Jie Zhou: Summary of Smart Grid Presentation

Summary of Smart Grid Presentation

Jie Zhou
07/28/2011

The Traditional Grid

Some problems with the existing grid:
- getting old and worn out
- population growth cause the transmission system overused and gragile
- reliability of the grid decline








Versus the Smart Grid

The most important and distinctive characteristic of the Smart Grid is its "intelligence" and two-way communication capabilities.

Functions

• Self-healing from power disturbance events

Automatically detects and responds to grid problems, ensuring quick recovery after disturbances. The incorporation of microgrids also means that affected areas can be isolated from the main network as to cause minimal disruption to services,

• Enabling active participation by consumers in demand response

The development of the smart grid and associatd smart technologies and devices will allow users to have more direct control over the energy they use on a day-to-day basis. Like changing what they need from a power supplier, moving towards flexible energy, cheaper alternatives and the option for microgeneration

•  Variety of generation options

The current electricity grid cannot integrated well of energy being drawn from a variety of energy sources, like solar, wind turbine, etc. but this is the aim of the smart grid

• Providing higher quality power that will save money wasted from outage

Assuring more stable electricity, avoiding outages or blackouts to reduce economic loss

• Accommodating all generation and storage options

All sources will be interconnected allowing consumers to access a general and renewable generated source of energy. Energy that is generated during non-peak timses can be stored for potential usage to ensure minimal wastage.

• Enabling new products, services, and markets

Creating an open market where alternative energy sources can be sold to customers regardless of location. Microgeneration (like some large networks such as offices) can generate own power through solar panels, wind turbines and in turn can supply energy back to the central net work grid, and make some money on it.

• Optimizing assets and operating efficiently

Generate more power through the existing systems by optimizing them, allowing the reduction of power flow waste and maximizing the distribution of lower-costgeneration sources.

Major Driving Forces
Obstables

One-half of the utilities surveyed in the recent Pacific Crest Mosaic Smart Grid Survey named rate Cost as the strongest barrier to Smart Grid projects within their organization. Technology immaturity is also a key barrier to Smart Grid projects but is rated a “top” barrier for fewer respondents.

Regulatory Barriers and Lack of Open Standards are some of the other obstacles.

Smart grids by country

Australia

The Australian government has committed to investing $100 m in smart grids. They said they will build the smart grid over five sites in New South Wales

Canada

The government of Ontario, Canada, through the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act ^[3] in 2006, has mandated the installation of Smart Meters in all Ontario businesses and households by 2010.

China

As part of its current 5-year plan, China is building a Wide Area Monitoring system (WAMS). On May 21, 2009, China has announced an aggressive framework for Smart Grid deployment.

European Union

Development of smart grid technologies is part of the European Technology Platform (ETP) initiative and is called the SmartGrids Technology platform. The SmartGrids Technology Platform began its work in 2005. Its aim is to formulate and promote a vision for the development of European electricity networks looking towards 2020 and beyond

Republic of Korea

On January 2010, the Korean government has launched a $65 million pilot program consists of several programs, one of which is a fully integrated Smart Grid System for 6000 households

The Korean government seeks to complete the installation of smart grid in the country by 2030 and establish another 27,000 or more power charge stations for electric cars. A total of 27.5 trillion won will be injected according to the roadmap.

United States

Support for smart grids became federal policy with passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The law, Title13, sets out $100 million in funding per fiscal year from 2008–2012.

Smart grids received further support with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which set aside $11 billion for the creation of a smart grid.

Source:

http://www.nema.org/gov/energy/smartgrid/whatIsSmartGrid.cfm

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Business_Smart_Grid_101_Resources/The-Smart-Grid-1766.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid

Jie Zhou: Summary of “Dams and Sustainability in China” in Woodrow Wilson Internatinal Center

Summary of “Dams and Sustainability in China” in Woodrow Wilson Internatinal Center

By: Jie Zhou
07/26/2011

This Tuesday the Woodrow Wilson Center Hosted a China Environment Forum on “Dams and Sustainability in China” as China is home to roughly half the world's large dams and hydropower is set to play a key role in helping China meet its 2020 carbon intensity reduction commitments. The speakers explored dam trends and challenges in China,

Speakers

Doug Smith, International Hydropower Association (IHA)
As a Sustainability Specialist at the IHA, Douglas has focused on the new Hydropower Sustainability Assesemtn Protocol. He has experience over twenty countries on four continents, and worked in Beijing for three years until 2010.

Desiree Tullos, Oregon State University
Desiree Tullos is an Associate Professor in the Biological and Ecological Engineering Department at Oregon State University. Some of her current research include effects of hydropower development in China, analysis and design of dam removal, dam operations, etc.. She has been working in China since 2005.

Wang Hao, China Institute for Water Resources and Hydropower Research
Dr. Wang has been engaged in research on hydrology and water resources for 30+ years. He joined China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research in 1985 where he currently directs the Water Resources Department. He has won numerous scienfitic awards and recognition from the Ministry of Water Resources for his research and service to hydrology and water resources science in China.

