BioFuels: Culprit or Scapegoat?
Monday, April 28th, 2008
The global trend toward biofuels came under attack last week at the International Energy Forum in Rome. Blamed by industry insiders for the nascent food crisis, alternative fuels made from cash crops - particularly grains - have been subject to growing criticism as it becomes evident that they aren’t the much-touted panacea for global warming many had imagined. Though these comments aren’t especially surprising coming from a bunch of oil CEOs and government policy wonks, they shouldn’t necessarily be dismissed. More and more studies are indicating that biofuels such as ethanol use at least as much energy as they are purported to save, and that the reallocation of farm land for fuel crops is putting a strain on global food markets.
So biofuels apparently aren’t all they were cracked up to be. We shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss biofuels, however. While they make a convenient scapegoat for the current crisis and are clearly deserving of skepticism, they may not be entirely to blame, despite what the energy moguls claim. Biofuels will probably never live up to their original hype, but with continued technological progress and more intelligent legislation, they may still find their niche on a smaller, more sustainable scale. First, while most attempts to produce biofuels utilize processes and raw materials that are inefficient, some alternative methods offer hope. The International Energy Agency (IEA) supports the use of second-generation biofuels, which use non-food crops to produce the fuel. Other methods focus on genetically engineering certain tree species to reduce lignin levels, which prevent researchers from accessing the cellulose needed for ethanol production. Given their high levels of cellulosity, trees are otherwise perfect candidates for biofuels. Such methods are not without their own controversies, however; critics of bioengineering have raised concerns over compromising the structural integrity of these experimental trees, not to mention the threat of cross-fertilization with wild strains. Second, most current subsidy policies do little but promote such inefficiency. Corn-based ethanol - the bulk of biofuel produced in the U.S. - is especially inefficient given corn’s low cellulose content compared to other potential sources. Yet Congress continues to pass bills in favor of greater corn subsidies and cornthanol production. (Click here and here to read our past posts.) At the conference, recently ousted Italian prime minister Romano Prodi astutely commented that “We have to examine very closely subsidy policies so as to avoid distortions in the allocation of resources”. Such a prudent approach may prove better in the long run than the outright dismissal of biofuels, despite the significant limitations born out by recent events.
“Tortillanomics”, a slideshow on Frontline’s website, also explores the effects of biofuel production on corn prices in Mexico. Click here.
Posted in Biofuel, Energy Efficiency, Food, Legislation, Politics, Sustainability | Permalink
Sarkozy Calls For More Private Funding for Green Initiatives
Monday, April 21st, 2008
French President Nicholas Sarkozy called for a significant increase in green investment at an international conference on global warming last week in Paris. As much as 90% of the financing that will be necessary to help mitigate climate change must come from the private sector, France’s leader told reporters.
His comments were intended to address the creation of a long-term strategy to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Sarkozy also called for the establishment of a globally regulated carbon credit market and cited America’s policy of stimulating environmental change through private financing, though he is critical of the American administration’s insistence on voluntary emissions cuts. In the past Sarkozy has openly advocated stricter tariffs and trade penalties on nations that do not actively attempt to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, even going so far as to threaten American imports with stiffer taxation if the U.S. continues to vacillate on the establishment of a mandatory emissions cap.
Ever the diplomat, Sarkozy made no mention of President Bush’s apparently straight-faced attempt at credible environmental policy. Bush’s announcement earlier in the week that the U.S. would reduce its emissions by 2025 was met with harsh criticism at the conference by Germany and other nations; the EU released a subtler but no less emphatic statement that Bush’s plan did “not match the level of ambition needed on the part of developed countries, considering their responsibilities in the challenge we face”.
Despite his seemingly contradictory about-face on climate change, Bush offered no specific suggestions as to how this emissions reduction would be achieved. Skeptical environmentalists claim that the announcement is merely an attempt to establish a less rigorous policy before his successor has a chance to tackle the issue. With the American president’s likely motives revealed, the rest of us can stop looking for further signs of the apocalypse. The world just isn’t ready for a green George W…
Posted in Global Warming, Politics | Permalink
13 Best Energy Ideas
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 Yes magazine shares 13 ideas, energy policies and technologies that can get us on the path toward a sustainable future (plus a few that won’t).
Posted in Energy, Energy Efficiency, Politics, Renewables | Permalink
FutureGen Already Past? (Clean Coal - The Sequel)
Friday, March 7th, 2008 Back in December, we posted a report about what was billed to be the world’s first zero-emissions coal-burning power plant - FutureGen - slated for operation by 2012 in Mattoon, Illinois (Click here to read the original post). FutureGen was intended to be the first large-scale energy production facility to utilize a new technology known as Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), a process by which carbon dioxide and the other impurities that result from the burning of coal are pumped and stored underground in porous rock strata and saline aquifers, thereby keeping harmful emissions from accumulating in the atmosphere.
Despite the apparently noble intent of this project, our initial report voiced some reservations. First, that CCS had not been adequately tested, with regard to both its large-scale feasibility and its lack of environmental impact (especially on groundwater and subterranean rock/mineral formations). Second, that massive cost overruns and delays were becoming an increasing burden to the project before ground had even been broken.
It now seems that those reservations may have been more than idle speculation. The Economist reported last month that FutureGen is, according to DOE parlance, being “restructured”. In their typically blunt fashion, the eminent policy journal translates this to mean “starting from scratch” (See “Up In Smoke”; Jan. 31, 2008). The DOE is now requesting more information on CCS from the private sector with an eye towards building several smaller plants based on the technology in place of Mattoon’s grand enterprise. This reconsideration was based partly on a March 2007 report issued by MIT suggesting the need for more extensive investigations into CCS and the adoption of less cumbersome federal legislation. The new plan pushes back the completion of the first wave of CCS power plants to 2015 and promises to “at least double the amount” of impurities sequestered. No one yet knows if Mattoon or a reincarnated FutureGen Alliance will be involved.
