The newest IPCC report is out. We'll be reading parts of it in GL4003 Global Change. Here's the NYT article about the report:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/science/earth/panels-warning-on-climate-risk-worst-is-yet-to-come.html?hp&_r=0
Here's where you go for the report itself:
http://www.ipcc.ch/
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
What my college days looked like...
I'm not sure what reaction my students will have when they see this awesomely naff video of my old school in the 1960s (discovered by one of my old service buddies and posted today on FaceBook). Probably hysterical laughter. But, as the movie shows, it was a whole world unto itself.
In my partial defense, I will say that when I went through RAF Halton's aircraft engineering school, about fifteen years later in 1979, the coveralls were fireproof and slightly smarter, and the technology more modern. However, the instructors were just the same character types, crusty, bristly, bloody-minded corporals and sergeants, some of whom were actually left over from WWII, who thought nothing of taking a week's metalwork, rejecting it on some minor flaw, failing tolerance by 1/1000th of an inch, and making you start over. Some of them were probably the same instructors in this movie.
Interestingly, the cars and motorcycles we drove and rode were actually much worse by 1979, as was some (not all) of the popular music, although the newer aircraft types we trained on and later were responsible for were even more awesome. These classic British Lightnings and V-Bombers were cool and helped face down the Soviets in the 1960s, but the Harrier actually won a war -- the Falklands -- in 1983.
The RAF's unique paternalism was just the same, as was the attitude to sports and outdoor activities. I couldn't play rugby anymore by then -- I'd gotten too skinny for the front row, so I became a distance runner instead while at Halton. There were lots of British Asian kids there too, just as there are in this movie. The club facilities were probably a little shabbier by 1979, but I spent hours nightly, fixing up my motorcycles in the motorcycle club. Later I learned BW photography in a photography club at RAF Leeming. The glider field was still there, but had newer model gliders.
I never regretted for even a minute becoming an RAF engine fitter. The technical and engineering education I got there was second to none, and it's paid off in thousands of dollars of income and value over the years. I expect the character traits this former life helped me develop -- intellectual honesty, stubbornness, bloody mindedness, being totally unimpressed by spin, results-based, interested in real things and real results -- have been both good and bad for me, but mostly good.
In my partial defense, I will say that when I went through RAF Halton's aircraft engineering school, about fifteen years later in 1979, the coveralls were fireproof and slightly smarter, and the technology more modern. However, the instructors were just the same character types, crusty, bristly, bloody-minded corporals and sergeants, some of whom were actually left over from WWII, who thought nothing of taking a week's metalwork, rejecting it on some minor flaw, failing tolerance by 1/1000th of an inch, and making you start over. Some of them were probably the same instructors in this movie.
Interestingly, the cars and motorcycles we drove and rode were actually much worse by 1979, as was some (not all) of the popular music, although the newer aircraft types we trained on and later were responsible for were even more awesome. These classic British Lightnings and V-Bombers were cool and helped face down the Soviets in the 1960s, but the Harrier actually won a war -- the Falklands -- in 1983.
The RAF's unique paternalism was just the same, as was the attitude to sports and outdoor activities. I couldn't play rugby anymore by then -- I'd gotten too skinny for the front row, so I became a distance runner instead while at Halton. There were lots of British Asian kids there too, just as there are in this movie. The club facilities were probably a little shabbier by 1979, but I spent hours nightly, fixing up my motorcycles in the motorcycle club. Later I learned BW photography in a photography club at RAF Leeming. The glider field was still there, but had newer model gliders.
I never regretted for even a minute becoming an RAF engine fitter. The technical and engineering education I got there was second to none, and it's paid off in thousands of dollars of income and value over the years. I expect the character traits this former life helped me develop -- intellectual honesty, stubbornness, bloody mindedness, being totally unimpressed by spin, results-based, interested in real things and real results -- have been both good and bad for me, but mostly good.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Essay prompt for Climate Solutions Expo attendees
This prompt is for GL 4003, PS 3003 and EC 2003 students planing to use their Climate Solutions Expo attendance and volunteering as the basis for their project grade:
- Of all the ideas, items, and innovations you observed at the conference, whether in booths, posters or talks, which do you feel has the most immediate and powerful potential to reduce climate emissions? Explain what it was and why you think so.
- What is the technological and/or economic basis for this potential? Give details, with references.
- What is the greatest disadvantage of this idea, item, or innovation? Give details, with references?
Monday, March 24, 2014
A student's wrong-headed question could save the world
It's the season for high school interest in renewable energy, apparently. We have a large number of events to respond to, organized by schools and by teachers around the state.
One question which made it's way past the "front line" of SEM students that are mostly fielding this interest was "How efficient is tidal power compared to other alternative energy sources?"
It’s not a very well-thought out question, and probably a “canned” question thought up by the teacher and passed on unthinkingly by the student.
Here’s my answer, which I told SEM student Andrew B to first forward to the student uncut, then think about it.
I added, as a kind of humorous aside, "This is as deep as I can get ;)"
I wasn't entirely joking. Other scientists might be concerned with the "meaning of life, the universe and everything," but I'm mostly interested in this nexus between economics, renewable energy, and climate change.
So maybe it wasn't such a bad question after all.
