The Biorefinery Concept Today

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that world biofuel output will double between 2006 to 2012. That is the primary finding from its recently published Medium-Term Oil Market Report.

According to an article from Biopact based on the report findings:

Technology for significant production of second generation biofuels based on lignocellulosic feedstocks isn't expected by the IEA to come into play by end of the 2012 outlook period.

That is certainly true. But in the meantime, considerable R&D is taking place internationally leading to the deployment of a promising number of pilot, demonstration, and commercial-scale biorefineries.

No agency knows this better than the IEA's own IEA Bioenergy group:

IEA Bioenergy is an organisation set up in 1978 by the International Energy Agency (IEA) with the aim of improving cooperation and information exchange between countries that have national programmes in bioenergy research, development and deployment.

On April 25, 2007, the IEA Bioenergy group's annual meeting, ExCo59, was held in Golden, Colorado bringing the world's experts to the home of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to discuss the current status of emerging biorefinery technologies. BioPact has provided a real service by summarizing contents of the information presented at ExCo59.


Thankfully, these Biorefinery Concept presentations have been posted as downloadable PDFs on the IEA Bioenergy website. Several of these presentations are identical to those given at the recent BBI Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo. Those slides were only distributed to attendees.

technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, hydrolysis, syngas, cellulosic, gasification

U.S. D.O.E./E.I.A. International Energy Outlook 2007

Business Energy Reports publishes a prolific number of excellent research reports that address the "global energy industry" and are available online for purchase. Did I mention that they are pricey? Well they are and it would serve them well to offer a discount based on volume purchases. Still, if you are curious to see one, they do offer a free loss leader called "Market Survey of the Energy Industry" which you receive online if you sign up for their email announcements of new releases.

Occasionally they distribute press releases that announce new reports from other agencies that are available online. This week they featured the U.S. Department of Energy's latest International Energy Outlook 2007 which is published through the Energy Information Administration (EIA) website (see below).

----------------------------
P R E S S   R E L E A S E

For Immediate Release
Press Contact: Barbara Drazga
Press@EnergyBusinessReports.com
Tel: 800-304-0345
www.energybusinessreports.com


World Energy Use Projected to Grow 57 Percent between 2004 and 2030

Phoenix, AZ –May 21, 2007 – World marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 57 percent  between 2004 and 2030, according to the reference case projection from the International Energy Outlook 2007 (IEO2007) released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The IEO2007 shows the most rapid growth in energy demand for nations outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) especially in non-OECD Asia, where strong projected economic growth drives the increase in energy use.
 
Global energy demand grows despite the relatively high world oil and natural gas prices in the reference case. However, rising oil prices dampen growth in demand for petroleum and other liquids fuels after 2015 and, as a result, reducing their share of overall energy use from 38 percent in 2004 to a projected 34 percent in 2030.  In contrast, the energy shares of natural gas, coal, and renewable energy sources are expected to grow over this period.  Liquids consumption is still expected to grow strongly, however, reaching 118 million barrels per day in 2030. The United States, China, and India together account for nearly half of the projected growth in world liquids use.
 
To meet the increment in world liquids demand in the IEO2007 reference case, supply in 2030 is projected to be 35 million barrels oil equivalent per day higher than the 2004 level of 83 million barrels per day.  Conventional resources account for about 27 million barrels per day of this increase, with a projected 21 million barrels per day increase in production by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and a 6 million barrels per day increase in non-OPEC countries.  Production from unconventional resources (including biofuels, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids) increases by nearly 8 million barrels per day and accounts for 9 percent of total world liquids supply in 2030.
 
View Details on Related Reports:
Unconventional Gas Outlook: Resources, Economics, and Technologies 2007
Biomass to Biofuels Market Potential 2007
Commercialization of Coal to Liquids Technology 2007
Gas to Liquids Technology and Market Potential
 
Other EIA report highlights include:
 
* Coal consumption, which grows an average annual rate of 2.2 percent, is the fastest-growing energy source worldwide in the IEO2007 reference case projection, which assumes that existing laws and policies remain in effect through 2030 notwithstanding concerns related to the rising level of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. World coal consumption increased sharply from 2003 to 2004, largely because of a 17-percent increase-on a British thermal unit (Btu) basis-in non-OECD Asia (mainly China and India). With oil and natural gas prices expected to continue rising, coal is an attractive fuel for nations with access to ample coal resources, especially in coal-rich countries like China, India, and the United States. These three countries combined account for 86 percent of the increment in world coal demand by 2030 in the reference case projection.
 
* Higher fossil fuel prices, energy security concerns, improved reactor designs, and environmental considerations are expected to improve prospects for nuclear power capacity in many parts of the world, and a number of countries are expected to build new nuclear power plants. World nuclear capacity is projected to rise from 368 gigawatts in 2004 to 481 gigawatts in 2030.  Declines in nuclear capacity are projected only in OECD Europe, where several countries (including Germany and Belgium) have either plans or mandates to phase out nuclear power, and where some old reactors are expected to be retired and not replaced.
 
* In the IEO2007 reference case, which does not include specific policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are projected to rise from 26.9 billion metric tons in 2004 to 33.9 billion metric tons in 2015 and 42.9 billion metric tons in 2030. From 2003 to 2004, carbon dioxide emissions from the non-OECD countries grew by almost 10 percent, while emissions in the OECD countries grew by less than 2 percent.  The result of the large increase in non-OECD emissions was that 2004 marked the first time in history that emissions from the non-OECD exceeded those from the OECD countries.  Further, because of the expectation that non-OECD countries will rely on fossil fuels to supply much of their future energy demand growth, carbon dioxide emissions from the non-OECD countries in 2030 are projected to exceed those from the OECD by 57 percent.
 
technorati BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, decentralization, security

BIOconversion 101: The BioTown Sourcebook

For anyone who desires a simple introduction to what BIOmass Conversion technologies are I suggest a careful reading of a brief technical overview document called The BioTown, USA Sourcebook of Biomass Energy (released in April, 2006). It was written for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture by scientist and fellow blogger, Mark Jenner, PhD. who has his own website called Biomass Rules.

Below you can see an overview graphic that charts where conversion technologies (highlighted in blue) fall in proper context for addressing BIOstock, BIOoutput, and BIOwaste issues. For this reason, I offer a similar 101 abstract treatment in each of my BlogRing blogs.


This BioTown sourcebook is the official inventory on local energy use, available biomass fuels and emerging technologies for Reynolds, Indiana. As such, it can serve as an inventory template for any similarly focused study of a medium-sized rural community. It greater importance is its microcosmic view of rural communities as decentralized, sustainable entities that possess more than enough biomass to service their own energy needs.