Key Points

There has long been debate on whether it’s right or wrong to build large amounts of dams. Dr. Wang addressed the necessity at the forum of building dams in China for 4 reasons: national demand, national energy security, and demand of climate change, and natural disster relief.

An estimated population of 1.5 billion by 2020 and the urbanization progress demands large quatity of water and electricity; the existed water shortage in 400+ cities in China largely counted on dams for water supply; Tsunami accident in Fukushima raised great concern on the unpredictable and uncertain nuclear power plants leaning to hydropower plants.

However, there are problems and various issues in dam construction and operation: insufficient attention to imigants; interdiction of fish migration; long-term operation safety. Thus, China faces challenges such as the goal to reduce 40%-45% of CO2 by 2020, to increase storage capacity per capita, and to take better care of immigrants near the water area of dams constructed, etc.

Mr.Doug Smith and the Internatinal Hydropower Association has developed lots of acitivities in China, and been fousing on the Hydropower sustainability Assessment Principal, the frame of hydropower sustainability, which procedures along early stage, preparation, implementation, and operation of dams. Preparation stage, for instance, involves environmental, economic, and social aspects. The case of Shuibuya Trail assessment is one of the successes of the frame.

Ms. Desiree Tullos emphasized the decision support tool, silience, and the size that matters in the design, construction, and operation phases of dams, and said we should integreated biophysical, socioeconomic, and geopolitical axes into these different phases alsong with sustainability priorities.

More information can be found at: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/dams-and-sustainability-china

Morgan McCollum: Same Bed, Different Dreams?: The New Philanthropy and Civil Society in China

Over the past few decades, specifically since the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, civil society in China has been on the rise. What may seem like a contradictory statement: the co-existence of a communist government and a non-governmental organization has seemed to become a reality…or has it? Dr. Shawn Shieh, director of the China Development Brief (English) addressed the struggles non-profits have had gaining a definitive place in China, and in the eyes of the public.

Dr. Shieh began his presentation with what he deemed the “appetizers” by defining what exactly is the non-profit sector? By definition, non-profits are designed to fill gaps in service delivery that the government cannot provide. In the United States, this is done via fundraising, charity events, and advertising. In China, non-profits struggle to fit this definition. To begin, the oxymoron of non-governmental organizations in China is that they are rarely non-governmental. On one side of the spectrum, there are entirely government owned agencies, such as public institutions and state owned enterprises. In the middle there are quasi government owned agencies, such as neighborhood committees, mass organizations, and GONGOs (government owned non-governmental organizations—say what??) And then there are non-profits that are registered with the Civil Affairs Bureau, non-profits under the guise of businesses, and unregistered non-profits. Because of this wide spectrum, in which most are self-proclaimed “non-governmental agencies,” there is no clear definition as to exactly what is a non-profit. There also is no clear count of the number of non-profits within China, due to the number of unregistered NGOs and non-profits registered as businesses. Thus there are estimated to be between half a million and as many as 2.5 million grassroots associations in China. This leaves China with about 1 foundation per 650,000 people compared to the United States’ 1 foundation per 3000 people.

Based on an analysis done by Dr. Shieh on the current state of the non-profit sector, what are some of the findings? Dr. Shieh first discussed non-profit funding. Most non-profits in China are not allowed to publicly ask for funding and may not have a place for donations on their website. This of course leaves the question: how do these non-profits survive? The answer is that most non-for-profits are also literally no profits. Employees can barely be paid, and more funding does not go towards management training, etc, but rather towards the implementation of specific projects. Thus the non-profits run solely project-to-project and generally cannot attract the highest quality of staff.

Another issue regarding funding is where it comes from. The Chinese government tends to be more skeptical of international funding as opposed to domestic funding. In order to remain in favor with the government, finding local funding is the best solution.

A second finding is that certain types of non-profits have found more success than others. Environmental and education based non-profits have found far more success than those of legal aid and advocacy. Thus there are gaps in the services non-profits can provide. Also, for a brief comparison, environmental agencies in China receive an annual budget of about 30-50 RMB (4.6-7.7 million US dollars) compared to 3 billion in the United States.

Finally, many of the government owned non-profits lack transparency and accountability. Therefore, when scandals arise, such as a recent one with the Chinese Red Cross, non-profits lose appeal to the general public. An environment of giving and community service is not born over night. It must become engrained as a way of life, and that is difficult for the public to digest when many non-profits lack transparency and accountability. Overall, the future of the non-profit sector in China is still uncertain, but contrary to what many news stories portray, they at least do exist and are gaining ground.

For more information, visit Dr. Shawn Shieh's blog: www.ngochina.blogpot.com, his website: www.chinadevelopmentbrief.cn, or read his recent publications State and Society Responses to Social Welfare Needs in China: Service the People (Routledge, 2009) and "An Emerging Civil Society: The Impact of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake on Grassroots Associations in China" (The China Journal, January 2011).