One question which made it's way past the "front line" of SEM students that are mostly fielding this interest was "How efficient is tidal power compared to other alternative energy sources?"
It’s not a very well-thought out question, and probably a “canned” question thought up by the teacher and passed on unthinkingly by the student.
Here’s my answer, which I told SEM student Andrew B to first forward to the student uncut, then think about it.
I added, as a kind of humorous aside, "This is as deep as I can get ;)"
I wasn't entirely joking. Other scientists might be concerned with the "meaning of life, the universe and everything," but I'm mostly interested in this nexus between economics, renewable energy, and climate change.
"Your question requires a better definition of efficiency. Do you mean thermodynamic or economic efficiency?I might have added, "Become a scientist or engineer and find a cheap, decentralized and efficient way to convert solar energy to an energy-dense, safe, liquid fuel that runs in existing engine types, and we can not only solve climate change and make you incredibly rich, but also make dozens of dictators around the world obsolete, strengthen democracy worldwide, and save millions of lives."
Renewable energy is ambient energy. Ambient energy is abundant in sun, wind, waves, tides, biological organisms, and the internal heat of the earth. Questions of thermodynamic efficiency don’t really apply to an energy source so abundant. When we look at the thermodynamic efficiency of fossil energy, then efficiency is important. A hybrid car might be able to convert 45% of the energy in gasoline to useful transportation, and this is better than 35% thermodynamic efficiency, which is what a regular car might get. But if you could cheaply extract even 0.1% of the total of terrestrial ambient energy, which is about 85,000 terawatts a year (tW/y), that would be several times more than humans would ever need. We currently use 15 tW/y, so do the math.
Economic efficiency is a more important question. We live in a society of (mostly) free market economic systems. If it costs 5 cents a kW to convert, say, wind energy to electricity, and 3.5 cents a kW to convert fossil gas energy to electricity, then a free market for electricity production will choose the fossil gas energy. But from the point of view of climate change and the longevity of gas supply, the wind energy is far more efficient.
This is why we need a national climate policy, and possibly a carbon tax: because free markets choose inefficient outcomes when there are significant external effects such as climate change.
This is also why, in the renewable energy industry, we generally think of efficiency in terms of leveled cost per unit energy, not in terms of thermodynamic efficiency."
So maybe it wasn't such a bad question after all.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Denialist fury
I'm not fond of bullies, so it was heartwarming to me that, despite the obvious pusillanimity of the journal's publishers, the paper is still hosted by UWA:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/mar/21/contrarians-bully-climate-change-journal-retraction
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/mar/21/contrarians-bully-climate-change-journal-retraction
Thursday, March 20, 2014
EMT issues RFP, HCIT
(HCIT: How cool is that! Mostly because it comes via our own Anne Stephenson.)
OPPORTUNITY NOTICE
RFP EM-013-2014, Research and Development and Demonstration Projects under the Renewable Resources Fund
The Efficiency Maine Trust seeks qualified bidder(s) or teams of bidders for community demonstration projects and research and development projects that utilize and demonstrate cost-effective renewable energy technologies.
These grants are designed to provide financial support for cost-effective community energy installations and the development of new renewable energy technologies in Maine while increasing public awareness of these options.
Last year a total of 6 projects were awarded grant funds supporting a range of technologies including biomass district heating, solar electric arrays, municipal solar hot air heating, and a pellet boiler pilot. Proposals will be considered for individual merit per scoring criteria in the Request for Proposals and are not limited to renewable technologies or project types awarded in prior years.
http://www.efficiencymaine.com/rfp-em-013-2014/
Anne Stephenson
Communications Manager
Efficiency Maine
151 Capitol Street, Suite 1
Augusta, ME 04330
(207) 213-4158
anne.stephenson@efficiencymaine.com
Notice: If you are not the intended recipient for this message or if we have sent you this email in error, we ask that you notify the sender immediately and delete the message from your system. Also, please be advised that emails and email attachments received by Efficiency Maine, with certain limited exceptions, are considered a public record.
OPPORTUNITY NOTICE
RFP EM-013-2014, Research and Development and Demonstration Projects under the Renewable Resources Fund
The Efficiency Maine Trust seeks qualified bidder(s) or teams of bidders for community demonstration projects and research and development projects that utilize and demonstrate cost-effective renewable energy technologies.
These grants are designed to provide financial support for cost-effective community energy installations and the development of new renewable energy technologies in Maine while increasing public awareness of these options.
Last year a total of 6 projects were awarded grant funds supporting a range of technologies including biomass district heating, solar electric arrays, municipal solar hot air heating, and a pellet boiler pilot. Proposals will be considered for individual merit per scoring criteria in the Request for Proposals and are not limited to renewable technologies or project types awarded in prior years.
http://www.efficiencymaine.com/rfp-em-013-2014/
Anne Stephenson
Communications Manager
Efficiency Maine
151 Capitol Street, Suite 1
Augusta, ME 04330
(207) 213-4158
anne.stephenson@efficiencymaine.com
Notice: If you are not the intended recipient for this message or if we have sent you this email in error, we ask that you notify the sender immediately and delete the message from your system. Also, please be advised that emails and email attachments received by Efficiency Maine, with certain limited exceptions, are considered a public record.
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