Coal leads EPA regulations

In February 2009 the coal industry lobby published the following post on the blog "Coal Can Do That"

Coal-to-Gas is Off-the-Shelf Energy Solution

Dr. Frank Clemente

The Question: “How can we obtain enough NG at affordable prices to (1) power over 400,000 MW of NG based generation capacity, (2) heat tens of millions of homes and buildings, (3) meet the needs of manufacturing and agriculture, and (4) make ethanol, fertilizer and other energy related products?

The Answer: We can’t.

Enter substitute natural gas (SNG), the product of coal gasification, an established technology that has been around for a century and currently in use throughout the world. SNG facilities can now be made “carbon storage ready” to take advantage of emerging technologies in CO2 capture, leading the way to a virtually emission free use of coal. The captured CO2 can then be stored indefinitely or more productively, be utilized to recover “stranded” oil in depleted fields throughout the nation. Texas alone, for example, has over 35 billion barrels of potentially recoverable oil using CO2 injection.

In addition, SNG technology:

• Produces pipeline quality NG equivalents that can be used to fuel power plants, heat homes and manufacture a wide range of goods.
• Removes 95% of the mercury and virtually 100% of the sulfur. Further, the captured sulfur can be used to make fertilizer and the ash from combustion of coal can be used to make roads and related infrastructure.
• Provides fuel for the hundreds of NG dependent power plants we imprudently built over the past decade based on erroneous predictions of NG price and production. In short, prices have escalated and production has stagnated leaving many NG power plants too expensive to operate.
• Boost the economy of local communities and provide well paying jobs. A planned SNG state-of-the-art facility in Kentucky, for example, will create 1,200 construction jobs for four years, 500 permanent jobs and pump over $100 million into the economy of host Muhlenberg County and surrounding communities.

SNG is a prime example of how off the shelf clean coal conversion technologies can improve our quality of life and fully unlock the socioeconomic value of our greatest energy resource – coal. And the ability to remove just about all the sulfur will open up new vistas for use of coal resources in many states. Missouri, for example, has substantial coal resources that are relatively high in sulfur. SNG will open the door to these resources and significantly benefit economic growth in such states.

In August 2012 the coal industry lobby published the following post to oppose EPA regulations asking that it deliver on what it said in 2009 - "Coal Can Do That" (cut mercury emissions).
Go figure.

New EPA Rules Cost Jobs and Growth

A wave of U.S. EPA regulations would reduce coal use and cost families an average of $270  every year -- at a time when millions are struggling. Low-cost energy from coal is an engine of economic growth, responsible for nearly 7 million jobs and $1 trillion in GDP. Take action to keep costs low and jobs at home.
Go to the site
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Four new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency would further regulate the operation of coal-fueled power plants. The most expensive of these is called the Utility mercury and other hazardous emissions (MACT) rule. We asked National Economic Research Associates (NERA), an independent research firm, to model the potential economic impact if all four rules are implemented. Using data from many sources, including the EPA itself and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, its models paint a very sobering picture.

Every family will lose an average of $270 a year of disposable income through 2020 under these new rules.

Potential Impacts of EPA Air, Coal Combustion Residuals, and Cooling Water Regulations

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This report evaluates the potential energy and economic impacts of four major environmental regulations that would affect the electricity sector. The regulations include two major air emission policies—the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and regulation of mercury and other hazardous emissions (Utility MACT)...

Invitation: Go5 Launch with City of Melbourne

Event: Make Your Home Energy Smart   13 Sept|6 - 8pm| Melbourne

You're invited to 'Make Your Home Energy Smart' - an event hosted by The Australian Alliance to Save Energy and the City of Melbourne. The City of Melbourne will launch the Go 5 campaign on the night. This initiative gives residents information about how much energy an average home uses and helps them reduce their electricity consumption to 5kWh of power use per person per day (or better!).  Chris Dunstan,  CEO of the Australian Alliance to Save Energy, will be discussing what is driving up energy prices and what residents can do about it.

This event is free to attend but places are limited. Date: Thursday, 13 September Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Swanston Hall, Melbourne Town Hall, 30 -130 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000  Link to online map Speakers: - Chris Dunstan, CEO, Australian Alliance to Save Energy - Amandine Denis, Head of Research, ClimateWorks RSVP & more information

Dental Health Scheme - Health Minister's Announcement

Labor cares about fairness and better health for all Australians, and that is the reason for a landmark dental package that I’m about to announce this morning.

We know that one in five of Australia’s lowest-income people haven’t been to a dentist in over five years, if ever.

And we know that low-income households have more than double the number of family members with untreated tooth decay compared with high-income households. It’s just not good enough.

That’s why I’m announcing a $4 billion dental package that will provide more than 3 million children and millions of adults on low incomes or in rural areas access to government subsidised dental care.

This is on top of the $515 million announced in the 2012-13 Budget, which included a blitz on public dental waiting lists, additional dental training and support for people in rural and remote areas.

