Category Archives: Energy Tough Love Blog

Energy Tough Love Blog – A weblog from Community Energy Systems

Earth Day All Week – Cool sites

Posted on by
Reply

The environmental influence on the web has spread like wild fire. So this week I am going to post some of that. First up websites devoted to the general idea.

http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2011

Earth Day 2011: A Billion Acts of Green®

April 22nd marked Earth Day 2011. This year, we saw an enormous outpouring of support for the environmental movement, evinced by our 100 millionth Act of Green! Visit our blog for a first-round recap of Earth Day 2011 acomplishments.

Earth Day 2011 has passed, but the Billion Acts of Green campaign continues. Our goal is to reach a billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before Rio +20. Here is how you can join the campaign and become part of the solution.

Share your commitment to the environment this Earth Day – declare your Act of Green. Now, you can also join the campaign on Facebook.
Organize an environmental service or advocacy event in your community.
Find and attend events near you.

Learn more about the campaign elements of Earth Day 2011:

Athletes for the Earth™: Bringing the voices of Olympic and professional athletes to the environmental movement, Athletes for the Earth™ has a proven track record of illustrating the interaction of athletes with their environment and connecting popular athletic activities with environmental stewardship.  Participating athlete/celebs include Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Demong, Olympic Bronze Medalist Andrew Weibrecht, World Champion Freeskier and founder of the Save Our Snow Foundation Alison Gannett, Boston Bruins Defenseman Andrew Ference, Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Aaron Peirsol, and NFL linebacker Dhani Jones.

The Canopy Project: In 2010, Earth Day Network planted over 1 million trees in 16 countries under the Avatar Home Tree Initiative. In 2011, EDN will continue that effort with another 1 million trees in large-scale, sponsor?supported tree-planting projects in partnership with non?profit organizations throughout the world. Locations where reforestation is most urgently needed include Haiti, Brazil, Mexico and urban areas of the US.  Help us green our future, one million trees at a time.

Women and the Green Economy (WAGE)™: To accelerate and provide the new thinking and creative power for a global post-carbon economy, Earth Day Network is engaging women business, government and NGO leaders in its “Women and the Green Economy” (WAGE™) campaign. Our goal is to create a policy agenda for Rio+20 and relevant generate national initiatives that will promote the green economy, secure educational and job training opportunities for women and channel green investment to benefit women.

Arts for the Earth™: Arts for the Earth is an innovative education program developed to teach sustainability and environmental education through museum and arts community networks.

:}

More tomorrow

:}

Earth Day 2011 – Here is the first post

Posted on by
Reply

I am probably going to post Earth Day stuff for the next week. I see it as a way to hook up with old friends like today’s Shawna Coronado or new friends unknown.

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/gardening-nude/2011/04/green-tip-6-earth-day-is-every-day-just-ask-my-plastic-bag-thong-underwear-oak-tree-art.html

Green Tip #6-Earth Day Is Every Day, Just Ask My Plastic Bag Thong Underwear Oak Tree Art

Plastic Bag Thong.jpg

Earth Day should be every day. Just ask my oak tree which currently has a plastic bag hanging in it 28 feet up that remarkably resembles a pair of thong underwear. No kidding.

Why are we celebrating the earth just one day of the year? It has given us everything we have, wear, and eat – yep, even thong underwear. Without the earth humanity would not exist. With the earth we exist. Pure and simple.

Stop messing around people – pick up your trash so it does not get caught in a tree for some bird to get tangled in. Recycle your glass, plastic, and paper, so we save our natural resources. Make a difference every day, not just on Earth Day – it is the right thing to do.

Now. Who’s going to climb 28 feet up to help me get the thong out of the tree? Volunteers?

www.shawnacoronado.com

:}

Power Plant Rewarded For Doing The Right Thing

Posted on by
Reply

Povse, Nadel, and the entire press room have disappeared from my newspaper. But they still have one of their best writers left. Tim Landis wrote this article and it is pretty good.

http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x1225333763/Company-head-lauds-power-plant-upgrade

Company head lauds power plant upgrade

Posted Apr 19, 2011 @ 11:00 PM
Last update Apr 20, 2011 @ 06:25 AM
Print Comment

COFFEEN — The head of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corp. welcomes the creation of 400 temporary construction jobs during a major upgrade of the Coffeen Power Station.

