Crown Capital Eco Management - ELECTRICITY: Natural gas, renewable energy will power the future Texas grid – study

The path to low-carbon electricity generation in Texas will likely require the co-development and integration of both natural gas and renewable energy resources like wind and solar power, a new research report commissioned by the Texas Clean Energy Coalition has found.

The white paper, prepared by the Brattle Group for the Austin-based nonprofit, states that despite perceived competition between natural gas and renewable energy resources in Texas, the reality is the two sectors can aid each other's growth and can eventually help Texas meet rising energy demand in an era of tighter environmental controls.

"Low-priced natural gas and clean renewable resources are complementary, not competing, resources to displace other fuels over the long term. Coordinated development of both will lead to a win-win for Texas and the environment," Kip Averitt, chairman of the Texas Clean Energy Coalition, said in a statement announcing the results of the Brattle Group analysis.

The report examined conditions across the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) territory, which has some of the nation's greatest wind power capacity and has undergone an unprecedented boom in natural gas production aided by hydraulic fracturing.

Some have asserted that an abundance of inexpensive natural gas will displace renewable energy, thus keeping Texas from fully developing its extensive wind and solar resources.

The Brattle analysis challenges that conclusion, asserting instead that "in the short run, low gas prices are extremely unlikely to change the fact that existing renewables will nearly always have priority over gas-fired plants since, due to the absence of fuel costs, their variable costs are lower than those of essentially all other resources."

And longer term, the analysis finds, new gas-fired power plants may compete with wind and solar power, but such conditions will be predicated on fluctuation in coal and gas prices, shifts in federal and state energy and environmental policies, transmission development in ERCOT's territory, and technological advances in wind and solar generation that could further drive down the costs of such resources.

A marriage that replaces coal

"In addition," the report states, "it is possible that in the long run some combination of renewables and gas will displace existing coal-fired generation."

Besides the air pollution benefits that come with reduced reliance on coal, Brattle researchers note that natural gas and renewables are well-matched energy resources because gas-fired generation can be more easily dispatched to account for the intermittency of wind and solar power.

Peter Fox-Penner, a co-author of the Brattle study, also noted that cheap natural gas might help renewable energy in a forward-looking sense because blending low-cost gas generation with the higher costs of new renewables lowers the total rate impact on consumers.

"The cost of both wind and solar power has decreased significantly, but they are still not necessarily the lowest cost options, at least not without some explicit consideration of greenhouse gas emissions or continued federal subsidies such as the [production tax credit]," the report states. "However, due to low natural gas prices, electricity bills as a percentage of household income are near their historical lows.

"Consequently, increased levels of a combination of renewable energy and new lower-cost gas power can likely be accomplished without materially increasing the share of income Texans have to dedicate to paying for electricity relative to the past," the report states.

Ron Seidel, principal with RBS Energy Consulting and a well-known expert on Texas electricity markets, said in an email that most of the Brattle Group findings were sound, though he noted that most of the new natural gas-fired generation in ERCOT's territory comprises combined cycle plants that are less flexible than simple cycle gas plants when it comes to backup power for intermittent sources like wind or solar.

"As renewables increase, flexible and controllable generation resources will have to increase as well if the ERCOT system is to maintain the desired level of reliability," said Seidel, who is also on the board of the Dallas-based Principal Solar Institute. He further noted that solar photovoltaic technologies "promise to be much more synergistic with load than wind power has been" and that "dispersed solar resources will be much less subject to variability than wind -- especially during peak periods."

Lastly, Seidel stressed that analyses relying on ERCOT's Long Term Assessment study for transmission can be useful to make points about generation needs, but neither ERCOT nor the Public Utilities Commission has control over the developers of new power plants.

Concerns about summer heat wave

Spiking electricity rates have been a major concern in Texas as the state struggles to balance electricity supply and demand, especially during periods of peak summertime usage. ERCOT, which oversees the electricity grid for most of the state, has warned that its power reserves could be severely tested this summer if intense prolonged heat waves like those of the past few years occur across the state.

Warnings about summer weather have already driven up wholesale on-peak electricity prices in ERCOT's territory by more than 9 percent, according to a recent Platts analysis. And the Texas Public Utility Commission on June 1 increased the cap on wholesale electricity prices from $4,500 to $5,000 per megawatt-hour, reflecting the state's tight power supply margins.

The higher wholesale prices should help motivate power producers to build more capacity in ERCOT's territory, but they also place greater strain on electricity retailers that must absorb the higher costs or pass them along to customers via rate increases.