Below is a table from the fifth section of the report addressing Biomass Energy Conversion Technologies.

The section addresses not only the difference between combustion pyrolysis and gasification, but also lists the benefits and liabilities of each base technology in addition to a partial listing of vendors developing the expertise in North America.

This report is not a utopian call to return to rural, communal living. It is, instead, an affirmation that there are many biomass resources available and technologies in development to provide environmentally clean bioenergy alternatives to the existing fossil fuel energy paradigm. Rural communities can develop expertise and marketable output best suited to their own resources and industries. Urban communities can develop some technologies that are relevant to the diversion of trash from landfills.

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The BioTown, USA Sourcebook of Biomass Energy

BioTown, USA is Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniel’s, bold approach to develop local renewable energy production, create a cleaner environment, find new solutions to municipal/animal waste issues, and develop new markets for Indiana products – all at the same time. BioTown, USA is quite simply the conversion of Reynolds, Indiana from a reliance on fossil fuels to biomass-based fuels. With the implementation of BioTown, USA, a template will be set that simultaneously promotes Indiana energy security, rural development, profitable agriculture and a green, thriving natural resource environment.

The only conclusion that can be made is that BioTown, USA is profoundly thermodynamically and technologically viable. Reynolds, Indiana used 227,710 million BTUs (MMBTU) in 2005. White County annually produces over 16,881,613 MMBTU in undeveloped biomass energy resources. That is 74 times more energy than Reynolds consumed in 2005.

BioTown, USA is a concept whose time has come. This Sourcebook and subsequent BioTown reports will serve as vital stepping stones to the implementation of BioTown, USA and subsequent bioeconomic rural development opportunities across Indiana and the nation.

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, hydrolysis, syngas, cellulosic, gasification, decentralization

Latin America's Blueprint for Green Energy

The IDB commissioned Garten Rothkopf, a consulting firm which works with corporations on long-term global strategies, to perform an analysis that would serve as a blueprint to its development of energy technologies in the Americas.

What is the IDB? According to their website. "The Inter-American Development Bank was established in 1959 as a development institution with novel mandates and tools. It is the main source of multilateral financing for economic, social and institutional development projects and trade and regional integration programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the oldest and largest regional development bank."

This report begins with the major trends in global energy: the drivers of demand, the constraints on supply, and the twin imperatives of energy security and emissions reductions. The promise of biofuels is then assessed relative to the leading alternative technologies in the transport sector: hydrogen fuel cells and coal liquefaction. This is followed by the “Global Biofuels Outlook 2007”, an assessment of the state of biofuels in 50 countries on 6 continents, highlighting the critical areas of government policy, productive capacity, private sector investment, and research and development.

The report concludes with a blueprint for green energy in the Americas. This strategic blueprint is organized around the four pillars that they project will drive and shape competition and demand: innovation, capacity expansion, infrastructure, and building global markets.

The basic thesis is clear:

Coordination between the government, private sector, universities, and research institutions to strengthen the connection between the scientific research activities and practical technological needs of the sector is critical.

----------------
A Blueprint for Green Energy in the Americas
Strategic Analysis of Opportunities for Brazil and the Hemisphere
Featuring: The Global Biofuels Outlook 2007
Prepared for the Inter-American Development Bank

We are in the midst of a sustainable energy and climate change revolution, directly linked to the other major transformational trends of our time-the rise of the world's emerging economies, the world's rapid urbanization and the revolution in biotechnology. While not a panacea, biofuels represent one important choice in an increasing array of energy options. They have a significant role to play in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from transport, developing rural economies, and attracting private sector investment.

This study, prepared by Garten Rothkopf for the Inter American Development Bank, seeks to cut through the hype surrounding biofuels, and alternative energy writ large, and present an objective, fact-based analysis of the region's global competitive position looking forward to 2020. It includes the most extensive study done to date on the global biofuels market, including 50 countries. The report also focuses on the challenges that lie ahead, from ensuring that the choices made are sustainable in terms of their environmental and social impact to recognizing that unprecedented investment and innovation will produce new competitive forces that will require all who would lead to adapt or fall behind.

The growth of biofuels will favor countries with long growing seasons, tropical climates, high precipitation levels, low labor costs, low land costs, as well as the planning, human resources, and technological know how to take advantage of them. Latin America and Caribbean, led by Brazil, already produces 40% of the world's biofuels and is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this growing industry.

"A Blueprint for Green Energy in the Americas" offers a strategic blueprint for IDB activities in the region, to serve as the basis for even more focused and policy-oriented studies in the future.

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, hydrolysis, syngas, cellulosic, gasification, decentralization

The Renewable Path to Energy Security

Mixing environmental concern with American "can-do" attitude, the Worldwatch Insitute and Center for American Progress have teamed up to provide a free, online 40-page that provides chapters titled:
• a vision for a more secure and prosperous America
• building a new energy economy
• a cleaner, healthier America
• resources and technology
• American energy policy agenda

As their press release announces:

The American Energy Initiative is a joint project of the Worldwatch Institute and the Center for American Progress focused on educating and inspiring the public and policymakers on the importance of renewable energy to the economic, environmental and national security of the United States. The report, American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security, demonstrates the potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency and presents a practical policy agenda for achieving them.

The chapters on Biofuels and Biopower are particularly relevant to the interests of frequent visitors to this blog. There is a blind eye, however, to urban waste as a biomass feedstock. This misses a major opportunity to effect industrial and urban change in our society.

Rather than quote excerpts, here are a few harvested charts and snippets to encourage you to download and read the report:

----------------------------
American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security
by the Worldwatch Institute and the Center for American Progress

The time is ripe for a strong national commitment to enacting new policies at the federal, state, and local levels that will allow the United States to become a world leader in building a 21st century energy system.Meeting that challenge will require concerted action by governments, businesses, and citizens across our nation.

“Renewable energy is one of the great stories of recent years, and it’s going to be a bigger story in the years to come.”
—George W. Bush, President of the United States

“This field of greentech could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century.”
—John Doerr, venture capitalist for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

“The Stone Age did not end for lack of stones, and the Oil Age will end long before the world runs out of oil.”
—Sheikh Yamani, former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
—Alan Kay, pioneer of personal computing

technorati BIOblog, BIOconversion, bioenergy, biofuels, ethanol, cellulosic, legislation, security

Europe's "New Industrial Revolution"

If we are learning anything in the new millennium it is that the Industrial Revolution of the last 150 years is overdue for a major upgrade. While we have come a long way from wood burning boilers (at least in some industries) we seem stuck on old ways of thinking about what is efficient and economical without considering the social costs related to:
1 - particulate matter and toxic emissions from combustion
2 - wasted energy related to released heat and emissions
3 - energy transport and transmission from over centralization
4 - foreign resource and energy supply dependency
5 - carbon release into the atmosphere
6 - geopolitical and market competitiveness
7 - aging infrastructure

We need to look at feedstock and energy generation with a fresh eye - an eye for opportunities to improve the status quo in significant ways. The new European Union report entitled An Energy Policy for Europe gives a glimpse of what is under consideration for that continent with significant implications for the rest of the world.

