Guest Post: Hawaii Can Show the Way to a Better Energy Future Over the past decade, world oil prices have advanced from approximately $25 per barrel to more than $100 per barrel. Had the price of oil merely kept pace with inflation, the $25 barrel in 2000 would have been worth just over $30 in 2010. Clearly, there has been a fundamental shift in the oil markets. By 2005, the idea that the price increase was being caused by oil depletion -- commonly referred to as “peak oil” -- was receiving widespread attention. Historically, spiking oil prices have contributed to recessions. Ultimately, the combination of lower demand and increasing oil supplies has caused oil prices to decline, which in turn spurs economic activity and allows the economy to recover. The inability of the global oil industry to ramp up production in the face of $100 oil is a signal that the days of excess oil production capacity may be at an end. But the days of expanding global oil supplies are coming to an end, and that has serious implications for the world as a whole.
New plan crafted to limit Ocean Beach erosion The silver tide that surges through Ocean Beach from dawn to dusk is a surfer's delight. For San Francisco, however, it is an unrelenting test of nature. The 3.5-mile shore that lines the city's western edge draws more than 300,000 visitors annually. More shrouded in fog than in sun, it is not a postcard-perfect stretch of sand. But its condition has worsened for years as waves - heightened by climate change - hammer at bluffs, parking lots and the Great Highway. A new, nonbinding plan by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, a public-policy think tank, proposes solutions to a problem that will only intensify if, as expected, sea level rises 14 inches by 2050. Whatever long-term action the city takes will be costly and watched by other coastal communities grappling with the same challenge. "We're really faced with a sort of crisis point," he said. Environmentalists have long criticized the city for managing the erosion on an emergency basis. A management challenge
Institute e.V. Some Asian glaciers 'putting on mass' 15 April 2012Last updated at 13:35 ET By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News The Karakoram range is home to K2, the world's second highest mountain Some glaciers on Asia's Karakoram mountains are defying the global trend and getting thicker, say researchers. A French team used satellite data to show that glaciers in part of the Karakoram range, to the west of the Himalayan region, are putting on mass. The reason is unclear, as glaciers in other parts of the Himalayas are losing mass - which also is the global trend. The region's glaciers are poorly studied, yet provide a vital water source for more than a billion people. The response of Himalayan glaciers to global warming has been a hot topic ever since the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which contained the erroneous claim that ice from most of the region could disappear by 2035. The method has been used before in other mountain ranges, but it is not as straightforward as it might sound.
Clean Clothes and Dishes For a Fraction of the Energy Standards -- they’re so boring yet so essential. That is true in every industry, and particularly for energy-intensive products. Just ten years ago, a clothes washer used double the amount of energy it does today. The new standards for clothes washers and dishwashers will save consumers an estimated $10 billion in energy and water costs. "Working with consumer, industry and environmental groups to develop common-sense energy-saving appliance standards is an important part of the Obama administration's all-of-the-above approach to American energy and the Energy Department's efforts to reduce energy costs for consumers," DOE Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. The standards for clothes washers will go into place in 2015 and dishwasher standards will take effect in 2013. Some appliances, such as dishwashers, have already become so efficient that updating the standard is important, but there is diminishing savings that can be gained. Even with the advancements, it’s a slow roll.
Global Warming : Climate Change News, Facts, and Solutions PL series (20 – 60 A) | Phocos.com All Charge Controllers 12 V, 24 V, 32 V, 36 V and 48 V in one controllerBuilt-in 30 days dataloggerMultifunctional LC displayExternal current sensing (optional)R5232 interface (optional)Hybrid system controlWidely programmableBuilt-in programmable logicThe PL series of charge controllers offer complete control over the charge cycle and various information about current and past performance. PL controllers have a built-in Iow battery disconnect switch. In addition, the versatile event controller can switch power on or off according to criteria set by the user. This allows the PL to do extra tasks such as switching a light on at night or keeping a water tank full by operating a pump when needed.
GlobalWarming.org — Climate Change News & Analysis Phocos PL60 Charge Controller 12-48V 60/30A Positive Ground I PVPower.com The PL series controllers offer complete control over the charge cycle and gives information about current and past performance. PL regulators have a built-in low battery disconnect switch. In addition, the versatile event controller can switch power on or off according to criteria set by the user. This allows the PL to do extra tasks such as switching a light on at night or keeping a water tank full by operating a pump when needed. Regulation can be done in slow speed switching and PWM in both series and shunt modes. Display shows battery voltage, charge current, ampere hours in and out of battery, load being drawn from the battery and charge status. Information is available for the past 30 days - so even if the user doesn't remember what happed, the regulator will. With the optional PLI interface, the user can access the regulator from a computer or via modem. Up to three units can operate in parallel. Spec SheetUser ManualCE CertificatePL System DesignPL Menu Structure Item Number: PL60
Gaia creator rows back on climate 8 May 2012Last updated at 09:36 ET By Roger Harrabin Environment analyst Dr Lovelock has long courted controversy on the severity of climate change The scientific maverick James Lovelock says climate catastrophe is not so certain as he previously suggested. Dr Lovelock, one of the world's leading environmental thinkers once warned climate change would reduce mankind to a few breeding pairs in the Arctic. On BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific he gave credit to scientists who question the inevitability of conclusions from climate change computer models. But he maintained it was probably too late to stop climate change. He warned: "We are moving in a direction which won't do humanity any good at all if we just go on doing it." His double-edged message was that the planet would "heal itself" from an overdose of greenhouse gases - but probably over millions or tens of millions of years. It will be applauded by sceptics who argue that the certainties of climate science have been exaggerated.