Sarah Xiyi Chen: Dams and Sustainability in China

“Dams and Sustainability in China”
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, China Environmental Forum
July 26,2011, 9-11 am

Webcast available here: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/dams-and-sustainability-china

Featuring:
Wang Hao, China Institute for Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Chinese Academy of Engineering, researcher for key projects in the past few Five Year Plans
Doug Smith, Sustainability expert, International Hydropower Association
Desiree Tullos, Oregon State University

Hydropower is a huge part of China’s energy industry, and it is still rapidly growing. Wang Hao is an expert on dams and gave five case studies of Chinese hydropower stations: the Three Gorges project, the Yellow River project, the Ertan Dam in Sichuan, the Ziping Dam, and the Pearl River Delta projects.

He discussed the benefits of each dam, including the 74.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions saved from the electricity generated at the Three Gorges Dam, the largest in the world, and the successful drought control of the Yellow River dams. The Pearl River Delta projects provide drinking water for 15 million people.

Wang also mentioned the improvements in sustainability measures taken at many of these dams, particularly the Yellow River dam project, which had previously been unsuccessful at protecting riparian agriculture and ecology. In fact, the current damming of the Yellow River has improved local ecology by restoring water flow upstream, while the Ertan Reservoir in Sichuan has received awards for its attention to the environment

In the case of the Ziping Dam, the concrete rock-faced dam withstood the recent 8.0-magnitude Sichuan earthquake and protected the reservoir for a downstream population of 10 million and for relief efforts.

After presenting these case studies, Wang outlined the need for hydropower stations in China. He said there are five reasons China needs dams: to produce electricity, to reduce emissions, to provide energy security, to provide water security, and to prevent or relieve national disasters such as floods and droughts. China’s hydropower output and potential is still lower than that of developed nations in terms of percentage of power mix, and thus new dam projects are necessary.

In conclusion, he touched upon the necessity of being more sensitive to displaced communities and ecological preservation.

Smith then presented the International Hydropower Association’s Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, a comprehensive way in which to grade a dam based over twenty points including economic performance, social utility, environmental friendliness, and governance issues. The protocol was developed by representatives from many sectors from the IHA’s eighty member countries, hydropower associations, companies, and other organizations. IHA performed a trial protocol test in 2009 in Hubei province and found the dam to meet requirements on sustainability and environmental standards but to lack some institutional oversight.

“The protocol assessment provides a synthesis of information on very complex facilities and complex sustainability issues into a concise analysis that can start a dialogue with stakeholders,” Smith said.

Tullos presented a different aspect to the dam debate in discussing transnational and stakeholder decision-making. She emphasizes that “size matters” in the effect a dam has on the environment and on people. She cited the case of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and an enormously important source of fish and other sustenance for Cambodians.

Damming upstream in China and elsewhere has huge consequences on this ecological hotspot, but Cambodians have no input on the decision-making process. Local communities in China also have stakes in the construction and operation of a dam but no representation in decision-making.

Studies have shown that smaller stakeholders, like NGOs or community members, prefer the construction of smaller dams, defined traditionally as having an output of under 10 MW, and governments and corporations prefer larger dams. Still, she said, there is not enough dialogue between these groups to make appropriate decisions.

“We now have a reasonable understanding of what’s desirable in dams, what is lacking might be the political and economic decision-making power,” Tullos concluded.

Haiya Zhang: Research in Hybrid Vehicles, its development and future.

Hybrid Vehicle: a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle.
A common name: Hybrid Electronic Vehicle (HEV) which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.

Different Technologies
Gas-electric hybrids: Add an electric motor and rechargeable batteries to the conventional gas engine. The onboard computer does all the hard work of switching between gas and electric power. At low speed or idle, the battery provides necessary energy. I.e. Ford Escape SUV: the overall most fuel efficient SUV in the market. However, affected by the weather, usually takes 20 to 30min to recharge the battery.
Plug-in hybrid: a plug-in hybrid uses larger battery packs that can be recharged by connecting to common household electricity. Plug-in hybrids can be driven for long distances—from a few miles to as much as 40 miles—without using any gasoline.
Electric car: powered exclusively by electricity. Historically, EVs have not been widely adopted because of limited driving range before needing to be recharged, long recharging times, and a lack of commitment by automakers to produce and market electric cars that have all the creature comforts of gas-powered cars. However, battery technology improves—simultaneously increasing energy storage and reducing cost.

Diesel: Use higher compression ratios and higher combustion temperatures, diesels operate more efficiently. A gallon of diesel fuel contains about 10 percent more energy than a gallon of gasoline. Diesel vehicles now account for nearly half of all new vehicle sales in Europe, and a small but growing market share in the US.
Ethanol car: Renewable fuel. E85, 85% blend of ethanol contributes less pollution, reducing smog-forming emissions by as much as 50 percent relative to gasoline. Drawbacks: higher price, less energy (20 to 30%), and lack of availability (mostly in the Midwest, MN & IL).
Hydrogen: Use a hydrogen internal combustion engine, which is basically a modified gasoline engine. It can also be used in a fuel cell, like a battery, but doesn’t need to be recharged.


