Disappointing Stimulus Not Very Energy Stimulating, Hedgehog for Youth, Sopogy, Clean Air Club
Stafford Williamson
February 03, 2009
"There's nothing new under the sun," and, " there's always something new to be discovered," seem like mutually contradictory points of view. While it is often true that there is nothing new is usually is just a case of discovering new understanding.
A company called Sopogy has just introduced me to something they call MicroCSP. CSP stands for "Concentrated Solar Power" and the "micro" part simply means that the units these folks make are tiny compared to the vast arrays of parabolic solar reflectors spreading for acres in the desert. And yet, that's a misleading description too, because they show a chart in which they detail that it you want their system to generate 5MW of electric power you are going to need slightly more than 27 acres on which to place (and space) their panels. An average panel output is rated at 512 watts, so it takes some 9771 of their panels to create that 5MW generating capacity. It appears that the major downfall of this type of system is that they rate the thermal energy conversion from solar (light) to heat at 60% efficiency, and although they have a loss of about 10% to piping and mechanical transmission, the conversion of the thermal energy they have created into electrical energy is only abou 20%. Since the loss in the first step is a net of 50%, the 20% applies to only half of the available energy from the sunlight, so the overall process is less than 10% efficient.
Fortunately for Sopogy, generating electricity is not their main thing. They are far better at heating and cooling using the thermal energy they extract from the sun. The heating, naturally enough is at the 60% efficiency (minus the 10% piping loss) for a net of 50% of the solar conversion to heat. In the cooling department, although there is some loss at the heat exchanger, they rate theirs as being about 85% efficient, so the net cooling effect is just taking a small hit below the baseline of about 50% efficient. Now considering that internal combustion engines are usually less than 30% efficient, that's not all that bad. On the other hand, comparing the efficiency of anything to an internal combustion engine is a little like setting a minimum standard of beauty as anything more attractive than a frog ... who was roadkill and sun baked for the last week.
Okay, maybe that's being a little harsh on the poor old ICE. Perhaps should say, cuter than a hedgehog. Which reminds me that I saw a news item on television recently in which a young (single?) mother was trying to dissuade her son from acquiring a hedgehog as a pet. (Don't ask me why, although as anyone who has seen the illustrations of "Sonic" the hedgehog around whom a computer game is designed will understand that a hedgehog can have a certain appeal.) The son put together the usual arguments about responsibility for a pet would help him mature and all the other standard stuff, and just when he thought he had worn her down, Mom, who was a corporate attorney, discovered that it was against some municipal regulations to keep a hedgehog as a pet. Undaunted, the boy put together a presentation, got himself on the town council's agenda to propose an amendment (or an exception) to the regulation, and although he was not yet in high school, he so impressed the local legislators that they granted him his request.
Now, what I find so heartening about this whole little story is not just the "little guy" beating the odds and winning over "city hall", but rather that without the support (or at least not the wholehearted support) of his mother, or the existing regulations, this young man took it upon himself to change a law that he thought needed changing. He didn't wait patiently for his 18th birthday in order to "vote" on the issue. He didn't choose some ineffectual public demonstration marching up and down in front of city hall with a sign reading "Unfair to Hedgehogs". He rolled up his sleeves, so to speak, and tackled the legislative process in the completely adult way, making his case to the relevant authorities, and prevailing with nothing more than the strength of his presentation. He even included the environmental issue that the hedgehog was not a threat to any indigenous species of the area. Observers called his presentation "impressive," according to the news article.
What gets me downright excited about the story is that I have long advocated that young people, who act like "people" in terms of maturity, intellect and understanding, deserve the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as another person of any age. I was pleased that "youth" participation was such a prominent feature of the successful Barack Obama for President Campaign, and I am delighted that society is willing to treat this young man with the respect he deserves.
Perhaps there is still hope that it will be within my lifetime that at least MOST of the world will erase the barriers and prejudices that relegate women to the status of possessions, or second-class citizens in so much of the world today. I know that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be working on it for the next few years, and I hope that everyone will support those efforts.