The fact that owner Ameren Energy Resources announced this week it would upgrade a nearly 40-year-old, coal-fired boiler at the plant is even better news for the long term, Heather Hampton-Knodle said.
“They are one of our largest private employers,” Knodle said. “It’s a good sign of their ongoing commitment to that plant.”
The Coffeen facility is about 60 miles southeast of Springfield.
Even as state and national unemployment has fallen, Montgomery County joblessness has remained high. The 13.9 percent rate in February compared with 8.9 percent statewide and nationally, and 8.1 percent in Sangamon County.
Much like neighboring Macoupin County, where the February unemployment rate was 11.4 percent, Montgomery County has been hurt by job losses in manufacturing and the coal industry in the past decade.
Crews at Coffeen Power Station are replacing 14 “cyclones” used to pulverize coal for the Unit 2 boiler, said Ameren spokeswoman Susan Gallagher. She added that the 400 contract jobs are in addition to a regular work force of nearly 180.
Gallagher said the company has not put a timetable on completion of the work or how long the contract workers would be on the job.
“They are working around-the-clock, I’m told,” she said.

:}

More tomorrow.

:}

The Illinois Power Agency Once Had Promise – Where is Lisa Madigan now

Posted on by
Reply

After all of the legal and political wrangling in 2007, the Illinois Power Agency seemed a dream come true. An agency that guaranteed to keep electrical prices competitive or they would step in and buy electricity for the state at a set rate. They published the staffing requirements in the newspaper. They were excessive I thought at the time. They wanted Ph.d.s and Masters degrees in pretty exotic subjects like power generation analysis and such. But now they have hired only 2 staff out of what was supposed to be 25. Wow! Where is Lisa Madigan now?

http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-8525-staterss-power-buyer-under-fire.html

Thursday, April 7,2011

State’s power buyer under fire

Audit shows problems at Illinois Power Agency

By Patrick Yeagle

The state agency responsible for buying Illinois’ electricity is under fire after an annual audit showed numerous problems with accounting and transparency.

A March 24 report by Illinois Auditor General William Holland says the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) needs to correct 35 “weaknesses” in financial transparency, rulemaking and more. The report admonishes IPA for storing money outside the state treasury, failing to create an annual budget and even lacking basic office supplies.

Among the more major issues identified in the audit is a lack of financial reporting and accounting records maintained by IPA.

“… [F]or the second year in a row, the agency did not provide accurate and complete financial information,” the audit states. “Specifically, the financial information provided did not contain all the necessary information regarding funds held outside of the state treasury.”

One of the most unusual problems identified by the audit was a lack of adequate staff. IPA director Mark Pruitt is one of only two employees in the entire agency, and the second employee, chief financial officer Kristene Callanta, was only hired in January 2011 – after the period covered in the audit. The lack of staffing coincides with the agency’s failure to create specialized bureaus to handle certain tasks, the audit shows.

“Failure to create these required bureaus is a violation of state statute,” the audit says. “In addition, because these bureaus were not created, the director had the sole responsibility for scoring all proposals and selecting winners for the procurement process, which could result in an abuse of power.”

dot dot dot as they say

For example, a 2007 complaint filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says prices produced by auctions were “almost 40 percent higher than prices in bilateral electricity markets… and they were produced in a highly concentrated market in which there is evidence of price manipulation.”

To view the IPA audit and others, visit www.auditor.illinois.gov

Contact Patrick Yeagle at pyeagle@illinoistimes.com.

:}

I mean I know that in 2008 there was all the worry about then Governor Blago’s corrupt hiring practices but this is really an over reaction. More tomorrow.

:}

Mercury Is Good For Us – Just like the other coal pollution

Posted on by
Reply

There are times when I wonder WHY is this a story? I have been leery about running articles about the environment because the state of it is so bad that any comments would be dreary. What with the Gulf Spew, Russia catching on fire and the nuclear accident in Japan, is there anything left to say? I saw this article earlier this morning and I thought, Ok this is a little different and I love Albatrosses. They are such  magnificent birds. Then I read the article and could not grasp the point of it. The headline seems pretty clear, but the body of the article seems not to support it. Read the whole thing at the site below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13121088

18 April 2011 Last updated at 17:07 ET

Feathers tell century-plus tale of mercury pollution

Richard Black By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

Albatross feathers from museum specimens have allowed scientists to construct a record of mercury pollution dating back more than 100 years.

