ENERGY

1
ENERGY THEENVIRONMENT
Martin J. Curran Environmental Compliance
Coordinator Merrimack River Basin
2
Non-Renewable vs. Renewable Use

• Today renewable energy resources provide 6 of
  U.S. energy needs.
• Fossil fuels meet 85 of U.S. energy needs and
  80 of world needs.

3
Reasons for Increase forRenewable Energy Uses

• New technologies are or will soon be economically
  competitive with fossil fuels
• The security risks for petroleum dependence is
  growing
• Environmental costs of petroleum fuels are
  apparent
• No single technology will solve our energy
  problems
• Combine renewable energy sources could gradually
  transfer the U.S. energy system

4
Renewable Energy Sources

• Solar
• Wind
• Geothermal
• Hyrdo
• Biomass
• Ocean-energy

5
Encouraging RenewableEnergy Statistics

• North Dakota, Kansas and Texas has enough
  harnessable wind energy to satisfy national
  electricity needs
• Some communities in northern Germany wind power
  provides 75 of their electricity energy needs
• Every year the earths surface receives solar
  energy equivalent to 15,000 times the worlds
  annual consumption

6
National Energy Policyfor Renewable Energy

• Needs to be based on a sustainable and consistent
  policy framework at local, state and national
  levels
• Must be based on sustainable development that
  meets the needs of the present without
  compromising the needs of future generations
• Planning must include the value of ecosystem
  services
• All but 4 states now have incentives in place to
  promote renewable energy
• Governor Lynch has adopted the policy to obtain
  25 of our energy needs from clean renewable
  sources by the year 2025

7
First Generation of Bio-Fuels
Top Five Ethanl Producers in 2005

• Ethanol 90 of total bio-fuel production
• Bio-Diesel 10 of total bio-fuel production
• U.S. and Brazil produce the greatest amounts of
  ethanol
• Germany produces the greatest amount of
  bio-diesel
• Ethanol is the U.S. is produced predominantly
  from Corn
• Ethanol from Brazil is produced from sugar cane
• Bio-diesel in Germany is produced from vegetable
  oils

Top Five Bio-Diesel Producers in 2005
8
Global Production 2000-2005

• Ethanol production doubled
• Bio-Diesel production nearly quadrupled

• World oil production only increased by 7

9
Second Generation Biofuel Feedstock Cellulosic
Biomass

• Sources of Raw Materials
• Wood (i.e. Chips, sawdust, etc.)
• Tall Grasses
• Crop Residue (i.e. Corn Stocks)
• Organic Portions of Municipal Wastes (i.e. paper)

10
Major Obstacles to DevelopingSecond Generation
Feedstock

• Fibers can only be converted into liquid fuels by
  advanced technical processes, many of which are
  still in development
• Development is 10-15 years into the future
• Will require large investments by government and
  industry

11
On-Going Researchfor Biofuel Production

• To create fungi that are genetically modified to
  produce powerful enzymes that are used as
  catalyst to breakdown the complex carbohydrates
  of wood into simple sugars
• Reconfigure the DNA of brewers yeast which can
  feed on the sugars in a fermentation process
• Ethanol is produced as the sugars are consumed

12
Benefits of Second GenerationBiofuels vs. First
Generation

• Large potential to substitute for petroleum fuels
• Can create energy security
• Has less interference with the food economy
• Requires less land and water resources
• Reduces the emission of both greenhouse gases and
  pollution

13
Benefits of Good Management Practices for
Production of Biofuels

• Could facilitate the sequestration of carbon in
  the soil and vegetation
• Provide a monetary incentive to protect and
  restore ecosystems
• Could encourage development of natural systems
  with more complex ecosystems that increases
  biodiversity
• Such systems can protect watersheds, help to
  restore degraded lands, and lands vulnerable to
  erosion

14
Worldwide Productionof Second Generation Biofuels

• Can bring in a broader group of countries into
  the liquid fuel business
• Diversify suppliers and reduce the risk of supply
  disruption
• Can be produced in every region of the world
• Could reduce poverty in the poorer regions of the
  globe by enabling them to share in the production
  and benefits of biofuel development

15
Production Potential by Regions of the World

• Potential is greatest in tropical countries
• Tropical plants have a more favorable energy
  ratio than those grown in temperate regions
• They grown in more ideal conditions for utilizing
  sunlight and water
• Cultivated manually, with less fossil fuels
• Fewer use of fertilizers and pesticides
• Cheaper labor costs
• European countries have little land to devote
  towards biofuel production
• The U.S. is at a greater advantage than Europe,
  but will still require imports to keep up with
  demands

16
Pitfalls to Avoid

• Potential to contribute to soil depletion,
  erosion, habitat loss and reduction of
  biodiversity
• Potential to displace human populations in poorer
  countries
• Potential to further impoverish poorer countries

17
Death and Decomposition of Trees
Death and decomposition of trees are essential to
maintaining the production of as healthy forest.
Any successful biomass management effort must
take nutrient cycling into account to succeed.
18
SHIGOS LAW
IF THE RESEARCH GETS YOUR HANDS DIRTY, OR IF
THE WORK IS PHYSICALLY DIFFICULT, IT PROBABLY
WILL NOT, OR HAS NOT BEEN, DONE. THANK GOODNESS
THAT SOME RESEARCHERS ARE NOT AFRAID OF THIS
LAW!!!
19
Dr. SHIGO

• Dr. Alex Shigo, plant pathologist for the US
  Forest Service, who died on October 6, 2006, did
  much to enhance the scientific knowledge of the
  role of decomposing trees and nutrient cycling
  within the forest.

20
The Doctor at Work
21
Suggested Reading

• Lester Brown, 2001. Eco-Economy Building an
  Economy for the Earth. W.W. Norton Co., New
  York, NY
• Yvonne Baskin, 2005. Underground How Creatures
  of Mud and Dirt Shape our World. Island Press,
  Shearwater Books, Washington D.C.
• Envirothon 2007 and Envirothon 2007-1 can be
  found at www.merrimackriverbasin.us
• These documents can be located at the top of the
  page

22
References

• Collin Hindmarch, 2006. Growth and
  Sustainability Integrating Ecosystem Services
  into Economics. Biologist, Vol. 53, 3
• Goernors Office of Energy (New Hampshire) and
  Community Services, 2002. New Hampshire Energy
  Facts, 2002. www.nhecs.org
• William Hoagland, September Issue 1995. Solar
  Energy. Scientific America
• World Watch Institute, June 2006. Biofuels for
  Transportation Global Potential and Implications
  for Sustainable Agriculture and Energy.
  www.worldwatch.org
• World Watch Institute, September 2006. American
  Energy, The Renewal Path to Energy Security.
  www.worldwatch.org