Speaking of support, apparently House Republicans just don't get it. Not ONE Republican vote in support of President Obama's financial stimulus package legislation? There wasn't much question it was going to pass. Even the fiscally conservative Democratic "blue dogs" voted against the House version of the bill. This group of Democrats felt free to do so, but not one Republican congressman had the moral fortitude to say that "Yes we can" stand for change and bipartisanship that can get the legislative process moving again. (And by the way, isn't that what the McCain Presidential Campaign was promising from the Republican Party, that THEY would end the petty partisan squabbling and get the legislative process rolling as it was intended to work?) Despite President Obama's personal appeals to Republicans by visiting the Capitol, and including a cocktail party at the White House, not one Republican Congressman would cross party lines to meet the extended hand of cooperation.
If you want to see the contrast between the two parties, CNN carried the headline that the new chair of the Republican National Committee, the first black to hold this position in the history of the Republican Party, said, "Bipartisanship is overrated." Clearly that is the attitude of a party that has been too long in power, too long feeling that they could dictate a my way or the highway set of policies, laws and (lack of) regulations. That is the kind of statement an imperious dictator makes, not a representative of a group seeking reconciliation, advancement and fair treatment for all.
After all, now that the Democrats have a wide majority in the House and a clear majority in the Senate they are in a position like the British government of the 1960's and 1970's who inspired that line in the Beatles song "Taxman" that goes, "one for you, nineteen for me, 'cause I'm the Taxman, and you're working for no one but me!" For that math impaired reader among you the point was that in their income bracket at that time, the actual taxes paid by members of the Beatles was a full 95% of their personal earnings. I am sure there is no shortage of people who would agree. When asked if he would consider taking a reduction in salary to a symbolic $1, the CEO of Ford responded that he was "comfortable" with his compensation package as it was. That amount being reportedly about US$ 9 million a year. I think many of would be happy to see the creation of a 95% US tax bracket specifically to apply to him as the government response to his arrogance, especially since he was in a session of congress to ask for billions of dollars in public taxpayer funded assistance.
What happens when the largest privately owned school bus company in the country switches to biodiesel blends of fuel? Well, not very much apparently, although they did rack up some pleasant puffed press for their efforts. Cook-Illinois and owner John Benish got a pitiful little paragraph on "Busnews" a blogspot blog, and a paltry article on DomesticFuel.com in a post by John Davis. Mr. Benish, these items report, is the father of four, himself, and in hopes of creating a greener future for their generation he has created a "Clean Air Club" bus to explain the basics about biodiesel to the school kids carried by his 2000 some buses, 90% of which are already using the fuel. The Davis article says that more than 1100 students have already toured through the brightly colored blue bus, and Benish plans a version for middle and high school students for next year.
Of course, even 2000 buses is not an ecologically significant number, especially when you consider that very few biofueled vehicles actually burn 100% biofuel in the first place. It might make a "cute" item for CBS Sunday Morning, but hardly global in importance. What should be, and so far as I can tell is not, is the "green jobs" and "alternative energy" provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Frankly I might have joined with the "Blue Dogs" group to vote against it not because of what it contained, but what it did not.
Although one might classify some of the other spending as contributing to "energy" issues, like better insulation for federal buildings to reduce future energy uses, the items actually grouped as "energy" items were: $32 billion funding for an electric smart grid, $20 billion for renewable energy tax cuts, $6 billion for weatherizing modest-income homes, totaling $58 billion. Notice that $20 billion is "energy tax cuts" to stimulate renewable energy development, not actual "spending" as such. Now, $58 billion is about 7% of the proposed $825 billion dollar stimulus package. I am not saying we don't need the $20 billion of information infrastructure improvement for healthcare, and undoubtedly $141 billion for education after the decades of unfunded mandates and general neglect is barely adequate, but I have to conclude that 7% of stimulus for "energy" is at best, disappointing.
