Comments ffletcher has made

Efficiency and Conservation

Building efficiency and conservation improvements, remodels, and modifications are a option that would put local people to work on local projects.  Maybe even fund local organizations to hire engineers, develop appropriate local strategies for conservation, secure a work force, train them and make them available to the community to do such jobs.On American Progress' 'Green Recovery' plan posted 12 months ago 21 Responses

Good News

It is so refreshing to see recognition that leaving power supply development to the market is a fool's strategy.On Wind power installations set to soar 63 percent this year posted 2 years ago 6 Responses

Shortages and Rationing

While markets work as long as supply and demand are within the linear operating range of supply and demand.  I fear that if supplies are short enough that reality will result in a rationing reaction.

I do not yet believe that Americans wll stand by and let people reach that depth of desparation simply because the poor can not find the money to pay the price for a product that has been driven to outrageously high level in order to send a price signal to the masses.

I think that the power of potentially limiting power or water is under-rated or has been largely ignored.  I see no reason to continue to feed power and water to those who chose to be inefficient dispite their ability to pay.

We all must, especially those whith sufficient resources, must practice efficiency and energy conservation.  On CBPP launches a climate equity program posted 2 years, 1 month ago 5 Responses

Convert Lanes

Converting lanes that are now used for motor vehicles to lanes for human powered vehicles would improve safety, save energy, and reduce emissions, plus provide the humans powering such vehicles vital exercise.On Commuters in Seattle avoid congested roads by driving less posted 2 years, 1 month ago 5 Responses

We May Have to Consider Municipal Food Products

It may be time to consider a limited venture into food products by municipalities.  Granted in cities like Burbank and Glendale California we have the resources to do an effective job in producing quality food products,as long as we focus on local needs and tastes and can do a substantiable development.  It is worth consideration.  But smaller municipalities in Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Vermont, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wiscousin, and other states with strong municipal roots may want to consider such action in conjunction with their local farm organizations.

BTW, Wonder Bread shut down in Glendale today.  It may be a sign of the times.  They blame the union, but they are big enough to overcome union issues, hell their bread sell for less than their competition.

Any ideas of good food products you might consider be developed by your local city?On How to stick it to the ice-cream Man posted 2 years, 3 months ago 22 Responses

Ice Storage Is Cool

New buildings should employ thermal storage.  This should become part of any new building standards.

Efficiency should be become as mandatory as renewable standards and enforceable at the time a building is significantly remodeled or title passes.

In the cases of extreme energy inefficiency I have thought about having the utility simply fund the improvements from rates and making the improvements mandatory.On Two crazy environmental stories via podcast posted 2 years, 3 months ago 7 Responses

Demand Response for Real

I have been using demand response to control power supply costs since 1977 for many reasons.  Over the that time I have seen many of the frustrations that many of you speak of.  I have become cool to price response.  I have had more success with demand response.  However, I have never met much success in the residential sector with demand response.

Gar is correct, storage is a cool approach.  There are load side storage approach as well.  For example, St. Joesph Medical Center here in Burbank recently built a Cancer center.  In that building they incorporated thermal storage so that the utilty could shift the thermal load off the peak.  The cost to put that storage in during the design stage of the building was only $125,000.  For the 1000 kW of storage that provides no supply side approach can equal such a low cost.

Turning swimming pool motors off during peak load periods is another effective means to reduce peak loads.  We also shift water pumping to off peak periods.

The Smart Grid can help better identify the loads during peak periods so those loads can be better understood and reduced.  I think the time for smart grids has come.  We are begining the development of a Smart Grid system that uses Wi-Fi technology to read the meters and control the devices.On Information is power posted 2 years, 4 months ago 24 Responses

Free Bus Service So Cal

A number of cities in Southern California have free bus service.  Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena all offer extensive bus service in their communities for free.  Free bus service is seen as a public good in that it reduces congestion, promotes safety, reduces pollution, and reduces the need for parking.

Replacing street parking with bike lanes would be the next big step so that people can bike instead of taking the buses.

Cars are the enemy of urban lifeOn A perspective from Eric Mann posted 2 years, 4 months ago 29 Responses

Revenue Neutral

Why must a carbon tax be revenue neutral?  Is it even possible to be revenue neutral, as when it comes to giving the money back or reducing another tax it is in effect like paying someone else or giving someone a tax credit and most likely there will be some motive behind such credit or payment, I doubt it will be random.

In the end I think that the carbon tax will not be revenue neutral.  It will collect money, the money will be part of the revenue of the state or federal government collecting it and there will be budget outlay that will spend the money in the form of payment or tax credits to people, agencies, or companies.On Picking apart an argument against carbon taxes posted 2 years, 5 months ago 22 Responses

Good Point Re: IPH

I have not seriously consider IPH for plants in the past, let alone for solar, but in order to get the extra efficiency it may be worth the effort in working out the operational and financial complexities of aligning the operational needs of the processes as well as the cost of capital issues between an industrial user and a utility user.

I tend to like the Mohave better than Kern as Kern does not get the sun the Mohave gets  In addition, Kern lacks the transmission to get power out as well.  Can't do much about the sun or the fog and unfortunately the Kern transmission issues have no viable opton yet.  In the Mohave it may be possible to get a site near Adelanto, Lugo, or Deavers stations and there is the proposed Green Path Project to the Salton Sea.  I think something can be worked out, it is question of time and willingness to work through the details.

As an alternative to the IPH, perhaps a steam cycle turbine with an organic cycle turbine for the bottom.

Sunflower do you know of an engineering firm that can deliver on the less than a $1 a watt for a plant.    Washington, CH2M Hill, RW Beck, and Black Veatch all talk much higher than a $1 a watt, more like $4.  Even as high aa $2 would be good too for solar, especially if it could be done in conjunction with a geothermal plant.  Geothermal is estimated to be $3 a watt by several sources.On Picking apart an argument against carbon taxes posted 2 years, 5 months ago 22 Responses

180 Billion Is Big

I would expect a 180 billion a year public works program would be bigger than a simple subsidy, in ten years it would pretty much eliminate coal if over the years a variety of renewable technology were deployed.  The solar trough is an example of an expensive but practical and proven technology.  Rather than being a subsidy make it a market where competeing technologies compete for funding to build real live power plants that will replace coal.  Fund the program from carbon tax.  In the end the carbon will be reduced.On Picking apart an argument against carbon taxes posted 2 years, 5 months ago 22 Responses

Audience

I forget that the standard audience for discussion purposes is a class room.  I my experience people hate to treated as if they are children and respond better when one gives them a chance to think for themselves.  I realize that this is generally not the case, the typical model for audiences is that of children.On Public presentations on global warming -- not as easy as you might think posted 2 years, 6 months ago 22 Responses

Whiskerfish, Thank You

Thank you, very useful resource.On Public presentations on global warming -- not as easy as you might think posted 2 years, 6 months ago 22 Responses

Why Our Behaviors Must Change

Within the last generation of the human race we have dramatically increased our energy use and how we chose to prepare our meals.  Globally the world is seeking to replicate our behavior.  Unfortunately such behavior is not stable, it can not be maintained unless we come up with what appears to be an unbelieveable adaptation response.

Should people seek to maintain this high energy standard of living under increasingly high cost energy they will meet economic resistance.  People will seek to maintain life, and a life as close to that which they understand as they may be able.  If they see a means to reduced energy use that provides them a life which they can enjoy they will adapt to that life style.

By making small adjustments over time we will better discover how we might best live with less energy and with better food and may be an improved social life by relating move with our neighbors.  On Start with CFLs, and let the lightbulb go on posted 2 years, 6 months ago 25 Responses

All We Are Saying is Give Reduction A Chance

5% reduction per year is good rule.  Let it start with each of us.

Start driving less, car pooling more, and enjoying the variety of temperature in your everyday life, like cold in the winter and hot in the summer.  Eat less, eat local, and eat fresh.  Ride your bike not only for fun and exercies but to get the groceries and replace fossil fueled trips.  Enjoy social interaction with your neighbors rather than people on the other side of town.  Drive less, use less, enjoy more.

Big challenge, but you need only do 5% per year.

  On Start with CFLs, and let the lightbulb go on posted 2 years, 6 months ago 25 Responses

Burbank , CA

This last year Burbank Water and Power hired a NY polling firm to survey its residential customers.  Most of its customer said they would be willing to pay $15 a month more for reduced carbon emission electricity.

However, I don't think it will take that much to develop wind and solar over the next 15 years.On Reality checking the polls posted 2 years, 6 months ago 43 Responses

Competition

It seems in my experience that as competition increases for a job two things happen, one, is that more and more people will do whatever it takes to get the job, and two, those who determine what that position is paid decide to pay as little as possible because they have the candidates.  NASA seems to have maximized this effect.  They have eliminated anyone with character and values and have only those who will do anything to get the top position.  Unfortunately, NASA has been in such a state for far too long.On Hard to believe he's part of the Bush administration! posted 2 years, 6 months ago 24 Responses

Volt Good FIrst Step

This is good news and I am glad that GM is taking this step.  I hope Ford is not far behind.  As Gar Lipow points out the Volt is only the first.  And looking back on history and what the first of any new car looked like it is not too bad of a first start.

