Energy Exchange

Bloomberg’s State Of The City Ideas Good For Health And The Environment

By Andy Darrell / Published: February 15, 2013

Source: CBS New York

A lot happened yesterday: Brooklyn Nets cheerleaders. Jay-z soundtrack. Kids dancing on stage. The new stadium at Barclays Center. Popcorn. Valentine’s Day. Mayor Bloomberg’s birthday? Yes. But also his last State of the City speech.

In his speech and a small briefing in advance, he identified recent environmental wins: clean heat’s 170 tons of soot per year gone so far, a 16 percent cut in GHG pollution since 2005, the monumental third water tunnel under city streets, new waterfront parks underway at Fresh Kills, Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Mindful of 320 days left in his term (this guy counts data), he announced some ideas that can get done now:

  • Electric vehicles. A network of charging units citywide with 30-minute charges — one third of NYC’s taxi fleet to be electric. New York City could become a great place to charge a Tesla, a Leaf or a Volt. With traffic just behind heating oil as the main reason why some neighborhoods have unusually high pollution, that’s a good idea for health and climate. It also opens a conversation about the electric grid that extends well past his term. Will those cars run on electricity created by solar, hydro, wind, nuclear, natural gas, coal? Here’s an example of how to get it right: Pecan Street Inc.
     
  • Recycling. Expanded recycling for plastic, including those take-out containers so familiar to New Yorkers.  And – an issue that’s getting a bit of press – ridding our city of styrofoam cups used in schools, delis and restaurants.   This reminds me of EDF’s work with McDonald’s many years ago, getting rid of the Styrofoam clamshell.
     
  • Third, a citywide bike share program, to launch this summer.  This could end up being one of the largest bike share programs in the world.

Equally interesting are some of the ideas not explicitly framed as “environmental,” for instance:

  • A post-Sandy commitment to “rebuilding here,” on the waterfront — but doing so sustainably, in a way that “keeps the lights on” in a storm. That will take unprecedented collaboration with state and federal policy makers, tech innovation, architecture and design and efficiency finance.  A first step is to make sure that federal dollars flowing in to the region after Sandy are spent in a way that helps local communities make fully informed choices about not just “where” to rebuild, but “how” to rebuild.
     
  • And an idea that could reshape the skyline for a long time: “Midtown rezoning.” Sound boring? Could be.  But imagine midtown Manhattan with buildings that are far at the forefront of resilience and clean energy – taking full advantage of the latest technologies to generate clean electricity and waste as little as possible. Could Manhattan be the next Pecan Street? This is an opportunity not yet fully-seized. Read More »
Posted in Grid Modernization, New York / Tagged , | Comments are closed

President’s Vision Encompasses A Next-Generation Energy System

By Elizabeth B. Stein / Published: February 14, 2013

Tuesday’s State of the Union (SOTU) speech included much that was music to environmentalists’ ears.  The headline, of course, is the commitment to take serious action to address the most significant challenge our generation faces – climate change.  And, with it, the extreme weather and public health burdens that are already making life harder for vulnerable regions and people nationwide, and that stand to become so much worse as the root cause remains unaddressed. 

But some of the most exciting aspects of the SOTU message are the nuts and bolts that underlie the top-line goal.  Specifically, the President’s speech recognizes that Americans have an opportunity to achieve many of the carbon reductions we need through actions that create new business opportunities, increase national security and drive economic growth.  In fact, we already are.  As the President noted, the past four years have seen the beginnings of a revolution in American energy production and use – technological innovations have put us on track to energy independence and renewable resources constitute a growing share of electric generation capacity. 

The President’s vision, as outlined in the SOTU, encompasses a next-generation energy system – one where the system that was revolutionary in Thomas Edison’s time is finally supplanted by a system that meets the needs of our time.  Technological change can bring full-scale transformation, and government can play a role by accelerating technological development.  A future where cars and trucks no longer depend on oil can finally be imagined – and government efforts can help bring that future into the present more quickly.

Carbon-free wind and solar energy represent a growing share of our resource mix, and  they can grow to serve a larger and larger share of load.   And energy waste in buildings can be cut substantially – but doing so requires innovations in energy retrofits, building operations and finance, which government can also help to foster.

Finally, President Obama referred to fostering a ‘self-healing power grid,’ which is extremely important. Modernizing our outdated, aging electric grid and how it is operated (as well as customer-side technology and practices) will help minimize problems that arise from extreme weather events and other disruptions, while also allowing for greater shares of electric demand to be served by resources whose output depends (literally) on something as fickle as the weather.

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Grid Modernization, On-bill repayment, Renewable Energy, Washington, DC / Tagged , | Comments are closed

Super Bowl, NOT Super Coal

By Marita Mirzatuny / Published: February 6, 2013

Was it the duel between two brothers coaching opposing teams? The awesome performance by Beyonce’ and the reunion of Destiny’s Child? Ray Lewis’ last game? No. What everyone was talking about post Super Bowl 2013 was the power outage!

