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resulting from Global Warming.
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change the climate
The choices are coming down to Carbon Rationing and Population Control if we are to stop what is becoming runaway global warming. People assume that producing clean energy will help save us from the Climate Change effects of Global Warming. The opposite is happening. I just finished reading about a company in England who is
suggesting that people switch to getting their energy from their windmills because they can. Apparently in the UK customers can opt to choose the source of their electricity. Well not exactly.
What is really happening is that the electricity bill directs the payment to the wind supplier rather than to the coal and oil energy producers. Good stuff right? Well yes but.....
The amount of electricity produced by the oil and coal producers continues to rise because the overall demand for energy is soaring. Because of increasing populations and the rise of industry and materialism in the world, this demand will continue to soar unless drastic action is taken by the nations of the world. Global warming is actually being increased by the amount it takes to build and maintain alternative clean energy and the uncontrolled increase in the amount of dirty fossil fuel energy production.
Source: REpower Systems AG
Certainly if all energy came from a clean energy source such as wind or solar we could sustain a much higher energy demand than present. However, the situation is hopeless as long as dirty energy source production is not kept in check. Reducing the amount of dirty energy allowed by the amount of clean energy produced would help. Carbon rationing, public pressure, political will and clean energy developments will be required to make that possible.
Carbon credits that are being proposed only encourage alternate energy but do little to reign in fossil fuel pollution.
Population control is a sensitive issue. We can teach women to press their knees together which has proven not to work or we can face the alternatives such as birth control. Right wing extremists need to rethink their position of throwing everyone out of the life boat in favour of promoting population explosions. Being oblivious to the benefits of birth control is living in denial and ignorance. The planet cannot accommodate unending population increase.
If we do nothing, there is the also the approach of exterminating large populations of the world which seems to be the default strategy.
Most do not want to rattle the oil and coal cartels, but there is no choice. If the human race is to survive we have to find ways to stop using the same old energy sources or clean them up. The people of planet earth are in a race against time so we need to get it right this time around.
Here is an article by Leonora Oppenheim. The amazing thing here is not so much the amazing use of technology used to grow crops, but the amazing fact that what is totally clean energy is used to generate a carbon based fuel that will simply add to global warming. The propensity of business to twist something elegant into something stupidly destructive is the real amazement.
Can you imagine being able to produce enough water in the Sahara to grow crops there? Can you imagine harnessing sufficient quantities of solar power to supply electricity to cities in Africa and cities in Europe? Can you imagine producing a sustainable bio-fuel that doesn’t impact on world food supplies? Charlie Paton, Michael Pawlyn and Bill Watts can and what’s more they can imagine all these happening in the same place at the same time.
New Fuel Cell System 'Generates Electricity with Only Water, Air'
Jun 13, 2008 19:30
Kouji Kariatsumari, Nikkei Electronics
Genepax Co Ltd explained the technologies used in its new fuel cell system "Water Energy System (WES)," which uses water as a fuel and does not emit CO2.
The system can generate power just by supplying water and air to the fuel and air electrodes, respectively, the company said at the press conference, which took place June 12, 2008, at the Osaka Assembly Hall.
The basic power generation mechanism of the new system is similar to that of a normal fuel cell, which uses hydrogen as a fuel. According to Genepax, the main feature of the new system is that it uses the company's membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which contains a material capable of breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a chemical reaction.
Washington, D.C., United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
As utilities work to meet electricity demand, especially during peak summer days, examining the relationship between demand and solar photovoltaic (PV) output can be of significant value to the utility industry. Over the years, energy researchers have developed different statistical methods for calculating this relationship. However, there is no consensus across the utility or solar industries on a statistical method for calculating the capacity value of PV or its practical use in electricity markets and utility planning.
The report catalogues the different methods in existence and provides case studies to examine their relationship to one another at three locations across the United States: Nevada, New York and Oregon. The more statistically advanced methods at a 5% PV penetration show a capacity value between 60-80% in Nevada, 40-60% in New York and 10-25% in Oregon.
“As the PV industry continues to grow rapidly in the United States, integrating renewable technologies into the utility grid management and economic valuation process is an important step in recognizing the value-added benefits that PV can contribute,” said Mike Taylor, SEPA’s director of research.
