Energy Security

[SPN]

Nuclear power 'facing costs burn-out'

NUCLEAR power will probably be uncompetitive in the long run, as alternative technologies become cheaper and the costs of security and nuclear waste disposal rise.

Stefan Edman, who headed a Swedish government commission on reducing oil dependence, said in Dublin that conservation, along with fuels made from trees, plants and waste, holds the key to reducing consumption of oil and gas.

.....

"There is scope for growing sugar, rapeseed and hemp for bio-fuels, especially with so much land being set aside under EU rules. There is already a grant of €45 per hectare but more financial support is needed," Mr Edman said.

He told a meeting of the Institute of European Affairs that Sweden has a target of increasing energy efficiency by 20pc over the next 14 years. Only a third of Sweden's energy comes from oil, compared with 60pc in Ireland, but the government wants to reduce that further.

Energy costs and rate rises rattle consumers

HIGHER energy costs and interest rates were blamed for knocking back consumer confidence during August, as consumers took a more cautious approach to spending.

The results of the IIB Bank/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index reveal a sharp decline between July, when the index stood at 90.9 and August, when it fell to 84.8.

"The weakening in consumer sentiment is not surprising in the light of increases in borrowing costs and oil prices seen during early August," said IIB Bank economist Austin Hughes.

Biomass is only an economic proposition if . . .

UNLESS the environmental benefits of biomass are taken into account in the price paid to farmers, production of biomass crops is not an economic proposition, Professor Jimmy Burke of Teagasc told the ASA conference.

Grant-aid to help defray the substantial costs involved in establishing a crop of willow or miscanthus was also essential if these crops were to become financially viable.

"At present, with no establishment grants or environmental price premium, a crop of miscanthus or willow will leave an annual loss to the grower of €200/ha after six years. After 15 years, the crop will be generating a profit of just €100/ha (€40/ac). Financial support in establishing the crop as well as a price that reflects the environmental benefits would radically change the economics and interest among farmers in growing biomass," said Professor Burke.

Grants 'too small' for energy crops

MINISTER for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has admitted that the current rate of grant aid of €45/ha is not an adequate incentive to encourage farmers to grow energy crops.

"I have called on the EU Commission some time ago to review the premium and a review is under way. We need to send encouraging signals to farmers if we are really serious about developing this sector," she said.

Producing energy crops was still a relatively new field in Ireland and market forces on their own would not be enough to drive the market.

"What is needed in my opinion are fiscal incentives to kick-start the industry," she said.

Brazil has the edge on EU in production of bio-fuel

A LEADING international expert told the conference that bio-fuel production is impossible in many developed countries without significant government support.

Dr Martin von Lampe of the OECD in Paris said countries such as Brazil had huge cost advantages in the production of bio-fuels from crops such as oilseed rape, sugar beet or cereals compared to the EU. At present, bio-fuels accounted for around 1pc of transport fuel needs in the EU; in Brazil, the figure was well over 20pc.

.....

"In the EU, it would take around 45pc of total land area to produce a 10pc share of transport fuel in bio-fuel. In Brazil, it would take a mere 3pc of land area to produce a 10pc share in bio-fuel," he said.

Dr Von Lampe said the future lay in advanced bio-fuel crops that had higher yields and lower production costs. Using cellulose-based products and other biomass materials would also be necessary.

[SPN]

All new buildings in Nordyland are going to have to have their own microgeneration capacity once the new Building Regulations are implemented.

Being bold and progressive will win back disillusioned voters

Fourth, most importantly, Labour must recapture the green agenda. We need to embrace renewable energy as the true solution to the threat of climate change. And do more to incentivise microgeneration and reduce waste as well as investing in the technologies that can reduce transport pollution. In Northern Ireland, with just 1.7 million people, I have established a new £60m fund to boost renewable energy. Hundreds of social housing tenants are today having solar panels installed free to cut emissions and save on fuel bills. Thousands of home owners are getting generous grants to help do the same.

