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Showing posts with label gas emissions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gas emissions. Show all posts

Monday, December 14, 2009

US Home Appliance Industry Issues Principles & Requirements for Achieving a Widely Accepted Smart Grid at Climate Change Conference

/PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the United States (US) based trade group representing the home appliance industry, today issued The Home Appliance Industry's Principles & Requirements for Achieving a Widely Accepted Smart Grid during the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference. Smart Grid enabled home appliances, through a fully functional Smart Grid, will contribute greatly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Also, Smart Grid enabled appliances will help to better integrate and coordinate renewable energy resources.

Home appliances are already a success story in terms of energy efficiency and environmental protection. New appliances often represent the most effective choice a consumer can make to reduce home energy use and costs. While new appliance standards will further add to this success story, a much greater opportunity exists with making appliances "smart." Smart Appliances will reduce peak energy demand and make the electrical power grid more efficient. For example, a Smart refrigerator or clothes dryer could defer a portion of its operating cycle to a time of day when true energy costs are lower and power generation is ample. Not only will this save the consumer money through reduced electric bills, but it will help reduce the need for additional peaker power plants.

The Home Appliance Industry's Principles & Requirements for Achieving a Widely Accepted Smart Grid white paper released in Copenhagen and available at www.aham.org/smartgrid emphasizes that consumer choice, control and security must be a priority in the development of a Smart Grid. The white paper outlines the three essential requirements of a widely accepted Smart Grid:

1. Pricing Rate Structure and Incentives to Consumers: In order to
provide the maximum incentive to consumers to take advantage of Smart
Appliances, residential electricity prices must be based on time of
use. Strong consideration should be given to the development of
uniform pricing and usage information standards that provide for a
harmonized way of communicating local rate and timing information. If
done right, time of use electricity pricing will not require people to
change their behavior to save money and help the environment.
2. Communication Standards: Standards and protocols for communications
with Smart Appliances must be open and limited in number across all
utility districts. This will allow appliance manufacturers to produce
for a national marketplace so the same Smart Appliance can contribute
to the Smart Grid whether in a home in Florida or in Oregon.
3. Consumer Choice & Privacy: If consumers do not use Smart Appliances,
then the vision of the Smart Grid is at risk. While Smart Appliances
must work seamlessly with electric utilities in a fully functional
Smart Grid system, the consumer must always have control over the
appliance. If a consumer wishes to override deferral of an appliance
function and incur a higher electricity rate, they should be able to
make such a choice. The boundary of the utility's reach should end at
the smart meter. The purpose of the Smart Grid is to provide more
efficient use of energy, not for utilities to control or monitor
appliance usage.


AHAM is engaged in a number of Smart Grid related groups, including the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Smart Grid Interoperability Panel, Priority Action Plan (PAP) 3 on Common Price Communication Model, and PAP 9 Standard DR and DER Signals. AHAM also serves as a member of the US Technical Advisory Group to IEC Strategic Group 3 on Smart Grid. In addition, AHAM works closely with other stakeholder groups on the development of the Smart Grid.

AHAM is optimistic that with proper coordination, cooperation and communication among the various Standards Development Organizations, associations, government agencies and companies, the Smart Grid vision can be achieved.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Southern Company, University of Alabama at Birmingham to Partner on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Project

/PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company said yesterday it will help train students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in carbon sequestration engineering under a project that adds to efforts advancing the commercialization of technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power production.

The research project, selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will help develop an educated work force to support commercial utility-scale geologic sequestration activities in the future, said Richard Esposito, Southern Company principal geologist.

The project includes the involvement of undergraduate engineering honors students in independent research on geologic sequestration focused on the sealing capacity of cap rocks serving as barriers to carbon dioxide migration in geologic formations; development of an advanced undergraduate/graduate level course on coal combustion and gasification, climate change, and carbon sequestration; support of six graduate students conducting research on the development of protocols for assessment of seal layer integrity; and analysis of cap rock samples from geologic formations under consideration for sequestration of CO2.

"Understanding the integrity of cap rocks is one of the key elements to safe and permanent sequestration," Esposito said.

The project is one of 43 that DOE is funding to offer training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students that will provide the human capital and skills required for implementing and deploying carbon capture and storage technologies.

"This is an excellent opportunity to meet an important need as we seek to commercially deploy carbon capture and sequestration technology - a work force that is educated and skilled in how the technology works," said Chris Hobson, Southern Company chief environmental officer. "We are pleased to have this opportunity to partner with UAB to increase our knowledge of geologic sequestration."

The project will provide the UAB investigators and their students with rock samples for study in the laboratory, geologic data with which to construct mathematical models and simulations, direct contact with Southern Company geologists and engineers engaged in carbon capture and storage research and development, and opportunities to visit field sites where large-scale tests of carbon sequestration are underway, said Peter Walsh, UAB research professor of mechanical engineering.