About 50 coal-fired power plants, like the one in Bergheim, Germany, are slated to begin operating in Europe in the next five years. - By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
While, at first glance depopulation programs may seem like a good idea to promote the reduction of mouths-to-feed worldwide, what they ignore are the root causes of overpopulation. High birth rates are the direct result of poor living standards of he areas, and in countries where malnutrition has been reduced and the incidence of child-death lowered, birth rates have also lessened.
The Third World (in particular) is being forcefully relieved of natural resources and exploited for cheap labor, and is in fact no doubt seen by elite landowners and major corporations as only maintaining maximum profitability as long as it is kept in abject poverty.
Thus it is the greed of sleazy corporations stealing cheap resources from third world countries so they can selling products to the well off who are really responsible for population explosions.
With "Global Warming" breathing down our necks it is time for governments to put an end to the rape of third world countries by wealthy nations. What is needed is a buy local grown and manufactured goods and services.
We should help third world countries do the same by loaning them expertise and interest free capital to invest in their own countries. We should toss anyone who continues to involve themselves in third world exploitation out of our country.
BERKELEY, CA — In a survey of the northern Basin and Range province of the western United States, geochemists Mack Kennedy of the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Matthijs van Soest of Arizona State University have discovered a new tool for identifying potential geothermal energy resources.
Found on the internet. "Energy and the Hydrogen Economy". This is a very interesting document outlining the nature and costs of producing hydrogen using various techniques
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Susan Giordano, General Manager
Second Wind Inc.
366 Summer Street
Somerville, MA 02144
Ph. 617 776-8520 / Fax 617 776-0391
susan@secondwind.com
Waiting for Data? Overnighting a Cell Phone? Problem Solved, Says SWI
SkyServe Satellite Wind Data Service Offers Reliable
Low Cost Satellite Transmission of Real-Time Data
May 15, 2007– Somerville, MA – A new service from Second Wind Inc. provides site developers, wind farm operators, forecasters and meteorologists with a new way of obtaining data from remote locations that is superior to current cell-modem and satellite transmission options.
SkyPower Wind Energy Fund LP Receives Environmental and CPTAQ Approval for CRCE Phase of the Terrawinds Project Rivière-du-Loup, QC and Toronto, ON July 5, 2007/CNW/
SkyPower Wind Energy Fund LP (the “Partnership”) announced today that it has received its environmental decree from the Quebec government for the CRCE Phase of the project for the initial 22 wind turbines of its 171MW planned wind park in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec (the “Facility”). The Partnership has also received its final approval from the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (“CPTAQ”) for the CRCE Phase.
Cleaner air is blowing in the wind - by Faculty of Engineering McMaster University
June 22, 2007
Research and development undertaken in the Department of Mechanical Engineering has played a significant role in the official launch of a next-generation wind turbine by Cleanfield Energy.
Faculty and students from the department joined company officials, local politicians, educators and government representatives on Thursday to celebrate the naming of Cleanfield V3.5, a three-metre tall, vertical-axis wind turbine designed to provide electrical power for use by individual hom
"McMaster's testing of our VAWT is crucial to our overall product development process and corporate objective of becoming a global leader in the residential and commercial wind turbine industry," said Tony Verrelli, president & CEO of Cleanfield Energy Corp. The testing and evaluation conducted by McMaster led to improvements that resulted in the commercialized 3.5kW unit..
NaiKun Project Moves Forward with Environmental Assessment Process
Vancouver, British Columbia – NaiKun Wind Group Inc., (“NaiKun”) announced today it has obtained a Section 11 order from the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO), a significant step forward in the development of the proposed offshore wind project. The order defines the terms and procedures for conducting the required environmental assessment process.
Company News:
Xantrex signs CDN$4.5 million wind converter contribution agreement with Sustainable Development Technology Canada
(Download PDF version)
VANCOUVER, B.C. July 5, 2007 — Xantrex Technology Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement for a contribution of up to CDN$4.5 million with Sustainable Development Technology Canada (STDC), a not-for-profit foundation created by the Government of Canada to fund and foster Canadian clean and sustainable technologies.