We are supporting the installation of a unique marine current turbine in Strangford Loch. I have changed building regulations so that, in future, all new homes, hospitals, schools, factories and offices must have microgeneration - from solar to wind - designed in.

Also see:
Microgeneration Compulsory In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland leading the way on Green Energy, Hain


So come on Noel Dempsey. This is how it should be done! :idea:

[SPN]

More good news !

New energy crop incentive for farmers

A MAJOR boost for the growing of energy crops was announced by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mariann Fischer Boel at Killybegs, Co Donegal, yesterday.

The new initiative will mean that up to half the establishment costs for the planting of multi-annual crops — mainly miscanthus and willow — will be co-financed by the European Union; the present €45 per hectare energy crop premium will stay in place.

.....

“We need to do all we can to encourage the production of the raw materials for biofuels,” said the Commissioner, who was visiting Donegal, accompanied by Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan.

The data on the development of bioethanol and biodiesel production show a dramatic increase in the demand for energy crops within the next few years.

[Gladstone]

gUYS GET real for ****************************** sake elephant grass and ethanol? takes nearly as much to produce the stuff as you save in oil, so it's not only pointless but does not have the same energy output.

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE evergy that can 100% replace fossil fuels, it does not exist, and the only thing that will curb demand is extreme price hikes.

[SPN]

gUYS GET real for ***** sake elephant grass and ethanol? takes nearly as much to produce the stuff as you save in oil, so it's not only pointless but does not have the same energy output.

Have you any references for the Elephant Grass? My recollection of a conversation with Bernard Rice in Oakpark is that Elephant Grass has a significantly positive energy balance.

On Ethanol, it doesn't really matter if the energy balance is negative, in balance, or slightly positive (depending on whose figures you accept as being realistic).

Ethanol is a very effective transport fuel. It has a high energy density to mass/volume, and is almost as good as petroleum fuels in this respect. There will always be demand for transport fuels, and Ethanol has many advantages over the alternatives.



Space Heating, Electricity and Transport Fuels each account for about one third of our energy consumption.

Space Heating using indigenous biomass is feasible even at current kW/h demand. It will take a major national investment in infrastructure, but it it physically possible.

A reduction in space heating requirement through an effective insulation programme, and reduction in waste, would trim the requirement (as measured in kW/h) back to an easily achievable number.

If we could develop a network of biomass CHP plants - like they have in Scandinavia - then we could get much better efficiencies out of the input fuel. This would involve using the "waste" heat from the generation process for practical purposes, instead of "dumping" it, as is done at present. (eg. Great Island has an electricity capacity of +/-200MW, and an efficiency of about 30%. The heat dumped from this plant would easily heat 1000 houses if it could be harnessed).

Electricity generation: I reckon, although many disagree, that we could easily cope with two thirds of our current consumption, and that half of our current consumption is feasible.

Hot tubs, floodlights, incandescent bulbs, immersion heaters, etc., etc., etc.

Wind and biomass could easily meet half of our current consumption, and all of a reduced, rationalised, sane level of consumption - particularly if we invested in CHP in a major way.


Going back to transport fuels.

In an expensive, or unavailable, fossil fuel (diesel) scenario, Veg Oil would probably be an Ag only fuel. According to Bernard Rice in Teagasc, a hectare of Rape will yield a tonne of rapeseed oil after all oil usage for tilling, managing, harvesting and processing has been netted off.

After allowing for other Ag uses, particularly the fact that Rape is grown in a 3-4 year rotation, there wouldn't be whole lot left for non-Ag uses.

Ethanol (a distilled alcohol spirit by another name), on the other hand, can be produced from a wide variety of sources, including waste streams from Ag and Forestry.

The energy to power an Ethanol plant can also come from a range of sources.

If you powered an Ethanol plant using wind turbines, or a biomass CHP plant (particularly if it was fuelled by waste from the source you get your raw material from), then the energy balance wouldn't matter as the value of the energy produced in the form of a liquid transport fuel would far outweigh the value of the energy input.

