Category: Archive

Research institute, Integrated Sustainability Analysis, at Sydney
University has developed a software tool for calculating the
ecological footprint of any organisation. The reports
on Australia’s ecological footprint, Balancing Act, that
was released last May in conjunction with the CSIRO used the
same methods employed in the new
software. The user-friendly software, known as the Footprint Machine,
is aimed at local governments and small to medium enterprises.

The
tool has been used on Fraser Island’s Kingfisher report to rate each
item on the menu according to its impact on the environment.
Apparently beef is the most resource hungry food on the menu.

Building developers carving new
suburbs out of semi-rural environments will spend $37billion on
energy infrastructure in the next fifteen years, according to
environment business magazine, WME. They can reduce this investment
by generating electricity on site, using natural gas or alternate
energy, the magazine reports.

Australian company, GridX has developed
a system that provides heating and cooling to homes in the locality
as a byproduct of electricity production. Each unit feeds up to 12
homes with a network of generators able to be strung together to
service localities of up to 200 homes. Developers investing in the
system can further offset their costs through the sale of electricity
to the owners of the houses, effectively a captive market.

Queensland’s average electricity demand was highest in three
summer months and up in all 12 months of 2005.

SA average demand was down in 10 of 12 months in 2005, with two
winter months and one summer month in three highest demand range.

The three winter months continue to have highest average demand
in NSW, with top month’s average 7.5pc higher than top summer
month.

Vic average demand was down in 7 of 12 months in 2005, but not
surprisingly it was the three winter months that remain the
highest.

First venture sold to Enron: Dehlsen’s first entrepreneurial
venture was Zond Corporation, which was sold to Enron Corp in 1997 and
eventually ended up in the hands of General Electric Co. GE Energy was
now the country’s leading wind power provider.

150 Liberty turbines to be produced in 2006: Clipper Technology
recently opened an assembly plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Dehlsen
expected to produce five of his high-power Liberty wind turbines in
2005 and 150 in 2006.

Each Liberty turbine costs $2.5 million: Those turbines,
designed to operate even when wind is low, cost about $2.5 million each
and could generate enough electricity over a 30-year life span to power
1250 homes.

Wind power far less damaging to environment: Responding to
complaints about the visual blight and noise of wind turbines, Dehlsen
said wind power generation was far less damaging to the environment
than fossil fuels, which produced high levels of greenhouse gases.

Jobs for depressed farming and industrial areas: In addition,
wind power could bring jobs to depressed farming and industrial areas.
Germany, in less than six years, has installed enough wind projects to
generate 14,000 megawatts (MW) of power and employ 75,000 people.

Huge wind energy resource in US: “The US has a huge wind energy
resource,” he said. “There are four states alone … that could supply
all of the electricity needs of the country,” Dehlsen said.

Aim to capture 15 per cent of global market: Dehlsen said he was
negotiating deals in Eastern Europe, Latin America and China, with an
eye on capturing 12-15 per cent of the global market.

Reference: Digest of latest news reported on website of Climate
Change Secretariat of United Nations Framework on Climate Change
Control (UNFCCC). 2 January 2006.. Address: PO Box 260 124, D-53153
Bonn. Germany. Phone: : (49-228) 815-1005, Fax: (49-228) 815-1999.
Email: press@unfccc.int
http://www.unfccc.int

Erisk Net, 9/1/2006

More sophisticated modelling required for confirmation: A
zero-dimensional model, however, excludes the atmosphere and,
crucially, the role of clouds. It would be interesting to see if more
sophisticated models predict a similar magnitude of cooling.

New Scientist, 26/11/2005

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net

EU funding: It might seem like an exercise in scientific theory
destined only for high-tech laboratories, but the creators and the
European Union (EU), which funded the Norwegian research, believe the
idea’s time might have come.

Different methods used: The two projects used different methods
to harness the electricity – the Dutch apply something called reverse
electrodialysis while the Norwegians use a kind of osmosis.

Reliance on membranes: However, both methods rely on membranes
or thin films made of special material used for chemical separation. In
the Dutch project, separation was done by membranes using an electrical
current.

Process like putting frankfurts in hot water: The Norwegian
device applied pressure to force the water through membranes. Its
inventors liken the process to making a hot dog. The skin of the
frankfurt acted as a membrane, allowing more water in than the amount
of salty water it let out. This increased the pressure inside and the
hotdog burst.

Still a long way to go: The two inventions still had a long way
to go before they could be applied commercially. The Wetsus project,
supported by a consortium of Dutch companies, had yet to be tested in a
pilot plant.

Norwegians have two small-scale plants: The Norwegian project
was more advanced. It started in the 1990s and its creators had already
installed two small-scale plants, but had yet to build a bigger
demonstration plant to boost production.

Reference: Digest of latest news reported on website of Climate
Change Secretariat of United Nations Framework on Climate Change
Control (UNFCCC). 27 December 2005. Address: PO Box 260 124, D-53153
Bonn. Germany. Phone: : (49-228) 815-1005, Fax: (49-228) 815-1999.
Email: press@unfccc.int
http://www.unfccc.int

Erisk Net, 7/1/2006