Direction --> Money

Truman Semans published an article on Dec 18th, called "In Copenhagen, Follow the Money". In it, he says:

"Few of the Copenhagen negotiators understand economics, investment, and business well, or the contributions business can make to solve the problem, or the policy frameworks that would best encourage business to play this role."

Our focus over the past few months has been to look at what can be achieved by governments coming together to solve the climate crisis. And in some ways, this was a positive step, but mostly, it was a planetary talk fest.

Truman rightly points out that developed countries are unlikely to hand over the sums of money being sought by developing nations, and companies with existing or new IP are not going to give away that technology. So the outcomes being sought were not feasible in the current global political space.

To achieve the vision, the goals of a new energy economy, and to fast track this, business people must step in and drive the agenda. This is already happening in China, India and the US as BLWB's (business leaders without borders) see opportunities for major industries developing in water, waste and energy management. Many corporate partnerships across nations are already in place and more are on the drawing board.

Old money is blocking some of these initiatives, and it's time for them to change direction, or get out of the way. And for governments to support local initiatives that will best meet the needs of this new economy.

In Truman's words: "It is critical that the business community educate governments on the role that they can play and sell them on the enabling policies and financial mechanisms that are needed. "

Copenhagen over, now let's get on with what needs to be done.

Directionally challenged

As planetary people, we are hurtling through space and time, and our individual lives are wrapped around the circumstances that we find ourselves. And annually, by our measure of time, I find it useful to take some moments to review and look ahead.

With all the challenges that drive us daily, it is sometimes difficult to fully comprehend facts and figures that point to an uncertain future for many species, including us. How then, do we look forward positively, and enliven others around us for the changes that are unfolding?

Looking back, those who inspired us in the past, did so by their positive words. Words such as, “I have a dream….” and, “we will fight them on the beaches…”, and NOT, “I have a nightmare...” or “they are so powerful against us...”. Warnings are useful, but like this sign, give us no information about where we should go. This next year, 2010, is a year to inspire more people to become involved in the transition, and to draw more pictures of our common future, while still actively challenging short-term and factional thinking.

My picture of our future is of a stable number of people on this planet living in diverse, sustainable communities, each having access to water and food, and to life enhancing energy from renewable sources. My vision is of a sustainable global society powered by renewable energy.

What is your dream, your planetary picture, your vision of the future, one you use to engage those around you?

(and I took the picture above in Ireland/West Coast)

A Six-Pack of Coal

This week, Science Alert includes a commentary by Kjell Aleklett called Economy and Climate on the path down from the Peak of Oil and Gas. In that article, Kjell, who is Professor in Physics, Uppsala Hydrocarbon Depletion Study Group, at Uppsala University, Sweden, writes.....

"Many are convinced that the future use of coal will determine the outcome for the world’s climate. If we study the world’s coal reserves we find that 80 per cent exists in only six nations; the USA, Russia, China, India, Australia and South Africa. The greatest proportion of the coal that is consumed globally is in these six nations. It is incorrect to assert that carbon dioxide emissions from coal are an international problem.
They are fundamentally a national problem. The international problem is that the rest of the world is affected by the emissions from these six nations."

Thought-provoking words for us Aussies surfing and sitting on our beaches, watching ships queue up to export tons of the stuff!

pic ex Flickr Happychopper's Photostream with comment "Newcastle - check the massive ships in the distance carrying coal... there were hundreds of them out there! "

100 percent renewable by 2030

Mark Jacobsen of Stanford and Mark Delucchi of University of California have produced a paper which confirms what some of us have suspected, that it is possible to shift the world's energy production to 100 percent renewable by 2030. Their article is the cover story of the November Scientific American and their formula is a combination of wind, marine and solar energy. They point out that using renewables to generate power automatically provides significant efficiency because much less energy is wasted as heat such as in the combustion processes of traditional power generation.

The article addresses the "hour by hour" power demand and the need to significantly upgrade the transmission infrastructure. According to them, 100 percent renewable by 2030 is possible, it's feasible, but whether it's achievable may depend on how we support our renewable businesses and entrepreneurs, and what we say to our politicians and to our law makers.