At work we got after market plug in Prius and it a fine car.  Well over a 100 miles per gallon with a 20 mile one way commute.
On Looks like the plug-in might actually happen posted 2 years, 6 months ago 55 Responses

Cap and Cheat

The cap is the thing that does the work in reducing carbon dioxide.  The concept of trade is another.  One who trades brings to mind another word, traitor.

The most common approach to trading emission credits is t to move the production to another place and import the stuff.  A cap and trade policy is a policy that leads to cap and off-shore.

We will need import restrictions that heavily tax or restrict imports from countries that fail manage CO2 emissions if we are to prevent the cheaters.On Getting something done is the priority posted 2 years, 6 months ago 10 Responses

Smart Meters

Thanks GreyFlcn for the smart meter references.  I am very interested in those as well.  I have a program underway now at our utility that will use the Itron Smart Meters and links them to an energy database using Wi-Fi.  The conceptual design for the Wi-Fi just got done this last week.

Meters are the devices that measure the energy used by a customer while transformers change the voltage and current of the electricity delivered to the customer.  Typically in the United States electricity is transformed from 12,470 voltage to 240 within a few hundred feet of the customer's service entrance.  Transformers are linear devices that use magnetic flux and coils as the means to transform electricity.

There has been talk of solid state transformers in the past but I have not heard much of them in recent years.  The concept was to employ solid state switches to reduce the losses of transformers and reduce higher order harmonics for cleaner power.  I suspect that by adding a processor and network capability they might better fit into distribution automation systems, outage management systems, and transformer load management systems.  I just have never seen any of these devices as utility grade products.  If they do exist I would be interested in trying some, provided they can talk Wi-Fi. On Massachusetts is going to blow posted 2 years, 6 months ago 9 Responses

Ummmm

My math regarding the summer rates for power in the Palm Springs area is not in my post and with that the associated pay back.

In any case, I was out in the Palm Springs area today looking more into that with the local utility.  The reason it does not fit in is that with the rebate a customer must sign up for time of use service.  As the rebate is capped that makes the deal uneconomic.

This kind of makes the rebate deal ineffective.
On Making a market for solar in Eugene, Oregon posted 2 years, 6 months ago 7 Responses

Security

An attribute I have liked with this concept is its ability to provide phyisical protection to a downtown area like Los Angeles or Century City or a specific facility.  If a number of these are placed into operation the cables can support a mesh to make it difficult for airplanes to pass.On Neat posted 2 years, 6 months ago 31 Responses

It Is A Shame

To bad that Robert Rapier thought that this process would be such a savior and that he feels that his life force depends so much upon it being successful.  I hope that he is larger than this set back.  This is experimental work, we should tie our furtures to such experiments.On Crap, another means of continuing business as usual failing to survive scrutiny posted 2 years, 6 months ago 11 Responses

Working Less, Spending Less, Wanting Less

It sounds like love to me.

Love displaces work, gets us to spend less (on ourselves), and reduces the wanting of more material things.  Love of the earth fills us with wonder of its beauty and richness of all that it does and could provide in sight, sound, comfort, and delight.

Religion is best served with love.  When religion is without love it is as Godless as hell and the difference can not be found by the objective soul.

When we free ourselves to true love we open ourselves to less work, less spending, and less want.

Loss of love can be too much of nothing and that can make a man feel ill at ease.  Freedom can be just another word for nothing left to lose and freedom ain't nothing it it ain't free, might also be such a loss of love or of faith.  In any case digging deeper into work, spending more, or wanting more is not going to be as meaningful as finding hope, love, and faith.

Environmentalism is about that, yes it is.On Green the Pope way posted 2 years, 6 months ago 29 Responses

Good Measure

Any one who believes global warming is a serious matter should support this legislation at the Federal level.  We have to begin the process of valuing CO2 emission no matter what the source or how dependent a region is upon an energy source.On Could the unthinkable become thinked? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 2 Responses

Who Cares

CAFE has long since been an standard that does not have a reach. It is like the two minute hundred yard dash or the 16 minute mile.  Who cares?   My stupid Ford Five Hundred that I drive just over 4000 miles a year can achieve the goal of CAFE.
On The logjam is breaking posted 2 years, 6 months ago 17 Responses

SC Energy

I am the technology guy for the utility I work for.  We are having SC Energy do a plug in conversion of a Prius so we can test it out.  I am interested in the storage Vehicle to Grid stuff we have been talking about.On The lost art of conversation posted 2 years, 7 months ago 36 Responses

Thanks

Cool meeting notes.  Sounds like you had a nice day.  I went over to Glendale and helped a friend put a solar panel up on his roof.  It will produce 80% of his electrical needs.  We talked about the killings.  Seems like more of those with significant mental problems are being incorporated into society than days gone by.  We also noticed that many of those windows that they broke through were not double pane.  You would think a technology school would have had double pane.

I never noticed the deal about the pledge of allegiance to the dominant religion, I am surprised it is not written down, I woud have guessed it was.  It is such a formal practice, I would have thought it written down.  I have noticed that there has been a lot of rain in Seattle.  The drought continues in Los Angeles, even though this was the rainiest week in a year.  While it has recently been very winter like in New York, up util like January 7 it was unusally nice.  Likewise, it was a nice winter in Minneapolis this year, but there were some pretty bad storms.   Getting to be more bad storms it seems, but on the whole the temps are up.  

I had breakfast with some of members of the Pasadena Mac Users Group today.  Understand the next Mac operating system will not be out until this fall.  We Mac Users sure know what it feels like when you do not believe in the dominate God.  Seems like everyone is blindly following Windows.  Mac even plays Windows, there is nothing magic there.  It is hard to turn people around.

Glad to hear the Prius drivers in Seattle are getting better mileage on the highway.  That Civic Hybrid does very well too.  I am getting a plug in hybird this next week, unless it is late again.  Looking forward to the milage that one will have.

Have a happy Earth Day.On The lost art of conversation posted 2 years, 7 months ago 36 Responses

Pat Wood Was Bush's Boy

I note an above reference that Pat Wood did Order 888.  Actually that came about as a directive in the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the FERC Chair was Elizabeth Molher.  In my view 888 was a progessive reform.

When Bush became President he installed Pat Wood as FERC Chairman in 2001.  I do not think Clinton would have put a person like Pat Wood in charge.On It's not the view: it's the vision posted 2 years, 9 months ago 132 Responses

Selfless vs Self Interest

Helping stop the Guinea worm, feeding the hungry, and caring for the sick are examples of selfless acts that kind people do in order to help others.

Converting to biofuels, intergrating wind into power grids, and making the air cleaner are things that people do that are in their self interests.  It allows them to keep on doing that which they have grown accustom.

A significant portion of environmentalism is about our own self interest.  People are getting interested in global warming because the weather supports fears that there may be a problem here that could affect us.

I think as the self interest associated with global warming continue to be understood more widely, that support for climate action will, similarily, continue to grow.  I do not believe that it will be as easy to develop interest associated with the Guinea worm as it has been to develop interest with clean air.  

Things that may actually affect us are more motivating than things that primarily affect others.  Environmentalism is not the charity that feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and clothing the naked are.  I can understand why the selfless act might be viewed as the more noble, and in this case, both are progressive and their interests generally aligned.On How do you choose yours? posted 2 years, 9 months ago 54 Responses

Underground DC Transmission

Amazngdrx DC transmission can be done underground, it is virtually impossible with 500kV AC as reactors are required every 25 miles or so.  DC faces the problems associated with in-rush current on start up and then harmonics associated with the grid.  These things can be engineered out with switched reactors.  I think for now we would have to use oil filled cable, but there has not been much DC underground yet.

As an alternative I believe the better approach is to convert existing AC lines to DC.  The worst transmission areas in the USA is in the New York to Washington DC area and Southern California.  Studies are underway to determine how to best address these transmission needs, however, no one seems to be looking at DC with a serious eye.

I think DC should be considered.On It's seductive -- and wrong posted 2 years, 9 months ago 54 Responses

Fire

I grew up with wild fires, am not so sure their effect is simply neutral.  I think that to think fire to be positive is a bit too optimistic.  However, I do not think fire is bad think.  Fire happens.

However, I do not support arson.On Let's put bison back on the praries posted 2 years, 10 months ago 26 Responses

My Pet Project

Amazngdrx you have described my pet project, using dc transmission with storage to move wind energy across the country.

Burbank Water and Power together with other municipal utilities in Southern California jointly operate the two major dc lines in the country, the Pacific Intertie and the Southern Transmission System.  Currently these lines only operate point to point.  I am considering how they might work in a networked fashion.

We considered this twenty years ago when we were planning the Mead Phoneix/Mead Adalanto transmission projects as that project was orginally proposed to be DC as well, unfortunately we were not able to get enought participation, so it was build at an AC line but with the capability to be converted to DC in the future.  At that time DC to AC conversion technology was more expensive than it is today.  Further the technology at that time made networking DC to AC conversion problematic.  If these conversion processes are not set up right they can have severe and rapid impacts on the regional AC transmission grid.

