Education on energy reduction and conservation are both great but I doubt majority of people would change. For example, if oil became a lot cheaper (like $0.399CDN/litre  14 years ago) people will buy larger engines and drive more..roadtrip anyone?  There is less of an incentive to buy hybrid vehicles that cost significantly more. Coining the economic term, people would go for whatever gives them the most “utility”. When oil is expensive, people look for alternatives and may derive more utility from hybrids since it may not cost that much more after factoring in oil prices, and factoring that hybrids are supposedly better for the environment. I don’t want to paint the picture that people are so narrow-minded, but I think it depends on what costs are involved. It can be difficult for someone who is use to such luxuries (large plasma screens and intense home theatre setups that draw insane amount of power) and now having to make some changes. This causes resistance, and resistance usually leads to lower success rates.  If there were zero costs of changing their ways, almost everyone would change. BC Hydro encourages being power smart and some people would likely change. But it may need something greater, like an incentive, to have a greater effect on the general population. The trade in for led bulbs worked because the benefits (better lighting, lasts longer, lower energy usage, free trade-in) outweighed the cost (having to drive to the store for trading in, then going home and replacing it).

Efficiency is getting the most out while using the least. There have huge strides in efficiency. For example, the speed of computer CPU’s have increased exponentially that PC’s from last generation are sufficient for majority of home users (gamers are always an exception). With the advent of netbooks, long battery life is a factor. Intel released the Atom CPU, lower performance but power-efficient processor, that has enough speed for most day-to-day tasks. When AMD released the Opteron CPU, aimed at enterprise servers several years back, it gained considerable market share – performance was great and it was the most energy efficient. This means less cooling needed, as heat is an unnecessary evil.

Intel Atom

I will not deny that efficiency is more like targetting a symptom rather the root cause. People may still go away about their wasteful ways, but at least the impact will be greatly reduced. If we changed to renewable energy and people still used energy the same way, I view that as failure. Lower emissions and long-term sustainability (which includes human behaviour) is the key to a greener future. As developing nations like China and India are expanding, their energy usage will sky rocket. More efficient methods or products will viable for such economies. Check out PowerSaver.ca for energy tips. For example, using a energy-saver shower head can reduce 30% in hot water usage.

According to the video above by Toyota, global carbon emissions from  transportation (cars, planes, buses,etc.) was around 17.0% in 2006.  For that same year, it was 29% for the US, 27% for Canada. And 97% of these units use petroleu,. This means a lot can still be done to reduce such emissions. Rising oil prices are causing companies to find new types of alternative fuels. There already are biodiesel, natural gas and even electricity.  I read a quote somewhere and I forgot from who ( think it was some senior manager at Toyota or Honda) that stated that the lack of infrastructure is making these alternative fuels difficult to market.

The awesome thing about hydrogen fuel cells is that that the only emission is H2O…yup water. This means 0 emissions. California is jumping on this and currently has 26 fueling stations. All together, there are 120 stations in Canada and US. Not much, but its a start.

According to Hydrogen Highway, the following are popular misconceptions:

Misconception #1:

We’re still light years away from a commercially viable hydrogen-powered car.

The basic science of fuel cells is well understood and major companies around the world have already built many fuel cell cars. There is still a lot of engineering to be done to make these cars affordable and durable enough to be commercially viable. In fact, every major car company has detailed confidential estimates of how long it will take and how much it will cost to bring these cars to market.

Misconception #2:

Hydrogen is not an abundant fuel because there are no vast reservoirs of hydrogen under the ground, like there is oil.

Even though people tend to talk about cars running on oil, they actually run on gasoline which is manufactured, not found. To make gasoline we use oil as a feedstock, which we get out of the ground. Hydrogen  is also a manufactured fuel. To make hydrogen – or at least 95% of the hydrogen we use today – we use natural gas as a feedstock, which we also get out of the ground. Not so different.

The difference, though, is that gasoline can only be made from oil, but hydrogen can be made from almost any source of energy. Oil, coal, hydro power, solar power, nuclear power, geothermal power and other energy sources can all be transformed into electricity and then, by electrolysis, into hydrogen. When we can no longer find oil at a reasonable cost, we can still make hydrogen.

Misconception #3:

It doesn’t make sense to use hydrogen because we won’t be able to get more energy out of it than what we put into it.