There are competing elements in this new era, but change will happen. The question is, will it be done in time, and achieve our 100 percent renewable world by 2030?

TCKTCKTCK to the future

Maintaining the Status Quo - when we have achieved some semblance of "the good life", our priority is then to maintain that lifestyle, not to see it eroded, to keep things the way they currently are. But that mindset comes with a big price tag for the planet.

This week, I observed a considerable degree of that urge to maintain the status quo, with farmers in the UK rejecting wind farms which might change their view, Australians in a debate about how our lifestyles could change unless we tighten our border security. Others worldwide are concerned about increases in energy cost, and how that could impact them in the short term, while many more see their lifestyles being eroded from lack of water and changing climate. Others just want to avoid any debate and hope that life will continue as "normal" and want their personal status quo maintained.

In some ways, the Copenhagen debate is also one of Status Quo - how to set a course for the future at the same time as providing the economic and political stability to take us there.

So there is no easy answer here, but an absolute need to develop a new paradigm, new values, and a new vision. We have talked a lot about the pain of this transition and that surely will happen, but it's also time to talk about a new future which will provide a new status quo. How do we live in this new world? What resources do we need and what can we provide for our children to develop this space?

Copenhagen is one more step in that direction, and an important one. So it's now time for us all to become more active in our communities and to let go of our own personal "status quo" - to become pioneers of this new future, and join those, like Desmond Tutu, in becoming Climate (and planet) Allies.

Savings start at Home

Most Australians, including myself, are fortunate to enjoy a modern lifestyle, accustomed to live well. But that lifestyle has a price, both in dollar terms and in our carbon impact on the planet.

So it's timely that we now have a new book to help us "save energy, save money and reduce our our carbon footprint" and, at the same time, still find ways to live well and enjoy life. That book is The CSIRO Home Energy Savings Handbook, and you can find more about this comprehensive family friendly book here.

So if you want to find out how you, your friends and family can make a difference - which TV to buy, how to cool your house, why recycling aluminium is so important, and whether a diesel car has a lower carbon impact - then find yourself a copy of this highly useful book from your local bookstore or library.

And for those looking for a good idea for Fathers Day next week - instead of that tie or socks for Dad - why not give him a gift that is a real investment and one everyone can share.

MindSet = Dataset

For anyone reviewing what has happened and projecting the future, data is essential, but numbers are sometimes confusing, and its easy to misread a trend. So its a real joy to see the work at gapminder.org where data is represented as coloured bubbles.

It's easier to check it out yourself, go play with data, it's great fun and a mind shift about how we view the world. Or check it out at the latest TED TALK by Hans Rosling.

ABC of our carbon world

Sometimes you just want an answer. Has anyone looked at the carbon footprint of wine? Why are peatlands important for carbon storage? Where do I find a Green Vehicle Guide? And who are the IEA? Well, for answers to these questions and many more, check out Ken Hickson's new book "The ABC of Carbon" which is a solid work full of easy to use summaries of the carbon world that we inhabit and that need to understand.

What I found most useful is that every topic in this book - and there are many in the 26 chapters - comes with web addresses where more good information can be found. I have my copy, and if you want yours, then see Ken's ABC Carbon site.

Bamboo soaks up CO2

It seems I'm just one of the many fans of Bamboo. A recent article called "What's Driving the Bamboo Market" by Jonathon Bardelline published in Green Design claims that "Bamboo plants sequester four times as much carbon dioxide as hardwood trees (taking in 62 tons of CO2 per 2.4 acres versus 16 tons per 2.4 acres of trees) and puts out 35 percent more oxygen".

Bamboo is becoming more popular, and my bamboo flooring is certainly not unique, though well admired for it's soft feel and durable finish. I have bamboo in my wardrobe in the form of some quite smart business jackets and some exceptionally soft t-shirts. According to what I have read, bamboo doesn't require pesticides to grow, and it's a low water use plant, actually mostly considered a weed because it grows so fast and is so hardy.

So if you are in business, and are looking at new materials, take a look at bamboo, and some of it's many varieties. It's a material that I expect we will see lots more of in the future.

