Energy & Environmental News

Reports of oil and gas seeping from the seabed around BP's wrecked well prompt a worried note to BP from the Coast Guard.

"The Earth and sun are interconnected. We cannot study them separately anymore."Will Solar storms be a problem as we approach the next Solar minimum in 2013?

Mr. Landry stone cold busts out his guitar during the open mic portion of the first town hall hosted by the Presidential Oil Spill Commission

As temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking records in the nation's capital, and the pavement turned into a skillet, my thoughts raced back to the frigid days of last winter's "snow-pocalypse."

The world is on course to record the hottest year on record, threatening droughts worldwide, and shattering the flawed arguments of global warming deniers.

The Seychelles could see up to 10 percent more sea-level rise than the global average. Or the sea level around the islands could drop. It depends on who you ask.

Mississippi River water diversions in response to Gulf of Mexico oil spill have diluted saltwater. Oysters use salt water to make their shells and need it to keep their vital membranes working properly.

Authors preparing for the next international review of climate science get fresh advice on talking to reporters.

Just about everyone has been cautiously celebrating the news that the underwater geyser of oil at the Deepwater Horizon source has finally been capped (for now). So I hate to interrupt any momentary lapses of relief with ill news like this: The toll on wildlife and ecosystems in the Gulf continues to be devastating. Just yesterday, I reported...

US government climate data suggests 2010 on course to be warmest year since records began.

Chemists report the "ultimate porosity of a nano material." [...] The research could lead to cleaner energy and the ability to capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and the increased acidity of oceans.

University scientists across the Gulf Coast got an offer from BP, some for $250 per hour. But the accompanying constraints seem more designed to keep the researchers from testifying for BP in future court cases. In rooms where scientists gather to discuss what they have found about the spill's impact, they first must discern who has agreed to BP

Imagine this: if all the water in the world were somehow inside a water cooler, the amount of fresh, drinkable water would be one tablespoon. And Americans are the world’s biggest water wasters, chugging, drinking, washing, flushing and irrigating without a second thought until most of us have used about 150 gallons a day each.

There's no happy ending for shrimp exposed to the mood-booster Prozac, according to a new study. Remnants of antidepressant drugs flushed into rivers worldwide are altering shrimp behavior and making them easier prey...

CNT is among the members of an advisory committee that has been helping the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) establish the critical elements of a new program to fund green infrastructure projects—identifying eligible applicants and projects, matching fund requirements and the criteria for prioritizing project applications. Our work to make green infrastructure a preferred stormwater management tool will only be successful if it is accessible to municipalities that want to test it but do not have the resources and funding to begin.

We’re pleased to announce that $5,000,000 has been set aside this year by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to pay for worthy green infrastructure projects. This is significant news for municipalities, counties, and other units of government, watershed groups and other non-profit organizations, universities, land management agencies, and soil and water conservation districts, among others, that want to apply for state funding for design and construction of green infrastructure projects for stormwater management.

This program is so new that it is not yet on the IEPA’s website, and should NOT be confused with the “Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant Program” under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. CNT is providing this preview to give applicants an opportunity to start identifying and designing projects.

To date, the proposed project categories, match requirements and expected project funding levels are as follows:

1. Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) rehabilitation – $300,000 to $3 million; 15% match
2. Retention and Infiltration – $100,000 to $750,000; 25% match
3. Small Projects – $15,000 to $75,000; 25% match

The total amount of the Green Infrastructure Grant fund will be $5 million in 2010-2011. This limits the amount of money available in each category, and ensures a competitive application process. Currently, there are about 45 criteria that will be used to evaluate project applications. Project elements given the highest priority include those that improve water quality, reduce stormwater runoff volume, recharge groundwater and utilize cost effective green infrastructure practices to meet these goals.

Authority for the grant program is contained in the approved state budget for Fiscal Year 2010-2011, which began July 1, 2010. IEPA plans to issue requests for applications in early August 2010 and set an application deadline of October 1, 2010.

CNT recommends that municipalities, non-profit organizations and others immediately begin to identify potentially eligible projects and evaluate which Project Criteria they would meet. Any questions about eligibility of applicants or projects should be directed to the Illinois EPA Water Bureau, 217-782-1654.

Source:  Center for Neighborhood Technology Read full article at:  http://www.cnt.org/news/2010/07/16/apply-now-iepa-initiates-new-grant-program-fo...

Alex Steffen: Global media thinker, writer and former Worldchanging board chair Ethan Zuckerman just gave a TED talk on the importance of seeking out global information in...

Ethan Zuckerman: Peter Eigen, the founder of Transparency International, warns us that our governance systems are failing us in the face of a globalized economy. We can...

Alex Steffen: Two stories I came across yesterday struck me as particularly indicative of the gulf between the speed at which global change is unfolding and our...

Ethan Zuckerman: Auret Van Heerden of the Fair Labor Association holds up a cellphone and tells us that the phone started its life with artisinal mines, run...

As more companies like GE and Siemens delve deeply into the technological opportunities to be gained from a smart grid, CNT and other advocates stress that a smart grid will not be economically viable unless customer benefits are included as fundamental components.

As it stands, most discussions of infrastructure investment do not include customer benefits anywhere near the beginning of the discussion. Because many smart grid investments need to rely on consumer benefits as well as system benefits for a strong business case, lack of a robust consumer-oriented strategy weakens the argument for smart grid investments.

Recently, CNT CEO Kathy Tholin took part in the Economist magazine‘s “Thought Leadership” panel, as part of a Smart Grid Tour, sponsored by Siemens. The tour has been visiting major U.S. cities like New Orleans, Chicago and Washington, D.C. to communicate trends in the industry and identify leaders around the country who have been working and putting together all facets necessary to address the creation of a smart grid electric system—from generation to transmission as well as distribution through consumption. The event in Chicago focused on how to build sustainable energy and smart grid platforms that work within cities like Chicago, with a focus on buildings as a major consumer of energy.

Kathy zeroed-in on the need for critical information in order to make the decisions about one’s energy use as a key factor in reducing demand. Comparing energy usage to transportation use, Kathy pointed out that consumers do not really know what they are spending on transportation, because they do not have the kind of information (or the access to it) to make better choices about their spending. And the same can be said for energy consumption; without the necessary baseline of information on usage, it’s difficult for consumers to be most effective in consuming less.

Smart grids have the potential to disseminate key information on usage and reduction and savings mechanisms more readily than current outdated technologies. CNT Energy is actively involved in exploring the consumer benefits that come from the implementation of smart grid technologies and in 2008, convened the Illinois Smart Grid Initiative to begin the stakeholder driven exploration of Smart Grid benefits for Illinois consumers. Currently CNT Energy is a participant in the Illinois Commerce Commission initiated Illinois Statewide Smart Grid Collaborative.

A key to CNT Energy’s interest in the smart grid is how smart metering can enable new options for consumers. These include new rate options as well as the development and implementation of new web-based and in-home technologies that can better manage energy use and reduce costs for consumers. The work of CNT Energy on residential real-time pricing in Illinois informs CNT Energy’s belief that providing consumers access to variable market-based pricing is a powerful and effective way to make the electric system more efficient and bring real economic benefits to consumers. With Illinois’ initiatives in this area now the largest deployment of residential real-time pricing in the country, they provide important models for other states and utilities.

For a commentary on CNT Energy’s view of getting smart rates right, see Anthony Star’s blog post on GE’s smart grid blog, another major participant in the private’s sector’s participation in driving smart grid innovation.

Source:  Center for Neighborhood Technology Read full article at:  http://www.cnt.org/news/2010/07/16/thinking-about-consumer-needs-in-smart-grid-p...