The project we considered for storage back in those days was a project called the Spring Canyon Pumped Storage Project.  It was a project upstream from Hoover that was to have been a 2000MW pumped storage project.  The project never got beyond the planning phases because of its impacts.  Pumped storage, while a simple concept, increases evaporation, erosion, and impacts wildlife.

The energy storage system I am studying at this time is using compressed air for energy storage.  The most current project under development is in Iowa and has been lead by the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.   By using compressed air from underground storage to provide the oxider for a combustion turbine the power turbine's power can be all used to turn an electricity generator rather than a generator and an air compressor.  Interestingly, it takes about twice as much power to turn the air compressor.  In other words, a 45MW LM6000 combustion turbine could put out over 110 MW with the same amount of fuel if it used compressed air from storage rather than compressing the air in real time with a compressor.

The concept is to compress the air using wind energy when it is windy and there is not sufficient load and then employ the compressed air during those time when the wind energy is less than the need.

Another approach, which is interesting but I don't know how practical, is to use the wind turbines to turn air compressors that feed compressed air into a pipeline network much like the current natural gas pipeline system.  At the load end of the pipeline turbo expanders would drive electrical generators as required to meet load.  During times of low electrical use the compress air would "pack" in the network of pipelines and then "unpack" during times of high electrical generation.

The thermal reactions associated with gas compression and expandsion make for some interesting thermal considerations in this modeling.  One must use the resulting heat from compression in a productive manner and one must manage the cooling from the expandsion during de-compression as well.

I hope to have some more details on this project in May for the American Electric Power Conference in Chicago, but it may be another year away.  I think this approach has is the best way to move wind energy throughout the country and match generation with usage.On Let's put bison back on the praries posted 2 years, 10 months ago 26 Responses

Must Be Realistic In Scope

The prairie grasses can provide fuel and store CO2, but there are limits.  1 to 2 tons of CO2 per acre can be stored in the soil each year provided you let the grass stay with the soil.  If the grass is converted to fuel it does not keep the CO2 in the soil.  According to the USDA there are 587 million acres of grassland in the United States.  That can hold and does hold considerable CO2.  Efforts to use this grassland for switchgrass or rapeseed will require a substantial amount of those grasses be left with the soil if we are to maintain the current sequestering these grasslands currently provide.

We generate a lot of CO2, 6400 million tons.   These grasslands that are currently sequestering are already part of the carbon cycle.  We can only count the additional amount they may be able to sequester by growing more grass and keeping the grass with the soil.

The land will not be able to both store CO2 and provide fuel.  If we chose fuel we run the risk of reducing the sequestering that these grasslands currently provide and will increase our effective CO2 emissions.

In the end we have to stop the burning.On Let's put bison back on the praries posted 2 years, 10 months ago 26 Responses

Nit On Land Conservation

Using the EIA data the United States in 2004 emitted 5,912,210,000 meteric tons of CO2.  Converting 1.8 tons to meteric tons, equals 1.6 meteric tons per acre, results in an area of  3,613,017,222 acres or 5,645,339 square miles.  That would be a square of land 2,375 miles by 2,375 miles.On The meme all the kids are talking about! posted 2 years, 10 months ago 22 Responses

Plenty of Room Back In Rural America

Those of you that don't understand why a person would leave the rural life should really get it out.  I grew up there, love it, live in the City now not because I ran from the country but because I love to be involved in what is happening today.

But for those of you that would like to live back in the Country there are plenty of places that would love to have you.  You really ought to consider checking it out.  South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas have many small towns that have plenty of room for a family or two.

In my experience those 50 and older do best in making the adjustment to country living.  Small towns are unique.  The small number of people in the towns, there were 180 people where I grew up, make each town more unique that those who have lived in towns bigger than 5000 can really appreciate.

Back there in the remote north central part of the US you really can forget how many people there are in the world.On One woman's eco-evolution, from off the grid to on the clock posted 2 years, 11 months ago 19 Responses

Hard to Stay Connected

In order for a V2G to be useful for spinning reserve it must be able to stay connected to the grid during a major failure.  The reason this is required is simple, in the event of a failure the power will be needed, in order to use the power the source must be connected to the grid and capable of feeding more power to the grid during the failure, it should not disconnect.  Currently an inverter performs as you state, it detects the lack of power in an outage and disconnects.  The disconnection will occur if the frequency varies as well as loss of power.  In the event of major generation loss there will be frequency decay and inverters will trip off.  It is hard to stay connected.

The complex issue is staying connected to the grid during a regional generation and transmission failure.  The electrical waveform during such disturbances can be very non-linear and impossible for an inverter to attempt to match.  The engineering associated with this issue is called stability analysis.  I would not say it is too complex to engineer, just that it is complex.

I see what I forgot to say was that the non-spin portion of the contingency reserve requirement can be met with load reduction.  Therefore, by tripping off the load and serving the local home with the vehicle rather than the grid there is a value associated with reserves.  It just is not the spin portion.  I am not sure going for spinning reserve recognitiion rather than non-spin is worth the extra equipment and engineering that each installation will require.

In a parking structure with 300 to 500 cars I think I may well go through the engineering required.
 On It's not the key to making renewables work posted 2 years, 11 months ago 23 Responses

Made Me Laugh

Great list, some great lines in some of those posts.

Let's face it David this is not a very funny group and to be popular it appears to help to have some humour.  Now from reviewing some of the top posts on that list they don't have to be real funny, the stuff that ten years later still makes one laugh, they can be those contemporary jokes that play off the events of the day.  Kind of stuff Mark Twain did after he should have given up writing or that Will Rogers was so good at before he died.

Revolutions need humour.  Maybe you could post some articles regarding the environment that simply are there for laughs.  Of course, properly label them so we don't get them mixed up with the serious stuff.On WTF? posted 2 years, 11 months ago 1 Response

Interesting Idea

I like the idea David of opt out.  I think I will shop that one around a bit today.
On Believe it posted 2 years, 11 months ago 19 Responses

Wind Capacity At Time of System Peak

It appears that in 2003 wind capacity would have been operating at about 20% of rated capacity while in 2005 it would have only delivered 5%.  These would seem to confirm the general observation that wind is a weak resource for on peak capacity.  This summer on the peak day in the CA ISO, they reported only 5% of the wind capacity was available.

Operating Reserve Margin is the unloaded generation an Area requires in order to meet load within the current day in addition to contingency reserves (spin and non-spin) as well as regulating reserves.  While including wind throughout a large area was able to reduce the uncertainity of wind loading within the hour it was not effective in reducing the uncertainity in the hours beyond the current hour to seven hours out.  As a result the program determined that more reserve margin was required to counter this uncertainity.

As a result wind tends to reduce the operating level of committed generation, but it does not necessarily provide for taking such generation off-line.  As a result of wind displacing generation that remains on-line, the operating reserves increase.  Adding winds appears to be a fuel displacing measure rather than adding capacity.

I enjoyed the graph that shows the effect of spacial diversity on output deviation.

I don't understand why the coal capacity factors declined and the combustion turbine capacity factors increased with increased wind energy.On Believe it posted 2 years, 11 months ago 19 Responses

Dingell Is Not Yet A Believer

Dingell is a liberal, an old fashion liberal, and one who has a history of calling Washington Agencies to task with his Dingellgrams, detailed pointed letters that have been researched and designed to make Administrators think and consider before responding.  The most recent one to get such a gram was the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The Democratic Agenda regarding Energy is Energy Independence.  Maybe when they update it this next year from 6 for 2006 to 7 for 2007 they might consider adding Global Warming.On John Dingell talks to Grist about climate change, fuel economy, and the 110th Congress posted 2 years, 11 months ago 17 Responses

There Are Codes and Interconnections Standards

There are currently in place building codes (uniform electric code), interconnection standards (IEEE 1547), and reviews by the transmission owner, grid operator, and reliability council regarding addition at the regional transmission level to address the technical issues.  We are not going to be spending millions, let alone billions, connecting things to the grid without going through the analysis and testing required for such development.

Mr. Engineer, I can tell from your posts that like me you have been in the utility business for over 35 years.  You know of many of the changes we have made on the grid over that time.  For example the Pacific Intertie, series compensated transmission lines, static var generators, phase shifting transformers, and loop flow management.

Incorporating DC transmission into the grid was no small feat.  Many had serious questions regarding it and we established very severe reserve requirements associated with it.  In April 1987 you may remember the oscillation that occurred while testing IPP when the Southern Transmission System upset the WSCC grid.  Series compensated transmission lines took out the Navajo Generating Plant twice by twisting off its rotor from sub synchronous resonance.  Static Var Generation controls three time resulted in multiple generation trips because of the complex machine transmission interaction associated with sub cycle var switching.  You are no doubt how many years we spent discussing the problems with phasing shifting transformers and mandatory line load relief procedures only to find their implementation problems to be administrative.  The same can be said for dynamic schedules between balancing areas.

Point is that there are in place methods and defined paths for such reviews and developments that are very complete.  From my experience that analysis is professional and balanced.

We are facing more technological change in over a shorter period of time than we have ever seen.  These are exciting times.  We have to develop ideas.  It is too easy to kill what might be a good idea early on.  We should avoid that.