Pic ex Flickr Bamboo by The Pug Father

Socially Speaking

My thoughts have been on communication, and in particular, using Blogs, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. What is the optimum package? And there are many thoughts on this - see a really thoughtful article on this based on the writings of Steve Rubel. The article shows how we are evolving - from printed media, radio, TV, then to websites, blogs and we are now in the era of social networking.

Obviously, too many formats! So something has to give. I rarely read newspapers, though I do like the odd well written magazine, and TV is much less important - and less credible, as it attempts to mimic the social element of blogs and twitter. Daily news now comes to me via my computer, and mostly through the blogs and selected twitter feeds that I receive. The real key, is to focus on what's important to you - and to filter out the overwhelming mass of quite useless chatter. Social Media is global, so no-one in your local geographic area, with their own agenda, such as an owner of printed media or TV, can control what is there.

It's taken a while but I have decided that I like Twitter - I tune in to short bits that I find interesting but only from those who I trust. While I may blog once a week or so, I put links up more often on my Twitter page - and I share what I find useful! -see GoBizGreen Twitter.

All-Energy now in Australia

For nine years, Aderdeen in Scotland has hosted a major renewable energy exhibition and conference, called All-Energy. At the recent All-Energy ’09 event, some 380 companies exhibited and 5,500 people from all industry elements came from 60 countries.

In the past, I have attended similar overseas events and certainly, there’s a buzz that so far has been absent in Australia. That – hopefully - is about to change! Melbourne, with support from the Victorian Government, has now secured the first All-Energy Clean Energy Show in Australia for companies actively involved in the clean energy industry. And the bonus is that the exhibition and conference sessions are free for visitors from business, industry, government and the university sectors.

All-Energy 09 Australia will be held in Melbourne in October and is set to become Asia Pacific’s major clean and renewable energy exhibition and conference, with sponsors such as Abengoa Solar already on board. Coming just before the Government's call for tenders for the major Australian solar contract, it's well timed. So mark it in your diary for 7/8 October, and – click here to check it out.

Funding Deployment

In the US, the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) is making it's way through Congress, and being aggressively debated. However, one key amendment, the Clean Energy Deployment Administration seems to have bipartisan support.

According to a post on Watthead "Clean Energy Deployment Administration: added as an amendment overwhelmingly adopted on a 51-6 bipartisan vote during markup, this provision establishes a sort of public clean energy bank to finance and accelerate clean energy technology commercialization and deployment.

Sponsored by Representatives John Dingell of Michigan, Jay Inslee of Washington and Bart Gordon of Tennessee, the provision establishes a new Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) that will be responsible for creating an attractive investment environment that will spur the widespread deployment of advanced clean energy technologies, including higher risk "breakthrough technologies." The Administration would also support the widespread deployment of critical enabling infrastructure technologies (like new grid technologies), energy efficiency technologies and advanced clean energy manufacturing technologies."

Now is the time for deployment of emission free dispatchable power and it is encouraging to see the US moving in this direction - it's now also the time for support for this urgently needed deployment to happen on a global scale.

Re-powering our cities

This week I was delighted to meet one of my heroes, Allan Jones, former CEO of the London Climate Change Agency. Allan was speaking at an event in Sydney. He talked about his "show by doing" approach and he updated us on on the work at Woking and in London. Allan does not wait for the future, he creates it, by taking technology that is proven and using that to develop low emission projects that link to other projects. In Woking and London, these projects are based on cogeneration and photovoltaics and they deliver energy savings in very short time spans, and he designed this for both new buildings and for retrofit of older ones.

There is no one solution to the new energy era - it's a combination of renewable utility level power and local decentralized systems, smart grids and energy efficiency. We are now in the deployment phase and every organisation can "show by doing". In Allan's words, "the barriers to this (a sustainable low carbon future) are not technical but regulatory, mindset and vested interest".

The City of Sydney has an ambitious plan to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% by 2030 - so we need lots of Aussie people to follow Allan's example of the Power of One and to be part of this new future!

