Re/Action on Climate Protection

How to solve global warming

Stopping "dangerous anthropogenic interference in the climate" is the most important problem facing humanity today. Significant action at the local level is one of the major keys.

Zero carbon biodiesel calcs

Here are a few numbers that show the potential of the biodiesel production system shown here:

This system has the potential to operate with net zero carbon emissions.

Replace Coal with Wind

Can wind power replace coal in the US for generating electricity? The answer is YES, and it can be done more cost-effectively than using nuclear.

Sonoma County Business Activity in Climate Protection

There are three projects going on in Sonoma County now that involve businesses taking action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from their activities in the community. The businesses, a winery, a home builder and an organic waste processor, represent major economic activities in Sonoma County.

Sonoma County Biomass to Energy Workshop

Sonoma County Waste Management Agency is sponsoring a workshop in January to explore systems that produce energy from organic waste. The generic technology is known as anaerobic digestion. This is a low tech method for producing and capturing methane or biogas from decomposing organic waste. Digesters exist for many different types of waste streams, such as manure, food waste and yardwaste. The workshop will focus on several technologies such as Kompogas and Biogas Energy. Harvesting energy from the waste stream is a critical piece of the strategy for reducing GHG emissions.

Individual Action - The 10% Solution

One thing about reducing individual carbon emissions is that everyone is in the same boat. It is difficult. Taking carbon reduction in steps can be helpful. Something called the "10% Solution" is a way to start. Here's how it works...

Water & Wastewater Systems - Good candidates for GHG reductions

Water and Wastewater systems are typically the largest regional individual energy users, and consequently, the largest single GHG emissions sources. We have found this to be true both at the state and local levels. In Sonoma County, the Water Agency is the largest individual energy customer. The wastewater treatment plants are the largest users within a municipality. The reason for this, primarily, is water pumping. In wastewater treatment plants, the largest energy users are aeration blowers and pumps. We have found that the best way to improve efficiency in a wastewater treatment plant is to improve control systems so that the aeration blowers are controlled by the level of dissolved oxygen in the aeration basins, and to improve the efficiency of the blowers themselves. Currently, Turblex makes the highest efficiency aeration blowers. We have found that installing a DO control and high efficiency blowers can reduce the energy use by 30% or more. This translates into a 30% reduction in GHG emissions from the largest energy user/emissions source in typical municipal operations.

The efficiency of pumps can be improved by changing pump motors to premium efficiency rating. This is an efficiency rating that exceeds the EPAct levels. Usually there are rebates available for switching to a premium efficiency motor. Additionally, energy use by a pump can be reduced if the pump can be run at less than full speed. Using a Variable Speed Drive or VSD to slow down the pump to the minimum required level can save energy. If a pump can be run at an average of 80% of full speed, that is a 20% or more energy savings, depending on the load on the pump.

There are other, more sophisticated methods for reducing energy use in water/wastewater systems, such as using reclaimed water instead of potable water, and peak demand reduction by using storage.

The State of California is very interested in the "Water/Energy Nexus". Here is a link to a white paper prepared by a working group of the California Energy Commission. http://www.energy.ca.gov/2005publications/CEC-700-2005-011/CEC-700-2005-011.PDF

Climate Protection Campaign contributed input to this paper on the effects on GHG emissions from improvements in energy efficiency in water and wastewater systems.

Here is a link to the section in the CPC white paper on removing carbon from water and wastewater systems:

http://climateprotectioncampaign.jot.com/WaterWastewater

Living Large and Zero Carbon?

Recently, the New York Times had an article titled, "Living Large, By Design, in Middle of Nowhere"

Here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/15/national/15exurb.html?ex=1126411200&en=4c7c267b3b439984&ei=5070 .

This article begins by describing a typical new Florida development, "four miles from the nearest grocery store and 30 minutes from the nearest major mall'. This is an example of the "exurb", a highly planned, marketing driven community design, targeted at "what young families want", determining "how many streetlights and cul-de-sacs will evoke a soothing sense of safety."

