Renewable energy will require an enormous amount of space - how much?

Power density in the chart below indicates energy per unit time per square metre of the earth's surface. Power producers must watch consumers. 

WE CAN THINK ABOUT ENERGY IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH PHYSICAL IS REQUIRED TO PRODUCE OR CONSUME IT

Diagram 1, Issue 12

• Power range per square metre of each producer or consumer

• Data from power densities(SMIL, 2015)

• The total area range of each producer or consumer requires 

• Thermal electricity(coal, oil, nuclear) has a power density about 1000x times 1000 smaller than the city it supplies.

• Rooftop solar PV works well for many houses

• Biofuels for Melbourne's urban traffic would require 10-100x the area of the city - perhaps the entire state of Victoria. 

• A typical solar PV farm would need to be 5-10x the size of the city it supplies. Sydney would need a PV farm on the order of the size of Ireland, or all of NSW crop land. 

Tomorrow's net-zero communities - which will inherit today's housing, commercial, industrial, and transportation - will provide the same level of useful energy as today's fossil-fuel based energy systems. 

Researched and handwritten for you by Ian 🙂 

Ian.warren@stellenconsulting.com.au

The misguided idea of "buying local"

Food production causes about 25% of global greenhouse gasses (GHA). Many of us assume that eating local is the key to a low carbon diet, even the UN recommends it. While it might make sense intuitively (transport does lead to emissions), it is a very misguided advice.

Diagram 1, Issue 11

• Transport makes up a very small percentage of food's total emissions — about 6% globally. 

• Most of food's GHG emissions are non-CO²: nitrous-oxide and methane. NO²(which is 298x more potent than Co²) is caused by fertiliser for meat, livestock, and feed crops. 

• This tiny red segment 

• This green part is GHG from things like deforestation and changes in soil carbon. 

• Australians are the second largest meat consumers and the second largest beef consumers, per-capita in the world. 

Buying only local food would reduce an Australian household's emissions by only about 0.7%.

If a  household swapped beef for vegetables, fish, or eggs just one day per week, the beef emissions savings would be about 2% more than double the savings of buying all food locally. (which would be impossible anyway)

What we buy is much much more important than its origin. 

Researched and handwritten for you by Ian 🙂 

Ian.warren@stellenconsulting.com.au

DON'T BUY AN ELECTRIC CAR - GET TRIPLE GLAZED WINDOWS INSTEAD. 

THE EMISSIONS SAVINGS ARE SIMILAR AND IT'S A LOT SIMPLER. 

Diagram 1, Issue 10

Australia's Total Carbon Emissions - 533mt CO²-e

• Max savings from electric cars ~30mt

• Max savings from Triple Glazed windows ~ 45mt

Single Glazing Transmits Energy at about 6W/m²

Double Pane:

• With 6mm GAP 3.3w/m²

• With COATNA 1.8w/m²

• With ARGON 1.1w/m²

•  TRIPLE GLAZING 0.6w/m²

90% Energy Saving - ~20mt CO² / year saved(Based on current energy supply mix). 

Diagram 2, Issue 10

• 87% heat gained 

• 40% heat lost through windows

Graham(2012) and the Australian Govt calculated that the max CO² reduction for EVs is similar to 23-36mt/year.

(6-7% of total emissions) 

Based on this rosy scenario; Our Triple glazed homes would save about  45mt/year (8% of total emissions) — 

This assumes(rather heroically) decarbonisation of Australia's electricity by more than 2/3rds. (0.724 - 0.209t CO²/mwh)

1. Windows do not require replacement every 7 years. 

2. Don't need billions of dollars off generation and transmission. 

3. Avoid all the waste of cars and batteries. 

Best or all, it would actually work and is scalable globally to billions.

Researched and handwritten for you by Ian 🙂

Ian.warren@stellenconsulting.com.au

Recently, we had to replace two tanks in Buri Village. These tanks supply water to about 1000 people—but only during two 4-hour windows per day.

The plastic itself is very durable but the connections and fittings are sensitive to movement—say from interested kids—and the HDPE tends to split and becomes very difficult to repair.

Plastic tanks aren’t as durable as we thought

Here’s what it looks like traveling around Ranongga Island by canoe.

We use a very dry mortar mix to trowel on to the inside and outside of the tank.

The sand is sourced at the beach—so its full of chlorides. This is a bad mix for the steel reinforced tank’s durability. So all the sand (after being carried up from the beach) is hand washed in fresh water.

Here our team is batching concrete for the tank base. No ReadyMix available here!

This is the first time we've chartered a small ship to take our construction materials to the outer islands.

Buri School Water Supply Extension

Buri School has about 300 students and would like to add a two new year groups to educate more young people.

But there isn’t enough water.

So, here is our team getting everything ready for a new water supply before school starts next year!

My short interview with Grace.

Ian’s rough translation:

My name is Grace Esovale. I’m 64 years old.

I have to carry water about 40mins each way It’s really hard for me. Sometimes I spend the whole day.

No time for garden, too busy with water.

So I’m really grateful for the chance to have a new water supply. A lot.

Grace explains what a new water supply means for her at Kongu

This coming December is a 100 year celebration for Ranongga. About 6,000 visitors are expected at Buri Village.

And they’ll need a lot of extra water.

Here is Ferris, from our water crack squad, calculating the available hydraulic head. Is there enough to make it to the new header tank location?

We still don’t know!

But we do know how big the tank has to be. And there' should be enough water to keep everyone clean and healthy over the Christmas and New Year festival

Ferris makes a rough assessment of the available pressure.

Fire that baby up

 

A very special moment 9 years in the making!

A big thank you from Giloe School Principal, Reuben Pae, for the new water supply saving staff and students many hours of walking during the school day.

The installation of the water system become part of a physics lesson

Burying the pipe — very important to protect from gardening tools (machetes!)

First water!

Theophilus is a senior teacher at the Giloe Language School, near Obobalu.

 

Herrick talks about how big of an impact a clean water system has had on his family and his whole community.

Herrick Ragoso is our Program Manager. Here is speaking to our Sydney University Humanitarian Engineering students.

An island from a dream

One of my side projects is to help get a simple water supply to this island.

It has a little hut, a perfect beach and lagoon (full of fish).

And even a little surf break.

This is a video on how to build and install a hand pump. Useful for situations were a gravity supply isn't available or needs supplementing.

We built 4 of these at the beach at Sambora Village, Vella Lavella.

The design developed by a friend of mine, Peter Wopereis.

 

Amazing meals delivered right to the construction site.

The ladies benefit most from the new system.

Here the guys at Kongu Village are diverting the stream around/over the proposed dam position to allow construction to start. They've created a temporary dam feeding to a PVC pipe. Which is supported by a timber brace.

Now the team has diverted the water from the main stream, has assembled the steel cage and is pouring concrete (cement, stones and water) in the formwork to create the dam.

Here the guys are preparing the steel reinforcing cage before the formwork is placed. Each bar is embeded into the rock to "key" the dam in. The hole are made by hammering out with a crowbar by hand.

Here Tony and Ambrose are building the standpipe base. Placing formwork and steel reinforcing.

Here Tony and Isana are adding nails to run the string lines from. These will help position the incoming fittings and finished concrete levels.

These ladies are doing the clothes washing for their families. The lower tap is pretty handy for this.

This multitasking mum is washing clothes, dishes and her son! A clothes and dish rack would be the perfect improvement.