I’m sitting at anchor on my solar PV powered boat as I type away on this laptop. Not far away the harbour is stuffed full of portable generators as 300 boat owners struggle to keep their beers cold after the electricity was cut off due to non-payment.
Pretty dumb really and not a reflection on everyday reality in suburbia… not yet at least. But we face many challenges in the near future if we want to keep enjoying our current lifestyles. It seems that energy resources are reaching peak, just as our demand for energy is increasing. Add the issue of the heat we are generating with the burning of fossil fuels and the scale of the challenge becomes clear.
So what’s the solution? In short there is no simple answer, no miracle cure. We could stop drinking beer, but granny needs her life support machine to keep functioning. Clearly we have to reduce our demand for energy and become smarter about how we utilise it. It is madness for example that we wastefully burn 70% of the oil we extract in planes, automobiles and ships when much of our transport needs can be met by electric motors and plug-in hybrids which are over 95% efficient in converting energy into motion (compared with a petrol engine at 40%). The only problem here is the massive demand for electrical power this would involve.
So how do we create the infrastructure we need to keep our transport systems running? The answer lies with smart grids. The combination of a responsive electrical grid, coupled with smart meters and linked to intelligent devices provides the solution. If we could make our devices truly intelligent by using open source protocols we could achieve a dynamic response network, which would keep the lights running while charging our vehicles. Believe it or not, we do have the electrical reserve in the system to enable this to happen today. How? Peak demand occurs during the day, but at night power stations have to maintain a spinning reserve which electric vehicles could use to charge their batteries. Fully charged vehicles can also provide power back into the grid when it’s needed at peak times during the day.
This just one example of the advantages of smart solutions. Builiding management systems have been using intelligent control systems based on open protocols such as LON for years. Such systems typically save 30% on energy bills due to the intelligent interoperation of systems. Smart solutions can also be found in street lighting and industrial automation and in just about any system that requires energy.
Now while none of this is new (the technology is already there)the problem is that we are simply not adopting it, or we are not adopting truly smart systems. Smart meters must allow communication at the device level and not just display information about energy consumption. They must also provide real value-added to the customer by enabling them to decide when that want their devices to operate. Flexible pricing provides a great incentive here.
We also need to build trust and confidence that smart solutions are in all of our interests. Badly implemented smart meters which only serve to allow power companies to save money and remote reading and cutting people off for non-payment are not the solution. The real benefits that smart systems provide is ensuring energy supplies, energy security and addressing climate change by increased efficiency, reduced demand and dynamic response.
As for the beers, the solar system on my boat just about keeps them cold, but this isolated solution is not suitable for everyone and judging by the pile of noisy generators in the harbour, the price people are paying for not preparing for the future is a high one. After all, how can anyone enjoy a quiet drink when they are chocking in fumes and deafened by the noise? Seems rather dumb to me. So let’s build a smart future, one which is open, fair and flexible. I for one would drink to that!
Monday 18 October 2010
EU environmental law – does it really protect us?
The Hungarian red mud incident has shown us that European law is insufficient to protect us from the consequences of environmental damage. EU environmental law must be tightened in order to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future and to ensure that liability is made clear when such accidents do occur.
European environmental law is designed to improve and maintain a high quality of life for EU citizens. This takes the form of directives and is supported by case study law, which tests the application of such laws. EU environmental law is based on the polluter pays principle.
The recent spill of toxic waste in Hungary involved the accidental release of over one million cubic metres of so called red mud, which has affected air, land and water. Nine people have died and 120 injured in the incident after a reservoir containing the toxic waste from an aluminium plant burst, flooding local villages and sending the waste into local waterways, which feeds the river Danube. The CEO of the company was arrested, but has since been released due to a lack of evidence against him. In fact, the company involved cannot be prosecuted for harm to people, although it can be made liable to damage to the environment.
So which EU laws cover this incident? One possibly relevant directive is the EU Waste Framework directive, which invokes the polluter pays principle. Unfortunately this directive only covers highly toxic waste. The plant was given permission to operate in 2006 under the IPPC directive, which requires businesses to comply to certain conditions in order to operate. In retrospect it seems that the permit to operate was issued without the company complying to the mandatory environmental conditions as stated in that directive. Unlike with the Superfund in the USA, there are no sources of funding, which can cover the costs of cleaning up this waste. The recently implemented Environmental Liability directive (ELD) however, is currently being re-examined to include mandatory financial security in the light of the red mud disaster and may be tightened to take such incidents into account.
