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Power Hungry Page 43

by Robert Bryce


  7 International Energy Agency, “World Energy Outlook 2010,” 80. In the “Current Policies Scenario,” coal becomes the world’s dominant fuel in 2035, slightly eclipsing oil.

  8 State Department, “Roundtable with Business Leaders Opening and Closing Remarks, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Governor’s House, Lahore, Pakistan, October 29, 2009,” http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/10/131073.htm.

  9 Energy Information Administration data, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/country_time_series.cfm?fips=PK#elec.

  10 Energy Information Adminstration data, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/country_energy_data.cfm?fips=FR.

  11 People’s Daily Online, “2 bln Tons of Coal Reserves Discovered in Southern Pakistan,” October 2, 2010, http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7156516.html.

  12 Energy Information Administration, “Natural Gas Weekly Update,” November 10, 2010, http://www.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngw/ngupdate.asp.

  13 Energy Information Administration data, http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9070us2m.htm.

  14 For latest prices, see Bloomberg, http://www.bloomberg.com/energy.

  15 Energy Information Administration data, http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9070us2A.htm.

  16 Tennessee Valley Authority, “TVA to Idle Nine Coal-Fired Units,” August 24, 2010, http://www.tva.gov/news/releases/julsep10/coal_plants.html.

  17 Whitehouse.gov, full transcript here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/03/press-conference-president.

  18 Daniel Fineren and Muriel Boselli, “IEA Sees Gas Glut Lasting Until 2020,” Reuters, November 9, 2010, http://in.reuters.com/article/idINLDE6A815R20101109?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a54:g12:r1:c0.605462:b39103646:z3.

  19 International Energy Agency, “World Energy Outlook 2010,” 77. Note that these projections are based on what the IEA calls its “New Policies Scenario.”

  20 Ibid, 237.

  21 Ibid, 239.

  22 E-mail exchanges with Janet Warren by author, February 17 and 19, 2010.

  23 Author interview with Tony Moyer via phone, February 17, 2010.

  24 Gerry Vassilatos, “The Sonic Weapon of Vladimir Gavreau,” Journal of Borderland Research, October 30, 1996, http://journal.borderlands.com/1996/the-sonic-weapon-of-vladimir-gavreau.

  25 Anne Mostue, “Discontent of Mars Hill Residents Leads to Lawsuit Against First Wind,” Maine Public Broadcasting Network, August 7, 2009, http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/8549/Default.aspx. Pennsylvania litigation information obtained from Brad Tupi, a Pittsburgh-based lawyer representing clients who are suing. Tupi was interviewed by phone on Feb 23, 2010. NZ litigation in ABC news item, February 19, 2010, http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/02/19/2825235.htm.

  26 Copenhagen Post, “Dong Gives Up on Land-based Turbines,” September 1, 2010, http://www.cphpost.dk/news/scitech/92-technology/49869-dong-gives-up-on-land-based-turbines.html.

  27 See http://www.wind-watch.org/affiliates.php.

  28 Wind Concerns Ontario, http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/member-pages.

  29 Industrial Wind Action Group, http://www.windaction.org/orglist.

  30 For more, see http://windfallthemovie.com/index_2.html.

  31 Patricia Breakey, “Meredith Aims for Wind Ban,” The Daily Star, November 8, 2007, http://thedailystar.com/local/x112888993/Meredith-aims-for-wind-ban.

  32 A 2008 report by the Department of Energy estimated that an aggressive effort to have wind energy provide one-fifth of U. S. electricity needs by 2030 would “displace 50% of electricity generated from natural gas and 18% of that generated from coal.” DOE Study on 20% Wind, 2008, 16, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/pdfs/41869.pdf.

  33 Steve Hargreaves, “Pickens’ wind plan hits a snag,” CNNMoney.com, November 12, 2008, http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/12/news/economy/pickens/index.htm.

  34 http://www.boonepickens.com/media_summary/030510.pdf.

  35 http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/commodities/energy-prices.

