MORE NEWS, 10-12: THE SOUND OF WIND; WHO WILL CHARGE THE ELECTRIC CAR?; LOOKING BACK AT CO2 AND AHEAD AT TROUBLE; SOLAR BIG BELLY HITS THE STREETS

THE SOUND OF WIND
The facts about wind turbine sound
John Dunlop, October 11, 2009 (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

"…Nationally, wind power has become one of our economy's mainstream electricity sources, accounting for 42 percent of the generating capacity added last year…Yet…questions are still sometimes raised about the potential impact. We welcome the opportunity to set the record straight…

"Wind turbine sounds are no different from other sounds present in a suburban or urban environment. The sound of a turbine is mainly due to the aerodynamic swish of the blades rotating in the air."

click to enlarge

"Turbines can also emit some low-frequency sound. Acoustical experts agree there is no evidence that such sounds, which are emitted by a variety of sources, could be harmful to health -- indeed, if these levels were so harmful, urban dwelling would be impossible…[T]urbine sound is quieter than many ambient sounds and is equally safe…[though some] may be disturbed by even a relatively quiet sound…

"Wind turbines are one of the most environmentally benign forms of electricity generation and allow most preexisting land uses -- typically ranching and farming -- to continue as before…[C]ows graze up to the foot of the turbines…Wind turbines safely operate on schoolyards…Many permitting agencies have, however, established minimum required setbacks…[W]here no required setbacks have been established, developers will work with local stakeholders during the siting and design phase…"

From videomarkHD129 via YouTube

"Lights are needed on wind turbines to ensure air traffic safety under Federal Aviation Administration standards…Typically, lights on the turbines around the perimeter of a wind farm will be sufficient.

"…[O]ur electricity must come from somewhere. Some of the best winds in the world blow across the American landscape…[A 2008 report from] the U.S. Department of Energy confirmed that wind power could generate 20 percent of the nation's electricity by 2030 -- a share as large as that of nuclear power today -- and that this level is not a limit. The report found no technical or macroeconomic barriers…[Economic benefits] include more income for landowners (and thus for communities) and more stability in electricity prices as a larger share of our electricity becomes immune to the impacts of fuel price volatility…[S]top at a wind farm to see and hear…[S]hut off the car, get out, look and listen. You'll hear the gentle swoosh of the blades and see the power of wind in action…Wind turbines are indeed a change in our landscape. They are the symbol of our clean and healthy energy future…"


WHO WILL CHARGE THE ELECTRIC CAR?
Discord Over Regulation of Car Charging
Todd Woody, October 12, 2009 (NY Times)

"With electric cars set to hit the mass market next year, a skirmish is breaking out in California over who will control the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure.

"The California Public Utilities Commission will write the rules of the electric road and is just starting to grapple with the complex regulatory issues surrounding the integration of battery-powered cars into the state’s electrical grid."

Coulomb Technoligies is a leading charging station maker - but will it sell electricity, too? (click to enlarge)

"One of the biggest questions is whether to regulate Better Place, Coulomb Technologies and other companies that plan to sell electricity to drivers through a network of battery-charging stations…California’s three big investor-owned utilities have split over the issue.

"…Pacific Gas & Electric [says the PUC should regulate providers to avoid adverse impacts on the safety and reliability of the electric grid]…Southern California Edison…[wants the PUC] to move cautiously, calibrating any regulation to the specific business models…San Diego Gas & Electric said the commission did not have the right to regulate companies like Better Place."

Much BetterPlace charging will be REcharging of their own batteries. Do they pay wholesale or retail? From BetterPlace via YouTube

"Not surprisingly, Better Place…echoed that view, arguing that a heavy regulatory hand could stifle innovation and scare off investors…[while a] coalition of environmental groups that includes the Natural Resources Defense Council and Friends of the Earth wrote that the commission had authority over companies like Better Pace but should [stifling emerging technologies]…

"The utilities commission does not regulate municipal-owned utilities, which will set their own rules for private electric car-charging networks…One of California’s biggest public utilities, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, has asserted…[exclusive jurisdiction over third-party electric vehicle service providers like Better Place]…Better Place and other electric car start-ups will also have to do battle with long-entrenched consumer advocacy groups…The Utility Reform Network, for instance, has pushed the commission to go slow, allowing only the installation of 110-volt charging stations, rather than higher-voltage equipment that would charge electric car batteries much more quickly."


LOOKING BACK AT CO2 AND AHEAD AT TROUBLE
'Scary' climate message from past
Richard Black, 10 October 2009 (BBC News)

"A new historical record of carbon dioxide levels [in ocean sediments going back 20 million years] suggests current political targets on climate may be "playing with fire", scientists say…

"Levels similar to those now commonly regarded as adequate to tackle climate change were associated with sea levels 25-40m (80-130 ft) higher than today…Scientists write [Monsoons and Meltdowns] in the journal Science that this extends knowledge of the link between CO2 and climate back in time."

Studying the details of the most recent IPCC report is pretty disturbing. (click to enlarge)

"The last 800,000 years have been mapped relatively well from ice cores drilled in Antarctica…But…the new record contains much more precise estimates of historical records than have been available before for the 20 million year timeframe [into the Miocene period]…

"At the start of the period, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere stood at about 400 parts per million (ppm) [probably sustained by prolonged volcanic activity] before beginning to decline about 14 million years ago - a trend that eventually led to formation of the Antarctic icecap and perennial sea ice cover in the Arctic…[I]n the last few million years [CO2 concentrations have been much lower, cycling] between 180ppm and 280ppm in rhythm with the sequence of ice ages and warmer interglacial periods."

It's time to do something. (click to enlarge)

"Now, humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases are pushing towards the 400ppm range, which will very likely be reached within a decade…[When CO2 was at those levels, there was no icecap on Antarctica, sea levels were 25-40m higher and temperatures were about 3-6C (5-11F) higher than today]… The new research does not imply that reaching CO2 levels this high would definitely result in huge sea level changes, or that these would happen quickly…just that sustaining such levels on a long timescale might produce such changes…"

[Jonathan Overpeck, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 report and climate scientist at the University of Arizona:] "If anyone still doubts the link between CO2 and climate, they should read this paper…[W]e don't know where the critical CO2 or temperature threshold is…It could be below 450ppm, but it is more likely higher - not necessarily a lot higher - than 450ppm…But what this new work suggests is that... efforts to stabilise at 450ppm should avoid going up above that level prior to stabilisation - that is, some sort of 'overshoot' above 450ppm on the way to stabilisation could be playing with fire."


SOLAR BIG BELLY HITS PASADENA STREETS
Pasadena to add more solar-energy trash cans; The City Council has approved 40 BigBelly self-compacting bins, in addition to the 12 already on the streets. The move will save the city more than $61,000 a year, an official says
Nicole Santa Cruz, October 7, 2009 (LA Times)

"Pasadena is about to get more fancy trash cans.

"The City Council approved… 40 [more] self-compacting solar-energy trash cans throughout the city, in addition to the 12 already on the streets.

"The city is joining Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Boston and Philadelphia in using the trash cans, called BigBelly Solar Compactors…"

From BigBellySolar via YouTube

"The 40 receptacles will cost $146,550.

"The [BigBelly] trash bins…can compact 200 gallons of trash into one 60-gallon "neat" bag…[Pasadena] will save $61,400 annually in reduced labor and fuel because of the trash cans.

"The areas around City Hall and the intersection of South Lake Avenue and East California Boulevard are among the 40 planned installation sites for the trash bins…"