Sorry, but that leaves me in no mood to range about for some good news to end on.
Love and Best wishes,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
http://daochienergy.com
A company called Sopogy has just introduced me to something they call MicroCSP. CSP stands for "Concentrated Solar Power" and the "micro" part simply means that the units these folks make are tiny compared to the vast arrays of parabolic solar reflectors spreading for acres in the desert. And yet, that's a misleading description too, because they show a chart in which they detail that it you want their system to generate 5MW of electric power you are going to need slightly more than 27 acres on which to place (and space) their panels. An average panel output is rated at 512 watts, so it takes some 9771 of their panels to create that 5MW generating capacity. It appears that the major downfall of this type of system is that they rate the thermal energy conversion from solar (light) to heat at 60% efficiency, and although they have a loss of about 10% to piping and mechanical transmission, the conversion of the thermal energy they have created into electrical energy is only abou 20%. Since the loss in the first step is a net of 50%, the 20% applies to only half of the available energy from the sunlight, so the overall process is less than 10% efficient.
Fortunately for Sopogy, generating electricity is not their main thing. They are far better at heating and cooling using the thermal energy they extract from the sun. The heating, naturally enough is at the 60% efficiency (minus the 10% piping loss) for a net of 50% of the solar conversion to heat. In the cooling department, although there is some loss at the heat exchanger, they rate theirs as being about 85% efficient, so the net cooling effect is just taking a small hit below the baseline of about 50% efficient. Now considering that internal combustion engines are usually less than 30% efficient, that's not all that bad. On the other hand, comparing the efficiency of anything to an internal combustion engine is a little like setting a minimum standard of beauty as anything more attractive than a frog ... who was roadkill and sun baked for the last week.
Okay, maybe that's being a little harsh on the poor old ICE. Perhaps should say, cuter than a hedgehog. Which reminds me that I saw a news item on television recently in which a young (single?) mother was trying to dissuade her son from acquiring a hedgehog as a pet. (Don't ask me why, although as anyone who has seen the illustrations of "Sonic" the hedgehog around whom a computer game is designed will understand that a hedgehog can have a certain appeal.) The son put together the usual arguments about responsibility for a pet would help him mature and all the other standard stuff, and just when he thought he had worn her down, Mom, who was a corporate attorney, discovered that it was against some municipal regulations to keep a hedgehog as a pet. Undaunted, the boy put together a presentation, got himself on the town council's agenda to propose an amendment (or an exception) to the regulation, and although he was not yet in high school, he so impressed the local legislators that they granted him his request.
Now, what I find so heartening about this whole little story is not just the "little guy" beating the odds and winning over "city hall", but rather that without the support (or at least not the wholehearted support) of his mother, or the existing regulations, this young man took it upon himself to change a law that he thought needed changing. He didn't wait patiently for his 18th birthday in order to "vote" on the issue. He didn't choose some ineffectual public demonstration marching up and down in front of city hall with a sign reading "Unfair to Hedgehogs". He rolled up his sleeves, so to speak, and tackled the legislative process in the completely adult way, making his case to the relevant authorities, and prevailing with nothing more than the strength of his presentation. He even included the environmental issue that the hedgehog was not a threat to any indigenous species of the area. Observers called his presentation "impressive," according to the news article.
What gets me downright excited about the story is that I have long advocated that young people, who act like "people" in terms of maturity, intellect and understanding, deserve the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as another person of any age. I was pleased that "youth" participation was such a prominent feature of the successful Barack Obama for President Campaign, and I am delighted that society is willing to treat this young man with the respect he deserves.
Perhaps there is still hope that it will be within my lifetime that at least MOST of the world will erase the barriers and prejudices that relegate women to the status of possessions, or second-class citizens in so much of the world today. I know that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be working on it for the next few years, and I hope that everyone will support those efforts.
