Taking a short break from examining a potential British response to climate change, I thought I’d provide a couple of charts detailing current generation capacity in the United States broken down by source. As you can see, as of 2007, 10.7 percent of the United States electricity comes from renewable sources.
What Percentage of Energy Consumed in the United States is Currently From Renewables?
July 2nd, 2008 · No Comments
Can the Electric Car Save the American Way of Life?
July 2nd, 2008 · No Comments
Transportation consumes and enormous amount of energy, especially in this country. One of the most recent developments/innovations in this sector is the looming possibility of the electric car. General Motors’ engineers are working in overdrive in a “bet the company” attempt to develop the Chevy Volt by 2010. Daimler recently announced that it would stop making internal combustion engine cars by 2015.
When I first saw these announcements I thought that the companies were crazy. As I’ve been reading through MacKay’s book however, I’m beginning to think that it might just be genius. It might just be beginning of the end of the carbon based economy. I’m formulating a theory in my head that I’ll expound upon later in this series. The gist of the theory however is that the electric car is the key to everything.
Can Alternative Energy Be the Answer?
July 1st, 2008 · No Comments
I’ve been reading the online book that I mentioned the other day being written by Professor David J C MacKay of the Cambridge University Department of Physics. Its an absolutely incredible read and I wish there was something like it regarding energy issues in the United States.
Its a fairly easy read and it is, as he’s titled it, without hot air. I’m only about 200 pages in. So far he hasn’t gotten into the economics of the issue at all (I suspect he really won’t) but instead sticks mostly to providing the facts necessary to have an intelligent debate about energy related issues. In a nutshell, he mathematically breaks down how much energy each person in the U.K. uses on a daily basis and then attempts to determine if there are enough non-carbon emitting sustainable energy sources in the U.K. to satisfy all of those energy needs in perpetuity.
Math With Environmental Implications
June 29th, 2008 · 6 Comments
Since you all seem to like math problems so much, I have another one for you. Consider for a moment three cars. One car gets 10 miles per gallon, the second gets 16.5 mpg and the third gets 33 mpg. Your family needs all three cars but you have the opportunity to replace one of those cars with a newer model that is more fuel efficient. After you get the new car, all three will be driven 10,000 miles over the course of the next year. Which of the three cars should you replace with the newer version?
A) Replace Car A (10 mpg) with one that gets 11 mpg.
B) Replace Car B (16.5 mpg) with one that gets 20 mpg.
C) Replace Car C (33 mpg) with one that gets 50 mpg.
Difficulty: These three cars are each needed for different reasons. You can’t simply replace the 10 mpg with the 50 mpg.
Towards a Rational Sustainable Energy Policy
June 29th, 2008 · No Comments
I haven’t delved too far into McCain or Obama’s energy policies yet. I’ve looked at it a little bit and have some thoughts but I’m keeping them to myself for now. In the mean time, I’ll try and examine some energy related issues in order to get a better handle on things.
In that spirit, The Register in the UK has provided a review of Professor David J C MacKay’s online book examining energy related issues. MacKay is a professor in the Cambridge University Department of Physics. I’m going to try and provide my own in-depth review of the book. The Register’s review, while long (10 minutes of reading) is a good place to start.
The Internet Amazes Me
June 26th, 2008 · 2 Comments
I found this the other day. Its an absolutely hilarious (and long) story about how a young guy in Arizona got back at a parking enforcement agency that booted his car. But beyond the hilarity, it really speaks to how the internet is altering our lives.
On one level it shows how the internet is able to simply, easily and cheaply disseminate information. Thousands and thousands of people have heard this guys story. The parking nazis of the world should be chastened.
But its also an incredible demonstration of how the nature of entertainment has changed over the last decade. In days past, we were beholden to the types of entertainment funded and created by large corporations and professional entertainers. Now, you are able to spend fifteen minutes being entertained and informed by content created by amateurs.
The internet continues to amaze me.
Newt Gingrich on Gas Prices and Energy Independence
June 25th, 2008 · No Comments
Is Kashmir the Key to Stability in the Middle East?
June 25th, 2008 · No Comments
The other day I was watching Charlie Rose’s interview with Ahmed Rashid. Rashid is a Pakistani reporter who recently wrote a book entitled Descent Into Chaos. Its an interesting interview regarding the current situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Rashid had any number of points of criticism for the current administrations in the United States and Pakistan. Among the more important ones however, was the need to address the issue of sanctuary in Pakistan.
Barack Obama’s Speech on Energy Policy
June 25th, 2008 · No Comments
I want to start by thanking the folks here at Springs Preserve for the wonderful tour we just had. What we are seeing here - from the solar panels that power this facility to the Bombard workers who built it - is that a green, renewable energy economy isn’t some pie-in-the-sky, far-off future, it is now. It is creating jobs, now. It is providing cheap alternatives to $140-a-barrel oil, now. And it can create millions of additional jobs and entire new industries if we act now.
All across the country, local leaders and entrepreneurs and small business owners are providing the innovation and initiative needed to make this transformation possible. In Pennsylvania, an old steel mill has become the home of a new wind turbine factory because of the state’s push for renewable portfolio standards that require the production of more alternative energy. Wisconsin is poised to gain more than 14,000 jobs at existing manufacturing facilities because of its investment in wind power. Where we’re standing in Southern Nevada happens to be one of the best sources for the generation of solar power in the world. Next week, our friend and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will come here to cut the ribbon on a new thermal solar technology plant. And between solar, wind, and geothermal energy, this state could create upwards of 80,000 new jobs by 2025.
John McCain’s Speech on Energy Security
June 25th, 2008 · No Comments
Thank you all very much. I appreciate the hospitality of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and the warm welcome to California. I’m here to listen about energy issues as well as to talk. So let me just start things off with a few ideas.
We’re in the middle of a great debate in this presidential campaign about the energy security of the United States. For my part, in recent days I’ve been laying out a clear agenda to protect our economy from runaway energy costs, and to break America’s dependence on foreign oil. This is going to require the best efforts and ideas of our country, and I am confident we are up to the task. At a time when a gallon of gas is running at more than four dollars, our government needs to shake off years of partisan paralysis that have prevented America from achieving energy security. Nothing is more urgent right now than regaining our energy security — we need to get it done and get it right.
