Texas wind shortage.
On Tuesday morning, we wrote about the recent boom in Texas wind power generation and its many positive attributes. By the evening on that same day, Texas had entered into a wind energy emergency. The winds which we noted blow so consistently from the north had abruptly died down that day, coupled with an increase in energy demand due to a cold-snap and the failure of a series of non-wind related power plants in the state, led to a series of rolling blackouts. Fortunately the blackouts were limited to commercial customers who opt to be the first to be taken off the grid in emergencies in return for lower rates during normal times.
While this event does not discredit the usefulness of wind energy, it does highlight a potential problem relating to it. Since wind power, once generated, is very difficult to store on a large level, when the wind dies down abruptly so will the amount of power that can be supplied to the grid. This leads us to believe that while wind power is going to be an integral component of future energy supplies, it needs to be balanced with other methods of production in order to avoid total collapses resulting from the whims of Mother Nature.
Plastic or paper?
Given our recent posts on the regulation of plastic bags in Ireland, Santa Monica and China, we thought we’d take a quick look at some of the factual differences between plastic and paper bags. Like many green alternatives, the benefits of switching from plastic to paper are not so black-and-white. (Granted Santa Monica proposes to ban plastic and also tax paper.)
Apparently, paper bags that are not made out of recycled material result in 70% more air pollution and 50% more water pollution than the production of plastic bags. Additionally, one pound of plastic can be recycled with 91% less energy than it takes to recycle the equivalent amount of paper. The one clear disadvantage of plastic is that, unlike paper, it is not biodegradable.
[Update: One of our readers noted that the picture above says "I am biodegradable" on the plastic bag, but that we claim that plastic is not biodegradable in this post. According to this link, plastic bags do not biodegrade in any reasonable timeframe, but can photodegrade when exposed to sunlight (which of course is unlikely in a landfill). Therefore, the only way the manufacturer of the bag in the photo above could reasonably claim to be biodegradable would be if the bag was not actually made of polyethylene (the standard process), in which case it would probably not be called a "plastic" bag.]
Chinese ban on certain plastic bags begins to take effect.
The Chinese government recently mandated that thin plastic shopping bags are to be banned, starting June 1, two months prior to the Summer Olympics in Beijing. According to the AP, in anticipation of this law, China’s largest plastic bag manufacturer has closed its factory. It is unclear to what extent other types of disposal bags will still be allowed. Readers with insight on this topic are encouraged to chime in.
This story is of particular interest given the recent developments regarding the taxation and regulation of plastic carry-out bags in both Ireland and Santa Monica. It will be interesting to compare the results of the Irish method (taxation of bags) to the Santa Monica/Chinese method (outright ban). As we’ve noted before, when solutions like taxation of a problem can be effective (e.g., a 95% decrease in Irish usage of plastic bags), more absolutist options like outright bans seem less desirable and may even be unnecessary.
Texas is biggest wind power generator in country and growing fast.
During a recent trip to central Texas, I discovered that the easiest way to gather my bearings when lost was to see which way the wind was blowing. Every time I spotted a Texas flag (which was pretty much everywhere I went) it would be whipping in the wind, and that wind was always coming steadily from the north.
Consequently, Texas has become the country’s largest and fastest growing generator of clean wind energy. According to this article in the New York Times, wind energy now accounts for more than 3 percent of the state’s electricity and is growing fast. Even famous oilman T. Boone Pickens is getting into the act, with the development of a $10 billion wind farm in Texas. Once built, it will be the largest wind farm in the world.
NAFTA leads to more used gas guzzlers in Mexico.
Recently it has been reported that NAFTA’s requirements of free trade between Mexico and the United States has resulted in a dramatic increase in large used vehicles being shipped south and resold. The environmental concern is that while many in the United States become more environmentally conscious and trade in their big SUVs for more fuel efficient models, their old gas guzzlers are merely being reused south of the border.
High oil prices encourage clean and dirty alternatives alike.
Apparently the dramatic increase in oil prices over the past few years has, in addition to spurring massive investment in alternative energy sources, also caused many individuals living in colder climates to switch from gas to wood for warming their homes.
This is an interesting trend because it has often been assumed that the rise in oil prices will cause the market to find cleaner alternatives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as seen with this increase in wood burning. Similar to coal power plants that are not governed by carbon regulations, wood burning also fails to accurately price in the externality of air pollution.
Carbon neutral gas burning cars?
This could be the future if two scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct. They have recently expanded on a previously suggested technology whereby regular air would be taken and blown across a chemical mixture of potassium carbonate which would then absorb the CO2 from the air. The harvested CO2 would then be put through a series of chemical reactions which would ultimately turn it into fuel that could then be used to power car or jet engines. This gasoline would basically be the same as that derived from drilled oil.
However, unlike the current method of drilling for oil, with this new method, all of a car’s emissions would be directly offset by the CO2 that was harvested in its creation, thereby making the fuel truly carbon neutral.
A stretched Prius?
