Category Archives: Energy

The future market of energy

This story is what the future of energy is all about:

The company stuck solar panels on UCSF’s Genentech Hall as well as a nearby parking garage. MMA owns the panels and sells the power to the school, under a contract that locks in electricity prices for the next 20 years. The rates are lower than Pacific Gas & Electric’s, and the school didn’t have to pay for the panels up front.

“It’s very simple – we got someone else to take on the headaches, and we get the power,” said Maric Munn, the school’s director of facilities management.

In other words, generation of energy needs to become more localized and democratized in the same way that PCs changed the information generation model from mainframe and slaves to networked peers.

The advantage of diesel in this model is that it has many more options than most power generators — the input can come from virtually anywhere. Thus if the output is standardized, the market for micro-generation could explode.

Excellent story.

75 mpg 1989 Geo Metro

A very nice site that explains a simple way to increase the gallons per mile of a Geo Metro, simply by reducing drag:

This car, originally, was a joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki, which delivered as much as 58 miles per gallon. 49 hp is all it takes to get a person to work safely and comfortable. I reworked this car to get even better mileage. It was getting 75 mpg during the 2 years I drove it. The bottom line is, with a 3-cylinder engine 12 valve variable cam, a small streamlined tandem-style could get even better mileage.

What, no roof-rack? I guess the real down-side is that when you cut away half of a Geo Metro, you are still left with half a Geo Metro. But seriously, the problem I see is that the footprint on this thing is still four wheels and now just has a lot of wasted space. That would not appeal to someone looking for a smaller vehicle, and it lacks the storage for someone who needs a larger vehicle. High marks on drag efficiency and gallons per mile, but who would find it useful beyond these advantages?

NERC jolted by GAO

Did I write about this already? It does not look like it. Shame, as I have been doing a bunch of FISMA writing and this article has been floating in my head for a while now. Better late than never, as they might say in NERC.

US Representative James Langevin, chair of the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology, said he had “little confidence” that the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has fully addressed a vulnerability code-named Aurora, in which electric utilities generators and other equipment comes to a grinding halt.

“I still do not get the sense that we are addressing cybersecurity with the seriousness that it deserves,” Langevin said, according to this report from IDG News Service. “I think we could search far and wide and not find a more disorganized, ineffective response to an issue of national security of this import. If NERC doesn’t start getting serious about national security, it may be time to find a new electric reliability organization.”

Yeah, go Langevin. While I can appreciate the concerns of some who say keep the whole thing offline forever, the reality is that the network is here to stay and there are real cost benefits to remote access, control and reporting. The trick is providing a secure solution, rather than throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Iraq and Western oil companies in discussions

The Washington Post story on the state of Iraqi oil has an interesting pair of paragraphs:

A higher-profile role for Western companies in Iraq’s oil industry is likely to revive speculation that the Iraq war was motivated by a desire to tap into reserves that were controlled by foreigners until the 1960s, when the industry was nationalized. The belief is widespread in the Arab world.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday said the U.S. government played no role in securing the deals. She called the impending contracts a sign that security gains are attracting foreign investment in Iraq.

If I read that correctly, Rice is speaking out of both sides of her mouth at the same time. Impressive. US security gains are attracting deals, while deals are not attracted by US security gains. In other words, better security is not required for developments that require better security, and therefore better security should be given credit while it has nothing to do with progress. Good luck easing concerns with that reasoning. She should have just said “the U.S. government played no role in security gains”.