» CARBON STATS

Interesting Wind Turbine Design

Robert Desideri — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:26:03 +0000

This could be interesting. I wonder what they sound like IRL.

Posted in CARBON STATS, ENERGY, GEEKDOM, HEH

Common-Pool Resources

Robert Desideri — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:25:02 +0000

You could say we brought upon ourselves the economic and environmental tragedies of today. And you’d probably be correct. Everyone is still finger pointing because, by definition there can be no absolute answer, so it’s safe. Fairness is at the bottom of all of this, but where? And why.

Perhaps a narrow definition of private property got us here, whether it’s carbon credits, water or whatever, we could probably stand some examination of property and responsibility. It’s actually a very interesting problem this business of problem solving.

Climbing the wrong hill is something not easy to observe. If you travel in problem solving circles you can easily visualise the nature of the problem, the problem of solving the problem that is.

It’s easier to solve a problem if know where you are. For example imaging being on a journey, you are in a dense fog climbing a hill hoping to pass over a mountain range. But what if you knew there’s a higher hill that has an easier path across the range nearby, of what if the other hill has the path and yours doesn’t. Obviously you would back down and change hills in the latter case. But you are in a dense fog, remember? Mr. fog is making a hard time for you. And if you’ve got the crowd following you their all-knowing leader or you’re being swept up the wrong hill with the crowd what’s going to happen?

A big thanks and congrats to Lin Ostrom.

Posted in CARBON STATS, ECONOMICS & FINANCE, ENERGY, GEEKDOM, HEH, PEEPS

Clever Incentive To Be More Green

Robert Desideri — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:18:19 +0000

Save fuel, get through traffic quicker and perhaps also safer. Nothing not to like, very clever.

In Barcelona and Madrid motor bikers get pole position at traffic intersections. The pavement is marked with a yellow grid (Barcelona) or bike icons (Madrid), bikers scoot ahead of the cars and busses for the light change.

Economic incentives work, this saves fuel and time for the more fuel-efficient minded motor bikers. If this ever were to happen in NYC I might get another bike, I bet there are others who would too.

Craig Venter: On the verge of creating synthetic life

Robert Desideri — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:19:37 +0000

I realise everyone on the planet is focused on the ongoing Bear debacle and gossip re insolvent financial institutions about to be outed, with biofuels way down the list of topics at dinner tables in most NYC restaurants tonight. But this is a much bigger deal in the long run so I’m posting against the grain tonight.

Craig Venter‘s TED talk, if you missed it in person like me, is available here on the Internets. He made several strong statements, the one most interesting to us energy geeks regards biologically created fuels from CO2 using bacteria. Here’s the talk, it’s a must see and runs just over 30 minutes including the Q&A.

Climate Exchange

Robert Desideri — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:49:59 +0000

There’s a piece in the WSJ today re Richard Sandor, emissions and carbon trading.

The next big battlefield will be in the U.S., where Congress is currently debating setting up a system for regulating greenhouse-gas emissions. Lawmakers are considering a system like the one created by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, a global United Nations-sponsored accord that set emissions-cutting targets for the 175 nations that ratified it. Europe’s program was an early test run of the Kyoto Protocol, whose emission restrictions began hitting industry this year.