Lesson from Bihar to Congress and BJP
Bihar election results are eye opener to all parties and especially to national parties like Congress and BJP.It was a herculean task to rule Bihar after a long Jungle Raj of Lalu. I had been following the development of Bihar closely during all these years of Nitish Kumar.What i found was that he was sincere and willing to perform.He chose a team of such IAS officers who were men of integrity and performers and of course achievers. He himself being clean could get the desired results from his team.
What is expected from Congress and BJP now is to find one such person in country in UP who is qualified engineer with management degree /economist from top institutes willing to work sincerely, interested in politics and service to common man and coming from a grass root family.If they have some person in their party which Rahul Gandhi or Sushma Swaraj may find in their parties, he may be groomed and projected as leader of their party for next state elections due in 2012. Only the development plank and realistic future vision can bring the party to power.Junta is matured enough as we saw in High Court judgment in RJBM case.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Energy from Algae - A ray of hope for the Power Hungry World
- Subhash Chandra Mathur, MD, Samarpit International Group; Co-authored with Sumit Mathur
Petrochemical resources are limited and are bound to be scarce in the times to come. Also, due to their adverse impact on the environment, which has lead to a widely discussed phenomenon of global warming, the use of these fossil fuels has to be reduced by both the developed as well as the developing world.
Development of CO2-neutral sustainable fuels thus becomes a high priority in the research regimes across the world. Energy generation from certain plants like rape or oil palm may not be the best option as these may also be used for food production. Thus Hydrogen, which is used by fuel cells to generate electricity, could be a likely winner due to absence of green house gas generation in fuel cell technologies. Some energy experts have even gone to the extent of predicting that within decades the world will switch to a purely hydrogen driven existence, where energy will be abundant, inexpensive and nonpolluting.
Hydrogen can be extracted from fossil fuels, but currently it is more expensive than directly using oil or natural gas. Water can also be split into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, but that requires electricity, which again might be generated using fossil fuels, or from renewable sources such as wind or solar that are even more costly.
High oil prices, competing demands betw
een foods and other Biofuel sources, and the world food crisis, have hence ignited interest in alga culture (farming algae) for making vegetable oil, Biodiesel, Bio-ethanol, Bio-gasoline, Bio-methanol, Bio-butanol and other Bio fuels, using land that is not suitable for agriculture.
Microalgae are mono-cellular, plant-like organisms engaged in photosynthesis and converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into Biomass. Algal Biomass contains three main components: carbohydrate, protein, and natural oils. Therefore, it is capable of producing a number of potential fuels, such as production of methane gas via biological or thermal gasification, production of ethanol via fermentation, production of Bio-diesel, and the direct combustion of the algal Biomass for production steam or electricity.
Recent research initiatives have proven that microalgae Biomass appear to be the one of the promising source of renewable Bio-diesel capable of meeting the global demand for transport fuels. Microalgae commonly double their Biomass within 24 hours and with high oil productivities, they are highly desired for producing Bio-diesel. Using microalgae to produce Bio- diesel will also not compromise production of food, fodder, and other products derived from crops. More over, energy generation from microalgae is largely CO2 neutral as they take up CO2 during their growth and this CO2 is later released again when they are used for energy production. Industrial CO2 emissions may also be used as a "re-source", as algae grow faster at high CO2 concentrations and, hence, produce more Biomass for energy production. The algae could well be used in waste water treatment and can be grown in different environments in both fresh and salt water.
Cultivation of microalgae has thus emerged as one of the most promising sources for Bio-oils that may significantly contribute to tomorrow's energy supplies.
John Gartner, in his article " Algae : Power Plant of the future?" tells that Hans Gaffron, a German researcher who fled from Germany to University of Chicago in the 1930 observed in 1939 that the algae would (for a then-unknown reason )sometimes switch from producing oxygen to instead creating hydrogen, but only for a short period of time.
Under normal circumstances, algae contain mainly hydrocarbons and proteins; the fat content does not exceed 20% of the total dry weight. But in 1980 it was discovered that under nutritional stress limited nutrients or saline environment certain microalgae will accumulate up to 72% of their weight as lipids (fatty substances).A typical algal mass has a heating value (heat produced by combustion) of 8,000-10,000 BTU/lb, which is better than lignite; but the heating value of algal oil and lipids is 16,000 BTU/lb, which is better than anthracite. A breakthrough finally came only 60 years later in 1999, when University of California at Berkeley professor Tasios Melis, along with researchers from the National Renewable Energy Lab, discovered that depriving the algae of sulfur and oxygen would enable it to produce hydrogen for sustained periods of time.
Source: http://cepweb.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/promising-new-research-on-cellulosic-ethanol/
The concept of extraction of Biodiesel from algae is shown in the image alongside.
Dr Shakeel A Khan, Scientist, Indian Agri research institute explains in his article “Algae -a novel source of renewable energy and carbon sequestration” that there are two practical and very common methods of large-scale production of microalgae.
Raceway ponds: It is a closed loop re-circulation channel that is typically about 0.3 m deep. There is a paddlewheel, which mix and circulate the algal Biomass. Flow is guided around bends by baffles placed in the flow channel. Raceway channels are built in concrete or compacted earth, and generally lined with white plastic. During daylight, the culture is fed continuously in front of the paddlewheel where the flow begins. Broth is harvested behind the paddlewheel, on completion of the circulation loop. The paddlewheel operates all the time to prevent sedimentation.
