Linc Energy Blog

A new standard has emerged, from burning flare gas to recycling it and creating renewable energy, creating the need to monitor and measure flare gas flow.

Tags: thermal mass flow meter, renewable energy, flare gas reduction, flare gas

A recent case study demonstrated that measuring and monitoring landfill gas using thermal mass flow meters solves many of the issues commonly associated with the use of traditional flow measurement devices, resulting in more accurate measurement and field labor savings.

Tags: landfill methane, landfill gas, renewable energy, thermal mass flow meter, flow measurement, methane emission offsets, greenhouse gas emissions, municipal solid waste

More and more dairies and farming operations are putting waste to work by using the manure from their livestock to create electric and thermal power. Farming operations, like Lochmead Farms in Oregon are taking advantage of new technology, and developing renewable energy, receiving tax credits and reducing emissions.

Tags: greenhouse gas emissions, methane destruction, farming operations, digester gas, renewable energy

What are carbon credits? Recently a customer inquired about purchasing a thermal mass flow meter. When I asked him what his application was, he said he needed to measure his CERs or carbon credits. It was then I decided carbon credits or CERs would make a good blog topic.

In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto Japan as protocols to the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). This treaty is aimed at fighting global warming. While it was adopted in 1997 it wasn’t empowered until 2005 and as of May 2011, 194 parties have signed the treaty. When ratifying this agreement, UNFCC members agree to cap emissions according to the Kyoto Protocol, however the treaty is legally non-binding.

As part of the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries have made the commitment to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG), specifically carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and sulfur hexafluoride) as well as the gases produced by them.

This treaty employs creative mechanisms which encourages the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, a factor in global warming. One of the flexible mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It is this protocol which allows industrialized countries to invest in emission reductions where it is least expensive globally. It also provides the means to sell or trade the CERs (Certified Emission Reductions).

When ratifying the Kyoto Protocol a demand for CERs is produced. CERs are also more commonly known as carbon credits. A carbon credit is essentially a license for the holder of a credit to produce one ton of carbon dioxide. Credits are only awarded to those parties or organizations that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) below a specific quota. Those parties which lower emissions can sell their credits to gas emission emitters which could be countries, large commercial entities or power generators.

An appealing opportunity for businesses (like my customer) is to convert their landfill gas or livestock waste to an alternative energy. By doing so, they’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions and if measured correctly, they could receive tradable greenhouse emission credits. The key of course is to measure it correctly which is why my customer, a manure manufacturer was inquiring about our thermal mass meters which measure and monitor greenhouse reduction projects to verify tradable credits. 
 

Malene Thyssen, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Malene

 

Tags: greehouse gas, CERs, carbon credits, biomass, renewable energy, alternative energy, natural gas measurement, thermal mass flow meter

The current political environment encourages that we enter a new age and explore alternative fuels to energize our future.

"Is it a fact -- or have I dreamt it -- that, by means of electricity, the world of matter has
become a great nerve, vibrating thousands of miles in a breathless point of time?"
--Nathaniel Hawthorne

I’ve spent the majority of my professional life selling products to the Natural Gas Industry. There is no secret that I’m committed to natural gas. It is also no secret that as fossil fuels are depleted we have a responsibility to explore safe ways to extract fuels from hard to get places, but also we need to investigate alternative fuels. This is one of the reasons our warehouse and headquarters are energy efficient with sustainable solar power.

The more I looked into alternative fuel, the more confused I became by all the terms commonly used. In my earlier post, Diversification: Renewable and nonrenewable energy  I explained that renewable energy can be replenished in a short period of time. Additionally, renewable energy does not pollute or harm the environment when used. Energy generated from wind power, solar power, hydroelectric power, tidal power, geothermal power and wave power are excellent examples of renewable energy.

Nonrenewable energy is limited and requires millions of years to produce. Fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal, are nonrenewable. This type of energy does harm the environment at varying degrees with natural gas producing considerably less carbon dioxide than coal or oil.

Alternative fuel is a designation to describe fuels that are not considered conventional (or nonrenewable). In other words any fuel that is nonconventional, like renewable fuels would be an alternative fuel.

All renewable energy is considered sustainable energy, but not all sustainable energy is renewable. To be considered sustainable, it must meet our current needs and when used it can’t compromise the needs of future generations. Examples of these would be plant material (biomass), wind power, solar power, wave power, tidal power and geothermal power.

