Category Archives: geothermal

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant And Earthquakes – Shake, Rattle and Roll

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(it’s jam band friday – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Feq_Nt3nM )

This maybe the longest list of Qualifiers I have ever published and I have to start by eating crow to boot. I made a missssstaaake yesterday. The piece that I was quoting yesterday was actually a piece on seismic activity, but I thought what it said was more applicable to Volcanic eruptions. I said that the Natib Caldera had erupted 3,000 years ago, but the actual article said that a major fault shift had occurred every 2,000 years. The last major fault shift was 3,000 years ago so a major Earth Quake was overdue. The caldera last blew 14 to 18,000 years ago and not enough is known about its activity to say what its periocity is. Whew, I feel so much better…A major earthquake in the area is overdue.

( I know that Shake Rattle and Roll isn’t really a jam song but what the heck it’s Friday)

As was noted in one of the comments in the seismic piece, the Philippines is not alone in either being on the Ring Of Fire nor is it the only Earth Quake prone zone in the world.  Japan and America are both very sophisticated places technologically and also have extensive infrastructures to handle disasters in general. The Philippines is neither. Plus where are you going to evacuate too? It is an island. Not only that but the Japanese and the Americans have released a lot of radiation over the years. Look the big deal is Bataan is not fueled. Once it is fueld you might as well run it because everything is radioactive anyway. Drago in the US is just as much a threat.  I bitched about it for years while it was being built and submitted written protest to the Nuclear Regulatory Agency in DC when it was Licensed.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpT8Sd9wRlQ&feature=related )

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So having said all that, the Philippines really shakes:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=7.8686,126.8434(M5.7+-+Mindanao,+Philippines+-+2009+May+21+05%3A53%3A59+UTC)&t=h&z=7

Everyday. Why because the Philippines sits on the edge of a Techtonic Plate. So really BIG things can happen:

( Elvis shake those hips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCBT7PfAEgc&feature=related )

http://www.drj.com/drworld/content/w1_116.htm

Earthquake Devastates Philippines

By Cathy Clark and Jim Taylor

On July 16, 1990 at 4:26 p.m. local time, a severe earthquake registering 7.7 on the Richter scale struck the northern Philippines. The earthquake caused damage over a region of about 7700 square miles, extending northwest from Manila through the densely populated Central Plains of Luzon and into the mountains of the Cordillera Central.
Over 5,000 people were reported dead or injured, and in excess of 2300 infrastructures were either destroyed or seriously damaged. While the quake was devastating, it was not an unusual occurrence in the Philippines; since 1950 alone there have been six major earthquakes at various locations in the archipelago, having magnitudes ranging from 7.3 to 8.3.

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE

Buildings were decimated by ground shaking, soil failure and liquefication (causing them to settle into the ground), and landslides.
Nearly all multistory buildings in the Philippines are constructed of reinforced concrete frames, supporting slab floors. Short-column failure was evident in many buildings observed to have the classic diagonal cracking where the column was acting as a short shear wall and could not carry the loads. Many unreinforced masonry infilled walls separated from the concrete frames and collapsed.
In the heavily shaken regions, two general types of disastrous failure to multistory, larger reinforced concrete buildings were observed–failed first stories and total building collapse.

First-story (or Soft-story) Failures

The ground floor of a building is frequently the weakest part of the structure. It is seldom enclosed on all four sides by walls capable of resisting shear forces, and it is also generally taller than upper floors. Ground floor shops, stores, lobbies, or garages normally allot most of their front wall area to doors or plate glass, leaving one side of the building with no shear resistance. Bending and shear forces induced by strong ground shaking are therefore concentrated in the ground-floor columns. As a result, the building may fail by collapse of only its first story, with the stronger upper section of the building remaining intact.

Multistory Failures

Many multistory building failures or “pancake” collapses (typically with structures of six to ten stories) were observed in the city of Baguio. One such collapse included a nine-story hotel which killed over a dozen occupants on the ground floor. This type of damage has been observed repeatedly in numerous earthquakes throughout the world where design and construction deficiencies exist.

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( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_SOmE5tfNo&feature=related )

Not only that but it appears to happen about once every 20 years or so:

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/1968_Casiguran_earthquake

Ph Locator Aurora Casiguran

 The 1968 Casiguran earthquake occurred on August 2, 1968 at a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale. The earthquake’s epicenter was located in Casiguran
Casiguran is a 3rd class Philippine municipality in the northern part of the Philippine province of Aurora province, Philippines. It is located 121 km from Baler, Aurora, the provincial capital…. Quezon

Quezon is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. The province was named after Manuel L….(now part of Aurora province).The city of Manila, or simply ‘Manila’, is the Capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila…. was the hardest hit with 268 people were killed and 261 more were injured. Many structures that suffered severe damage were built near the mouth of the Pasig River

The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines and connects Laguna de Bay into Manila Bay. It stretches for and divides Metro Manila into two….on huge alluvial deposits. A number of buildings were damaged beyond repair while others only suffered cosmetic damage. Two hundred and sixty people died during the collapse of the 6-story Ruby Tower, located in the district of Binondo. The entire building, save for a portion of the first and second floors at its northern end, was destroyed. Allegations of poor design and construction, as well as use of low-quality building materials, arose. In the District of Santa Ana is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located at the southeast banks of the Pasig River, bounded on the northeast by Mandaluyong City, Makati City to the east, southwest is the Manila district of Paco, Manila, and to the west, Pandacan, Manila…. one person was injured by debris from a damaged apartment building.
Two more people from Aurora sub province and Pampanga  is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga….
died as a direct result of the quake. Around the town of Casiguran, there were several reports of landslides, the most destructive one at Casiguran Bay.

