In yet another oil spill last week, the oil major Shell has admitted that more than 200 tonnes of oil has spilled into the North Sea, making it the worst single leak in the region for more than a decade. Gannet Alpha spill comes under the "gold standard" regulatory regime of the UK. Most of the rigs have exceeded their original design life (typically 20 to 25 years).
Shell's oil spill in the UK North Sea comes barely a week after the UN issued a strong condemnation of the company's environmental impact in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta. In a string of allegations, the UN environment programme accused Shell of failing to meet its own environmental standards.
This is not specific to a company, but what one needs to bear in mind is the danger fraught by such spills to the ecosystem.
In the US, public support is building up against the proposed 1700 mile long Keystone XL pipeline to transport Alberta tar sands from Canada all the way down to Mexico! What a rupture could do to farmlands and wildscapes on way can be imagined, besides the pollution! Just this June, 42,000 gallons of conventional crude oil was dumped into the Yellowstone from a much smaller pipeline.
And yet, nations are going ahead with big plans in the eco-sensitive Arctic region. Who is to decide what's good or bad? Which country can take the onus of potential damage?
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Opportunities galore
Cities are where all the action is! Whether it be jobs or amenities or 'development' cities take the big piece of the cake. Naturally, city-seekers are on the rise.
In a rapidly urbanizing there will be 8 bn people living in cities by mid-century. There are 171 cities in China that currently have more than 1 million inhabitants, and that number is expected to rise to 219 by 2025. Where will all the energy needed for this number come from??
How can cities be sutainable? Do terrace gardens and lush lawns make for 'green cities'? Not unless there is more than meets the eye.
At TED's annual meet, it was Alex Steffen who touched upon how cities can become sustainable, and not 'steal from the future, to sell in the present and call it GDP!"
Evey city, he said, is an opportunity to look at ways in which to reduce emissions and live sustainably. It could be in dense communitues that share spaces and ensure surplus capacities of gadgets and services. It could be as simple as Passivhaus effects achieved by using the wind to cool or the sun shine to heat a room!
Energy use can drop as much as 90 pc!
There already are examples of this new thinking set in action. Since 1998, Bogotá, Colombia has built more than 300 kilometers of protected bikeways. While in Belgium,a public-private consortium consisting of Belgian rail management company Infrabel and solar developer Enfinity has installed 16,000 solar panels on the roof of a 3.4 km (2.1 miles) long tunnel between Antwerp and the Dutch border, creating enough electricity to power 4,000 trains a year. Electricity becomes 30 percent cheaper for the user!
Often, as we have been saying, simple solutions abound. We just need to pop them out of our heads. It shouldn't need more global warming to pop them out!
In a rapidly urbanizing there will be 8 bn people living in cities by mid-century. There are 171 cities in China that currently have more than 1 million inhabitants, and that number is expected to rise to 219 by 2025. Where will all the energy needed for this number come from??
How can cities be sutainable? Do terrace gardens and lush lawns make for 'green cities'? Not unless there is more than meets the eye.
At TED's annual meet, it was Alex Steffen who touched upon how cities can become sustainable, and not 'steal from the future, to sell in the present and call it GDP!"
Evey city, he said, is an opportunity to look at ways in which to reduce emissions and live sustainably. It could be in dense communitues that share spaces and ensure surplus capacities of gadgets and services. It could be as simple as Passivhaus effects achieved by using the wind to cool or the sun shine to heat a room!
Energy use can drop as much as 90 pc!
There already are examples of this new thinking set in action. Since 1998, Bogotá, Colombia has built more than 300 kilometers of protected bikeways. While in Belgium,a public-private consortium consisting of Belgian rail management company Infrabel and solar developer Enfinity has installed 16,000 solar panels on the roof of a 3.4 km (2.1 miles) long tunnel between Antwerp and the Dutch border, creating enough electricity to power 4,000 trains a year. Electricity becomes 30 percent cheaper for the user!
Often, as we have been saying, simple solutions abound. We just need to pop them out of our heads. It shouldn't need more global warming to pop them out!
CRC reports in
More than 90% of UK businesses taking part in the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) energy efficiency scheme have submitted their first carbon reports to the Environment Agency.
The CRC scheme requires large energy users in the business and public sector to monitor, record and report on their carbon emissions.
According to the Agency, a total of 4295 reports out of an expected 4549 report were received by the deadline.
