Power Plug-In

The Unclear Nuclear Revival

Gordon Ettie — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:26:20 +0000

In reading this article in the Huffington Post I couldn’t help but hope that maybe now we will start to get modern technical information with approval to build new nuclear power plants and not rely on emotional responses as we have for many years. And this might also lead to modern technical information for our carbon fuel dilemma.

Here’s and except from the artice:

“My office sits about a block from the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI) headquarters in downtown Washington, and I could almost hear the corks popping when the government green-lighted the first new nuclear reactors in decades. The two reactors, which the Southern Company will build next to two currently operating reactors at its Alvin W. Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, will be the first licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) since 1978. The partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979, along with cost overruns and scores of abandoned projects, scotched plans for new reactors until just last week.

“This is a historic day,” said Marvin Fertel, president and CEO of NEI, the industry trade association. The NRC vote “sounds a clarion call to the world that the United States recognizes the importance of expanding nuclear energy as a key component of a low-carbon energy future that is central to job creation, diversity of electricity supply and energy security.”

Christine Todd Whitman, the former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and Patrick Moore, a former Greenpeace activist, chimed in the next day on the Huffington Post. Co-chairs of the NEI-funded Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, Whitman and Moore wrote that the new reactors “signal [a] U.S. nuclear energy resurgence.”

To be sure, Fertel and his high-profile spokespeople have something to celebrate. Not only will the two reactors be the first built in decades, they will feature a new advanced design by Westinghouse, which was just approved by the NRC in December. That said, many of their assertions — about nuclear power’s revival, its affordability, its impact on ratepayer bills, its potential to “jumpstart” the economy, and its relative safety — don’t hold up to scrutiny.”

The ‘artificial’ leaf: Man-made photosynthesis to revolutionize food and energy production

Gordon Ettie — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:25:44 +0000

I really think science can uncover other energy sources as they did this artificial’ leaf with basic research as mentioned in this article about the possibility of more efficient photosynthesis. Read it an see if you agree.

“Improving natural photosynthesis to make new fuels and boost crop production is the focus of new research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting today.

It could see us one step closer to bottling the sun’s energy or turbocharging plants to produce bumper crops. Photosynthesis allows biological systems to take energy from the sun and use it to produce food and fuel. It is one of the most important biological processes on earth but it’s not as efficient as it could be. Natural trade-offs results in less than 1% efficiency in many important crops and so there is significant scope for improvement.

Scientists from the UK and US are working to engineer or enhance photosynthesis to benefit food and fuel production. Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBRSC, explains why funding this research is vital: “We are facing global challenges in food and energy security that must be addressed. Improving photosynthesis within plants, or externally using synthetic biology, would bring huge benefits.”

Notes from the Carbon Management Conference

Gordon Ettie — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:03:36 +0000

At the Carbon Management Conference held this past week in Orlando three things were mentioned often which dovetail with the information in my new book Power Plug-In.

1. The energy dilemma is a global one.

2. We should not bet on current renewable energy schemes but let the economics make them popular. More basic research should be done for different energy sources that the current ones we now have.

3. We need to get off the carbon requirement for energy so there should be a cost for carbon! (maybe a tax?).

I found the following article to be a game changer:

http://energy.aol.com/2012/02/07/lng-trucks-can-keep-on-trucking-la-to-salt-lake

Notes from an Energy Conference

Gordon Ettie — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:31:30 +0000

Objective of this conference was to have papers and discussions to measure CO2 emissions and how to use technical methods to reduce these CO2 emissions. The majority of the presentations referred to these CO2 emissions as Green House Gases or in short GHG. There was much discussion about to really determine how much CO2 is emitted a life cycle analysis (usually referred to as determine emissions for everything from cradle to grave) is required. However there were very few presentations that determine CO2 with a life cycle analysis which should include the construction of the facility. There was one about construction of a bridge and the emission of CO2 in the construction of this bridge. Units of emission per time were not clear.

Many presentations and discussions were about Carbon Capture Sequestration or in short CCS. Even forecasts were made saying that CCS was assumed for their forecasts. But there is not one proven process that proves CCS can be achieved and what CCS would cost. There are demonstration plants being installed to determine this but are not operating yet.

Carbon Management Technology Conference

Web Site is. www.carbonmgmt.org

Feb 7 – 9

Caribe Royale Hotel & Convention Center

Orlando, Florida, USA

This conference is sponsored by all the major engineering organizations such as American Institute of Chemical Engineers(AIChE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Institute of Electrical and Electronics (IEEE), and other engineering organizations along with ExxonMobile, Saudi Aramco and Carbon Management Canada.

History of Energy and Power from the new book Power Plug-In

Gordon Ettie — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:32:13 +0000

History of Energy and Power

Until the beginning of the 19^th century, wood and candles were the major energy sources providing both heat and light. These fuels or energy sources are still in use today in many underdeveloped countries. An estimate from the Energy Information Agency (EIA) is that over 1.8 billion people in the world still use these archaic energy sources. This is out of a total world population estimated at 6.9 billion.

When Michael Faraday first harnessed electricity through the invention of the electric motor in 1821, a great change began to take place. This change marked the beginning of a rapid and exciting expansion of energy and power. The application of this power contributed to individual progress and comfort and also to commercial and industrial advances.

James Maxwell linked electricity, magnetism and light in 1861. Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Alexander Graham Bell and others rapidly followed and all served to turn electricity from a scientific curiosity into a tool that started the technological revolution, which then lead to the industrial revolution. Thus a direct line can be drawn from the technological revolution, which began with electrification in the 1880’s, to efficiencies in production that we enjoy today.

