tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29289120550304814842023-11-16T04:14:45.415-08:00Renewable Energy TechnologyTom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-52880687696254591852010-02-18T08:23:00.000-08:002010-02-18T08:31:48.665-08:00Climate Change & Gravity's Rainbow in 600 Words or Less"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."<br />
<a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke">Edmund Burke</a>.<br />
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Half a lifetime ago, I wrote my MA thesis on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon">Thomas Pynchon</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity%27s_Rainbow">Gravity's Rainbow</a>.<br />
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Pynchon's novels are notoriously difficult reads, but very rewarding for those willing to take the time to follow the bouncing ball. Part of his genius is in the way he weaves a narrative through seemingly disparate ideas using metaphor. Another part of his genius lies in forcing the reader beyond the metaphor to a deeper understanding. Metaphors: he makes them and he breaks them.<br />
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The overarching metaphor (pun intended) of Gravity's Rainbow is, well, gravity's rainbow: the parabola that describes the trajectory of a rocket, as well as the rise and fall of civilizations and perhaps the human species itself.<br />
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In my MA thesis, I looked at three of Gravity's Rainbow's recurring themes: entropy (from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics">second law of thermodynamics</a>), technique ("the totality of methods rationally arrived at and having absolute efficiency in every field of human activity" - <a href="http://people.usd.edu/%7Essanto/ellul.html">Jacques Ellul</a>), and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_drive">Freudian death instinct</a> (the unconscious desire of the animate to return to an inanimate state).<br />
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How are these themes tied together by the parabola metaphor?<br />
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<b>Entropy </b>is the destination. It is a common <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thermodynamics">joke</a> among scientists to sum up the four laws of thermodynamics (including the later-postulated Zeroth law) as "you must play the game; you can't win; you can't break even; you can't quit the game." We move inexorably toward a state of equilibrium. In thermodynamic terms, equilibrium is absolute zero. In cultural terms, entropy is the tendency for things to run down, for civilizations and empires to fall.<br />
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<b>Technique </b>is the vehicle. It is our unthinking and efficient application of technology, operating outside of moral or ethical consideration.* It is our tendency to do things because we can, and not because such things are desirable ends in themselves. (Think Alberta tar sands. Think nuclear proliferation.)<br />
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The <b>Freudian death instinct</b> is the driving force -- the reason for the trip. It is our perverse tendency to act counter-intuitively and even unconciously against our best interests.<br />
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All of these themes are fatalistic in nature. They're about inevitability, as is the rocket's parabola -- gravity's rainbow. Once launched, the rocket has no choice but to follow it's trajectory to it's own annihilation.<br />
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But we are not rockets. And metaphors are not reality. Pynchon breaks the gravity's rainbow metaphor by applying vector calculus to the parabola, turning historical inevitability into a nearly infinite collection of individual actions, or vectors, on an arc. The arc describes the trend of history, but it is not history itself. History consists of a large number of individual acts, or individual vectors. The parabola may describe the most likely scenario, but it is only inevitable if good people do nothing to alter the course of history. Not easy, but not impossible either.<br />
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When Pynchon wrote Gravity's Rainbow, nuclear annihilation was the greatest threat facing humanity. Today, an argument may be made that climate change is an equal threat. In fact, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=pgaKp7wzNIQC&dq=james+lovelock+the+vanishing+face+of+gaia&source=bl&ots=zbw_pk-eOJ&sig=za2EKT7y9zTNMZyNkcdXF6gNpYo&hl=en&ei=QV99S7aXFM-ztgeE6NCvBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBoQ6AEwBA">James Lovelock</a> <i>has </i>made that argument. In Lovelock's view, climate change may very well be inevitable, but our reaction to it isn't, provided we have the courage to think, to assume personal responsibility, and to act consciously according to our collective best interests.<br />