One investment group, Panda Power Funds of Dallas, has begun construction on two identical 750-megawatt gas-fired combined cycle power plants in Sherman and Temple, Texas, but those projects are not expected to be completed until 2014. Another 700 MW gas-fired plant being developed jointly by Bechtel Corp. and Coronado Power Ventures is set to begin construction later this year near Harlingen in south Texas, according to developers.

The state will also host one of the nation's only "clean coal" plants with the expected completion of Summit Power Group LLC's 400 MW Texas Clean Energy Project near Odessa. That facility will use integrated gasification combined cycle technology along with carbon capture and storage to trap emissions of carbon dioxide.

While Texas' need for reliable base-load power remains acute, ERCOT reported last month that electricity generated from renewable resources increased 7 percent in 2012, while capacity from renewable resources increased 16 percent. Gains were particularly strong in the solar sector, which saw a 265 percent increase in capacity, from 36,580 MW to 133,642 MW. Wind energy remained the dominant nonfossil energy resource in Texas, however, at 32.5 million MW, up 5 percent from 2011.

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Crown Jakarta Management: Benefits of biomass boiler at showcase environmental farm

http://a.know-how.fc2.com/en/33426/

As a multi-faceted 118-acre organic agricultural site, Highfield Farm in Topsham runs not only as a fully functioning farm, but also as an established campsite and well-known local educational facility.

So, when its owners, Ian and Lyndsay Shears, started working towards an even more environmentally friendly agricultural establishment, there were many elements to consider in their long-term plans.

They began their eco-systems by installing 42 PV panels throughout the farm. Having already started to see the huge benefits associated with creating their own electricity, when the time came to replace the old gas-fired boiler, they were already considering the installation of a replacement, environmentally friendly and renewable energy-sourced biomass boiler.

Mr Shears explained: “We’d been considering biomass for a couple of years. We are Soil Association-certified and we installed solar PV panels to create our own electricity harnessed from sunlight, which also meant a lot of economic sense.

“When we converted some of our barns, an additional heat requirement was created that our old gas boiler simply could not cope with efficiently. So, we decided biomass was the way forward.”

Exeter-based renewable firm Fair Energy provided the new biomass heating and water system, not least because, based in Exeter, they were the most local to his farm too.

“Our conference facility accommodates up to 50 people. Rain water from our barns supplies the loos, and the 10kW solar PV system provides the electrical power,” Mr Shears added. “So, we felt that to be able to heat it and the water with a renewable energy source – our own wood from the farm – would really enhance the whole building itself, particularly in relation to our organic, environmental status.”

The installation at Highfield Farm took place in August and the 90kW biomass boiler was installed and sized to cope with both the immediate and future requirements. Already covering 2,000 square feet, the system will cope with an additional 3,000 square feet when all the buildings are converted.

At first, the biomass boiler ran on wood chip pellets, but now Mr Shears is sourcing wood chippings locally in Newton Poppleford. Next year, Highfield’s fuel will be totally self-sufficient as he intends to use the farm’s own coppice, which will be cut next summer in time for use in the autumn.

He explained: “We’ve been really impressed with the biomass installation and feel it might also eventually help us with the campsite facilities. We’re currently installing a new shower block that will initially run off the solar panels next year, but also have the option with the new biomass system to consider linking the showers to the mains if necessary.

“It’s estimated that our new biomass boiler will save us a massive £12,500 with RHI and fuel savings annually.”

Highfield Farm has already run an event about renewable energy and, with its weekly visits from local schools, who help with all sorts including the kitchen garden, sewing seeds, soil preparation, weeding and harvesting, the Shears feel that if renewable energy gets included on school curriculum’s, they are well placed to talk about and demonstrate the benefits of biomass.

Fair Energy’s Director, Kirsten Parrick, commented: “Highfield Farm is an extremely proactive farming site in terms of its environmental awareness, eco-systems and renewable energy. Ian and Lyndsay display a clear understanding of all the benefits as well as a deep-rooted environmental conscience”.

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£5.25m funding for heating and cooling efficiency study

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/14581545-chirpstory-525m-funding-for-heating-and-cooling-efficiency-study

The UK Research Council’s Energy Programme has announ-ced funding of £5.25m for a study of energy-efficient heating and cooling technologies.

The research will be carried out by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Storage, Transformation and Upgrading of Thermal Energy, which will be known as i-STUTE.