Photo-Bioreactors (PBs): PBs have been successfully used for producing large quantities of micro algal Biomass. PBs permit essentially single-species culture of microalgae for prolonged durations. Tubular PB consists of an array of straight transparent tubes that are usually made of plastic or glass. The solar collector tubes are generally 0.1 m or less in diameter. Tube diameter is limited because light does not penetrate too deeply in the dense culture broth that is necessary for ensuring a high Biomass productivity of the PB. Micro algal broth is circulated from a reservoir to the solar collector and back to the reservoir.
The potential of microalgae for making liquid fuels has led to the creation of hundreds of companies in the field and extensive research is going on for identifying the most efficient and cost effective process for commercial production of Bio oils from algae. In spite of this, there are only a handful of efforts which are close to pilot-scale production of fuels, including Sapphire Energy and Cellena Oil, which is backed partially by Shell Oil.
One of the patented technologies that use a mix of raceway ponds and PBs for production of Bio-fuels from Algae is the HR Bio petroleum Technology. In their pilot plant, a selective strain of algae is grown in a PB at constant conditions that favor continuous cell division and prevent contamination of the culture by other organisms. The main body of the production PB is a long series of four large temperature and pH controlled tubes that are connected together in parallel. The algae are exposed to sunlight while kept in suspension to maximize growth. Subsequently, the algae are transferred from the PBs to an open pond system, which is paddlewheel-driven, re-circulating raceway, fitted with a durable plastic liner. The goal here is to expose the cells to nutrient deprivation and other environmental stresses that lead, as rapidly as possible, to synthesis of Biodiesel. Environmental stresses that stimulate oil production can be applied rapidly by transferring culture from the PB to an open pond. Ponds, like PBs, are exposed to full sunlight. Depending upon the desired product, the pond is harvested on 2nd or 3rd day and the algae cells are concentrated by gravitation into slurry, excess water is then removed, and then further concentrated by centrifugation. The wet Biomass is then dried. The oil and other by-products are extracted by a proprietary process.
India consumes crude oil at a rate far above its production rate, leaving them reliant on foreign oil supplies. Even if crude oil use was not growing at 5-6% annually, India’s reserves would run out in less than 20 years at current extraction rates. With estimated 70% of petroleum occurring in automobiles, developing liquid alternative fuels usable in vehicles is vital, making Bio-fuels an attractive option. Howe
ver, producing crop-based fuels in a country so densely populated, with such poor food security and limited arable land, would be difficult and dangerous. Table alongside compares the capacity of Bio fuels generation from different sources. According to “Biodiesel 2010 – A global Market survey” , India has up to 60 million hectares of non-arable land available to produce jatropha, and intends to replace 20% of diesel fuels with jatropha-based biodiesel. India is already one of the world’s biggest producers of algae and this alternative could prove particularly valuable for India where current commercial production is generally for human consumption. Biodiesel from algae can be interchanged or mixed with regular diesel, the main vehicle fuel in India.
Extensive research is also on to identify specific strains of algae and to develop processes and technologies, wherein Bio-fuels from algae may be directly used in transportation, rather than blending them with fossil fuels.
But the battle has just started. The 2nd edition of the Biodiesel 2020 study finds the biodiesel industry is entering a new era of transition to alternative feed stocks, emerging technologies, and revised government policies favoring sustainable feed stocks and fuels. Each of these transitions offers considerable challenges and growth opportunities for biodiesel developers, producers, feedstock producers, and entrepreneurs.
On the other hand, according to US Energy & Policy Advisor Daniel Kammen, the most interesting feature about algae is that it’s a wildcard. Algae might be a big player, but right now, there are some real breakthroughs required for a reasonable sized scale of production of algae-oils, sufficient to run even a car. According to Christen Coogner of Discovery news, although algae is currently the most energy-dense Bio fuel source, the cost of producing algae oil is prohibitively expensive. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the Bio fuel would cost around $8 per gallon at the pump. Other experts have even projected prices of more than $50 per gallon because of inefficient production and harvesting methods.
Kansas State University engineer Wenquiao Yuan and his colleague think that growing algae on floating, acre-sized platforms in the ocean could dramatically reduce expenses associated with algae oil production by providing free sources of sunlight, nutrients, controlled temperature and water. However, the ocean environment could present some unavoidable problems – like weather extremities.
Some reports even suggest that it will be at least 10 – 15 years before we can hope to have found a satisfactory solution to this end. Thus the future of commercial scale production of Bio-fuels and energy from algae is still unclear. While the research and pilot tests will continue and even more funds and resources will be committed and deployed, the world at large should continue building emphasis on energy conservation and efficient utilization of electrical as well as thermal energy. We must acknowledge that at present it is far cheaper and easier to conserve energy than to generate more from renewable sources and the environmental impact of ever increasing generation from fossil fuels is already there for the world to see.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Why not World Beyond 2100 ?
Why are we all talking of 2050 or 2100 ? What about the earth and climate beyond 2100?
The ever desired GDP growth calls for reasons to grow - More food, more housing, more needs to fulfill etc.
At the beginning of the industrial revolution in eighteenth century, England was the front runner. Then US took over the command and was quickly followed by European nations.
Development in US was very fast in 20th century and almost all basic needs of food, shelter and clothing for the general citizens have been fulfilled by them. Same is the case with European nations as well.
As for the developing nations, they have many more mouths to feed and to create basic infrastructure for their masses to survive in a healthy environment.
