Author Archives: L J Furman, MBA

About L J Furman, MBA

Analyst here and Director of Information Technology with an MBA in Managing for Sustainability.

Eco-Watts v Killer-Watts

Burning fossil fuels and using nuclear power create tremendous waste problems.  Harnessing the sun, the wind, and the heat of the earth use energy with no fuel – therefore no pollution. The question is Eco-Watts v Killer-Watts. The choice is ours!

Back in the late ‘1970’s Amory Lovins , a physicist, coined the term “NegaWatts” to describe the energy that could be saved with conservation and efficiency. “The cheapest energy,” he said, “and the cleanest energy is the energy you don’t use.” A negawatt is a unit of power not consumed.

Lovins’ associate, Marvin Resnikoff, PhD, another physicist, currently at Radioactive Waste Management Associates, then teaching environmental thinking at SUNY University of Buffalo – Rachel Carson College, used the term “nuclear constipation” to describe the nuclear waste problem. It’s an apt metaphor – the waste doesn’t go away.

We are struggling not only with nuclear constipation, but carbon constipation. We burn carbon to get from place to place, to heat and cool our homes. But the carbon doesn’t go away. It goes into the air from under the ground. To paraphrase Al Gore,

We are borrowing from China to buy oil from the middle east and pull coal out of the ground to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. But enough wind blows through the midwest corridor in a day, enough sunlight falls on the earth in FORTY MINUTES to provide the power we need for a year.

Harnessing the wind, the sun, and the earth eliminates these problems. Rather than burning a fuel; wind, solar, and geothermal harness a process. The sun shines whether or not we use solar panels to capture some photons. The wind blows regardless of our decision to use a few particles to spin a turbine. We are hitchin’ a ride on a moving train.

Negawatts – units of power not consumed.

Eco-watts – units of power generated by clean energy systems, by harnessing a process rather than consuming a fuel.

Killer-watts – units of power generated by consuming a fuel, which produces a quantity of pollution, such as carbon dioxide, radioactive wastes, mercury, arsenic, etc.

Go Solar, Make Money

Cassandra Kling, an old friend of mine, currently with Infinite Energy, is sponsoring “Solar Energy Options for your Home” Tuesday, May 12. 7 – 8 PM. Hampton Inn, 16 Frontage Drive, in Clinton, NJ. Find out about Solar technologies, Installation, Incentives, the costs and how to make money. The answer is SREC’s. Go Solar. Fight Climate Change. Make Money.

Earth Day 2009

Shows Oxygen and Fish Catch in the Chesapeake

The Chesapeake: Oxygen & Fish Catch

“Poisoned Waters,” a documentary on PBS Frontline examines the state of our nation’s waterways. It focuses on the Chesapeake and the Puget Sound. As the title suggests, the nation’s waterways are far from pristine. Click here for Tim Wheeler’s review in the Baltimore Sun and here for Frontline. The documentary suggests that the Clean Water Act, in response to Earth Day, 1970, started off well. But gutting regulation, castrating the EPA, allowing open dumping and externalizing cleanup costs do not solve pollution problems. Perdue, in his denial that chicken manure contributes to algae blooms in the Chesapeake, sounds like a shill for the tobacco industry saying “Well we know the plaintiff smoked 4 packs a day for 25 years. How do we know the cigarettes caused lung cancer? How do we know lung cancer killed him? He died when his heart stopped. The cancer was in his lungs.”

This image, from Science Daily, shows a dead zone in the northern stem of the Chesapeake. The area in red shows oxygen depletion. The area in blue shows oxygen. The green circles in the blue zone show fish catch.

On Earth Day, 2009, we have much to do.  It is not as if we have accomplished nothing in the last 39 years. However, we see two glaring omissions in the clean water act. It doesn’t regulate farm waste or coal ash. We also need to understand that regulation and enforcement are effective and deregulation and voluntary compliance does not work.  After all,  we have police and prosecutors to chase and bring to trial criminals in order to protect the citizens. Speed limits and parking regulations are not “goals” or “guidelines” for voluntary compliance. They are hard and fast laws. Break the law; get a ticket. This paradigm must be applied to protecting the nation’s waterways.

