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.

Obama and Gore v Inertia

Popular Logistics is not a political blog. We focus on Policy – Energy Policy, Health Care Policy, Emergency Management Policy. We heard a lot of good ideas in President Obama’s speech Tuesday night – Sustained Growth; Shared Prosperity. We agree on Solar and Wind – we need to substantially increase our clean energy infrastructure. However, we respectfully disagree on coal. It is not clean. The technology does not yet exist to economically sequester carbon, and Moore’s Law will not apply. We know we can meet Gore’s Challenge – Clean and Green by 2018, and we know that would be good for America and the world. And we believe that Rush Limbaugh, who said “I hope Obama fails” is unpatriotic, and in fact, guilty of treason.

225 GW of Wind Capacity – $2,43 per watt – $546.75 billion
75 gw Solar $6.5 per watt = $487.50 billion
300 GW of capacity = $1.03 trillion

This is good for the economy, and good for the planet.

Brownwashing Wind Power

PSEG, one of New Jersey’s electric utilities, and a member of the consortium that is building Garden State Offshore Energy, the 350 megawatt (MW) wind farm in the Atlantic, 18 miles south east of Atlantic City. Their ads on billboards, buses, etc., have a picture of an offshore wind farm,

Offshore Wind Farm

and copy that reads:

We’re putting these where they generate electricity, not controversy.

At PSE&G we’re pursuing the development of wind energy 17 miles from the New Jersey coast. Far offshore, where it won’t be an eyesore. This 350-megawatt wind farm will be virtually invisible from land. After all, our commitment to the environment is only matched by our commitment to the communities we serve. It’s just one of many renewable energy in consumer conservation programs we are developing. Our state has aggressive goals for reducing greenhouse gases and has passed legislation that recognizes the important role of utilities in meeting them. At PSEG., we welcome the challenge. We’ve long been dedicated to providing our customers with safe, reliable electric and gas service. Today were equally dedicated to promoting a sustainable energy future, and providing it. To learn more about what we are doing, and what you can do, visit PSEG.com/windfarm.

They seem to be saying “we know this stuff is ugly, but you won’t see it.” Do you think they may be trying to nudge the public – saying ‘look at this; it doesn’t really spoil the view.” Especially if you think about the alternatives – nuclear and fossil fuels.

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Wind Power Is Low Cost Electricity

Gianluca Baratti, writing for Bloomberg Press notes “Because their fuel is free, wind turbines undercut traditional generators that burn coal, natural gas and oil.” I would point out that wind turbines Use No Fuel – there is no resource that is consumed when a turbine, spinning in the wind, generates power.

Feb. 6 (Bloomberg) — Spanish windmills owned by Iberdrola SA and Endesa SA may generate a record amount of electricity next week, slashing local power prices to three-year lows.

Spanish Windscape, copyright (c) Bloomberg, 2009

An Atlantic Ocean storm is forecast to blow winds averaging 17.4 miles an hour across the peninsula. Lighter winds, at 13.6 miles an hour, were enough to set the previous record output three weeks earlier. The extra supply then cut power prices 11 percent.

“This will push the spot market lower next week,” Manuel Palomo, a Citigroup Global Markets analyst in Madrid, said about the storm. Palomo covers Spanish generators Iberdrola, Endesa and Acciona SA, which operate most of the country’s wind farms.

Spain and Germany, the world’s biggest wind-energy markets after the U.S., have changed the dynamics for wholesale power trading by forcing sellers to read weather reports. Because their fuel is free, wind turbines undercut traditional generators that burn coal, natural gas and oil.

film black swan trailer

Baratti can be reached via email to gbaratti “at” bloomberg.net.

Clean Energy: Johnny Appleseed Would Approve. And It's The Law.

I published this in Business Week Online Feb. 4, 2009. While I like my headline better, and there is a nuance – or maybe a paradigm shift – in “alternative fuels” vs “alternatives to fuel” – I like their edits – Common Sense for the Common Good – And their headline is more powerful, imperative, and succinct.

Green Energy: Our Future Depends on It

BusinessWeek reader L.J. Furman sees alternative fuels as common sense for the common good

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Negligence at KBR Killed Americans

KBR, through negligence, kills Americans in Iraq. Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, serving in Iraq was killed while taking a shower in his barracks in Baghdad . (Military.com.)

