Save and Conserve

Since it is that time of the year, if you are looking for gifts, you might want to check out this auction hosted by the "One Percent for the Planet" people. Looks like there are some good deals, and it's money well spent.

From the site:

We have over 80 awesome donations from 1% member companies, from travel adventures to cool ecofurniture to outdoor gear to surf sessions (how does it get any better than surfing with Yvon Chouinard and Chris Malloy?)

No more giving socks or neckties this holiday season--instead, give a trip to Hungary with fishing, biking and a 1% member chef or a weeklong stay in an eco-friendly home in Bozeman Montana with an electric car at your disposal or a beautiful handmade jewelry box ...NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! These and many more outstanding items are just a click away.

Posted by tom c. at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've written about Google's renewable energy efforts once or twice in the past. And now it sounds like Google is further ramping its commitment to renewable energy research and development.

Google is taking a leadership position on low-cost renewable electricity generation that can scale. Specifically, Google is going to try to produce electricity from renewable sources at rates competitive with current coal-fired electric plants.

Our goal is to build 1 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic that this can be done within years, not decades. If we succeed, it would likely provide a path to replacing a substantial portion of the world's electricity needs with renewable energy sources.

Google, as they note, has some experience building out energy efficient data centers ... and they clearly have a vested interest in locking down or reducing energy costs. However, Google is a web technology company and not a renewable energy company, so it remains to be seen if they can come close to hitting their rather ambitious goal noted above.

Obviously, this is excellent news regardless of whether the specific goal is met or not. It means that one of America's most innovative companies is now moving with speed and with big money to attack one aspect of our energy problems. Since I have no faith at all in our government to solve difficult problems, it is great to see Google take the reigns. Though I'm skeptical of solar thermal or wind power to scale to meet the level of demand that exists, this is still a big win for fans of RE.

Good luck, Google!

Posted by tom c. at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What happens when developing countries start shouting louder about the fact that the US is responsible for 25% of carbon dioxide emissions? It's only natural ... as we get more evidence of rapid climate change (which is now coming at us in a steady stream like this story for example), the areas, people and countries that are negatively impacted by the climate change will start to point fingers and ask for reparations.

This is asymmetric global warming. The warming is caused in one place or by one group, and the negative effects are felt in another place or by another group.

The article I linked to above discusses declining water reserves in South American countries who rely on glaciers and snowpack for the majority of their water. It contains some choice lines like the following:

"We're the ones who've contributed the least to global warming and we're getting hit with the biggest bill," laments Edson Ramirez, a Bolivian hydrologist who coordinates U.N., French- and Japanese-sponsored projects to quantify the damage exacted on fragile Andes ecosystems by richer nations that use more gas and create more pollution.

Bolivia, South America's poorest country, is responsible for just 0.03 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions that scientists blame for global warming, says Ramirez. The United States, by contrast, contributes about one quarter.

President Evo Morales, in an Associated Press interview earlier this month, said he'll seek legal remedies if rich countries don't agree to pay for the damage they've wreaked on the developing world:

"It's not a question of cooperation. It's an obligation," he said.

Legal remedies. Yeah, good luck with that, Evo. He might have the moral high ground, but he won't have much luck convincing the US to send him millions while Atlanta goes dry and New Orleans sinks further beneath sea level. He'll need to get a bit more creative than that.

Posted by tom c. at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love to find cool websites related to renewable energy or energy conservation. I especially love when you can use those websites like a tool. WalkScore is one that I have blogged about in the past. And today I found firstlook, which provides a web-based tool for you to quickly see how much solar or wind resource you have available at your address.

Both of these sites are gems in my opinion. They get you thinking about change ... positive change that could ultimately help you go renewable or use less gasoline or whatever. Anyone else have any cool web-based tools they know of?

Posted by tom c. at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm often amazed when I think about massive, hundreds-of-miles-long pipelines that snake across the Earth, carrying crude oil from remote spots to civilization in order to be refined and distributed to consumers. The crude oil pipeline - more than just about anything else - conjures thoughts of the drug-addicted junkie. We'll do just about anything to make sure we get our next fix, including investing billions on pipeline infrastructure. Let's not even talk about the cost to maintain these crude veins over time.

