Solar Water Heating Should Be A High Priority In Reducing Energy Consumption

Solar Hot Water Systems Should Be a Priority. Commentary by Larry Hunter, NYTimes, February 9, 2009. “But after conservation, one of the most effective and efficient steps the government can take is to encourage the use of solar hot-water systems — a well-developed and relatively low-tech method for using the sun’s energy. Solar hot water systems are not as well known as the electricity-generating solar panels that use photovoltaic cells to gather energy. But hot water systems are more efficient than photovoltaic systems and can create the same amount of useful energy with fewer panels. Water heating accounts for a large share of a home’s energy use — typically the largest share after heating and cooling… Three 4-foot-by-8-foot panels (covering a total area of 96 square feet) can, in full sunlight, deliver about 4.5 kilowatts of heat — enough to heat about 50 percent to 80 percent of the water used by a family of four. The cost to install such a system, including the panels, a water storage tank, piping, a pump and control electronics is usually less than $10,000. In comparison, a photovoltaic system that can produce 4.5 kilowatts in full sun requires 11 like-sized panels and costs about $40,000… homeowners are eligible for a federal tax credit on solar heaters of up to 30 percent of the installed system’s cost, with a cap of $2,000. If Congress and the Obama administration were to raise the credit to 40 percent or 50 percent, and the cap to $5,000, it would reduce the payback time to only six to eight years. At the same time, we would be taking a step toward a sustainable energy future.” Larry Hunter is a professor of physics at Amherst College.

Stimulus plans brings green home improvement tax breaks

Incentives encourage homeowners to embrace energy efficiency.

Energy-saving systems for the attic, basement, and in between have effectively gone on sale, courtesy of the United States Congress.  But whether shoppers will take advantage – or even notice available discounts – remains an open question.Tax incentives to encourage investments in energy efficiency took effect last week when President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus bill. That means homeowners with drafty windows, old heating systems, or other root causes of high energy bills can be rewarded in tax season if they make improvements in 2009 or 2010.

Worldwide Greenhouse Gases Still Climbing

Global CO2 Hits New Peaks. By Alister Doyle, Reuters, February 12, 2009. “Atmospheric levels of the main greenhouse gas are hitting new highs, with no sign yet that the world economic downturn is curbing industrial emissions, a leading scientist said on Thursday. ‘The rise is in line with the long-term trend,’ Kim Holmen, research director at the Norwegian Polar Institute, said of the measurements taken by a Stockholm University project on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard off north Norway. Levels of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from human activities, rose to 392 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere in Svalbard in December, a rise of 2-3 ppm from the same time a year earlier, he told Reuters. Carbon dioxide concentrations are likely to have risen further in 2009, he said. They usually peak just before the start of spring in the northern hemisphere, where most of the world’s industry, cities and vegetation are concentrated.”

European Cities Following Similar Path of US Cities In Signing A Pact To Reduce Greenhouse Gases

More Than 350 EU Mayors Sign New Climate ‘Covenant’. By Holly Fox, AP, February 12, 2009. “Mayors from more than 350 cities across Europe signed an EU climate change agreement Tuesday [in Brussels] pledging to cut CO2 by more than 20 percent by 2020. The pact covers urban areas across 23 EU countries and includes cities like London, Paris and Madrid. Cities in Switzerland, Norway, Ukraine and Turkey have also signed it, and faraway places — like New York; Buenos Aires, Argentina and Christchurch, New Zealand — also backed the initiative… EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said the plan — called the Covenant of Mayors — will affect 80 million Europeans and will save around 8 billion euros ($10.4 billion) in energy costs. Under the pact, cities commit to ‘go beyond’ a two-year agreement by EU national governments to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, increase energy efficiency by 20% and to increase the use of renewable energy sources to 20% of all energy used by 2020.”

Washington Climate Change Impacts Assessment

The draft report of the the Washington Climate Change Impacts Assessment, discussed in the previous post, can be downloaded from the UW Climate Impacts Group’s website here. Note that the author of chapter 11 of the report is Lara Whitely Binder, who will be one of the speakers at our Sustainable Edmonds meeting on February 22, 2009.

If you’d like to  do some reading in advance of the meeting,  take a look  especially at chapter 8, “Coasts” by Daniel Huppert et al.  (available on the same web page).  Here is the abstract of this chapter:

Less water, more heat forecast for state: Report details climate change in Washington

Fewer cherries and apples — but possibly more wheat.

More summer days when streams grow dangerously warm for salmon — and worse winter floods flushing away or burying their eggs.

What Other Nations Are Doing! High Speed Trains Are Competing With Airlines and Winning

Spain’s High-Speed Train Revolution. The Economist, February 5, 2009. “Early morning at Barcelona’s railway station and the platform crowd looks smarter than it would have done a year ago.

Environmental Lobby Day 2009

Environmental Lobby Day 2009,  February 19th at the State Legislature in Olympia, is quickly approaching.  Over 350 citizen activists are already registered for the event.  You can still register for it at http://pugetsound.org/forms/registerld09.



Hybirds Becoming More Price Competitive

Honda Introduces Cheaper Hybrid. By Yuri Kageyama, AP, February 5, 2009. “Honda introduced Thursday the cheapest hybrid on market, starting at 1.89 million yen ($21,000) in Japan and under $20,000 in the U.S., hoping to turn around sluggish sales battered by the global downturn. Even Honda Motor Co. officials acknowledged the timing was tough for the Insight gas-electric hybrid, which hits showrooms in the middle of a devastating slump, especially in the North American market that’s the main target market. Also, oil prices have tumbled from their peak last July, detracting from the appeal of gas-sipping hybrids. Insight gets as much as 30 kilometers a liter, or 43 miles a gallon, according to Honda.”

Water Shortage Is Just Around The Corner

The Pending Global Scramble for Water. Commentary by Dominic Waughray, BBC, February 8, 2009. “In 2008, Saudi Arabia ceased to be self sufficient in wheat production. It is looking to access land overseas to grow crops, possibly in Pakistan or the Horn of Africa. China is acquiring agricultural land in Southern Africa for similar purposes. And Daewoo Logistic is looking to lease land in Madagascar, to grow food for South Korea. Other countries in South Asia and the Gulf are considering similar moves. None of these countries needs the land for the sake of territorial expansion. What they need the land for is more fundamental: food. In all these cases, it is a shortage of water that has prompted this move. The experience of Saudi Arabia, China and South Korea today could be a foretaste of what will follow elsewhere…