"Over the next decade, New River will expand to 1,800 acres and be home to 15,000 people living in 4,800 single-family homes...At the moment, though, it is nothing more than an island of 400 suburban homes in the middle of nowhere, an infant exurb."

These are large homes, crammed together on tiny lots. A survey of the buyers of these homes showed that "88 percent said [they wanted] a home security system, 93 percent said they preferred neighborhoods with 'more streetlights', and 96 percent insisted on deadbolt locks or security doors."

The market research also showed that the home buyers were willing to trade off price with commute time. The tradeoff was quantified and showed that a 15 minute longer commute meant that the home needed to be $12,000 cheaper, than the exact same home located closer to work.

With a backdrop of new development like this, large, energy-hungry homes, located in an area with no mass transit, and cars are required for even the most basic errands, growth in GHG emissions from current levels is a given. New development like this represents the creation of huge new demand for energy for transportation, water, wastewater, streetlighting and solid waste disposal.

In order stop the growth and begin reducing GHG emissions, two things have to happen: 1)Existing energy users must increase efficiency and reduce demand; 2)new development must be decoupled from increased fossil-based energy use. That is, new development must not result in increased GHG emissions.

How can this be accomplished? The key principles of zero carbon development are:

1. Inside existing urban boundaries
2. Increasingly concentrated in existing downtown core areas
3. Mixed-use, unless adding residential above existing commercial, or filling residential in among existing commercial uses
4. Pedestrian and bicycle oriented, which means wider sidewalks, dedicated bike paths, narrower streets, smaller turning radius, and “Eyes on the street” orientation of living areas
5. Higher densities in downtown core areas and near transit hubs
6. Redevelopment of core areas to place high density residential wherever on-grade parking presently exists in downtown areas
7. New development outside downtown cores and inside urban boundaries
8. Electric energy provided by renewable sources such as solar or wind
9. New homes constructed to be "net zero energy" using passive solar design principles.
10. Any new development linked to transit hubs
11. Water and wastewater systems designed to use minimum energy and be renewably powered. Rainwater harvesting, graywater and reclaimed water all aggressively deployed.
12. Link green building with walk-ability and convenient, inexpensive mass transit options.

See our white paper section on new development: http://climateprotectioncampaign.jot.com/NewDevelopment

Zero Carbon Home example.

http://www.livingvillage.com/concept

Energy from Waste

We are excited to be working with Sonoma Compost to develop new processes that allow them to harvest energy from yard waste, and other organic waste streams. This is a step in the process that we call "closing the loop." This essentially means reducing greenhouse gas emissions by recovering energy from waste. Sonoma Compost is currently the processor for the yard waste that is picked up by Sonoma County haulers. They produce a high quality organic compost, which they offer for sale.

We are working with them to select new technologies that allow the production of biogas or a liquid fuel such as biodiesel or ethanol from organic waste streams, and also a new compost product. This energy or fuel can replace fossil-based energy sources, which results in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Here is an example of a system that accomplishes this:

http://www.kompogas.ch/en/

Action on Climate Protection

Hello, Climate Protection Campaign is launching our blog. This blog is intended to stimulate discussion about what can be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are currently working on projects at the local level, but we advocate action at all levels: local, state, federal and international.

What we want to do in this blog is to discuss solutions. We want to know what is working elsewhere in the world...and we want to share our experiences with what is working here in Sonoma County.

Although we will post articles on science and links to basic climate science, our aim is not primarily to discuss the science of global warming and climate change. We are not climate scientists, but we view the science of global warming as basically settled. We have adopted and endorse the findings of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which are that:

• The planet is warming
• Most of the warming in the past 100 years is caused by humans (anthropogenic)
• The human activities most responsible for warming are emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and deforestation.
• Emissions of GHGs that are causing global warming are primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels.
• Significant reduction in GHG emissions is necessary to prevent dangerous changes to the global climate.

In addition to the findings of the IPCC, our view is that meaningful reductions must be accomplished as quickly as possible in order to stabilize the level of atmospheric CO2 as low as possible.

We are looking forward to engaging in discussion with you about how to solve the climate crisis.