Hydrogen is a lot like electricity: we make it in one place, transmit to another, and then transform into something we need, like heat or light or mechanical power. It doesn’t matter that we never get more electricity out of the wire than we put in at the other end. What does matter is that we can do things that we couldn’t otherwise do.

Hydrogen allows us to eliminate automobile air pollution from the tail pipes of millions of individual vehicles where it can’t be scrubbed and in turn concentrate it at a small number of generating plants where emissions can be scrubbed. It also gives us the choice of making our fuel in ways that don’t pollute, in particular by using alternate energy sources such as sun and wind to produce hydrogen.

Misconception #4:

Hydrogen fuel cells will not end global warming because we will still have to burn fossil fuels to make the hydrogen.

If we continue to drive vehicles running on fossil fuels, we will have no choice but to continue spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at an ever growing rate. But if we drive vehicles running on hydrogen, and burn fossil fuels to make that hydrogen, we will have a choice about whether to scrub the emissions or spew them into the atmosphere.

Will we scrub? Scrubbing costs money, and producers of electricity will only spend this money if it is required by law. If we scrub, or if we choose to produce hydrogen from non-polluting sources of energy, we will decrease the amount of global air pollution we create.

Misconception #5:

Using nuclear energy to make hydrogen doesn’t make sense because nuclear power costs more than other sources of power.

When we start using electrical power to generate large amounts of hydrogen, the cost of electricity from every source of energy will change because the fundamental economics will change. Generating plants, particularly nuclear plants, will no longer follow moment-by-moment demand of producing a little power at night and a lot during the day. Instead they will be able to run at a constant daytime high and use their excess night-time capacity to generate hydrogen. This will allow them to spread their fixed costs over a much larger amount of power generated, lowering the cost of every unit of power.

Misconception #6:

Renewable sources can provide only a small fraction of the energy that will be required for a full-fledged hydrogen economy.

While it’s true that we only produce a small amount of energy from renewables, eventually non-renewable resources (oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear) will run out and we will need to replace them with renewable resources. .If we can’t make renewables work for us, there simply won’t be enough energy to run any kind of economy at the level of per capita energy consumption we enjoy today. On the positive side, the production of renewable power is growing much faster than other forms of power, and the forces driving this growth are increasingly economic ones. This suggests that renewable technologies are becoming more efficient and less expensive.

Misconception #7:

Hydrogen leaks could lead to more water in the atmosphere, which could accelerate global warming.

If we continue burning fossil fuels at a rapid rate, we will accelerate global warming and create more air pollution . If we move towards using hydrogen we have a choice about global warming. For example if we choose to use liquid hydrogen in our cars, we can expect to vent hydrogen into the atmosphere because we can’t fully insulate liquid hydrogen containers. But if we choose to use compressed hydrogen gas instead, we can expect only a miniscule amount of hydrogen to leak into the atmosphere because our compressed hydrogen storage technologies leak much less.

Misconception #8:

Fuel cell cars won’t be able to drive hundreds of miles on a single tank of hydrogen because the hydrogen tanks will be too large.

General Motors unveiled a new fuel cell vehicle prototype at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2005 with a stated range of 300 miles on a single tank – roughly the range required to meet consumer expectations. The storage system in the General Motors prototype is a version of the long-expected high-pressure hydrogen tank that almost every car company in the world has been working on. It’s bigger than an equivalent gas tank, but automakers expect it to be small enough to fit in a car.

The video above was done by Greg Blencoe, an a strong advocate for such technology. Basically his message is that people should be concerned about the future, as rising oil prices make it costly to purchase, and it takes time to build new fuel-related infrastructures, and building new vehichles that can handle such fuel.

Unfortunately, Obama has recently cut funding on hydrogen fuel cell research. Main reason being looking for something that is feasible  in the short term. Even Vancouver’s Ballard Power has jumped off this technology. However there are still companies continuing research. They believe that hydrogen fuel cells are  more energy efficient and have less emissions than any other solution out there right now.  I believe that hydrogen has  a very strong future as the technology is there. It just needs more early adopters to jump on this bandwagon to make this a viable option. As Greg Blencoe had mentioned, its all about the infrastructure. Perhaps next year Obama will change his mind, I hope so.

