Kristina & Jason Makansi’s Posts

• Take the challenge

  Slim down with the 'Waste Diet' 6

  Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

  There are people who talk about reducing, reusing, and recycling -- and then there's Maren Engelmohr.

  Engelmohr, a St. Louis architect with an impressive set of green credentials, her husband, and her two children are embarking on a year-long "waste diet," and are challenging you (and me) to do the same:

• The success of solar depends on storage

  Storage helps the sun keep shining even on cloudy days 16

  Posted 1 year, 10 months ago

  New project and technology announcements have kept solar energy in the news lately. But, as with wind, the issues of intermittency and the grid still lurk in the shadows. Some still argue that intermittency isn't a problem, or that it can be solved without storage.

  In a new piece in the Arizona Daily Star, reporter Tom Beal talks about those issues. As we've previously argued here, here, and here, energy storage has a big role to play in enabling solar and wind to compete with the big boys -- coal, gas, and nuclear.

  The engineers that… Read More

• How not to make an energy policy

  A strong and realistic energy policy is not dependent on any one fuel, technology, or supplier 22

  Posted 1 year, 11 months ago

  First a caveat: When it comes to electricity generation, I (Jason) am an agnostic. In other words, I try to evaluate energy sources on their own merits, from cradle to grave, and I try my best to keep ideology out of the analysis.

  When we're talking about our energy future, it is essential to look at the big picture. We should evaluate each fuel source -- its pros, cons, and its potential for the future -- in light of all the geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges we face. We should develop a comprehensive plan that maximizes energy potential, minimizes risk,… Read More

• No coal? OK, then what?

  Beware the allure of liquefied natural gas 15

  Posted 1 year, 12 months ago

  Two years ago, one of us (Jason) was at an energy industry conference planning committee and he made the point that whether or not everyone around the table agreed on global warming, the issue was just about to break out and dominate the public conversation on energy. Because of global warming, he went on to say, getting a new coal-fired power station built was just a "prudency review waiting to happen." For those of you that remember, it was, in many ways, the prudency review process that killed the nuclear industry back in the 1980s.

  In the past several weeks,… Read More

• Mmm ... salt ...

  Kosher salt from recycled batteries 0

  Posted 2 years agoThis just in from the St. Louis Business Journal: "Salt extracted from batteries earns kosher approval." Details below:

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Kristina & Jason Makansi’s Recent Comments

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  PRT and light rail v. highway expansion

  We're currently living through the gazillion dollar closure and expansion/reconstruction of our major highway, Interstate 64, through St. Louis. As city dwellers, we know that as soon as the highway is completed and expanded, the pace of westward sprawl will increase. Many of us are dumbfounded as to why, with the highway closed, we aren't building a parallel light rail or PRT line along side the highway...maybe that just makes too much sense. With global warming and the price of gas weighing on all our minds, expanding the highway without also expanding our light rail/PRT options seems like just another short-sighted strategy that will ultimately lead to long-term regrets...

  Pearl Street::Jason and Kristina Makansi Read Lights Out reviews
  

  On Rail and the coming changes in transport posted 1 year, 5 months ago 17 Responses

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  howzabout mishandling another 7.8 billion?

  The Pentagon just keeps on amazing us all with it's brilliant business acumen...

  (AP) An internal audit of some $8 billion paid to U.S. and Iraqi contractors found that nearly every transaction failed to comply with federal laws or regulations aimed at preventing fraud, in some cases lacking even basic invoices explaining how the money was spent.

  Of the money paid during a five-year period - from 2001 through 2006 - $7.8 billion in payments skirted billing rules with some violations egregious enough to invite potential fraud, warned the Defense Department's inspector general.

  The findings provided fresh fodder for anti-war Democrats, who say President Bush's administration has turned a blind eye to the problem of corruption and fraud by relying too heavily on contractors to manage the war.