Let’s get this straight: With over 108 million people watching the most important football game of the year — the third most watched TV program ever  — yielding hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising revenues, the power in the stadium just happens to go out for over 30 minutes?

The first thought I had was, “Is someone trying to spare the 49ers from suffering a Super Bowl blowout? The second was, “Do I have time to run out and get more snacks?” The third was, “Who’s to blame for this power fumble…the NFL? The City of New Orleans? Beyoncé?”  Well, the fossil fuel industry seems to think they have the answer, jumping at the opportunity to remind us of the need for more coal.

The truth is that officials are just starting to figure out what caused the power outage, according to a recent article by The Times-Picayune.  What is clear is that the stadium had reliability problems which were identified in October 2012 – including decayed feeder lines – and that officials quickly tried to fix them in the months before the game.  Somewhere along the line, something failed – and the new switchgear did its job, shutting down the stadium to save it from a longer blackout.

The bottom line is that no amount of coal would have solved the problem – unless, of course, more charcoal would have meant better tailgate parties while attendees waited for the electrical system to be restored.

In fact, an article in The Washington Post notes that stadiums across the country have avoided blackouts through advanced technology that allows grid operators to identify problems more rapidly and fix the system in real time.  While the Superdome’s electrical system did not seem to have that level of advanced technology, perhaps its game-day tale is a win – without the new switchgear, the blackout may have in total, lasted much longer, and signaled the end of the game.  Only time will tell.  In the meantime, we say “well played” to New Orleans for working diligently to upgrade the stadium in the short time that it had.

Fortunately, while upgrades to the larger electricity system must happen to ensure reliability and reduce pollution, we have the time to thoroughly and thoughtfully upgrade our electricity system – and EDF is quarterbacking the issue to make sure it is done right.  The same smart technology used successfully by football stadiums across the county can be applied on a neighborhood, region, and national scale, avoiding and reducing blackouts, minimizing air pollution, and incorporating cleaner technologies.  The benefits from these investments nationwide are potentially huge – in the trillions of dollars – three times their cost.  With interest rates on savings accounts currently well below 1 percent, this kind of payback is certainly worth the investment in our nation’s economy, health, and –well -football.

Posted in Grid Modernization / Comments are closed

Do We Need Breakthroughs Or A Simple “Carbon Diet?”

By Jackie Roberts / Published: January 29, 2013

Over the weekend, The New Republic published an interview with President Obama, where he noted the following: “On climate change, it’s a daunting task. But we know what releases carbon into the atmosphere, and we have tools right now that would start scaling that back, although we’d still need some big technological breakthrough.”  How accurate is the call for breakthroughs and what do we really need?

First, let’s look at where we don’t need breakthroughs, but instead more deployment – energy efficiency, of course, being Exhibit A.  Creative financing, such as on-bill repayment (OBR), at scale can speed up deployment here.  Similarly, unlocking clean energy to reduce carbon emissions from the electricity sector hinges on affordability.  Wind energy is already competitive with fossil fuels, in large part because the cost of wind energy has come down around 65 percent in the last 20 years, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (yes, declining natural gas prices provide new competition, but EIA projects that natural gas prices will begin to increase in 2018, and wind power purchase agreements are signed for around 20 years at a fixed price).  Residential solar is verging on the tipping point for “grid parity,” or the point at which a source of power becomes cost competitive with other sources.  Bell Labs first introduced solar cells in the 1950s.  Environment California’s Research & Policy Center recently reported that they expect solar to reach grid parity in mid-2014 to 2016 at the outset. 

Of course, progress in lowering costs and increasing efficiency comes on the heels of many smaller innovations.  For example, innovations in materials science underlie many of the most promising technology evolutions, such as the role of carbon fiber as a basic raw material for wind turbine blades or the use of Gallium Arsenide wafers to reduce manufacturing costs for solar cells.  But, nonetheless, given our country’s strength in materials science (think of our leadership with companies like Dow, Dupont and 3M), such innovations seem imminently feasible and in my mind don’t require a major “breakthrough.” 

We’ve also delivered numerous hardware and software innovations to transform our electric grid into a more resilient, smart, “green” grid.  Even carbon capture and storage, to some a high stakes technology bet, is actually just a new configuration or application of engineering equipment we have installed and used for decades, such as heat exchangers, chillers, absorbers, pumps and compressors.

Where would I wave a wand for a breakthrough?  A cheap, reliable and efficient energy storage system wouldn’t hurt, one that replaces the clunky compressed air systems or the size limitations of batteries.  But, overall, the declining cost curves for clean energy solutions, due to innovations large and small, tell us an important story:  solving the climate crises is not unaffordable or necessarily a drag on our recovering economy as many fear.  It is certainly not infeasible nor hinging on that one great technological breakthrough. 