Industrial revolution in India started only in the late 20th century.India, China and other developing countries are also moving on the same path as their western counterparts now. Earlier, they were apparently busy increasing their population either out of ignorance or sheer careless attitude.They will take another 40-50 years or may be little less to reach the same level of saturation for requirements of food,clothing and shelter, if they manage to control their population growth.
Once they are also in a position to make all these things available to their entire populations, for which they are also striving hard, their industrial growth and GDP growth will flatten.
Manufacturing and trading of products and services alone cannot sustain growth for everyone. Someone has to 'need' something to buy it and only then someone would 'make' it to sell. That leaves us with health care as the only other reason for growth of the world economy. But for how long?
For every peak there is a trough. Every lowest point of cycle comes to the top and then goes down to the bottom as a principle of science and of nature too.Recession is bound to visit again and continue as a principle of nature, unless there's something significantly more to achieve.
Now lets talk about the effects of our desire for constant GDP growth.
Global warming started since the beginning of industrial revolution itself when the so called 'developed nations' were busy racing for their industrial development and in this race were ripping apart all the available natural resources on earth for constructing their skyscrapers and running their industrial machinery.
In the process, they were also selling aspirations and dreams to the less fortunate citizens of developing nations. No one talked of Global warming then.Now,when the 'developing' nations have joined the race,there is lot of hue and cry for global warming and GHG emissions. Green Energy,sustainability,energy conservation and energy efficiency have become the buzz words today.
We must acknowledge that there is only a certain limit upto which efficiency can be increased and emissions can be reduced. If GDP has to keep growing,sustainability will be compromised because the natural resources are limited.Recently, at a session by renowned speaker Kath Williams (Former Vice Chair of US Green Building council), the speaker estimated that by 2050 there would be 5 times more population and 5 times more no. of buildings on the same area of available land.
So where is the world heading? Apparently the whole world is trying to reach the Himalayan peak. What after that? Another planet to exploit? No body knows.
Why are we all talking of 2050 or 2100 ? what about the earth and climate beyond 2100? Are we so myopic that we cannot think about the future of mother earth beyond that? Or are we too casual to think beyond our life spans? Is it not the time to start thinking beyond 2100 also. Some of us will definitely be left on earth to see the 22nd century.
As India's father of nation (Mahatma Gandhi) said , "There's enough on earth for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed", we must encourage restraint rather than trying to find ways and means to exploit resources to pamper our ever increasing needs. I strongly feel that we should all stop further torture and rape of mother earth and learn to live in limited resources, to leave something for our future generations.Self Discipline could be the key and answer to our ever increasing global concerns.
The ever desired GDP growth calls for reasons to grow - More food, more housing, more needs to fulfill etc.
At the beginning of the industrial revolution in eighteenth century, England was the front runner. Then US took over the command and was quickly followed by European nations.
Development in US was very fast in 20th century and almost all basic needs of food, shelter and clothing for the general citizens have been fulfilled by them. Same is the case with European nations as well.
As for the developing nations, they have many more mouths to feed and to create basic infrastructure for their masses to survive in a healthy environment.
Industrial revolution in India started only in the late 20th century.India, China and other developing countries are also moving on the same path as their western counterparts now. Earlier, they were apparently busy increasing their population either out of ignorance or sheer careless attitude.They will take another 40-50 years or may be little less to reach the same level of saturation for requirements of food,clothing and shelter, if they manage to control their population growth.
Once they are also in a position to make all these things available to their entire populations, for which they are also striving hard, their industrial growth and GDP growth will flatten.
Manufacturing and trading of products and services alone cannot sustain growth for everyone. Someone has to 'need' something to buy it and only then someone would 'make' it to sell. That leaves us with health care as the only other reason for growth of the world economy. But for how long?
For every peak there is a trough. Every lowest point of cycle comes to the top and then goes down to the bottom as a principle of science and of nature too.Recession is bound to visit again and continue as a principle of nature, unless there's something significantly more to achieve.
Now lets talk about the effects of our desire for constant GDP growth.
Global warming started since the beginning of industrial revolution itself when the so called 'developed nations' were busy racing for their industrial development and in this race were ripping apart all the available natural resources on earth for constructing their skyscrapers and running their industrial machinery.
In the process, they were also selling aspirations and dreams to the less fortunate citizens of developing nations. No one talked of Global warming then.Now,when the 'developing' nations have joined the race,there is lot of hue and cry for global warming and GHG emissions. Green Energy,sustainability,energy conservation and energy efficiency have become the buzz words today.
We must acknowledge that there is only a certain limit upto which efficiency can be increased and emissions can be reduced. If GDP has to keep growing,sustainability will be compromised because the natural resources are limited.Recently, at a session by renowned speaker Kath Williams (Former Vice Chair of US Green Building council), the speaker estimated that by 2050 there would be 5 times more population and 5 times more no. of buildings on the same area of available land.
So where is the world heading? Apparently the whole world is trying to reach the Himalayan peak. What after that? Another planet to exploit? No body knows.
Why are we all talking of 2050 or 2100 ? what about the earth and climate beyond 2100? Are we so myopic that we cannot think about the future of mother earth beyond that? Or are we too casual to think beyond our life spans? Is it not the time to start thinking beyond 2100 also. Some of us will definitely be left on earth to see the 22nd century.