To see other related European Union documents (plus laymen's summaries), visit the EU Press Room's Energy for a Changing World. Topics include: Renewable Energy Road Map, Progress in renewable electricity, Progress in Biofuels, Gas and Electricity Infrastructures, Nuclear Energy, Sustainable Power Generation from Fossil Fuels, and European strategic energy technology plan.

Below are some excerpts from the Biopact description of the Energy Policy's contents...

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EU unveils energy policy for the 21st century: towards a 'low carbon economy' with renewables

Today, the Commission put forward a series of energy reports and policy proposals, which it hopes will be a catalyst for "a new industrial revolution" that will "transform Europe into a highly energy-efficient and low-CO2 energy economy" by the mid-century.

To address those challenges, the Commission proposes an Action Plan, to be implemented in the next three years. It calls on the European Parliament and on EU leaders to endorse the plan at the forthcoming summit in March. "The point of departure for a common energy policy must be combating climate change, promoting jobs and growth and limiting the EU's external vulnerability to imported hydrocarbons," the Commission says.

The new EU energy strategy is based on three main pillars:

1. Accelerating the shift to low carbon energy

In its report entitled the Renewables Energy Roadmap the Commission proposes to maintain the EU's position as a world leader in renewable energy, by proposing a binding target of 20% of its overall energy mix will be sourced from renewable energy by 2020. This will require a massive growth in all three renewable energy sectors: electricity, biofuels and heating and cooling. This renewables target will be supplemented by a minimum target for biofuels of 10%. In addition, a 2007 renewables legislative package will include specific measures to facilitate the market penetration of both biofuels and heating and cooling.

2. Creation of a true Internal Energy Market

The aim is to give real choice for EU energy users, whether citizens or businesses, and to trigger the huge investments needed in energy, as outlined in the policy proposal Prospects for the Internal Gas and Electricity Market. The single market is good not just for competitiveness, but also sustainability and security.

3. Energy efficiency

As outlined in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan [*.pdf], the Commission proposes that the use of fuel efficient vehicles for transport is accelerated; tougher standards and better labelling on appliances; improved energy performance of the EU's existing buildings and improved efficiency of heat and electricity generation, transmission and distribution. The Commission also proposes a new international agreement on energy efficiency.

The European Union cannot achieve its energy and climate change objectives on its own. It needs to work with both developed and developing countries and energy consumers and producers. The European Union will develop effective solidarity mechanisms to deal with any energy supply crisis and actively develop a common external energy policy to increasingly "speak with one voice" with third countries. It will endeavour to develop real energy partnerships with suppliers based on transparency, predictability and reciprocity.


technorati bioenergy, investment, Europe, biofuels, waste, environment, policy, sustainability

FLORIDA: Cultivating a Bioconversion Industry

As the most tropical state on the continent, Florida provides a unique combination of climate and agriculture for the cultivation of biomass feedstock. Almost more important, it has a state commissioner that recognizes the unique opportunity the state has to lead the nation in bioconversion of its crops into biofuels.

The Fueling Station website has a report on Commissioner Charles H. Bronson's appeal to Florida legislators to provide a regulatory environment (equal to the agricultural ecology) necessary to cultivate a powerhouse bioconversion industry there. Here is part of the report...

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Florida Official Touts Alternative Fuels To Lawmakers.

Florida has the capability of producing more alternative fuels than anywhere else in the country, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson told state legislators on Wednesday.

Appearing before a joint meeting of the House Agribusiness and House Energy Committees, Bronson said the state's abundant sunshine, ample rainfall and year-round growing season puts Florida ahead of every state in the country in its potential to produce ethanol and bio-diesel crops.

"You today are in a position of putting Florida ahead of the pack," Bronson said. "It will be a Florida that looks much different than it does today."

What are needed are tax incentives or some form of financial assistance that the state can provide to encourage growers to produce alternative energy crops and processors to locate facilities in Florida to convert the crops to fuel, Bronson said.

Bronson is a member of the steering committee of "25x25" -- a national bipartisan organization whose goal is to see U.S. agriculture produce 25 percent of the nation's energy needs by the year 2025. He has launched the state's Farm to Fuel program, which encompasses efforts under way in Florida to see that goal realized.

The Commissioner told legislators that unlike the Midwest, where corn is the primary alternative energy crop, research done at the University of Florida has concluded that by using certain bacteria, virtually any type of bio-mass can be broken down to fuel. That would include wood, forestry debris, plant stalks and even livestock waste in addition to conventional crops.

"The opportunities in Florida are going to shock you," Bronson said.


technorati bioenergy, bioconversion, ethanol, Florida legislation, biofuels

Future Production of Liquid Biofuels

Below is a chart that caught my eye. It was reproduced by Green Car Congress from a report issued by Nexant - an energy analysis and consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco with offices strategically placed throughout the world.

Current and Emerging Liquid Biofuels Technologies

An interpretation of this chart
Biomass is seen as a high volume feedstock that is low in costs. The conversion of biomass to fuels through gasification is "more challenging" than the known commercially implemented technology of whole grain sugar fermentation, but only slightly more challenging than enzyme hydrolysis (which is getting significantly more attention in North America). Syngas fermentation to directly produce ethanol is seen as a viable, developing technology.

As the study recommends, gasification conversion of biomass should be co-developed with other emerging technologies. Not only could it be useful for thermal conversion of other process wastes and residues, but, through syngas fermentation, it could be used to directly produce ethanol.

Below are excerpts from the Nexant press release about their recently published study. A link to the study prospectus is provided.

---------------
Nexant Forecasts Evolving Diversity in Biofuel Feedstocks and Technologies
New Multifaceted Technoeconomic Study Sees Strong Global Production Growth

A newly published study by Nexant, Inc.--Liquid Biofuels: Substituting for Petroleum--looks at current, emerging, and potential future technologies to produce biogasoline and biodiesel, considering all key elements of the value chain, including agricultural, logistical, and processing. Emphasizing technoeconomic modeling, it details development trends around the world and analyzes key policy drivers, including rural development, energy independence, and reduced carbon footprint, and considers a full range of technical, feedstock, and alternative biofuel product options.