Clearly there are a number of issues here: Existing EU law is insufficient to protect the environment while existing laws are not being implemented properly. Hungary is set to take over presidency of the EU in January next year and is promising to tighten the law, but it seems to be a case of closing the stable doors after the horse has bolted and getting down to business as usual.
The plant has now reopened and villagers invited to return to their homes, giving a clear signal that economic and social concerns are overriding environmental issues as the incident is swept under the (red) carpet. Greenpeace Hungary stated that the decision to allow the villagers to return to their homes was "entirely irresponsible" as no data existed regarding whether it is safe to do this.
The incident in Hungary is certainly not the first,or the last of its kind. An incident in Romania in the year 2000 saw the release of wastes including cyanide and heavy metals from a gold mine entering the river Danube. The mine owners refused to accept liability for the incident, claiming that reports of the damage had been “grossly exaggerated”. Despite demands from Greenpeace at the time for full liability, a ban on mining in sensitive areas and improved working standards nothing was done to improve matters. It must be noted that Romania was not a member of the EU at the time as it joined seven years later in 2007, but the whole region is home to the legacy of ex-Soviet mining, which could lead to many more of such incidents in the future. A spokesman for the World Wide Fund for Nature stated in a recent Guardian article that: "There are a string of disasters waiting to happen at sites across the Danube basin".
It seems that current EU legislation and it's implementation is insufficient to improve and maintain a high quality of life for EU citizens as the case of the red mud spill in Hungary has proven. By re-examining such cases it is hoped that future EU law will prove effective in protecting the environment.
European environmental law is designed to improve and maintain a high quality of life for EU citizens. This takes the form of directives and is supported by case study law, which tests the application of such laws. EU environmental law is based on the polluter pays principle.
The recent spill of toxic waste in Hungary involved the accidental release of over one million cubic metres of so called red mud, which has affected air, land and water. Nine people have died and 120 injured in the incident after a reservoir containing the toxic waste from an aluminium plant burst, flooding local villages and sending the waste into local waterways, which feeds the river Danube. The CEO of the company was arrested, but has since been released due to a lack of evidence against him. In fact, the company involved cannot be prosecuted for harm to people, although it can be made liable to damage to the environment.
So which EU laws cover this incident? One possibly relevant directive is the EU Waste Framework directive, which invokes the polluter pays principle. Unfortunately this directive only covers highly toxic waste. The plant was given permission to operate in 2006 under the IPPC directive, which requires businesses to comply to certain conditions in order to operate. In retrospect it seems that the permit to operate was issued without the company complying to the mandatory environmental conditions as stated in that directive. Unlike with the Superfund in the USA, there are no sources of funding, which can cover the costs of cleaning up this waste. The recently implemented Environmental Liability directive (ELD) however, is currently being re-examined to include mandatory financial security in the light of the red mud disaster and may be tightened to take such incidents into account.
Clearly there are a number of issues here: Existing EU law is insufficient to protect the environment while existing laws are not being implemented properly. Hungary is set to take over presidency of the EU in January next year and is promising to tighten the law, but it seems to be a case of closing the stable doors after the horse has bolted and getting down to business as usual.
The plant has now reopened and villagers invited to return to their homes, giving a clear signal that economic and social concerns are overriding environmental issues as the incident is swept under the (red) carpet. Greenpeace Hungary stated that the decision to allow the villagers to return to their homes was "entirely irresponsible" as no data existed regarding whether it is safe to do this.
The incident in Hungary is certainly not the first,or the last of its kind. An incident in Romania in the year 2000 saw the release of wastes including cyanide and heavy metals from a gold mine entering the river Danube. The mine owners refused to accept liability for the incident, claiming that reports of the damage had been “grossly exaggerated”. Despite demands from Greenpeace at the time for full liability, a ban on mining in sensitive areas and improved working standards nothing was done to improve matters. It must be noted that Romania was not a member of the EU at the time as it joined seven years later in 2007, but the whole region is home to the legacy of ex-Soviet mining, which could lead to many more of such incidents in the future. A spokesman for the World Wide Fund for Nature stated in a recent Guardian article that: "There are a string of disasters waiting to happen at sites across the Danube basin".
It seems that current EU legislation and it's implementation is insufficient to improve and maintain a high quality of life for EU citizens as the case of the red mud spill in Hungary has proven. By re-examining such cases it is hoped that future EU law will prove effective in protecting the environment.
Monday 11 October 2010
Current affairs notes 11/10
Current affairs
China – state communism – human rights, no freedom of expression.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/10/intellectuals-detained-nobel-celebration
China
North Korea – communism – Dictatorship – Kim jong il
Both have no press freedom, no democracy
Hungary – a mixture of toxic waste has escaped from a bauxite plant.