As India's father of nation (Mahatma Gandhi) said , "There's enough on earth for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed", we must encourage restraint rather than trying to find ways and means to exploit resources to pamper our ever increasing needs. I strongly feel that we should all stop further torture and rape of mother earth and learn to live in limited resources, to leave something for our future generations.Self Discipline could be the key and answer to our ever increasing global concerns.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Sustainable Development - Awareness & Action is the only hope!
According to India's Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, there's enough in the world for everone's need but not enough for everyone's greed.
Inspite of the fast paced development of numerous economies world over, both in terms of GDP as well as human development Index measures, the distribution of benefits of development have been very uneven, with income disparities remaining persistent and sometimes increasing over time. The no. of extremely poor and the no. of mal-nourished people across the globe have remained high even in the wake of persistent efforts by United Nations,NGOs and other bodies worldover. In some areas these numbers have even increased, despite the global middle class achieving relative affluence.
Also, there have been major negative impacts of development on the environment and on
existing social structures. Many traditional societies have been devastated by
removal of forests, development of fresh/potable water systems, and intensive fisheries. There has been an unbalanced development in the developing nations with urban areas commonly suffering from inadequate transportation, water, sewer and medical infrastructure.The manifold increase in vehicular population in these areas has added air pollution to their list of woes. To complicate further, the industrialized economies have contributed their share of air pollution as well creating a situation where the layers of atmosphere around us have been critically impacted creating the slow but eventually devastating phenomenon of Global Warming.
Issues such as these cannot be brushed aside any longer. We have reached a stage where the effects are beginning to appear and the consequences are expected to be far reaching,long lasting & global in nature, which can eventually lead to the collapse of all the essential ecosystems.
Thus arises the need for sustainable development. Sustainable development is a pattern of resource usage that aims to meet human needs and the social challenges while preserving the environment for future by keeping in view the concerns related to carrying capacity of natural systems.
The Brundtland Commission first coined this term ,which is now often defined as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
The idea of sustainable development grew from numerous environmental movements in earlier decades. Summits such as the Earth Summit in Rio, Brazil, 1992, were major international meetings to bring sustainable development to the mainstream.
As obvious, at the core of sustainable development are numerous inter-related global issues such as poverty, inequality, hunger and environmental degradation.
The United Nations 2005 World Summit Outcome Document refers to the "interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars" of sustainable development as economic development, social development, and environmental protection. These are also famously known as three dimensions for profitability (triple bottom line).
Sustainable development calls for resolving the conflict between the various competing goals, and involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. This translates to investment in R&D on cleaner technologies for power generation, adoption of healthy environmental and housekeeping practices and discipline.World over there are initiatives being planned and executed towards reduction of carbon foot print at industrial, commercial and domestic levels.
In India, Sustainable development now encompasses a variety of development schemes in social, cleantech (clean energy, clean water and sustainable agriculture) and human resources segments. Both public and private sectors, along with the Central and state governments are increasingly taking interest in building awareness on this.In fact, India is expected to begin the greening of its national income accounting, making depletion in natural resources wealth a key component in its measurement of gross domestic product (GDP).
Through incentivization of generation and consumption of renewable energy, the Indian Government is encouraging public-private participation in projects on green energy from sources like solar and wind. Also there is a renewed thrust on Super critical and Ultra Super Critical Technologies, which are expected to considerably reduce the carbon footprint in the near future.India's sustained effort towards reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) will ensure that the country's per capita emission of GHG will continue to be low until 2030-31, and it is estimated that the per capita emission in 2031 will be lower than per capita global emission of GHG in 2005.
To summarize, sustainable development recognizes the interdependence of environmental, social and economic systems and promotes equality and justice through people empowerment and a sense of global citizenship. We must understand that inaction will have consequences and we must find innovative ways to change institutional structures and influence individual behaviour. We must initiate policy changes and improve practices at all levels, from the individual to the international to be able to flourish while preserving the environment long enough for our future generations to enjoy the fruits of our technical advancements in a clean and green environment.
Inspite of the fast paced development of numerous economies world over, both in terms of GDP as well as human development Index measures, the distribution of benefits of development have been very uneven, with income disparities remaining persistent and sometimes increasing over time. The no. of extremely poor and the no. of mal-nourished people across the globe have remained high even in the wake of persistent efforts by United Nations,NGOs and other bodies worldover. In some areas these numbers have even increased, despite the global middle class achieving relative affluence.
Also, there have been major negative impacts of development on the environment and on
existing social structures. Many traditional societies have been devastated by
removal of forests, development of fresh/potable water systems, and intensive fisheries. There has been an unbalanced development in the developing nations with urban areas commonly suffering from inadequate transportation, water, sewer and medical infrastructure.The manifold increase in vehicular population in these areas has added air pollution to their list of woes. To complicate further, the industrialized economies have contributed their share of air pollution as well creating a situation where the layers of atmosphere around us have been critically impacted creating the slow but eventually devastating phenomenon of Global Warming.
Issues such as these cannot be brushed aside any longer. We have reached a stage where the effects are beginning to appear and the consequences are expected to be far reaching,long lasting & global in nature, which can eventually lead to the collapse of all the essential ecosystems.
Thus arises the need for sustainable development. Sustainable development is a pattern of resource usage that aims to meet human needs and the social challenges while preserving the environment for future by keeping in view the concerns related to carrying capacity of natural systems.
The Brundtland Commission first coined this term ,which is now often defined as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
The idea of sustainable development grew from numerous environmental movements in earlier decades. Summits such as the Earth Summit in Rio, Brazil, 1992, were major international meetings to bring sustainable development to the mainstream.