Bioethanol from grains and sugar, though an excellent high-octane gasoline blendstock, has many practical problems and is also likely to be transitional over the long term, according to the study.

Nexant projects that the next phase of development is likely to be ethanol made by fermentation of sugars obtained through biomass hydrolysis. Nexant also concludes that, perhaps sooner than some may believe, integrated thermochemical platforms will take the lead in producing both gasoline and diesel range biofuels (biomass-to-liquids [BTL], similar to coal-to-liquids and gas-to-liquids), most likely in conjunction with electric power and chemicals. This alternative should be—and probably will be—pursued contemporaneously with developing biomass-based ethanol, according to Nexant.

While crop biotechnology may provide a more productive, varied, and stable feedstock platform for a biofuels industry, the potential for early conflict with food is probably underestimated, according to Nexant.

The study outlines a number of attractive “paths of least resistance” for developing the global biofuels industry based on leveraging current or co-developing technologies, such as coal gasification and gas-to-liquids catalysis. For the interim strategy of fermenting sugars from biomass, a number of preparation options are available, and thermal utilization of fermentation process residues needs to be carefully considered.

For the thermochemical platform of the future, more work must be done to develop in-field pyrolysis of biomass to help overcome logistics challenges, as well as biomass gasification and system optimization.

The study profiles a broad range of agricultural and biotechnology platforms and issues, and its geographic coverage includes the countries playing significant roles in biofuel feeds, production, and/or technology development over the next decade.


technorati bioenergy, gasification, syngas, biomass, biofuels, cellulosic, ethanol

CALIFORNIA: Cities favoring Gasification over Combustion

Under pressure from key state politicians and environmental groups, the Southern California city of Burbank has abruptly postponed plans to renew a lucrative electricity contract with Utah-based Intermountain Power Agency (IPA). By doing so, Burbank has joined the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in rejecting out of state power contracts with vendors who contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

Six of the SoCal's largest cities depend on Intermountain for half to two-thirds of their electricity. In spite of that, many if not all may follow L.A. and Burbank's example. It is obvious that Californian utilities and politicians are starting to factor in the political and social costs of coal-fired energy.

The move to extend the contracts was prompted by new state legislation (SB 1368) that would prohibit cities from entering long-term contracts with energy vendors within or outside the state that do not meet the California Energy Commission (CEC) greenhouse gas emissions standards. Extending the contracts now would grandfather their terms.

It should be noted that the cities have been paying billions in long-term costs for construction of the out-of-state coal plants operated by IPA. Unless they extend the contracts they would lose the right to much cheaper power after those costs were paid off in 2027 and their contracts expired.

Annual CO2 emissions at the IPA plants total more than 16 million tons, according to an analysis by the conservation group Environmental Defense. Should IPA effect changes to their coal-fire process to meet the CEC standards, the cities could renew the contracts. However, this is not likely to happen without substantial upgrading to the IPA facilities.

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times titled "More cities reject coal-fired power":

Intermountain's General Manager Reed Searle said the Utah agency worked for three years on the renewals and now was looking at ways to modernize its plants to bring them into compliance with California's greenhouse-gas legislation, including burning biomass — which includes fast-growing trees and plants as well as waste products — instead of coal, or possible burial of carbon dioxide. He warned that such measures "will be costly" to consumers. Biomass conversion would cost about $300 million, he said, and carbon capture and sequestration technologies would cost billions.

"We can't just blanket 100 miles of the desert with solar panels. And besides, solar doesn't work at night," said David Wright, general manager of Riverside Public Utilities. He and Burbank officials said they were most interested in integrated gasification combined cycle power, which creates cleaner gas and steam power from coal and could allow CO2 to be separated and buried.

technorati emissions, California, legislation, waste, bioenergy, environment, investment, conversion, coal

Impact of Global Growth on Carbon Emissions

"Business as usual" could could have serious long-term consequences for global energy consumption and carbon emissions. According to a report released by PriceWaterhouse-Coopers (PwC) last month, global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are going to more than double by the year 2050 unless a number of significant policy changes are enacted soon to deploy technological emission reduction measures.

In March 2006, PwC published a report, The World in 2050: How big will the emerging market economies get and how can the OECD compete?, on the rapid growth of the "E7" emerging economies (China, India, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, India, and Turkey). They project the combined economies of these countries could be 25-75% greater than the G7 countries (U.S., Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Canada) by 2050.

The questions unaddressed by that report - what consequences on global climate will that growth cause? What is the need for change?

These questions are covered in a follow-up study, The World in 2050: implications of global growth for carbon emissions and climate change policy released in September. In it, the author provided a baseline estimate of carbon emissions with the current rate of energy efficiency. He then developed five different scenarios incorporating more successively aggressive measures.

It is a sober look at the paths open to us and the need to start implementation. Our leaders must recognize the need to start deploying clean solutions now and adjust them as we go. Civilization cannot afford to squander decades (as we have since the last big oil crisis) holding out for "ideal" solutions. According to PcW:

The analysis also suggests that there could be significant costs to delay, given the time required to develop and implement the necessary technologies and policies. As emissions from the faster-growing emerging economies will almost certainly continue to rise over the next few decades, the G7 economies may need to take the lead in reducing their carbon emissions.

But this should create major new market opportunities, allowing companies in the established OECD economies to specialise in areas of comparative advantage, while their consumers benefit from low cost imports from the emerging economies — a "win-win" outcome rather than "one winner takes all".

A few excerpts:

-------------------------
The World in 2050: implications of global growth for carbon emissions and climate change policy
Report outlines 'Green Growth Plus' strategy that could curb global carbon emissions without significantly reducing long-term economic growth
John Hawksworth, Head of Macroeconomics, PriceWaterhouse-Coopers

The report considers six possible scenarios but focuses most attention on two key possibilities:

• A baseline scenario in which energy efficiency improves in line with trends of the past 25 years, with no change in fuel mix by country; this ‘business as usual’ scenario acts as a benchmark against which to assess the need for change, rather than as a forecast of the most likely outcome; and
• A scenario called Green Growth + CCS, which incorporates possible emission reductions due to a greener fuel mix, annual energy efficiency gains over and above the historic trend, and widespread use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. Of the scenarios considered in the report, only this ‘Green Growth Plus’ strategy stabilises atmospheric CO2 concentrations by 2050 at what the current scientific consensus suggests would be broadly acceptable levels.

The chart below shows how it might be possible to get from the baseline scenario to the preferred Green Growth + CCS scenario for global carbon emissions in three steps.