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Legislation, Politics, Pollution, Technology | Permalink
Newsflash: NY State Solar Incentives Not Right for NYC
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
NYTimes author Jim Dwyer wrote an article (also there is an entertaining video) about his experience getting solar panels installed on his Washington Heights co-op building. After incentives, low-financing, and a very competitive bid from AltPower, he says they will roughly break even throughout the life of the loan and be in the black for the remainder of the life of the panels, which are guaranteed to last for at minimum 25 years.
But the real juice to his story comes from his retelling of uncooperative incentive policies, complicated regulations, and unnecessary ConEd needs. Solar could be a real boon for NYC because of our huge demand and very restricted supply (all of our blackouts are because of high demand and not enough electrons flowing through the wires). The problem is that obviously (except maybe to Albany) incentives that are appropriate for single-family suburban homes are not for the big city.
This is why we started our I Heart PV program, to get grassroots support for proper solar incentives for NYC. Head over there to read all the great arguements and what you can do to help.
Posted in Energy, New York City, Politics | Permalink
Edwards Goes Public Against Coal
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 In the recent Democratic debate John Edwards called for stopping the construction of any new coal power plants in America that did not sequester the carbon dioxide emissions. His quote from the debate, courtesy of Grist:I believe we need a moratorium on the building of any more coal-fired power plants unless and until we have the ability to capture and sequester the carbon in the ground. Because every time we build a new coal-fired power plant in America when we don’t have that technology attached to it, what happens is, we’re making a terrible situation worse.
We’re getting somewhere! Now if we could just get a front-runner to jump on board…
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Politics | Permalink
King Coal Getting…Coal for Christmas
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
Despite the disappointments of the 2007 Energy Bill, the coal industry is getting some disappointments of its own this year. According to Bangkok-based NGO Palang Thai (via Grist), 12 US states have abandoned major coal expansion projects since September 2006, and in several cases have replaced them with wind projects. Apparently communities in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, North Dakota, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, Idaho, Washington and Colorado were willing to defy coal industry rhetoric and reject or alter their plans. Quite a turnaround from 2005, when the revitalization of the coal industry was being widely touted as the solution to the national energy crisis.
Posted in Energy, Politics, Pollution | Permalink
Mitchell Report Implicates US Energy Use in Steroid Scandal
Monday, December 17th, 2007
Many of the names released in the report issued by George Mitchell, commissioned by Major League Baseball to investigate steroid use, were unsurprising. One surprising allegation is that US Energy Use, which noticeably increased in size the last few years, has been using.
“Many of the players contained in this report were expected,” Mitchell wrote. “But one that was unexpected, despite the fact that it had increased by far the most in size is US Energy Usage. Investigations suggest they are continuing to use a special designer steroid, which we have dubbed “coal”, or, consuming at obnoxious levels.” Mitchell went on to detail explicit evidence to support his findings.
“It is well know that one can obtain a high level of performance without using these substances,” Mitchell says in his conclusion, “but often players wish to take the easy way out. In the long run, a growing body of scientific evidence says that these are very harmful to health, and as a society, we must be very concerned for the next generations, which will look back to the example we set now, and will have to deal with the consequences.”
It was a biting critique of the use of this substance, “coal”, but Mitchell had no subpoena power to delve deeper, nor any authority to issue binding ramifications–it was merely an investigation. It will be up to politicians and grassroots pressure to decide how to deal with US Energy Usage.
Posted in Energy, Politics | Permalink
The Brooklyn Bridge Goes Green, and Not Just for the Holidays!
Thursday, December 6th, 2007
With support from the city council, Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday his energy conservation plan for all city owned buildings and operations to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 30% over the next ten years. The short term action plan include 132 improvements, one of which is replacing the Brooklyn Bridge’s 100-watt mercury vapor lamps that make up its necklace lighting with 24-watt LED lamps. Other improvements include replacing approximately 25,000 street lights with more efficient bulbs, replacing NYPD’s and FDNY’s emergency response vehicles with hybrids, and upgrading some of the city’s aging heating and cooling systems.
Watch Mayor Bloomberg’s press conference announcement here.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Legislation, New York City, Politics | Permalink
Decent (But Not Perfect) Energy Bill Has More Than A Fighting Chance
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
Despite fears that the 2007 Energy Bill now being hashed out in Congress could be stripped of key green provisions for the sake of expediency, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has posted a short statement on her site that gives the impression that a deal has been reached with new CAFE standards, a Renewable Energy standard and a Renewable Electricity standard intact; according to David Roberts at Grist.org, the House also intends to extend the Production Tax Credit for solar and wind power (although not for the 10 years that many hoped for). Representative John Dingell (D-Michigan), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has dropped his opposition to the new CAFE standards, which will increase fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks to 35 mpg. The bill still contains some outrageous giveaways to the coal, oil and nuclear industries, but it’s a HUGE improvement over the last Congressional Energy Bill, which was forged in total secrecy by old-school industry insiders and the Vice President, and was more pork-laden than a Memphis barbeque.
Thanks to everyone who responded to our Energy Bill Call to Action! It seems that your efforts were not in vain.
Posted in Energy, Legislation, Politics, Renewables | Permalink