Mileage and Performance
Current hybrid cars can get up to 60 miles to the gallon on the highway. In the near future, hybrid cars are expected to get fuel mileage as high as 190 miles per gallon!


Emission
Hybrid vehicle emissions today are getting close to or even lower than the recommended level set by the EPA. The recommended levels they suggest for a typical passenger vehicle should be equated to 5.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide. The three most popular hybrid vehicles, Honda Civic, Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, set the standards even higher by producing 4.1, 3.5, and 3.5 tons showing a major improvement in carbon dioxide emissions. Hybrid vehicles can reduce air emissions of smog-forming pollutants by up to 90% and cut carbon dioxide emissions in half.


Market potential and projection
The number of hybrid gas-electric cars sold in the U.S. declined from 34,000 in March to 25,000 in April, and to 16,000 in May. The overall auto market is down 4 percent compared to a year ago. Hybrids were hit even harder, taking a precipitous fall of 42.1 percent compared to 2010. As usual, the Toyota Prius dominates the market, with its 51 percent drop compared to a year ago pulling down the total hybrid market numbers.


Policy
• California - hybrid car owners are allowed the use of carpool lanes and are exempt from parking fees in certain parts of the sate.
• Colorado - hybrid car owners are offered a tax credit.
• Connecticut - those interested in purchasing a hybrid car with a fuel economy rating of better than 40mpg are exempt from sales tax on the purchase.
• Florida and Georgia - hybrid car owners may drive in carpool lanes regardless of the number of passengers.
• Maine - hybrid car owners may be eligible for a tax rebate of as high as $500.
• Maryland - hybrid car owners are eligible for a tax rebate of $1000.
• New Mexico - hybrid car owners do not have to pay the motor vehicle excise tax.
• New York - hybrid car owners may be eligible for up to $5000 in tax rebates.
• Oregon - hybrid car owners are eligible for a $1500 tax rebate.
• Pennsylvania - as of 2005, hybrid car owners are eligible for a $500 rebate.
• Utah - hybrid car owners are eligible for up to a $3000 income tax credit.
The main obstacles seem to be smaller fleet sizes and the extra costs of a hybrid system are yet compensated for by fuel savings. However, Advances in technology and lowered battery cost and higher capacity etc. developed in the hybrid car industry are already filtering into truck use as Toyota, Ford, GM and others introduce hybrid pickups and SUVs. FedEx and others are starting to invest in hybrid delivery type vehicles—particularly for city use where hybrid technology may pay off first.

By Haiya Zhang

Source sited:
www.hybridcars.com/index.php
www.hybrid-car.org
www.eartheasy.com

Living Earth Festival 2011 Symposium- Creating a Climate of Change: A Sustainable Future for the Living Earth

This weekend, the National Museum of the American Indian hosted the Living Earth Festival 2011 and opened its new exhibition, “Conversations with the Earth: Indigenous Voices on Climate Change.” Friday through Sunday, the festival featured an outdoors farmer’s market, cook-off, hands-on family activities, basket-weaving demonstrations, live outdoor concert, special “Dinner and Movie” event, and a symposium dedicated to celebrating indigenous contributions to environmental sustainability, knowledge and activism.

The symposium on Saturday featured renowned social thinker Jeremy Rifkin and American Indian authors and educators Gregory Cajete and Melissa K. Nelson. Jose Barreiro, the assistant director for research of the NMAI, moderated the three-hour discussion, and members of the Pueblo of Acoma Buffalo Dancers blessed the symposium with drumming.

Rifkin is the founder and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and often advises the European Union. He began his talk by describing how humans are just 1% of all biomass on the earth yet consume 31% of photosynthesis. He carefully addressed parents in the audience in describing how the Iroquois lived in consciousness of seven generations of their descendants—the people determined to leave the earth in better shape for their grandchildren. 

To Rivkin, the decline of oil indicates the end times of the Industrial Revolution. With extinction rates skyrocketing and the greenhouse effect heating our atmosphere, he posed the question, “What is wrong with us? What is wrong with this species?”

Enlightenment philosophers would say that man is a self-interested, libidinous monster, he said, but Rifkin believes that humans are evolved to experience “empathetic distress.” According to him, we reach for our mothers, our families, and our communities in a way that few other animals do, and as homo empanthicus, we can and will do more than sit idly by while the world irrevocably changes.

In fact, he said, now that power is organized in a more side-by-side way thanks to Facebook and other new technologies, there is no reason for power to be organized in its old centralized format. Rather than use the old “elite energies” of coal, oil, and uranium, we can rely on the “distribution energies” of wind, sun, water, geothermal, food waste, etc. that nearly everyone can find in their own backyards.

Rifkin then detailed the Five Pillar Plan he conceived that the EU adopted in 2007 and hopes to fully implement by 2050—the Third Industrial Revolution. The plan attempts to replace elite energies with distributive energies by working on higher renewable energy standards, converting every single existing building into a power-generating plant, using hydrogen fuel cells to store excess energy, converting the energy infrastructure into an “energy internet” for rapid energy access and sharing, and creating rapid electric vehicle charging capabilities everywhere, particularly for public transit vehicles.