  36 http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchtoday/2010/09/13/exxon-deutsche-cuts-to-hold-natural-gas-glut-through-2015.

  37 Rebecca Smith, “The New Nukes,” Wall Street Journal, September 8, 2009, 3, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204409904574350342705855178.html. Wind figure is for Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farm in the UK. Estimated cost is 1 billion British Pounds. In mid-September 2009, that was equal to about $1.7 billion. See “Onshore Construction Begins for Sheringham Shoal Wind Farm,” NewEnergyFocus.com, September 7, 2009, http://www.newenergyfocus.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=32&listitemid=2978§ion=Wind.

  38 http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/05/07/cape_wind_project_could_boost_prices.

  39 Energy Iinformation Administration data, http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table 5_3.html.

  40 American Wind Energy Association, “US Wind Industry Reports Slowest Quarter Since 2007, As China Installs Three Times As Much Wind-Powered Electricity,” October 29, 2010, http://www.awea.org/rn_release_10–29–10.cfm.

  41 Matthew L. Wald and Tom Zeller Jr., “Cost of Green Power Makes Projects Tougher Sell,” New York Times, November 7, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/science/earth/08fossil.html.

  42 Associated Press, “New Deposits Mean Natural Gas Should Be Cheap for Decades,” October 25, 2010.

  43 Debra Kahn, “Energy Secretary Laments ‘Law of Bureaucracy,’” E&E News, October 22, 2010, http://www.eenews.net/public/eenewspm/2010/10/22/4.

  44 Tux Turkel, “Protesters Arrested at Lincoln Windfarm,” Portland Press Herald, November 8, 2010, http://www.pressherald.com/news/Protesters-arrested-at-Lincoln-maine-windfarm.html.

  45 Environmental Proptection Agency press release, October 13, 2010, http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/bf822ddbec29c0dc852577bb005bac0f!OpenDocument.

  46 FollowTheScience.org, “39 Groups Request Congressional Hearing on EPA Ethanol Decision,” August 31, 2010, http://www.followthescience.org/2010/08/39-groups-request-congressional-hearing-on-epa-ethanol-decision

  47 Robert Bryce, “Despite Billions in Subsidies, Corn Ethanol Has Not Cut U. S. Oil Imports,” Manhattan Institute, October 2010, http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ib_07.htm.

  48 For more on this, see my book Gusher of Lies, 184–185.

  49 See the EPA’s filings here: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/additive/e15/, and here: http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480b80cca. Also see Federal Register, Volume 75, No. 213, November 4, 2010, 68096.

  50 Nick Snow, “Proposed Ozone Standard Would Devastate U. S. Economy, API Warns,” Oil & Gas Journal, September 27, 2010, http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display.articles.oil-gas-journal.volume-108.issue-36.general-interest.proposed-ozone-standard-would-devastate-us-economy-api-warns.html.html.

  51 Environmental Protection Agency data on nitrogen oxide available at http://www.epa.gov/air/nitrogenoxides.

  52 Bryant Furlow, “Sen. Bingaman Supports Push to Cut Ethanol Subsidies,” New Mexico Independent, July 16, 2010, http://newmexicoindependent.com/59525/sen-bingaman-supports-push-to-cut-ethanol-subsidies.

  53 Greg Meyer, “U.S. Ethanol Exports Fuel European Unease,” Financial Times, November 15, 2010, http://www.cnbc.com/id/40190117.

  GLOSSARY

  Barrel of oil: A common measure of energy that is equal to 42 gallons of crude, 5.8 million Btu, or 5.8 gigajoules. In power terms, production of 1 barrel of oil per day is equal to about 30 horsepower, or 22,150 watts.

  Btu: British Thermal Unit, a unit of energy christened in 1849 by James Prescott Joule, who, like James Watt, later had a unit of energy named for him. One Btu is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit at the temperature at which water has its greatest density (39 degrees Fahrenheit). Put another way, 1 Btu is approximately equal to the energy released in the burning of a wooden match. Also, 1 Btu = 1.055 kilojoules.