Beautiful sea holds the power

Yesterday I attended a full day Alternative Energy forum in Sydney. One of the speakers was Dr Tim Finnigan from BioPower Systems. Tim is passionate about wave and tidal power from our coastal seas, and equally passionate about an unobstructed view across the water. His systems are designed around natural movements and are resident on the sea floor.

Tim spoke about the two 250KW pilot programs being developed off King and Flinders Islands, Tasmania, and about his vision of plants ranging from 40MW up to 100MW. Waves and tides are considerably more consistent than wind, so it's an interesting option to power coastal cities in countries where coastal conditions are favourable.

BioPower Systems is one of the companies exploring this option in Australia. Hopefully, in a not too distant future, Australia's beautiful and powerful beaches will be famous in one more way, the power generated from under the waves.

Sunshine is NOW Deployable

"Now is the Time for Deployment of Emission Free Dispatchable Power"

This week I will be presenting a Global snapshot of Large Scale Solar Power Generation -looking at the larger systems operating in both PV (photovoltaic) and Solar Thermal and also taking a peek at what's on the drawing board around the world.

When I first began preparing this talk for the Sydney Group of ANZSES, there was very little to say about Australia. Other than one system under development in Victoria, we do not come close to having any operational system that could be deemed commercial. Fortunately, the recent budget proposals make Australia's utility level solar power scene much more interesting. It's not a technical discussion - this talk is about deployment, what's happening and what's planned. If you are interested to attend the session at 6pm Tuesday May 26th at UTS in Sydney, then see details here.

pic by Sun ex Flickr by onlinewoman

Taking on Coal in the USA

In the US, there is a ground swell against building more coal fired coal power plants, and this is leading to some interesting advertising campaigns. Essentially, these campaigns are making it much more difficult for the coal industry, and makes long term investment in new coal fired power plants a high risk venture. Mark Kresowik, Corporate Accountability Representative for the Sierra Club, comments: “Coal plants are simply a poor investment, no matter where in the country you are building them. We need to be investing wisely, especially in these economic times, and that means looking at energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that can create jobs and help fight global warming, without the drawbacks of coal.”

If you want to see why we need to re-power with truly clean energy sources, see Al Gore's latest TED TALK. The seven minute video also includes some rather strange coal company promotion attempting to convince us that coal is not only clean, it's cute?

Change can happen overnight

I found this in my inbox this morning, posted on the blog Watthead which quotes Congresswoman Doris Matsui. And it shows how the world can start to turn when effective leadership is in place.

"As a member of the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee, I just wanted to take a moment out of the hearings we are holding today to discuss the comprehensive climate change bill, and give you a quick update about what is happening here in Washington.

In the last few days alone, more action has been taken on climate change than in the entire eight years of the Bush presidency. On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the findings of their scientific review, which recognized that global warming threatens both public health and public welfare, and that greenhouse gas emissions are influencing everything from crop failures to more intense heat waves that we are seeing in my hometown of Sacramento.

Yesterday, we started hearings in the Energy and Commerce Committee on the comprehensive climate legislation put forth by Chairmen Henry Waxman and Edward Markey. When passed, the American Clean Energy and Security Act will allow our children and grandchildren to live in a country that is more sustainable, more economically viable, and more efficient than the country we live in today."

We had high hopes for our Rudd Government and its claims when elected in 2008, but it seems the baton has passed to Obama, while we in Australia are still pursuing the elusive "clean coal" strategy and busy building money moving emissions reduction systems.

Driving to A Better Place

Shai Agassi, a former software entrepreneur from Israel, is the founder and CEO of A Better Place, which is committed to building global transport infrastructure to support the widespread use of electric cars. Shai was inspired to take on this role by the Prime Minister of Israel, who pointed out that “saving the planet” was somewhat more important than running a large IT corporation. His first project is a partnership with Renault and the government of Israel and the challenge is “breaking the world’s fossil-fuel habit ”. Other areas that are targeted for his renewable charging and battery swap networks are Denmark, Eastern Australia and two areas of the USA, California and Hawaii.

Shai Agassi ranks as one of my green business heroes because he taking leadership and risk. No-one knows whether his approach will ultimately be the right one – but he moves forward and takes action because he understands we have no time for more debate - it’s time for action. Check out Shai’s vision on TED TALKS.

pic of Shai Agassi ex Flickr by jdlasica.