1. A shift to a much less carbon intensive fuel mix through increased nuclear and/or renewables supply (more than doubling the current non-fossil-fuel primary energy share to around 30% by 2050) and reduced fossil fuel.
2. Energy intensity reductions significantly faster than historic trends (2.6% per annum rather than 1.6% per annum, which would reduce carbon emissions in 2050 by around a third relative to our baseline scenario).
3. Significant investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and capacity of the order of 1.5GtC per annum by 2050, which could reduce carbon emissions by a further 20%, relative to our Green Growth scenario without CCS.

John Hawksworth concludes: "Our analysis suggests that there are technologically feasible and relatively low-cost options for controlling carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Estimates suggest that the level of GDP might be reduced by no more than around 2-3% in 2050 if this strategy was followed, equivalent to sacrificing only around a year of economic growth for the sake of reducing carbon emissions in 2050 by around 60% compared to our baseline scenario".

"But if this is to be achieved, it will take further concerted action by governments, businesses and individuals over a broad range of measures to boost energy efficiency, adopt a greener fuel mix, and introduce carbon capture and storage technologies in power plants and other major industrial facilities".

technorati greenhouse, emissions, policy, global warming, bioenergy, environment, carbon, sequestration

U.S. D.O.E.: Strategies for Reducing Greenhouse Gases

On September 21st the U.S. Department of Energy released their Climate Change Technology Program (CCTP) Strategic Plan which describes broadscope measures that the D.O.E. should pursue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The publication of the study confirms that the U.S. Department of Energy considers "climate change" to be a pressing issue:

As a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United States shares with many other countries the UNFCCC’s ultimate objective, that is, the “…stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system . . . within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.” Meeting this objective will require a sustained, long-term commitment by all nations over many generations.

Technologies emphasized for development are hydrogen extraction, biorefining, renewable power generation, clean coal and carbon sequestration, nuclear fission and fusion. Of these, biomass conversion is applicable to all but nuclear fission and fusion.

Below are some excerpts that relate specifically to biomass conversion and syngas technologies:

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U.S. Climate Change Technology Program Strategic Plan
September 2006

The Plan sets six complementary goals:

1 - Reducing emissions from energy use and infrastructure;
2 - Reducing emissions from energy supply;
3 - Capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide;
4 - Reducing emissions of other greenhouse gases;
5 - Measuring and monitoring emissions; and
6 - Bolstering the contributions of basic science to climate change.

These six CCTP strategic goals focus primarily on mitigating GHG emissions to make progress toward stabilizing atmospheric GHG concentrations. They are not intended to encompass the broad array of technical challenges and opportunities that may arise from climate change.
—CCTP Strategic Plan

A recent assessment of potential biofuel resources concluded that by mid-21st century it would be technically possible to produce enough biomass to displace about one-third of current petroleum consumption. The study made no conclusions about economic feasibility. This level of biofuel production would require economically-competitive technologies to convert cellulosic biomass (rather than just the sugars and starches) into ethanol, and developing cellulosic ethanol technologies is a central aspect of the Biofuels Initiative and the President’s Advanced Energy Initiative.

◆ Biochemical Conversion of Biomass. Research is required to gain a better understanding of genomes, proteins, and their functions; the enzymes used for hydrolyzing pretreated biomass into fermentable sugars; the micro-organisms used in fermentation; and new tools of discovery such as bio-informatics, high-throughput screening of biodiversity, directed enzyme development and evolution, and gene shuffling. Research must focus on improving the cost, yield, and equipment reliability for harvesting, collecting, and transporting biomass; pretreating biomass before conversion; lowering the cost of the genetically engineered cellulose enzymes needed to hydrolyze biomass; developing and improving fermentation organisms; and developing integrated processing applicable to a large, continuous-production commercial facility.

◆ Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass. Research is needed to improve the production, preparation, and handling of biomass; improve the operational reliability of thermochemical biorefineries; remove contaminants from synthesis gas and develop cost-competitive catalysts and processes for converting synthesis gases to chemicals, fuels, or electricity. All processes in the entire conversion system must be integrated to maximize efficiency and reduce costs.

technorati bioenergy, strategy, DOE, syngas, government, biofuels, greenhouse, global warming, ethanol

CANADA: Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Options

A search for a current comparison of waste disposal options uncovered this report by the Recycling Council of Alberta Canada. It describes in considerable detail the various waste treatment options available for typical municipalities of 20,000, 80,000, and 200,000 inhabitants.

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MSW Options: Integrating Organics Management and Residual Treatment/Disposal
Recycling Council of Alberta, April 2006

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Options: Integrating Organics Management and Residual Treatment/Disposal will assist municipalities in moving their integrated waste management systems to the “next level” in order to further conserve resources, reduce environmental impacts, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, produce energy, lessen dependence on landfills and improve social acceptability.

The report provides evaluations of the following Organics Management and Residual Treatment/Disposal options:
• composting;
• anaerobic digestion;
• sanitary landfill.
• bioreactor landfill; and
• thermal treatment including incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, and plasma arc.

The indicators used in the evaluations included: environmental, social, economic, energy and greenhouse gases.

Here is a simple animation showing how Consutech incinerators use heat in a double chamber configuration to reduce the mass of the input feedstock.


technorati bioenergy, gasification, enzymatic, pyrolysis, conversion, biofuels, syngas, incineration,, plasma arc

The Benefits of Conversion Technologies

The Los Angeles City Council hired URS Corporation to make a study, HEALTH IMPACTS OF CONVERSION TECHNOLOGIES IN CALIFORNIA, to identify technologies that would help it reach its landfill diversion goals through conversion technologies. That study was released late last year.

A followup story written by Mr. Predpall has appeared in a recent issue of MSW Management magazine. Within its content is a well-written summary of the benefits of CTs (see below). I have also included his identification of the California opposition to them - which concurs with mine. I highly recommend reading the entire article.

--------------------

The Time Has Come for Conversion Technologies
by Dan Predpall, V.P. of URS Corp.

The benefits offered by CTs have not been publicized well. The benefits of CTs will be brought into public awareness as entities such as the city of Los Angeles and the county of Los Angeles continue to pursue development of CTs as a way to manage disposal of their residual MSW streams.

The key benefits of CTs are:

Increased Recycling. This benefit is not well recognized. The CTs under development today are being designed to process residuals from materials recovery facilities (MRFs) or trash (residuals after source separation).

These residuals still contain considerable amounts of recyclable materials that can be recovered in pre-processing. In addition, materials produced by the conversion units, such as slag and bottom ash, can be recycled. Some question why the operator would want to remove the recyclables from the input stream. The answer is simple: The facility will earn greater revenues by recycling additional metals, glass, and paper than it will by processing this material in the conversion unit, typically with a loss in overall efficiency. Further, “unrecyclable” plastics that would otherwise go to a landfill are excellent feedstocks for CTs.