  On It's all about electricity posted 2 years, 11 months ago 72 Responses

Problems Of a Skeptic

The Skeptic is great at finding problems, and a critic does provide some value.  But the value is not as great as is the person who can actually get something done.  Of the nine personality types engineers seem to have a significant number of Skeptics in their lot.

The trouble is nothing is perfect and even those things that might be characterized as a fault can in the proper application be fine.

Skeptics make bad managers and even worst leaders.  No one would want to be married to one.  Few would want to be friends with one

It can be tempered with humuor, but in the end the bitter sting of finding fault comes out.  It is especially easy to find fault when there is little or no data to support a position.  A skeptic can really tear into one of those.

Remember IBM said only 7 copy machines would ever be sold.

  On It's all about electricity posted 2 years, 11 months ago 72 Responses

Draft CPUC Rules Are Out

Comments on the draft CPUC decision regarding coal contracts came out last Wednesday and comments must all be in by January 2.  Those proposed rules require all purchases five years or longer be unit specific rather than system purchases.  The law does allow for clean coal technologies, but amazingdrx is correct there are no commericial technologies that one could purchase using standard financial instruments to finance.  There appear to be clean coal approaches that could work, but those costs are high and commericial realization is beyond the ten year point.  In my view in order for coal to be clean, emissions would have to be virtually eliminated to a level as clean as natural gas and significantly over half of the CO2 would have to converted to carbonate.  Can that be done in the next ten years?  Maybe, but it is not certain and would take more action than is currently in play.

Rather I suspect we will be building more wind and backing that wind up with natural gas capacity. On New California power regs might hurt coal ... or not posted 2 years, 11 months ago 6 Responses

Harvesting Hay of Native Grasses

Native grasses are perennials, requiring no annual planting, and western prairie grasses develop dense root networks.  Hay fields are not tilled, the soil is left undisturbed, and is able to support haying operations without damage.  Haying operations consists a mowing and raking operation that places the cut grass in a row called a winrow, it is then allowed to dry, a process which on a typical summer day takes only a few hours or overnight, and is then baled or stacked.  Hay can be stacked up in bunches twenty feet in diameter and 14 to 18 feet tall, but stacked hay can not be moved very far nor very quickly.  Baled hay can be more easily moved.  Bales can be rectanglaur prisms, which stack very nicely, and are typically 70 pounds, or formed into cylinders 6 or 7 feet in diameter and 9 feet long.  I have never worked with the larger bales, only the rectanglaur ones.  One can often get two cutting from a field, in a wet year as many as three.  Rainfall is adequate for native grasses, otherwise they would not be native grasses.  In checking with those who have hay operation in western South Dakota, a dry region, they typically produce 4 tons of hay per acre.On Native perennials shown to produce more fuel than industrial monocrops posted 2 years, 11 months ago 9 Responses

Martinis

I take broad liberties with the martini by including vodka and other spirits as acceptable, even flavored schnaps can find a place in my martini shaker and glass as long as it results in a drink which can be properly sipped.

I am not so sure I would proscribe corn liquor (ethanol, aka bourbon when aged in oak barrels).  Try an old fashion or manhattan up instead of having one buried in ice for a change sometime for those of you who can drink such mind altering concoctions.  The little cherry can be especially festive this time of year.
 On A Krafty concoction of hydrogenated goo gets its day in court. posted 2 years, 11 months ago 20 Responses

Boiler Fuel

I have been working with the idea of using such fuel directly as a supplement to replace coal.  It looks like it takes an acre of grass to generate a kW of load pattern capacity or just short of two acres for kW baseload capacity.  Supplementing with wind energy can reduce this foodprint as well yet still provide firm capacity.   On Native perennials shown to produce more fuel than industrial monocrops posted 2 years, 11 months ago 9 Responses

Public Lands and Cattle

I think the time has come to begin to reduce the leasing of public lands for cattle operations.  I am surprised it has gone on as long as it has.  The wild west era is over.  If you need to ranch buy your own land.  Another subsidy who time has come and gone.  I think the cattle industry has been established and should now be capable of supporting itself.On Between hunters and environmentalists, that is posted 2 years, 11 months ago 17 Responses

Brutally Honest Approach

As a rule such people who market SUV tend to be less honest than this regarding their dreams.  The copy actually makes this rich person's SUV look evil, while in real life it looks more like something Richie Rich Jr., of comic book fame, would have.  I think this is a keeper, as I would not expect it to get much more exposure.  It has unique historical value in showing the state of awareness present in the Marketing Departments at Ford. On Must be seen to be believed posted 2 years, 12 months ago 3 Responses

What is Your State Doing

What is your state doing to reduce greenhouse gases?  What have you done to get people elected to enact legislation?  In California this is a major issue, yet the rest of the country stands by and acts like we are just a bunch of nuts.  Frankly I am tired or being marginalized as irrational.On What kind of rhetoric creates social change? posted 3 years ago 29 Responses

Change is Messy It Take Radicals

Change does take special people who know how to fire up their creativity and motivate people even scare people and who appear to be out of control, but are in fact acting strategically and with a logical purpose.  Thing is that you don't start with being nuts.On What kind of rhetoric creates social change? posted 3 years ago 29 Responses

balanced and rational people tend to be white,

What support do you have for your position that balanced and rational people tend to be white?  I am not so sure that I agree with that, I certainly have not seen any studies that suggest that to be the case.

I think supporting a position that balance and rational thinking repersents the best way to strategically approach an issue and provides a good foundation from which one may best develop a solution to a problem like global warming would be found to be stronger position than the position that balance and rational thinking are the characteristics that distinquish white people from others.

Martin Luther King, Andrew Young, and even Jesse Jackson are examples of rational balanced people who have known how to best communicate and effect change.On What kind of rhetoric creates social change? posted 3 years ago 29 Responses

Canning

I have found canning to be a good option for local food.  Last summer I canned up 20 quarts of tomatoes when the local tomatoes were in plentiful supply and at their peak flavor.  Now I have a stash of the red beauties for special meals.  It was a hit last week.  It was my first attempt at canning.  Think I will do more in the future.On Locally grown food shouldn't be just for those with cash to spare posted 3 years ago 10 Responses

Results

Did I-937 pass?On It ain't environmentalists fighting change posted 3 years ago 2 Responses

Net Metering for Dummies

Looks like Wikipedia is a little off in this case.  Net metering always results in price received for electricity to be at the retail price.  This is favorable because the highest price for electricity in the distribution chain is the retail price (no surprise).  Net metering allows a utility customer to put an approved electricity resource, like a solar panel or wind turbine, on its property and connect it to 120/240 volt wiring on the property thus displacing electricity otherwise bought from the utility.  Further, if the generation exceeds the need of the customer the customer gets a credit for that electricity.  Typically if the credit remains positive throughout the year for a customer the customer gets paid for the power at the retail rate.

Net metering does not meter the electricity resource seperately.  Because it does not measure it seperately there is no way the resource does not, in effect, get the benefit of the retail price.  Letting the meter turn backwards to undo past purchases is a great feature of the approach.On State boosts renewable standards to 15% by 2025 posted 3 years, 1 month ago 3 Responses

Extreme Ideologues Seeking Reductions

Unfortunately there are some ideologues who are fighting the good fight to combat global warming who are wrapped up in politics and as a result forget the objective.  For example there are a lot of policy makers here in California that oppose carbon reductions that are not within the state of California, that oppose any alliance with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative because it is not in California, and those who seek the transfer of the ownership of coal plants rather than phasing them out or finding ways to counter the carbon.

It is a little crazy in the rule making space.On Denialists are not the only ones posted 3 years, 1 month ago 27 Responses

Crazy People Factor

A number of fires here in Southern California appear to have been set by people rather than being directly climate related.  Our biggest tool against fire has become monitoring the hillsides for arsons or the initial fires they create.

I suspect that the drier weather makes it easier for an arson to get a good forest fire burning, thus, making it more attractive than it has been in the past. On What climate scientists have learned from Western wildfires posted 3 years, 1 month ago 9 Responses

Clothes Lines

I understand how difficult it can be to use a clothes line east of the 99th meridian or up in the NW where it rains rather frequently, but in other parts of the West where one generally finds dry weather, putting the clothes out on a line or even indoors on a strategically placed line in the kitchen I find letting nature do the work the best policy.  Plus I like the way they smell, they smell clean.  Kind of a nice reward for washing your clothes that you don't get with a mechanical dryer.On Umbra on dryer sheets posted 3 years, 1 month ago 11 Responses

Human Nature Can be Brutal

I grew up in a local area where most all food and fuel was from the local area.  While it was friendly in a very family way, it was not tolerant.  I remember back in 1969 when some Mad Max types came into the local town on their Harleys and got a little drunk and started to abuse the locals only to have the locals beat the crap out of them.  Two of them nearly died, I guess you could say nearly killed.  I understand one of them lost his manhood.  The locals were willing to give their lives to protect the the town, the Mad Max types were not.  They ran, they were capture, and they were beat within an inch of their lives.  No charges were filed.

When life is tough, fights become fights to the death.  You do not fight for show.

It is hard to understand how fearful, boring, and pent-up living in an isolated community can be.  Be such a community in a city or a remote part of the country, it is still the same.  When you are confined it is like confining an animal.

