* The California State Water Project is the largest single user of energy in California. In the process of delivering water from the San Francisco Bay-Delta to Southern California, the project uses 2 to 3 percent of all electricity consumed in the state.
* The State Water Project burns energy pumping water 2,000 feet over the Tehachapi Mountains -- the highest lift of any water system in the world. The amount of energy used to deliver that water to residential customers in Southern California is equivalent to approximately one-third of the total average household electric use in the region.
* Ninety percent of all electricity used on farms is devoted to pumping groundwater for irrigation.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Solution to the financial chrisis (german)
Es ist August, eine kleine Stadt an der Riviera, Hauptsaison, aber es regnet, die Stadt ist leer. Alle haben Schulden und leben auf Kredit. Zum Glück betritt einer der noch reichen Russen eines der Hotels:
· Der Russe will ein Zimmer, legt 500 Euro auf den Tisch und geht, um sich das Zimmer ansehen.
· Der Hotelchef nimmt das Geld und rennt zum Metzger, um seine Schulden zu begleichen.
· Dieser nimmt die Banknote und rennt zum Schweinezüchter, um seine Schulden zu regulieren.
· Dieser nimmt die 500 Euro und rennt zum Futterlieferanten, um seine Schulden zu reduzieren.
· Dieser nimmt das Geld und gibt es der Nutte, bei der er laufend auf Kredit war (Krise).
· Die Nutte nimmt das Geld und rennt zum Hotelchef, um ihre Schulden für das Stundenzimmer zu regulieren.
Genau in diesem Moment kommt der Russe zurück, sagt, das Zimmer gefalle ihm nicht, nimmt seine 500 Euro zurück und verlässt die Stadt.
Niemand hat etwas verdient, aber die ganze Stadt hat keine Schulden mehr und schaut plötzlich wieder völlig optimistisch in die Zukunft!
· Der Russe will ein Zimmer, legt 500 Euro auf den Tisch und geht, um sich das Zimmer ansehen.
· Der Hotelchef nimmt das Geld und rennt zum Metzger, um seine Schulden zu begleichen.
· Dieser nimmt die Banknote und rennt zum Schweinezüchter, um seine Schulden zu regulieren.
· Dieser nimmt die 500 Euro und rennt zum Futterlieferanten, um seine Schulden zu reduzieren.
· Dieser nimmt das Geld und gibt es der Nutte, bei der er laufend auf Kredit war (Krise).
· Die Nutte nimmt das Geld und rennt zum Hotelchef, um ihre Schulden für das Stundenzimmer zu regulieren.
Genau in diesem Moment kommt der Russe zurück, sagt, das Zimmer gefalle ihm nicht, nimmt seine 500 Euro zurück und verlässt die Stadt.
Niemand hat etwas verdient, aber die ganze Stadt hat keine Schulden mehr und schaut plötzlich wieder völlig optimistisch in die Zukunft!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Electric Vehicle vs Gas Vehicle - MPG vs. co2/M
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics the average car in 2006 got 22.4 mpg while the average new 2006 car got 30.2 (http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_04_23.html). Combining that information with the rate of 19.4 lbs CO2/gallon of gas, we find that the average car in 2006 generates .8661 lbs CO2/mile while the average NEW car generates .6424.
According to a joint report by the Department of Energy and the EPA (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html#electric), the average carbon dioxide output for electricity generated in the US in 1999 was 1.341 lbs CO2/kWh.
With that information at hand I began to look for efficiency information for electric cars. I was unable to find anything official for lead-acid batteries, the type of batteries used with previously available electric cars (i.e. EV1 which was available in CA from 1996 to 1999). The unconfirmed information I found said that the batteries for the EV1 could hold 18.7 kWh of energy and go for about 75 miles on a charge. That works out to .3344 lbs of CO2 per mile.
The next car I looked at was the Chevy Volt, a car that can run on either full electric, full gas, or in a hybrid mode. The Volt uses next generation Lithium-Ion based batteries and is being rushed to market by GM with a target launch date of sometime in 2010. According to gm-volt.com, the Volt can go 40 miles on full electric using ~8 kWh of electric energy. That works out to approximately .2682 lbs of CO2 per mile for trips under 40 miles.
I found the numbers to be somewhat surprising. The new Volt, when it becomes available, will generate 58% less carbon dioxide than the average new gas-powered car does today. I expected that with our fossil-fuel dependent electric generation grid the reductions would not be as significant.
One thing for the environmentalists to keep in mind, however, is that a gas-powered car would only need to get 72 mpg to equal the carbon dioxide output of Volt in full electric mode. This is achievable with only incremental improvements in gas-electric hybrid technologies (the Prius is rated at 48 mpg today). Also, it is important to keep in mind that this rudimentary analysis fails to take into account the carbon dioxide output of the battery manufacturing and disposal process or the gas production and transportation processes.
For an entertaining look at anti-CO2 environmentalism taken out to its logical conclusion, see this article from Reason: http://www.reason.com/news/show/127418.html
I took this post from HERE: http://ionlyreadthearticles.blogspot.com/2008/08/electricity-vs-gasoline.html
According to a joint report by the Department of Energy and the EPA (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html#electric), the average carbon dioxide output for electricity generated in the US in 1999 was 1.341 lbs CO2/kWh.
With that information at hand I began to look for efficiency information for electric cars. I was unable to find anything official for lead-acid batteries, the type of batteries used with previously available electric cars (i.e. EV1 which was available in CA from 1996 to 1999). The unconfirmed information I found said that the batteries for the EV1 could hold 18.7 kWh of energy and go for about 75 miles on a charge. That works out to .3344 lbs of CO2 per mile.
The next car I looked at was the Chevy Volt, a car that can run on either full electric, full gas, or in a hybrid mode. The Volt uses next generation Lithium-Ion based batteries and is being rushed to market by GM with a target launch date of sometime in 2010. According to gm-volt.com, the Volt can go 40 miles on full electric using ~8 kWh of electric energy. That works out to approximately .2682 lbs of CO2 per mile for trips under 40 miles.
I found the numbers to be somewhat surprising. The new Volt, when it becomes available, will generate 58% less carbon dioxide than the average new gas-powered car does today. I expected that with our fossil-fuel dependent electric generation grid the reductions would not be as significant.
One thing for the environmentalists to keep in mind, however, is that a gas-powered car would only need to get 72 mpg to equal the carbon dioxide output of Volt in full electric mode. This is achievable with only incremental improvements in gas-electric hybrid technologies (the Prius is rated at 48 mpg today). Also, it is important to keep in mind that this rudimentary analysis fails to take into account the carbon dioxide output of the battery manufacturing and disposal process or the gas production and transportation processes.
For an entertaining look at anti-CO2 environmentalism taken out to its logical conclusion, see this article from Reason: http://www.reason.com/news/show/127418.html
I took this post from HERE: http://ionlyreadthearticles.blogspot.com/2008/08/electricity-vs-gasoline.html
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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