Montréal (Québec), July 9, 2007 - Boralex Inc. (« Boralex ») announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire nine wind farms with an installed capacity of 10 MW each, located in the Windsor region in Ontario (the « Projects »).
The wind will soon be powering homes and businesses in Alberta. Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, announced $16.5 million in funding to support a clean-energy wind-power project near Pincher Creek, Alberta. The project will generate enough renewable, emissions-free energy each year to power more than 27,000 average-size homes.
ACC - Jim Wight - From the opening speeches by Gordon Campbell and John Baird to the closing ceremonies it was clear that the only solution under consideration is the hydrogen fuel cell solution.
There were many ideas, companies and technology presentations all very interesting. The general approach is to collaborate between governments, industry and the consumers in order to fast track development as fast as possible.
PEJNews - Blowback is the rage that happens when you trick someone and then they discover they have been tricked. PM Harper has led everyone down the garden path. First he bails out his struggling minority in the polls by stealing the agenda of the progressive political parties as his own. Now Harper has done a complete turn around. We have been taken for a ride again. Not only is his new plan another hot air plan, the Tories are backing out on Kyoto and taking the stance again that it will cost too much.
Image by Craig Mayhew and Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC, based on DMSP data.
This image of Earth’s city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Originally designed to view clouds by moonlight, the OLS is also used to map the locations of permanent lights on the Earth’s surface. How Many Lights? How much Greenhouse Gas Results?
Salvage logging in the Baker Creek watershed west of Quesnel, where 80 per cent of the trees were removed.
By JEREMY DEUTSCH
Observer Reporter Mar 21 2007
The mountain pine beetle epidemic has created a new headache for the region.
A University of British Columbia study released by Forest Practices Board Monday warned of dire consequences by excessively harvesting beetle timber and its hydrological effects.
“This is a heads up to all of the professional community about decisions they make with respect to salvage logging,” Forest Practice Board chair Bruce Fraser said Monday.
“They have to be balanced against decisions to conserve the watershed hydrology.”
Experimental 'wind to hydrogen' system up and running Xcel Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory today unveiled a unique facility that uses electricity from wind turbines to produce and store pure hydrogen, offering what may become an important new template for future energy production.
By ANDREW C. REVKIN and MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: March 20, 2007
WASHINGTON, March 19 — A House committee released documents Monday that showed hundreds of instances in which a White House official who was previously an oil industry lobbyist edited government climate reports to play up uncertainty of a human role in global warming or play down evidence of such a role.
TC - Feb 21/07 - The 2007 BC Budget Environmental Programs $58 Million over 3yrs - of which 4million goes to the Climate Change Action Team to 'develop' a climate change action plan? That means nothing is actually spent to reduce greenhouse gas. Jock Finlayson, VP of the Business Counsel of BC, says that the government is juggling a lot of balls. (I would question considering their zero attention to greenhouse gas whether the government has any.)
Sheila Pratt - TC - Feb 26/07
Bill Andrew, CEO of oil company Penn West Energy Trust, says "Government has to set firm targets for greenhouse gas reduction by oil and gas companies and if you don't your company will be penalized. The push must come from the government side....The reality is the more modern business models will tell you that any operation that is good for the environment is good for the pocketbook in the long run....Above all the energy sector wants to see fair greenhouse gas reduction targets that don't single out the energy sector."
The biggest greenhouse emitters in 2005 are:
Ontario's Nanticoke coal fired power plant emitting 17.6 megatonnes1 of carbon dioxide
Next comes Alberta's TransAlta Sundance coal fired plant emitting 16 megatonnes
Third is oilsands Syncrude emitting 10.4 megatonnes
Fourth is Ontario's Lambton station at 8.7 megatonnes
Fifth is Epcor's coal fired plant near Edmonton emitting 8.0 megatonnes
The Stirling Energy System SES company located in Phoenix, Arizona produces a Stirling Heat Engine powered by energy from a reflective solar dish. Working as in a piston engine gas is heated and pushes against a piston. The expelled gas is cooled and reused. Check out the SES website at http://www.stirlingenergy.com/ Also see
Cleaner air is blowing in the wind - by Faculty of Engineering McMaster University