The University of Warwick will play a leading role in the project, working alongside London South Bank, Loughborough and Ulster universities.

i-STUTE director Professor Bob Critoph told H&V News the intention is to outline a strategy that will be easily understandable for consumers that will also “allow suppliers to make money”.

He stated that i-STUTE was already speaking to companies such as Dimplex, Emerson and all the major boiler manufacturers.

“We want to identify something that’s universally acceptable,” said Prof Critoph, explaining that the four partners had already carried out work in a number of complementary areas.

“In many ways this follows on from the work we did within CALEBRE [Consumer-Appealing Low Energy technologies for Building Retrofitting],” Prof Critoph said, adding that this would allow the project to “hit the ground running”.

He also revealed that there would be a focus on studying air-to-water and gas-absorption heat pumps.

The four partners are due to sign legal documents to confirm their involvement by 1 June.

The project will run for five years and be able to diverge its studies if necessary.

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The Crown Capital Management Jakarta International Relations: Indonesia protested over China passports

http://joscemadman.inube.com/blog/3191356/the-crown-capital-management-jakarta-international-relations-indonesia-protested-over-china-passports/



Indonesia has revealed that it protested to Beijing about China’s publication in its passports of its “nine-dash line” claim to almost the entire South China Sea.



Beijing’s decision to print the new map last year prompted protests from the Philippines and Vietnam, which also claim large parts of the South China Sea. India, which has a border dispute with China, also criticised Beijing’s move.



Marty Natalegawa, Indonesia’s foreign minister, told the Financial Times in an interview that Indonesia lodged a protest with Beijing several weeks after the new passports were issued,



“We said that usage of that passport should not be inferred as being a recognition of that claim,” he said. “We exercised nice low key diplomacy but getting our point across.”



At the time that the dispute arose last year, Mr Natalegawa said China’s move was “disingenuous” and that Beijing was “testing the water to see its neighbours’ reactions”, according to the Jakarta Post.



But Indonesia made no public statement at the time about the fact that the nine-dash line cuts through its Exclusive Economic Zone in the gas-rich Natuna Sea, where international energy companies such as ExxonMobil and Total are operating.



Indonesia has long tried to play down its territorial dispute with Beijing for fear of upsetting relations with China, which is a key trade and investment partner.



“We believe that by doing quiet diplomacy we get a better result,” said Evi Fitriani, an international relations expert at the University of Indonesia. “So I'm quite surprised that the foreign minister admitted making this protest.”



Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto, a maritime security analyst at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Indonesia was reluctant to increase tensions with China for fear of inflaming public opinion and risking a damaging economic backlash from Beijing.



But he argued that there was an “increasing risk that Indonesia will be drawn into the fray” as China’s navy continues to grow at a much faster rate than Indonesia’s already inferior maritime forces.



As a thriving, young democracy and a member of the Group of 20 world’s largest economies, Indonesia is keen to play a more active role in regional and global diplomacy. But the rise of China and the recent US “pivot” to Asia have made it more difficult for Jakarta to maintain its traditional position of not aligning with any major powers while remaining friends with all.



“Indonesia is worried about China but they are more worried about being seen to be in any particular camp,” said a senior western diplomat in Jakarta.



Mr Natalegawa has spearheaded Indonesia’s rise on the world stage since he was appointed as foreign minister by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2009.



“We’ve been trying to be the country that connects the dots and brings different elements together in an appropriate and measured way,” he told the FT interview, citing Indonesia’s efforts to convince southeast Asian nations to form a united position on how to resolve maritime disputes with China and to encourage the repressive military junta that ruled Myanmar until 2011 to open up.



But, despite his hopes for collaborative, multilateral diplomacy, the foreign minister accepted that the peace and stability that has allowed Asia to become a key driver of the global economy could come under threat because of the emergence of China as a major power.



“China’s rise, how it transpires, how it plays out, will really determine the state of the region, whether it’s part of the solution or part of the problem,” he said.



But, with some in Beijing fearing that the US rebalance toward Asia is designed to contain China, Mr Natalegawa warned that countries should be careful not to antagonise China unnecessarily.



“In Indonesia on the whole we see China’s rise as an opportunity rather than a threat,” he said. “It’s how we respond to it that could become a threat.”



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Flixya: Indonesia Beef Imports Rife with Corruption on Crown Capital Eco

http://www.flixya.com/blog/5178701/Indonesia-Beef-Imports-Rife-with-Corruption-on-Crown-Capital-Eco

When Indonesia slashed quotas on beef imports in 2011, the goal was to boost domestic production. But the ensuing shortage has pushed prices skyward, and fed a corrupt system where quotas go to the highest bidder.

