re hearing from lobbyists and staff on Capitol Hill is that the dollars should be sent out according to the existing formula,” says Deron Lovaas, director of federal transportation policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. That means relying on a Reagan Administration deal from 1982 under which 80 percent of transportation funds go to highways and only 20 percent to public transit. (NRDC thinks 50-50 would be more like “change we can believe in.”)
So what’s an environmentally enlightened way to spend federal dollars, even when speed and economic recovery are critical? How do we get away from our present bridge-to-nowhere system of handing out money based on political clout?
We need a clear break from business as usual, and the economic stimulus package is a perfect opportunity to test the idea of a green scorecard for smart spending. It would consist of a checklist of objectives, many of them, necessarily economic: Does this proposal create American jobs? Does it foster industries where the United States can take a decisive lead? Does it have a short payback period? Does it offer a good return on investment?
But green criteria would carry equal weight: Does it decrease our carbon footprint? Does it encourage energy independence? Does it improve air quality? Does it address water quality and supply issues? Does it encourage smart growth rather than sprawl? Does it protect wildlife and other natural resources?
A proposed project would win or lose points on each metric, and move forward only if it achieved a specific overall point total.
Reducing a funding decision to numbers might sound simplistic. But simplicity can be a good thing. Say you’re trying to ease the traffic bottleneck caused by tractor-trailers on a major transportation route. The choice: Either expand the highway to eight lanes, or boost capacity on the adjacent intermodal rail line. The rail project is almost certain to rack up more points for being quicker to start, cheaper to build, and delivering freight five times farther than trucks on the same gallon of fuel, releasing one third the greenhouse gas emissions.
Even a relatively simple point system can leave room for nuance. The entire power transmission grid is overdue for an upgrade, but the point system would probably direct early funding to underdeveloped wind power transmission routes. Biofuel in the form of corn ethanol would gain points on energy independence, for instance, but lose them on carbon emissions. A housing project might get +1 point for creating short-lived construction jobs, while an alternative energy plan might score +3 for long-term jobs in manufacturing.
A scorecard would force everyone to think a little differently. A defense project that’s outside the traditional environmental bailiwick might work harder to slow runoff, if only for the extra points on water quality and supply. A developer seeking government support would want to focus projects downtown or along existing transit routes, to score climate points by reducing drive-time.
Likewise environmentalists might find themselves paying closer attention to mainstream economic concerns. For instance, climate change activists frequently urge consumers to buy compact fluorescent lights and energy efficient electronic devices (+3 for reducing carbon emissions). But those products are generally manufactured overseas (-3 for U.S. job creation), according to Jackie Roberts, director of sustainable technology for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
Using economic stimulus money to provide cash rebates for weatherization projects, Roberts says, would deliver quick results (and collect points) on both economic and environmental scores, because insulation, thermal windows, and other weatherization products are manufactured in the United States.
Last week, a coalition of 17 U.S. environmental groups put forward a “green stimulus” proposal for 80 projects to reduce pollution, save energy, protect public health and safety, and restore the environment. The coalition said the proposed projects – which include road and bridge repairs but no new roads — would create up to four million jobs and cost $160 billion.
EDF and Duke University also recently compiled a list of global warming fixes that are ready to roll out as part of the first round in any economic stimulus proposal. For instance, North Carolina has developed a new technology for turning livestock wastes into potting soil, producing a 97 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. This technology would also score points for addressing water and air-quality issues and creating U.S. manufacturing jobs.
The scorecard idea is hardly new. Oregon uses a system of “progress indicators” for measuring performance by state agencies. Former presidential candidate Tom Vilsack also employed such a system as a budgeting device when he was governor of Iowa, and he promoted the idea at the federal level during the presidential primaries.
In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Vilsack said a spending scorecard would be “a terrific opportunity for the Obama Administration to send a different message to the people: ’This is huge, it’s complicated, but we’re going to be transparent. We’re going to tell you what we’re spending, why we’re spending it, and what benefit will accrue to the American people.’”
Given the influence of lobbyists and the electoral cycle at the federal level, it might ordinarily be naïve to propose any kind of scorecard, much less a green one. Members of Congress will resist having their pet projects held to the numbers — the Capitol Hill equivalent of No Child Left Behind. It’s also easier and politically more rewarding in the short term to put a program into place today than to argue about what numbers it’s going to hit.
But the debate over the auto industry bailout has made people painfully aware that it’s not enough to have a budget. We need a plan, and it needs to be a plan where fixing things in the short-term doesn’t just make them worse a few years out.
President-elect Obama currently has the political clout to deliver scorecard criteria for the economic stimulus package without prolonged debate. If he gets it right, the green scorecard could eventually become a standard for all federal spending, reducing the influence of lobbyists and forcing legislators to focus instead on results. But for now what matters is that such a scorecard would give Obama the budget test he needs to deliver on both economic recovery and on his promise of “a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change.”
All he needs is the political will.
Richard Conniff is a 2007 Guggenheim Fellow and a National Magazine Award-winning writer, whose articles have appeared in Time, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic.
Image courtesy of Flickr's brewbooks
Geothermal Helps Light Up the Dark Continent
A just-completed geothermal project in Kenya could be a sign of things to come in Africa. The plan added 35 megawatts to an existing facility to total 48 MW of steamy, low-carb power.
Called Olkaria III, the site is expected to bring not only a badly needed source of reliable electricity, but to reduce imported oil by 120,000 tons and reduce CO2 emissions by 200,000 tons per year.
Ormat Technologies is the brains behind the operation - and the money as well, since they dropped $150 million into the well. Whenever I check in on the latest in rock power, Ormat comes up pretty often. I've written two posts in which this company surfaced, one about American enhanced geothermal and another concerning g-therm's hot investment market. Even in the current lousy economy, Ormat posted a 25% increase in revenue in this year's 3rd quarter. This is definitely a renewables firm to keep your eye on.
We'll be hearing alot more about African geothermal, especially in the highly active Rift Valley region. In fact, a new project called the African Rift Geothermal Development Facility (ARGeo) has identified 4,000 megawatts of natural geothermal capacity there.
Sweet photo by Flickr user Danflo.