The feathers, from the black-footed albatross, contain traces of mercury that the birds picked up when they fed.

The species is endangered; and although fishing is the main cause, the team suggests mercury levels may have been high enough to impair breeding.

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The team analysed feathers from 54 birds kept in museums at Harvard University and the University of Washington in Seattle, US.

The oldest samples are 120 years old.

There was no trend in overall mercury concentrations over time.

But the level of methylmercury – a toxic form of the metal, formed often by bacteria, did show a rise.

Methylmercury is easily absorbed by marine lifeforms such as small fish; and predators of those lifeforms, such as birds, can end up with big concentrations in their tissue.

It can cause developmental defects in humans, and there is evidence that it can damage reproduction in birds and fish.

“People have looked at mercury levels using museum specimens before, but mostly in the Atlantic,” said Scott Edwards, a biology professor at Harvard who also curates the university museum’s ornithology collection.

“Ours is one of the first to look at patterns in the Pacific basin; this has the largest number of seabird colonies, has the most endangered colonies, and is under severe threat from mercury emissions from Asia.”

“They’re fantastic birds, and a very tractable species to study” Scott Edwards Harvard University

About half of the mercury going into the atmosphere comes from natural sources such as volcanoes.

Of the other half, the biggest source is coal-burning, with mercury ocurring as a trace element in many coal deposits.

:}

More tomorrow.

:}

HB 14 Is Still A Bad Idea – But this is a great article

Posted on by
Reply

I have many problems with this legislation. For example, if a Power Company wanted to build a powerplant would this be considered an infrastructure improvement subject to 8 1/2 month review after construction had started? It’s the “after construction has started” part that is most bothersome. To the argument about 44 other states having similar statutes, as your mother said, “Would you jump off a bridge because you saw a friend do it”? Amend that to, “Would you jump off a bridge if you saw a whole bunch of people do it”? We usually call those folks lemmings.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=184920

Electricity legislation sparks debate

by Kate Springer
April 14, 2011

Everyone can agree on one thing: Illinois needs to update its energy grid. But the Energy Modernization Act, also known as House Bill 14, would allow  $2.6 billion worth of upgrades. It sounds like a good thing but the proposal is meeting resounding opposition from critics.

The AARP, Citizens Utility Board and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan have dubbed HB 14 a “Trojan horse” or ComEd’s “automatic rate-hike bill” in an effort to fight the legislation.

During the past three months, Commonwealth Edison Co. and Ameren Corp., a downstate utility, have been lobbying legislators to pass HB14, which would allow them to invest in “smart meters” and infrastructure upgrades over the next 10 years in return for an alternative way to set rates.

In the current system, ComEd must spend about 11 months in hearings to convince the Illinois Commerce Commission that it needs a rate increase based on wholesale electricity prices.

Most recently, ComEd petitioned the ICC for a $396-million rate hike. Ten months after its request on April 13, an ICC judge recommended a $166-million increase, or a hike of 3 percent, on the average monthly bill. That was only half of ComEd’s request. The official adjustment will be decided by the end of May.

It’s a familiar pattern and one that ComEd would prefer to avoid.

:}

She is a pretty good writer. And she has 2 blogs:

http://katespringerblog.blogspot.com
http://katespringerblog2.blogspot.com

More tomorrow.

:}

New Energy Will Finish Out The Week – Maybe I will do more next week

Posted on by
Reply

For the last couple of days I have been posting  some very interesting sites that I discovered simply by typing New Energy into the Google search bar.

http://www.infinite-energy.com/whoarewe/whoarewe.html

The Mission
The New Energy Foundation was formed to: act as a catalyst for advancing and disseminating knowledge and understanding of all facets of new energy, new science and new physics; promote a proactive exchange of ideas and promulgate advances in research; support research, theory and experimentation in the new energy field via assessments, guidance, publicity and grants.

What is the New Energy Foundation?
The New Energy Foundation (NEF) is a non-profit corporation, formed in late 2002 and based in the State of New Hampshire. It is approved by the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity, therefore contributions are tax deductible.

The NEF (and its for-profit predecessor, Cold Fusion Technology) was founded by the late Dr. Eugene Mallove who, until his murder in May 2004, was the leading proponent of new energy/new science. His advocacy for the new energy field was unrivaled. The Foundation continues after his death as a testament to his life’s work and his commitment to unearthing new sources of energy and new paradigms in science. (Please visit the Mallove family’s memorial website, www.eugenemallove.org.)

