More Solar Power Plants

It appears that the US is moving ahead full steam with the introduction of new solar power plants. This is great news for the possibility of reducing the amount of electricity that comes from fossil fuel powered sources.

The large solar power plants, and they are generally the concentrating solar power plants, have been gaining approval by the US government and with the economic stimulus benefits in place until the end of 2010 there is a lot of motivation for these projects to begin before the end of the year.

And why not? Let’s see if we can rid ourselves of the polluting power plants once and for all and move ahead with producing clean energy from solar power. By the way, the arguments that solar also produces certain pollutants simply does not stack up when compared to the belching fumes that have been allowed to be released into the atmosphere for many years.

The Mojave Desert is the new location for what will become one of the largest solar power plants in operation. The Blythe Solar Power Project will have a maximum generating capacity of 1,000MW when it is completed some time in 2013. That’s definitely going to create some opportunities in the state to reduce the carbon output.

So there will soon be more solar power plants dotted around the country. Particularly when you consider that the Blythe project is only one of seven new developments that are going to be soon brought online.

Australia's ETS Wars

It seems that the Australian government is in full debate over the Emissions Trading Scheme with widely reported coverage all over the press and media.

Here's one of the many stories published in The Australian, this one titled Clever Tactic, Poor Policy. It explains that there were three manifest messages to come out of a busy day of politicking. First, Rudd is proving a master of climate change politics. Second, the government has discovered a magic accounting trick. Third, the compromise package entrenches the interpretation of the CPRS as brilliant short-term politics and dubious long-term policy.

The Sydney Morning Herald is also focusing on the effect the climate change policy is having on the Australian Opposition. Here is the story titled Turnbull deserves praise for his climate change stand.

It seems it comes down to whether the Liberal Party believes there is a case for global warming or not. Australia has the highest per capita carbon emissions among developed nations, not something to be proud of and while the debate looks as though it is going to continue to rage, that mantle is going to stand for quite some time yet.

Check Your Neighbor's Carbon Footprint at Urban EcoMap

Here's a new device that will allow you to check on the carbon footprint of your neighbor. It's called the Urban EcoMap and it is an online tracking tool that will allow anyone to check the size of anyone else's carbon footprint.

The map tracks the emissions from waste, transportation and energy based on zip code. At the moment it is only operational in San Francisco, but Amsterdam and Seoul will get their carbon footprint maps later this year. Other cities will be sure to follow after that.

When you visit the site you are given a lot of figures of how many pounds of carbon emissions are being released based on zip code. You are invited to check out each zip code in the San Francisco. The site is also filled with advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint. It also explains where San Francisco sits in terms of the size of the carbon footprint of the entire city and the goal size that everyone should be striving to meet.

Check out the Urban EcoMap site for a more clear picture of the idea behind making everyone aware of not only their carbon footprint but also that of their neighbor.

The Size of Concrete's Carbon Footprint

It's interesting when scientists begin picking out random objects and point out the probable size of their carbon footprint on a global scale.

This is what some scientists have done with concrete. A new report has been released that suggests that up to 5 per cent of the world's carbon footprint comes from the concrete industry. That includes the energy use and the carbon dioxide by-product from the production of cement.

There have also been studies that have found that some carbon dioxide is absorbed into concrete, even decades after it has been placed, in the formation of calcite. A new study yet to be released will also suggest that the absorption of CO2 may extend beyond calcite to remove carbon dioxide from the air which actually lowers concrete's overall carbon footprint.

The absorption of CO2 into concrete has been known for years in the formation of calcite (calcium carbonate). But the careful analysis of concrete samples have revealed that other compounds may be forming.

While solving the world's carbon emissions problems is not as simple as paving the entire world in concrete to suck up the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it is certainly interesting to know that recycling concrete could turn into a net-carbon footprint exercise if done right.