As obvious, at the core of sustainable development are numerous inter-related global issues such as poverty, inequality, hunger and environmental degradation.
The United Nations 2005 World Summit Outcome Document refers to the "interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars" of sustainable development as economic development, social development, and environmental protection. These are also famously known as three dimensions for profitability (triple bottom line).
Sustainable development calls for resolving the conflict between the various competing goals, and involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. This translates to investment in R&D on cleaner technologies for power generation, adoption of healthy environmental and housekeeping practices and discipline.World over there are initiatives being planned and executed towards reduction of carbon foot print at industrial, commercial and domestic levels.
In India, Sustainable development now encompasses a variety of development schemes in social, cleantech (clean energy, clean water and sustainable agriculture) and human resources segments. Both public and private sectors, along with the Central and state governments are increasingly taking interest in building awareness on this.In fact, India is expected to begin the greening of its national income accounting, making depletion in natural resources wealth a key component in its measurement of gross domestic product (GDP).
Through incentivization of generation and consumption of renewable energy, the Indian Government is encouraging public-private participation in projects on green energy from sources like solar and wind. Also there is a renewed thrust on Super critical and Ultra Super Critical Technologies, which are expected to considerably reduce the carbon footprint in the near future.India's sustained effort towards reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) will ensure that the country's per capita emission of GHG will continue to be low until 2030-31, and it is estimated that the per capita emission in 2031 will be lower than per capita global emission of GHG in 2005.
To summarize, sustainable development recognizes the interdependence of environmental, social and economic systems and promotes equality and justice through people empowerment and a sense of global citizenship. We must understand that inaction will have consequences and we must find innovative ways to change institutional structures and influence individual behaviour. We must initiate policy changes and improve practices at all levels, from the individual to the international to be able to flourish while preserving the environment long enough for our future generations to enjoy the fruits of our technical advancements in a clean and green environment.
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Energy - Water Nexus
Water is scarce in generally arid areas like the Middle East, Africa, Australian desert, etc. But even in areas that seemingly have plenty of water, a mix of growing population, pollution, poor management, and development has led to the surfacing of water issues in the most unsuspecting manners.
All major types of industries — energy, agriculture, manufacturing - are fully reliant on water for even marginal operation.
According to some estimates,it take 37 gallons of water to grow, package, and ship
enough coffee to make one cup. A hamburger requires about 634 gallons to make it to your stomach.But the most water-intensive industry of them all is energy. It can take up to 168 gallons of water to get one barrel of oil from oil sands. And 800 gallons are required to generate one megawatt-hour of electricity.According to another estimate by US Geological Survey, electricity production from fossil fuels and nuclear energy requires 190,000 million gallons of water per day, accounting for 39% of all freshwater withdrawals in the US, with 71% of that going to fossil-fuel electricity generation alone.
So,we use a lot of water to produce energy, especially fossil fuel energy. And we use a lot of energy to produce water — for food, to treat water, to capture and treat waste water.
Another point of concern is that the world population is expected to increase significantly while fresh water supplies are not.The burgeoning global population's ever-increasing need for fresh water is at odds with a warming world that is already squeezing water availability in some regions. Climate variability could thus further add to the woes and impact water supplies, quality, and energy demand.
Since water and energy are so tightly bound together,the relationship has been given a special name: the energy-water nexus.
And energy industry must compete for water with agriculture, other industries as
well as domestic use. According to the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,things will only get worse as current water-management practices are unlikely to quell demands.
But there is hope. There is slow, but nevertheless increasing, awareness building up on the interdependence of water-reliant systems and the need for balancing of the requirements of all users and development of technologies to reduce water consumption and loss.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that "the electric-power industry accounts for nearly half of all water withdrawals in the US" and "Power companies are pulling back from plans to build traditional power plants that require steady streams of water to operate." .
Looking at India, according a presentation at the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commision (UPERC), the country has 16% of world population but only 4% of the total available fresh water.Ground water constitutes 38.5% of the total water resource of the country.Major uses of Ground water in India are
Irrigation (90% of all available water meets only 55% of the need), Drinking purposes/domestic consumption (5% meets 90% of need)and Industries (5% meets 50% of the need) .
To elicit the governmental support and to bridge the policy gap between the water and energy sectors so that problems involving the interaction of the two sectors can be addressed and reform efforts can move forward, The Water Energy Nexus Activity (WENEXA) has been initiated.It is designed to address seemingly intractable problems whose roots lie at the intersection of these two sectors.
Under the Aegis of initiatives like WENEXA, scientific and technological innovations should be encouraged to focus on minimizing the impact of energy production on water quality and availability and reducing the amount of energy required for treating and distributing water.
Emphasis should be laid on innovations for
(1) treating and reusing non-potable process water in power production
(2) accessing currently unused water sources, such as brackish aquifers
(3) reducing cooling water used by thermal electricity-generating power plants
(4) delivering water and energy more efficiently to prevent losses and
(5) minimizing water-related impacts from mining, energy production and use, and disposal of solid byproducts.
Research should also be directed at reducing the energy required to treat,
pump, and distribute water, including improvements in waste-water treatment
processes and irrigation technology.
Also, to combat the amount of water consumed by traditional power plants, utilities must turn to alternative technologies.According to the Wall Street Journal,a wind turbine, for example, can save 200 to 600 gallons of water compared with the amount required by a modern gas-fired power plant to make that same amount; solar arrays are also gaining momentum because their water needs are minimal.