What Rifkin calls “biosphere consciousness” is still the important aspect of this new revolution—all people, especially in the United States, where energy and climate policy is scatterbrained and ineffectual, must embrace the mindset of the Iroquois in preserving the globe for our descendants.

Cajete, a professor at the University of New Mexico, is from the Santa Clara Pueblo and has lectured all over the world on indigenous education and other issues. He began his lecture with optimism: “Good day. Every day you get up and you’re still alive, it’s a good day.”

He described how indigenous peoples are like the miner’s canary because changes in their cultures and languages are indicators of a “profound sickness in the ecology.” He reminded the audience that “all of us are indigenously human” and that climate change affects hunting, fishing, economic infrastructure, water and housing availability, forest and agricultural resources, and the health and well being of indigenous peoples. In his own pueblo, persistent drought has erased his entire watershed.

Cajete also talked about the differences between metaphors for life between indigenous languages and other languages. Biological metaphors are alive, while mechanical metaphors are dead, and their usage influences how we think and the ways in which we affect others.

“People are searching for meaning,” he said, continuing, “A healthy society can only be comprised of healthy individuals united in selflessness.” He encouraged the audience to recreate indigenous education because teaching and learning is transformative and anticipates change and innovation.

The last speaker, Nelson is a professor of American Indian studies at San Francisco State University and the president of The Cultural Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to indigenous rights. She is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

She spoke on the necessity of eating native foods for human and climate health. Food, she said, is one of the most important parts of our communities as sustenance and celebration, and native foods can connect us back to the earth. She advocated for socially, culturally, economically, and ecologically appropriate food and food production as a way to revitalize food.

The current methods of food production in a paradigm of division and dominance have disrupted our ties to the environment, as producers in a capitalistic system feed us “toxic sludge” and things that cannot nourish or heal people. These types of food can and have led to diabetes, depression, infertility, and many other health side effects.

“We need to protect our organs, whether in our earth…or likewise in ourselves,” Nelson concluded.

Morgan McCollum: Looking to Afghanistan to Understand the Importance of Natural Resources

Review of:

"International Symposium on Harnessing Natural Resources for Peacebuilding:

Lessons from US and Japanese Assistance"

On Wednesday, July 20^th, I attended the International Symposium on Harnessing Natural Resources for Peacebuilding. The concept behind the symposium is that natural resources can and usually do play a significant role in post-conflict areas. The availability of natural resources can lend a hand in peacebuilding efforts, and can also be destructive to peacebuilding efforts. One example of positive natural resource use is giving excombatants access to arable land. However, with over 45% of post conflict areas falling back into conflict, the lack of natural resources can be an even more important issue. For example, the lack of water can be a detriment to the peacebuilding process. Natural resources, or the lack there of, tend to be neglected in the peacebuilding process, but can easily push an environment on the brink of chaos back to complete instability.

One of the most current examples of the importance of natural resources in a post-conflict area is Afghanistan. Two areas that Afghanistan struggle with are the implementation of roads, and the trafficking of drugs.

Professor Jon Unruh of McGill University states there are clearly many pros to building a road, including increased communication, travel, possible increased standard of living, etc. However, there is also the risk that building a road will add to the insurgency in Afghanistan. One example of this is that city dwellers that require the court system will now be able to travel to Taliban areas and use their courts, which often are easier and more corrupt. In addition, the implementation of a road has been linked to land grabbing, based on a study of nine provinces residing along the Ring Road. There is also the added risk of landmines and explosives being located on the roads, and the potential increase of military presence. This is a question of how land can and should be used, and whether roads will help with the peacebuilding process, or work entirely against it.

One of the biggest issues affecting our world at large is the trafficking of drugs. Mr. David Catarious discussed the role that Afghanistan plays in supplying 80 percent of the world’s opium supply. Poppy plants secrete latex that can then be extracted and turned into heroin. The heroin is then trafficked from Afghanistan to Russia and Europe and all across the world. Poppy plants have been found to be one of the most, if not the most, lucrative crop in Afghanistan. Not to mention it grows easily and can be grown in between various harvest seasons. Thus, it is difficult to convince farmers in Afghanistan to stop growing the crops; especially when the farmers themselves are not the ones trafficking the drugs. There is a large need for education and a need for higher value crops to be introduced to the land. It is a question of whether a. the land should be saved, and farmers should be educated, b. farmers should be allowed to continue to grow poppy, or c. the land should be eradicated entirely. One man asked a question that likely was on many people’s minds: as American citizens, should we care about the poppy farmers? Or rather, should we care about our youth that are dying every day from drug use? From an American citizen standpoint, should we not just go in there and eradicate every single poppy plant and not care if we harm another country’s farmers?  It’s clearly a perplexing issue.