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( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t61oJT-d900&feature=related  )

So let’s put our thinking caps on here. The Luzon Earth Quake happened in 1990 and Pinatubo happened in 1991. What if the Luzon earthquake had hit Manila like the Casiguran. I don’t think I would have wanted to have had to worry about a Nuclear Reactor popping off. Guess what it has been about 20 years…

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The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant…What a dumb idea

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See, it’s not just that it’s a 1973 designed reactor on which construction was started in 1976 and finished in 1984, nor is it the fact that it had 4,000 safety violations, cost 2.4 billion $$$ and was finally paid off in 2004. No, it’s that it is inbetween an ocean and a bay, it’s on a fault line, and it’s in the flow path of a VOLCANO. One that is still ACTIVE.  Everything about this screams “retard alert” or “danger will robinson danger”…

But it isn’t just one volcano it’s 2 in a chain of Volcanoes. Both Natib and Pinatubo Volcanoes are within 60 miles of the site.

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

285px-pinatubo_ash_plume_910612.jpg

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Natib is a whole nother booger that goes off about every 2,000 years and it has been 3,000 years since it went off..

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=443497&publicationSubCategoryId=75

The 1992 Torres report

While he was still at Phivolcs, Dr. Ronnie Torres, a foremost expert regarding pyroclastic flows who is now at the University of Hawaii, warned of volcanism and faulting at the site in a 1992 report, “The vulnerability of PNPP site to the hazards of Natib volcano” (Phivolcs Observer, Vol. 8 No. 3: 1-4).Quoting Dr. Torres: “Natib volcano does not erupt very often but could still erupt.” As a rough rule of thumb, the longer a volcano is in repose, the more time it has to store eruptive energy, and thus, the stronger the eventual eruption caldera on Mt. Pinatubo.

The Sonido-Umbal 2001 Report to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority

Dr. Ernesto Sonido collaborated with Mr. Jesse Umbal to submit in 2000 an exhaustive, 38-page analysis for SBMA of the geology and geohazards of the Subic Bay area. Jess Umbal is one of the brightest, most competent volcanologists and geologists I know. Working with me during the Pinatubo eruption, he earned his Masters degree at the University of Illinois in 1993. Dr. Sonido is not a volcanologist, so we can assume that Umbal wrote those aspects in the report, which adjudged Natib as “potentially active.” The report documented two Natib eruptions that formed large calderas, one with a diameter more than twice as big as that of the new caldera on Mt. Pinatubo.

The Cabato et al. study

In 1997, Ms. Joan Cabato, Dr. Fernando Siringan and I of the National Institute of Geological Sciences of UP Diliman, collaborating with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the National Power Corp., initiated a geophysical study of the marine geology of Subic Bay. The study was supported as “due diligence” hazard evaluation by then SBMA Chairman Richard J. Gordon.

From a slowly moving boat or ship, we gathered 125 kilometers of “seismic reflection” data. That method puts powerful pulses of low-frequency sound into the water. The sound passes down through the water and into the layers of sediment below the sea floor. Some of the sound is reflected back upwards from the different sediment layers, and is collected by hydrophones trailing behind the boat. Much as if we took an X-ray, electronic equipment automatically uses the returned signals to make a detailed picture of the structure underlying the sea, in our case down to a depth of about 120 meters.

After we processed the data and prepared the manuscript, it underwent rigorous scrutiny by our geological peers in the Philippines and abroad, before it was published in the international Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. I am proud to have been part of that effort, which earned a Masters degree for Joan Cabato, a very bright young woman who recently earned her doctorate from the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

Quite by accident, we discovered a massive deposit of sediment that can only be explained as originating as a large pyroclastic flow from the large Natib caldera, in an eruption that occurred sometime between 11,000 and 18,000 years ago. That date has wrongly been called Natib’s latest eruption. A systematic study of Natib itself could find evidence of even younger eruptions.

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So here is one of the BIG Questions what happens to a reactor when it washes out to sea. I have no answer but it sounds like a very bad idea. Some people would argue that it would just melt down and be encapsulated…but I got my doubts.

http://www.bataan.gov.ph/ragingpeninsula/mt.natib.trekking.html



BATAAN NATURAL PARK
Tala, Orani

Mt.Natib is the highest summit in the entire Natib Caldera System in the Bataan Natural Park, a dormant volcano with an elevation of 1,253 meters above sea level (masl). It lies between the larger Old Caldera and the smaller Pasukulan Caldera and represents the latest of the volcanic edifice to develop in the area. The slope is characterized by very steep forested slope. Mossy forest characterized by small-stunted trees occurs approaching the peak. The peak is covered by a small patch of grassland. Also found are boulders with inscribed names of American expeditionary forces that climbed the peak way back the 1930s.

Mountain climbers and nature lovers will find the mountain exciting and interesting since the forest is home to many floral and faunal species. Migratory birds are also seen in the area. A trail shelter is available for overnight trekkers to pitch their tents and enjoy a breathtaking sunrise. However local guides should escort visitors.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

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What about the Earthquakes? More tomorrow.