The NEF sees as its major goals the following: To provide a publication forum for new energy researchers and experimentalists in Infinite Energy Magazine, its bi-monthly publication. To provide grants to applicants who meet the appropriate criteria set forth in the “Apply for Grants” section. To provide assessments, when possible, of new energy work and to assist researchers in a myriad of ways.

Grants Awarded by the New Energy Foundation

As of September 2009, the New Energy Foundation has awarded (through the generosity of donors) over $650,000 in grants. Grants have been awarded to over 30 researchers or organizations.

Projects funded are primarily experimental work in low-energy nuclear reactions, but the Foundation has also funded: internet archives of cold fusion material, publications specific to cold fusion, and cold fusion conferences. The most current project underway is a Condensed Matter Nuclear Science (“cold fusion”) Oral History Project, which will endeavor to interview and archive most, if not all, of the primary researchers and proponents of cold fusion.

Why your support counts!
Revenue generated from sales of Infinite Energy and its books and videos is less than 30% of what it costs to carry on a publication of this quality at the frontiers of knowledge and to support the operation of the Foundation, without even projecting for projects we would like to fund. Most magazines receive the majority of their revenue from advertising, but in the new energy field no significant advertising base yet exists. Hence, we rely on the generosity of donors to help us support new energy projects and continue publication of Infinite Energy.

Here is the other basic motivation for NEF: It has been far too difficult (so far) to persuade venture capital to invest in new energy technology that is not quite ready yet for “prime time,” so the vicious Catch 22 (“We won’t invest because it is not successful already”!) must be broken. We appeal to the humanitarian and charitable instincts of those in a position to invest charitably in the most fundamental aspect of our future: The triumph of truth over falsehood on the frontiers of science—in which the new energy field, in our view, will be the first paradigm-shattering example.

What we have today in the fiery menace of hydrocarbon fuels and its associated geopolitical nightmare is very ugly indeed. There is almost no area of human activity that would not be dramatically affected by the advent of new energy technology—especially matters of war or peace and health and the environment. Therefore, providing tax-deductible support to the New Energy Foundation should be thought of as a significant investment in your future, that of your loved ones, and civilization at large. If you doubt this, just try to imagine our world 10, 20 or 50 years hence without the advent of a dramatic source of new energy such as cold fusion (low-energy nuclear reactions), aether energy (or zero-point Energy/space energy/vacuum energy, if you prefer), or some other very powerful new physics energy source! It’s not a pretty picture.

Please support the New Energy Foundation with your tax-deductible contribution.

:}

More next week.

:}

New Energy Produced A Bananza – At least for this blog

Posted on by
Reply

This is another cool site that popped up after I typed New Energy into Google:

http://www.newenergytechnologiesinc.com/

Welcome to New Energy Technologies Inc.

New Energy Technologies, Inc., publicly traded under the symbol NENE, is focused on the research, development and eventual commercialization of emerging next-generation alternative and renewable energy technologies.

We are developing a novel MotionPower™ technology which generates electricity from the motion of vehicles, and the first-of-its-kind SolarWindow™ technology capable of generating electricity on see-thru glass windows.

. MotionPower™

Our novel MotionPower™ energy harvesting systems generate sustainable electricity by capturing the excess kinetic energy produced by moving cars, small trucks, and heavy commercial vehicles.

Our MotionPower™ devices are engineered to generate electricity from the 250 million vehicles registered in America, driving an estimated 6 billion miles on our nation’s roadways every day

click here to read more…

.

.SolarWindow™

Our first-of-its-kind SolarWindow™ technology enables see-thru windows to generate electricity by ‘spraying’ their glass surfaces with New Energy’s electricity-generating coatings.

These solar coatings are less than 1/10th the thickness of ‘thin’ films and make use of the world’s smallest functional solar cells, shown to successfully produce electricity in a recently published peer-reviewed study in the Journal.

click here to read more…

:}

More tomorrow.