In short, Global Water supplies are at risk of drying up as the climate warms, but mitigating climate change calls for shifting to less water intensive alternative energy sources.
All major types of industries — energy, agriculture, manufacturing - are fully reliant on water for even marginal operation.
According to some estimates,it take 37 gallons of water to grow, package, and ship
enough coffee to make one cup. A hamburger requires about 634 gallons to make it to your stomach.But the most water-intensive industry of them all is energy. It can take up to 168 gallons of water to get one barrel of oil from oil sands. And 800 gallons are required to generate one megawatt-hour of electricity.According to another estimate by US Geological Survey, electricity production from fossil fuels and nuclear energy requires 190,000 million gallons of water per day, accounting for 39% of all freshwater withdrawals in the US, with 71% of that going to fossil-fuel electricity generation alone.
So,we use a lot of water to produce energy, especially fossil fuel energy. And we use a lot of energy to produce water — for food, to treat water, to capture and treat waste water.
Another point of concern is that the world population is expected to increase significantly while fresh water supplies are not.The burgeoning global population's ever-increasing need for fresh water is at odds with a warming world that is already squeezing water availability in some regions. Climate variability could thus further add to the woes and impact water supplies, quality, and energy demand.
Since water and energy are so tightly bound together,the relationship has been given a special name: the energy-water nexus.
And energy industry must compete for water with agriculture, other industries as
well as domestic use. According to the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,things will only get worse as current water-management practices are unlikely to quell demands.
But there is hope. There is slow, but nevertheless increasing, awareness building up on the interdependence of water-reliant systems and the need for balancing of the requirements of all users and development of technologies to reduce water consumption and loss.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that "the electric-power industry accounts for nearly half of all water withdrawals in the US" and "Power companies are pulling back from plans to build traditional power plants that require steady streams of water to operate." .
Looking at India, according a presentation at the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commision (UPERC), the country has 16% of world population but only 4% of the total available fresh water.Ground water constitutes 38.5% of the total water resource of the country.Major uses of Ground water in India are
Irrigation (90% of all available water meets only 55% of the need), Drinking purposes/domestic consumption (5% meets 90% of need)and Industries (5% meets 50% of the need) .
To elicit the governmental support and to bridge the policy gap between the water and energy sectors so that problems involving the interaction of the two sectors can be addressed and reform efforts can move forward, The Water Energy Nexus Activity (WENEXA) has been initiated.It is designed to address seemingly intractable problems whose roots lie at the intersection of these two sectors.
Under the Aegis of initiatives like WENEXA, scientific and technological innovations should be encouraged to focus on minimizing the impact of energy production on water quality and availability and reducing the amount of energy required for treating and distributing water.
Emphasis should be laid on innovations for
(1) treating and reusing non-potable process water in power production
(2) accessing currently unused water sources, such as brackish aquifers
(3) reducing cooling water used by thermal electricity-generating power plants
(4) delivering water and energy more efficiently to prevent losses and
(5) minimizing water-related impacts from mining, energy production and use, and disposal of solid byproducts.
Research should also be directed at reducing the energy required to treat,
pump, and distribute water, including improvements in waste-water treatment
processes and irrigation technology.
Also, to combat the amount of water consumed by traditional power plants, utilities must turn to alternative technologies.According to the Wall Street Journal,a wind turbine, for example, can save 200 to 600 gallons of water compared with the amount required by a modern gas-fired power plant to make that same amount; solar arrays are also gaining momentum because their water needs are minimal.
In short, Global Water supplies are at risk of drying up as the climate warms, but mitigating climate change calls for shifting to less water intensive alternative energy sources.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Energy Conservation through Recycling
Amongst the various initiatives towards a more energy sufficient future , an important one is Recycling of wastes.
Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing.
In a strict sense, recycling of a material would produce a fresh supply of the same material, for example used office paper to more office paper, or used foamed polystyrene to more polystyrene. However, this is often difficult or too expensive (compared with producing the same product from raw materials or other sources), so "recycling" of many products or materials involves their 'reuse' in producing different materials (e.g., paperboard) instead. Another form of recycling is the 'reduction' of certain materials from complex products, either due to their intrinsic value (e.g., lead from car batteries, or gold from computer components), or due to their hazardous nature (e.g., removal and reuse of mercury from various items).
There is some debate over the economic efficiency of recycling systems. Economic analysis of recycling also includes what economists call externalities, which are un-priced costs and benefits (reduced air pollution and greenhouse gases from incineration, reduced hazardous waste leaching from landfills, reduced energy consumption, and reduced waste and resource consumption etc) that accrue to individuals outside of private transactions. The debate however is on just how much energy is saved through recycling.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) states on its website that "a paper mill uses 40 percent less energy to make paper from recycled paper than it does to make paper from fresh lumber." Some other good examples of downstream energy savings outweighing the upstream collection of recyclable materials are in recycling metals. Aluminium is generally agreed to use far less energy when recycled rather than being produced from scratch. The EPA states that "recycling aluminum cans, for example, saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source, bauxite.'The Truth About Recycling' (The Economist, 2007) lists down the following materials and the percentage of energy saved by recycling them.
1) Aluminum - 95%
2) Plastics - 70%
3) Steel - 60%
4) Paper - 40%
5) Glass - 30%
Critics often argue that in the overall processes, it can take more energy to produce recycled products than it does to dispose of them in traditional landfill methods. No doubt, it is difficult to determine the exact amount of energy consumed or produced in waste disposal processes because the quantum of energy used in recycling depends largely on the type of material being recycled and the process used to do so.