We need non-technological breakthroughs.  Like the new head of the World Bank, Dr. Jim Kim, who in Davos described wanting to make “everything the Bank does aligned with the effort to slow down climate change.”  And it is certainly cheaper than repeating the $50 billion recovery price tags that we might face time and again as Superstorm Sandy becomes the new normal. 

Americans love the quick technical fix.  But, today we have affordable answers right in front of us, it’s the willpower we may be lacking.  So, just as most of us believe that rather than wait for a dieting breakthrough, the best answer to weight loss is reduced consumption and more exercise – we need to go on a carbon diet.  Our economic and environmental health depend on it.

Posted in Climate, Demand Response, Energy Efficiency, Grid Modernization, On-bill repayment, Washington, DC / Comments are closed

EDF, Wyoming Outdoor Council Team To Protect Wyoming Air From Oil And Gas Development

By EDF Blogs / Published: January 18, 2013

Wyoming Outdoor Council’s lead attorney on air quality

EDF and Wyoming Outdoor Council are teaming up to protect air and water quality from oil and gas development in the Cowboy State. One of the first efforts in this partnership surrounds strengthening air quality regulation for the oil and gas industry in Pinedale, WY where persistent ozone pollution threatens the health of local residents. EDF’s Natural Gas Media Director, Lauren Whittenberg, recently sat down with Bruce Pendery, Wyoming Outdoor Council’s lead attorney on air quality issues, and Jon Goldstein, EDF’s Senior Energy Policy Manager, to learn more about this partnership.

Lauren Whittenberg: Can you tell me about the pollution problems in Pinedale?

Bruce Pendery: Well, first and foremost, this pollution is a public health issue. Monitoring of air quality in the Upper Green River Basin in western Wyoming near Pinedale started to show dangerous levels of ground level ozone pollution in 2006. Ground level ozone (also known as smog) is created by a complicated interaction between two different forms of air pollution, oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds. Oil and gas development in the Pinedale area is the main source of both. Since the problem was identified, the Wyoming Outdoor Council has been heavily engaged with regulators, local citizens and industry to seek a way to reduce this harmful pollution to protect the local citizens and gas field workers.

LW: What problems does ozone pollution cause?

Jon Goldstein: Ozone is a toxic air pollutant widely known to cause a host of respiratory problems. Exposure to ozone pollution, even in low concentrations, can cause serious health problems, including permanent damage to the lungs. To address some of these concerns, EPA introduced rules – for the first time – that established federal emission standards for natural gas well sites, as well as tightened existing standards for other aspects of gas processing and distribution. EPA’s clean air measures are important to reduce air pollution from the oil and gas sector. It’s also interesting to note that EPA – in part – based these federal standards on state level rules that have been in place in Wyoming for several years. However, a big opportunity exists to further strengthen federal and state regulations and reduce air pollution for communities dealing with poor air quality.

LW: What is the plan to address this harmful pollution?

BP: On January 10, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced its plan to address air pollution issues in the Pinedale area’s Upper Green River Basin. This plan is based on recommendations the department received from the Upper Green River Basin Air Quality Citizens Advisory Task Force,  a broad group of local citizens, elected officials, oil and gas industry and environmental representatives brought together by the department. I served on this task force and helped formulate the ten consensus recommendations we provided to the DEQ.

LW: What were the recommendations?

BP: These are very practical, common sense efforts to reduce emissions from oil and gas operations. Things like monitoring, investigating and plugging leaks from faulty oil and gas production equipment, reducing emissions from produced water tanks and ponds, and developing legal efforts to better regulate existing sources of pollution.

LW: You mentioned that these recommendations were “consensus.” What does that mean?

JG: That is what is so encouraging about this effort. Each of the ten recommendations has the buy in of every member of the task force – a very broad group of local citizens and elected officials as well as industry and environmental groups like Wyoming Outdoor Council. These practical recommendations followed nine months of deliberations by the task force and six lengthy meetings.

That such a broad group could reach consensus on ten methods to improve local air pollution is a testament to their dedication. This hard work will be well worth it when these ideas are made a regulatory reality, and air quality issues in the region begin to improve.

LW: What’s next?

JG: This action plan is a key first step; the DEQ has offered an outline that, if implemented quickly and completely, will help put us on the path toward cleaner, healthier air. But now is a crucial time in this process. It is now up to the DEQ to make these ideas a reality and implement them through regulatory processes as quickly as possible.