This is the paradigm shift many people don't quite grasp.

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE evergy that can 100% replace fossil fuels, it does not exist, and the only thing that will curb demand is extreme price hikes.

There are alternatives that can meet 100% of our current space heating requirement - and our current space heating requirement can be reduced dramatically if we try.


There are alternatives that could meet 100% of our electricity requirement - but our requirement will drop significantly in the event of oil shortages and the reduced economic activity that would follow - so (I reckon) we only need to cover 50% from indigenuous sources, which is easily achievable (technically anyway).


There is no alternative that can 100% replace current usage of fossil fuels in the transport sector.

That is why the Green Party want to spend money developing the public transport infrastructure up to an effective level, instead of building Motorways which will be seriously underused in the future due to the cost of transport fuels.



So Gladstone. Instead of ranting at people to "get real", why don't you pull your thumb out of your bum and go get educated on the facts.

While you are obviously a page ahead of most people on the practicalities of alternative energies, you definitely haven't finished reading the book.


We have a problem.

There is a solution.

It involves massive investment, and a change in the way people think about energy.

We need a transformation in how we think about energy - particularly as Ireland has the best (by far) renewable, non-carbon, energy resources in Europe.


The paradigm shift is coming.

The question is whether we (Ireland Inc.) will be prepared and positioned to take advantage of it.

[SPN]

€7m drive aims to cut fuel bills

A €7 MILLION national energy efficiency campaign has been launched by the Government to encourage people to change their energy consumption patterns.


Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey said the Power of One campaign, which will run for two years, was designed to bring about “a sea-change in the behaviour of Irish consumers and businesses”.

He said: “The concept of Power of One is that the sum of individual efforts by consumers as well as enterprise, can and will make a national difference.”

[david]

€7m drive aims to cut fuel bills

A €7 MILLION national energy efficiency campaign has been launched by the Government to encourage people to change their energy consumption patterns.


Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey said the Power of One campaign, which will run for two years, was designed to bring about “a sea-change in the behaviour of Irish consumers and businesses”.

He said: “The concept of Power of One is that the sum of individual efforts by consumers as well as enterprise, can and will make a national difference.”

Great. Meanwhile, get on with a new runway, stick a few hundred million towards new aircraft, drive the motorway through Tara, do feck all to support car-free day, do nothing about Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, totally ignore the melting north pole...

[david]

[jady88]

gUYS GET real for ***** sake elephant grass and ethanol? takes nearly as much to produce the stuff as you save in oil, so it's not only pointless but does not have the same energy output.

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE evergy that can 100% replace fossil fuels, it does not exist, and the only thing that will curb demand is extreme price hikes.

You obviously have some form of severe mental retardation, no ONE type of fuel source is needed to replace fossil fuels. In fact fossil fuels are to variable to be generalised like that. Coal will last for at least the next 200 years. Moreoever there are so many new fuel sources being developed and refined that we will have more than enough to cover the gap if we mix and match.

You badly need to get real.

[david]

Ethanol is a very effective transport fuel. It has a high energy density to mass/volume, and is almost as good as petroleum fuels in this respect. There will always be demand for transport fuels, and Ethanol has many advantages over the alternatives.

SPN, here's a thoughtful article which makes the following point:

Historically, oil has offered returns of up to 100 to one. That is, for every barrel of oil used in exploration and production, 100 barrels were brought to market (although that figure is probably below 10 to one now).

A society based on a resource that offers returns as low as 1.7 to one — one of the more optimistic levels claimed by ethanol promoters — would look profoundly different to anything we know today. In such a society, the biofuels industry and the essential services which support it would use 10 units of energy for every seven units available to the rest of society. So, even if we take the optimistic figures, we are still faced with a serious problem.

Just using ethanol for transport, forget any other use - everybody and his mother will want to drive as 'normal' - means how much land?