While the meeting overall did not contain information on natural resources and China, the topics, including the two listed above, provide provoking lessons. It is clear that the potential is there for natural resources to a. cause initial conflict, b. aid peacebuilding efforts, or c. complicate peacebuilding processes. Thus, it is important for all countries to carefully analyze and protect their natural resources, for the continued disappearance of them could eventually lead to disaster. Looking to Afghanistan as an example, I leave with the question: are one country’s natural resource concerns solely its own, or are they a global problem?

For more information, a final copy of Harnessing Natural Resources for Peacebuilding: Lessons from US and Japanese Assistance, edited by Carl Bruch, Mikiyasu Nakayama, and Ilona Coyle, is scheduled to publish in August 2011.

Morgan McCollum: Summary of Biogas Presentation

Summary of Biogas Presentation

What is biogas?

When organic waste is allowed to decompose without oxygen, it produces a gas mixture of 35-50% methane, 20-45% carbon dioxide, among other gases. This mixture is called biogas. Organic waste may include sewage, municipal solid waste, agricultural and industrial waste, and animal manure. The gas can then be used for electricity, to heat homes and buildings, and fertilizers.

Biogas and the United States

There are currently 541 landfills in the United States producing electricity onsite via anaerobic digesters. However, the EPA estimates that 510 additional landfills have the potential to do so as well. In addition, the EPA estimates that over 8,000 farms could support these digesters. Conflicts arise due to high initial costs to producing anaerobic digesters, lack of government funding, and lack of an outlet to sell generated biogas. Thus, biogas has not taken a very strong foothold in the United States.

Biogas and China

China was one of the first countries to begin using biogas. Recently, China established the National Rural Biogas Construction Plan and in 2010, aimed for a goal of 1 in 10 rural households to use biogas.

Biogas acts as an alternative to wood burning, which many rural homes use because they cannot afford kerosene or coal. This will reduce indoor air pollution, and can also decrease the time and energy required by women to gather wood and cook. With this additional time, women can obtain jobs, increasing a home’s income, and also increasing the potential for leisure time. With an increased standard of living, there will be a decrease rural to urban migration. In addition, biogas will provide a safe way to dispose of manure, decreasing the likelihood of disease caused by e-coli.

China also has no shortage of garbage, recently surpassing the United States as the largest producer of household garbage. Landfills and incinerators are consuming too much land, and incinerators can release many cancer-causing dioxins.

Is Biogas a Future?

Biogas is extremely beneficial to certain sub-sets of the population. In China, biogas is great for the rural sector, and farmers and landfills in the United States can use it on-site as well. It is particularly useful in developing countries, where fuel is mainly used during the cooking process, and small biogas units can be made solely out of plastic tank and some tubing. Biogas is not a large-scale solution, but with experts estimating a need for liquid gas to extend about 50 more years, it may be a worthwhile investment, especially in China and other developing countries.

More information can be found from the Department of Energy: “Clean Cities Now;” the American Biogas Council; www.biocycle.net

IFCE Nuclear Energy Presentation by Sarah Xiyi Chen

Sarah is giving us a presentation about Nuclear Power.

Here is the summary of Sarah's Presentation:

Overview

            Nuclear energy has enormous potential to generate electricity in a relatively sustainable manner, but it remains the most controversial energy source in the world.

            Energy is generated using uranium enriched to contain 2-3% of the unstable isotope uranium-235 and placed in a reactor, where nuclear fission occurs in a chain reaction controlled by control rods and neutron moderators like water. The fission products generate electricity by converting water to steam, which turns turbines.

            One kilogram of U-235 converted in this way can release about three million times more energy than a kilogram of conventionally burned coal and does not release greenhouse gases into the air. Because of the low-carbon nature and seeming efficiency of nuclear power and the fact that it can ease reliance on foreign energy sources, some experts believe that it is the best renewable energy source for our future.

            However, nuclear energy comes along with the tremendous dangerous of radioactive waste disposal, the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, and disasters like Chernobyl or Fukushima.

In China

            Nuclear is only 2% of China’s current energy mix, and the country has focused more on solar, wind, and hydropower for the future. China’s 13 extant reactors have been cleared by inspectors in the wake of Fukushima, and the fate of its 79 scheduled projects is still undecided. Before the Japanese disaster, problems had already arisen due to rapid development, such as subpar facilities, lack of regulation, shortfall of fuel, low-skill workers, and the threat of natural events like earthquakes, floods, and droughts. China believes it can easily compensate for less nuclear energy in its portfolio with solar, wind, and hydropower.

In the future

            After the Fukushima accidents, the International Energy Agency halved its estimate of additional nuclear generating capacity to be built by 2035, as public opinion of nuclear energy plummeted. Politicians have been abandoning nuclear energy, and Germany and Britain are planning to shut down nearly all nuclear power plants. Perhaps one of the explanations behind the recent spotlight on natural gas stems from this spring’s nuclear fear.