Some countries even trade in unprocessed recyclates, but there have been numerous complaints about the ultimate fate of recyclates sold to another country being unknown as these recyclates often end up in landfills instead of being reprocessed. There are reports of illegal-waste imports to China, where dismantling and subsequent recycling is done solely for monetary gain, without consideration for health of workers or environmental damage. Though the Chinese government has banned these practices, it has not been able to eradicate them.
An important aspect in 'Recycling' is waste management. Increasingly the authorities are promoting a multi step approach to waste management:
• The segregation of waste at the source
• Storage of waste at the source
• Primary collection (of wastes)
• Secondary collection
• Secondary transportation
• Composting
• Land fill.
If the waste is segregated at the source, it is easy to dispose off the waste in an environment friendly manner. Segregation saves time, energy and money.
Aside from the industrial and large scale applications of 'reduce-recycle-reuse' approach, even in our day to day lives, there are numerous opportunities through which we can significantly contribute to energy savings:
• Switching off of lights, electronic equipment, power appliances when not required (Even on standby mode, there's a continuous power wastage)
• Using cloth/jute bags instead of plastic bags.
• Encouraging foods made of jowar, bajra, instead of rice and not wasting food.
• Buying materials in bulk/without packing
• Using both sides of paper when writing.
• Using Mechanical pencils, ink refills (instead of buying new pens) and recycled paper folders/products
• Using copper bottomed stainless steel utensils
• Reducing wastage of water by turning off Taps showers etc (when not in use) , while brushing teeth and bathing
• Running washing machines only on full load
• Adopting Digital Cameras, LCD Monitors, LNG/CNG/electric vehicles
• Growing plants
The time has come when everyone has to be conscious about his contribution towards environment and optimal usage of scarce energy. Adopting healthy habits of Recycling and Conservation will not just help in reducing the massive gap in the supply and demand of energy but also create a more liveable environment for the future generations. The Key words are "Act Now!"
Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing.
In a strict sense, recycling of a material would produce a fresh supply of the same material, for example used office paper to more office paper, or used foamed polystyrene to more polystyrene. However, this is often difficult or too expensive (compared with producing the same product from raw materials or other sources), so "recycling" of many products or materials involves their 'reuse' in producing different materials (e.g., paperboard) instead. Another form of recycling is the 'reduction' of certain materials from complex products, either due to their intrinsic value (e.g., lead from car batteries, or gold from computer components), or due to their hazardous nature (e.g., removal and reuse of mercury from various items).
There is some debate over the economic efficiency of recycling systems. Economic analysis of recycling also includes what economists call externalities, which are un-priced costs and benefits (reduced air pollution and greenhouse gases from incineration, reduced hazardous waste leaching from landfills, reduced energy consumption, and reduced waste and resource consumption etc) that accrue to individuals outside of private transactions. The debate however is on just how much energy is saved through recycling.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) states on its website that "a paper mill uses 40 percent less energy to make paper from recycled paper than it does to make paper from fresh lumber." Some other good examples of downstream energy savings outweighing the upstream collection of recyclable materials are in recycling metals. Aluminium is generally agreed to use far less energy when recycled rather than being produced from scratch. The EPA states that "recycling aluminum cans, for example, saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source, bauxite.'The Truth About Recycling' (The Economist, 2007) lists down the following materials and the percentage of energy saved by recycling them.
1) Aluminum - 95%
2) Plastics - 70%
3) Steel - 60%
4) Paper - 40%
5) Glass - 30%
Critics often argue that in the overall processes, it can take more energy to produce recycled products than it does to dispose of them in traditional landfill methods. No doubt, it is difficult to determine the exact amount of energy consumed or produced in waste disposal processes because the quantum of energy used in recycling depends largely on the type of material being recycled and the process used to do so.
Some countries even trade in unprocessed recyclates, but there have been numerous complaints about the ultimate fate of recyclates sold to another country being unknown as these recyclates often end up in landfills instead of being reprocessed. There are reports of illegal-waste imports to China, where dismantling and subsequent recycling is done solely for monetary gain, without consideration for health of workers or environmental damage. Though the Chinese government has banned these practices, it has not been able to eradicate them.
An important aspect in 'Recycling' is waste management. Increasingly the authorities are promoting a multi step approach to waste management:
• The segregation of waste at the source
• Storage of waste at the source
• Primary collection (of wastes)
• Secondary collection
• Secondary transportation
• Composting
• Land fill.
If the waste is segregated at the source, it is easy to dispose off the waste in an environment friendly manner. Segregation saves time, energy and money.
Aside from the industrial and large scale applications of 'reduce-recycle-reuse' approach, even in our day to day lives, there are numerous opportunities through which we can significantly contribute to energy savings:
• Switching off of lights, electronic equipment, power appliances when not required (Even on standby mode, there's a continuous power wastage)
• Using cloth/jute bags instead of plastic bags.
• Encouraging foods made of jowar, bajra, instead of rice and not wasting food.
• Buying materials in bulk/without packing
• Using both sides of paper when writing.
• Using Mechanical pencils, ink refills (instead of buying new pens) and recycled paper folders/products
• Using copper bottomed stainless steel utensils
• Reducing wastage of water by turning off Taps showers etc (when not in use) , while brushing teeth and bathing
• Running washing machines only on full load
• Adopting Digital Cameras, LCD Monitors, LNG/CNG/electric vehicles
• Growing plants
The time has come when everyone has to be conscious about his contribution towards environment and optimal usage of scarce energy. Adopting healthy habits of Recycling and Conservation will not just help in reducing the massive gap in the supply and demand of energy but also create a more liveable environment for the future generations. The Key words are "Act Now!"