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Local 193 of the International Brotherhood of Electricians Announces a new Green Union Hall

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I could have picked any number of Google “friendly” topics today like:

Gasoline prices rise Oil prices don’t – because I have long argued that the refiners will restrict production to raise prices because of the Speculator Driven Oil Shock of 2008.

Obama to announce new mileage standards – because I argued during the campaign that if Obama wanted a real energy policy change he would ban the sale of gasoline in anything other than 1 gallon containers. Gas driven cars would disappear overnight.

There is a local story however that needs to be covered. Local 193 of the IBEW is breaking ground for a new union hall later this month and it is going to be a doozy. Geothermal, Solar and Wind, the whole enchilada. God I have always wanted to say that.

While there is nothing up on their websites yet (hint hint)

http://www.unions.org/home/v-28641-13-IBEW-.htm

http://www.ibew193.com/

Nor do they list the Building Committee on there web site. Here is what one of their better writers, Tim Landis,  had to say in the State Journal Register. First in brief:

http://www.sj-r.com/business/x1393569371/Tim-Landis-Changes-to-Lincoln-Home-site-considered

The INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS 193 plans to break ground Friday for a union hall and training center at 3150 Wide Track Drive, just off Dirksen Parkway in Springfield.

According to the union, the “green building” will include solar panels that cover the roof, geothermal heating and cooling, and green space. Long-term plans are to add a wind-turbine. The training center will offer instruction in wind and solar technology.
The site is adjacent to the existing hall, which also will be upgraded once the new building is finished.

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Then in a longer piece that talks about the Greening of Central Illinois:

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 193 has begun construction of a new administrative office and training center at 3150 Wide Track Drive, just off Dirksen Parkway, in response to “green” trends in energy and job training, said business manager David Burns. The local represents about 800 workers in nine area counties.

“We just think that the green concept is more than right around the corner. It’s here,” Burns said.

In addition to use of geothermal heating and cooling, the solar panels on the roof are expected to provide most of the building’s electrical needs. Long-term plans are to add a wind turbine. Once the new hall is completed, the existing hall will be demolished to make way for green space, including landscaping and a retention pond.

But it’s the 12,500-square-foot training center that is the centerpiece of the green strategy for the labor union.

Plans are to offer hands-on training to apprentices in solar and wind technology. A “green jobs training curriculum” will include 70 lessons.

Burns said members already work on solar and wind projects, large and small, but that the training required will become more sophisticated along with the technology.

“We believe the demand is going to continue to grow,” Burns said. “As the technology gets better and better, we’re going to have to train people.”

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He listed these jobs that could enlist Electricians:

Jobs of the future?
A state list of “green jobs” outlines the top jobs that should be available in coming years or that will require retraining as alternative energy use increases. Additional information is available at http://www.ilworkinfo.com.

Among the categories:
* Building retrofitting. Electricians, heating and air conditioning, carpenters, construction equipment operators, roofers, insulation workers, carpenter helpers, industrial truck drivers, building inspectors and construction managers.

* Smart grids. Computer software engineers, electrical engineers, electrical equipment assemblers, electrical technicians, machinists, construction laborers, operating engineers, electrical power line installers and repair technicians.
* Wind power. Environmental engineers, iron and steel workers, millwrights, sheet metal workers, machinists, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, industrial truck drivers, industrial production managers and production supervisors.
* Solar power. Electrical engineers, electricians, industrial machinery mechanics, welders, welders, metal fabricators, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, installation helpers, laborers and construction managers.

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Way to go 193!

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Have a Good Weekend – You earned it

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCPbL4yA7ik

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/02/virgance-looks-to-turn-green-options-media-network-into-a-blogging-empire/

Virgance Looks To Turn Green Options Media Network Into A Blogging Empire

 

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by Jason Kincaid on April 2, 2009

Virgance, the unique ‘Activism 2.0? startup that is looking to improve the world while making money in the process, has announced the latest addition to its portfolio of campaigns. The company has revealed that beginning six months ago it began quietly acquiring a number of blogs, namely the Green Options Media Network – a collection of 15 blogs, each of which is focused on a different portion of the environmental space. Since the acquisition the blog network has managed to become profitable despite the floundering economy, and has seen its writing staff grow significantly. But according to Virgance, they’re just getting started.

Green Options was founded back in 2007, and has grown to around 2.5 million monthly unique visitors. The network’s most popular blogs include Gas 2.0 (a blog focused on alternative fuels) and CleanTechnica, a blog that examines the latest trends in clean tech. The network sees around 30-40 new blog posts a day, though some of the niche blogs are updated less frequently than the others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jURRsAMGuZk

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/02/usgs-finds-sources-dead-zone

USGS Finds Sources for New Jersey-Sized Dead Zone in Gulf

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By Matthew Wheeland, April 2, 2009

Every year, excess fertilizers and animal manure flow down the Mississippi River and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving an increasingly large swath of the gulf completely lifeless.

The Gulf’s “Dead Zone,” as it’s commonly known, is largely the result of excess fertilizer use; as the NOAA website on the gulf hypoxic zone puts it, “Nutrient over-enrichment from anthropogenic sources is one of the major stresses impacting coastal ecosystems.” When too much fertilizer and animal waste flow off of farm and ranch lands, it adds too much nitrogen and phosphorus to the water, which depletes oxygen, results in algae blooms, and drives off fish, shrimp and other aquatic life.