Sarah Xiyi Chen: IFCE Summary of the “Farm Bill Energy Title: Rural Energy for America Program”

IFCE Summary of the “Farm Bill Energy Title: Rural Energy for America Program” briefing hosted by the Environmental Law and Policy Center (EPLC) Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

7/19 in the Russell Senate Office Building

all materials accessible online

Speakers:

--Bill Midcap, Farmer and Rural Development Specialist, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Colorado

--Bennie Hutchins, Principle, Ag Energy Resources, Mississippi

--Bruce Knight, Dairy Advisor, Strategic Conservation Solutions, LLC and former Chief, Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

--Andy Olsen, Senor Policy Advocate, Environmental law and Policy Center, Wisconsin

            The United States Farm Bill, the primary federal legislation for agriculture and food, is coming before Congress again soon in the next few years. One aspect of the bill must address farm energy programs. The 2008 Farm Bill Energy Title provides mandatory funding for producing clean energy and power, advancing biofuels, and saving energy. The Energy Title has a $1.12 billion budget, with roughly 25% of that money going towards Biorefinery Assistance, another 25% towards the Bioenergy Program from Advanced Biofuels, and another 25% going towards the Rural Energy Assistance Program (REAP), which was the focus of the presentation. The last quarter of the budget went to an array of other programs supporting the Energy Title’s goals.

            REAP is the only significant federal financing incentive available for agricultural producers and rural small businesses. Eligible technologies for funding include energy efficiency, wind, solar, geothermal, anaerobic digesters, biomass energy, biofuels, marine energy, and small hydroelectric generators. REAP beneficiaries must raise 75% of needed capital to receive a grant that pays for 25%, and the maximum grants are $500,000 for renewable energy and $250,000 for energy efficiency projects. 20% of REAP’s funds are set aside for smaller grants. In terms of loans, the minimum guarantee is $5,000 and the maximum $25 million.

            REAP has been active in all agricultural sectors and states and creates not only energy efficiency and security, but also tens of thousands of new jobs. Projects include Jubilee Farms, a catfish producer in Missouri that installed a deep well to extract warm water for the fish hatchery, eliminating the need to heat 60 million gallons of water a year and saving $30,000 a year in energy costs; South Alabama Grocers, a family-owned grocery that replaced its old inefficient refrigerators for an annual energy cost savings of $53,000; and a member of the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative’s Gob Nob Wind Turbine, which received a $375,000 REAP grant and placed a wind turbine on top of a 60-ft pile of coal mining waste.

            Overall, REAP appears to have significant positive impacts on rural energy by turning consumers into energy producers through Rural Electric Cooperatives, promoting energy independence, saving money, reducing emissions, creating jobs, and eliminating waste.

Morgan McCollum: "German Foreign, Security, and Energy Policy Reset? The Green Party Perspective"

German Foreign, Security, and Energy Policy Reset? The Green Party Perspective

July 13, 2011

CSIS, DC

Jurgen Tritten is currently the Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Green Party in the German Bundestag. On July 13, 2011, he spoke on a number of issues affecting Germany, including the recent decision to shut down all nuclear power plants by 2022.

Over the past few days, news has been released that Germany has sealed the fate on the future of nuclear power within the country. Parliament has declared the immediate shut down of seven nuclear reactors, followed by the phase out of all nuclear power plants by 2022. This will result in the disappearance of 23% of previous energy supplied to Germany.[1] Possible adverse side effects include a deficit of energy within Germany, leading to an increase in energy imports from France and the Czech Republic, as well as decreased exports from Germany to countries such as the Netherlands. In addition, there is the increased risk of higher energy prices for the EU as a whole.[2]

Many view this decision to shut down all plants as a rather rash decision following the events at Fukushima, Japan. Mr. Tritten argues the opposite. For starters, he says, the decision to shut down nuclear power plants is not a new one. Germany has started closing down plants since the Nuclear Consensus of 2001—10 years ago. In addition, while Germany is the first EU country to phase out nuclear energy entirely, the EU as a whole has seen a decline in nuclear power plants.

One of the biggest issues with nuclear power, Tritten states, is that no one wants to invest. Nuclear power plants are not competitive price wise, with other forms of renewable energy more market compatible.

 Finally, one of the reasons renewable energy has become so popular is due to increased national security—mainly due to less reliance on foreign countries. However, with Fukushima as an example, nuclear energy does not provide energy security.

So, is there a need to worry about Germany’s decision? Tritten says no. Germany currently invests 30 billion Euros per year on renewable energy technology. Due to binding EU renewable energy targets, 20% of energy in 2020 must be from renewables, and Germany has already invested much time, research, and money, into other forms of renewable energy. Tritten says that the EU is also lucky due to the presence of a European power grid. This allows energy to be imported and exported across the EU easily. For example, France needs a lot of imported energy in the summer, because for safety reasons many nuclear plants must be shut down due to the heat.

Mr. Tritten is very positive that Germany’s recent decision was the right decision. Overall, it will be very interesting to see how all turns out for Germany in coming years, if recent environmental decisions will help or hurt the Green Party, and if other countries follow in Germany’s example.