However, when nice people moved into town they were greeted with much kindness.  They quickly were made part of the community.  Interestingly enough most all of them found the little community  to be the best place they had ever lived.

I have lived it, I don't understand it.  But you take those nice little seemingly innocent small towns where everything seems low profile and go against the grain, you will find resistance.  If you threaten it you will find a fight.

There is high sucide rate in these small times.  Sucides where the person shoots itself in the head and then cleans the barrel of the gun.  Sucides are cheaper to process than murder and we all pay the county tax.On Rethinking 'overpopulation' posted 3 years, 1 month ago 77 Responses

Loss Evaluated Transformers

Thirty years ago the IEEE established standards for evaluating the losses of transformers based on the marginal cost of energy so that utilities could use such a method to reject bids for transformers that were cheap but lossy.  Today utility commissions insist that utilities purchase transformers with the cost of power loss over the 40 to 50 year life of such transformers considered in the purchase.

Where the problem lies are those transformers purchased for commericial applications.  Commericial and industrial applications have a practice of ignoring life cycle costs in favor of reduced capital costs and as a result too often buy the highest loss transformers.  Such transformers are also less reliable.  As they often made of aluminum they do not do well under heat and as result are prone to failure.  The high resistance of these lossy transformers also distort the voltage that can lead to damage of equipment.

Higher standards are needed to insure commericial applications stop using these lossy transformers. On Read it posted 3 years, 2 months ago 1 Response

LED Outdoors

LED work very well outdoors.  These devices have been doing their magic in Vegas for ten years.  Those at the Young Sign and Daktronics have been pressing envelope making LED signs more and more like TVs in Vegas and sporting events.

LED can supplant CFL.  It may have a larger impact than CFL as LED may replace fluorescent technology which has been used in commericial and government buildings since the 50s and 60s.

LED do very well in cold weather.  They also pose little fire danger.  They are showing up in gas stations, high end retail, restaurants, bars, signal lights, and cars.

Costs are high, but so are the savings, as well as the life.On Umbra on LEDs posted 3 years, 2 months ago 9 Responses

Having Things and Mental Health

It is important to seperate psychological issues from economic.  These two components of life are not at the same experience level.

The need to acquire things is not necessarily related to economics.  That need to acquire is psychological.  Those who seek to buy and consume will continue to seek to acquire even with no money or in an economic failure.

It is our culture that leads to the consuming that we seem to enjoy.  We must find security and safety within ourselves.  When we don't feel in control we feel the need to have things to protect us or support us in the event of unfortunate circumstances.  On Just because GDP doesn't track happiness is no reason to reject economic growth posted 3 years, 2 months ago 29 Responses

Turtles

The same way they catch other food.  Lie still, something comes up to them just to see what is going on, whem the victim gets too close they lock their jaws onto to the victim and then don't let go.

We never stocked the pond.  I understand that water fowl can carry the eggs. On Protecting the base of the Southern ocean marine food web posted 3 years, 2 months ago 12 Responses

Four Got Me

Are those two us?On Vote for your favorite Science Idol posted 3 years, 2 months ago 4 Responses

Depletion

I suspect that this oil find is a finite oil find that will follow the same depletion curves that oil wells have exhibited in the past.

Unless of course Jason you are a supporter of the theory that this oil is being generated from some unknown process within the earth.  Last night on the radio I heard Jerome Corsi the co-author of "Black Gold Stranglehold" speak of the abiotic theory of oil where there are vast, deep levels of oil not derived from fossils but rather the earth's minerals.  It was an hour long segment before the UFO portion of the show.

I think that proof of abiotic oil production or the indentification of those UFOs as alien life would change the thinking of many of us.  However, until such time I think we should resist using either to set policy.

For now we should assume oil wells will deplete as oil is removed.On Vast untapped oil reserve discovered in the Gulf of Mexico posted 3 years, 2 months ago 15 Responses

Urban Farming

How much land would it require to take care of a significant amount of the fruits and vegetable needs for a city of 100,000?  Using the 5 to 7 serving a day recommendation for fruits and vegetables that means these people should eat three pounds of fruits and vegetable a day.  Providing them half a pound of the three would be significant.  So how much land does it take to grow 18.25 million pounds of food.

Tomato production can yield 25,000 pounds per acre.  Carrot production can yield 16,000 pound per acre.  Lettuce production can also yield about 16,000 pounds per acre.  

This would conclude 1100 acres should be sufficient to grow 20% of the vegetable requirements for 100,000 people, using conventional farming.  However, gardeners can often obtain considerable improvements while maintaining quality of the produce.  I would suspect urban farming can probably reduce this land requirement, but let's use the 1100 acre target.

Using the City of Burbank as an example, these 100,000 people fit into 19 square miles.  Meaning 1100 acres would require 9% of the land.  About a third of that need could be found under high voltage transmission towers that go through town and another third on the portion of the landfill that was closed in 1955.  The cemetary look inviting for fruit trees as do the Verdugo mountains for the remainer.  It will probably be possible to grow some vegetables in the Verdugos.

I am not talking victory gardens.  I think to do this right we will need something more thoughtfully put together.  For example, using recycled water from the City sewer treatment facility.  Siting the gardens to act as fire breaks and for improved security.  Augumenting the soil with mulch generated from garbage collection.

There is more to urban farming than we yet know and after we know more, even more work to get the codes and conservative mindsets adjusted.  I do not think it would be out of the questiong for urban farming to produce 10% to 25% of a community's need for fruits and vegetables.

 On The best ways to "fix" agriculture posted 3 years, 3 months ago 33 Responses

Good Photos

I could not help but notice the artistic quality of the photos of the journalits both as single photos and as a collection.On Top environment reporters talk about journalism vs. activism posted 3 years, 3 months ago 6 Responses

Sometimes It's Your Job

When the corporation needs to have a fall guy someone has to fall, but the corporation goes on.On Wal-Mart is not a person posted 3 years, 3 months ago 17 Responses

Borg or Person, Particle or Wave

I am not sure if so many of you disagree with David because you believe Wal-Mart is in fact a person and the methods and means which one deals and feels about a person are valid when relating to Wal-Mart or if you have Googled person and corporation and found that corporations are persons.  In fact the concept of a corporation having rights similar to people and having a being seperate from a person goes back much earlier than the 1880s and even prior to the USA.  While corporations are treated as persons they are quite anti-social, single focused, quided only by the letter of the law and not morals, programable with high inertia, immortal, and autonomous.

The question is, is it more accurate to treat them as a machine or as a person when considering your actions, policies, and support.

I understand the confusion.  Writers and thinkers have considered the issues associated with machine, especially robots, and what rights robots might have.  Especially if the robots are made from a mix of an organic housing  and silicon based cyber chips, aka a cyborg, an entity that looks, smells, acts, and feels like a person but has a cyber mind rather than a human mind.

Star Trek put many cyborgs together and called them a borg.  When visiting a large corporate headquarters it is possible to understand where the writers of Star Trek got this concept.

The most popular cyborg stories have such cyborgs as the  antagonist, with character elements that are similar to the protagonist, but evil instead of good.  Sometimes the stories have a cyborg who is the hero.  Robert Heinlein's Friday seems to me to an especially attractive version of such a hero, even though she is an Artificial Person.

Light, and sub-atomic particles, as well, for that matter, act like both particle and wave.  They can be treated as both.  I believe that corporations can be treated as both person or machine.  However, it is not a dumb machine.  Rather than as is the Wizard in Oz, corporations are more like the Borg in hyperspace, so use appropriate safety precautions.

I certainly do not believe the person concept applies to corporations as far as warranting them the right of political franchise.

My answer is that it is more accurate to treat a corporation such as Wal-Mart as both a machine and as a person when considering your actions, policies, and support than to view it as a you would a person.  I do not think it is effective to think of a person as a machine.

As a machine it will have instructions, procedures, objectives that are spelled out.  For Wal-Mart the big thing for years has been return prior to taxes.  The fact, that as a result of this policy, it is systematically reducing the buying power of the middle class and thus its customer base is of no matter to the corporate body.  Wal-Mart will continue to pay Americans little for its labor and eliminate domestic markets for American produced products while keeping its best face before the American people.  Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, J P Getty, Bill Gates, and other people who have been successful created foundations to help people.  Wal-Mart will never create such a foundation.On Wal-Mart is not a person posted 3 years, 3 months ago 17 Responses

Trust Them?

Sure I can trust them, whatever that might mean.  Doubt that I will buy anything at their stores.  Times are changing, maybe someday I will shop there, but I am not there yet.  Still I support their decision to "go green", great concept, should draw some into their stores and likely to better serve some of their current customers. On Why won't America's environmentalists accept positive developments? posted 3 years, 3 months ago 22 Responses

The Problem Is The Administration

The problem is the administration of the farm program.  Under better administration the farm program could shape agriculture in a direction that promotes farming in a more responsible manner.

Don't blame the tool.On Why the late, lamented Doha round wasn't really the answer for ag policy. posted 3 years, 3 months ago 21 Responses

John Kerry

I too feel as you write above concerning his approach to leadership.  I must confess I never quite understood the pee in your hand statement, I suspect the orginal form was number 2.  Now which hand do you want?On Kerry op-ed on global warming posted 3 years, 3 months ago 2 Responses

Sorry Sunflower

Went to help find a reference for your position as I knew you were correct as I was in the business back then.  However, busy day and I was not able to complete my post until you already filled using the same reference.