Gracious and green funerals

If we are serious about energy efficiency, then no aspect of living is off the agenda. So what about the other end of life – where we need to dispose of our bodies with dignity but also with serious consideration for those who remain.
There is an increase in number of deaths, mainly due to the early baby boomers reaching “that age”, and some places such as Perth, WA, are in the grip of a graveyard shortage. Where do we find the space to bury or place cremated remains of the estimated 56 million people around the planet who die each year? The funeral business is booming, but at what cost?

According to GreenPlanet, 50 million trees are cut down each year in India for funeral pyres, and 1.6 million tons of concrete are buried in the US each year in the construction of vaults. Maybe we could turn some of this around? A town called Halmstat in Sweden proposed a new source of heat for one business and for the surrounding houses. The local crematorium would provide an endless and reliable source of heat from its primary activity of cremating bodies. Would this be acceptable in your community?

In many places we now have ranges of eco-friendly coffins and we control the emissions from cremation, but there is still a long way to go. And as demand grows, there will be new business opportunities in finding energy efficient and planet enhancing ways to manage bodies no longer in use. Consider this when you are bequeathing your material possessions to your loved ones – think of how to manage your final exit in a way that benefits rather than harms their environment.

pic ex Flickr Global Green Expo, Jersey City (biodegradable coffin) by goodrob13

Solar Energy Cheaper than Coal Fired Power

While the Government in Australia is focusing on so called "clean coal", yet another company in the USA is focusing the sun to generate power at much less cost than coal. Check out this link to a short video here.

iMiEV for green business owners

Mitsubishi now has a plug-in electric car, the iMiEV, fully approved for Australian roads, and we may see these on Australian roads next year, according to an ABC News article. The initial comments from those interested reflected the concern about the energy use - mainly because our energy in Australia primarily comes from coal fired power stations. My point is that having a fully electric available to purchase at a dealer is something many of us want. We need transport in our businesses, but we want to move away from fossil fuels in our lifestyles.

Maybe the answer is simple - ensure that all charging of electric cars is done by renewable energy, then there is no problem, just a need for more power generated by truly renewable sources. So bring on the iMiEV's and where's my solar wind or wave power charging station?

Jesse paints a picture..

Jesse Jenkins is an energy and climate policy analyst, activist and blogger located in the USA, working with the Breakthough Institute and he writes his own blog WattHead.

This morning I was contemplating why we in Australia are so obsessed with our proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, and Jesse effectively sums up my concerns and directions, so below are few quotes taken randomly from his recent posts:

Jesse Jenkins: "Yes, we need new regulations and a price on carbon. But consider this: the United States did not invent the Internet by implementing a cap and trade system on fax machines. We didn't invent microchips by taxing the slide rule, nor did we create the personal computer by regulating typewriters. Rather, your computer, your cell phone, your iPod -- all of these revolutionary and now ubiquitous technologies were originally invented by direct federal investments supporting the relentless innovation of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs just like yourself."

"The ultimate effectiveness of a strategy premised centrally on an effort to make dirty energy more expensive will always be limited by this fundamental reality of the political economy of energy -- which we at the Breakthrough Institute have dubbed 'Global Warming's Gordian Knot.' If the price of carbon must rise too high to drive emissions reductions, various cost containment mechanisms or public backlash will kick in -- either of which effectively abrogates the emissions cap. Yet if we constrain the price of carbon, it will have very little impact on emissions absent a steady supply of low-cost emissions
reductions opportunities."

"President Obama and Speaker Pelosi have it right: a "New Apollo Project" for clean energy -- at least $150 billion in direct public investment over ten years, funded by modest carbon pricing or deficit spending -- is far more robust than pollution regulation. Whereas a debate about carbon regulation emphasizes economic costs and increased energy prices, a debate about clean energy investment puts the enormous public benefits at the front and center: creating millions of jobs, promoting U.S. growth industries and competitiveness, developing new energy technologies, and securing the nation's energy independence."

pic of Jesse Jenkins from the ABOUT page of BreakThrough Institute

End of the Coal Era

Around the coffee shops and dinner tables of Australia, using coal to generate power is becoming a talking point, second only to the recession. So Australia's plans to double the export capacity of our major coal exporting port is a hot topic. Spending is one way to stimulate the economy, but is this the type of infrastructure spending we need? According to today's SMH newspaper, Professor Peter Newman, a member of Infrastucture Australia says that these new coal loading facilities "should be stopped". He added that "coal will be a declining export for Australia".