But here’s an idea: Take this algae-manure system and transform it from one that is destroying an estuary into one that is creating the biofuels for the next generation of cars and power plants!

Frances Perkins, The Woman Behind The New Deal

There’s a new biography of Frances Perkins, U. S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. The book is The Woman Behind the New Deal, by Kristen Downey, (amazon.com). It was discussed last night on NPR. Perkins was largely responsible for the U.S. adoption of social security, unemployment insurance, federal laws regulating child labor, and adoption of the federal minimum wage. One of the items on her agenda that she did not accomplish was universal health care.

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The Trouble With CERES, BICEP, and the Way Forward

The Trouble with CERES, BICEP, and the Way Forward (audio)

Back in the fall of 1989, CERES announced the creation of the Ceres Principles, a ten-point code of corporate environmental conduct to be publicly endorsed by companies as an environmental mission statement or ethic. Today, the Waxman/Markey Bill brings together energy efficiency, renewable energy, and cutting greenhouse gases. … good for business and consumers. Makes it easier to move toward a clean energy economy.

BUT the CERES principles fall short in some very important ways.

  1. Adherence to the CERES Principles is voluntary; not mandatory.
  2. The “CERES Principles” are just that – principles. They are not goals.
  3. The government must fully support them, and back them, and push them, and enforce them.
  4. While there are milestones in the 20 year history the Ceres Principles, there are no dead-lines for the future.

And we need to act now. As Gore noted, “We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. …that’s got to change. … Enough wind blows through the Midwest corridor every day to meet 100 percent of US electricity demand. … Enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world’s energy needs for a full year.

Here are the details. Continue reading →

Wind Energy Generating Capacity – Doubling Every 4 Years

According to WorldWatch, Vital Signs, 2007-2008, in 2006 we had 74.2 GW of installed wind capacity and 8.6 GW of installed solar worldwide, and 370 GW of installed nuclear capacity. If we double the capacity of Wind and Solar twice we’ll be at 331.2 GW. Double it again, we’re at 662.4 GW. By the 4th doubling, we’re at 1.325 terawatts.

Offshore Wind

According to the Global Wind Energy Council, installed wind power is doubling every 3 or 4 years – from 74 GW in at the end of 2006, to 120 GW in 12/08 to 322 in Dec. 2013. The rate will slow slightly – wind capacity will increase “a modest” 22% per year, which is modest compared to the increase of 28% per year over the last 10 years. Installed wind powered electric generating capacity will double in less than 4 years (see: Global wind energy markets will continue to boom, March 11, 2009), and quadruple within 7 years.

Obama In Strasbourg, On Sustainability

At the “Town Hall” meeting in Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009,  (Washington Post, LA Times, NY Times, White House.gov, NY Times Video)   President Obama spoke intelligently and well. FRANCE NATO OBAMA SARKOZY

He summed up the challenges we face:

We also know that the pollution from cars in Boston or from factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, and that that will disrupt weather patterns everywhere. The terrorists who struck in London and New York plotted in distant caves and simple apartments much closer to your home. And the reckless speculation of bankers that has now fueled a global economic downturn that’s inflicting pain on workers and families — is happening everywhere, all across the globe.

President Obama also made very strong statements on “Sustainability” and “Globalization.”

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How to fix GM? A 4 Point Plan:

President Barack Obama fired GM CEO Rick Wagoner. He was replaced by Fritz Henderson, who had been Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. While I agree that Wagoner should probably have been fired, I think his replacement should have been someone from the outside. Promoting from within is a good thing when a company is doing well, but not when the company is collapsing. General Electric, for example, has always promoted new CEO’s from within. But GE was not in trouble when Welch took over, or when he handed the reins to Immelt. IBM was in trouble when the Board brought in Lou Gerstner, an outsider, to, as he put it, teach that elephant to dance. GM is in serious trouble. As an insider, Henderson may be too in step with the corporate culture to change anything.  As an outsider I can see what Henderson might miss.