Not exactly, but a company called Eco Limo based in Los Angeles has started a livery service that uses only non-traditional forms of power (including hybrids, biodiesel and natural gas). This company has received some attention lately due its celebrity clients, including the ever-green Leonardo DiCaprio.
While we’ve discussed the potential value of trickle-down greening (where the green trend starts at a level unattainable to the average person and trickles down into the general consciousness), it is unclear to us whether that effect will be meaningful here. Of course there is no harm in chauffeuring celebs in green cars, but we don’t see it causing a material effect on people’s behavior. And although there is no harm from green cars, as we’ve recently learned, vehicles like Eco Limo’s biodiesel Ford Expedition, may actually cause more harm than good. (Note: in fairness to Eco Limo, this news came out very recently.)
LA on verge of adopting LEED building standards.
Two Los Angeles City Council committees adopted proposed regulations directing all new commercial and residential developments of over 50,000 square feet to meet LEED silver standards. It is anticipated that the full City Council will formally adopt these regulations within the month.
Key requirements for LEED silver, which must be followed 6 months after the law goes into effect, include:
- Use of recycled materials
- Efficient use of rain runoff
- Low emission paints
- Solar panels
- Efficient use of natural light
- Low flow toilets
According to the LA Times article, buildings in America “account for 71% of electricity consumption, 12% of potable water used and 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions” and that the average green building saves “36% in energy, 40% in water, and cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and solid waste by 70%.”
A 9′x13′ green pre-fabricated home.
As a follow-up to our recent post regarding the nearly $3 million green home recently built in Venice, California, we came across this more economical option for those looking for green housing. Unlike the Venice home, the “Kithaus” is pre-fabricated and quite small. How small? It is a mere 9’x13’ inside, not including the connected deck or canopy. And the price is $44,900 (or $29,500 for the base model). Some of the green specs include that it is made locally in California, has a recyclable aluminum frame, is fully insulated, and is shipped with efficient packaging. An interesting product, but like the Venice home, is clearly for a niche market.
Via re-nest.com.
What Los Angeles can learn from Vancouver.
Street Heat blog had an interesting post about a recent visit to Los Angeles by former Vancouver city council member Gordon Price. Price was in LA to discuss how Vancouver managed to become a more transportation and green friendly city through planning. According to the post, by 2004 Vancouver had reduced single occupancy driving to only 30% of all car trips, compared to 70% in LA (in 2006). Not surprisingly, the major suggestions to improve LA included the (re)building of the city’s public transportation system and the move towards more dense development instead of sprawl.
It seems to us that the solutions are there for cities like LA to take and implement. Whether it be increased public rails, congestion pricing or reducing sprawl, the answers are not secrets. The key is to find leadership that can marshal resources and implement these well known solutions.
Bloomberg compares global warming threat to that from terrorism.
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a speech to a United Nations environmental conference recently. At this conference he asserted that fighting global warming “is just as important as stopping terrorism.” Making this point, he stated, “Weapons of mass destruction – if they get out of the hands of the countries that have them and get into the hands of terrorists, the potential is just mind-boggling . . . Global warming is a much longer-term thing. But it has all the same potential of destroying the planet we live on.”
Under Bloomberg’s leadership New York has been a model for green reforms. Specifically, his administration has laid out a real path for cutting the city’s CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 and has been a leading voice at the local level for changes to our nation’s policies.
Will our oil dependence be replaced with clean tech dependence?
Business Week has a short article discussing the failure of our federal and many state governments to create a comprehensive green energy policy. The article notes that although venture capital firms put $2.6 billion into clean tech ventures in the first three quarters of 2007, for America to compete with other countries going forward, real government supported policy needs to be implemented. The article notes:
Despite condemning “America’s addiction to oil” and promoting the importance of alternative energies in his State of the Union addresses, President Bush has consistently failed to follow through on his promises to fund alternative energy research. He’s generous with the green rhetoric, just not with actual greenbacks.
A new Emerald City?
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has begun working on what it is calling the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. This suburb of Abu Dhabi City is called Masdar City. The city, which will cost $22 billion to build, is projected to be completed in eight years from now, however the first phase is slated to open in 2009 and it is designed to have 50,000 residents. Some of the major green features include extensive solar power, desalination plants, and design efficiencies projected to require 25% of an equivalent city’s electricity and 40% of the water.
As the BBC notes in the article, critics contend that “Abu Dhabi has one of the world’s biggest per capita carbon footprints [and] fear Masdar [City] may be just a fig leaf for the oil-rich Gulf emirate.” Abu Dhabi, which is funding much of Masdar City, is hoping the project will also lead to other profitable green ventures.
A green picket fence
The first conventionally constructed LEED Platinum Rated home in California was recently completed. Some highlights of the house located in Los Angeles’ eccentric Venice neighborhood include:
- no air pollution emitted
- solar panels intended to fully power the home
- recycled building materials used such as reused insulation, concrete, counter tops and lumber
- rain water is captured in order to irrigate the landscaping (a point of recent interest to us)