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*The difference between moral and ethical? Tiger Woods may be a moral man who believes that it is wrong to cheat on his wife, but he is not an ethical man, because he did cheat on his wife.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-47124979371609620062010-02-14T07:29:00.000-08:002010-02-14T07:29:22.418-08:00Cognitive Conservatism and Climate Change DenialSome call the human animal the rational animal, but I prefer to think of us as animals that rationalize. We don't generally start with empirical evidence, then formulate our beliefs accordingly. We start with what we want to believe, then find ways to justify those beliefs.<br />
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In her recent book, <i><a href="http://yalepress.yale.edu/Yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300140347">Natural Reflections: Human Cognition at the Nexus of Science and Religion</a></i>, Barbara Hernnstein Smith discusses the human tendency toward "cognitive conservatism," which she defines as:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #080000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;">[P]eople’s tendency to retain their beliefs, intellectual as well as religious, in the face of what strike other people as conclusively refuting arguments or clearly disconfirming evidence.</span></span></blockquote><br />
When it comes to climate change, this cognitive conservatism has a huge financial upside. If you drill for oil for a living, you have great incentive not to believe in climate change, and to find justifications using pseudoscience, or to accuse others of using pseudoscience to support the existence of climate change caused by human activities. <br />
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Combine this willful ignorance with the statistic that 40% of Americans (and somewhat fewer Canadians) believe, in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_earth_creationism">the Earth is only 6 to 10 thousand years old</a>*, and you have a pretty poor climate for rational debate.<br />
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<a href="http://kgb.com/">kgb.com</a><span id="goog_1266157377695"></span><span id="goog_1266157377696"></span>, the online answer service, plays this problem for laughs in their banned Super Bowl ad:<br />
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It's really no wonder that people have a hard time distinguishing between the concept of weather and the concept of climate.<br />
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*Reported by Richard Dawkins in <a href="http://richarddawkins.net/RDbooks"><i>The Greatest Show on Earth</i></a>.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-84256764114350212282010-02-13T09:06:00.000-08:002010-02-13T09:09:28.079-08:00America's Cup - Harnessing the Wind with High TechThe world of competitive sailing is embracing the need to use energy more efficiently. One look at the revolutionary yacht designs in this year's <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/index.html">America's Cup</a> match racing event will convince you of that:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvvhdF5y3mn5go_H2BtYczoEqx7mYG4A8rbM-clNToLxg_-ePRpPFmelEVe8l5hGmKBI3kyOXAKxaoqpIMhuLMiI7Z-MAnNKyMiRruYzuQyQ2cSj6PYKQjAL7rCDfwSLTMvGhfQqF-Zc/s1600-h/AmericasCup001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvvhdF5y3mn5go_H2BtYczoEqx7mYG4A8rbM-clNToLxg_-ePRpPFmelEVe8l5hGmKBI3kyOXAKxaoqpIMhuLMiI7Z-MAnNKyMiRruYzuQyQ2cSj6PYKQjAL7rCDfwSLTMvGhfQqF-Zc/s400/AmericasCup001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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And it's not just the giant yachts. Have a look at <a href="http://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/boat-reviews/bladerider-moth-the-unbearable-lightness-of-moth-ing-53964.html">Bladerider Moth</a> competition:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifETa5IXYLckLhUuFKbf6ZKXqK80OqHjz6ym18HNu7xZr_CyEYui7KvmETlgZwwUPcIgZXpnjFkJpsMi5vN_D0Z4OB8axy_gHgpr8AW019TB5huwF2GOfMfyJnrukBQJ-GWmwX9WFEsSA/s1600-h/BladeriderMoth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifETa5IXYLckLhUuFKbf6ZKXqK80OqHjz6ym18HNu7xZr_CyEYui7KvmETlgZwwUPcIgZXpnjFkJpsMi5vN_D0Z4OB8axy_gHgpr8AW019TB5huwF2GOfMfyJnrukBQJ-GWmwX9WFEsSA/s400/BladeriderMoth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
These sailing dinghies use horizontal, ultra-light, carbon fibre foils to lift the boat out of the water in as little as 5 knots of breeze, allowing the boat to travel at nearly twice the apparent wind speed. They can reach speeds of close to 30 knots (60 kmh) downwind.<br />
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It's more than just the need for speed driving innovation in the sailing world. Check out the <a href="http://www.velux5oceans.com/fr/actualites/eco-60-introduced-by-david-adams-former-competitor-and-now-velux-5-oceans-race-director/">Eco 60 class</a> of the <a href="http://www.velux5oceans.com/">Velux 5 Oceans around-the-world solo race</a>:<br />