In addition to killing off massive amounts of sea life, the Gulf’s dead zone has crippled fishing industries for long stretches of the summer in Louisiana and eastern Texas. Last year, the NOAA predicted the largest-ever dead zone, at 8,800 square miles about the size of New Jersey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC1ivZl7AE4&feature=related

 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/us/02everglades.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Everglades Restoration Plan Shrinks


By DAMIEN CAVE

Published: April 1, 2009

 

 

MIAMI — The Everglades have become yet another victim of the shrinking economy.

 

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Cane being cut in Clewiston, Fla., in fields owned by the United States Sugar Corporation.

 

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Half a RescueMap

Half a Rescue

 

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Times Topics: Everglades

Gov. Charlie Crist announced Wednesday that Florida would significantly scale back its $1.34 billion deal to restore the Everglades by buying 180,000 acres from the United States Sugar Corporation.

At a news conference in Tallahassee, Mr. Crist outlined a far more modest proposal: $530 million for 72,500 acres, with an option to buy the rest by 2019.

“We feel this is the best opportunity, the best financial scenario we can present,” Mr. Crist said, adding, “The economy has been what it has been, and we have to deal with the parameters we are given.”

The new proposal, if approved by the South Florida Water Management District and the board of United States Sugar, would amount to the second major revision of a plan that began last June as a purchase of United States Sugar, all assets included, for $1.75 billion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt7OqNNqwlw&feature=related

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life is….

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Hot Rocks Report – Deep well geothermal update – whats up since the Earthquake

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It always amazes me how boring the “Feeling Lucky” search is on google. It is supposed to evoke the sounds and site of Dirty Harry “Well, are you feeling luck punk”. But it is about as dazzling as well a good yawn. Hot Rocks – slang name for deep well geothermal energy extraction was once, well, as the name implies HOT. There were two major Hot Rocks projects going on at the time of my last report (I know I know I will put in a track back when I get the chance) sometime last year. But then there was an earthquake in Austria or Switzerland…where ever the European endeavor was and it all got real quiet. The Earthquake was blamed on the Deep Well Drilling, but i never saw definitive proof. So I typed in Hot Rocks at Feeling Lucky and got this:

http://hotrocksband.tripod.com/

stones.jpg

Hot Rocks Rolling Stones Tribute Show complete with the sound, the look and the energy!
‘Best in the Midwest’ as selected by Paramount-Stones-Scorsese-!
Best of  the Burbs finalist 4x in Nitelife Magazine contest

A freaking cover band;

Just to remind everyone this is what the original report dealt with:

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=7407138

Geothermal project shakes Basel again

Related stories

Basel has been rocked by another earth tremor, this time measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale, centred on the site of a planned geothermal power plant.

This time buildings stood up to the force unlike the minor damage inflicted by a small earthquake in December that clocked a reading of 3.4. Nobody was hurt in either of the two incidents.

The latest tremor took place at 08.19 on Saturday, prompting around 40 residents to call the emergency services.

Work on the Deep Heat Mining project stopped last month following a series of tremors and will not resume until at least the end of January when experts are expected to conclude their analysis.

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Just to bring you up to what is happening:

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-11991–35-35–.html

UWI finds no correlation between geothermal project and earthquakes on Nevis
Published on Wednesday, November 5, 2008  
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: Chief Executive Office of West Indies Power (Nevis) Ltd, (WIP) Kerry McDonald expressed confidence in the University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Unit (SRU) scientific findings, which corroborated WIP scientific conclusion of no known correlation between the series of earthquakes which recently occurred on Nevis, and the approved geothermal project contracted to WIP.
Chief Executive Officer of West Indies Power Limited Kerry McDonald

In a joint press briefing held on Monday with Director and Manager of the Nevis Disaster Management Office Lester Blackett, Mcdonald cleared the air when he made the following statement and assured the people of Nevis that drilling activities were not linked to the earthquakes, another respected analysis by the regions research institution studying volcanic and earthquake activity at Arc-level.

“The drilling WIP has been doing on the west side of the Island had nothing to do with the earthquake that occurred. First of all, let me say that there was no correlation between the two activities.

“In fact, we were not drilling for over one week on the west side of the Island. As you know, this earthquake was 11 miles off of the eastern side of the island close to the tectonic plate, where all the seismic activity has been and that’s pretty much the same region that all seismic activity that has affected Nevis has been located and that included the 1952 earthquake. This earthquake was at 22 miles depth and this was where the earthquake came from. The deepest well that we [WIP] have drilled is 3,720 feet,” McDonald said.

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They seem to be going great guns in Australia though

http://www.hotrockltd.com/irm/Content/home.html

   
Clean electricity at competitive rates  
   
 

Hot Rock Limited – Clean electricity at competitive cost

The world is poised for a major expansion in geothermal generation.  Geothermal uses natural heat from the Earth’s crust to make electricity.  It is clean and has high growth potential.
We created Hot Rock Limited to be a leader in geothermal generation.  Geothermal is a unique intersection of natural resource development with electricity generation.
Hot Rock Limited is the largest holder of geothermal exploration acreage in Australia.