Labor believes we have a responsibility to ensure Australians who are least able to afford to go the dentist, and particularly children, should be given access to government-subsidised oral health care.

I’m proud that this package will allow millions of Australians to see a dentist: people who otherwise might not have received the dental care they need.

Tanya Plibersek

How to fix your winter heating bills

An air conditioner for heating costs just 20 percent of the cost of running an electric heater

Bad news stories of air conditioners driving up peak electricity demand during heat waves abound.

The good news is that using an air conditioner to heat your home in winter uses only 20 percent of the electrical energy of an electric heater.

So if you are using electric heaters to keep warm and are concerned about your electricity bill - there is an alternative available that will cut that heating bill by 80 percent.

These two diagrams illustrate why air-conditioners are so much cheaper to run than electric heaters.

The performance of air conditioner systems for heating is available at the Air Conditioner Energy Ratings government website.

Reverse Cycle Air Conditioner - energy flow
(Pay for 1 kilowatt-hour, get an extra 4 kilowatt-hours free)

Electric Heating - energy flow

Interesting implications on fuel costs

The Wildcard Of Renewable Energy
By News Staff | August 13th 2012

"If you produce only heat from woodchips you have an energy efficiency of more than 80 percent"

The same can be said of burning wood pellets, natural gas, heating oil or any other fuel to heat your home. It looks like a good proposition - obtaining more than 80 percent of the energy content of the fuel as useful heat.

It is not the best that can be done however.

If the heat energy in the fuel is converted to electrical energy at 50 percent efficiency then each 2 kilowatt-hours of heat energy can produce 1 kilowatt-hour of electrical energy. If this is used in a reverse-cycle air conditioner to heat your home, you obtain 5 times 1 kilowatt-hour (that is 5 kilowatt-hours) of heat energy for each 2 kilowatt-hours of heat energy in the fuel.

Burning high-quality fuels such as natural gas for heating is an unnecessary waste of energy resources.

Team Work on Energy Costs

Beef Exports, Technology Imports and the High Australian Dollar

Australian beef growers can get better returns and their overseas customers a better deal if energy costs can be cut for a firm at the front line of beef exports.

The high Australian dollar is a two-edged sword. On one hand Australian exports are more expensive. On the other Australia gets good value for money on high-technology purchases that can be used to reduce costs and increase profits.

Finding overseas suppliers for equipment and developing ongoing business relationships has further important benefits for all parties. There is a two-fold benefit when Australia can find good sources for equipment from its trading partners. This supports the momentum in their economies. It maintains Australia's customers purchasing power for buying its exports.

It helps to counteract the slowing of economic activity in Australia's major trading partners such as China and in Europe that reduces the demand for Australian exports.

A business that is a staging area for beef exports has extensive cool-rooms and freezers with very high energy requirements. The carbon price is a significant impost as is the rapidly rising cost of electricity distribution in Australia.

The challenge and opportunity is to find cost-savings with commercially viable energy supply and automated management technology.

HACCP Food Safety Management Programmes

Systematic international food safety management in the industry in accordance with "Hazard analysis and critical control points" (HACCP) may be simplified if automated energy management technology can tackle part of the compliance costs for record-keeping. Automating alerts and responses when any cool room temperature deviates from what is required could avert product spoiling.

Energy Generation Technology to Cut Costs

VitoBloc CHP unit
Module EM-401/549

Retail energy costs in Australia are especially high by international standards as a result of massive investment in the distribution grid. The carbon price that commenced on July 1, 2012 has added to this cost.

These costs make the goal of commercially viable local generation an easier one to achieve.

Generating energy locally tends to be cheaper per kilowatt with larger systems. This means that larger systems such as the recently installed trigeneration plant at Coca-Cola Place in North Sydney are proving to be commercially viable. A generation system for a single residential household is more difficult to cost-justify.

Establishing commercial viability of generation systems suited to medium sized businesses with multiple sites is getting easier. Continually growing retail energy prices and advances in technology both make this problem easier to solve.

A business paying about $1,200 a month for carbon dioxide emissions for electricity from coal-fired power plants is using about 60,000 kilowatt-hours each month. (The carbon price for coal-fired power is nearly 2 cents per kilowatt-hours.)

In broad terms a local energy generation system can be used to produce electricity to supply about half of the energy needed for cool rooms and freezers. The "waste heat" from the generation system can be used in absorption chillers to supply the other half of energy needed for cool rooms and freezers.

Savings from the system come from four sources:

• Fuel is used far more efficiently than in large central power stations.
• The carbon price is not payable by any enterprise emitting less than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
• The amount of carbon dioxide emitted is much less than that from a coal-fired power station even if any carbon price becomes payable. About 75 percent less.
• The major cost component - the infrastructure to transmit power from large central power stations - is not avoided. It is not only the owner of the local generation system who saves money; Electricity grid investment is avoided and this bestows a benefit on every energy consumer.