  "There is something very wrong when our wounded troops have to fill out forms in triplicate for meal money while billions of dollars in cash are handed out in Iraq with no accountability," said Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

  Results of the investigation were released at a committee hearing on Thursday, the same day the House approved legislation by Waxman intended to strengthen anti-fraud measures and increase transparency in contracting. Waxman's bill was passed as part of a major military policy bill, which authorizes $601.4 billion in defense spending.

  In its report, the IG estimated the Army made more than 180,000 commercial payments from stations in Iraq, Kuwait and Egypt in the five-year period. The payments were made for various supplies and services, including bottled water, food and trucks.

  In one example, $11 million was paid to a U.S. company without any record of what goods or services were provided, the IG wrote.

  Overall, investigators estimated that the Army made some $1.4 billion in commercial payments that lacked even minimum supporting documentation, such as a certified voucher or invoice.

  "Payments that are not properly supported do not provide the necessary assurance that funds were used as intended," the IG concluded.

  CBS News - Audit: Iraq Contract Skirted Fraud Rules

  Pearl Street::Jason and Kristina Makansi Read Lights Out reviews
  

  On The Pentagon that ate America posted 1 year, 5 months ago 7 Responses

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  yes, but...

  Absolutely structural regulatory reform is critical and smart meters are only one small part of the equation. But, the larger concern is that reform won't take place unless there is a fundamental change in the way Americans think about electricity--unless they understand what electricity means to them. It's not a luxury that one can do without when the price gets too high.  Everyone needs to understand that.  

  We like to say that electricity is the one thing that is invisible until it's not there. The average Joe or Jane doesn't think about WHY we need structural reform and they won't care or advocate or push for it or demand it until they do. As you, and the rest of us who have spent decades in the industry know, the electricity industry doesn't move quickly and it often doesn't move at all unless prodded. We're all preaching to the choir when we acknowledge the need for structural reform to address long-term infrastructure requirements. But, if it's fast [relatively] action that we need, then everyone needs to know what's at stake--and not just on the CO2 front, but also on national security and economic growth, global competitiveness, and all aspects of environmental sustainability as well. Electricity underpins our modern lives in ways most people simply do not understand. That has to change if we are to gather enough support for true structural reform.

  As far as the coming electric shock goes, we wrote a blog piece about this same time last year...you can check it out here: the looming electricity rate shock.

  Pearl Street::Jason and Kristina Makansi Read Lights Out reviews
  

  On Big increases coming in electric costs posted 1 year, 5 months ago 11 Responses

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  A smart step

  toward a more rational electricity policy involves working both the supply and demand side of the equation.  On the demand side, smart meters are an essential (and smart) step. Instead of the "a chicken in every pot" mantra from the old days, we need "a smart meter in every house" policy. Only when consumers understand the true price they're paying and the value that electricity adds to their lives will they become engaged in demanding a more rational approach to electricity.  

  Pearl Street::Jason and Kristina Makansi Read Lights Out reviews
  

  On Big increases coming in electric costs posted 1 year, 5 months ago 11 Responses

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  but...

  focusing on coal is only looking at part of the problem...The bigger issue is that Wall Street does not want to finance anything long-term, which is now synonymous with "risk." Therefore, we fear that Wall Street will only finance short-term, (i.e. short-sighted) solutions to what are long-term infrastructure expansion problems. They don't want to tie up money in asset expansion; Wall Street wants to invest in assets that allow them to conduct more transactions, like short-term or spot market power sales, carbon trading, emissions trading, or natural gas trading. Long-term contracting for inexpensive base-load power based on fuels supplied on long-term contact doesn't net them "transaction fees."

  This way of thinking is certainly not unique to the power industry. Wall Street has long been focused on short-term profits to the detriment of long-term planning. If Wall Street were really interested in investing in long-term energy strategies that pay off for the country in terms of energy independence, sustain economic growth and help confront the global warming challenge, we'd see the serious money going into solar, thermal, wind, storage, and nuclear.  
   

  Pearl Street::Jason and Kristina Makansi Read Lights Out reviews
  

  On Carbon trading creates perverse incentives posted 1 year, 5 months ago 14 Responses