Otway Basin geothermal project, Victoria, Australia

Hot Rock Limited’s Otway Basin geothermal resources in Victoria are large. They are located in the middle of a large population base of 5 million people with a major 500 kV electrical transmission system nearby. Hot Rock has already completed the largest MT geophysical survey for geothermal to date in Australia over a part of this resource. More

Why geothermal?

The world is readily embracing new clean energy sources. We have seen rapid growth in wind generation and coal seam gas production over the past decade. Geothermal electricity generation is now poised to grow rapidly too. More

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jan09/7077

Geodynamics is turning Australia’s natural radioactivity into the country’s first geothermal power plants

This is part of IEEE Spectrum‘s SPECIAL REPORT: WINNERS & LOSERS 2009, The Year’s Best and Worst of Technology.

Photo: Geodynamics

Dream Steam: A new kind of geothermal system in Australia’s desert holds great promise for clean electricity generation.

Four kilometers down below the orange earth of Australia’s Cooper Basin lies some of the hottest nonvolcanic rock in the world—rock that the geothermal industry had never seriously considered using to make electricity. But next month Geodynamics, an eight-year-old company based in Milton, Queensland, will prove otherwise when it turns on its 1?megawatt pilot plant here. The company has done more to harness this unconventional form of geothermal energy than anyone else in the world.

Geodynamics picked a place in the middle of Australia with a smattering of trees, a mostly dry riverbed, and a town with a population of about 14. Even in the best circumstances, building a geothermal power plant is a risky endeavor: drilling costs money, and divining what’s going on in the depths of the Earth is still something of a black art. Here, geothermal companies must clear yet another hurdle. The world’s 10 000-MW collection of geothermal power plants exploits existing underground reservoirs of water and steam. Australia’s geoscientists, by contrast, must create their own.

This very experimental technology is known as an engineered geothermal system, or EGS. If it works—and the finances and expertise at Geodynamics’ disposal suggest that it will—heat from deep under the outback could contribute a few gigawatts of clean round-the-clock power, up to 20 percent of Australia’s capacity today. And if it works here, many other countries will want to give it a whirl.

In the last few years, the concept of geothermal energy has undergone a dramatic reshaping to include a broad range of geological conditions not normally deemed useful. In the United States, for example, EGS could potentially contribute as much as 100 000 MW of electricity in the next 50 years, according to an MIT report released in 2006. Today conventional geothermal capacity in the United States amounts to about 3000 MW, less than half of a percent of the country’s total electric capacity. In famously geothermal Iceland it comes to 450 MW—about one-fourth of the island’s total. Australia’s use of geothermal heat is basically nil.

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Good luck mates.

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Al Casella – What other people had to say

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Disclaimer – I got these comments off of the “guest books” both at the SJ-R and the funeral home. They are online. Thus I suppose public. If anyone objects to their comment being displayed here I will immediately take it down.

Claimer – This is not an all inclusive list. I picked people I know or Know OF, and people’s comments that seemed typical. If you wish to add your own please do.

SJ-R:

http://www.legacy.com/sj-r/Obituaries.asp?Page=SearchResults

Butler Funeral Home:

 http://www.kirlin-egan-butler.com/_mgxroot/page_10730.php

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of such an influential person in my life. I only wish I would have known before the funeral so I could have attended. He will absolutely be missed.

Layla Paulus-Slater Mar 18, 2009 Dunlap, IL

 

 Al was a scientist with a social conscience.What a warm,positive,loving human being!He was always there to lend support when supporters were few and far between.He saw the whole university as his home,not just his program or school.Great mind,great fun-loving personality,great colleague and friend.If SSU was truly a “different” kind of university,and I believe it was,it’s because of people like Al.As he would say,Solidarity Forever! My sincerest condolences to his family. How fortunate they were to have him as their own. Mike Townsend.

mike townsend Mar 16, 2009 springfield, IL

 

I was very sorry to hear about Al’s death. He was one of my favorite professors. He had the ability to actually help me understand nuclear physics! I will always remember his big smile and friendly personality. Please accept my condolences.dorene gillman campbell Mar 16, 2009 sherman, IL

Thank you, Alex, for your collegiality and friendship.

 

Jack Van Der Slik Mar 16, 2009 Port Saint Lucie, FL

 

Al was a good friend…we will miss him very much.

 John and Diane Munkirs Mar 14, 2009 Rochester, IL

 

If I were not leaving town in a few hours I would certainly be present to offer my heartfelt condolences in person. Al and I worked together on many committtees and projects during the thirty some years we were both on the faculty at UIS and I always treasured his intelligence, generosity,and good humor. I especially remember the good times we had together back in the mid-1980s when we were both on sabbatical leave at the same time and both happened to be in the San Francisco area. He was a fine person who leaves fond memories behind.

Larry Shiner Mar 13, 2009 Springfield, IL

 

 

March 17, 2009 I was a student of Dr. Casella’s and am sad to hear of his passing. I had worked with him on “Peace Talks” and through the Heartland Peace Center also. I am also a staff member of the Central Illinois Foodbank and recognized that he has also been a great supporter of our organization. He was a great man and will be missed by many.
Sincerely, Lynne Slightom    Lynne Slightom (Springfield, IL)

 

Dear Family of Alex,
I wish I could join all of you and all of Alex’s friends for his memorial service. Alex was a dear friend to all and especially to my late sister, Beckie, and late husband, Luther Skelton. I have fond memories of parties on Lowell Avenue–especially the one with Winona LaDuke! My thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this sad time of losing Alex.
Peace and Love,
Bonnie Benard Mar 13, 2009 BERKELEY, CA

 

Alex was a special man and a dear friend to me and my family. We will so miss him. As I wrote to Chris, Lara, and Niny, I’m certain Dr. Casella is up there right this minute kibitzing with Dr. Einstein. And Albert is loving every minute of it.