Generation Of Renewable Energy. Processing MSW residuals to generate energy or green fuels qualifies in most states as a source of renewable energy. In addition, processing MSW to energy qualifies as a renewable energy under Renewable Portfolio Standards and can be used to create renewable energy credits in some states. If about one-third of the residential MSW collected annually in the city of Los Angeles were processed by CTs, about 50 MW of renewable energy could be produced.

Reduced Landfill Impacts. The byproducts created by CTs are typically very small in quantity, and inert. Therefore, the material that cannot be recycled in a CT and must be sent to a landfill will not result in impacts to the environment. The situation is quite different when MSW (or MSW residuals) are landfilled. Even modern landfills impact the environment via release of methane (a greenhouse gas) not captured by landfill gas collection, air emissions from equipment operating the landfill, and leakage through failures of landfill liners.

Offsets To Fossil Fuel Usage. CTs can generate electricity or green fuels by processing MSW. This in turn reduces the amount of fossil fuels needed to supply the energy requirement of a region. Energy savings result when the entire life cycle of the MSW collection and processing system is evaluated, and all of the energy usage and energy production and recycling benefits are considered.

The energy savings can be significant. For example, according to the California Integrated Waste Management BoardÂ’s (CIWMB) CT report to the legislature, energy savings in the Los Angeles region could be equivalent to a 150 MW power plant (this assumes treating about one-third of the total residential MSW collected annually in the City of Los Angeles).

Lower Air Emissions. The use of CTs can result in reductions in emissions of NOx, SOx, and particulates. For example, NOx emissions, which are precursors of smog, acid deposition, and reduced visibility, are primarily the result of fuel combustion processes. Through the use of CTs, NOx emissions can be avoided by displacing combustion activities and electricity production and increasing the recycling of materials.

Using similar data and assumptions as noted above, the NOx emissions avoided by building CTs in Los Angeles would be equivalent to those emitted from a 1,000-MW, gas-fired power plant.

Reduced Carbon Emissions. Carbon emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect, and, therefore, can lead to climate change. Carbon emissions result from the combustion of fossil fuels and the degradation of organics. Methane emissions from landfills represent a significant source of carbon emissions, since methane has a global warming potential about 21 times that of CO2. The use of CTs can create offsets for carbon emissions through increased recycling, diversion of organics from landfills, and displacement of fossil fuels.

Based upon data in the CIWMB report to the legislature, processing about one-third of the residential MSW collected annually in Los Angeles would reduce carbon emissions by about 1,000,000 metric tons per year.

The overall benefit of CTs is that of increased environmental sustainability. In general, environmental sustainability involves a number of issues, including:

• Reliance on renewable energy
• Improving environmental quality
• Reducing waste
• Conserving natural resources
• Responsible consumption
• Long-term focus

Therefore, the use of CTs closely complies with the goals of environmental sustainability.

Opposition.

As more CT projects are being proposed, opposition from specific groups is growing. One is the global environmental organization that opposes mass-burn incineration. This group has typically opposed CT implementation on the grounds that CTs are actually “incinerators in disguise”. This is untrue; in fact, there are many significant technological differences between CTs and mass-burn incinerators. Another opposition group is the recycling industry. This industry sees CTs as a threat to its business because it claims that CTs will process all MSW, including recyclables. As mentioned above, this is unlikely because, A.) projects under development are using MSW residuals, and B.) the value of residuals as a recycled material is higher than its value for CT processing.

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The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation just released a detailed assessment of conversion technologies, which can be found at Evaluation of Alternative Solid Waste Processing Technologies .


technorati biofuels, conversion, CTs, greenhouse, California, gasification, recycling, bioenergy

European Report on Bioenergy and the Environment

Thanks again to BioPact for bird-dogging an important EU report that "assesses how much biomass could technically be available for energy production without increasing pressures on the environment." It was written by the European Environment Agency and is called How much bioenergy can Europe produce without harming the environment?

This 72-page document provides objective analysis of feedstock available for bioenergy energy systems that convert biomass into heat, electricity, and biofuels. It provides a listing of its overall assumptions and then gives a detailed assessment of the bioenergy potential for agricultural, forestry, and waste sectors. It also provides annexes that focus on such topics as:

• Indicative comparison of crop prices for bioenergy compared to commodity prices.
• Environmental pressures by crop.
• Net calorific values (per crop).
• Possible policy measures to influence the environmental effect of bioenergy cropping.

This is a valuable, up-to-date tool that can help policymakers, marketers, environmentalists, investors, agronomists, and other stakeholders assess the potential impact, needs, and opportunities associated with bioenergy systems. Its focus is on implementation in Europe but it is clearly relevant to study for other parts of the world.


technorati bioenergy, investment, Europe, biofuels, waste, environment, policy, sustainability, calories, prices

U.S. D.O.E.: Roadmap for Developing Cleaner Fuels

The Department of Energy has just announced the publication of an ambitious, long term, research "road map" for developing technologies for the conversion of biomass to cellulosic ethanol.

The roadmap identifies the research required for overcoming challenges to the large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol to help meet this goal, including maximizing biomass feedstock productivity, developing better processes by which to break down cellulosic materials into sugars, and optimizing the fermentation process to convert sugars to ethanol

The focus is clearly on the longterm development of enzymatic hydrolysis techniques involving enzymatic, genetic, thermochemical, and chemical R&D. The question is, what is the Department of Energy doing to support R&D and deployment of the other major processes for converting biomass to ethanol - synthesis gas fermentation including catalytic conversion of syngas to ethanol?

The D.O.E. appears to be ignoring the potential of converting a whole, vast class of feedstock and blended feedstock options (non-agricultural feedstocks including municipal solid waste, tires, sulfurous coal, etc.). In addition, they are ignoring the relative speed, ease, and cost efficiency of gasification of feedstock to break down molecular bonds prior to fermentation to ethanol. These technologies are crucial for waste diversion and urban participation in cellulosic ethanol production.

We applaud the scope of the D.O.E.'s commitment to cellulosic ethanol R&D, but focusing only on vastly more challenging and expensive processes may significantly delay the funding crucial to the R&D and deployment of more expedient bioconversion technologies. We would like to see a commensurate commitment to funding syngas fermentation and catalytic conversion process.