<blockquote>The Eco 60 class will also be governed by regulations designed to promote ideas to improve the ecological and environmental impact of such events on the planet. These very specific rules, to be published in the coming months, will seek to limit fossil fuel consumption and encourage wind and solar power, taking a message of sustainable living around the world. </blockquote>Watch the <a href="http://www.sail-world.com/Canada/Americas-Cup---Racing-with-Live-Video-on-Sail-World.com/66219">America's Cup live feed</a>.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-53231542711576491622010-02-08T06:40:00.000-08:002010-02-08T06:40:27.906-08:00Making the Best of Available Energy vs. Making More EnergyThe world of yachting illustrates the difference clearly. Just look at the <a href="http://bmworacleracing.com/en/index.html?track.refer=">BMW Oracle</a> entry in this year's <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/index.html">America's Cup</a>. Boat speed has always been a critical factor in yacht racing, but this year's event takes the need for speed to new levels.<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hNuAWk89Aew&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=es_ES&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hNuAWk89Aew&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=es_ES&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-89011967919721861872010-02-08T06:29:00.000-08:002010-02-08T06:29:16.187-08:00Wind Turbines - Looking Backwards to Move ForwardsSometimes you have to look at where you've been to figure out where you're going.<br />
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It's no coincidence that windmills look like airplane propellers. What would wind power look like if we started thinking about jet planes instead of propeller-driven aircraft?<br />
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Something like <a href="http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/jet-engines-new-wind-power-technology/">this</a>. <a href="http://www.flodesignwindturbine.org/">FloDesign</a>'s wind turbine technology takes its inspiration from jet engines.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-7641812112347854562010-02-01T05:39:00.000-08:002010-02-01T05:39:51.073-08:00Can We Count on Wind Power 100%?<a href="http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/convert-to-100-wind-power/">Alternative Energy</a> has an interesting piece on a Danish project to test the viability of 100% dependence on wind power. It turns out the answer is a resounding "yes and no."<br />
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The article's author says that a small Danish island in the North Sea is a perfect place to test the hypothesis, because "the wind literally never stops blowing ."<br />
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Well, no. As a Great Lakes sailor, I know how fickle the wind can be when you're not in the Roaring Forties or the North Sea. Of course you can count on wind power if you live in a wind tunnel. The real test would lie in maximizing the use of wind power in an inland environment where the wind varies from zero to 50 km/h.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-60693204312203047152009-11-19T13:42:00.000-08:002009-11-19T13:42:19.949-08:00Peak Oil - Now, Soon, or Decades from NowThere are conflicting views on this topic. <a href="http://www.cera.com/aspx/cda/client/report/report.aspx?KID=5&CID=10720#top">Cambridge Energy Research Associates</a> (CERA) recently published a study claiming that peak oil is decades away. According to the <a href="http://www.iea.org/">International Energy Agency</a> (IEA), we will reach peak oil in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/15/global-oil-supply-peak-2020-prediction">2020</a>. <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/hubbert/current-events.html">Some</a> believe we have already passed the peak, and lest you think such people are merely cranks, remember that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._King_Hubbert">M. King Hubbert</a>, originator of the peak oil hypothesis, was regarded that way in 1956, before events proved him right.<br />
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In reality, we will only know in retrospect when peak oil has occurred, because there are too many variables to account for. Variables include demand, and lowering the demand for oil through renewable energy technologies could very possibly move the moment of peak oil further out.<br />
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But if you are a worrier by nature, there are <a href="http://www.greenbang.com/pick-your-peak-which-resource-runs-out-first_12621.html">other peaks</a> you can focus on.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-30365407904901994522009-11-18T06:19:00.000-08:002009-11-18T06:19:16.035-08:00Ambient EnergyEnergy is all around us. That is, it is ambient. It cannot be destroyed, but it can be converted. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics">first law of thermodynamics</a> is about as basic as you can get in the discussion of energy. Wouldn't it make sense to find ways to harvest this ambient energy? Wouldn't it make sense to find ways to expend as little energy as possible in harvesting such energy? In developing energy-efficient ways of harvesting ambient energy?<br />
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Instead we tend to devote incredible amounts of energy to harvesting non-renewable resources such as the <a href="http://www.suncor.com/en/newsroom/2418.aspx?id=3274">Alberta tar sands</a>. Is it worth the energy we spend to harvest a resource that damages the environment, and which we will eventually have to find a replacement for anyway?<br />
