MORE NEWS, 12-9: SCANDAL IN HOPENHAGEN?; SEMPER FI FOR SOLAR; HIGHER ED DIGS DOWN FOR GEOTHERMAL; PAPER BATTERY FOR CHEAP POWER

SCANDAL IN HOPENHAGEN?
Copenhagen: Leaked draft deal widens rift between rich and poor nations; Climate talks are in disarray barely days into the summit, putting at risk international unity to fight global warming
John Vidal, 9 December 2009 (UK Guardian)

"[A just-leaked, so-called Danish text] is a draft proposal for the final political agreement that should be signed by national leaders…at the end of the Copenhagen summit on 18 December. It was prepared in secret by a group of individuals known as "the circle of commitment" but understood to include the US and Denmark…"

[Lumumba Di-Aping, Sudanese chairman, G77 plus China group of 132 developing countries:] "The text robs developing countries of their just and equitable and fair share of the atmospheric space. It tries to treat rich and poor countries as equal…This text destroys both the UN convention on climate change and the Kyoto protocol. This is aimed at producing a new treaty, a new legal initiative that throws away the basis of [differing] obligations between the poorest and most wealthy nations in the world…"

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[Yvo de Boer, Executive Director, UN FCCC:] "This was an informal paper ahead of the conference given to a number of people for the purposes of consultations. The only formal texts in the UN process are the ones tabled by the chairs of this Copenhagen conference at the behest of the parties [involved]."

"But the representatives of developing nations felt betrayed by the intent of the proposals in the draft…The existing [Kyoto Protocol] is the only global agreement that legally obliges rich countries to reduce their emissions…[but has seemed vulnerable to being voided] since the climate negotiations were effectively taken over by [the developed countries and] conducted outside the UN, the only forum in which poor countries feel they are equally represented."

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"The text is now likely to be withdrawn because of its reception by China, India and many other developing countries [in G77]…Few numbers are included in the text, because these would be filled in later after negotiation by world leaders…[I]t does seek to hold global temperature rises to 2C, the safe limit according to scientists, and it mentions the sum of $10bn a year in aid to help poor countries cope with climate change, starting in 2012…[T]he G77 reaction was seen by some developed world analysts as an exaggerated but fundamentally correct response to the way that the US, the UK and other rich countries have sought to negotiate…Over the next days several new texts will emerge…[The rich countries can expect fresh assaults from the Africa group of countries, the least developed countries group, and the association of small island states]."

[Lumumba Di-Aping, Sudanese chairman, G77 plus China group of 132 developing countries:] "We will not walk out of the talks at this late hour, because we will not allow the failure of Copenhagen. But we will not sign an inequitable deal; we will not accept a deal that condemns 80% of the world population to further suffering and injustice. We call ordinary people to put the utmost pressure on politicians to come to their senses…"


SEMPER FI FOR SOLAR
Solar energy powers Marines on battlefield
December 8, 2009 (Office of Naval Research via PhysOrg)

"…A year ago, U.S. Marines operating in the Arabian Desert only viewed the sun as the source of the region's relentless heat. Recently, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Advanced Power Generation Future Naval Capabilities program introduced technology that allows the Marines to harness some of that sunshine to help power their field equipment.

"Fueled by the sun, the Ground Renewable Expeditionary ENergy System (GREENS) is a 300-watt, photovoltaic/battery system that provides continuous power…ONR began exploring the GREENS idea in fall 2008 in response to a Marine Corps requirement from Iraq for an expeditionary renewable power system…By reducing the logistical supply chain for fuel, GREENS, and other projects like it, will help cut fuel use, cost and the associated threats to vehicle resupply convoys in Afghanistan and Iraq…"

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"…[GREENS has] two pieces…One…is a hybrid photovoltaic battery system…The other…is a tool kit…[so] a Marine can enter into the GREENS computer what their expected mission profile is, and it will tell them which components of the GREENS system…[will] provide their renewable power needs…

"Approval for the GREENS project was expedited through the ONR Future Naval Capability…and technical execution took less than six months…The entire project, from concept to transition, took just over a year…"

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"The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), developed and tested the GREENS prototype…The GREENS system has undergone continuous power testing at Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, Calif., where ambient temperatures exceeded 116 degrees Fahrenheit. Even under the extreme temperatures, the system provided 85 percent of the rated energy. This performance exceeded expectations, prompting rapid development and accelerating procurement of the final design.