"Southern Company's involvement and support are key components of the training for our students to work in carbon capture and storage," Walsh said. "We are delighted to partner with Southern Company on a project that enables us to contribute to a solution of one of the most interesting, important and complex issues of our time."

Southern Company is committed to leadership in researching, developing and deploying advanced technologies, including carbon capture and sequestration, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among the company's key projects:

- DOE recently selected Southern Company to operate and manage the new National Carbon Capture Center, which will develop and test advanced technologies to capture carbon dioxide from coal-based power plants.

- Southern Company is partnering with DOE, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the Electric Power Research Institute and others to build a demonstration facility to capture carbon dioxide emissions from an existing unit of subsidiary Alabama Power's Plant Barry near Mobile, Ala. CO2 from the plant will be transported for permanent underground storage in a demonstration of start-to-finish carbon capture and sequestration.

- Southern Company subsidiary Mississippi Power's Plant Daniel is host site for a sequestration demonstration in which 3,000 metric tons of CO2 have been injected into a deep underground geologic formation.

- Mississippi Power has proposed to build a 582-megawatt coal gasification plant using advanced Transport Integrated Gasification (TRIG(TM)) technology developed by Southern Company, KBR Inc. and others that also will include 65 percent carbon capture and re-use.

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

ACC Comments on Provisions of House Climate Legislation

/PRNewswire/ -- Today the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment continued its hearing on the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009." Additional information is available at http://energycommerce.house.gov/

American Chemistry Council (ACC) President & CEO Cal Dooley issued the following statement:

"ACC commends the Subcommittee for holding a series of hearings on this legislation. We support policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. American chemistry provides climate solutions used by consumers and businesses throughout the United States to save energy and reduce emissions: our products go into energy efficiency and renewable energy applications from insulation and solar panels to wind turbines, lightweight vehicle parts and many others. In our own operations, between 1990 and 2007 energy efficiency improved 27 percent and greenhouse gas emissions fell by 13.2 percent - among the most significant improvement of any sector.

"We have carefully reviewed the draft bill and have thoughts on a number of provisions:

"Allowance Allocation and Targets/Timelines - Climate policy should align greenhouse gas emissions reduction timelines with the availability of low-carbon energy and technologies and stable price signals. We believe the bill's aggressiveness on the number of emission allowances and targets pre-2020 could lead to allowance scarcity and price volatility that could render inadequate the bill's provisions intended to prevent 'leakage' of greenhouse gas emissions to other nations. We recommend increasing the total number of emission allowances in the early years of the program. Given uncertainty surrounding the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage and other low-emission technologies, we also suggest a lower reduction target through 2020, with larger emissions reductions during later years.

"Competitiveness - Unilateral policies to regulate greenhouse gas emissions have the potential to drive manufacturing production, jobs and greenhouse gas emissions overseas - a phenomenon known as carbon leakage. A cap-and-trade approach imposes higher costs on domestic industries due to both compliance and higher fuel and energy costs - impacts that could exacerbate the leakage problem. The chemical industry is among those at the greatest risk of domestic contraction, according to the non-profit, non-partisan research organization Resources for the Future, which has done extensive research on the leakage issue in the context of cap-and-trade.

"We commend Representatives Inslee and Doyle for development a framework designed to prevent the leakage of jobs and emissions to overseas markets. We strongly urge the committee to make certain changes to enhance the effectiveness of the framework. We have shared our specific recommendations with the Committee.

"Feedstock Credit - The chemical industry uses natural gas, natural gas liquids, petroleum and coal as raw materials, or "feedstocks," for our manufacturing. This process, which converts most of the fuels into products, does not emit greenhouse gases and should not be covered by the legislation. Unfortunately, the compensatory allowance provisions in the draft bill are insufficient to ensure that feedstocks will not be regulated. We hope to work with the Committee and the Subcommittee to remedy this issue.

"Cost Containment and Fuel Switching - We believe climate policy should be reasonable and balanced to prevent significant natural gas price increases caused by massive utility "fuel switching" from coal to natural gas. We believe the overly aggressive emission reduction timelines in the bill, without balancing policies, would cause higher natural gas demand and higher prices for all consumers and make it more difficult for U.S. industries to compete in the global market. To minimize fuel switching, we recommend that the bill provide covered facilities with a range of options and tools for reducing their emissions. These include renewable electricity programs, utility energy efficiency programs, end-use efficiency standards (buildings, appliances, and transportation), a large pool of offsets, and a robust carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) plan. The same strategies can help manage the price and volatility of carbon permits.