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Fortunately, some people are working on <a href="http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/harvesting-ambient-energy-nature/">harvesting ambient, non-liear, self-sustaining energy</a>.<br />
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We need to <a href="http://runtime-marketing.blogspot.com/2009/11/different-thinking-in-times-of.html">think differently</a> before we can act differently. Remember the common definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-504555244389137292009-11-17T07:03:00.000-08:002009-11-17T07:57:06.704-08:00Pedal-Powered ComputerI wasn't sure whether to file this one under renewable energy technologies or <a href="http://www.runtimemarketing.com/health-wellness-blog.php">health & wellness</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://laptop.org/en/">One Laptop Per Child</a> (OLPC), an international organization dedicated to creating educational opportunities for the world's poorest children, has announced that OLPC Afghanistan has developed a <a href="http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/pedal-powered-laptops-afghanistan/">pedal-powered laptop computer</a> that an 8-year-old child can run.<br />
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Now if we could just develop a similar solution for high-definition plasma TVs, we might have a solution for the <a href="http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/facts/obesity/en/">epidemic of obesity</a> facing certain Western nations. In Canada, according to a <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/prbpubs/prb0511-e.htm">Library of Parliament study</a>, there are approximately 4.5 million obese people.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-27726870019405596482009-11-09T10:35:00.000-08:002009-11-09T10:35:22.299-08:00Plastic from Green AlgaeThey say that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes (especially in marketing), invention seems to be the mother of necessity. In the case of <a href="http://www.cereplast.com/homepage.php">Cereplast's</a> announcement that it has developed a <a href="http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/green-algae-used-to-make-plastics-that-dont-contain-petroleum/1834/">plastic made from green algae</a>, perhaps both statements are true.<br />
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At first look, this seems to be a positive development. Harvesting a plentiful and renewable natural resource to replace petroleum-based plastics should be a good thing. It would certainly be better news than the harvesting of corn to make bio-fuels, which ties up rare agricultural land for fuel production.<br />
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However, we may have to examine our premises a bit more closely. Is green algae a plentiful natural resource? In <a href="http://books.google.ca/books?id=pgaKp7wzNIQC&dq=jeffrey+polovina+algae&source=gbs_navlinks_s">The Vanishing Face of Gaia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lovelock">James Lovelock</a> notes that ocean algae is disappearing at an alarming rate as a result of global warming, and since ocean algae serve to reflect solar heat back into space, its disappearance is a further catalyst to global warming. Catch-22.<br />
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When we develop technological solutions, we should ensure the solutions are not creating new technological problems. We shouldn't confuse what we can do with what we should do, and every new energy technology needs to pass a simple, Hippocratic-type acid test: does it first of all do no harm?<br />
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Yes, we need to continue to research alternatives to petroleum-based products, but we also need to work on the behavioral aspects of the problem and reduce our dependence on such products.Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-24995639805579350432009-11-05T12:33:00.000-08:002009-11-05T12:34:59.204-08:00Will You Bet Against Warren Buffet?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Warren Buffet says his $26 billion purchase of the </span></span><a href="http://www.bnsf.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Burlington Northern Santa Fe</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> railroad is an "all-in wager on the economic future of the United States." Buffet, who famously did not buy into the Internet Bubble, has a pretty impressive track record when it comes to predicting the economic future.<br />
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So what does that economic future look like according to Buffet?<br />
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</span></span><a href="http://industry.bnet.com/energy/10002430/buffet-bets-the-farm-on-strong-rail-cheap-coal-expensive-oil/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Strong rail, cheap coal, expensive oil</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">, according to some analysts.<br />
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You can easily follow the logic concerning oil and railways. In an age of peak oil production, as oil prices rise, trucking goods around the country becomes less and less competitive with rail transport. But how does cheap coal fit in?<br />