Lynn Lyons Mar 13, 2009 Laguna Beach, CA

I  had the pleasure of officiating the wedding of Alex and Niny at Washington Park in 2001. It was a beautiful ceremony. Alex will be greatly missed by all those who knew him. I will never forget “Casella’s Theory of ESP”.

Prairie Eigenmann Mar 13, 2009 Sherman, IL

 

Thanks, Alex, for being my friend for all these years

Tom Immel Mar 12, 2009 Springfield, IL

 

 

March 15, 2009 Susan and I are saddened to learn of Alex’s departure. I valued his leadership as dean and his advice as a colleague. He was a highly active and creative member of our campus community. He was forever launching new initiatives toward the betterment of our campus, our community, and the world. His initiatives strengthened the Environmental Studies Program and contributed to the vitality of the campus. His sense of humor also lightened the tone of sometimes difficult operational discussions. His creativity even extended to the genius of his costumes at our vaunted Halloween parties. He once appeared as the most authentic witch we had ever seen! We want to offer our deepest sympathy to his family.    Wayne and Susan Penn (Walnut Creek, CA)

 


March 15, 2009 Commiserations from the Lennon family–Michael, Donna, Stephen, Joseph and James. I worked with Alex for many years at SSU/UIS in public affairs activities–he was dean of public affairs for several years–and relish the memories of his energy, humor and commitment to the environment. He was one of the prime movers in establishing Earth Day nationwide and gave of himself generously to many worthy causes. Endlessy curious and open to new experience, he was always fun to be with. I saw him last when he came to Pennsylvania for the funeral of our friend, Ashim Basu. I’m glad he lived long enough to see President Obama elected and the nation begin to mobilize against global warming, but sorry that his laughter will not be heard again–except in memory.    michael lennon (westport, MA)

 

 

March 14, 2009 This is terrible news! Al was one of a kind. I remember asking my friends in Carbondale, as I was moving to Springfield after graduate school, who to look up in the capitol city. Al was a name that was highly recommended. We became friends and shared an ethnic background and were both scientists and involved in energy and public affairs. I knew of his work on the Springfield Energy Project as I was active with the Carbondale City Energy Division and Shawnee Solar Project. He made a tremendous contribution to not only Sangamon State University (U of IL), but also the city of Springfield. He led by example in his own home energy improvements and was a huge inspiration to not only students but also the community. He was an expert in energy and environmental affairs long before it was fashionable. I could always count on him to conduct a television interview with political speakers I had brought to Springfield. He was a great comrade and I will always remember his funny laugh. My husband was a student at SSU and remembers well Alex’s messy and very interesting and stimulating office, full of posters, quotes and books. Even his office was an education. My husband’s and my heart go out to his children, grandchildren and wife. We know the Force is with him now and he is marveling at the wonders of God’s universe, now revealed in full without human or laboratory constraints. He is now a student in the ultimate Physics class. May God Bless Him and Keep Him. The world has lost a very good man that enriched all who knew him. Godspeed Alex!    Valeri DeCastris (Rockford, IL)

 

March 14, 2009

Alex was a great colleague. We felt a strong kinship because of our shared Phildaelphia roots. My condolences to Alex’s family    Harry Berman (Springfield, IL)

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Al Casella – Tributes by Bob Croteau and Fletcher Farrar

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Al touched a lot of people’s lives. He actually named this organization. More from the people who loved him. Bob Croteau offered this:

There are usually a few formative personalities you meet who have a profound impact on your life, Alex Casella was one of those for me.

I was struggling with direction as I had abandoned my chemistry career with the maker of Alka Seltzer and One-a-Day vitamins, feeling like I was part of the problem rather than part of the solution. I needed to do something with my hands and was doing home remodeling jobs, but that was not fulfilling either and started dabbling in solar energy projects.

My sister Suzanne was attending Sangamon State in the mid-1970s and told me about this innovative university, and a guy teaching solar energy classes. She said I should come down and check it out. I came to Springfield and SSU.  When I first met Al and his students, they were building a geodesic dome and solar collectors to heat it. This was definitely the place I wanted to be where it wasn’t just talk; they were getting down to it. This was where I could blend my science and my “build it” needs.

Alex had a class called Community Energy Systems which led to the creation of a not-for-profit corporation by class members and commuity activists. They hired me and 2 others to do solar demonstration and weatherization projects. In 1984 I was hired by CWLP and just celebrated my 25th anniversary of employment there pursuing my environmental passion.

He also took it to higher levels including a policy changing campaign bringing in the gurus of energy efficiency to Springfield like Amory Lovins and embarking on the Springfield Energy Project that identified all the things with energy policy that we still need to do now, thirty years later, to help save us from environmental and economic mayhem.

Clearly I owe this man of vision, compassion and intelligence my thanks. And so I offer this song to you that I sang for him many years ago because I feel it talks to how Alex lived his life.