He is not alone in this view. In his latest work "Quarry Vision, Coal, Climate Change and the end of the Resources Boom" , environmental strategist Guy Pearse comments on the volume of coal laden trains headed for our ports - "we understand that for every large bite taken from the earth to fill those trains, a very harmful belch occurs somewhere else in the world".

Around the world, development of new coal fired power plants are being blocked or delayed in lengthy court processes. Let's rethink - let's spend our limited infrastructure spending on new ways to generate energy, such as renewable power, bio-energy and energy efficiency. And let's find new ways to export sunshine!

Where were you last night?

Earth Hour last night was a positive step, and one that now has a global voice. Many households and businesses participated, by turning off non-essential lights and appliances for one hour. Those that did not participate were noticed by individuals (like myself) who took the opportunity to wander around their own community. More people now sense the changes that are imminent, while many others are complacent and expect things to soon "get back to normal".

How likely is that and what is normal? In the February 09 issue of the WME magazine, Australian environmental advocate and business advisor, Paul Gilding states that "the significance of the change we are about to see can barely be overstated; any company that is not preparing for this new world will probably not survive". The normal of the future will be different in political, cultural and industrial terms, according to Paul. To reduce our emissions, Paul noted that we need "a complete transformation of the electricity supply industry, the retrofitting of every building, the replacement of the transport fleet and an end to waste through a system of deposit and take back regulations."

So if you were one of the non-participating businesses or households last night, take some time to review your situation, and how you will manage when the others who have glimpsed the future are headed in a new direction.

Renew with environmentally friendly paint

The latest RENEW magazine has an article about paint by Daniel Wurm from GreenPainters. He talks about how many regular paints "release low level toxic fumes, causing health problems and breathing irritation" plus he adds that there is also an environmental impact whereby volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may react in the environment to form ozone.

Daniel explains that there are alternatives, and his article covers low VOC products and plant based paints, the benefits and some of the downsides. He says "the biggest advantage of plant-based paints is the fact that they largely contain renewable resources, and because the ingredients are biodegradable, almost all waste products can be composted".

For most businesses, painting is an essential when setting up a new premises, or revamping an old one. And it's just as important if you work from home. According to Daniel, "using greener paints doesn't have to add significant cost to the project". For more details check out Green Painters or to read the full article, pick up a copy of RENEW at your local Aussie or NZ newsagent.

Sustainable Future

How to achieve our sustainable future ? A big question but one that needs to be asked at all levels of our society. This week I asked it of some new business owners in my Future Business workshop. We reviewed trends in areas such as population, climate, and energy - to be part of the future, business owners need to consider changes in the environment where their business operates and global environmental changes. And business owners will have an advantage if they understand the new values and expectations of their clients, suppliers, and their staff, especially in delivering more sustainable products and services. Our model for what makes a successful business is changing and developing. Rigid business structures are causing the demise of many businesses, while business owners that adapt to this new sustainable direction are positioned for the future.

And for the magic formula for success, there's no guaranteed recipe -but my tip is to look ahead, and to plan for a sustainable future.

Improve soil productivity with sequestered carbon

Today was a typically beautiful Aussie autumn day, and a trip to Somersby was an enjoyable outing, just one hour north of Sydney, to one of the many factories located in a bushland setting. So what about the sequestered carbon and the soil?

Best Energies Australia claims to have developed some key technologies for a slow pyrolysis process using organic waste as such as greenwaste, poultry litter, nut shells, wood waste or animal manure. The outputs are syngas for electric generation (primarily used on-site) and a biochar end product which both locks away carbon and can be used for soil productivity. We were shown visuals of crops grown using the char under test conditions and the results seem impressive. But more importantly, according to Adriana Downie, Technical Manager, is the potential for the biochar to sequester carbon for thousands of years.