The Agency’s figures indicate that 95% of the expected number of footprint reports have been received and 94% of the annual reports.
The carbon emissions reported in the CRC total over 60 million tonnes – equivalent to more than 10% of the UK’s annual CO2 emissions.
The data will now be used by Environment Agency in the next stage of the scheme – determining a league table of participants ranked by their energy efficiency. The Agency says the ranking will be published this autumn.
The scheme has proved controversial since its inception and the current Government has promised to simplify the scheme.
The CRC scheme requires large energy users in the business and public sector to monitor, record and report on their carbon emissions.
According to the Agency, a total of 4295 reports out of an expected 4549 report were received by the deadline.
The Agency’s figures indicate that 95% of the expected number of footprint reports have been received and 94% of the annual reports.
The carbon emissions reported in the CRC total over 60 million tonnes – equivalent to more than 10% of the UK’s annual CO2 emissions.
The data will now be used by Environment Agency in the next stage of the scheme – determining a league table of participants ranked by their energy efficiency. The Agency says the ranking will be published this autumn.
The scheme has proved controversial since its inception and the current Government has promised to simplify the scheme.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Bad wipes out good
A holistic vision is simply a must in today's world. Else, you can end up fooling yourself and others.
A new report from Canada's environment ministry shows that emissions from expanding tar sands production and use will double by 2020 and will overwhelm emission cuts in energy production elsewhere.
This will entirely undermine Canada's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions 17% by 2020, as pledged under the Copenhagen Accord. Between 2005-2020, electricity generators will see their emissions fall by 31 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, largely as a result of coal-fired plants giving way to natural gas-fired power.
But that figure is far eclipsed by the oil sands, which will see carbon output rise by 62 megatonnes, tripling its 2005 levels. Of that, 25 megatonnes will come from new so-called "in situ" extraction methods that inject steam into underground wells to extract oil sands crude.
A further 11 megatonnes will come from expansion of oil sands mining. The rest is expected from additional upgrading, a process used to transform the thick, heavy oil sands bitumen into a lighter crude that can then be refined into end products like diesel and gasoline.
As the world goes on a frenzy shopping for new sources of energy, we can expect more such damage. But can we do away with it?
A new report from Canada's environment ministry shows that emissions from expanding tar sands production and use will double by 2020 and will overwhelm emission cuts in energy production elsewhere.
This will entirely undermine Canada's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions 17% by 2020, as pledged under the Copenhagen Accord. Between 2005-2020, electricity generators will see their emissions fall by 31 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, largely as a result of coal-fired plants giving way to natural gas-fired power.
But that figure is far eclipsed by the oil sands, which will see carbon output rise by 62 megatonnes, tripling its 2005 levels. Of that, 25 megatonnes will come from new so-called "in situ" extraction methods that inject steam into underground wells to extract oil sands crude.
A further 11 megatonnes will come from expansion of oil sands mining. The rest is expected from additional upgrading, a process used to transform the thick, heavy oil sands bitumen into a lighter crude that can then be refined into end products like diesel and gasoline.
As the world goes on a frenzy shopping for new sources of energy, we can expect more such damage. But can we do away with it?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Thinking smart
Storing power is complicated and expensive, but there is no way around large batteries for grid-independent electricity consumers. It would make more sense to use the electricity when it is generated. This becomes possible with the help of a smart energy management system.
Concentrator photovoltaic system (CPV) modules require far less space than traditional PV modules and supply the energy, while Fresnel lenses concentrate the rays of the sun onto pinhead-sized multi-junction solar cells. With the aid of a tracking motor, the CPV cells, which are attached to a pillar, follow the sun precisely to achieve an optimized yield of solar light. They can thus supply the energy for submersible pumps and for a small desalination unit that satisfies farmers' potable water requirements. The CPV cells also supply the energy for PV-module trackers, the monitoring and control system and an air-conditioning unit that cools the utility room of the facility.
This was what the developers in a model project in Egypt did. According to the need of the hour the smart systems changed the usage, doing away with storage batteries except one small unit to store some energy for early morning alignment of mirrors.
Smart thinking!
Concentrator photovoltaic system (CPV) modules require far less space than traditional PV modules and supply the energy, while Fresnel lenses concentrate the rays of the sun onto pinhead-sized multi-junction solar cells. With the aid of a tracking motor, the CPV cells, which are attached to a pillar, follow the sun precisely to achieve an optimized yield of solar light. They can thus supply the energy for submersible pumps and for a small desalination unit that satisfies farmers' potable water requirements. The CPV cells also supply the energy for PV-module trackers, the monitoring and control system and an air-conditioning unit that cools the utility room of the facility.
