QUICK NEWS, December 12: WHAT DURBAN’S DEAL DOES AND DOESN’T DO; JAPAN’S WINDLENS; TRAVELING SMART

WHAT DURBAN’S DEAL DOES AND DOESN’T DO
Climate Deal Doesn't Make Things Better
Arthur Max and Karl Ritter (with Seth Borenstein), December 11, 2011 (Time Magazine)

"The hard-fought deal at a global climate conference in South Africa keeps talks alive but doesn't address the core problem: The world's biggest carbon polluters aren't willing to cut emissions of greenhouse gases enough to stave off dangerous levels of global warming…With many scientists saying time is running out, a bigger part of the solution may have to come from the rise of climate-friendly technologies being developed outside the U.N. process…

"A report released before the Durban talks by the U.N. Environment Programme said greenhouse gas emissions need to peak before 2020 for the world to have a shot of reaching that target. It said that's doable only if nations raise their emissions pledges…In Durban, they did not…Sunday's deal extends by five years the Kyoto Protocol…The Durban agreement also envisions a new accord with binding targets for all countries to take effect in 2020. [Negotiators overcame gridlock in the final hours and kept the process moving by laying out rules for monitoring and verifying emissions reductions, protecting forests, transferring clean technologies to developing countries and scores of technical issues]…"

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"…Climate talks have been bogged down by rifts between rich and poor, between fully industrialized nations and emerging economies, about how to share the burden of reducing greenhouse emissions…Meanwhile, the atmosphere keeps filling up with heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels…Figures from the U.N. weather agency show the three most powerful greenhouse gases reached record levels last year and were increasing at an ever-faster rate…And the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the total heat-trapping force from major greenhouse gases has increased 29 percent since 1990…

"…[S]ome say the diplomatic effort to solve the climate issue has already failed, and that the answer lies in the development of green technologies outside the U.N. process…Even in Durban, there was a growing recognition that the transition to a low-carbon economy must be underpinned by a revolution in new energy...The process now lives on, but the difficult part lies ahead: raising the targets for emissions cuts enough to slow the rise in temperatures. Right now, there are few signs suggesting that's going to happen…That means efforts to reduce emissions through national and local regulations, and in the private sector through new technologies…"


JAPAN’S WINDLENS
…Japan Designs New Wind Turbine with Triplet the Output of Traditional Models
5 December 2011 (Energy Digital)

"…[I]n the same month as one of the world's worst nuclear crises devastated Fukushima, an incredibly innovative wind turbine system [began field testing in Japan]. With a promise to generate two to three times the power of traditional models, the new turbine designs exemplify the potential for a cleaner [non-nuclear] energy future…[The new turbine design] could make the cost of wind power less than coal and nuclear energy.

"The two major concerning issues with traditional turbines have been their general inefficiency and intolerable noise…[A]ttaching an inward curving ring around the perimeter of a turbine's blades increases the focus of airflow…through the blade zones at two to three times the speed…[It also mproves safety and reduces noise]…"

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"…[A] hexagonal-shaped [floating] base for the turbines…would be low in cost, but still strong enough to endure marine conditions…[B]ases would…make it easier to link other turbines at sea together and enlarge platforms…

"Although the 'wind lens' appears simple, it consists of complex technological planning and extensive field testing…As of March…two units of turbines with a capacity of 70 to 100 KW (blade diameter of 12.8) have been installed…[S]maller units with a capacity of 3 to 5 KW (blade diameter of 2.5 meters) have been picked up by some industrial users and installed in many locations…The floating Windlens systems have been tested in a water tank at an in-house laboratory at the University, but actual field test installations for the first marine turbines are almost ready…"


TRAVELING SMART
Smart Transportation Systems; Intelligent Transportation Technologies in the Age of Smart Cities: Traffic Management, Smart Charging, Public Transit, and Vehicle-to-Vehicle Systems
4Q 2011 (Pike Research)

"…Smart electric vehicle (EV) charging, citywide traffic monitoring, real-time traveler information, transit signal priority, and centralized fleet vehicle management can all be classified as forms of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) or smart transport. What makes them smart is the use of embedded intelligence to connect vehicles to each other and to infrastructure, as well as to central operational sites. Transportation systems are also considered smart when they are applied to achieve smart policy goals in the urban environment, such as enhanced mobility, lower emissions, reduced fuel consumption, improved safety, or economic competitiveness."

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"Demand for ITS will grow in both the developed and developing economies. Developed economies will see ITS as a cost effective way to maximize existing transportation infrastructure and improve city services. Developing cities will incorporate ITS as they build out their transportation infrastructure. Pike Research estimates that global investment in smart transportation systems will total $13.1 billion between 2011 and 2017. Most of this investment will be in intelligent traffic management systems, as this is the sector with the broadest range of potential applications. It is also the sector that is applicable for all cities and it is expected that interest will grow in developing countries in the latter part of this forecast period…"