But this enjoyment was due to more than just the inventions, investments and advancements in technology. There is another major factor which played a large role in these advancements, and that was the low cost energy from coal, oil and gas, making the production of energy in great abundance economically viable. Mother Nature herself was a ‘partner’ in this progress, yielding up her enormous supply of energy from the earth and the seas at a relatively low extraction and processing cost. The genie was out of the bottle. Society improved and flourished because of the low cost of energy—and this truth comes home with maybe the greatest force and result for the United States.

Technological Revolution

The first major technological revolution was fueled by innovations supported by economically viable—cheap—sources of energy. This raises the question and goes to the core of this book: what will be the next revolution when those cheap sources of energy become more expensive, scarce, or disappear completely?

We have enjoyed Mother Nature’s gift of energy abundance for over one hundred years. Energy is easy. It’s economical to obtain the material to burn or combust to get this low cost energy. One day the human race will fail to find new areas to exploit for this inexpensive energy or will deplete present areas to get it. Hence the cost of energy will increase in time. Also by burning some energy sources, emissions can result that could unbalance the atmosphere, changing life and geography as we currently know it.

Energy plays a critical role in our global society and in the improvement of all global society. Without economically viable, plentiful sources of energy, not only can there be no forward progress, but whatever advances we have enjoyed to date are at risk of receding, diminishing, or disappearing as we know them.

Can the time frame for this shift be predicted? Will there be a new factor that will result in another revolution in how we do things and how we can improve our societies and governments? I have tried to ask and answer all these critical questions.

Former Shell prez: Government ‘dysfunction’ damns energy policy

Gordon Ettie — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:31:09 +0000

John Hofmeister is a man with a mission.

The former president of Shell Oil Co. Shell Oil Co. Latest from The Business Journals What should PA do for cracker?Shell posts weaker Q4 earnings, outlines expansion plan Ohio site emerges as potential cracker location Follow this company and founder and CEO of Citizens for Affordable Energy, called me after reading last week’s “Drilling Down” column about the State of the Union address, in which the president laid out more promises for a bright future of energy policy in the United States.

Hofmeister, author of “Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider,” explained that as long as politics govern the nation’s energy policy, we are at risk of astronomical gasoline prices and energy shortages.

Navajo teams up with lab on tribal energy policy

Gordon Ettie — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:29:57 +0000

One of the country’s largest American Indian tribes has partnered with a national laboratory to study what technologies would be best for developing natural resources on the vast reservation.

The Navajo Nation has large deposits of coal and uranium, along with potential for wind and solar energy, but it hasn’t historically been a major player in developing those resources. The tribe signed a three-year agreement with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Wednesday to look into carbon capture and sequestration, clean coal technology and renewable energy, among other things.

Navajo President Ben Shelly said the expertise of leading scientists and engineers will lead to better investments for the tribe.

Nuclear industry in limbo after disasters

Gordon Ettie — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:28:44 +0000

Between the fallout from the Fukushima disaster and the glut of natural gas hitting markets, the future of the nuclear industry in North America is in limbo.

Boosters used to talk of a resurgence in the market for nuclear energy as concerns about reliance on fossil fuels and the harmful effects of greenhouse gases mounted, but recent events have put a decided damper on that enthusiasm.

“Just looking at the economics, the renaissance is definitely on hold,” says Bryne Purchase, former Ontario deputy minister of energy and adjunct professor at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

With economic growth in Canada and the United States sluggish at best, he says, there is little demand for significant amounts of new power, particularly from heavy users in the industrial sector.

Nuclear Industry Can Light the Way to Energy Security

Gordon Ettie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:28:36 +0000

The United States and nations around the world should expand the use of nuclear energy. It is a low-carbon energy technology that has proven its ability to reliably and affordably provide large amounts of baseload electricity virtually around the clock. Because reliable, affordable electricity supplies are the backbone of a growing economy, nuclear energy is vital to any nation’s ability improve its standard of living, to create jobs, to have power for heating and cooling systems, and to enhance energy security.

In the United States, nuclear energy produces electricity for one of every five homes and businesses. It is by far the largest source of electricity that doesn’t emit greenhouse gases or particle pollutants. Additionally, America’s nuclear energy facilities have an exemplary safety record and are the most reliable power plants on the electricity grid, with an industry-leading capacity factor just shy of 90 percent.

U.S. nuclear energy facilities produce electricity at just over two cents per kilowatt-hour. With the exception of hydroelectric power plants, they are the lowest-cost producer of baseload electricity even in the absence of a tax on carbon, which would significantly increase the cost of fossil-fueled power plants. By burning one kilogram of their respective fuels, coal can power a 100-watt light bulb for about four days, natural gas for about six days, and uranium in a light water reactor can power the light bulb for 140 years.

New York City Energy Use All Over the Map

Gordon Ettie — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:08:30 +0000

New York City’s appetite for energy is immense, making it a revealing case study for how people use — and waste — energy.

“Midtown Manhattan has more energy use than the whole country of Kenya, and New York state uses more energy than all of sub-Saharan Africa,” said Vijay Modi, a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University. “There is just this intense use of energy in cities like New York.”

A new project by Modi and graduate student Bianca Howard aims to put the city’s energy consumption on the map. The results of their work are displayed on an interactive map estimating the total annual energy consumption for nearly every building across the five boroughs.