Where does all that energy go?

Ever wonder where energy goes, in terms of personal housing and transportation? Here are some rough estimates. The first graph includes residential uses but not personal transportation. The second graph adds personal transportation, in terms of both automobile and air. Energy quantities are shown in millions of BTUs per household per year. If you prefer to think in terms of kilowatt hours, the conversion is: 1 kWh = 3414 BTU.

Graphs are courtesy of Stuart Staniford, as published in the Energy Bulletin, August 11, 2010.

Nuclear Splits?

The use of nuclear fission to generate electricity has always been problematic. For years, however, the most often-voiced concerns revolved around safety. But gradually, over time, the issue of economics has increasingly been raised. And now a true mind-blower: a recent study out of Duke University suggests that, in North Carolina, nuclear power is more costly than electricity produced via photovoltaics!!

There are actually two studies of importance here. The first, claiming the economic advantage of PV over nuclear, is entitled Solar and Nuclear Costs -- The Historic Crossover and can be found here. But the authors' arguments really build, almost entirely, on a prior study entitled The Economics of Nuclear Reactors: Renaissance or Relapse? That second -- but more fundamental -- study can be found here.

This is extremely important material, and it constitutes a potential game-changer.

Thanks to Walter Hill for bringing this to my attention!

The Big Switch?

Can we maintain a high-energy civilization simply by switching energy sources, from fossil fuels to renewables? These folks don't think so. It's worth a look.

http://www.theoildrum.com/pdf/theoildrum_6641.pdf

http://www.theoildrum.com/pdf/theoildrum_6704.pdf

http://www.theoildrum.com/pdf/theoildrum_6758.pdf

Ontario Small Generator Program

Ontario (Canada) has been offering an attractive program to encourage folks to enter the electric power generation business. What is attractive about it is the rate per kWh being paid to these small generators. If your proposed system is 10 kW or less, you can earn 80.2 cents/kWh. The program is so popular that Ontario has dropped the rate to 58.8 cents/kWh for ground-mounted systems. A brochure describing the program, called microFIT, can be found here.

The approach being used in Ontario is called a "feed-in tariff" and it has a significant advantage over the tax credit approach used in NC (and by the federal government). In North Carolina, if you have only a moderate income, you might never pay enough in state and federal taxes to ever benefit fully, or indeed at all, from the available tax credits. What this means is that the people who most need financial assistance in implementing a renewable energy project are penalized. The financially well-off get the financial benefits; the poor get nothing. With a feed-in tariff, you are paid for power output, regardless of your economic status. Ontario is not the only subscriber to the feed-in tariff approach. Germany, probably the most successful promoter of solar power, also uses the feed-in tariff approach.

In fairness, it must be admitted that a "mini-tariff" is available in NC. The NC GreenPower program does pay an elevated price -- that is, more than the utilities -- for power produced by renewable energy generators. But the price differential is nothing compared to that provided by Ontario or Germany, so folks implementing renewable energy projects here are forced to rely on tax credits in order to see anything like a reasonable payback period.

The tax credit approach is better than nothing. It remains far from optimal.

Community Sustainability Council Posts Draft of Sustainability Action Plan

The Community Sustainability Council (CSC) functions to advise the Greensboro City Council on matters relating to sustainability. The CSC has posted a draft of its proposed Sustainability Action Plan, and I urge you to read it and provide appropriate feedback. The CSC itself can be found here, and the draft of its proposal can be found here.

Sustainable Greensboro to Offer Program on Solar for Businesses

Power Your Business With The Sun

Businesses, nonprofits, and investors will learn about how solar applications can:
--Save on hot water and heating costs
--Be an investment
--Become more affordable with tax credits and proven financing

Panelists:
--Travis Simpson, CEO, Extend Energy
--Dan Gretsch, Solar Hot
--Tracy M. Valentine, CPA, MBA, Davenport, Marvin, Joyce & Co, LLP
--Iain MacSween
Moderator: Madeline Fazzalari, LEED AP, Progress Solar Solutions, LLC

Where:
Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
342 N. Elm Street
Greensboro, NC 27401

When:
June 3, 2010
8:30 am

Admission:
Free

Sponsored by:
--Sustainable Greensboro
--The Greensboro Partnership

For more information:
Stephanie Ashton
336-387-8316

To register for this free event, go to:
Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

Renewables -- A Long Way to Go

Sanity Check: How much energy are we really getting out of renewable sources? Note that the largest renewable contributors are biomass and hydro.

This chart is based on EIA data from 2001.