Domestic Fuel

The utility that provides almost all of the power for Hawaii has been given the go ahead to use biodiesel for some of that power production.

The state’s Public Utilities Commission has cleared Hawaiian Electric Company to use between three and seven million gallons of the green fuel made from used cooking oil and waste animal fat, from Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group. This post from BrighterEnergy.org says Maui Electric Company has also been given the go-ahead to use biodiesel from Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby made from palm oil at a demonstration plant:

HEC will be using the recovered oil biodiesel known as REG-9000 in the new 110-megawatt combustion unit at the Campbell Industrial Park Generating Station, which was completed last year.

Meanwhile Maui Electric is to demonstrate the use of biodiesel in replacing petroleum-based diesel in its generating units at Ma’alaea over a four-month period. The test will assess impacts on air emissions, heat rate, operations and maintenance costs.

The projects will help Hawaii reach its goal of getting 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

This week I read “Powering The Future,” by Daniel B. Botkin. I was motoring along learning about our current energy mix (fossil fuels, fossil fuels, fossil fuels) and then moved on to the section about alternative energy and his evaluation of the viability of wind and solar. Then I got to the biofuels section and this is where in most books I feel authors are either uneducated or intentionally dismiss the data. Botkin was no different in his assessment of biofuels. He only supports biofuels from algae and soil bacteria and he backs up much of his biofuels with bad data from the likes of David Pimentel.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The goal that Botkin set out in his book was to discuss each major source of energy including how much energy it provides today, how much it could provide in the future, how much it would cost, and its advantages and disadvantages. On this note, I do think that Botkin set out what he meant to do and offered analogies and numbers that most will understand.

Here are some interesting takeaways from his analysis. First, he is not a proponent of natural gas because his data shows that if it were used to fuel the 140 million+ cars on the road, we’d run out in less than 20 years. Second, he is not a proponent of nuclear because there is a limited amount of uranium and it costs more to decommission a nuclear plant than build one. While he has reservations about coal, he does anticipate that coal use will increase for electricity.

So what does he like?
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The Biofuels Digest has reported that a new study found that cars running on corn-based E85 have 30 percent lower CO2 emissions over the car’s lifetime than the Tesla Roadster, an all electric vehicle running on coal-based electricity. These results are based on the new CAFE standards that were passed this summer. But maybe more interesting, the study found that the Tesla will actually create 21 percent more C02 emissions than a car running on conventional gas.

The full study, based on the GREET model for corn ethanol emissions, can be downloaded here. Additional criteria used included the e85 fuel economy figures as established in the most recent University of Nebraska study; Tesla’s reports on miles per KWh, Department of Transportation figures on auto lifespan, EIA data on electricity prices, E85 price data from e85prices.com, and EPA figures on emissions from coal-fired power generation.

Although the operating costs of driving a car vary from state to state, the Digest also found that, “based on current ethanol prices, the total increase in cost of ownership for running an E85 vehicle in the US is $19 per year, compared to a non-flex fuel vehicle running conventional gasoline (with up to 10 percent ethanol content). E85 saves an average of 6 tons of CO2 emissions over the average life of a vehicle, when utilizing corn ethanol, and up to 36 tons of CO2 when running on cellulosic ethanol derived from waste biomass.”

Peak Oil has been a topic of interest since the infamous M. King Hubbert predicted when both the U.S and the world would see peak oil. Yet, there are still millions of people in denial, says Michael C. Ruppert and these people need to “get angry” so they can move to the step of acceptance that we’re running out of oil. Do I foresee a 12 step program for oil addiction coming our way? This is just the beginning of what Ruppert writes about in his new book, A Presidential Energy Policy: Twenty-five Points Addressing the Siamese Twins of Energy and Money. Just in case you’re unclear, this book was written for President Obama to help guide him in making energy decisions on behalf of the country.

