Why I'd turn off the lights

Went to a talk about Dublin city energy last night, given by sustainability engineer Joe Hayden of Codema as part of the city library science week programme.

I'd heard about Codema before (City of Dublin Energy Management Agency), but hadn't realised the company was set up by Dublin City Council, and that there were some 15 other similar companies, set up by local authorities around the country.

Joe Hayden gave an interesting presentation about Ireland's energy use and our dependence on imported fossil fuels: 90% of our electricity, for instance, is generated from imported oil, gas and coal. As a result, Joe argued that 'peak oil' has major implications for Ireland, and arguably of more immediate importance than climate change. Especially as Ireland is the last customer at the end of a very long oil and gas pipeline, making our supplies increasingly vulnerable.

Dublin city spends (if took Joe's figure down right), €20,000,000 a year on energy alone. But an estimated 20% of all our energy use in Ireland is 'wasted'. That's a lot of money, and it doesn't include the money and fuel 'wasted' or lost, because of the inefficiencies involved in converting oil and gas to electricity, and the inevitable losses that happen when electricity is piped down the National Grid.

So, it was reassuring to see the ILAC library staff turning off all the PCs and lights as we left. Even if, 200 metres away on O'Connell Street, Dublin's new Christmas lights tree was left burning night.

It's made of very low energy LEDs -- cheaper and even more energy-efficient than the compact fluorescent lights being championed by the Minister for the environment. But that's another story.

Image: from http://www.dublinblog.ie/

Who do you buy your electricity from?

Veteran environment journalist Fred Pearce has started a new Green Wash column at The Guardian.

His opening salvo examines the question of green electricity supply, and green energy tariffs -- the scheme that lets British energy customers pay a premium for green energy. But, as Pearce reveals, there is no guarantee that the extra money is used to generate green energy, or to pay for the installation of additional renewable generators (e.g. wind turbines).

What's more, some companies can apparently sell their "green energy" several times (ie sell more than they generate).

In Ireland, we can choose from two electricity suppliers: ESB and airtricity . The latter owns several wind farms and, as a result, claims its electricity is 79% renewable. But, given that all of Ireland's electricity is distributed down the same national grid, how can airtricity customers know that their supply is indeed 79% renewable?

Does switching to airtricity really help to drive the move to renewables in Ireland, or just make us feel good?

Einstein's fridge and the Aga cooker

I hadn't known that Einstein had invented a novel type of fridge in 1930, together with Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard. I was even more intrigued to read that engineers at Oxford are reviving their elegant design, because it has no moving parts and is ideal to run on solar power.

The physics fridge uses ammonia, butane and water, rather than freons, and exploits the fact that liquids boil at lower temperatures when the air pressure around them is lower.

The green Oxford physics fridge would be low maintenance and ideal for rural locations, but it's still at the prototype stage.

The news reminded me of another kitchen appliance invented by yet another Nobel physicist: the Aga cooker was the brainchild of Swedish physicist and inventor Gustaf Dalén in the early 1900s.

He set out to make an energy-efficient, multi-purpose cooker that could be used for baking, boiling, grilling and warming, and that would need little watching or attention. Aga, by the way, stands for Aktiebolaget Gas Accumulator

What's green, and earning money?

Expect to hear more about the Danish island of Samsø which, thanks to a massive community effort over the past decade, is now self-sufficient in renewable energy.

The 4,000 inhabitants spent €54 million (raised in local taxes and investment), to install nearly a dozen wind turbines on land, and the same again offshore, plus banks of solar panels, and some biomass generators.

The scheme has been so successful it is selling electricity to the mainland and generating an income for the locals -- albeit about €68 per household a year.

Shows what can be done. Looks pretty idyllic too -- we predict a boom in ecotourism there.

Irish firm makes CleanTech top 100

An interesting list of the 'companies of the future' has just been published by the Guardian and Library House. It spotlights 100 private firms around the world working to develop new clean, renewable and sustainable technologies.

Interesting to see Irish firm OpenHydro tipped among the 100 hottest to watch.

The Dublin company, one of only a few picked out in the marine power section, was selected for its innovative turbine design. This is already generating power off the Scottish Orkney Islands, and the four-year-old company plans to be the first in Britain or Ireland to produce tidal power for the National Grid.

The full 100 listing makes for interesting reading -- as might be expected, rather a lot of German companies listed, but also quite a lot of British firms (surely not a national bias there?!)

Misleading energy ratings

Buy A-rated electrical appliances, we are told, because they are more energy-efficient.

Not so, says Brendan Boardman of the UK’s Environmental Change Institute, writing in the latest edition of Chemistry & Industry magazine. It seems that it is easier for larger devices to achieve an A-rating, even though they consume more electricity on average than smaller ones. The problem arises because energy levels are calculated on relative values (kWh/litre).

The net result is that manufacturers make ever bigger appliances, and consumers are encouraged to buy them.

Moral of the story? Remember that every appliance has two price tags: the purchase price, and the price you will pay for all the energy it will consume during its lifetime. And an A-rated appliance is not necessarily the best buy, financially or environmentally. Caveat emptor.

Electricity use and prices soars

Bad news but also some good news in yesterday's report from Sustainable Energy Ireland on our soaring electricity use, and the ESB's application for a 30% increase in the price of electricity.

First the bad news. There are nearly 1.5 million households in Ireland now (up 43% since 1990); our homes are larger on average than elsewhere in the EU, and thanks to the boom years of the Celtic Tiger, packed with power-hungry appliances such as American fridges and large-screen plasma TVs, and constellations of recessed lights. We are also heating our homes more than before -- a toasty 6° warmer than in 1970, if UK trends also hold here.

The net result is that Irish people are now using 62% more electricity per person than in 1990; which is a staggering 27% more than our British counterparts, and over 30% more than the EU average. We are a small country, but clearly punching way above our weight when it comes to consumption and emissions.

The good news? Well, if British households can survive on significantly less electricity, then there may be hope for us. And while no one likes to see electricity bills rise by 30% -- especially with 10% of households already experiencing 'fuel poverty' -- a price hike might prompt us all to economise. More effective at reducing consumption than the government's promised ban on incandescent lightbulbs. Maybe we could start by turning the thermostat down 6° -- back to 1970?!