Potential suppliers may be easier to find in Europe where local generation is more widespread than in Australia. One example is the German manufacture Viessmann Group that builds Vitobloc combined heat and power units. These power generation systems are manufactured in a range of outputs so matching the technology to different businesses' energy requirements is not too difficult.

Automation Technology to Cut Costs

A small number of businesses have designed and created a huge range of wireless sensors, controllers and information systems that build upon internet and smart phone technology. These new devices have enormous potential in many areas of home life, agriculture and industry.

Wulian Sensors and Automation Technology

Safety, health and comfort of the elderly and people with disabilities living in their own homes is just one of many areas where this technology should be applied sooner rather than later.

Another area is in monitoring and controlling the operation of business equipment such as energy generators, freezers and cool rooms. All operations can be continuously monitored and controlled according to an automated schedule. Alerts where any unusual situation arises can be immediately notified via the internet to any smart phone. People can send instructions over the internet with smart phone apps to remotely control business machines and without needing to travel to the business premises.

One of these businesses is Nanjing IOT Sensor Technology that has developed a great many different devices and software. The slow-down in major world economies is making business conditions difficult for such innovators. An Australian business could benefit by establishing an ongoing working relationship with such a supplier, providing feedback and design ideas to tailor products to best suit its needs while at the same time helping create wider awareness of the benefits this innovative technology provides.

Save the Date! 2nd Australian Summer Study on Energy Efficiency

Following on from the Australian Decentralised Energy Roadmap, launched 15 December 2011 by the Honourable Martin Ferguson, Australian Government Minister for Resources and Energy, addressing rapidly rising energy costs -

SAVE THE DATE! 2nd AUSTRALIAN SUMMER STUDY ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY & DECENTRALISED ENERGY | 27 FEB - 1 MARCH, 2013| SYDNEY

MARK YOUR DIARY FOR THE 2013 SUMMER STUDY: 27 FEB – 1 MARCH, SYDNEY Building on the success of this years' Summer Study, the Australian Alliance to Save Energy looks forward to welcoming you to an even bigger program in 2013. The Summer Study is a three day, residential event that brings together a cross-sectoral group of influential, highly engaged individuals that are open to sharing information. This years' results speak for themselves: 91% of attendees rated their experience ‘very good’ to 'excellent’ and 87% said they were exposed to new information.  In 2013, the Summer Study will offer unparelleled access to global energy efficiency best practice. With four themes, 20 sessions and eight informal roundtables, the program will provide a rich environment for information sharing. New in 2013: • An entire track focussed on international perspectives which will include thought leaders from the U.S., Asia Pacific and Europe • The program has a strong focus on energy users with a track dedicated to best practice, improving energy management and opportunities in industry • The number of  informal sessions has been doubled providing lots of opportunities to participate in the program. SPONSOR THE SUMMER STUDY AND GAIN HIGH PROFILE EXPOSURE AT THIS LANDMARK EVENT. Date: Wed 27 Feb - Fri 1 March, 2013 Location: Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach Link to online map We will be announcing a Call for Papers and sending out invitations to attend soon. In the meantime be sure to save these dates! 2012 Summer Study at a Glance: * 275 attendees * 18 countries * 100+ speakers * Senior, cross- sectoral audience Watch 2012 presentations by: * Steve Nadel,  American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy * Dr Wanxing Wang, The China Sustainable Energy Program * Lara Ettenson, Natural Resources Defense Counsel

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This email was sent by The Australian Alliance to Save Energy, Level 11, UTS Building 10, 235 Jones St, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Ph: 02 9514 2044

Electricity price rises can't continue

From: Julia Gillard
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 4:09 PM
Subject: Electricity price rises can't continue

Today I delivered a major speech about electricity prices, to the Energy Policy Institute of Australia, in Sydney.

This has become one of the major cost of living pressures.

Indeed, power bills have become the new petrol prices - not just an essential of life that always seems to be going up, but a vital commodity. And what we consume each day, or pay every quarter, seems far beyond our control.

Prices have gone up – they’ve gone up far and fast.

Australia did not need power price increases of around fifty per cent over the last four years – and households can’t afford the same kinds of increases over the next four years.

Those price rises can’t continue.  They are a threat to the economy. They are a threat to fairness in our society.

Solving these kinds of problems for ordinary Australians is exactly the kind of thing Labor Governments are elected to do.

The plain facts are that for too long, some State Governments have been increasing their revenue at the expense of the family electricity bill.

Today I’ve said that massive prices rises have to stop.

To make that happen, I’ve written to the Premiers and Chief Ministers to say that I want solutions on the table for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to adopt – by the end of the year.

Julia

PS. These energy price rises are well above the cost of the introduction of the carbon price and taking action on climate change. 9c of every dollar in an electricity bill is for the carbon price – and that’s fully compensated – while 51c is for the poles and wires.