Article Archive | Page 45

• The Difficult Chemical Processes Involved in Waste-to-Energy

  Waste-to-Energy is a multifaceted concept; it means different things to different people, it is underestimated in complexity and questionable in terms of profitability and carbon neutrality.  Waste can be solid or liquid; gaseous waste products are referred to as emissions. Energy can be a stream of electrons injected into the grid as electricity or combustible fuel commodities such as ethanol or synthetic fuels. The emissions and the restriction thereof, from converting solid waste into energy have a significant impact on the way energy is generated. This discussion will be restricted to “organic” solid wastes. The conversion of organic solid waste…

• Hydrokinetic Power Could Grow to be a Big Player if it Passes its First Test

  Hydrokinetic power shows great promise for growth as it can be theoretically installed in both industrial waterways such as wastewater treatment and food processing plants, and natural water ways without disrupting natural flow. Hydrokinetic turbines are designed to be anchored in place in the waterway, and don’t require construction of a large dam to generate false water pressure, which reduces the huge costs in capital and carbon emissions. A company called Verdant Power has just been the first ever to win a commercial license for a hydrokinetic power facility in the US. Its Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) project will…

• Energy Innovation: Tackling Climate Change from a Different Direction

  Obama's focus on energy innovation and the regulation of conventional pollutants, rather than climate science and carbon pricing, is part of a growing climate centrism that could hold bipartisan support on addressing issues related to climate change. In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama tacitly acknowledged how politically toxic climate change had become by not mentioning it once. His move angered many environmentalists who insisted there could be no significant action without a full-throated defense of the climate science against sceptics. But one year later, President Obama's shift can be understood as part of a new climate…

• In 2011, Global Spending on Renewable Energy Rose 40 Percent

  A global revolution is slowly transforming the world’s energy market, with traditional transnational fossil fuel conglomerates facing future changes that will transform their previously cozy environment, whether they like it or not. Renewable energy, starved from the outset of funding, a foundling left at the door of the world’s rising energy needs, has reached adolescence and has begun to attract investment from beyond the traditional hydrocarbon-based market dominant companies. Sez who? PricewaterhouseCoopers., a titan of Wall Street. PwC noted in its annual analysis of merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions in the sector shows that deal values worldwide in 2011 totalled…

• Turf War with Ukraine Means Gazprom May Send More Gas Though Belarus

  Russian gas monopoly Gazprom announced it could increase the amount of natural gas it would send to its European consumers through the transit system in Belarus this year. Ukraine currently hosts the bulk of Russia's natural gas bound for Europe, though Kiev is locked in a tug-of-war between Brussels and the Kremlin. Gazprom's move, therefore, says less about the monopolistic tendencies of the Russian natural gas company than it does about the status of Moscow's relationship with neighboring Ukraine and the broader European Union.   Gazprom said it could increase the amount of gas it sends to Europe through Belarus by…

• We are not Thinking Big Enough with our Solutions to Climate Change

  Climate change presents us with a pressing challenge. A global consensus accepts that human activity is responsible for climate change and its associated dangers. However, there is disagreement on how best to address this challenge. The essay argues that leading proposals are unsatisfactory, such as the ecological footprint and polluter pays principle. The reasons include that they do not effectively manage climate change and may contribute to further problems. We require a new approach to address climate change. Even if you don’t accept the consensus on AGW, I suspect that few of you would say with confidence that there is…

• Is a Reduction in Population Numbers the only Sustainable Solution?

  In a recent post, I talked about why we may be reaching Limits to Growth of the type foretold in the 1972 book Limits to Growth. I would like to explain some additional reasons now. Figure 1. Base scenario from 1972 Limits to Growth, printed using today's graphics by Charles Hall and John Day in "Revisiting Limits to Growth After Peak Oil" http://www.esf.edu/efb/hall/2009-05Hall0327.pdf In my earlier post, I talked about how rising oil prices are associated with rising food prices, and how these high prices can make it harder for borrowers to repay their loans, as is now happening in…

• Where Does the Future Lie, Natural Gas Vehicles or Electric Vehicles?

  Natural gas burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, and is much cheaper. It could certainly help reduce carbon emissions in the short term. In fact many people are lobbying for natural gas powered vehicles as the future of clean (well, cleaner) transport that reduces dependence on foreign oil. President Obama recently gave a speech in Las Vegas, where he pitched some new energy policies such as; giving tax breaks to firms who buy natural gas-powered trucks. Very admirable! Yes natural gas-powered vehicles will obviously reduce consumption of crude oil, and due to the cleaner nature of the fuel it will…

• Is Deepwater Horizon the New Ecuador?

  Nearly two years after the worst accidental offshore oil spill in the history of the energy industry, some of the biggest companies in the world are busy pointing their legal fingers at one another in court over who has to pay what in claims, damages and fines over the deadly Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A federal judge this week ruled that BP is still obligated to a clause in its contract with Transocean that would protect the rig owner from damages related to the spill. That means BP still has to shell out money to settle claims filed by those…

• On Again, off Again Trans-Afghan Natural Gas Pipeline Revives

  The ongoing saga of the proposed $7.6 billion, 1,040 mile-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline has more twists and turns than Vishnu has arms. On 25 January TAPI was one of the main topics of discussions between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Afghan President Hamed Karzai, who arrived in Turkmenistan on a working visit. The two leaders met at the Caspian seaside town of Turkmenbasy. Altyn Asyr (Golden Age) TV reported that the pair reaffirmed the interest of both Turkmenistan and Afghanistan in increasing the tempo of implementing the project, highlighting the importance of the work of the TAPI Technical Working…