So how would I fix GM?

  1. Every car, light truck, and truck that comes off the lot should be a diesel  electric hybrid. Like the Toyota Prius, and GM could license the technology from Toyota, but it should burn diesel fuel. That would pave the way to bio-diesel.
  2. Offer a 2 kw solar electric system with every car. This should be priced at $15,000, installed. It’s $10,500 after the economic stimulus plan’s 30% tax break. It would It would charge the batteries, or power a small home during daylight hours.
  3. Give everyone stock options, and limit salaries to $390,000 – less than the salary of the President of the United States.
  4. Demand that the government – my new management – take over the burden of health care for all my employees, my retirees, and every other citizen. Medicare works well for my father. It would work well for me!

Republican Alternative Energy: Coal, Oil, & Nuclear Power

“The Republican Road to Recovery”  according to John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Mike Pence, Thaddeus McCotter, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, John R. Carter, Pete Sessions, Kevin McCarthy, David Dreier, Roy Blunt, who signed it, “Keeps Energy and Fuel Costs Low.” It mentions wind and solar, but focuses on coal, oil, oil shale, offshore drilling, and nuclear power.

The document says “Republicans want energy independence with increased development of all natural resources, including renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.” It doesn’t mention “global warming.” It mentions the term “greenhouse gases” once, stating, incorrectly, that nuclear power doesn’t produce greenhouse gases. Mining, processing, and transporting nuclear fuel, and managing radioactive wastes, produces tremendous amounts of greenhouse gases.

It points out that “Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry … have long fought a renewable wind project in waters off of Massachusetts…. Cape Wind, would provide 75 percent of the electricity demand for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket island. “

The document focuses on coal, oil, and nuclear power. These are not clean, renewable, sustainable energy sources.  Ultimately, therefore, it attempts to “greenwash” coal, oil, and nuclear power.

the Administration has already taken steps to hinder the leasing of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) which is estimated to hold at least 19 billion barrels of oil, and Democrats have long championed the prohibition on drilling in the Arctic Coastal Plain – which is estimated to hold 10.4 billion barrels of oil. Furthormore, Democrats continue to block the procurement of advanced alternative fuels from sources such as oil shale, tar sands, and coal-to-liquid technology. U.S. Oil shale alone could provide about 2.5 million barrels of oil per day.

Republicans also support opening the Arctic Coastal Plain to energy exploration and development.

And despite expert agreement that nuclear power is reliable, clean, and affordable without producing air pollution or greenhouse gases, Democrats continue to block its development.

Republicans realize that there are better solutions to restore freedom and security in our energy market.  Republicans recognize the importance of exploring for American oil and gas in an envionronmentally-sound manner and support immediately leasing oil and gas resources in the OCS through an an expedited and streamlined procedure.

Republicans support removing government barriers to new nuclear reactors as long as they meet strict security and safety criteria.

Americans realize that the future of energy is in alternative and renewable sources. In order to promote the development of renewable and alternative energy, Republicans support promoting the leasing of federal lands which contain alternative energy such as oil shale. … spurring a market by using fuels derived from oil shale, tar sands, and coal.

Conficker Virus, AKA Downadup Worm

In traditional warfare, as General George S. Patton (wiki) put it “The object of war is not to die for your country; but to get the other /guy/ die for his.”

In this new age of cyber-warfare we lose food, sleep,  time and money.  Personally, I’d rather lose a few night’s sleep, a weekend, and some cash than an arm, a leg, my sanity, my life, or one of my kids.