"Technology Deployment - Deploying low-carbon technologies is critical to a successful climate program and to achieving near-term emission reduction targets. While we noted that the bill creates incentives and mandates to deploy certain types of "clean energy" (e.g., the Renewable Energy Standard, CCS investment, and energy efficiency), other effective technologies are largely ignored. Moreover, the bill does too little to promote investment, improvement, or expansion of Combined Heat and Power (CHP). Oak Ridge National Labs and other experts have concluded that CHP and other forms of recycled energy are grossly underutilized and should be viewed as a major contributor to low-carbon power generation. CHP should be put on equal footing with other clean energy technologies.

"Energy Supply - Affordable and available energy is closely linked to climate policy. For example, natural gas is used for renewable energy production, for the manufacture of energy-efficient materials, and as a lower-carbon electricity source - all key to reducing emissions. However, because natural gas is priced regionally, regional energy policies significantly influence natural gas supply, demand and prices. Consequently, U.S. consumers face higher natural gas prices than do those in nations whose policies bring about more available natural gas. This puts U.S. chemical makers and other manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage in the global market. To help remedy the situation, Congress must pass a comprehensive, bipartisan national energy policy that improves energy security, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and ensures that U.S. companies have access to competitively-priced natural gas.

"In 2008, the longstanding presidential and congressional moratoria on energy development in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) were lifted, helping the nation take the first step toward unlocking known U.S. energy reserves. To help bring about a sound, comprehensive climate policy, America's off-shore and on-shore energy reserves must be thoroughly researched and produced in an environmentally protective manner.

"We support responsible policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. We encourage Congress to continue working toward climate legislation that achieves the core purpose of reducing GHG emissions while preserving robust growth in the United States economy."

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Role of Forest Carbon in Emerging Ecomarkets Will be Significant, Says Environmental Economist Ricardo Bayon

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forest carbon will play a significant role in emerging environmental markets designed to address climate change, despite the reluctance of some countries to accept forest carbon offsets, predicted environmental economics expert Ricardo Bayon at a seminar for forestry professionals representing all facets of the industry.

“Forest carbon has been ostracized by the world’s largest carbon markets – those in the European Union,” said Bayon, co-founder and partner of merchant bank EKO Asset Management Partners, which invests in new and emerging markets for such environmental commodities as carbon, water and biodiversity. “But that will change.”

U.S. carbon markets, which have been slower to emerge than those in the EU, have, however, embraced forestry, he said, noting that several states already have developed emissions cap-and-trade systems that rely on land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) projects to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

“California is a bellwether,” said Bayon, speaking at ImageTree Corporation’s headquarters and live via the Web at the third and last event of this year’s ImageTree Idea Leadership Series. “Not only is forestry not the ugly duckling in California; but, in fact, it also is currently the preferred carbon-offset mechanism, largely because other offsetting methodologies are still being approved, and I expect other states to follow California’s lead in developing forestry carbon projects,” he said.

“Carbon markets have gained popularity around the globe as natural resources have become less plentiful and, therefore, more valuable,” continued Bayon. “Because we don’t pay for natural resources, we use too much and there’s no money to invest in maintenance; but this will change and world markets will decide the value of ecosystem services.”

Bayon added that the markets are also likely to compensate countries for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD), as the Kyoto Protocol, which sets binding targets for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in industrialized countries, draws to a close in three years. “REDD is firming up as part of the international compliance carbon market agenda,” he said.

The major sticking points with REDD, Bayon said, are additionality (where planned carbon reductions would not have occurred without the additional incentive provided by emission reduction credits) and leakage (where there’s an increase in emissions in one area as another area introduces a strict emissions policy).

Countries can address the latter “by measuring forests at the national level, thereby minimizing intracountry leakage, and/or by using technology, such as remote sensing,” he said. “The future of REDD is tricky and politically risky, but it’s hopeful.”

In addition to such regional markets as those in California, and the U.S. Northeast, Bayon said he believes that the United States will approve a national cap-and-trade system. Early Senate legislation has been vetoed, he explained, but the House is considering the Dingell-Boucher climate change bill, designed to cap greenhouse gases and reduce emissions by some 80 percent by 2050.

A founder and former managing director of Ecosystem Marketplace, Bayon said that inherent in any cap-and-trade system that includes forestry is the need for independent mechanisms to measure and monitor carbon.

Bayon has co-authored a number of publications on environmental economics, including “The State of Voluntary Carbon Markets 2007: Picking up Steam,” “Voluntary Carbon Markets: An International Business Guide to What They Are and How They Work,” and, most recently, “Conservation and Biodiversity Banking: A Guide to Setting Up and Running Biodiversity Credit Trading Systems.” He also is a member of ImageTree’s advisory board.

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