Speaking of support, apparently House Republicans just don't get it. Not ONE Republican vote in support of President Obama's financial stimulus package legislation? There wasn't much question it was going to pass. Even the fiscally conservative Democratic "blue dogs" voted against the House version of the bill. This group of Democrats felt free to do so, but not one Republican congressman had the moral fortitude to say that "Yes we can" stand for change and bipartisanship that can get the legislative process moving again. (And by the way, isn't that what the McCain Presidential Campaign was promising from the Republican Party, that THEY would end the petty partisan squabbling and get the legislative process rolling as it was intended to work?) Despite President Obama's personal appeals to Republicans by visiting the Capitol, and including a cocktail party at the White House, not one Republican Congressman would cross party lines to meet the extended hand of cooperation.
If you want to see the contrast between the two parties, CNN carried the headline that the new chair of the Republican National Committee, the first black to hold this position in the history of the Republican Party, said, "Bipartisanship is overrated." Clearly that is the attitude of a party that has been too long in power, too long feeling that they could dictate a my way or the highway set of policies, laws and (lack of) regulations. That is the kind of statement an imperious dictator makes, not a representative of a group seeking reconciliation, advancement and fair treatment for all.
After all, now that the Democrats have a wide majority in the House and a clear majority in the Senate they are in a position like the British government of the 1960's and 1970's who inspired that line in the Beatles song "Taxman" that goes, "one for you, nineteen for me, 'cause I'm the Taxman, and you're working for no one but me!" For that math impaired reader among you the point was that in their income bracket at that time, the actual taxes paid by members of the Beatles was a full 95% of their personal earnings. I am sure there is no shortage of people who would agree. When asked if he would consider taking a reduction in salary to a symbolic $1, the CEO of Ford responded that he was "comfortable" with his compensation package as it was. That amount being reportedly about US$ 9 million a year. I think many of would be happy to see the creation of a 95% US tax bracket specifically to apply to him as the government response to his arrogance, especially since he was in a session of congress to ask for billions of dollars in public taxpayer funded assistance.
What happens when the largest privately owned school bus company in the country switches to biodiesel blends of fuel? Well, not very much apparently, although they did rack up some pleasant puffed press for their efforts. Cook-Illinois and owner John Benish got a pitiful little paragraph on "Busnews" a blogspot blog, and a paltry article on DomesticFuel.com in a post by John Davis. Mr. Benish, these items report, is the father of four, himself, and in hopes of creating a greener future for their generation he has created a "Clean Air Club" bus to explain the basics about biodiesel to the school kids carried by his 2000 some buses, 90% of which are already using the fuel. The Davis article says that more than 1100 students have already toured through the brightly colored blue bus, and Benish plans a version for middle and high school students for next year.
Of course, even 2000 buses is not an ecologically significant number, especially when you consider that very few biofueled vehicles actually burn 100% biofuel in the first place. It might make a "cute" item for CBS Sunday Morning, but hardly global in importance. What should be, and so far as I can tell is not, is the "green jobs" and "alternative energy" provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Frankly I might have joined with the "Blue Dogs" group to vote against it not because of what it contained, but what it did not.
Although one might classify some of the other spending as contributing to "energy" issues, like better insulation for federal buildings to reduce future energy uses, the items actually grouped as "energy" items were: $32 billion funding for an electric smart grid, $20 billion for renewable energy tax cuts, $6 billion for weatherizing modest-income homes, totaling $58 billion. Notice that $20 billion is "energy tax cuts" to stimulate renewable energy development, not actual "spending" as such. Now, $58 billion is about 7% of the proposed $825 billion dollar stimulus package. I am not saying we don't need the $20 billion of information infrastructure improvement for healthcare, and undoubtedly $141 billion for education after the decades of unfunded mandates and general neglect is barely adequate, but I have to conclude that 7% of stimulus for "energy" is at best, disappointing.
Sorry, but that leaves me in no mood to range about for some good news to end on.
Love and Best wishes,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
http://daochienergy.com
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