Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons^™

Targeting Residential Energy Reduction For City Utilities Using Historical Electrical Utility Data And Readily Available Building Data, Kevin P. Hallinan, J. Kelly Kissock, Robert J. Brecha, Austin Mitchell

Physics Faculty Publications

Energy use data for the eight-year period 2003–2010 was analyzed for over 1200 single family residences in Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio. Electricity, natural gas, residential building, and weather databases are merged to permit determination of the energy intensity of each home in the village. The energy use intensity for each home is disaggregated into weather independent and weather dependent electric and natural gas use. This use is compared to typical baseline, cooling, and heating energy use for the region. From this comparison, priority homes are identified for energy reduction investment. Collective potential low cost energy reduction is estimated for …

Policy And Science Of Geothermal Heat Use At Mcmurdo Station, Antarctica, Joe Alvine

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

My thesis research project deals with the use of geothermal heat in Antarctica. Currently it is not allowed due to article 7 of the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection that placed a 50 moratorium on the exploitation of mineral resources. The US main base in Antarctica, McMurdo Station is currently powered by diesel generators that are inefficient, cause environmental damage, and is expensive to run. By exploring alternative energy options, McMurdo Station can reduce its dependence on non-renewable energy sources. By determining the geothermal potential of McMurdo Station, this project explores the possibilities and benefits that would occur with the …

Large Mining Projects In The Amazon, Gustavo Negreiros Phd, Academic Director

Fostering Multicultural Competence and Global Justice: an SIT Symposium

In addition to my work coordinating the SIT study abroad program Amazon Resource Management and Human Ecology since 1998, I pursue personal interests in the relation of modern development projects and the social environmental conditions faced by local populations of the region. In 2005, I evaluated the environmental licensing and implementation of Alcoa´s (Aluminum Company of America) mine operation in Juruti, western Pará State, which started operation in 2009. I was invited by the communities impacted and the different actors involved to participate in the team in charge of developing methodologies to valuate the social-environmental externalities faced by the communities, …

Wind Energy Glossary: Technical Terms And Concepts, Erik Edward Nordman

Technical Reports

The terms in this glossary are organized into three sections: (1) Electricity Transmission Network; (2) Wind Turbine Components; and (3) Wind Energy Challenges, Issues and Solutions.

A Sea Change For Aquatic Sustainability : Meeting The Challenge Of Fish Resources Management And Aquatic Sustainability In The 21st Century, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Wind Energy Deployment Issue Brief - May 2010, Erik Edward Nordman

Technical Reports

Wind energy projects have been proposed all over the world. West Michigan coastal communities, like other communities worldwide, are in the midst of assessing the benefits and challenges of siting wind energy farms. These wind energy projects reflect Michigan’s changing mix of potential energy sources; changes that are requiring the attention of all West Michigan communities.

Michigan’s electricity providers consider wind energy to be the most cost effective, scalable means of meeting the state’s 10 percent renewable energy standard [1]. Wind energy enjoys broad support in general, but specific projects can draw opposition [2]. Understanding the factors that influence wind …

Energy From The Sun: A Solar Feasibility Study For Macquarie University, Jj Augenbraun

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Macquarie University uses over 30,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. As one of the largest energy consumers in its area, the University is looking for ways to reduce the cost and environmental impact associated with its operations. One possible option is the use of solar energy to generate electricity on campus. However, solar energy is a complicated issue, especially for a large scale project. By taking the time to evaluate options prior to beginning a project of this scale, money and effort can be saved in the future. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility …

Input-Output Analysis Of Irish Construction Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Ireland is committed to limiting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 113% of 1990 levels over the period 2008-12 and to 84% of 2005 levels by 2020 under the Kyoto Agreement and the EU’s ’20 20’ by 2020 respectively. National policies have targeted many industry sectors but have failed to directly tackle GHG emissions associated with construction activity. This paper estimates energy and GHG emissions intensities of the Irish construction sector and subsectors and estimates its contribution to Irish national emissions. This information is used to identify and assess the impacts of policy measures which would result in a reduction …

Status And Trends Fact Sheet - March 2010, Erik Edward Nordman

Technical Reports

The West Michigan Wind Assessment project team is comprehensively analyzing the benefits and challenges of wind energy development in coastal West Michigan, including Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, and Allegan counties. This fact sheet summarizes the findings of their first report, Status and Trends of Wind Energy Development in West Michigan. Additional reports will examine potential impacts from a variety of perspectives and evaluate policy options for minimizing conflicts. For more information or to access the full report, please visit the project web site: www.gvsu.edu/wind.