While some consider nuclear energy to be sustainable, others argue that the risks associated with the use of this energy, such as accidents and terrorism, strip fission power from this designation.

Another term that seems to be popping up is green energy. Green energy or green power is a label for energy sources which are non-polluting and combat future global warming.

We have entered the age of alternatives. In subsequent posts I will discuss the pros and cons of various sustainable energies, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal energy, tidal energy, wave power and others.
 

 

Tags: natural gas, fossil fuel, alternative energy, nonrenewable energy, renewable energy, biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar, coal or uranium, shale extraction, hydraulic fracking, alternatives, gas extraction, wind power, currents, green, carbon neutral, wind turbine, renewables, alternative energy, nonrenewable energy, renewable energy, sustainable energy, green energy, green power, wind power, solar power, wave power, tidal power and geothermal power, nuclear energy, fission power, fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, coal

The current political environment encourages that we enter a new age and explore alternative fuels to energize our future.

"Is it a fact -- or have I dreamt it -- that, by means of electricity, the world of matter has
become a great nerve, vibrating thousands of miles in a breathless point of time?"
--Nathaniel Hawthorne

I’ve spent the majority of my professional life selling products to the Natural Gas Industry. There is no secret that I’m committed to natural gas. It is also no secret that as fossil fuels are depleted we have a responsibility to explore safe ways to extract fuels from hard to get places, but also we need to investigate alternative fuels. This is one of the reasons our warehouse and headquarters are energy efficient with sustainable solar power.

The more I looked into alternative fuel, the more confused I became by all the terms commonly used. In my earlier post, Diversification: Renewable and nonrenewable energy  I explained that renewable energy can be replenished in a short period of time. Additionally, renewable energy does not pollute or harm the environment when used. Energy generated from wind power, solar power, hydroelectric power, tidal power, geothermal power and wave power are excellent examples of renewable energy.

Nonrenewable energy is limited and requires millions of years to produce. Fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal, are nonrenewable. This type of energy does harm the environment at varying degrees with natural gas producing considerably less carbon dioxide than coal or oil.

Alternative fuel is a designation to describe fuels that are not considered conventional (or nonrenewable). In other words any fuel that is nonconventional, like renewable fuels would be an alternative fuel.

All renewable energy is considered sustainable energy, but not all sustainable energy is renewable. To be considered sustainable, it must meet our current needs and when used it can’t compromise the needs of future generations. Examples of these would be plant material (biomass), wind power, solar power, wave power, tidal power and geothermal power.

While some consider nuclear energy to be sustainable, others argue that the risks associated with the use of this energy, such as accidents and terrorism, strip fission power from this designation.

Another term that seems to be popping up is green energy. Green energy or green power is a label for energy sources which are non-polluting and combat future global warming.

We have entered the age of alternatives. In subsequent posts I will discuss the pros and cons of various sustainable energies, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal energy, tidal energy, wave power and others.
 

 

Tags: natural gas, fossil fuel, alternative energy, nonrenewable energy, renewable energy, biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar, coal or uranium, shale extraction, hydraulic fracking, alternatives, gas extraction, wind power, currents, green, carbon neutral, wind turbine, renewables, alternative energy, nonrenewable energy, renewable energy, sustainable energy, green energy, green power, wind power, solar power, wave power, tidal power and geothermal power, nuclear energy, fission power, fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, coal

Could natural gas be the link to a renewable energy future? Could it be the energy to bridge the gap between fossil fuels and alternative energy?

In my recent blog, Natural Gas: From eternal flames, lamp lights to heating homes, I highlighted some of the milestones from the Natural Gas Industry. Let’s not let recent incidents, like the Marcellus Shale accident deflate our sails. Now is not the time to acquiesce. Sure, we need to do things safer and better, but we need to keep moving forward.

There is no argument we should move toward a future of total renewable energy. No one disputes that fossil fuels harm the environment. But we’re not even close to being able to satisfy our country’s energy needs with just alternative energies. So where does that leave us? If natural gas isn’t the energy of choice, we’re left with coal, which could be an environmental disaster, or we’re left to importing oil from foreign countries – need I say more?