Pipelines strung out like the tentacles of a jellyfish are - I suppose - a natural product of man's industrial progress, numerical growth and ever-expanding need for energy. Energy pipelines will only become more important in the future ... but they may not carry oil.

In the African desert country of Algeria, which is in the enviable position (like many Middle Eastern countries) of having abundant oil reserves as well as abundant sunshine, they are thinking long term about how to export solar energy to needy consumer nations. Specifically, they plan to run a solar cable from Algeria to Germany.

Tewfik Hasni, chief executive of New Energy Algeria (NEAL), said the 3,000 km (1,875 mile) cable would be laid from the Algerian town of Adrar to the German city of Aachen

They don't do things small in Algeria, do they? That is one helluva long cable, and it will run under the Mediterranean, over Italy and Switzerland and finally into Germany. Needless to say, this sounds like an incredibly complex challenge, but it is symptomatic of our energy situation. I've been thinking for a long time that the US should be thinking about long-distance energy transmission. We could build huge solar power generating plants in the West and pipe the power to the coasts, where most of the people live. It's bound to happen. No, it's got to happen.

Posted by tom c. at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I find the news that Congress removed all tax provisions for renewable energy from the so-called energy bill they are trying to pass this week appalling.

This Democratic Congress is a total joke. Not only have they rolled over on the issue of the Iraq war - not willing to play hardball to end the occupation of Iraq - they are now raising a giant middle finger to the renewable energy industry at precisely the wrong time.

Congress, wake up! This country can no longer maintain the status quo. The status quo is over. Oil is not going back to $40 per barrel. Gas prices are not going back under $2 per gallon. The end of cheap, dirty fossil fuel energy is upon us. And you either can't recognize the seriousness of the situation, or you're corrupt and beholden to special interests and the corpratocracy. What a disgrace.

By removing tax breaks for wind power and solar power and other renewables, Congress will effectively kill the growth in power generation coming from those sources. They will also undermine future investment and kill momentum that has built in recent years.

Contact your House Rep immediately on this. I guess that's all we can do ... what a total bummer!

Posted by tom c. at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I caught part of the Democratic debate on cable a couple of nights ago and was pleased to hear the candidates talking about energy. Even in the 2004 election, with the Iraq War in full swing, energy didn't really make it to the national level as a political issue. When you consider that the war is being fought on top of billions of barrels of oil, it's pretty incredible that it didn't become a flashpoint. C'est la vie. It's now on the table and my guess is that energy will become a critical issue in the 2008 election. With oil marching towards $100 per barrel and gas once again approaching $3 per gallon and no sign of an ease in global energy demand or a rise in global energy supply ... people are starting to wake up to reality.

The Consumer Federation of America released a new report and survey results that show Americans are beginning to understand that high energy prices are not temporary. The report found:

• Over the last five years, household energy expenditures (home heating and gasoline) have nearly doubled, and are now 50 percent more than health care expenditures and 23 percent more than spending on food.

• Three key energy provisions bottled up in Washington could save consumers more than $180 billion between now and 2020.

The survey results included the following points:

• Concern over U.S. dependence on oil from the Middle East has grown dramatically and now almost equals concern about prices. Seventy-six percent of those asked express concern over imports (56 percent express great concern).

• An overwhelming majority (84 percent) supports three requirements in Congressional energy legislation: l) higher fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles; 2) the purchase of renewable energy by electric utilities, and 3) expanded production of biofuels.

• An overwhelming majority (75 percent) still supports these proposals after hearing arguments from opponents of the legislation.

• Opposition to these policies is meager (between 13 and 22 percent).

This report/survey shows that the average consumer has already transitioned mentally to a new reality. As has happened many times in the past, the people in the US are way ahead of the representatives on the issue. In a year, the American people aren't going to put up with a candidate who is not saying the right things about energy. It's time for the leadership to wake up and catch up ... ASAP!

Posted by tom c. at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)