According to Adriana, there is a business opportunity in these waste plants and several potential revenue streams, including income from waste management, energy production, sales of the biochar product, and possibly also income from the carbon offset market. Each plant would have its own mix of revenue streams, and this would depend on local parameters and the type of feedstock.

Best Energies already has a test plant at Somersby - today, it was producing biochar for a small order. There has been considerable media interest in this technology, and now it's time for a larger plant. Contact Best Energies for the financial models, but the reasons to do this may be more than financial. The extra bonus is about becoming a leader in developing a relatively low cost way to reduce our global carbon footprint, at the same time as managing our organic waste and improving our food supply for a growing global population.

My picture of the Pyrolysis plant at Somersby

Clear Nights + Sunny Days = Power

This month's speaker at the Sydney Group of the Alternative Technology Association was Geoff Smith, Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Technology (Institute of Nanotechnology)

Geoff presented a fascinating talk on what is currently being done in terms of heating and cooling, by new surface coatings and materials and by understanding the processes involved. He explained some of the science and he then offered some insights into the potential. According to Geoff: "using what the environment has to offer for cooling is the hidden gem in the renewables toolkit. Not only does it offer totally new paradigms for low or zero energy cooling of buildings ( a “must” for global warming adaptation), but opens the door to new concepts for generating 24/7 electric power at scales and costs which have the potential to undercut all current renewable and conventional approaches. Using the cool in the deep ocean or at height in the atmosphere are known examples; attractive but technically difficult and expensive. Making the most of our radiative links to outerspace and the atmosphere are however much easier. An example recipe: clear night skies plus clear sunny days , add materials knowhow and quite low cost infrastructure covering about 3 sq. km (1km radius) and you should be able to produce between 70 MW and 100 MW of power."

And he added that : "If the system is pressurized with CO2 it could work even better and in the process, sequester a few thousand tonnes of carbon. "

Seems to me that we should be looking all around us for the solutions we need - they may be closer than we think. Just take the time tonight to look up and ponder about that.

Pic ex Flickr Milky Way + Banyanda by Kasi Metcalfe

Reorient and Retool

Thomas L Friedman has this wonderful ability to ask meaningful questions, ones that relate to our shared existence on this planet. In an Opinion article published in the New York Times, he asks the question: "What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”

So what are we doing about this? In the same article, he calls himself an optimist, and comments: "People are already using this economic slowdown to retool and reorient economies." By "people", he means the countries that are making huge investments in clean power. It's beginning to happen - but some "people" are lagging behind, and some investments are being used to try to kick start the same system that led us to this problem.

Australia has often been called "the lucky country" - in this next decade we need more than luck, we need to retool and reorient our economy. We have the wealth and the expertise, so what are we waiting for?

To Twit or not to Twit?

Yes, I too have now decided to test my twitter wings - see my twitter page

Future Directions -in 10 Minutes!

Tomorrow, Tues 24th, the NSW group of ANZSES re-commence their monthly meetings in Sydney. This year, I am assisting the group by coordinating a 10 minute speaking spot at beginning of each meeting called Future Directions. Each of these Future Directions mini-talks will be presented by someone driving a Renewable Energy business or researching a Clean Tech concept (and generally someone aged up to 35). The talks are primarily intended to voice the speaker's direction, their challenges, concerns, or to comment on policies that help or inhibit their work. Or it could include what is need to further grow their business or achieve the speaker's goals in their renewable industry or innovation area.
Our first Future Directions spot is by Yale Carden, of GeoExchange - who is very passionate about his direction, and that aligns very much with the new energy direction of the planet.

photo Yale Carden (2007)

Australian innovation -Smart Fridge manages power

Sydney Central group of ATA (Alternative Technology Association) is a collection of volunteers like myself and, once a month, we invite speakers to discuss their work or ideas. Last night, Sam West of the Intelligent Energy Team of CSIRO talked about the "Smart Fridge" which consists of an intelligent bolt-on controller that can be fitted to new or existing fridges, cool rooms and cold stores. This is able to modify the compressor’s running schedule to improve the quality of green power supplied from Renewables, such as wind and solar. Sam added that "the Smart Fridges effectively transform a wind farm or solar field into a reliable, predictable base-load generator."

