Oregon Activists Fired Up to Fight Natural Gas Exports

It's hard to imagine the mouth of the Columbia River, where American explorers Lewis and Clark traversed during the 19th century, being overrun with a huge natural-gas export terminal and massive pipelines, just to stuff the pockets of dirty-energy companies.

But as crazy as that sounds, a proposal to build this terminal and its pipelines is in the works, along with another one in southern Oregon. And if you're at all involved in the movement to stop natural gas companies from exporting their product to lucrative foreign markets, then you have an ally in Ted Gleichman, a Portland resident who is doing everything he can to keep the natural legacy of Oregon and the Columbia River intact.

"The challenge is fighting multi-billion dollar projects that create short-term jobs but at a very high direct environmental cost, in terms of damage to Columbia River estuaries and the damage pipelines at the width of interstate highways will do," Gleichman says.

The proposal along the Columbia is for a $7.1 billion set of projects that would connect natural gas drilling and fracking in Canada and the Rockies to an export terminal near historic Astoria, Oregon, to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia -- where the price is five times the price in North America. More than 200 miles of enormous pipelines would run south from the Canadian border through Washington state, tunnel under the Columbia River, and cut through northwestern Oregon to a massive industrial plant -- complete with three 20-story gas-storage tanks -- at the heart of salmon breeding grounds.

Activists at a recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hearing.

Gleichman and other Sierra Club activists are helping to lead the charge to stop this export proposal, and another in southern Oregon. They've joined a coalition of other organizations -- Columbia Riverkeeper, Rogue Riverkeeper, Earthjustice, to name a few -- that are wondering what this barrage of natural gas and Big Coal export proposals would mean for the Columbia River and the Oregon forests and coastline.

A Climate Skeptic Converted

PBS Newshour ran an interesting segment Monday night on physicist Richard Muller, the scientist who made waves recently when he wrote an NY Times op-ed saying he now believes that humans are causing global warming. Here's the segment.

Muller says action must be taken on climate change very soon if we're to avoid the worst of its effects. From his op-ed:

What about the future? As carbon dioxide emissions increase, the temperature should continue to rise. I expect the rate of warming to proceed at a steady pace, about one and a half degrees over land in the next 50 years, less if the oceans are included. But if China continues its rapid economic growth (it has averaged 10 percent per year over the last 20 years) and its vast use of coal (it typically adds one new gigawatt per month), then that same warming could take place in less than 20 years.

You can learn more about Muller's Earth Surface Temperature Project at Berkeley right here.

UPDATE: Media Matters has an excellent look at NewsHour's segment, and how it "propagates confusion on climate change."

Interview: 100 Percent Clean Energy for Scotland?

This guest article originally appeared on Oilprice.com.

Alex Salmond is the First Minister of Scotland and head of the Scottish National Party (SNP). He is a champion of green energy and has a vision to transform Scotland into a renewable energy powerhouse whilst aggressively reducing the country's carbon emissions. Interview conduted by James Stafford of Oilprice.com

James Stafford: If Scotland manages to gain its independence it would receive a 90 percent geographical share of North Sea oil and gas fields based on a division under international maritime law, roughly 81 percent of current oil and gas receipts, worth between $9.67 - $19.34 billion annually. Is this income crucial to the SNP's future economic policies? 

Alex Salmond: Even without our offshore oil and gas reserves, Scotland currently has the third highest output per head in the UK, after London and the South-East. And when oil and gas output is included, Scotland's output per head is 15% above the UK average.

Energy is important to Scotland’s economy. We have world class companies operating in the global oil and gas supply chain while we will benefit from Scotland’s second energy windfall in renewable energy where we have around a quarter of Europe’s potential offshore wind and tidal energy and some 10 percent of its wave energy resource.

James Stafford: What plans do you have for investing this revenue back into Scotland? 

Alex Salmond: In contrast to other oil rich nations, successive UK Governments have failed to take the action necessary to ensure that future generations benefit from the economic windfall from Scottish oil and gas. An independent Scotland would use its oil and gas reserves far more responsibly. Specifically, the Scottish Government would establish an oil fund, once fiscal conditions allow. The development of an oil fund for Scotland would promote economic responsibility and stability. Revenues could be invested, rather than spent on current expenditure, during good financial times, and could counteract the effects of economic downturns. 