(editor’s note: this part was sung, and I can not do justice to that. Bob Croteau has a marvelous voice)

 

Second Story Window from Rita Coolidge‘s first album.

 

Live your life however, you want to do whatever, you want to and you’ll never die.

You can do whatever, you want to do whatever, you want to do, and you can try.

(Chorus)

And you know who your friends are, by looking in their eyes.

You know so you smile, but they never realize,

What goes on inside of every me and you, keeps on a rolling on, keeps on a rolling on.

 

Life just lasts a second, you don’t have time to  reckon things that people say and do.

Try to find your secrets, death is just a sequence, to be one day rolling through.

And you know who your friends are…

 

If you can love then you can, live forever you can, live forever if you love.

You just be a giver and help the poor deliver, it’s something less for something more.

Chorus

And you know…

You know so you smile, and sometimes they realize, What goes on…           

 

Thank you Alex

Alex is still with us.

 

Bob Croteau
MA-Environmental Studies SSU

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Bud Farrar offered this:

Editor’s note

At IT we’re sad this week about the passing of our old friend and colleague Alex Casella, who died March 5 at the age of 69. The former Sangamon State University professor was solar before solar was cool, doing most of his scientific work during the last energy crisis in the 1970s and 80’s. He was passionate about sustainable energy, but not just passionate. He was also sensible, making sure he had his facts straight and offering the best argument for the cause of renewable fuels. Al never passed up a chance to make his argument, appearing in these pages as often as we’d give him the chance in letters to the editor, guest columns and features. His tireless commitment to what he knew was right advanced the cause with hundreds of students and anyone who knew him. We’ll have to take it from here. — Fletcher Farrar, editor

Energy And Environmental Blog’s – What my competito….friends have been up to lately

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This site is not for the average reader or for the weak at heart. This is hard core energy news with BLOGS by people who DO, teach not…. as Yoda might say:

http://www.energyblogs.com

Interesting ideas and viewpoints are constantly emerging on EnergyBlogs.com.  We have enhanced the topics available for categorizing blogs so that you can easily reflect the dynamic conversations taking place within the global power industry.

To assist in this transition, existing blogs have been recategorized into the appropriate topics.  We encourage you to review the recategorization to make sure the topics best reflect the content of your blog and update the categories if appropriate.

As always, we encourage you to start a new blog on one of the engaging new topics!  If you have any questions, please contact service@energycentral.com.

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To Dr. Chu: Align Stimulus to Clean Energy Reform

02/08/2009 at 08:22 PM   |   Jose Antonio Vanderhorst-Silverio – Electricity Without Price Controls Blog

A system architect should lead a high leverage clean energy reform transformation of the power industry for DOE to distribute as soon as possible the …
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Bacteria to Power Up the Carwash? – By Lance Winslow

02/06/2009 at 08:29 PM   |   Lance Winslow – Lance Winslow’s Online Energy Think Tank Blog – Articles by Lance Winslow Blog

By Lance Winslow   Alternative energy is bolder rage and it makes sense to take this technology and apply it to his many possible industries …
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VENDORS UPBEAT – Really!!! – Distributech Musings

02/06/2009 at 01:00 AM   |   Martin Rosenberg – From the Editor’s Desk Blog

Before we get to the meat of this posting, I offer a snippet from a conversation I snagged early this week with Neal Schmale, president and chief oper..

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When this guy is on he is really on, but again this site is only for the hard core wonk:

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/

December 01, 2008

EPA Raises Raises Requirements for Renewable Fuels

An item of interest to ethanol producers and other supporters of ethanol is this announcement by EPA, as further clarified by this announcement by EERE:

Epaseal1

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 17 that the 2009 renewable fuel standard (RFS) will require most refiners, importers, and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline to displace 10.21% of their gasoline with renewable fuels such as ethanol. That requirement aims to ensure that at least 11.1 billion gallons of fuels will be sold in 2009.  . . . While the RFS requirement is increasing by about 23%—from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 11.1 billion gallons in 2009—the percentage requirement is increasing by nearly one third, from 7.76% in 2008 to 10.21% in 2009.

…

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He also only posts when he feels like it. The last post was in December. Did the Obama Election scare you away?

Then there is the worldwide wonks. Don’t look if you do not really really care.

http://peakenergy.blogspot.com/

Monday, February 09, 2009

Let engineers make Britain great again

The Guardian has a fairly technocractic article on the low value accorded to engineers in Britain and the value of implementing some large scale and tecnically complex infrastructure to rebuild the economy on “solid foundations” – Let engineers make Britain great again.
Orson Welles said film-making was the biggest electric train set a boy ever had. He was wrong. A new high-speed train line would be, if the boy or girl grew up to engineer it.

But in Britain, the train set is broken and has been packed away in the attic. We’re not proud of industry and we certainly don’t want our kids to grow up to be engineers. It’s a tragedy. It never used to be this way. We need to rediscover the power of engineering, its impact and contribution. It can stimulate young minds and it can stimulate the economy. …

So the young are innately curious about how and why things work. Yet what happens between childhood and adulthood? We stamp it out of them. Engineering gets stigmatised and we encourage our kids to become “professionals” – lawyers, accountants, doctors. Unlike in France or Germany, engineers are a bit of a nonentity here. Engineering is almost a dirty word. We’re told it’s “old industry” and that we are a “post-industrial nation”.