As the country attempts to push forward legislation that would spur alternative energy and reduce global climate change, this statement becomes apropos: “Before we instantly accept alternative energy lifeboats that will allegedly let us keep our current lifestyles, don’t you think it wise to see if they float?” A valid point and one in which Ruppert answers yes, and here is the criteria:

• 1.    Does the energy source have a positive net energy balance?
• 2.    Is the energy regime a substitute or just scavenging?
• 3.    Have the Claims Been Verified by an independent third party?
• 4.    Is the energy available 24/7 as needed?
• 5.    Is the energy transportable over distance?
• 6.    Is the energy source applicable for the region?
• 7.    Does the inventor claim ZERO ollution?
• 8.    How destructive of the environment is this energy source?

Ruppert is a man on a mission with nothing to lose. He takes the readers through a critique of everything that’s wrong with America.
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Year after year Portland is named the county’s most sustainable city. Well, yesterday, San Fransisco, tired of its runner-up status, challenged Portland to The Great Electric Vehicle Race. San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom threw down the gauntlet and Portland Mayor Sam Adams declared a war. It looks like they’re off to the races.

The challenge is being hosted by Gas 2.0 (and yes, I do write for this site as well but does not lessen the coolness factor of this challenge) with the intent to help communities across the country” develop the charging infrastructure needed for full-scale electric vehicle deployment.” The goal is to engage cities across the country to embrace electric vehicles and develop infrastructure which will help revitalize the auto industry (or the new one in its place) help create jobs, help the environment, and help bring non-fossil fuel based technologies to market more quickly.

Before you jump the gun and call me stupid, yes, I’m very much aware that a major portion of our electricity comes from dirty fossil fuels such as coal. That is why the development of wind and solar is an important part of our energy portfolio moving forward.

On the Great Electric Vehicle Race website, there is a map with all the cities listed. In addition to San Fran and Portland, is Seattle. And that’s it. Come on America, let’s not make electric vehicles a technology for the Northwest but a technology for the entire country. Check out the site (www.electriccarrace.org) to see how you can work with your local government to create similar electric car programs for your community.

Coal. Under the surface we seem to have a lot of it. It’s fairly inexpensive but this is changing as demand rises to meet increased energy needs especially in countries like China. So we have a lot, its cheap, let’s use it, what’s the problem? Right? Wrong!

Author Richard Heinberg writes in Blackout: Coal, Climate and the Last Energy Crisis, “In short: two of the defining trends of the emerging century–the development of the Asian economies and climate change–both center on coal. But coal is finite non-renewable resource. Thus, a discussion of the future of coal must also intersect with a third great trend of the new century: resource depletion.”

In the first part of the book, Heinberg takes the reader through a deep analysis of just how much coal is available throughout the world. Keep in mind, forecasts assume that current energy use stays the same, but it is increasing each year, making coal available for a shorter amount of time. Best estimates are that the world will see Peak Coal by 2025 and many believe that the world has already witnessed Peak Oil.

Now, you’re just waiting for me to say there is no such thing as clean coal. So there, it’s out in the open. In the second section of the book, Heinberg talks about the link between coal and greenhouse gas emissions and discusses the technologies to create “clean coal”. They are all challenged to say the least.

At the end of Blackout, Heinberg details three scenarios that involve coal, climate and energy. They are all very disturbing, but Heinberg has a way of tackling issues head on.

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This week’s major economic speech from President-elect Barack Obama pointed out how ethanol and biodiesel, as well as other alternatives to conventional energy sources, will be key to the nation’s economic recovery.

This article from the New York Times says the plan also pushes energy efficiency:

“To finally spark the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double the production of alternative energy in the next three years,” Mr. Obama said in a speech at George Mason University in Virginia. “We will modernize more than 75 percent of federal buildings and improve the energy efficiency of two million American homes, saving consumers and taxpayers billions on our energy bills.”

Mr. Obama also said that the nation must begin building a “smart grid,” which he said would make the country less vulnerable to blackouts or even attacks, in addition to saving money and aiding renewable energy.

The article goes on to point out that green energy jobs have been a longtime priority for Obama since the earliest days of his candidacy.