In any case let's not get in a rush to build nuclear today when solar and wind are ready today and can only get better over time.On Nuclear power is complicated, dangerous, and definitely not the answer posted 3 years, 3 months ago 40 Responses

WSSPP Default

Sunflower let me help you on the default matter.  Here is a good site for the infamous WSSPP default http://historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5482

The default, meaning bonds that were unable to secure sufficient revenue to make its required posting to pay its coupons, was on the order of 2.4 billion.

These power plants were being planned when electricity growth was assummed to 7% per year or more.  What happen between 1975 and 1982 is that this growth rate dropped to 2%.  Suddenly there was no need for all these power plants.

Other projects also failed at the same time, but others continued on to opertion.  Some were converted to natural gas or lead to the bankruptcy of the purchasing utility.On Nuclear power is complicated, dangerous, and definitely not the answer posted 3 years, 3 months ago 40 Responses

Just Cause It's Cynical Doesn't Mean It's Not True

G.R.L. makes a cynical, but very likely a true, point that for a number of policymakers the tax revenue associated with gasoline is tempting to keep in place.  It is one of my cynical concerns regarding a carbon tax.  A carbon tax will create a desire, for a significant number of policymakers, to keep the carbon burning.On California failin' posted 3 years, 4 months ago 3 Responses

The 9 Million Figure

The 9 million a day figure is a crude oil export figure, the 12 million a day figure is gross production figure that includes crude oil export, their own needs, plus liquid by products.

A good public source for such data is the Energy Information Agency of the DOE.On Canadian Dimension on peak oil posted 3 years, 4 months ago 30 Responses

Desert Nights Are Cool Too

There are a lot of swamp coolers out in the desert.  Palm Springs has a lot of them as well as the high pressure mist generators.  I think amazingdrx is right on target regarding ground source heat pump.

Another neat idea I learn about from talking with a professor from U of California at Riverside is night cooling in the desert.  As I understand it because it is so dry in the desert the night sky is especially good at soaking up heat on a radiant basis.  The radiant temperature of the night sky can be like 30 degrees F cooler than the air.On Swamp coolers posted 3 years, 4 months ago 9 Responses

Have Been Up All Night Working On Unit

We have been up all night working on getting our natural gas unit off line.  That unit is the Magnolia Power Project.  There have been problems with the turning gear.  When a power plant is shut down it is hot, it is important to keep it turning so it does not sag and catch upon itself.  We have had some problems with that, but my operations manager informs me that we have been able to shut it down and are proceeding on shut down without lockup.  We are taking the unit off line so we can clean it.  It is near the I-5 freeway and the soot from the trucks does create problems.  We will have to water wash.  The heat wave has seem to have passed.  But I suspect the next one will will not be far behind.   We expect to have everything working right and be back on line by Saturday.On Locking in global warming posted 3 years, 4 months ago 9 Responses

Peak Oil Does Not Equal The End of Oil

The middle east has a lot of oil.  To put that into view consider that with all of their production, nearly 12,000,000 barrels of oil per day they do this with only about 1000 oil wells.  We on the other hand require 400,000 to do 8,000,000 barrels a  day. It is clear that the SA is to the left of the peak oil suppy curve.

There is still oil to be found in Siberia, the Mexican Gulf of Mexico, Siberia,  and in Southeast Asia.  Peak oil production is still a ways off, but not too far off only ten or twenty years according to the experts.

We will in the end run out of oil.

Yes those with oil will attempt to derail oil alternatives, and they will be successful when they lower their price, but in the end we must understand how unstable their price will be on into the future.

I say seek price stability not the lowest price.   Sounds crazy, but that is what stability means, go with the long term for that is where the successful live, and we will be successful.  Do not sell off the current for the future.   In other words do not depend upon middle east oil.On Canadian Dimension on peak oil posted 3 years, 4 months ago 30 Responses

Carbon Trading

I have been involved in these trades.  They can work, but there is an element alive and well in the development of the rules that seeks to make such trading ineffective.  It takes good science and political skill to keep them at bay.  I am not so dumb as to think markets don't work, it just takes some intelligence to make sure they work, and for what ever reason I find regulatory agencies at a the underdog in such debates.  We have to insure that the trading makes sense.On Carbon trading in the news posted 3 years, 4 months ago 16 Responses

1990 Is the Standard

Down in Burbank CA we have been working at that 1990 standard and have been seeking to go below that standard.  We believe we have but are having the National Climate Registery check our work once more.  It is not easy to be keeping up with growth and still reducing CO2.  But it can be done, and it seems without economic impact, but I suspect one can not be lazy in carrying out the mission.  On Kristof vu posted 3 years, 4 months ago 1 Response

atmospheric science study and practice

I think the best place is UCAR at Boulder, CO.  It is associated the National Center for Atmospheric Research.  I went to South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and they have an extension of UCAR/NCAR at the campus that did a lot of cloud models and cloud chemistry research back in 70s when I was an engineering student.

Nice thing about NCAR is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, is nearby in Golden, CO. On 'Tis the Season (for strawberry shortcake) posted 3 years, 4 months ago 5 Responses

Silly Statements

Power Systems have used fossil fuel plants for years and loads have always varied.  The efficiencies are not as good at half load, but I would hardly call it drastic.  Fossil fuel plants can change loads at rates of 3 MW/minute for boilers to 10 MW/minute for combustion turbines.  Nuclear plants, operate with reliability of 80%, coal at 90%, and natural gas at 90%.

We need more renewables, but not because fossil plants are unreliable and can not change loads fast enough or even because they are not efficient at partial loading.  We need renewables to improve fuel diversity, reduce price risk, reduce emissions, and reduce environmental footprints.  Renewables are not less costly, and if we try to sell them on price we will fail, at least for now, in the future they will be the least cost.

Distributed energy is an exciting approach that may soon be feasible.  I have been trying to develop distributed systems for 30 years and it has been an up hill battle.  Concentrating solar seems to be the best hope I have seen.  On Perfect for all your global warming needs posted 3 years, 4 months ago 4 Responses

Good Example of Tipping Point

Excellent example of a tipping point, that point or state where a natural process must run its course to its next stable point or state.On Drilling posted 3 years, 4 months ago 1 Response

Is Wal Mart becoming Wal Green?

No I doubt it, I think they will still be Wal Mart.  I think it is good business to practice good environmental standards, people, both employees and customers, respect it, it is frugal, and it will please God.

Wal Mart has a responsibility to it sharesholders that it does not have the luxury of ignoring without action from its it shareholders.  I doubt that I could go out and sell stock, build up a profitable company, issue more stock, and then take the money and build churches in China.

The two points above are aligned, it is good business to support environmental standards and it is Wal Mart's responsibility to build shareholder wealth according to its corporate By-Laws.  Wal Mart is behaving as many business should perform.  We want companies to practice do this.  This is why we encourage the public to favor such businesses, Wal Mart is doing the that which is in their best interests and it happens to be aligned with ours is not a coincidence.  It is how the public message has been made.

Again we want companies to favor good environmental practices.  We want customers to do business with companies who practice the best environmental results.

Wal Mart has neither heart nor soulOn Learning to love Wal-Mart posted 3 years, 4 months ago 14 Responses

Family Ties

Theodore Roosevelt IV, the grandson or great grandson of Teddy, is a significant backer of the Nantucket project, and is no friend of the Kennedys.  The leaders of this project are not liberals. On Over 150 activists send letter asking Kennedy to reconsider position posted 3 years, 4 months ago 21 Responses

Renewables Priority In California

Fortunately renewables are a priority in California, unlike most other states where coal fired plants are under consideration if not construction.  We have to break the circle.

This heat wave is a strong one, with humidity that we have not seen in about ten years.  On top of that the over night low did not dip below 76.  More conservation, peak load management, and efficiency is needed as well.  As well as better outage management.

Looking forward to this next wave solar photovoltaic.On Vicious circle posted 3 years, 4 months ago 2 Responses

We Have Moved From Home

There is a story from my past of how man and woman took action together and as a result gained knowledge that took us away from that intimate relationship we may have once had with nature.  Over time we have isolated ourselves from nature, building homes, making increasingly processed foods, and developing lifestyles quite removed from nature.On Some quasi-philosophical blather posted 3 years, 4 months ago 17 Responses

Some Scientist Do Say It Is Weather

Some Scientists who work for environmental firms do tell their clients that there is insufficient study to conclude that man made global warming exists.On Wow posted 3 years, 4 months ago 7 Responses

Progressive Carbon Tax

Aaron you remarked if the tax is progressive this could create incentive to emit less as you increase your emissions.  I am unsure what this means.  CO2 emissions are produced by people when they drive, by corporations when they drive, and by corporations when electricity is produced.  It would seem only the case of CO2 emission associated with driving by the general public that could be made progressive, as in the other two cases such costs would be a cost of goods and reflected in the price that would be paid by all for such goods or services.  Or do you mean that the more CO2 mass a single entity generates the per unit tax should increase, like $6 per ton up to a million tons, then $10 per ton for tonage between 1 and 5 million tons, then $20 per ton and so on?On A "simple remedy" for global warming posted 3 years, 4 months ago 7 Responses

Sioux Indian Tribe, Lower Brule, SD

Check out the Lower Brule Indian tribe in Lower Brule SD, good example of how you can mix private ownership with tribal ownership so that together the whole tribe is improves.On A challenge to all of those enamored with common property ownership posted 3 years, 4 months ago 20 Responses

Concentrated Solar

I believe concentrated solar has a future, especially PV concentrated solar.  I see that IdeaLabs Energy Innovations has PV concentrator called "Sunflower,"  interesting name there.  Hope to get something going with them or similar.