An Army investigation called the electrocution death of a U.S. Soldier in Iraq a “negligent homicide” caused by military contractor KBR Inc. and two of its supervisors

Sgt. Maseth was one of several soldiers killed by electrocution in the shower.

KBR, the firm once owned by Haliburton, the oil services firm once run by Dick Cheney, built the barracks, installed the shower, and apparently connected the electrical wiring to the plumbing, in violation of building codes and common sense and without oversight.

Q: Why is an oil services firm supporting a military operation?

A: Because, according to Alan Greenspan, it’s a war for oil (click here).

Q: Will KBR be held accountable?

A: I certainly hope so.

Shell Shock or PTSD

George Carlin observed that what they called “Shell Shock” in World War I, was called “Combat Fatigue” in World War II, “Operational Exhaustion” during the “Korean Conflict” and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” in Viet Nam. It’s now called “PTSD.” Carlin also observed that the words we use to describe a thing influence the way we react to it. “Shell Shock” is vivid. When you hear someone suffers from “‘Shell Shock” you want to help, provide first aid. The Boy Scout training kicks in. Someone’s in shock. Find a blanket. Keep him or her warm. Elevate their head. When it’s “Combat Fatigue” it’s like they are tired. They just need some rest. No big deal. When it’s “Operational Exhaustion” it’s abstract. Tired of the operations. OK, what’s your point? Really tired. OK. What’s your point? When you hear someone has “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” your reaction is different. It’s out of my hands. It’s a disorder. They need a therapist, not first aid. Now of course, it’s “PTSD” and it’s totally devoid of any emotional triggers or context. Which means we don’t have to worry about it. We can let the experts handle it.

But as Carlin observed, if we still called it “Shell Shock” we would want to treat poeple who have it, and maybe even try to prevent it. Maybe he was on to something. Maybe we should call it what it is. Shell Shock, and try to help people, and prevent it.

On Failure

“There’s no success like failure, and failure’s no success at all.”

– Bob Dylan, “Love Minus Zero, No Limit.”

Failure is not only an option; it is a fact of life. But giving up is not an option. When you’re ready to give up, it’s time to retire or better yet, go work for the competition. So understand that sometimes you will fail. And when you fail, try something else. Because failure to succeed, and then failure to try something else; that’s giving up.

MOORE'S LAW DOES NOT APPLY TO CARBON DIOXIDE

Moore’s Law, “The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles every two years” has held for transistors, integrated circuits, and even hard disk drives since his observation in 1965. However, it does not hold for Carbon Dioxide, which is governed by the Ideal Gas Law. This can be expressed as PV = nrT and means the volume of a given quantity of a gas is directly related to its temperature and inversely related to pressure under which it is stored. In economic terms, we might call it Yogi’s Corollary, “Storing a Gas Costs Money,” or Furman’s Observation, “Moore’s Law Does Not Apply to Carbon Dioxide.”

This means that Carbon Sequestration technologies are not going to drop in price very far or very quickly.

The good news is Moore’s Law should and probably will apply to photovoltaic solar modules, once the solar economy gets moving.

How to Strengthen the Grid, Minimize the Impact of Power Failures and Save Money

Stress related power failures, like the one that knocked out power in the northeastern United States and southeastern and central Canada in August 2003, are more likely to occur in the summer because of the additional air conditioning load. Storm related power failures in this part of the world are perhaps more likely in the winter because of cold weather and ice storms. In the south-east Atlantic states and the Gulf States – from North Carolina to Texas, weather related power failures are likely to follow hurricanes, and thus are more likely during late summer and autumn. Power failures caused by human action, whether accidental or willfull, i.e. terrorist, can occur any time. The only predictor is Murphy’s famous observation, “whatever can go wrong will, usually at the worst possible moment.”

There are some simple steps we can take to strengthen the grid, to minimize the probability and impact of weather related, accidental, and human triggered power failures, and to save the taxpayers and ratepayers money. Continue reading →

Sustainability: Harnessing a Process

The classic definition of sustainability, “providing for society’s needs today without compromising society’s ability to meet those needs tomorrow” originated in the Brundtland Report, 1987 and can be found quoted by the Canadian Lawyers Abroad, Genentech, and elsewhere.