Fishing Industry Impact Study : James Price Point Proposed Liquefied Natural Gas Precinct, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Occasional Paper No. 77 - Economic Analysis: Fishing Industry Impact Study - Kimberley Lng Project, Econsearch Pty Ltd, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

This study, prepared as a part of a broader study for WA fisheries, is concerned with the regional economy of the West Kimberley region and involves an assessment of the impact on the region of a range of fishing industry scenarios associated with development of an LNG processing facility. Specific tasks involved in the study were to prepare the following:

• a standard input-output model for the West Kimberley regional economy for 2007/08 and extend it as a DECON model; and

• estimates of the regional economic and population impact for a range of fishing industry scenarios arising from the …

Status And Trends Report - November 2009, Erik Nordman, Betty Gajewski, Paul Isely, John Koches, Stuart Kramer, Kurt Thompson, Jon Vandermolen

Technical Reports

The deployment of thousands of wind energy facilities required to meet various renewable energy targets will bring changes to the nation’s landscapes, communities, and economies. Identifying and reconciling the trade-offs that inevitably arise from projects such as locating wind energy facilities is a major challenge to successfully meeting renewable energy targets. These complex challenges span scientific disciplines, involve multiple scales, lack well-defined solutions, and involve public values. Integrated assessment has been used effectively to address a number of complex challenges, ranging from climate change to “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico. The intent of this integrated assessment project, and …

Acid Rain: The Effects, Torrey Mortimer

Social Sciences

In a world experiencing increasing population, urbanization, and developing nations looking to compete on a global market with post-industrial nations, the effects of acid precipitation require greater consideration. As the world’s energy demand rises, and with the cheapest and most abundant source of energy being coal, the occurrence of acid precipitation is on the rise.

The goal of my project is to research and report on the effects of acid deposition on humans, animals and the environment that surrounds them. When I have completed my project, I hope to be able to explain the impacts that acid deposition has on …

The Study Of Variations In The Properties Of Biodiesel On Addition Of Antioxidants, Hiranmayee Kandala

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research studies variations in biodiesel upon addition of different concentrations of antioxidant and petrodiesel additives. Oxidation onset temperature, oxidation induction time, oxidative stability, thermal stability, crystallization onset temperature and moisture retention properties of the biodiesel, with and without antioxidants have been studied. Antioxidants like BHT, BHA, PrG, Vit E and Vit C were added to the biodiesel during the study. These samples were analyzed using the PDSC, TGA, DSC and TGA-SA instrumentation.

The results of this research show an improvement in the OOT, OIT and Oxidative stability of biodiesel with the addition of antioxidants and by blending the biodiesel …

Assessment Of The Embodied Co2eq In Buildings Towards A Sustainable Building Design And Construction, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu

Conference Papers

Research studies have shown that the initial energy embodied in a building can be as much as 67% of the operational energy over a 25 year period. With growing global concerns over material and resource consumption and the emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere, the energy embodied in buildings constructed in town and cities becomes important and one of the key issues that needs to be tackled in the design stages in order to strive towards sustainable buildings design. In this paper, a hybrid embodied carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) methodology used to assess the CO2eq embodied in buildings is presented. …

Wind Power West Michigan - Project Overview, Erik Edward Nordman

Technical Reports

Wind energy has the potential to be an environmentally sensitive alternative to fossil fuels because wind is renewable and can be used to generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Michigan’s coastal zones possess abundant wind resources. However, wind energy development might present challenges for tourism-dependent lakeshore communities. Poorly sited wind farms may interfere with other uses of the coast, such as recreation, commercial fishing, and nature preservation, and not all communities are prepared to manage these conflicts.