This was what the developers in a model project in Egypt did. According to the need of the hour the smart systems changed the usage, doing away with storage batteries except one small unit to store some energy for early morning alignment of mirrors.
Smart thinking!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Fissures in granite
Check out this post. Especially those of you who have granite visions!
The author looks at how a relatively unknown item like granite has become so fashionable and ubiquitous. Part of the globalisation of commodities.
Granite is found all over the world, and it is cheaper to dig it out in India and Brazil. The environmental standards are not quite as high either; in the Bangalore district, one study shows that 16% of the workers have dust and water related diseases like tuberculosis, and the air surrounding quarries is hazy with dust.
But the local real estate is flourishing, and labour cheap. So it finds its way to corners of the world!
Granite, he notes, is full of fissures and microscopic cracks that must be filled, and the counters must be maintained and sealed. Studies have shown that the crevices and fissures can become breeding areas for bacteria. A Brazilian/ portuguese study compared two plastic surfaces commonly used in cutting boards (polyethylene and polypropylene) to granite and found that "the two plastic materials were generally less prome to colonization [from salmonella] than was the granite."
Have your visions of a granite home crumbled? It makes sense to use locally available resources which are easy to mine and use, right?
The author looks at how a relatively unknown item like granite has become so fashionable and ubiquitous. Part of the globalisation of commodities.
Granite is found all over the world, and it is cheaper to dig it out in India and Brazil. The environmental standards are not quite as high either; in the Bangalore district, one study shows that 16% of the workers have dust and water related diseases like tuberculosis, and the air surrounding quarries is hazy with dust.
But the local real estate is flourishing, and labour cheap. So it finds its way to corners of the world!
Granite, he notes, is full of fissures and microscopic cracks that must be filled, and the counters must be maintained and sealed. Studies have shown that the crevices and fissures can become breeding areas for bacteria. A Brazilian/ portuguese study compared two plastic surfaces commonly used in cutting boards (polyethylene and polypropylene) to granite and found that "the two plastic materials were generally less prome to colonization [from salmonella] than was the granite."
Have your visions of a granite home crumbled? It makes sense to use locally available resources which are easy to mine and use, right?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Staking claims to the Arctic
Big big oil and gas stakes are increasingly being disputed in the Arctic Ocean area. The US has given the green signal to Shell on drilling in the Arctic. Already, Russia's Gazprom is involved with France's Total and Norway's Statoil in developing the Shtokman field, on Russia's northern coast.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic may hold about one fifth of the world's remaining oil and gas reserves.
Until recently, areas along that coast were considered barely accessible, but with the summer ice thinning radically, ships are now able to traverse the fabled Northeast Passage, linking the North Atlantic to the northern Pacific. As one recent report noted, “A Norwegian cargo ship has already traversed the Northeast Passage faster than expected and without encountering any major challenges."
Norway and Russia are maneuvering for position in the Barents Sea, where Statoil recently made its biggest find in decades, advancing their claims at the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Denmark is engaged in the same kind of struggle with Russia over seabed north of Greenland.
Canada is purchasing eight new armed ice-breaking patrol ships, has been conducting Arctic military exercises, and is constructing a base on Ellesmere Island.
Who does the Arctic belong to? Who does its resources belong to? More important, can we afford to drill in this eco-sensitive region with its ice cover fast shrinking?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic may hold about one fifth of the world's remaining oil and gas reserves.
Until recently, areas along that coast were considered barely accessible, but with the summer ice thinning radically, ships are now able to traverse the fabled Northeast Passage, linking the North Atlantic to the northern Pacific. As one recent report noted, “A Norwegian cargo ship has already traversed the Northeast Passage faster than expected and without encountering any major challenges."
Norway and Russia are maneuvering for position in the Barents Sea, where Statoil recently made its biggest find in decades, advancing their claims at the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Denmark is engaged in the same kind of struggle with Russia over seabed north of Greenland.
Canada is purchasing eight new armed ice-breaking patrol ships, has been conducting Arctic military exercises, and is constructing a base on Ellesmere Island.
Who does the Arctic belong to? Who does its resources belong to? More important, can we afford to drill in this eco-sensitive region with its ice cover fast shrinking?
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