Interview: Going Solar Without Panels

You want to go solar. But you're a renter. Or you can't afford it. Or there's a giant tree that shades your roof. Well, look no further than "community solar" to solve that problem. Solar Mosaic, a Berkeley company with a staff of 14, lets you put money into a solar project at a third-party location. After a while, you'll see a return on your investment. Lisa Curtis, Solar Mosaic's Community Builder, took a few minutes to answer our questions. Visit Solar Mosaic for more info.

(By the way, keep your eyes peeled for a Sierra Club-Solar Mosaic partnership later this summer.)

What separates Solar Mosaic from the rest of the solar energy sector?

Traditionally, renters, homeowners without the proper roofs, and those without a good credit score have been unable to go solar. Solar Mosaic removes these boundaries and lets everyone benefit from green energy. Warren Buffet just invested $2 billion into a solar farm in California. We make it possible for millions of others to do the same.

Let's say I throw in some money into a solar project through Mosaic. What happens? 

First, you find a project to invest in through us. Then you can invest anywhere between $25 to $25,000. Once enough people have invested in a particular project, it will be built. After it's fully installed and connected to the grid, you will begin receiving a monthly return on that investment. The return will likely be in the 5-10 percent range. 

It seems like Solar Mosaic has targeted community centers so far. Why’s that?

Helping community centers go solar was a compelling way to get people excited about the idea of investing in solar. There is also a strong mission fit with our company that is reflected in the projects we choose. We'll continue community-based projects, but we are excited to expand to include schools, commercial buildings, and residential. 

Husband and Wife, Volt and Leaf

There are now thousands of Chevy Volts and Nissan Leafs on U.S. roads. Two of those belong to Sierra Club member Rick Corcoran and his wife, Kathy. Their cars run on solar thanks to a 3.5 kilowatt system that sits on the roof of their home, located near Santa Cruz, California. Rick and Kathy took a few minutes to answer our questions. 

Q: When did you get your cars?

Rick: Kathy got her Leaf in August and I got the Volt last May. The Volt is by far the greatest car I've ever owned.

Q: Why do you say that?

Rick: A few reasons. I'm doing my share for the planet. We have our own fueling station at home. So we aren't paying for wars anymore by using as much gas as we did. Secondly, the Volt is like driving an iPad on wheels. It drives like a spaceship. It's just so quick, smooth, quiet, and fun.

Lastly, I'm guessing I save over $1,000 a year in gas alone. I used to hate to go to the gas station and fill up. It was always this annoying chore. Now I only do it every other month and I only put in half of what everyone else is putting into their gas tanks.

Kathy: We figure the Leaf saves about $2,500 a year. No gas or maintenance expenses. We're saving a lot of money.

Q: The Volt has a battery and a gas tank that extends its range while the Leaf is an all-electric car. Do you ever worry about the Leaf's range?

Kathy: Nobody really drives more than 50 miles everyday -- that includes going back and forth to work and running a few errands. At the most for my car, it's 13 miles to work, 13 back, and I might make a few stops here and there. That's 40 miles at the most. So I don't have any sort of range anxiety. There are no worries if all you're doing is a having a regular day. Granted, it changes if you're taking a longer trip.

But we did the math. If the Leaf was my only car and I wanted to see my daughter in San Diego, it is still far cheaper to own a Leaf and rent a car to go on a long-distance trip than it is to own a conventional gas-powered car.

Q: Name an amenity that most people don't know about.

Eight19 and the "Un-Grid"

(click image to enlarge)

The off grid market continues to expand and attract innovative new business and financial models aimed at delivering energy access for the poor. One of the most recent, Eight19 Ltd., made a splash with an article in The Economist explaining their pay-as-you-go “energy escalator” business model (seen in the graphic above).

We sat down with Eight19 (which takes its catchy name from the time it takes sunlight to reach the earth - 8 minutes and 19 seconds) CEO Simon Bransfield-Garth who offered up a fascinating vision of the future of energy dubbed the “Un-Grid”. Take a minute to read his take below.

So how does eight19 work?