Part of the problem is that engineers are not accorded the status they deserve. We celebrate designers and architects, but forget the clever people who turn the theory into reality. The Millau bridge in France was designed by Norman Foster, but it was French engineer Michel Virlogeux who made it work. A magnificent achievement, but whose name do people remember? In 2005, Ellen MacArthur became the fastest person to sail round the globe, but little was made of Nigel Irens, who engineered her trimaran. …
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Damn it man…Engineers are important…but so are their mothers and they never mention them.

So YOU think YOU are into renewable energy, huh. Better eat your Wheaties for this one.

http://renewenergy.wordpress.com

 

CPUC Says CSI Doubled Installations in 2008

2009-02-06 by renewenergy

 

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a quarterly staff progress report on the California Solar Initiative, showing that in 2008 Californians installed twice as many megawatts (MW) of solar power than the year before, and that demand for new solar projects continues to hit record levels.

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 Fraunhofer Sets CPV Efficiency Record of 41.1%

2009-02-06 by renewenergy

 

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have achieved a record efficiency of 41.1% for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a concentrating solar PV system.

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Posted in Efficiency, Research, Solar Energy | No Comments »

 

Texas Approves US $5B for Transmission

2009-02-06 by renewenergy

 

In 2006 Texas overtook California to lead the nation in installed wind power generating capcity. Now, just three years later, wind turbines generating 8005-megawatts (MW), more than all the turbines spinning in California, Iowa and Minnesota, have outstripped the capacity of the high-voltage grid to move the power from windy west Texas to major cities where it’s needed.

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Posted in Economics, Electricity, Policy | No Comments »

 

 

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But to lighten up a little bit, then there is the financial side of things:

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/

February 9, 2009, 2:10 pm

Crude Reality: Oil Bulls See Hope in Stimulus Package

Posted by Keith Johnson

Crude oil futures in New York are still climbing Monday, jumping more than 5% in early trading before settling down to a more modest 1.5% increase.

What’s driving the uptick? There are theories for all tastes.

On the supply side, OPEC now says it is doing better at sticking to reduced production targets than most outside analysts give the cartel credit for. OPEC’s secretary general said today the cartel has already cut 80% of the 4.2 million barrels it’s meant to take off the market, and the cartel is ready to cut again at its March meeting.

On the demand side, President Obama’s cheerleading for the $800-odd billion stimulus package and signs the Senate could pass its version tomorrow are giving bulls hope there’s a quick fix in store for the battered U.S. economy that will rekindle demand for oil. Given that natural-gas futures are also up on Monday—the first four-day winning streak for gas since last autumn—there’s something to be said for the idea of a light at the end of the tunnel for the U.S. economy.

But the imminent passage of the stimulus package could be bullish for oil prices—without ever stimulating a lick of oil demand in the U.S.

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Fun stuff huh? Then there is the LONGEST running serious Energy Bog oh blog started in 2005

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/drupal/seblog

Sustainable Energy Blog

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Insuring electric cars

Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Thu, 2009-02-05 06:30.

 

Cheaper or more expensive than conventional cars?

When the cost of a plug-in vehicle is mentioned, it mostly refers to the purchasing and maintenance expenses. Sometimes, tax reductions given to electric vehicles (EVs) are taken into account, but the insurance cost is rarely discussed. This is somewhat strange, since the insurance on a conventionally fuelled car accounts for roughly one quarter of its fixed cost of ownership. So, what happens to this cost when switching from a conventional car to an EV?

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Tomorrow I will try my hand at Alternative Energy Blog sites. They are funner.

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So You Think I Hate Coal Companies – Well actually I do but apparently they have their uses

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http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/12/10/heerlen-minewater-project/

Old Coal Mines Adapted

to Generate Geothermal Energy

by Bridgette Steffen

December 10, 2008

 Recently the town of Heerlen in the Netherlands repurposed an old abandoned coal mine into a brilliant source of geothermal energy. The project takes advantage of flooded underground mine shafts, using their thermal energy to power a large-scale district heating system. Dubbed the Minewater Project, the new system recently went online and provides 350 homes and businesses in the town with hot water and heating in the winter and cool water in the summer.

 In the Netherlands, coal was one of the main sources of energy from the turn of the century up until around 1959, when large amounts of cheap natural gas were discovered in the north. The coal industry lost market share and mine after mine was closed down – in the city of Heerlen, for instance, the coal mine was closed and the shafts were flooded with water and have been unused for the last 30 years

Five new wells were drilled in various locations around town to access the underground mine shafts. Each well is 700 meters (2,300 ft) deep and can pump out nearly 80 cubic meters (2,800 cubic feet) of water per hour. The water temperature at the bottom of the well is 32 C (89 F) and gradually cools to 28 C at the surface. Warm water from the mine is brought to the surface where a heat pump extracts the heat in order to supply hot water to households in the area. Meanwhile the Minewater is pumped back down 450 meters to be reheated. In the summer, to provide cooling, water will be pumped from a much shallower depth of 250 meters, where it is not so warm.

 The area supplied by the Minewater is a relatively new development and includes a supermarket and a brand new cultural center and library as well as many homes and businesses. While the cost of the heating and cooling is not much different than before, customers can be assured of stable prices in the future compared to the cost they could incur by using fossil fuels.

minewat-lead01.jpg

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