---

[1] http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/8094672

[2] http://www.resourceinvestor.com/News/2011/7/Pages/Germany-Unplugged.aspx

Jie Zhou: Heavy Metal Pollution in China

Heavy Metal Pollution in China

In the sense of environmental pollution, heavy metals are described as metals & metalloids which are distinctively toxic to organisms and environment. Cadmium, lead & mercury are commonly cited as being of the greatest public health concern.

China’s 12^th 5-year-plan which is passed earlier this year has a concentration on tackling heavy metal pollution. According to the plan, there are 14 provinces and autonomous regions severely polluted by heavy metals, and are critical to take action immediately. Most of them are located in the southern part of China.

There are two origins of heavy metal. Geological background level of heavy metal is low in China. Most of the natural resource contains some sort of heavy metal itself. While generation of heavy metal through human activities is high, causing pollution to air, soil, and water from 3 sources:

Industry emission is the main source of heavy metal pollution in China. The emission of heavy metals is from smelting, coal burning, purification of metals, fuel burning, and tire wear.

Wastewater irrigation is another main source of heavy metal pollution. During the development of mining, zincification, stabilized compounds of dye and plastics, colorants in oil paint and the tire manufacturing industry, they produce tons of wastewater, either merge into rivers, or penetrate soil in farmlands. Wastewater irrigation is very common in China, especially in the northwestern area, where there is a lack of water resources.

The third source of heavy metal is Solid Waste referring to fertilizing sludge, usage of the chemical fertilizer, and agro-chemicals increased heavy metal pollution; wasted electronic equipment also generates emissions of different kind of heavy metal, which harm human health.

A very basic Strategy to prevent public health from heavy metal pollution is to curb the pollution source. The Chinese government has made regulations in controlling the emission of heavy metal. Corporations which have not undergone the related assessment, for example, will be forced to discontinue production until they can meet such requirements.

Controlling and improving contaminated resource is also important. Methods for contaminated soil are in 4 categories: Physical, Biological, Chemical, and Agricultural method.

China’s State Council recently passed the “Twelfth Five-year Plan to Combat Heavy Metal Pollution” requiring that pollution from heavy metal emissions in critical areas be reduced by 15 percent, compared to 2007, by the year 2015. For all other areas, the pollution levels from heavy metal emissions should not exceed the levels reached in 2007.

Haiya Zhang: Brief research into Hydroelectricity

Brief research into Hydroelectricity

Basic concept: the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water----Renewable, mostly used among all renewables

Different Sizes

Large or specialized industrial facilities: over a few hundred MW to over 10GW (10,000 MW).

There are only three hydropower station that produces more than 10GW: Three Gorges Dam (22.5 GW), Itaipu Dam (14 GW) between Brazil and Paraguay, and Guri Dam (10.2 GW) in Venezuela.

Small, micro, and pico

Advantages:

Low economic cost compare to other renewable energy generation, low CO2 emission, and multi-functional: flood control

Disadvantages:

Permanent ecosystem and land damage, siltation, short flows, methane emission, relocation (Three Gorges Dam takes 20 years), poverty and corruption, failure hazard etc.

Ten of the largest hydroelectric producers as at 2009.[31][32]
Country	Annual hydroelectric production (TWh)	Installed capacity (GW)	Capacity factor	% of total capacity
China	652.05	196.79	0.37	22.25
Canada	369.5	88.974	0.59	61.12
Brazil	363.8	69.080	0.56	85.56
United States	250.6	79.511	0.42	5.74
Russia	167.0	45.000	0.42	17.64
Norway	140.5	27.528	0.49	98.25
India	115.6	33.600	0.43	15.80
Venezuela	85.96	14.622	0.67	69.20
Japan	69.2	27.229	0.37	7.21
Sweden	65.5	16.209	0.46	44.34

In China’s 12^th five-year plan, hydroelectricity and thermal energy are on the top energy solution list.

Case study: Salween River

Origin: Qinghai, Tibetan plateau

Flow through: Yunnan, China

Significance: Battle field of World War 2

           Boundary water between Burma and Thailand

           Biodiversity and habitat of indigenous people

From the origin to the mouth: 5,400m difference in elevation--- huge potential for hydropower plant

Chinese government has proposed hydropower plant construction in 1970s. Thailand and Burma also have plans to construct dams to produce hydroelectricity. China has proposed 13 dams on the Salween through Yunnan, some of which lie within the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Site. Objections were raised, and construction was then suspended. Until recently, the central government announced that instead of building a 13-dam hydropower plant serie, only a 4-dam one will be constructed outside the World Heritage site.

On the Burma side, there was military offense against Local Karen people in order to start the project in 2007. Earlier in 2011, Karen people had an uprising and protested against the construction of the dam on Salween River in Burma.

Hydroelectricity: popular on energy, economical and political level; not so friendly from the environmental and social perspective. Many aspects need to be taken into consideration, but many hydropower plant constructions do not even have EIA done, or only done poorly because some are too eager to have the project built.