I say, let’s choose natural gas, the cleaner fossil fuel to link to alternative fuels. Let’s learn from our mistakes, make our processes safer, create a few jobs while we’re at it and make this clean energy lead the charge to a total renewable future.

Enjoy this video from the American Natural Gas Alliance.
 

 

Tags: natural gas, energy, alternative energy, renewable energy, Marcellus Shale, clean energy, wind power, currents, green, carbon neutral, wind turbine, environment, planet, renewables, gasland

You don’t have to be a tree hugger to recognize that we need to do things differently. It has become clear that we must look to the future and diversify how we fill our energy needs.

"Not only will atomic power be released, but someday we will harness the rise and fall of the tides and imprison the rays of the sun."  --Thomas Alva Edison

 

Energy is considered renewable when its source can be replenished in a short period of time. Biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind and solar are examples of renewable energy, and in 1998 they represented 7.4% of US energy. About 93% of the energy used in the United States is from nonrenewable sources, like petroleum, natural gas, coal or uranium. We’ve named these sources as nonrenewable because their resources are limited. Fossils fuels like petroleum, natural gas and coal are formed over millions of years, through chemical reaction from the remains of plants and animals. While we may think these resources are endless, they aren’t and it takes millions of years to produce them.

The simple economic model of supply and demand tells us that as the supply of fossil fuel diminishes, the price of this fuel increases. Without proper diversification into alternative fuels we could set ourselves up for a future energy crisis.

Additionally, it’s no secret that the use of fossil fuels hurt the environment and is linked to the thinning of our ozone layer and global warming. Without exploring alternatives we are promoting climate changes which could lead to unsounded consequences.

It’s clear that as our fossil fuels become depleted, we strive harder to retrieve them which open ourselves to severe, almost unfathomable outcomes:

• We drill the ocean floors and subject ourselves to environmental, ecological and economic devastation.
• We create new technologies to retrieve natural gas from shale and risk polluting our water.
• We build massive natural gas pipelines which rupture and cost lives.

Diversification is no longer a choice - it’s a requirement. While we cannot stop using fossil fuels, we can move forward more cautiously in fossil fuel extraction and expand our sights to alternative and renewable energy.

Let’s become better stewards of the planet.
 

Tags: gulf spill, shale extraction, coal or uranium, petroleum, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, biomass, renewable energy, nonrenewable energy, alternative energy, fossil fuel, energy, natural gas

I’m thrilled to be writing about something that matters to me - our future. I’m Susan Bender, President and CEO of Linc Energy Systems, which is based outside of Denver, Colorado. I’ve been involved in the natural gas industry for 30 years, and I’ve seen many changes over that time.

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
--Benjamin Franklin

As my commencing blog, I wanted to share a bit about myself and company, Linc Energy Systems. As a manufacturers’ representative and stocking distributor, I’ve represented the finest companies over the years which offer instrumentation, equipment and products, to natural gas transporters and natural gas distributors. I’m also a utility field contractor, and specialize in the installation, maintenance and repair of gas flow metering equipment.

At the end of last year, I realized I needed to diversify my business. While part of this was driven by the economy, a larger part was influenced by my corporate vision. Simply put, my vision is to make this world a better place for our children. While the foundation of my business is anchored in selling products to conventional (nonrenewable) energy industries, I realized I needed to look at things differently. The answer was not to remain so rigid in my offerings and to acknowledge that there needs to be some balance in the manner we are energizing our lives.

This year, Linc Energy is shifting.  We've expanded into alternative energy to complement our offerings. Don’t get me wrong, my interest in natural gas hasn’t waned, but I believe we need to explore alternatives as we move forward. The tragic oil spill in the gulf and the recent Marcellus Shale accident confirms that we can’t rely wholly on conventional energy and need to consider doing things differently and diversify.

The intent of this blog is to write about matters in the energy industry, and since much of my experience has been in natural gas – many of my topics will relate to this fossil fuel. But I will, from time-to-time, offer thoughts on alternatives. Blogs aren’t one-sided communication vehicles; they offer a place for readers to convey their thoughts and feelings, so as I make blog entries I encourage you to also post your thoughts.

I hope you enjoy this blog.
 

Tags: natural gas, energy, fossil fuel, alternative energy, nonrenewable energy, renewable energy