31. Achieving AB 32 Targets in Buildings Source: Rick Diamond PhD, LBNL Business as usual New Construction Renovation Existing Buildings Reductions needed 2020 Target 2050 Target
We face an energy dilemna in the USA – either business as usual with some incremental improvement or nuclear power. I’d like propose a third possibility… similar to paul hawken’s ‘blessed unrest’ How many people know who hermann scheer is? Renewable technologies are at a wonderous growth curve… last year I went to two solar and renewable conferences in california… where the semicon conferences were downsized… the solar conferences were 3-5x bigger!! This is a presentation about micro generation, or energy commons… I’ve used the word commons as is used in the English commons… see wiki definition… This is a paper about the status in california… and attempts to get a discussion going… there… I’d like to learn about these types of energy systems here in austria or closeby;… if anyone knows… pelase contact me.
The sole purpose of a public held utility company is to make profits for its shareholders and assure reliability to customers It is further regulated and GUARANTEED to make a ‘reasonable profit’
A typical large power station wastes over a third of its fuel by simply heating up the atmosphere. A further 10% of this is wasted in transmission and distribution, meaning less than half of the fuel is used productively by the consumer. By comparison, microgeneration technologies use more than 90% of the fuel productively for heat or electricity, or are powered by clean, renewable sources. Microgeneration helps to combat climate change. Some forms of micropower use fuels or energy sources that produce no greenhouse gases and are classed as renewable energy. Those that do use fossil fuels do so with efficiencies typically of greater than 90%. Some micropower technologies, when taken up in large numbers, will provide a more predictable source of power generation than large power stations. They also relieve pressure on the grid at times of strain. They enhance diversity and security of supply, and for some technologies back-up power is also available in the event of a blackout. Microgeneration is a catalyst for cultural change.There are wider benefits than just cost and carbon reductions Consumers with microgeneration exhibit noticeable changes in their energy use, as well as sending a clear visual signal of a property contributes in generating low or zero carbon energy to neighbours." ( http:// www.micropower.co.uk/about/whymicropower.html ) --------------------------------------------- “Sustainable Energy, Choosing Among Options” The Blurb from the book: Human survival depends on a continuing energy supply, but the need for ever-increasing amounts of energy poses a dilemma: How can we provide the benefits of energy to the population of the globe without damaging the environment, negatively affecting social stability, or threatening the well-being of future generations? The solution will lie in finding sustainable energy sources and more efficient means of converting and utilizing energy. This textbook is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as others who have an interest in exploring energy resource options and technologies with a view toward achieving sustainability. It clearly presents the trade-offs and uncertainties inherent in evaluating and choosing different energy options and provides a framework for assessing policy solutions. Sustainable Energy includes illustrative examples, problems, references for further reading, and links to relevant Web sites. Outside the classroom, the book is a resource for government, industry, and nonprofit organizations. The first six chapters provide the tools for making informed energy choices. They examine the broader aspects of energy use, including resource estimation, environmental effects, and economic evaluations. Chapters 7-15 review the main energy sources of today and tomorrow, including fossil fuels, nuclear power, biomass, geothermal energy, hydropower, wind energy, and solar energy, examining their technologies, environmental impacts, and economics. The remaining chapters treat energy storage, transmission, and distribution; the electric power sector; transportation; industrial energy usage; commercial and residential buildings; and synergistic complex systems. Sustainable Energy addresses the challenges of integrating diverse factors and the importance for future generations of the energy choices we make today.
The Microgeneration Manifesto aims to make this a reality by putting forward a blue print for the revision of the UK Microgeneration Strategy Some clear themes throughout the Manifesto include the need to streamline existing policies and integrate new measures seamlessly (e.g. financial incentives, retro-fit); to target problem areas such as the private rental sector and gaps in the green skills base and to send consumers a clear, coherent message on why they should take action and the help that is available.
Description English: Original JPG by Frank van Mierlo Graphic is original and mine, it was however heavily inspired by the work of others; notably NASA, which has published an overview with similar data in a different presentation (e.g. see [1] ). Energy at the crossroads by Vaclav Smil, MIT Press 2003 has a graphic on page 241 that is identical to the NASA graphic but he does not credit them so it is unclear who copied whom. Anyway this picture is mine and I am happy to submit is to the public domain. Please do credit me if you use it. SVG Replacement for en::Image:Breakdown of the incoming solar energy.jpg Source Transferred from en.wikipedia ; transfer was stated to be made by User:feministo . Date 2008-04-26 (original upload date) Author Original uploader was User A1 at en.wikipedia Description Useful energy (exergy) in surface incident solar radiation, wind and geothermal [1] compared to global consumption - Energy Information Administration (in 2004, 447.605 Quadrillion btu/yr = 14.965 x 10^12 Watts) [2] Source self-made, based on the work of Frank van Mierlo Date May 21, 2008 Author Delphi234