  Energy: The ability to do work;
also, a quantity or volume of fuel. A kilowatt-hour is a measure of energy.

  Energy density: The amount of energy that can be contained in a given unit of volume, area, or mass. Common energy density metrics include Btu per gallon and joules per kilogram.

  Horsepower (hp): A unit of power coined by inventor James Watt, who deemed that 1 horsepower was equal to 33,000 foot-pounds per minute. A more modern definition: 1 horsepower = 746 watts. Car engine power ratings are often listed in both watts and horsepower.

  Joule (J): A unit of energy, whereby 1 joule = 1 watt-second; the energy exerted by the force of 1 newton acting to move an object 1 meter. Depending on the amount of energy, one can use millijoules, kilojoules, megajoules, and so on, as with any SI unit.

  Power: The rate at which work gets done; a measure of energy flow. Power = energy/time. A kilowatt is a measure of power.

  Power density: The amount of power that can be harnessed in a given unit of volume, area, or mass. Examples of power density metrics include: horsepower per cubic inch, watts per square meter, and watts per kilogram. When comparing renewable energy sources to other sources, the most telling metric is perhaps watts per square meter.

  Quad: A unit used in the United States to measure large quantities of energy. A quad is 1 quadrillion (1015) Btu. Annual U.S. energy use totals about 100 quads, or 100 exajoules (EJ). In 2006, global energy use was about 472 quads (472 EJ). For reference, 1 quad is approximately equal to 172 million barrels of oil equivalent, or 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, or 1 exajoule (EJ).

  Ton of oil: A common measure of energy equal to 7.33 barrels of oil. A ton of oil is equal to approximately 40 million Btu, 42 gigajoules (GJ), or 12 megawatt-hours of electricity.

  Watt (W): A unit of power. Car engine power ratings are often listed in both watts and horsepower. By definition, 1 watt = 1 joule per second. Depending on the amount of power, one can use milliwatts, kilowatts, megawatts, and so on, as with any SI unit.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

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  ———. Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of “Energy Independence.” New York: PublicAffairs, 2008.

  ———. Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron. New York: PublicAffairs, 2002.

  Burrell, Brian. Merriam Webster’s Guide to Everyday Math: A Home and Business Reference . Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster, 1998.

  Caro, Robert A. The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson. New York: Vintage, 1983.

  Collins, Jim. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don’t. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

  Crane, Hewitt, Edwin Kinderman, and Ripudaman Malhotra. A Cubic Mile of Oil: Realities and Options for Averting the Looming Global Energy Crisis. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

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  INDEX

  Acheson, Dean

  Acheson-Lilienthal Report

  Adkins, Marshall

  Afghanistan

  Africa

  electricity in, essentiality of

  See also specific countries

  African American poverty rates

  Agassi, Shai

  Aguilera, Robert F.

  Alabama

  Alaska

  Alliance for Climate Protection

  Alliance Resource Partners

  Ameren UE

  American Bird Conservancy

  American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (Waxman-Markey Act)

  American Indians

  American Mathematical Society

  American Motors Corporation

  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

  American Wind Energy Association

  Anadarko Petroleum

  Anderson, Eric

  Angola

  Antrim Shale(table)

  Appalachia

  Arab oil embargo (1973)

  Areva

  Argentina

  Arnett, Ed

  Arthur Andersen

  Arctic climate change

  Atoms for Peace program

  Austin Energy

  Australia(fig.)

  coal reserves of(table)

  and electricity(fig.)

  and energy consumption(fig.)

  and energy intensity(fig.)

  and natural gas

  ranking of, by GDP and electricity generation(table)

  Ausubel, Jesse

  Automobile sector

  Automobiles(fig.)

  evolution of

  fuel efficiency of, increasing

  increased usage of, and the transition to oil

  See also Electric cars; Hybrid cars; Natural gas vehicles (NGVs); SUVs

  Babcock & Wilcox

  Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act

 

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