:}

New Energy Movement – Interesting Google find

Posted on by
Reply

This is a long story over a minor point, but bear with me. Google used to have a “Feel Lucky” icon on their choice bar that would take you to a random choice. They redid their algorithm to preclude this possibility when they realized that this was losing them money.  Originally I was excited by this. Yet it always turned out boring. Government pages, and the usual energy giants like Siemens. Over the years I have tried to continue this spirit by typing weird phrases in the Google box and again the results have been…well less. But this time I typed in NEW Energy and got some interesting hits. Here is one cool one.

http://www.newenergymovement.org/

Ere many generations pass, our machinery will
be driven by power obtainable at any point in the
universe. It is a mere question of time when men
will succeed in attaching their machinery to the
very wheelwork of nature.

—Nikola Tesla
The World We Envision
Clean, safe, abundant, inexpensive energy for all… stabilized climate… clean and healthy water, food, and air for all… beautiful blue skies over our cities… low-impact, sustainable forestry and agriculture… beautiful landscapes unspoiled by wires and smokestacks… recycling of virtually all wastes… rivers running free and natural… thriving sustainable local economies… living standards and education rates increasing… birth rates declining… a global culture of sharing… unleashed human creativity… a new and lasting era of world peace…

With a revolution in energy as the foundation of renewed and loving stewardship of our planet, we can transform our world into a beautiful and healthy home full of promise, opportunity, abundance, and peace for all of humanity.

Our Mission
The New Energy Movement acts to promote the rapid widespread deployment of advanced, clean, and sustainable energy sources across our imperiled planet. This transformation in the way our civilization generates and uses energy provides the best physical means to protect the biosphere, remediate ecological damage, and enhance the health and well-being of the global human family.

The New Energy Movement’s major priority is to educate the public, policymakers, and investors about the need to support research, development, and use of zero-point energy, magnetic generators, advanced hydrogen processes, and other little-known powerful energy technologies now emerging from inventors and scientists all over the world…

The Challenges

Critical and unprecedented challenges now face our civilization, inflicting a terrible toll on our people, our companion species, and the planet itself. If not reversed soon, they threaten to end human life on Earth.

Without a revolution in energy, we will not be able to act with the speed and scope demanded by the climate change emergency we face. With this revolution we will be able to create sustainable and just economic development required for world peace.

______________________________________________

Our survival will require
a vast and dramatic shift
in how human civilization
generates and uses energy.

:}

More tomorrow.

:}

Rocket Man – I think it’s going to be a long long time

Posted on by
Reply

OK. This has nothing to do with Energy or the Environment. I mean it does if you believe that air travel, both military and commercial, is responsible for a HUGE chunk of the atmospheric pollution that is destabilizing the planet’s climate. Even then how much will it add? Not much probably. Still this is just so cool. As reported here:

http://www.universetoday.com/84765/dream-job-posting-spaceship-pilots-wanted/

Dream Job Posting: Spaceship Pilots Wanted

by Nancy Atkinson on April 11, 2011

Some might do a double take at this job posting, but it is legit. Virgin Galactic announced today they are looking for pilot-astronauts and are now accepting applications…from qualified candidates. High scores on Aces of the Galaxy or Space Flight Simulator probably doesn’t meet the criteria, so just what does constitute Virgin Galactic’s idea of qualified?

Virgin’s press release says qualified candidates are full course graduates of a recognized test pilot school who are broadly experienced with both high-performance fast-jet type airplanes and large multi-engine types. Prior spaceflight experience is desirable. You’ll also have to be able to create a safe and enjoyable commercial suborbital space flight experience for your passengers.

Those selected will have the responsibilities of knowing the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo spaceflight system test program in and out (and in accordance with government regulations and company policies in Mojave, California where test flights take place and Virgin Galactic’s commercial operations at Spaceport America in New Mexico.)

:}

Sourced from the Virgin itself.

http://www.virgingalactic.com/careers/

Careers

THE SPACESHIPCOMPANY

Excellent career opportunities are available with The Spaceship Company (TSC) – the assembler of Virgin Galactic’s fleet of SpaceShipTwos and WhiteKnightTwos.
Click the following link to find out more on The Spaceship Company website

 

VIRGIN GALACTIC CURRENTLY HAS TWO JOB OPPORTUNITIES: Position: PILOT – ASTRONAUTS Please click here to apply online and for further details

Position: HEAD OF OPERATIONSPlease click here to apply online and for further details

For any questions, please email jobs@virgingalactic.com

Site built by Outside Line

:}

But is this the near end of a dead end road? Have we so polluted the planet that this is our last gasp? We shall see. More tomorrow.

:}