----------------

DOE Publishes Roadmap for Developing Cleaner Fuels
Research Aimed at Making Cellulosic Ethanol a Practical Alternative to Gasoline

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released an ambitious new research agenda for the development of cellulosic ethanol as an alternative to gasoline. The 200-page scientific “roadmap” cites recent advances in biotechnology that have made cost-effective production of ethanol from cellulose, or inedible plant fiber, an attainable goal. The report outlines a detailed research plan for developing new technologies to transform cellulosic ethanol—a renewable, cleaner-burning, and carbon-neutral alternative to gasoline—into an economically viable transportation fuel.

“Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to be a major source for transportation fuel for America’s energy future,” Under Secretary for Science Raymond L. Orbach said. “Low production cost and high efficiency require transformational changes in processing cellulose to ethanol. DOE’s Genomics: GTL program is poised to help do just that.”

The roadmap responds directly to the goal recently announced by Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman of displacing 30 percent of 2004 transportation fuel consumption with biofuels by 2030. This goal was set in response to the President's Advanced Energy Initiative.

The roadmap identifies the research required for overcoming challenges to the large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol to help meet this goal, including maximizing biomass feedstock productivity, developing better processes by which to break down cellulosic materials into sugars, and optimizing the fermentation process to convert sugars to ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is derived from the fibrous, woody and generally inedible portions of plant matter (biomass).

The focus of the research plan is to use advances in biotechnology -- first developed in the Human Genome Project and continued in the Genomics: GTL program in the Department’s Office of Science -- to jump-start a new fuel industry whose products can be transported, stored and distributed with only modest modifications to the existing infrastructure and can fuel many of today’s vehicles.

The new roadmap was developed during a December 2005 workshop hosted jointly by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the Office of Science and the Office of the Biomass Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The success of the plan relies heavily on the continuation of the partnership between the two offices established at that workshop.

“Biofuels represent a tremendous opportunity to move our nation toward a reduced dependence on imported oil,” DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner said. “We fully intend to use all of our resources and talent to support the President’s goal of breaking our addiction to oil, while also enhancing our energy security.”

The report, “Breaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol: A Joint Research Agenda,” and a fact sheet on the report may be viewed at http://www.doegenomestolife.org/biofuels/.

For more information about the Genomics: GTL program in the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the Office of Science, see http://www.doegenomestolife.org/. For more information on the Office of the Biomass Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, see http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/.


technorati bioenergy, investment, DOE, government, biofuels, ethanol,, cellulosic

OREGON: Cellulose Inventory Report

While many may think that the subject of cellulosic conversion to ethanol is a recent phenomenon, here is a report that was conducted in 2000 to inventory the cellulose feedstock available in Oregon for conversion to ethanol. It includes a list of possible sites and recommended policy strategies.

Here is the report's summary:

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Oregon Cellulose-Ethanol Study

The Oregon Cellulose-Ethanol Study was issued by the Oregon Department of Energy in June 2000. The Department commissioned the study to evaluate the near-term potential of a cellulose-based ethanol industry in the state.

The Oregon Cellulose-Ethanol Study contains an overview of cellulose feedstocks available in Oregon. It discusses the status of cellulose-ethanol technology and includes the results of an economic modeling analysis conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Oregon has an abundance cellulose feedstocks that could be used for ethanol production. The study includes a preliminary feedstock assessment with information about current market demand and uses, cost, collection potential, qualities and geographic concentrations.

A major objective of the study was to identify critical barriers and assess perceived risks to the development of commercial ethanol production in Oregon. The report addresses possible methods to overcome obstacles through the use of low-cost resources in Oregon. The report identifies market opportunities and suggests public policy initiatives.


technorati bioenergy, ethanol, Oregon, cellulosic, legislation

Green Jobs for America: Two Reports

As we near the break point of our oil dependency, a new vision for America's energy future is emerging. Two recently released reports focus on the employment implications of an invigorated changeover from fossil fuels to renewable fuels and green energy systems. New industries will emerge from this transition. Old skill-sets will be applied in new ways. As energy production decentralizes to exploit the myriad feedstocks and generation technologies that will develop, high value jobs will be created.

Writer/blogger Joel Makower wrote an article for Clean Edge Technologies that lists a number of regionalized reports on the green employment picture for America. He mentions Apollo Alliance, a highly visible an experienced coalition of labor and environmental groups, in his editorial and their Ten-Point Plan for Good Jobs and Energy Independence (summarized below). Coincidentally, I met Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo at the Biomass Coordinating Council meeting at the Power-Gen Conference in Las Vegas last week. As part of the "Apollo Initiative" his group has just published a comprehensive report called New Energy For America: Apollo Jobs Report which identifies job opportunities that will raise America's energy infrastructure while providing a broad range of economic and environmental benefits to the world.

Excerpts from Joel's editorial and each of the two reports are listed below:

----------------------


Clean Technology: Where the Jobs Are
by Joel Makower

Over the past few years, a succession of cities, counties, regions, and states have sought to brand themselves as the "Silicon Valley" of clean technology, or some such moniker. About 18 months ago, Clean Edge prepared a strategy for the city of San Francisco (along with a subsequent progress report) on how to make that city a clean-tech magnet. Other studies have show the potential for clean energy and related technologies to create jobs in Arizona, New Mexico, New York, the Midwest U.S., the Northwest U.S. (PDF), and America as a whole.

Comes now the City of Angels, heralding "green technology" (in its parlance) as the new job-creation machine for Southern California. According to Jobs in L.A.'s Green Technology Sector, released recently by the Economic Roundtable,

"Los Angeles has unrealized opportunities to become a growing provider of 'green' goods and services, and through this growth to create decent jobs that benefit all residents of the city."

The Los Angeles study is noteworthy for the level of detail it offers, and for the broad occupational territory it covers.

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Excerpts from the Report, prepared for the Department of Water and Power and the Workforce Investment Board of the City of Los Angeles by the ECONOMIC ROUNDTABLE.

Jobs in L.A.'s Green Technology Sector, 2006

Los Angeles has unrealized opportunities to become a growing provider of “green” goods and services, and through this growth to create decent jobs that benefit all residents of the city. To realize these opportunities Los Angeles has to make up lost ground because, compared to the U.S. economy, it has a below-average share of jobs in every significant green technology industry. Strengths that Los Angeles can build on include:

A large diverse economy with significant strengths in many green technology
industries.

Ambitious environmental goals and the need for innovative technologies to
achieve those goals.

A growing consumer market for green products and services.

Significant public sector requirements for green products and services.

Exceptional intellectual assets in local universities and research institutions.

Key Policy Questions
Can the business establishments that generate green products and services, as well as the manufacturers and service providers that supply them, expand in Los Angeles to create good paying jobs that benefit local residents equitably? The answer to this broad question rests on answers to several smaller questions:
• How many businesses with environmentally linked activities already operate in
the L.A. region?
• Is the green technology sector expanding?
• How many of their suppliers are locate here?
• Which suppliers benefit most from growth in this industry?
• What types of jobs does the green technology sector provide?
• What types of skills are necessary to work in this sector?
• Can entry-level workers find job opportunities in this sector?


