·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
• • • • •

Via Docuticker.

World Energy Use Projected to Grow 44 Percent Between 2006 and 2030
Source: Energy Information Administration

World marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 44 percent between 2006 and 2030, driven by strong long-term economic growth in the developing nations of the world, according to the reference case projection from the International Energy Outlook 2009 (IEO2009) released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The current global economic downturn will dampen world energy demand in the near term, as manufacturing and consumer demand for goods and services slows. However, with economic recovery anticipated to begin within the next 12 to 24 months, most nations are expected to see energy consumption growth at rates anticipated prior to the recession. Total world energy use rises from 472 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2006 to 552 quadrillion Btu in 2015 and then to 678 quadrillion Btu in 2030.

World oil prices have fallen sharply from their July 2008 high mark. As the world’s economies recover, higher world oil prices are assumed to return and to persist through 2030. In the IEO2009 reference case, world oil prices rise to $110 per barrel in 2015 (in real 2007 dollars) and $130 per barrel in 2030. Total liquid fuels and other petroleum consumption in 2030 is projected to be 22 million barrels per day higher than the 2006 level of 85 million barrels per day. In the reference case, conventional oil supplies from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) contribute 8.2 million barrels per day to the total increase in world liquid fuels production, and conventional supplies from non-OPEC countries add another 3.4 million barrels per day.

In addition, unconventional resources (including biofuels, oil sands, extra-heavy oil, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids) from both non-OPEC and OPEC sources are expected to become increasingly competitive in the reference case. World production of unconventional resources, which totaled 3.1 million barrels per day in 2006, increases to 13.4 million barrels per day in 2030 in the reference case, accounting for 13 percent of total world liquids supply in 2030.

Recent experience demonstrates that world oil prices can be extremely volatile and, as a result, the IEO2009 includes three world oil price cases that span a very broad range in 2030, from $50 (in 2007 dollars) per barrel in the low price case to $200 per barrel in the high price case. These price paths translate to a fairly broad range of potential supply outlooks in 2030, ranging from 90 million barrels per day in the high price case to 120 million barrels per day in the low price case (compared to 107 million barrels per day in the reference case).

+ International Energy Outlook 2009

Via Docuticker.

Top 20 U.S. Counties by Annual Carbon Emissions
Source: Clean Tech Law & Business

The residents of Camden County, Alabama spend a larger share of their paycheck on gasoline than residents of any other county in the United States. The average household in Camden County earns $26,000 every year, or roughly half the national average. Combined with long daily commutes for most residents, Camden County has placed first for the second year in a row, spent a higher portion of their income on gas than anyone else in the country, according to a new study from the Oil Price Information Service, a research firm that tracks data for AAA. In Camden, drivers put 13% of every paycheck right into the gas tank. In wealthy towns around New York City, people spend less than 2% of their income on gas. Ironically, despite the high gas prices, the state of Alabama has the highest carbon emissions from power plants in the country, producing over 28 million tons of CO2 each year. And yet, not even Alabama can compete with the insanely high emissions in Wyoming, which has the highest per capita emissions at the state level.

Now, for the first time, a new study by the Vulcan Project has pinned down carbon emissions at the county level, providing a far more granular view of carbon emissions at the local level.

Hat tip: RE

Via Docuticker.

New Report: California Businesses Could Save More Than Enough Water to Supply Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council

In the midst of a third consecutive dry year, California’s water supply continues to shrink as the state’s population grows, but according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the state’s commercial, industrial and institutional (CII) sector has the tools to save more than enough water to meet the annual needs of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego combined. Some leading California businesses and institutions are already catching on – saving water and money at the same time.
…
In February of 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger called for a 20 percent reduction in per capita water use by 2020, and legislation to help reach that target is currently pending in the State Assembly (AB 49). California’s CII sector – which includes office buildings, hotels, oil refineries, golf courses, schools and universities, restaurants and manufacturers – is responsible for one-third of urban water use, making progress in this sector essential to reaching this reduction goal. The CII sector uses the equivalent of more than a million Olympic-sized swimming pools of water annually. NRDC estimates California businesses could save about 25-50 percent of that water with efficiency measures, or as much as 700,000 -1.3 million acre-feet – the equivalent to 350,000-650,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

+ Making Every Drop Work

Via Docuticker.

Measures of Appliance Energy Efficiency That Reflect the Full Fuel Cycle Would Provide Consumers With Clearer Picture of Energy Use, Environmental Impacts
Source: National Research Council

The U.S. Department of Energy should consider gradually changing its system of setting appliance energy-efficiency standards to a full-fuel-cycle measurement, which takes into account both the energy used to operate an appliance, as well as upstream energy costs — energy consumed in producing and distributing fuels from coal, oil, and natural gas, and energy lost in generating and delivering electric power. This change would offer consumers more complete information on household energy consumption and its environmental impacts, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council.

Currently, DOE sets appliance efficiency standards using primarily “site” (or point-of-use) measurements, which reflect only the energy consumed to operate the appliance. Site measurements allow consumers to compare energy efficiency among appliances, but offer no information about other energy costs involved. For example, site measurements may indicate that, in the home, an electric water heater operates with 90 percent efficiency while a natural gas water heater operates with 65 percent efficiency. Full-fuel-cycle measurements would also take into account the upstream energy costs that are involved in providing either electricity or natural gas. Energy losses in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity can be as high as 70 percent to 75 percent, whereas losses incurred in the distribution of natural gas are only about 10 percent. Therefore, using full-fuel-cycle measurements, the natural gas water heater may be considered the more energy-efficient appliance.

According to the report, site measurements are appropriate when setting standards for appliances in the same class — based on fuel type, technology, and capacity — that use only one type of fuel. When considering appliances that use multiple fuel types (e.g., a heating system with a gas furnace and an electric fan) or comparing appliances that perform the same function (e.g., space cooling or water heating) but use different types of fuel, the full-fuel-cycle measurement would provide a more complete picture of energy consumption.

Read full report for free online. (National Academies Press)

Read the full story in Waste & Recycling News.

Dell and Goodwill Industries International are expanding a free drop-off program for consumers to recycle any brand of unwanted computer equipment.

The program is expanding to 451 new donation sites in seven additional states ù Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The program in Wisconsin is also expanding to the southeastern and South Central parts of the state.

Read the full post at OhMyGov. There are some excellent suggestions here.

Eco Alternative Solutions is offering 25 cities the chance to participate in a 90 day no cost trial sustainability program to show real time comparisons and projected cost savings with their lighting systems. See the full press release for more information.