I’m inclined to think that “conficker,” aka “downadup” will bad. I know of four law firms in NewYork City that have been hit by viruses in the past week. Two were the conficker virus. The third was not. I don’t know the details on the fourth. Microsoft has offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people responsible for conficker. Microsoft wouldn’t offer a $250,000 reward for chopped liver.

Here are the details:

Advice – if you’re using Windows, Mac, or Linux:

  1. Change your passwords. The best passwords are comprised of at least 8 symbols, consisting of a mix of  letters, numbers or punctuation marks.  To make it easy to remember, use “3” for “e” and “1 for ‘I’.  Use composite words, then mix ’em up. For example “baseball” could become “Bas3ba11.” And punctuation in the middle always helps. “Bas3-ba11!” Don’t use the same password for your banking that you use for Amazon, Facebook, Flicker, etc. Continue reading →

Nuclear Fusion in 10 or 20 Years

Thomas Friedman is right in “The Next Really Cool Thing” in The New York Times, March 15, 2009, when he concludes:

At the pace we’re going with the technologies we have, without some game-changers, climate change is going to have its way with us. Yes, we’ll still need coal for some time. But let’s make sure that we aren’t just chasing the fantasy that we can “clean up” coal, when our real future depends on birthing new technologies that can replace it.

Note that he pointed out ‘the fantasy that we can “clean up” coal.

Friedman also said:

“I don’t know if they can pull this off; some scientists are skeptical. Laboratory-scale nuclear fusion and energy gain is really hard…. we need to keep working on all forms of solar, geothermal and wind power. They work. And the more they get deployed, the more their costs will go down.”

Fusion may be the game changer. “Energy Gain” means we get more energy out than we put in. The prototype will cost $10 Billion – enough for 5 GW of wind capacity, and 1.53 GW of PV Solar. And fusion is at least 10 years away, maybe 20, maybe 50. We know how to build wind and solar. (On the other hand it takes 10 years to build a nuclear fission reactor.)

But pushing carbon below 350 ppm is a problem that can’t wait 10 years.  According to the World Watch Institute’s Vital Signs, 2007-2008, the 6.5 billion humans on the earth are using the natural resources of 1.25 earths.  This can’t go on.

Plastics in Paradise

Bird Foraging on The Beach

This shows a bird foraging on the beach in Zihuatenejo, Mexico. Note the pretty blue bottle cap at 1:00, the yellow ball at 8:45, and the white foam tray at 11:30. This is good stuff – it will last 1000 years.  No matter how many birds, dolphins, turtles,  eat it, and consequently die, it will still be a blue bottle cap, a yellow ball, and white foam.

Greenwashing Coal at the Center for American Progress

The Center for American Progress, which claims its mission to be “Progressive Ideas for a Strong, Just, and Free America,” has published “Carbon Capture and Sequestration 101.”  This is on the heels of the 2005  “Global Warming and the Future of Coal.”

In “Global Warming and the Future of Coal” they begin with a discussion of some of the problems of coal, then say:

“Fortunately, there is a potential pathway that would allow continued use of coal as an energy source without magnifying the risk of global warming. Technology currently exists to capture CO2 emissions from coal-fired plants before they are released into the environment and to sequester that CO2 in underground geologic formations.”

This implies that we WANT to use coal. I would prefer to power my house with solar and wind and eat tuna and not worry about mercury poisoning.

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Breakthrough In Methane Research

Dr Graeme Attwood is leading a team of scientists in New Zealand’s Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium are looking at ways of reducing the amount of methane farm animals produce – which in New Zealand accounts for 32 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

The scientists are looking at Methanobrevibacter Ruminantium, a member of a major group of rumen methanogens, which use hydrogen and carbon dioxide to form methane. The existence of these methanogens, bacteria which synthesize methane from carbon dioxide, CO2, and hydrogen, H2, means that these bacteria “eat” carbon dioxide, and hydrogen, turning them into methane, CH4 , and oxygen, O2.

CO2 + 2 H2, -> CH4 + O2

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