----------------------


New Energy For America: Apollo Jobs Report
from the Apollo Alliance

The new Apollo Initiative calls for a large scale federal commitment, on the scale of $30 billion/year for 10 years, to achieve a new energy infrastructure that is diversified, environmentally safe, and more efficient. This initiative will turn challenge into opportunity. It will generate good jobs and help US companies capture the green markets of the future. It will reduce dependence on foreign oil. It will rebuild communities, and it will make America an environmental leader again, helping put the world on a path to a sustainable future.

The new Apollo Initiative will achieve these benefits by pursuing four broad strategies:

Diversify our energy sources: making America less dependent on foreign oil, while making energy more secure, more affordable and reliable, and less polluting

Invest in the industries of the future: promoting new technology, improving manufacturing processes, and expanding markets for American durable goods.

Promote construction of high performance, energy efficient buildings: saving money and rebuilding more livable, more equitable, and healthier environments, and

Drive investment in cities and communities: renewing our commitment to building smart public infrastructure for transportation, energy, and other vital public services.

Taken together, these strategies combined with national commitment, public investment, meaningful standards, and political will, can bring about enormous benefits for both America and the world.

And remarkably, by creating jobs and economic growth, this investment will generate sufficient new returns to the US treasury from increased income, to pay for itself over a ten year period.

The Ten-Point Plan for Good Jobs and Energy Independence

1. Promote Advanced Technology & Hybrid Cars
2. Invest In More Efficient Factories
3. Encourage High Performance Building
4. Increase Use of Energy Efficient Appliances
5. Modernize Electrical Infrastructure
6. Expand Renewable Energy Development
7. Improve Transportation Options
8. Reinvest In Smart Urban Growth
9. Plan For A Hydrogen Future
10. Preserve Regulatory Protections




technorati bioenergy, employment, California, legislation, Los Angeles, energy

UC/Berkeley Study: Reducing U.S. Oil Dependence

While perusing the Americans for Energy Independence website, I ran across some research that provides evidence that reducing dependence on fossil fuels for transportation may not be as painful as most of us fear.

According to a study developed by Professor Daniel M. Kammen and his colleagues at U.C. Berkeley's Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), America could end the need to import fossil fuels from the Persian Gulf region by 2020. Towards Energy Independence in 2025 details immediate and long-term measures, basically increased fuel economy standards that, when applied to the nation's transportation sector and fleet of power plants, could reduce oil imports by more than 30 percent within 20 years.

Below are excerpts from the editorial posted at the Americans for Energy Independence website. To get a PDF copy of the actual report, click here.

-----------------------------------

Achieving Energy Autonomy
April 5, 2006
Daniel M. Kammen
Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor of Energy
University of California, Berkeley

What energy independence means to me is the ability to make foreign and domestic policy decisions without being hostage to a resource – in this case oil – addiction, and all of the irrationalities that come with decisions made in the face of an addiction. To date the U. S. has not been able to break that addiction.

Do we need to go off fossil-fuel cold-turkey? No. As dire as the ever-mounting body of evidence about global warming is, we do have time, several decades in fact, if we begin the transition to a low or no-carbon economy effectively and with the resolve to make it a reality.

Hybrid cars are now available and plug-in hybrids running on corn-based or, ideally, cellulosic ethanol could get us to the 100 – 200 mile per gallon range with current or near-term technology. We also have the success stories of wind in Denmark and Germany, ethanol in Brazil, and the policy leadership that California, New York and the New England states have shown to point the way to a clean energy future.

In our report, we examine scenarios to wean the U. S. off of oil by 2025, the super-aggressive path, and by 2050, the less aggressive but still revolutionary future-changing strategy. In both cases we find that the technologies exist today to begin the transition, and that the benefits of embarking on this path are tremendously positive, both locally and globally.



technorati bioenergy, PHEV, flex-fuel, hybrid, legislation, CAFE

CALIFORNIA: Cal/EPA Climate Action Team Report Released

Energy, waste, and emissions are inextricably linked in their impact on our quality of life. The executive agencies of California realize this - unfortunately, implementing solutions through the partisan legislature is another matter. Still, they can't complain that they didn't have enough information to act.

In a comprehensive report to the legislature, replete with supporting addenda and appendices, the Climate Action Team of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) provides
• an evaluation of the impacts of climate change,
• recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• market-driven and implementation options to pursue
• economic and environmental impacts

Below is the entirety of Cal/EPA press release concerning the report:


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Climate Action Team Report: Governor Schwarzenegger’s
Climate Change Goals Are Achievable, Benefit the Economy
April 3, 2006

(SACRAMENTO) – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are achievable and beneficial to California’s economy, according to a report by the California Climate Action Team (CAT). The report, submitted to the Governor and Legislature today, recommends a wide range of measures to meet the Governor’s goals. Combined, the measures will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California by approximately 30% by 2020.

“Last June, Governor Schwarzenegger set ambitious greenhouse gas emission targets that made California a world leader in combating climate change,” said former California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) Secretary Alan C. Lloyd, who led the CAT. “While some said the goals were too ambitious, this report concludes the Governor’s goals can be achieved while saving money and creating jobs.”

The CAT Report recommends 46 specific strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California, including implementation of the California Solar Initiative, development of alternative fuels, forest conservation measures, and intelligent transportation systems. In addition, the report includes nine key recommendations to help ensure the Governor’s targets are met, including:

A multi-sector, market-based program which considers trading, emission credits, auction and offsets

Mandatory greenhouse gas emission reporting from the largest sources, including oil and gas extraction facilities, oil refineries, power plants, cement manufacturing plants, and solid waste landfills

Require new electricity generated for use in California to come from sources with climate change emissions equivalent to or less than new combined cycle natural gas power plants

Require all utilities, whether publicly or privately owned, to meet the state’s energy efficiency goals and Renewable Portfolio Standard

A coordinated investment strategy to develop technologies in California that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The report also includes a preliminary macroeconomic analysis of the recommended strategies. This analysis, conducted using a model developed the University of California, Berkeley, predicted a net increase of 83,000 jobs and $4 billion in income by 2020, due primarily to reduced energy costs.

In June 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-3-05, establishing the most ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of any state or nation in the world. The Order directed Cal/EPA lead a multi-agency effort to meet the targets, and to report every two years on the progress toward meeting the targets.



technorati climate, greenhouse, emissions, EPA, California, legislation, waste, landfill, investment