ethanol smog - welcome to the future

I've said before that ethanol doesn't reduce emissions, but here are some specifics that show that I was right - and wrong. Emissions models at Stanford University are showing that E85 will in some respects be worse than regular petroleum, accordingto Mark Jacobson.

Along with many of the same pollutants as gasoline, a large amount of unburned ethanol gas escapes into the atmosphere. That vapour readily breaks down in sunlight to form acetaldehyde, which can send ozone levels soaring. While ethanol-burning cars will emit fewer carcinogens such as benzene and butadiene, they will spew out 20 times as much acetaldehyde as those using conventional fuel, Jacobsen found.

With growing concerns related to food security, the only remaining benefit of ethanol seems to be reduced reliance on fossil fuels.

air, water and Roman ingenuity

A friend of mine from Chile told me a year ago about the use of nets for harvesting fog, and underground clay pots for irrigation where water is a very scarce resource. But I wasn't able to find a detailed description of these technologies - until now. UNEP has produced a Source Book of Alternative Technologies for Freshwater Augmentation in Latin America and the Caribbean, providing detailed descriptions of these and other water conservation systems and technologies.

I have been interested in drip irrigation for its higher level of efficiency and reduced waste in comparison with most other types of irrigation, but clay pot irrigation is even better for reduced wastage. It's best for home gardens or rural plots of up to a hectare. Subsistence farmers in the tropical, semi-arid parts of Brazil have are using this system, contributing to steady or even higher agricultural output owing to the highly efficient and economical use of water. A system of this kind was used centuries ago by the Romans, and initial experience in Brazil suggests that different varieties of plants can thrive in a range of soil types on small amounts of water using the clay pot technology. Chapters 4.2 and 5.7 of the UNEP sourcebook describe this system in detail, with illustrations.

The small coastal town of Paposo, Chile has a declining population of 300 residents, and so little water that it is trucked in periodically. Work on fog harvesting and other water systems is underway to try to reduce the town's reliance on external water supplies. Nonprofit groups like Water Aid and Arup Cause [see also page 24 of 2.4MB PDF file] are involved in projects to improve the sustainability of Paposo. FogQuest is involved in various countries - have a look at their pictures of fog harvesting.

SA setting up carbon trade manager

South Africa's Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is planning to trade carbon credits through the EU emissions trading scheme within a few months, promoting itself as a one-stop shop for developers of projects that qualify for carbon credits.

The EDC has observed that third parties have been selling credits for higher prices than project developers received. It remains to be seen whether the EDC will also skim off this income stream as a middleman, or improve the flow of funds to developers. According to its website, the EDC mandate is to promote, facilitate and develop commercially viable alternative energy solutions.

It targets market sectors where there is insufficient private sector activity as well as where the government, for strategic reasons, believes state investment is required. EDC is also involved in sectors where renewable energy and energy efficiency requires catalysing and developing. EDC is a leader in taking higher risks to develop these sectors.

As a body owned by the South African government, it should aim to improve the efficiency of financial transfers, but the EDC is also to operate as a fully commercial entity -- presumably meaning that it will do all it can to be self-financing.

mobile communications on two wheels

I love this! Free wireless internet access from a bicycle. Now move over to developing countries: In India there is this rickshaw with Wi-Fi connection, (complete with pedal-powered generator) and in Nepal is a homemeade relay station and other facilities to help remote communities maintain contact. It's this kind of can-do spirit that gives me hope. I read about these projects in 365 Ways to Change the World by Michael Norton.

Update on 24 April:
It will be interesting to see potential synergies developing between community entrepreneurs like these and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project. The nonprofit plan to put 100 million laptops into the hands of children in the developing world includes a number of technological innovations, including built-in Wi-Fi connectivity that will need relay stations to reach the outside world. But the OLPC project could go the way of countless failed aid projects, unless local communities are behind it. A case study with obvious parallels is the Qhubeka project to bring bicycles to rural communities that I mentioned in New Mobility.

Update on 14 May:
OLPC hits the streets - in Uruguay.

of food and fuel in Toronto

Mirroring the trend of US states to push for carbon reductions while Washington dithers, Toronto is beginning to chart its own course in Canada. The newly issued framework called Change is in the Air: Toronto’s Commitment to an Environmentally Sustainable Future, includes transportation strategies to mitigate the sector's contribution of 35% of all GHG emissions. As reported by the Green Car Congress, the City's fleet will be required to use B20 and B50 biodiesel by 2015 -- but perhaps more significantly for broader changes, procurement policies will require companies supplying haulage services to the City to also use biodiesel, and:

the City plans to identify opportunities to replace imports with locally produced goods and food, cutting back on the number of miles travelled. As a portion of that initiative targeted at consumer behavior, the City is proposing requiring all large food retailers to indicate the shipping distance for 10 commonly used types of produce by 2012.

it's not just the store

Whatever Wal-Mart plans to do to reduce the energy consumption of its stores, there is no getting around the fact that its retail model is causing serious long-term damage on other fronts. Here's some of the argument about how big-box retailing is changing driving habits and fueling urban sprawl.

how to recycle a highway

A modern, award-winning house built entirely from material salvaged from Boston's dismantled elevated artery: the Big Dig House.

city slicker farms

Urban horticulture: growing local for a whole lotta reasons.

Update on 15 April 2007: On a whole different scale is a grand scheme for vertical skyfarming using converted skyscrapers. And somewhere between this hightech wonderland and good ol' urban allotments lies repurposed shipping containers for modular farming anywhere you care to plonk down a few of these boxes.

the concrete jungle bites back

The ways in which we contribute to warmer temperatures are not limited to greenhouse gases. Urban paving and structures absorb the sun's heat and release it slowly, causing a buildup of temperatures in the daytime and at night, when the heat is slowly released. A new study has found that average temperatures in California rose nearly one degree Celsius in the second half of the 20th century, led by urban and suburban development in large urban centers such as San Francisco and Southern California.

Green roofs and other vegetation strategies can reduce the heat island effect on a city-wide scale and on local microclimates around buildings. Other benefits are noise damping, absorption of toxic gases, oxygen production, purification of stormwater runoff, and slower release of stormwater into drainage systems.

renewable energy bragging rights

South Africa is developing a system of tradeable renewable energy certificates as a voluntary approach to verifying the origin of energy from registered renewable energy facilities. Nano Energy has been leading a consortium to check the feasibility of the system on behalf of the Department of Minerals and Energy.

Amatola Green Power is the first company in South Africa to be given regulatory approval to buy and sell renewable energy, and has been supplying Daimler Chrysler for six months. Amatola currently buys surplus electricity from TSB and Tongaat-Hulett, generated from the burning of sugar Bagasse, but plans to expand into other renewable sources.

How big is this industry? According to a report issued by Earthlife Africa in February 2006, the South African economy currently uses more than 4000 PJ of primary energy annually. The renewable contribution to energy supply is no more than 14% from biomass and 1% from hydropower. The report concludes that it is possible that 50% of South Africa's total energy demand could come from renewable resources (excluding nuclear) by 2050. Here is the full report: The Potential Contribution of Renewable Energy in South Africa. [1.3MB PDF]

A more conservative forecast has been made by Nano Energy in a February 2007 presentation. They estimate that by 2020, 15 to 20% of electricity could come from renewable sources, increasing to 50% by 2050. Their 2050 estimate for total energy is pegged at 35 to 40% renewable.