GeoThermal

Geothermal is becoming an increasing viable option for renewable, sustainable energy. It is almost available to places that are near tectonic plates, essentially anywhere along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. This makes British Columbia a prime candidate. Some research scientists believe that there it up to 3000MW of  geothermal energy just in BC alone.

  It works by drilling deep down, several kilometers, and pumping steam/hot water out to generate electricty. The great thing about geothermal is that the energy is constant, unless solar, wind, hydro which vary depending on time of day or season. However one of the down side is that it is very capital intensive as there there needs to be heavy machinery for drilling.

Ever since Obama became president, there has been increased funding for geothermal, – $467 million. The US plans on development enhanced geothermal, which allows geothermal power to be extracted almost anywhere. This works by shooting high pressure down the drill site to allow circulation of heat and steam, which is then extracted.

So after watching the video above, where does Canada fit in the picture? Well there are some buildings that do use it for heating but currently there are no geothermal plants connected to the power grid. Apparently our government had done some research back in the the 70′s when oil prices were high but stopped after they dropped in the 80′s. However now there is renewed interest. Some companies, like Shell believe that in Alberta geothermal is feasible.  The major issue is cost. If anything, the oil industry are ones that can back it up. One of the highest costs in starting a geothermal plant is drilling. The oil companies already have the equipment, and they have mentioned that using geothermal can reduce the usage of natual gas and carbon emissions. The Canadian government has recently launched a $1 billion clean energy fund. The fund should encourage small and large businesses to come up with solutions that are sustainable for Canada.

Currently in British Columbia, there are about 35 run-of-river projects, and BC Hydro has identified another 900 potential places. Plutonic Power, a Western Canadian sustainable energy developer, is building a 123 MW run-of-river power plant in BC’s Toba Valley Inlet, about 110 miles north west of Vancouver. This project should be completed some time next summer, and provide power to about 75,000 homes. This would make it the largest green project in BC.  Plutonic plans on adding another 17 run-of-river power plants in Bute Intlet, which is near the Toba Valley Inlet. Contingent on government approval,  it could generate up to 1027 MW, enough to power 300,000 homes.

Its a great technology, however not everyone is too excited about it. Back in April, hundres of people protested against run-of-river outside the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. They were against the environmental damage from constructing these projects, and increased energy costs charged by these private companies. Ultimately, there will always be people against such things..with numerous having the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome.  BC is a province has numerous sources of water, and I feel that we should be self-reliant and not depend too much on power from other provinces/countries. The creation of run-of-river plants would have to cut down trees and clear paths to make way for power lines and such. So in a sense, its not super “green”. But do the ends justify the means? I’ll leave that one to residents who live close to such projects.

EverGreen Technologies  is slowly making changes here in good old Vancouver. Their creation is a wind/solar powered device that is powering a lamp post at Vancouver Airport. Even consumers can buy one for whatever needs they may have. The cost for this lamp post is around $15,000 CDN, about $3000 more than a conventional one. A higher initial cost, but it may be cheaper in the long run as these are expected to last 15 years, where regular ones are around 3 years. It is expected to provide about 2000 kilowatt hours annually. Of course there are limitations – slow wind, cloudy days.

Perhaps in the future, they will create something that harnesses the power of the rain! That ought to boost sales of such a device in Vancouver.

As individuals, we are responsible for how we use energy. We shouldn’t have to wait for utility companies to make progress towards sustainable energy, before we change our ways. We can reduce our energy usage, and we can find ways to supplement our needs. Being proactive doesn’t mean that everyone will follow suit, but I believe the most important part is that we are trying to make a difference.

10. Americans consume 26% of the world’s energy.

9. 18% of total emissions comes from operating our homes.

8. Heating and cooling account for about 56% of the energy use in a typical home.

7. We spend 10% of our electricity bills on lighting.

6. Our demand for energy grows by about 3% per year.

5. At any one time in most households an average of 8 appliances are left on stand-by. (Stand-by is an appliance’s “off” setting, but the appliance continues to use about 85% of the   energy it uses while on—often so that it can listen for signals from remote controls.)

4. Energy-efficient washing machines use about 1/3 less electricity than older machines.

3. Washing clothes at 140 degrees (F) uses almost twice the energy as a 104 degree (F) wash.

2. 90% of the energy used by traditional bulbs is wasted in producing heat.