Several unscrupulous meatball producers were even caught secretly mixing pork with beef to keep costs low.

An ongoing investigation by the anti-corruption commission (KPK) has toppled the president of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), who resigned after being accused of receiving kickbacks from executives of a major meat importer, Indoguna.

Industry players said that endemic graft worsened after the government slashed import quotas in 2011 from 100,000 tones a year in 2011 to 40,000 tones last year and 32,000 tones this year. Some beef importers began bribing officials to get a share of the pie, and smuggled beef into the country.

Indonesian Meat Importers Association executive director Thomas Sembiring told The Straits Times that so long as meat import quotas are imposed and enforcement is "not transparent", graft will remain a problem. 

"Bribery, corruption — it's already in their bone marrow. You have to cut down maybe two generations to get rid [of it]."

The big problem, said Franky Sibarani, deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian employers association Apindo, is that there are no good numbers on demand and supply "and therefore, lack of enforcement of the quota."

Late last month, PKS president Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq resigned and was detained after his aide Ahmad Fathanah was caught with one billion rupiah ($103,000). The money was allegedly a bribe from Indoguna directors to Luthfi, who has influence with officials at the Agriculture Ministry led by fellow PKS member Suswono.

Days after his arrest, Customs officers found 1.7 tones of undeclared wagyu beef in a raid at Jakarta's Tanjong Priok port, brought in by Indoguna.

Importers said the process of securing a share of these quotas is opaque and open to abuse at various levels of government.

Investigative magazine Tempo, which broke the story on corrupt practices in beef imports in 2011, reported last week that a businessman had been offered a slice of the quota if he was willing to pay 10,000 rupiah a kilo in bribes.

Since quotas were slashed two years ago, the price of beef for the public has more than doubled, on average, to hit some 100,000 rupiah a kilo.

In December, consumers were outraged when police and agriculture officials, acting on a tip-off, raided a factory in South Jakarta and found workers had mixed beef with pork, which is much cheaper, to make meatballs.

Ultimately, critics said, the quotas should be reconsidered as local production is a long way off from meeting rising consumption.

"Indonesia cannot produce live cattle in time to cater to rising consumption from a growing middle-income group, foreign workers and tourists," Siswono Yudhohusodo, who is in the parliamentary committee on agriculture, told reporters. 

"The government needs to rethink its agrarian policy."

Indonesia Fraud Watch Crown Capital Eco Management - So when did Environmentalism lose its soul?

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The Vermont Times Argus published a spot-on review of a new book by Bill McKibben -one of the many who has made a career out of jetting between conferences about tyhe environment and speaking opportunities.
Its written by Suzanna Jones, described as “an off-the-grid farmer living in Walden.She does not object to local power – but disagrees with McKibben about the trend towards industrial scale renewables. It is, she says, part of the mainstreaming of the environmental movement.

In his 2008 book “Deep Economy,” Bill McKibben concludes that economic growth is the source of the ecological crises we face today. He explains that when the economy grows larger than necessary to meet our basic needs – when it grows for the sake of growth, automatically striving for “more” – its social and environmental costs greatly outweigh any benefits it may provide.

Unfortunately, McKibben seems to have forgotten what he so passionately argued just five years ago. Today he is an advocate of industrial wind turbines on our ridgelines: He wants to industrialize our last wild spaces to feed the very economy he fingered as the source of our environmental problems.

His key assumption is that industrial wind power displaces the use of coal and oil, and therefore helps limit climate change. But since 2000, wind facilities with a total capacity equivalent to 350 coal-fired power plants have been installed worldwide, and today there are more – not fewer – coal-fired power plants operating.

(In Vermont, the sale of renewable energy credits to out-of-state utilities enables them to avoid mandates to reduce their fossil fuel dependency, meaning that there is no net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.)

At best, industrial wind simply adds more energy to the global supply. And what for? More! More energy than the grid can carry, more idiotic water parks, more snowmaking, more electronic gadgets, more money for corporations.

Why should we spend millions of dollars to destroy wildlife habitat, kill bats and eagles, pollute our headwaters, fill valuable wetlands, polarize our communities, make people sick, mine rare-earth metals – just to ensure that we can consume as much or more next year than we did this year?

The costs of industrial wind far outweigh the benefits – unless you are a wind developer. Federal production tax credits and other subsidies have fostered a gold rush mentality among wind developers, who have been abetted by political and environmental leaders who want to appear “green” without challenging the underlying causes of our crises.