"GREENS was a featured program at the ONR-sponsored Naval Energy Forum…and is just one of the many innovative ways the future battlefield will be powered. The deployment of this technology will equip the Marine Corps with new capability and knowledge of how renewable energy can make a difference…"


HIGHER ED DIGS DOWN FOR GEOTHERMAL
Drive for geothermal power heats up on US campuses
Dinesh Ramde, December 6, 2009 (AP via Seattle Post Intelligencer)

"While solar and wind power get most of the headlines, geothermal power is quietly gaining traction on college campuses [from Wisconsin to New Mexico] where energy costs can siphon millions each year from the budget…There are 46 schools divvying up millions in federal stimulus dollars to advance technology that uses the temperature of the Earth, rather than coal-fired power plants, to heat and cool buildings…So far this year, the Department of Energy has announced $400 million in grants to advance [such] geothermal projects…

"Geothermal technology has been around for decades, it works and it's increasingly affordable. At colleges that must maintain dozens of large buildings, the savings are magnified…[Decision-makers seek] to use less coal-fired power, although the schools also…save money [justifying] the move."

Types of conventional geothermal, 1 (click to enlarge)

"The technology is a natural fit for schools like Boise State that sit atop geothermal springs…[It] expects to save as much as $80,000 per year in heating costs…[and] even more as the project expands. Yet schools in the Midwest and East are also turning to geothermal power using a different type of technology…[in which] the system draws heat from a hot building [on a warm day] and pumps it underground where the soil absorbs it. On a cold day the process reverses - the system extracts heat from the earth and returns it to the building.

"The process is so efficient that even though the underground temperature remains about a constant 55 degrees, the system can be used to chill water to 45 degrees or heat it to 170 degrees…Ball State University…is upgrading all of its 45 buildings to geothermal technology, at a cost of $65 million to $70 million. The state contributed about $40 million, and because the system is expected to cut energy costs by $2 million per year, it should pay for itself in 12 to 15 years…The savings won't translate directly into tuition breaks…but will ease the school's pressure to find funding for other operational expenses."

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"Students have been advocating for a shift in campus energy sources for years. The increased investment in geothermal comes as students launch a national campaign intended to pressure schools into using less energy from coal-fired power plants. Students began protests late this year, specifically targeting 60 campuses that have their own coal-burning power plants.

"There are several variations of geothermal installations…[but geothermal] may not be the best choice for every school…Urban schools may not be spacious enough to install the pipes where they can be accessed easily for maintenance and repair…[U]nforeseen regulatory issues…can drive the initial cost [too high]…[They tripled the cost for the] Theological Seminary in New York City…[from an] initial estimate of $6 million to upgrade 18 buildings…to about $20 million, to be paid over five to 10 years…[but with just five buildings upgraded so far, the seminary has already saved about $200,000 in heating and cooling costs last year."


PAPER BATTERY FOR CHEAP POWER
Dip Ordinary Paper Into Ink Infused With Nanotubes and Nanowires to Create an Instant Battery
December 8, 2009 ("Highly Conductive Paper for Energy Storage Devices" in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences via Science Daily)

"Stanford scientists are harnessing nanotechnology to quickly produce ultra-lightweight, bendable batteries and supercapacitors in the form of everyday paper.

"Simply coating a sheet of paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires makes a [low-cost] highly conductive storage device…such as batteries and simple supercapacitors…Like batteries, capacitors hold an electric charge, but for a shorter period of time…[though] capacitors can store and discharge electricity much more rapidly than a battery…"

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"…[N]anomaterial energy storage devices [had previously been created] using plastics…[N]ew research shows that a paper battery is more durable because the ink adheres more strongly to paper (answering the question, "Paper or plastic?"). What's more, you can crumple or fold the paper battery, or even soak it in acidic or basic solutions, and the performance does not degrade…[Burning has not yet been tested]…"

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"The flexibility of paper allows for many clever applications…[Researchers have] demonstrated the battery…by connecting it to an LED (light-emitting diode), which glowed brightly.

"A paper supercapacitor may be especially useful for applications like electric or hybrid cars, which depend on the quick transfer of electricity. The paper supercapacitor's high surface-to-volume ratio gives it an advantage…[as a] low-cost, flexible electrode for any electrical device...[T]he biggest impact may be in large-scale storage of electricity on the distribution grid. Excess electricity generated at night, for example, could be saved for peak-use periods during the day. Wind farms and solar energy systems also may require storage…"