Al ore. Red mud.
Many people have been affected/moved (evacuated)
The environment has been badly affected and will be for many years.
Aluminium Al, electrolysis. Energy intensive. Recycling saves 95% of the energy of production.
Liability. Who is to blame and who pays? Us.
----
Chile: 33 miners have been trapped underground for 66 days. The mine used to produce gold and copper. They have been trapped 800 metres underground for months. Initially they sent medication to the miners. They want to get them out by December, but they will probably start getting them out this week.
Human interest stories…
Google cars
Search engines
Advertising, data mining, profiling
Target audience
Male, interested in technology, disposable income.
Amazon -books
Sell everything.
Targeting advertising. Profiling.
B to C
…
Proposition 19
Legalisation
Tourism
Afghanistan
Cannabis
Opium – codine, morphine, heroin.
Morroco –billions
Mexico drug wars, Cartels – an illegal business.
Network of organised crime. Corruption.
Demand and supply.
Cambodia, & The Philippines
Tobacco & alcohol
China – state communism – human rights, no freedom of expression.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/10/intellectuals-detained-nobel-celebration
China
North Korea – communism – Dictatorship – Kim jong il
Both have no press freedom, no democracy
Hungary – a mixture of toxic waste has escaped from a bauxite plant.
Al ore. Red mud.
Many people have been affected/moved (evacuated)
The environment has been badly affected and will be for many years.
Aluminium Al, electrolysis. Energy intensive. Recycling saves 95% of the energy of production.
Liability. Who is to blame and who pays? Us.
----
Chile: 33 miners have been trapped underground for 66 days. The mine used to produce gold and copper. They have been trapped 800 metres underground for months. Initially they sent medication to the miners. They want to get them out by December, but they will probably start getting them out this week.
Human interest stories…
Google cars
Search engines
Advertising, data mining, profiling
Target audience
Male, interested in technology, disposable income.
Amazon -books
Sell everything.
Targeting advertising. Profiling.
B to C
…
Proposition 19
Legalisation
Tourism
Afghanistan
Cannabis
Opium – codine, morphine, heroin.
Morroco –billions
Mexico drug wars, Cartels – an illegal business.
Network of organised crime. Corruption.
Demand and supply.
Cambodia, & The Philippines
Tobacco & alcohol
Monday 4 October 2010
English course outline
Aim: To learn Business English!
How long? 2 years.
IELTS Level C1
ESA National
ESA International
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Intros
Plan & structure – 6 point plan
Letter of motivation
My blog: http://bluecloud9.blogspot.com/
Newspapers/websites:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
Tools:
German/English dictionary
www.leo.org
http://www.dict.cc/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/
http://www.ted.com/
Topics:
Dislikes
Likes -
Past
Present
Future –
Negatives:
Dishonesty – unhelpfulness, selfishness, war
Positives/small talk
Nice people – festivals, sports, weather, handedness
6- point plan
1. Understand the task
2. Brainstorm
3. Group
4. Order
5. Write - Execute
6. Check your work
Letter of motivation
Intro
Dear Sir or Madam,
I have been asked to write a letter of motivation and to complete it within 30 minutes
Past tense
Ever since I was young I have been interested in blowing up tall buildings. When I was twelve years old I set fire to the local library.
Present tense
Now I am in prison.
Future
I hope that I will be freed soon to continue my path of destruction. If you accept me on the explosives for beginners course I will be your best student.
I look forward to receiving your positive response.
Yours faithfully,
How long? 2 years.
IELTS Level C1
ESA National
ESA International
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Intros
Plan & structure – 6 point plan
Letter of motivation
My blog: http://bluecloud9.blogspot.com/
Newspapers/websites:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
Tools:
German/English dictionary
www.leo.org
http://www.dict.cc/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/
http://www.ted.com/
Topics:
Dislikes
Likes -
Past
Present
Future –
Negatives:
Dishonesty – unhelpfulness, selfishness, war
Positives/small talk
Nice people – festivals, sports, weather, handedness
6- point plan
1. Understand the task
2. Brainstorm
3. Group
4. Order
5. Write - Execute
6. Check your work
Letter of motivation
Intro
Dear Sir or Madam,
I have been asked to write a letter of motivation and to complete it within 30 minutes
Past tense
Ever since I was young I have been interested in blowing up tall buildings. When I was twelve years old I set fire to the local library.
Present tense
Now I am in prison.
Future
I hope that I will be freed soon to continue my path of destruction. If you accept me on the explosives for beginners course I will be your best student.
I look forward to receiving your positive response.
Yours faithfully,
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