Emissions Scenarios In The Face Of Fossil-Fuel Peaking, Robert J. Brecha

Physics Faculty Publications

Emissions scenarios used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are based on detailed energy system models in which demographics, technology and economics are used to generate projections of future world energy consumption, and therefore, of greenhouse gas emissions. We propose in this paper that it is useful to look at a qualitative model of the energy system, backed by data from short- and medium-term trends, to gain a sense of carbon emission bounds. Here we look at what may be considered a lower bound for 21st century emissions given two assumptions: first, that extractable fossil-fuel resources follow the …

Panel Ii: The Clean Energy Economy, Hilda Solis, Dina Titus, Dan Reicher, Edward Mazria

National Clean Energy Summit

Panel discussion Moderator: Steve Colwell, Executive Director, Sea Change Foundation

Nuclear Energy, Steve Kraft

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Why Nuclear Energy?

-The lesson of the last 20 years in U.S. electricity policy:

– Diversified fuel and technology portfolio is essential

– All fuels and technologies (nuclear, coal, natural gas, renewables, efficiency) have a legitimate role

-The challenge for the future:

– Preserving/restoring diversified portfolio

– Ensuring resource adequacy, particularly in competitive markets

-Expanded use of nuclear energy is part of the answer

– Integrated used fuel management supports nuclear competitiveness

Using Biosolids To Enhance Phytoremediation Of Oil-Contaminated Soil, Heather N. Markway, Duane C. Wolf, Kaaron J. Davis, Edward E. Gbur

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

While the plant rhizosphere and associated microbial processes have been shown to amplify the degradation rate of chemical residues in soils, phytoremediation can be a slow process. The objective of this greenhouse study was to determine if the addition of biosolids as an organic soil amendment would enhance growth of plants in oil-contaminated soil and thus potentially increase effectiveness of phytoremediation. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) or sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf (Piper)) was grown in a Captina silt loam (finesilty, siliceous, mesic Typic Fragiudults) contaminated with 5% crude oil (v/w) and amended with 24 g biosolids/kg soil. …

Identifying Potential Conflict Associated With Oil And Gas Exploration In Texas State Coastal Waters: A Multi-Criteria Spatial Analysis, Samuel Brody, Himanshu Grover, Sarah Bernhardt, Zhenghong Tang, Bianca Whitaker, Colin Spence

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Recent interest in expanding offshore oil production within waters of the United States has been met with opposition by groups concerned with recreational, environmental, and aesthetic values associated with the coastal zone. Although the proposition of new oil platforms off the coast has generated conflict over how coastal resources should be utilized, little research has been conducted on where these user conflicts might be most intense and which sites might be most suitable for locating oil production facilities in light of the multiple, and often times, competing interests. In this article, we develop a multiple-criteria spatial decision support tool that …

An Interdatabase Comparison Of Nuclear Decay And Structure Data Utilized In The Calculation Of Dose Coefficients For Radionuclides Produced In A Spallation Neutron Source, John P. Shanahan, K. Eckerman, A. Arndt, C. Gold, Phillip W. Patton, Mark Rudin, R. Brey, T. Gesell, V. Rusetski, S. Pagava

Transmutation Sciences Physics (TRP)

Internal and external dose coefficient values have been calculated for 14 anthropogenic radionuclides which are not currently presented in Federal Guidance Reports Nos. 11, 12, and 13 or Publications 68 and 72 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Internal dose coefficient values are reported for inhalation and ingestion of 1 μm and 5 μm AMAD particulates along with the f₁ values and absorption types for the adult worker. Internal dose coefficient values are also reported for inhalation and ingestion of 1 μm AMAD particulates as well as the f₁ values and absorption types for members of the …

Preliminary Assessment Of Client Interest In And Needs Of The New England Environmental Finance Center, New England Environmental Finance Center, University Of Southern Maine

Planning

The New England Environmental Finance Center (NE/EFC) has been conceived as a knowledge-based clearinghouse, training, and change-agent program aimed at helping EPA's constituencies find financially successful approaches to environmental improvements. The NE/EFC will develop approaches to needs of particular priority in New England and potentially useful throughout the nation; share such approaches through the EFC national network; and help make tools from that network accessible throughout New England. In 1999 we began exploring with potential users how this ninth of the nation's EFCs might best address the region's needs. The assessment continued through the Muskie School's EFC proposal to EPA …

Conflicts In Use: The Impacts Of The Oil And Gas Industry On The Herring Fishery In The North Sea, Cornelia Ann Pasche