The authors of the Brundtland Report must have been lawyers not engineers. Their definition is good, but abstract. When you ask the canonical engineering question: ‘How do we make it work?’ The answer is:

Sustainable systems harness a process, rather than consuming a resource. Solar panels transform the energy in sunlight. Wind turbines transform the kinetic energy in wind. Geothermal systems use the heat of the earth.

The sun will shine and the winds will blow regardless of the presence or absence of solar panels and wind turbines. And the core of the earth will stay hot for a very long time – on the order of five billion years.

Emergency Preparedness, Israel, & Gaza

At Popular Logistics, while we believe in preparing for emergencies; we prefer to avoid emergencies, especially war.

Kassam in Sderot, Israel

As we see it, Peace is up to the Palestinians. The proof is Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas’ subsequent kidnapping of Gilad Shalit and launch of approximately 4,000 to 7,000 rockets like the one pictured above into Israel. We feel that the factories in Gaza would better serve the people of Gaza by building solar panels or wind turbines rather than guns, bullets, and Kassam rockets.

We would like to see Israel withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank and an end of Palestinian terrorism; a bilateral cease fire between Israel and the Palestinians. We see de facto states in the West Bank and Gaza; we would like to see de jure states that recognize the rights of all; male, female, gay, straight, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Moslem, and athiest. And that Palestinian state or those Palestinian states, along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria must recognize Israel.

RECYCLED LAPTOP PROJECT

Popular Logistics needs several laptops and laptop drives. We need Macs running OS X, Linux machines, or netbooks running Windows or Linux. Non-operational machines that can be used as spare parts are also of interest. If you would like to donate, e-mail Larry at “L Furman 97 ‘@’ gmail . com”. Donations to Popular Logistics are not tax deductible.

Clean Coal, My Ash

On Dec. 22, 2008, a billion gallons of sludge covered 300 acres, and spilled into the Clinch and Emory Rivers when the retention pond burst at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Steam Plant. That’s 1,000,000,000 gallons of toxic soup containing Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, Selenium and other toxics and carcinogens. Tennessean.com, Knoxvillebiz.com.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s law firm, Kennedy, Madonna, LLP, and the Levin Papantonio Law Firm have joined to investigate the Tennessee Coal Spill on behalf of property owners living in the impacted area. For more information call 888-435-7001 or click here.

According to TVA spokesman Gilbert Francis, “Most of that material is inert. It does have some heavy metals within it, but it’s not toxic or anything.” However, according to the EPA, coal fly ash and sludge contains carcinogens and high concentrations of heavy metals. Furthermore, “concentrations of arsenic to which people might be exposed through drinking water contaminated by fly ash could increase cancer risks several hundredfold” AP, NYTimes, Yahoo.

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Invasion of the Red Lionfish

The Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans, Smithsonian is a poisonous tropical fish native to southeast Asia. The fish is invading the Atlantic from Florida and the Bahamas to Rhode Island, and wreaking ecological havoc. The big problems with non-native species are a lack of natural predators and a lack of natural defense on the part of the prey.

: Image courtesy of New England Acquarium, neaq.org, Used with permission.

Sharks, Groupers and other predators keep the populations in check in south-east Asia. Red Sea Cornetfish (Fistularia commersoni) are natural predators of Pterois miles, a related species of scorpaenidaea. Importing south-east Asian sharks or red sea cornetfish would probably be a stupid idea, one where the cure may be worse than the disease. I wonder, however, if we can train dolphins or sea lions to hunt or trap the Red Lionfish? Continue reading →

The Bahamas, New Jersey, Recycling, & Clean Energy

People say “all politics is local.” People in The Bahamas, New Jersey, Europe and California have more or less the same solution – re-usable shopping bags – to the same problem – plastic bags in landfills. Personally, I favor charging for plastic bags, which rewards people for doing the right thing and penalizes them for doing the wrong thing. It seems fair, given that we are paying, in our taxes, for burying the plastic bags. I would also like to see more cellulose based plastics.

Another common problem is converting our electric grid to run on electricity generated from clean, sustainable systems. Based on our brief conversation, it seems that the U. S. has four advantages over the Bahamas: Net Metering, Economic Incentives, Rulings in the Supreme Court, and possibly, our President-Elect, Barack Obama.

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