And we aren’t stopping with these ten items. We have advocated for additional efforts to improve air quality, including better measures to monitor maintenance activities such as liquids unloading, extending the state’s strong Presumptive Best Available Control Technology (P-BACT) requirements throughout the ozone nonattainment area, and ensuring that existing and grandfathered emissions sources are controlled.

A lot is at stake. Inaction or inadequate action will not improve air quality or protect the health of local residents.

LW: How will Wyoming Outdoor Council and EDF keep this momentum going?

BP: We will remain involved in this process to ensure that the DEQ follows through as quickly as possible. We plan to be very active in the formal regulatory development and adoption processes that will kick off in the coming months. And we hope that all Wyoming citizens will stay involved in this effort. Wyoming has a strong history of leadership in regulating air emissions from the oil and gas sector. Our plan is to defend this hard-earned reputation and protect people and our air quality in the process.

LW: What other efforts are on tap in Wyoming?

JG: Because of both the strong regulatory tradition that Bruce mentioned, and Wyoming’s status as one of the largest sources of domestic oil and gas resources, Wyoming is one of our target states for EDF’s natural gas work. We are working on a number of opportunities to raise the bar on air and water quality regulations and also improve drilling protections on federal lands. This includes adoption of strong new federal rules around the venting and flaring of natural gas. You will hear more about these efforts in coming months, but we are very happy to have a partner as well respected and experienced as Wyoming Outdoor Council  to help us make them a reality.

LW: Thank you both.

 

 

Posted in General / Comments are closed

EDF Energy Innovation Series Feature #18: Gas Leak Detection From Picarro

By Jim Marston / Published: January 17, 2013

EDF’s Energy Innovation Series highlights innovations across a broad range of energy categories, including smart grid and renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency financing and progressive utilities, to name a few. This Series helps illustrate that cost-effective, clean energy solutions are available now and imperative to lowering our dependence on fossil fuels.

For more information on this featured innovation, please view this video on Picarro’s innovation.

With the surge in shale gas discovery and development, natural gas, which is approximately 90% methane, is a growing part of our nation’s energy mix. There are now more than 40,000 shale gas wells in operation in the U.S. today – three times as many as in 2005.

Despite its great promise though, current production practices all too often impose unacceptable impacts on air, water and landscapes. Methane leakage is a key area of concern, as leaks during the production, distribution and use of natural gas have the potential to undermine and possibly even reverse the greenhouse gas advantage that natural gas has over coal or oil. This is because methane is a remarkably powerful greenhouse gas and its effect on the climate is 72-times more potent than that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame. Estimates of fugitive emissions range from 1.5 to 9.0%; the truth of the matter is that no one knows for sure.

Enter Picarro SurveyorTM from the Silicon Valley start-up Picarro, which makes devices and software that detect, measure and analyze a range of gasses from acetylene and CO2 to ammonia and formaldehyde. This high-tech solution, which integrates a mobile methane gas analyzer with cloud-based, geo-informatics software, is currently in use by companies like PG&E (not to mention EDF’s own scientists).

“When it comes to safety and environmental impact, we know that fugitive natural gas leaks are an important factor, which gas companies must manage carefully,” said Michael Woelk, CEO of Picarro. “Our technology is making that process easier by modernizing the way these companies detect leaks along their pipelines. The result is better public safety and a healthier environment.”

Source: Picarro

About the size of a suitcase, Picarro Surveyor can be installed in the trunk of a car. Additional sensors installed on the car’s roof capture wind speed and direction to determine the source of even the most trace amounts of gas. The technology also distinguishes natural gas leaks from other sources of methane, such as landfills, sewers or livestock. The results are matched with GPS data via Picarro’s cloud-based data processing platform, P-Cubed®, and reporting is available online to anyone with a web-enabled device and secure connection.  This allows personnel to investigate gas sources and coordinate necessary responses to repair the leaks. This real-time, networked detection system replaces the incumbent process of monitoring natural gas pipeline leaks by workers on foot patrolling areas with hand-held detectors and manually logging their results.

PG&E is currently deploying multiple Picarro Surveyors and is optimistic about its results.  “This gas detection technology is revolutionary,” PG&E’s EVP of Gas Operations Nick Stavropoulos noted in a PG&E video. “It is going to change the way all gas companies across the world try to find and detect leaks. It is so much more precise, so much more real-time, in terms of the information it provides us.”

Picarro also layers current wind and weather data on Google Maps and satellite images, providing visual simulations that help pinpoint potential sources and predict possible affected areas.

Natural gas can have significant climate benefits over coal and oil. But only if leaks are adequately detected and quickly reduced.  New emissions detection technology, like Picarro Surveyor, make it possible for industry to implement more effective methane leak detection and repair programs today, and enables regulators to establish emission limits and detection practices that mitigate methane pollution.

Posted in Energy Innovation, Methane, Natural Gas / Tagged | Comments are closed