We provide off-grid communities (mostly in Africa) a “pay-as-you-go solar model” personal solar system called IndiGo.  Local people buy scratch cards for around $1 a week which are validated over SMS using their mobile phone and add credit to the IndiGo unit.  By combining solar and mobile phone technology, the IndiGo solar electricity system is inexpensive to buy and allows users to light their homes and charge mobile phones as a service.

We have similarities to other pay as you go offerings (like Simpa Networks). The main difference is we start at a smaller scale (light for 2 rooms and provide a USB for phone charging). This lowers the price point to roughly $1/ week providing an 18 month payback. We offer (like others) a progressive purchase option that enables households to own the system. But we also offer the option to upgrade to a more powerful system. This "energy escalator" business model supports a bottom up approach to electrification and allows users to pay less than half their normal spend on kerosene. 

Interview: A New Car to Plug

Frank Streng recently became the first person in Westchester County, New York, to own an electric car. It even garnered local television coverage, which you can watch at the bottom of this page. He took a few minutes to talk to us about his new car.

How long have you had your Nissan Leaf?

Since January of 2012, but we reserved it in 2010. Because of the wait list, the Japan earthquake, and the fact that the state of New York was one of the last to see these, it took nearly two years to get it. So I ended up with the 2012 model. The wait made it cheaper for me. Back in 2010 people were paying up to $5,000 for a charging station for their garage. Mine's less than half that. 

My car also has a built-in solar panel for key components in the car.

Describe the adjustment in switching from a gas engine to an all-electric.

We were driving a Prius. We've always been a green family. So we were interested in this early on. But you can't buy this car unless you have a commuting distance of about 60 miles daily at the most. My commute is 50. Your primary charging station is your garage. You have to be tolerant of that. The true range of this car in the winter is about 70 miles. One day I had to go somewhere beyond that, and I realized I had to switch cars with my wife because the range wouldn't allow it. Some people aren't tolerant of having to deal with things like that.

How One Sierra Clubber Spreads the Word on Electric Vehicles

Getaround, a peer-to-peer car-sharing company that lets car owners rent out their vehicles at an hourly rate, has seen a recent surge in the number of electric vehicles being offered. San Francisco resident and Sierra Club member Marc Geller, owner of a Nissan Leaf and a Toyota Rav4 EV, uses Getaround to rent out his electric Toyota. Marc, who has been the owner of an electric vehicle for ten years, is also a Plug-In America board member. He took a few minutes to answer questions.

How did you become an EV advocate?

It kind of came about by accident. I had a 1970 Citroen. I had been driving old French cars for decades, but I was becoming increasingly aware of how dirty cars were. I didn't like any of the new cars and didn't want to buy another old one. At the time, California had passed a zero-emissions mandate, so I researched electric cars. I began by leasing a Ford TH!NK for almost 3 years.

Since then EVs have come a long way. The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are available. Other companies are releasing new models. What are some of the biggest obstacles for the EV industry?

The biggest challenge has always been the availability of different models. Some people like to drive station wagons, for example. There's another issue of getting consumers to understanding how much more convenient these cars would be for them.

And there's some confusion about them as an environmental question, but it's a fact that there is no cleaner car than an electric. Any gas car, including the Prius, gets dirtier over the course of its life. Electric cars get cleaner over time because the grid is getting cleaner. Electricity might not be getting cleaner as quickly as we would like, but it is getting cleaner. The dirtiest day you drive your Nissan Leaf is the first day you drive it. And there's this perception that you have to make sacrifices if you want to drive an electric car. But that will dissipate with time.

Some would complain about the price of these cars.

If you're about to buy one, it is likely to cost less over time than you'd expect. The cost over the life of the vehicle is likely to be lower even today, given gas and maintenance cost of conventional vehicles. Among the cheaper is the Mitsubishi i at around $30,000 before any incentives.  

So how many miles are on your Rav4?

87,000.

And how did you get involved with Getaround?

I heard about a competitor of Getaround and thought it was an interesting idea. I saw on the Getaround webpage that it was clear that they knew what my car was. On the site's listings you have to pull up the model of the car. And the Rav4 EV was there, which surprised me. For most websites that list cars, the Rav4 EV doesn't exist.

One reason why I rent out my car is purely propagandistic. I want people to have the opportunity to drive it and come to understand how it can meet their needs.

What's the range?