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Reforestation: Act Today to save Tomorrow
It is a common belief that humans are destroying the planet Earth. Much of the world’s tropical rainforests have either been cut down or are directly threatened with imminent deforestation.
One of the most prominent dangers of global deforestation is the accumulation of carbon-based greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, gases which have the potential to contribute to global climate change. Deforestation accounts for over 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions – more than the entire global transportation sector .Moreover, Deforestation and forest degradation have resulted in species loss and increase in global warming.
Nowadays, ‘Going Green’ is a common term that refers to a variety of projects intended to repair some of this damage. Reforestation and forest preservation carbon offset projects are part of the global warming solution. Trees thrive on carbon gases, using carbon molecules to produce everything from sugar during photosynthesis to cellulose and wood as they grow.
Thus, reforestation programs include strategically planting trees that offset the harmful gasses in the atmosphere with natural materials that have been removed either by logging, or other industries that are not environmentally friendly. Tree roots hold the soil in place and prevent too much erosion of the soil and nutrients. Trees also regulate local temperature by providing shade, cooling both the soil and the air below the branches thereby creating a natural habitat for other life forms, as a home and a food source. A forest may serve as a natural water purification system to provide a safe water source.
During the planting process, special care is taken to preserve the soil, and improve quality of life in the area. Many tree-planting organizations that are concerned with the forest situation also offer efficient appliances, rescuing endangered species, reducing greenhouse gases and moderating the climate. The hope is that their efforts will improve overall health and welfare of the human and forest population.
Additionally, forest preservation and reforestation initiatives create jobs, maintain and expand wildlife habitats, protect biodiversity and improve local environmental quality.
Reducing poverty is a step toward eliminating the world hunger situation all around the world. In India it is estimated that 40 million people depend upon the resources of forested areas for firewood, simple farming and cattle-grazing. In an effort to meet the costly goal of covering one third of the country with trees by 2012, country’s environment ministry is seeking to lease degraded forests to private firms, especially those from the pulp and paper industries, who will be allowed to farm the trees for paper pulp. The paper pulp in turn will be used to feed an increasing demand for paper products from India’s burgeoning middle class – from toilet paper to tea bags and cigarette filter papers.
Under a scheme named “Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for Forestation”, the ministry proposes to entertain private bids for areas with less than ten percent tree cover, in return for paper pulp production.The government believes that by contracting companies to grow and farm the trees for pulp, the plan will benefit the environment and the growing paper industries, while also providing low-income communities dependent on the forests with a more reliable source of employment.
Though not everybody is willing to buy the government's ideas, this is nevertheless an initiative which holds potential for creating the desired impact, if the proper checks and balances are in place. What could be other such measures ?
One of the most prominent dangers of global deforestation is the accumulation of carbon-based greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, gases which have the potential to contribute to global climate change. Deforestation accounts for over 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions – more than the entire global transportation sector .Moreover, Deforestation and forest degradation have resulted in species loss and increase in global warming.
Nowadays, ‘Going Green’ is a common term that refers to a variety of projects intended to repair some of this damage. Reforestation and forest preservation carbon offset projects are part of the global warming solution. Trees thrive on carbon gases, using carbon molecules to produce everything from sugar during photosynthesis to cellulose and wood as they grow.
Thus, reforestation programs include strategically planting trees that offset the harmful gasses in the atmosphere with natural materials that have been removed either by logging, or other industries that are not environmentally friendly. Tree roots hold the soil in place and prevent too much erosion of the soil and nutrients. Trees also regulate local temperature by providing shade, cooling both the soil and the air below the branches thereby creating a natural habitat for other life forms, as a home and a food source. A forest may serve as a natural water purification system to provide a safe water source.
During the planting process, special care is taken to preserve the soil, and improve quality of life in the area. Many tree-planting organizations that are concerned with the forest situation also offer efficient appliances, rescuing endangered species, reducing greenhouse gases and moderating the climate. The hope is that their efforts will improve overall health and welfare of the human and forest population.
Additionally, forest preservation and reforestation initiatives create jobs, maintain and expand wildlife habitats, protect biodiversity and improve local environmental quality.
Reducing poverty is a step toward eliminating the world hunger situation all around the world. In India it is estimated that 40 million people depend upon the resources of forested areas for firewood, simple farming and cattle-grazing. In an effort to meet the costly goal of covering one third of the country with trees by 2012, country’s environment ministry is seeking to lease degraded forests to private firms, especially those from the pulp and paper industries, who will be allowed to farm the trees for paper pulp. The paper pulp in turn will be used to feed an increasing demand for paper products from India’s burgeoning middle class – from toilet paper to tea bags and cigarette filter papers.
Under a scheme named “Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for Forestation”, the ministry proposes to entertain private bids for areas with less than ten percent tree cover, in return for paper pulp production.The government believes that by contracting companies to grow and farm the trees for pulp, the plan will benefit the environment and the growing paper industries, while also providing low-income communities dependent on the forests with a more reliable source of employment.
Though not everybody is willing to buy the government's ideas, this is nevertheless an initiative which holds potential for creating the desired impact, if the proper checks and balances are in place. What could be other such measures ?
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