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

The interaction of the herring (Clupea harengus) with the oil and gas industry in the North Sea is reviewed. The population crash of the herring in the early 1970's and the subsequent closing of that important fishery between 1977 and 1983 has drawn considerable attention to the influences, both biotic and abiotic, affecting the recruitment to the North Sea stock. Current accepted theory points to a change in oceanic current and the subsequent decrease in salinity in the North Sea region, resulting in a change in plankton availability for larval herring as the cause of the recruitment failure during the …

Netc Tank Farm Five Hazardous Waste Cleanup: An Investigation And Evaluation Of Cleanup Practices For Waste Oil Tanks At Netc, Newport, Ri, David J. Sisson

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

My intention in this paper is to focus on the "chronic" hazardous waste problem stemming from past disposal/storage practices. More specifically, to focus on two underground storage tanks at NETC which were used for the storage of hazardous waste (waste oil tanks). It is now common knowledge that old underground storage tanks throughout the country present a potential ground water contamination hazard which must be dealt with. Over the past decade naval installations have heightened their awareness of environmental responsibilities and implemented recycling programs for the disposal of paper, glass, etc. and have even established programs for fuel collection and …

Fisheries Research Report No. 84 - The Marine Open Shelf Environment: Review Of Human Influences, D. A. Hancock

Fisheries Research Reports

For the purpose of this review, the marine environment has been classified into three physical zones - the littoral zone, the open-shelf environment and the coral reef. Since the boundaries are arbitrary, there will inevitably be some overlap, but for this review the subject matter will be related to the area between low water of ordinary spring tides and the edge of the continental shelf; i.e., to a depth varying to 200 metres.

Human influences may have a dual role in affecting the marine environment, firstly in a causative manner and secondly in providing a remedy, in which case the …

Fisheries Report No 74 - Marine Resources Map Of Western Australia- Part 2 - The Influence Of Oil On Marine Resources And Associated Activities With An Emphasis On Those Found In Western Australia, H. E. Jones

Fisheries Research Reports

Part 1 of the text accompanying the marine resources maps dealt with the resources and the morphological, hydrological and meteorological characteristics of the Western Australian coastal environment. This subsidiary part is concerned with the effects of oil on marine resources and associated commercial and recreational activities.

Accounts of oil on the seas due to natural seepages appeared in Europe in the sixteenth century on the return of Spanish and Portuguese ships from voyages to the Americas. One of the earliest reports of oil pollution from a man-made source was in 1754 when leakages from wooden petroleum barges were prevalent in …

Acid Deposition: Legal And Political Controversies, Noelle F. Lewis

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

Acid rain is more accurately referred to as acid deposition since acidity is deposited in both the wet and dry form. Acid rain results from the conversion of sulfur and nitrogen gases to sulfates and nitrates, respectively. In the United States, sulfur compounds are responsible for about two-thirds of the acidity in precipitation; nitrogen compounds, one-third. In 1980, man-made sources in the United States emitted approximately 26 million tons of sulfur dioxide and 21 million tons nitrogen oxides. Within the United States, the major sources of sulfur dioxide emissions, approximately 90-95% of the total, are electric generating utilities, industrial boilers, …

Fundy Tidal Power Development : Preliminary Evaluation Of Its Environmental Consequences To The Resources Of The State Of Maine, Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences

Maine Collection

Fundy Tidal Power Development : Preliminary Evaluation of Its Environmental Consequences to the Resources of the State of Maine

A Report to the Maine State Planning Office by the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, April, 1984.

"Technical Report No. 35 - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine - A Division of Northeastern Research Foundation, Inc."

Contents: Executive Summary / Introduction / Methods / Physical and Biological Consequences / Socio-Economic Consequences / Research Needs / Bibliography / Appendix I. Written Comments on Greenberg Model

Ward V. Coleman, Cert. Granted (Sub Nom. United States V. Ward): A Fifth Amendment Problem In The Enforcement Of The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Mark Cohen

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

On March 23, 1975 oil leaked out of an oil retention pit at a drilling site owned by L.O. Ward. Ward was an Oklahoma wildcatter and the owner and operator of L.O. Ward Oil and Gas Operations. The spilled oil ran down a gully and into Boggie Creek. Boggie Creek is a tributary of the navigable Arkansas River. The discharge of oil from Ward's property therefore amounted to the discharge of a harmful quantity of oil within the meaning of Section 1321 (b)(3) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and also a harmful quantity within the meaning of regulations …