Around 100 miles. I drive it regularly to Sacramento. I don't drive at 75 mph. I drive at about 60 to 65 mph so that it goes farther. But then again I don't have to pay for gas. I'm not polluting. And when I get to Sacramento, I know where the chargers are, and I plug it in. After my meetings, the car is full, and I go back to San Francisco.

How many people have rented it so far?

Probably around eight or ten.

What kind of reception does it get from people who take it for a spin?

In some cases, they don't even know it's an electric car. They just want a small SUV that can hold their stuff. But because this is electric, I have to confirm with them first that it's appropriate for what they want to do. Some people say they're going to Tahoe. But it's not going to make it to Tahoe. Once I make sure they understand the limitations, or where they can charge the car depending on where they're going, then I get a very favorable reaction.

It's got to be nice to rent a car and not have to worry about returning it with a full tank.

I hadn't even thought about that before. I guess folks who rent traditional cars have to strike a deal to make sure it's full when they bring it back. Or if they don't fill it up before returning it, there's this huge fee. With an electric vehicle, you simply plug it in when you get back.

Visit the Sierra Club's Go Electric Campaign.

-- Brian Foley

State Legislator Goes PV to EV

Hawaii state Rep. K. Mark Takai, who served with the Hawaii Army National Guard in the Middle East in 2009, represents the communities of Aiea and Pearl City on the island of Oahu. Two years ago, he and his wife, Sami, installed photovoltaic panels for their home's roof. Earlier this year, they purchased a Nissan LEAF, which is powered by their solar panels. Rep. Takai took some time to answer our questions.

Why did you first go solar?

While serving at Camp Patriot, Kuwait, I had time to reflect on why our country is fighting in wars a half-a-world away. In Hawaii, we spend $7 billion a year importing foreign fossil fuels. When I returned from deployment, I decided that my family needed to wean ourselves off this, so we installed a 12-panel photovoltaic system. Our electric bill dropped from $170 in October 2009 to $18 in March 2010, which is the minimum charge from our utility. In anticipation of getting our Nissan LEAF, I decided to upgrade by adding 10 panels.

What was it like to switch to an electric vehicle?

It's quite a huge leap from gas-powered vehicles. Prior to the LEAF, I was driving a 12-year-old Nissan Altima, which was averaging around 20 mpg. People are always asking about our new car. Most questions are about its power and gas savings, which are incredible. Driving by our local gas stations has been quite liberating. The odometer recently passed the 10,000 mile mark.

Sustainable Energy For All: An Interview with Richenda Van Leuwen of the United Nations Foundation

I sat down with Richenda Van Leeuwen of the United Nations Foundation to discuss the new global initiative Sustainable Energy for All (SEFA),being spearheaded by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

In recognition of the tremendous importance of energy for achieving the Millenium Development Goals, the United Nations General Assembly has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. With more than 1.4 billion people worldwide lacking access to electricity, 1 billion more only receiving a few hours a day, and some 2.7 billion more – almost half of humanity – relying on traditional biomass for cooking and heating, delivering on energy access is indeed critical.

Richenda sat down to discuss the way forward for the campaign, and how we solve the dual challenges of delivering energy for all, and combating climate change.

What is the SEFA campaign?

2012 has been declared the International Year of Sustainable Energy for all. It is a platform for beginning the global effort to address energy access and engaging the public and policy makers to enable greater understanding of the world's needs. It's not just about combating climate change through expanded use of renewables, or about harnessing the great payoff from increased efficiency - half of the world still lives with energy poverty. That makes it an equity and justice issue. We need to work in a concerted manner internationally to solve this.

The SEFA campaign is focused on delivering sustainable energy for all. We have a broad global goal to ensure three objectives by 2030: 1) Ensuring universal access to modern energy services (including both electrification and cooking), 2) Doubling of the rate of improvement in efficiency globally; and 3) Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

As far as the campaign goes, UN energy has been engaged from the get go. They are the umbrella collaboration of more than twenty UN agencies that focus on energy issues.

Rio+20 will be a seminal moment, a milestone, but overall we have goals that are long term. We are already seeing bi-lateral initiatives announced – countries taking the initiative to a new level. We are hoping that it leads to a number of new initiatives either private sector or at a country level.