That's the first part - now he and the CSIRO are seeking interest from those who could take this concept to the next level so that the "Smart Fridge" becomes another key element in enabling Renewables to generate more of our power, and that's the goal! For more details on Sam and his "Smart Fridge" click here.

2009 - Year of the OX

We are soon to enter a New Year, according to the Chinese Calendar, and one that is ascribed to the OX, and to the qualities of "diligence, reliability, sincerity, strength and sound judgement". Sounds like some good parameters to start the year, and so I want to feature a business that may fit all these parameters that is solidly moving forward, and that's about getting more out of less - in this case, more out of our waste.

WSN Environmental Solutions, which operates in the south west of Sydney, offers a " shift from landfill to resource recovery with the use of technology solutions that treat waste as a valued resource, divert waste away from landfill and produce outputs such as compost and green electricity." As well, the company offers guidance on how best to manage a wide range of waste, including commercial waste such as bricks, timber and tyres.

This is one business that made sound judgement and is looking forward. As we move to this Year of the OX, and into a tough year financially, we can all stop to assess what parts of our business are important and what will take us more soundly into the future.

Pic Ex Flickr The Ox by Grumbler %-|

It's faster than kayaking..

I was out kayaking around the inner Sydney Harbour today, not far from our iconic bridge, and saw a rather strange looking vessel on its way to Darling Harbour. Later, I went there to see and photograph the EarthRace which claims to now hold the world record for a powerboat to circle the globe. And the interesting thing is that it is powered solely by renewable biodiesel fuel, including some that was made from cooking oil that otherwise would have been discarded. The mission of the Earthrace team is"to connect with people, and encourage debate and understanding about biofuels, carbon footprints, and the many other aspcts that affect our environmental footprint. "

And it's a positive message - have fun but also tread/cruise lightly. I was thinking this morning about how I could make my little kayak go somewhat further, to explore more of our beautiful waterways. Maybe a solar powered turbine or some other planet friendly device that could extend my range, not quite around the world but maybe to a few islands in the harbour I would like to visit from my home base.

So that's another potential opportunity - a small, portable marine engine that runs on renewable energy for us not quite so fit kayakers and rowers!! Business opportunities in this new energy era do not always have to be large scale investments - there are lots of areas where we need to consider new ways to transport ourselves, whether it's across the globe, or across the harbour.

An EON of Values

It's the ECO2NOMY..  If we look forward at 2009, we also will be looking at new values - new values for our assets, new values for our economy, and new values for the way we live and grow our businesses. In the US, incoming President Obama is working on his top priority - stimulus for the ailing economy. How to stop the slide to even deeper recession, and how to extract a new system out of one that is no longer functional.

It's a challenge, but it's more than that - it's a whole new way of thinking. We now have the opportunity to re-value our industrialised and consumer lifestyles, and the values of Energy, of Ownership and of Nature (EON).

Energy is the new economy, and whoever can produce clean energy will be the managers of that new energy era. Our values about this are the most important ones, because we, as one global family, will continue to fight with each other unless we can find equitable ways to access low cost and clean energy sources.
By Ownership I do not mean a move to a socialist economy - we have all observed the issues that come with that. Ownership is about stuff that we all, as one planet, should own - like intellectual stuff, pictures, words, formulae for medicines, and the air, sea, resources, the land. Certainly, there will be licences to manage and provide services, but Ownership? We need to ask these questions.
And thirdly, our new values will embrace Nature or else. This is not so much a choice but a sword hanging over our collective heads. Nature has its own power, its own agenda, and will very easily restore its own balance with or without us. Nature does not need us, so we need to include Nature as part of the EON of values.

Values come first - if we value something we then take steps to protect it. This downturn has given us a space to stop and consider big stuff, not just the economy but the values that underpin the way we live. My hope for 2009 is that we stop and consider, and re-value the way we consider energy, ownership, and nature and then set that new course to protect the future.