Electric utilities in Southern California are working on developing a new solar project in the Mohave.  Unfortunately, the cost of a major central station approach, thermo concentrated solar, seems to get more expensive as we get closer to a deal while solar PV concentrators seems to get less expensive.  Still we may do a deal, even if it is more expensive, as it is new technology that holds promise.

I like the PV concentrators better than the thermo ones, as they can be located closer to the load.

I have not found the resistance to new technology that Sunflower speaks with the electric utilities whom I have associated.  At least I have not found it any worst than most people.  Innovation usually has a price to pay.  To the creative who find the world is not beating a path to their door I recommend Rollo May's "The Courage to Create", he speaks of the trials associated with creating.
   On Concentrated solar posted 3 years, 4 months ago 8 Responses

California Coast

There are a number of places along the California coast, like Carmel and Eureka that are chilly along the coast year round.  Can be hot of course but such is rare.  Also quickly warms up as one goes inland.On Hot posted 3 years, 4 months ago 14 Responses

Math

I got the above $72 to $75 by multipling the last oil peak prices of the 1979/1980 era by the consumer price index increase.On Oil hits $78/barrel posted 3 years, 4 months ago 10 Responses

Ever Think About Being a Farmer?

The midest grows corn, wheat, soybeans, oats, milo, and other similar cereals because these products can be easily stored, shipped to markets where they can be converted to food products, and are not lablor intensive.  People in these areas do not yet believe that It is practical to raise those food crops that can spoil, must be hand picked, or processed before shipment as there simply are not enough people living in these rural areas and they are over 200 miles from urban markets greater than 100,000 people..  If people are interested they can move out to South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and rurual Texas and rent some dry land and give carrots, lettuce,tomatoes, fresh peas, squash, and other produce a try.  I suspect with proper planning a person could make a living doing so, but I might very well be wrong.  My uncle used to sell watermelons in South Dakota and was able to make a living.  A number of religious groups have been successful as well.

For those people whom the concept of getting packed into a 650 square foot apartment in a city holds little appeal the concept of operating a vegatable farm in rurual america might be attractive.  It may even be a theme for a new kind of residential development where people move to these rurual areas, live with other like minded people and grow real vegetables that people can eat which they collectively harvest, process, and get to market.

Crazy idea, probably too romantic to be sound, but it does have a human scale to it that has an appeal.  It may be possible to have a four to five month growing season in the North and maybe as long as seven in the South if one plans it right.On Brown gets down posted 3 years, 4 months ago 7 Responses

Food will not replace oil

Food will not replace oil, it will only create an alternative for a portion of the market, most likely it will be used by those who produce food so that food production can be de-coupled some degree from the cost of oil.

Food will not replace oil simply because there is not enough land to produce enough fuel, assuming we grown the tradiational crops.

I expect using food to make fuel will have a bullish effect on grain prices.  Has anyone compared grain prices as a function of time?  Those prices have been pretty flat the last fifty years.  Having grown up on a South Dakota farm that my family still operates I understand how thin the profits are from that operation.

Corn's biggest use is to make soda pop, not sure how important that is for the world's food supply.On Food vs. fuel posted 3 years, 4 months ago 13 Responses

Cool

Checked it out and it just might be an appropriate set up to team up with my Macs.  In fact I think it would be a nice replacement for my G3 iMac.   I like the format of the unit.  I love its energy efficiency.  While I love my Apples it would be nice to have something to play the Windows stuff as I understand it Microsoft is becoming popular.On The Jinglehorse EcoSystem posted 3 years, 4 months ago 2 Responses

No Injustice Then No Issue

If there is no injustice then there is no environment justice problem.  There is tendency to site faciliities based on social issues that favor one class over another on a regular basis.  As a result an injustice may occur.

I think the issue associated with environmental justice goes beyond rich and poor, it is about sharing in the burdens of infrastructure across all people while protecting certain areas.  However, there seems to few power resources near the rich, yet they are large consumers of power.  That in and of itself is not an environmental justice issue but on a larger scale it may be.

Water view property has incresed in value over the years.  As a result there has been a tendency for such property to be owned by those with above average income and wealth.  Off shore wind is a potential wind source that has an extra-ordinarly high capacity factor and may be capable of supporting as much as 5MW units.  If siting such units in view of the rich is an issue it will eliminate many good renewable energy sites close to load and force instead other resources inland.  Most likely these inland resources will be located near another class of people.

To me that seems to be a valid Environmental Justice issue.On STFU posted 3 years, 4 months ago 28 Responses

Who is Going After Renewables

California municipal electrics, the utilties whom the state could not force into de regulation are the ones seeking renewables in the West.  Further, I have found that the local public support for renewables is quite positive.  Work is underway in the legislature to require Southern Califonia Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, and Pacific Gas and Electric to do likewise and include such purchases or developments in their rate base.  Further AB 35, the greenhouse gas legislation, is under development and it to is being considered for the tradiation rate base return on equity approach.  Unless such rate base approaches are implemented renewables, generally considered less proven than tradiational sources, will require a greater developmental cost and be subject to greater technological risk and thus higher cost of capital.  If it were a rate base asset, it would significantly reduce the cost of capital for these developments.  Recent estimates for cost of taxable bonds for tradiational non-by passable utility development is 5% compared with an equity cost of capital of nearly 15% for venture capital.
On Nuclear insanity posted 3 years, 4 months ago 10 Responses

Good Catch Stentor

An RO membrane passes water but not salt.  I have never heard of a membrane that passes salt and not water.  I checked with my water expert and he assured me that water passes and salt does not.
On Desalination posted 3 years, 4 months ago 2 Responses

Well It Is Not Perfect

My boss, the General Manager the Burbank municipal electric utility, as well as a couple of our Board Members were more critical of the electric car than the movie and we had a lot of electric cars. They were and are strong supporters of the EV.  Yes they were not ready for prime time.  But they helped develop this next generation and it is better than the first.  And I am sure from seeing stuff at CS Energy that the next generation will be better.

This is why it is so important to actually do something rather than just talk about it.  Nothing gets to the point as much as real life.

We will not get it right the first time, it takes trials, we learn more each time.  Sorry, that is just way creativity works in humans.  You want perfect with no mistakes you will just have to speak to the politicians for they are never wrong, just ask them.  (I make a little joke about the politicians, unfortunately it is not funny)

As far as the movie goes, it was fun to watch, saw lot of people I know, but it was entertainment.  It has a message, that being do not give up on the electric car, but it is no deeper than that.  The fuel cell is not dead, a lot of environmentalist support that technology without any support from big corporations.  Again even that technology may or may not work out, but it is too soon to discount it.On Ex-GM employee responds on electric car posted 3 years, 4 months ago 9 Responses

Eggwash

I believe putting the vanilla in the cream, as per the instructions, is the thing to do.  The eggwash reference in the ingredients list is likely an error. On 'Tis the Season (for strawberry shortcake) posted 3 years, 4 months ago 5 Responses

Gasification and Sequestering

There are oppurtunities to build some, cleary not hundreds, gasification plants and sequester for enhanced oil recovery.  Granted these oppurtunties are limited to oil fields but generally the coal has to be shipped and it make more sense then to ship the coal and use the CO2 locally.

Consider TU recent annoucement to build 8 coal plants in Texas.  Sound like a great place for enhanced oil recovery.

I am sure Texas rate payers would be happy, in the end, to pay the increased cost of coal gasification to help thir local oil production if not also to reduce CO2, which I am sure a significant number would also support.  But getting any rate increase through is no small feat.  Thing is would the Texas Commission rather see conventional coal with the most environmental impact, no support for oil production and least rate impact or ICCG with CO2 Capture with less environmental impact, CO2 for enhanced oil production, but higher rate impact.  Often with regulatory bodies it is the rate impact that rules.On Coal gasification posted 3 years, 4 months ago 13 Responses

Tipping Points May Be Key To Setting Policy

These tipping points may be the key to intelligent policy making regarding reductions in CO2 and other behaviors that drive global warming.On Tipping points posted 3 years, 4 months ago 3 Responses

David's Point About Not Getting Beyond the Debate

First of all the Board liked the GHG reduction plan idea as well as the other points.  So we will be putting a reduction plan together.

We all deal from our own environments.  It is hard for me to understand the far right that Patrick speaks of as I don't know such people in my day to day life.  I also don't understand people who think we can ignore global warming and that it is acceptable to not do anything.  For the most part we are beyond the argument and it is not important who won because we are ready to take action.