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There is admittedly a very plentiful supply of coal still in the ground in the US, Canada, UK and other areas of the World. However, regulations on CO2 emissions would seem to diminish the prospects for coal.<br />
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So what is Buffet's Bet? Is he betting that:</span></span><br />
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<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There will be some miraculous development in clean coal technology?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The exorbitant cost of oil will make coal the only viable option for the US economy?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Regardless of domestic use, coal will be exported to China where economic growth will continue to outstrip that of Western nations?</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The last option kind of misses the boat on CO2 emissions. It doesn't matter where in the World the coal is burned -- it will still have the same effect on climate change.<br />
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And whose economy is he really betting on?</span></span>Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-12103255905737414982009-11-04T05:25:00.000-08:002009-11-04T05:25:19.082-08:00Royals to Meet with CBSR<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visit Toronto today, they will meet with representatives of </span></span><a href="http://www.cbsr.ca/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR)</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, a non-profit organization dedicated to the idea that corporate responsibility and business success go hand in hand.<br />
<br />
</span></span><a href="http://www.cbsr.ca/node/269"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Adine Mees</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, President & CEO of CBSR:</span></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This meeting provides a unique opportunity for Canadian leaders to learn from and exchange ideas with one of the world’s foremost advocates for corporate social responsibility. CBSR is extremely pleased to be able to convene a powerful group of leaders to discuss the transformational change of our economy.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The meeting with the Royals occurs just one day before CBSR's Annual Summit, </span></span><a href="http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=c7884e1a-9c8d-4490-b505-24f87e8579c6"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Transformational Corporate Social Responsibility</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, taking place at the Fairmont Royal York November 5, 2009.</span></span>Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2928912055030481484.post-60151676607960134482009-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:002009-10-08T08:36:12.225-07:00Samsung, Canadian Hydro Wind Farms on Lake Erie<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm a sailor, so I pay attention to the wind with some part of my mind at all times.<br /><br />The other day, Environment Canada issued wind warnings for most of the north shore of Lake Erie, and I immediately thought about a recent article in The Globe and Mail on the </span></span><a href="http://www.samsung.com/ca/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Samsung Corporation's</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> rumoured plans to build a </span></span><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/samsung-in-talks-to-set-up-renewable-energy-business-in-ontario/article1303087/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">wind farm on the Ontario shore of Lake Erie</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. No shortage of wind there.<br /><br />The wind farm, which would stretch about 25 kilometres from Port Maitland to Nanticoke, would consist of approximately 200 wind turbines, and might also include up to 50 turbines on Six Nations land.<br /><br />A few days following the Samsung announcement </span></span><a href="http://www.canhydro.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Canadian Hydro Developers Inc.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> announced that it has secured the rights for an </span></span><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/cdn-hydro-to-buy-wind-project/article1304987/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">offshore wind farm</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> in the waters of Lake Erie. The turbines would be located between 5 and 30 kilometres offshore.<br /><br />Both of these announcements may be directly attributable to Ontario's newly passed </span></span><a href="http://news.ontario.ca/mei/en/2009/05/ontario-legislature-passes-green-energy-act.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Green Energy and Economy Act</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, which includes a "feed-in" tariff that pays producers 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.</span><br /></span></span>Tom Woodheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14131000462120640094noreply@blogger.com0