MorganEnergy

The January 2009 issue of EEnergy Informer is now available. Here is the contents list:

• Dawn of a new energy era?
• Bending to Pressures, EU Waters Down Its Cap and Trade Scheme
• California Forges Ahead On Carbon Diet Despite Economic Woes
• Coal Gets A Wakeup Call On Both Sides Of The Atlantic
• Poznan As A Precursor To Copenhagen?
• Buffett Gets The Last Laugh As EDP Snaps Constellation
• Drowning In Cheap Oil? Enjoy It While It Lasts
• Can China Meet Its Ambitious Wind Targets?
• Environmentalists Wish Comes True: Un-damming The Dams
• Hawaii To Get Off Its Extreme Oil Addiction
• Energy Conservation South African Style: Cut Back Or Else
• Energy Efficiency Can Cut US Electricity Demand In Half

The article on dam removal is available for free. All other articles currently require a subscription to the paper edition of the magazine. To subscribe to EEnergy Informer click here.

A gas pipeline is a long tube containing material moving at speed. And that means that you can…

…put a turbine in it and generate electricity.

Or at least that’s the latest whizz idea for carbon-free generation in the UK. The Guardian has more on the story. The pilot scheme will be a 20MW unit, but the proponents believe that there is potential for up to 1 GW of generation throughout the UK.

Update: Capacity of pilot system correct – thanks Mike.

California has come up with yet another way to reduce energy consumption, and it has solid green credentials. The idea is simple. If you grow trees on the south side of your house then they will shade it against the sun, and you’ll need less air conditioning.

Hint: please don’t plant redwoods. Beautiful as they are, you really don’t want one of those giants next to your house. Eucalypts are also not a good idea, because they are very fond of burning.

Today’s Guardian reports on a row that has erupted over the bidding process for the proposed Severn Barrage. The scheme is now very high on the British government’s priority list because it promises a quick fix to the UK’s generation woes (at least 5GW of new renewable generation) and a high profile project that politicians can be photographed in front of and claim as a legacy. But will it be economic? And will it destroy valuable natural habitats and disrupt the local shipping economy? That depends on how it is implemented.

The DECC is currently looking at proposals for the project, but one bidder, Tidal Electric, which claims to have a low-cost, low-impact solution, complains that its bid has been disadvantaged because the consultants hired to run the selection process have changed the specifications of their plan so as to make it much more expensive.

This is, of course, going to be a very big project, so there is a lot of money at stake. Expect more such rows before (if ever) the project gets approval. It is a good time to be a lawyer.