Linc Energy Blog

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

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