Meanwhile, average Vermonters find themselves without any ability to protect their communities or the ecosystems of which they are a part. The goal of an industrial wind moratorium is to stop the gold rush so we can have an honest discussion on these issues.

Why does this frighten proponents of big wind? Because once carefully examined, industrial wind will be exposed for the scam that it is.

McKibben’s current attitude toward the environment has been adopted by politicians, corporations, and the big environmental organizations. Environmentalism has been successfully mainstreamed, at the cost of its soul.

This co-opted version isn’t about protecting the land base from the ever-expanding empire of humans. It’s about sustaining the comfort levels we feel entitled to without exhausting the resources required. It is entirely human-centered and hollow, and it serves corporate capitalism well.

In “Deep Economy,” McKibben points out that the additional “stuff” provided by an ever-growing economy doesn’t leave people happier; instead, the source of authentic happiness is a healthy connection to nature and community. As Vermonters have already discovered, industrial wind destroys both.

What industrial wind represents should be obvious to everyone: This is business as usual disguised as concern for the Earth. Far from genuine “environmentalism,” it is the same profit- and growth-driven destruction that is at the root of every ecological crisis we face.

Nature News - Crown Capital Management Jakarta Indonesia

Protein to combat reef-destroying starfish

A group of scientists in Australia has announced this week an potentially effective way to eliminate the destructive starfish, crown of thorns, that are feasting on coral reefs in the Pacific ocean.

The crown of thorns is already prominent in the Pacific and Indian Ocean where they feed mainly on coral polyps. Outbreaks of the large and poisonous starfish are blamed for the massive destruction of corals.

The Great Barrier Reef is located in the northeastern coast of Australia and composed of thousands of reef formations. The report by Australian Institute of Marine Science showed that almost half of the coral reef is gone compared to its size 30 years ago.

Clearly, the first phase would be to remove the voracious eaters, starfish, and convince farming operations to reduce their chemical-laden runoffs that victimize coral, and in some cases even support the starfish growth.

James Cook University in Queensland announced their discovery of a bacteria culture that could help in preserving the Great Barrier Reef by killing the culprit, starfish. The protein mixture where the bacteria is cultured was discovered to be capable of destroying starfish within 24 hours.

According to researchers of the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at the university, the next phase will deal with determining how safe the protein is when it comes to other marine life.

“In developing a biological control you have to be very careful to target only the species you are aiming at, and be certain that it can cause no harm to other species or to the wider environment. This compound looks very promising from that standpoint — though there is a lot of tank testing still to do before we would ever consider trialing it in the sea,” said Professor Morgan Pratchett of the ARC center.

However, this discovery alone is not enough to curb the massive outbreaks of starfish being seen today.

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A solution for Asian carp infestation

Crown Capital Management Jakarta Indonesia – Brought from the East to aid in managing aquatic plants in aquaculture industries, Asian carp has been unwittingly introduced to freshwater sources of the US. Today, they are seen as a big problem in the fishing industry for their big appetite and fast breeding, overshadowing other fish for space and food in lakes.

Asian carp presence has been recorded in around 18 states and is already established in the areas of Missouri and Illinois. The fish threatening to mess with the USD 7 billion sport and commercial fishing industry of the Great Lakes can grow up to 100 pounds and measure over 4 feet.

Some are saying that the easy solution for this is closing the canal systems and any other point of entry of asian carps. However, such a step will certainly cost billions, not only in construction but also in lost profit from boat traffic that uses the canal system.

Last resort options to prevent upsetting the marine biodiversity in the Great Lakes are harmful to other industries and would also worsen the road traffic, ergo an increase in carbon emissions.

The Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework of the government is set to allocate USD 51.5 billion to protect the Great Lakes from the asian carp infestation. This program apparently involves methods to kill or drive them away, from poison pellets to soundwave-shooting underwater guns.

A more permanent and beneficial solution seems to be to catch the asian carps and turn them into foodstuffs like what Schafer Fisheries in Illinois is doing. Schafer has been selling 10 million lbs of asian carp across the world, satisfying a demand for them in other parts of the world while helping their locality get rid of a major headache. Asian carps can be processed into food products like sausage, jerk, hotdogs and can also be included in fertilizers. Even if this one industry will not be enough to totally stop the proliferation of Asian carp, it can at least be a major step in finding a solution.

Asian carp is a collective term for several species of carp: grass carp, black carp, silver carp and bighead carp. Read Full Story at http://marionyusef.edublogs.org/