Having had some time to consider this issue strategically I trust David.  If we turn from the debate too soon the differences between the two positions will be less clear.  It is better to keep the debate going on these issues, issues that in my little environment are very clear, but probably are not nearly so clear in other parts of the country, yet.  I actually do like it when others deny that global warming even exists, that position is sounding dumb to more and more.
On Goldberg grapples with the big question posted 3 years, 4 months ago 16 Responses

Conservation then Efficiency

Conservation is our first priority and then efficiency.  We have been giving a way CFL for almost ten years as well as trading out halogen.  Many other programs as well.  As a result we have kept demand and energy at very much the same level for twenty years.  We have improved efficiency greatly as well and renewables are now being added and more under development.

Using conservation and efficiency we have shrunk our CO2 to less than 1990 levels, but I question if this is enough.

BTW, we are a municipal, it is not about profits, it is adding value to the community.On Goldberg grapples with the big question posted 3 years, 4 months ago 16 Responses

Information for Caniscandida

The Coachella Valley Water District is the one that impressed me with their water conservation efforts in agriculture, while Imperial Irrigation District seemed less earnest in seeking the benefits of conservation.On A chat with freshwater experts Peter Gleick and William K. Reilly posted 3 years, 5 months ago 14 Responses

I knew competence and you sir, are not competent

Less than 6 weeks ago Lloyd Bensen died, the man you dared question Dan Quayle's assertion that he, Quayle, was very much like President Kennedy by saying to Senator Quayle in the 1988 VP debate "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine, Senator, you're no Jack Kenndey"

Well I know commpetence.  Competence does not tear up a country and then leave it a mess for three years going on infinity with little hope for even getting the lights back on for another 5 or more years, let alone water.  It took Truman less than three year to re-supply Japan.

Competence in administration is not continuing the building of more and more nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers to fight battles with super powers that no longer exist.  Competence would build up those skills to re-build and re-store.

Competence in making this land of the free and home of the brave is not by holding people without charging them under due process, nor monitoring everyones' every move, nor making laws out of fear that take away our freedoms.  Free people who are brave will not trade their liberty or that of its citizens out of fear.

No, competence is about doing that that is good and doing such things well.  It is not doing that that is bad and the doing of such bad things well.

This is the double speak that we have all heard.  It is not competent, it is a trick.On Our ongoing environmental and economic setbacks are the successes of the current administration's co posted 3 years, 5 months ago 6 Responses

Second that Motion

I second the recognization of a nice piece of logic and its presentations...good job canis!On Lindzen: dishonest; News anchors: stupid posted 3 years, 5 months ago 20 Responses

Environmental Jobs and Salaries

I believe there are a growing number of professional environmental jobs.  That being jobs that require that a person hold a degree in environmental science and would have the education required to evaluate environmental impacts, determine the standards required to collect environmental data, evaluate environmental data, and recommend measures to reduce adverse environmental impacts.  There are technician jobs available as well.  That being jobs that require an ability to execute the collection of data required for environmental studies, file the various forms required for environmental compliance, collect the required data for such forms, and conduct specific formalized environmental tests.  Typically experience takes a person along a career path in air quality, land management, facility management, hazardous materials, water quality, wildlife management, or development.  Such career paths can be with private companies, regulatory agencies, or governmental bodies, and, of course, consultants who work for all three.  Out of school these professionals earn about $60,000 but can quickly increase to a range of $80,000 to $100,000.  Technicians salaries can vary greatly and are generally paid hourly, typically $15 for the lower level jobs to as much as $40 for the higher level.  URS is one of the largest employers of such professionals.  Fire departments across the country are often required to have HazMat professionals.  The movie studios all have environmental sections that attend to the environmental issues associated with location work as well as the studio facilities.  Most consulting firms I know find recruiting new professionals a competitive undertaking, meaning they often fail to fill all their openings.On What jobs are included in the environmental field? posted 3 years, 5 months ago 14 Responses

John Kennedy's Moon Speech

Here are parts of that speech of John F. Kenedy regarding the moon at Rice in September 1962 up-dated

Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that the Nation's own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unaswered we remain still collectivily dependent upon oil and coal.

William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the fonding of Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

Man, in his quest for energy and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred.  The development of meaningful plentiful renewable power will go ahead wheather we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of the other nations can continue its addiction to oil.

We choose to build renewable energy and dramatically reduce greenhouse gases.  We choose to replace our coal plants, dramatic reduce our oil dependency, and cut greenhouse gases by 30% by the end of this next decade.  We choose to this and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, and because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win too.

To be sure we are behind, our energy is dirty, our cars wasteful, our cities unhealthful, and we will be behind for some time.  But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this next decade we shall make up and move ahead.

To be sure, all this cost us all a good deal of money.  But we are already paying a good deal money today for the oil and for the coal.  Oil alone cost us 1.4 billion a day, or almost $5 a day for every man, woman and child in this nation.  It will, in the end, cost us more to be frugal now.  It is a price we must pay.

Many years ago the great Britich explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it  He said "Because it is there"

Well alternative energy is all around, in the wind, in the sun, and on the tide and were going to harvest that energy, not only with wind mills but photovoltaic, solar collectors, and new yet undiscovered means that are out there and new hope for knowledge and even new ways to live and better enjoy our communities.  And therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most important and greatest adventure of our time, taking back our energy and embracing our life.  On We hold these truths to be self-evident ... posted 3 years, 5 months ago 1 Response

Pardon my causual usage

Sorry to offend you, it was certainly not intended.  The gender associated with the personal pronoun to me seemed unimportant.  At some level however I must have assumed that one who gets the math wrong but is fundementally correct must be male, but it is not an assumption I am aware that I hold.  Reminds me of my college days back in the 70s when I was a supporter of the ERA and we actually tried to get people to use ou and a.

Since we are taking up topics of the 70s, I can't believe that Roe vs Wade in coming under attack.  What a step backwards.  Sometimes I think we kid ourselves thinking that we are making progress.  But I believe there have been improvements in the rights of women and ultimately men in the last 40 years thanks to the woman's movement.On Goodell on coal gasification posted 3 years, 5 months ago 18 Responses

Smoking and Cancer

It took a long time for the smoking link to cancer to be accepted to the point legislation was passed to restrict smoking.  I think the surgeon general warning came out in late 1963, warnings appeared on cigarette packs in the late 1960s and the first restrictive laws I believe were in the early 1980s.  Meaning it took 20 years.  CO2 has been an issue for about 20 years as well.  I think we are there and I think we are ready for laws to be enacted.

What concerns me is how willing people will be to keep laws in place when the time delay associated with action and control is so long.  Smoking gave fast relief and long term benefits. On Climate change is still news to some posted 3 years, 5 months ago 14 Responses

How MIght High Density Housing Be Best Developed

In Southern California there are scores of developers seeking to build high density condos from Pasadena to Pacific Palasades, from Anaheim to Burbank and throughout LA.  With the exception of downtown LA most of these projects have been stopped by those living in the communities.  Burbank has over 180,000 jobs but only 100,000 residents.  The pressure to build more housing units is high, but the public pressure to stop such building is even higher.  In Pasadena the owner of the former Ambassador College, Worldwide Church of God, has  proposed replacing it with 1431 new housing units on 45 acres, but public outcry continues at developmment levels as low 400 units.  People seem to resist change, higher densities, and more and taller buildings.  Mr. Flint may have some insight when there are willing city dwellers who want to buy but unwilling residents who block development.On What should I ask Anthony Flint? posted 3 years, 5 months ago 3 Responses

H2O Yields H2 and O2

By breaking up the water bond with electricity H2 and O2 can be produced.  These two gases, hydrogen and oxygen, can then be burnt in a flame that will result in a temperature higher than hydrogen burning in atomsphere.  Hydgrogen flames appear to have less associated conductive heating than do other flames containing carbon.  I suspect this is due to it lower density.  It is a cool property of hydrogen of which I was unaware.On Water power posted 3 years, 5 months ago 7 Responses

Headliners

Recently there has been discussion concerning headlines and attention getting statements and images associated with Albert Gore's recent movie and book.  In order to get the attention of people it takes strong statements that are polarized into simple binary good or bad roles.  Unfortunately, real life issues are more complex.

When making such strong statements it is clear that the ends justify the means.  When on the recieving end of such statements it seems unfair.  The term yellow journalism is a term that has been applied to such strong statements for grand standing and profitteering.  Overtime such strong statements, that may have been reserved for the yellow form, have entered mainstream journalism.  I suspect that people respond to such strong statements more than they respond to the considered and accurately worded ones.

Kind of a dilemma.  What was once consider yellow is now becoming green (as in given the green light, or in terms of traffic color signals "go", not the environmental association of the color green).

 On Biofuels are bad news for biodiversity posted 3 years, 5 months ago 13 Responses

Nuclear Power

I continue to be surprised that nuclear power has once again become a darling of many power supply planners.  While I do support taking care of the plants that are in operation as it would be irresponsible to do otherwise.  Further, nuclear fuel supplies have been enhanced by the Russian sale of fuel produced from its retired fleet of ICBMs.  I believe few nuclear plants will be built in the US, and we will continue to retire existing plants as time goes by.  On No nukes is good nukes posted 3 years, 5 months ago 62 Responses