1.About 25% of all the energy we use to heat our homes escapes through single-glazed windows

North Americans are power hungry, with the US using a sustaintial amount. As the list above states that the US uses about 26% of the world’s energy, and they put out about 22.2% of the world’s carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. This makes them the 10th largest co2 emitter per capita, with the oil producing nations Qatar, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates populating the top 3 spots respectively.  Hopefully things will shape up with Barack Obama leading the helm, and advocating for renewable, sustainable energy.

Another thing from the list above, 56% of our energy is for heating and cooling and another 25% energy of used for heating is escaped through single-glazed windows. The hydro bill for homes shoot up in the winter. With rising energy prices, we need to think smart . Where is that Google PowerMeter when I need it!

Ultimately the idea of global warming is one that lurks over people’s head. Although not all scientists agree on this issue, governments are starting to becoming more proactive. Carboncredits are a new way to incentive to keep the envinronment we live in cleaner.  Businsses are slowly mandating their way of thinking and conforming to new regulations, or becoming ambassadors of corporate-social responsibility.

Living in a city like Vancouver, I am glad we are considered one of the more proactive cities when it comes to thinking green. BC Hydro, one of our main energy suppliers, is constantly teaming up with local businesses to encourage power savings. For example, they teamed up with Canadian Tire on trading up old fluorescent bulbs and get susbstanial credit on a much more energy efficienct LED bulb.

Saul Griffith is an inventor, that presented the video clip on TED.com. His company Makani Power (Makani stands for wind/breeze in Hawaiian) will assemble large kite turbines that generate clean power. Google has already invested $10 million USD into this firm. They expect that a proper placed kite would be able to generate up to 6kW of eletrcitiy per 1 sq-meter kite that has large wings to harness the power of high altitude wings. They expect to use kites that go high as 10km up. This would allow it to generate the most energy per sq ft compared to other renewable technologies.   Griffith believes that it is possible to power the entire world’s population needs using this technology. A university in Netherlands has already succesfully achieved 10kW of electricty using a 10 sq-meter kite.

It is quite exciting the potential for this.  Seems like people think that Griffith is crazy but only time will tell if this type of technology is feasible in the long term.  I just hope airplanes  won’t get distracted with all these “wings” just hovering around in the air.

White Roofs in Greece

According to US Secretary Steven Chu, painting roofs white can reduce global warming by conserving energy and reflecting sunlight back into space.  The Nobel-winning scientist states that by changing roofs and pavements to  white or any other light colour, it is equivalent to all the cars in the world being taken off the road for 11 years, or about 44 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. 

For those too lazy to click on the link, I’ll quickly list them out:

#10 – Tidal Power
#9 -Wave Power
#8 – Solar Power
#7 – Wind Power
#6 – Hydroelectricty
#5 – Radiant Energy
#4 – Geothermal Power
#3 – Biomass
#2 – Compressed Natural Gas
#1 – Nuclear Power

Nuclear power has the potential to generate the most power. In 2007, 14% of the world’s electricty is from this sustainable energy source. As technology progresses, we may even see nuclear fusion reactors in the next 15-20 years.

Google PowerMeter

Earlier this year, Google’s PowerMeter was announced. Essentially its a software that allows users to monitor their home’s power consumption. They can keep track of the daily usage, a breakdown of each hour during the day and run various reports. In addition, users can compare their results with others that have installed PowerMeter. Google’s aim is to provide better information to consumers about how much power they use over time, in hopes that the cut down on cosumption. Vacationing for several days, and come back to realize that the heater was left on – just wasting power.Google has mentioned that you can’t improve what you can’t measures. With increasing energy prices, it just makes financial sense.

Several days ago, Google powered with 8 different utility companies (6 in US, 1 in Canada, 1 in India) to install “smart meters” that would allow various applications such as PowerMeter, to extract information regarding power usage. These companies will be shortly rolling out these smart meters to various homes in their communities. Toronto Hydro has already installed more than 600,000 smart meters in residential units around the city, with a pilot of less than a 1,000 units testing this new technology with Google.

Its  another innovation where technology is becoming more and more integrated in our daily lives. However critics will most likely argue that Google will now know even more about us – our searches, our email and our power consumption. Regardless if Google is our Orwellian Big Brother, one thing is for sure, we are slowly becoming more critical about the way we live, and the importance of long-term sustainability.