Renewable & Clean Energy Solutions to Secure Energy Independence from Foreign Oil.

FOREIGN OIL: As imports grow and world prices rise, the amount of money we send to foreign nations every year is soaring. At current oil prices, we will send $700 billion dollars out of the country this year alone — that’s four times the annual cost of the Iraq war. Projected over the next 10 years, the cost will be $10 trillion — it will be the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind. America uses a lot of oil. Every day, 85 million barrels of oil are produced around the world. And 21 million of those are used here in the United States. That’s 25% of the world’s oil demand used by 4% of the world’s population.

SOLUTION: It’s compressed natural gas (CNG). Natural gas and bio-fuels are the only domestic energy sources used for transportation. Saves About 40% On Fuel. Natural gas costs about 40% less than gasoline. In places like Utah, prices are less than $1 a gallon. Compressed natural gas (CNG) is the cleanest transportation fuel available today. According to the California Energy Commission, critical greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are 23% lower than diesel and 30% lower than gasoline. Natural gas (CNG) vehicles are available NOW and combine top performance with low emissions.

According to NGV America, there are more than 7 million NGVs in use worldwide, but only 150,000 of those are in the United States. The EPA estimates that vehicles on the road account for 60% of carbon monoxide pollution and around one-third of hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions in the United States. As federal and state emissions laws become more stringent, many requirements will be unattainable with conventionally fueled vehicles. Since CNG is significantly cleaner than petroleum, CNG-fueled vehicles are increasingly popular. (The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach recently announced that 16,800 old diesel trucks will be replaced, and half of the new vehicles will run on alternatives such as natural gas. Source: Pickens Plan

Energy Security, including transportation strategies, will be featured as a separate track at EUEC 2012. Chesapeake Energy, Navistar, GM and EPRI are collaborating with EUEC to exhibit CNG vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and shale gas development. This month’s blog features relevant presentations from EUEC 2011.

D3.1 | Index of US Energy Security Risk

Stephen Eule | VP, Climate & Technology , Institute For 21St Century Energy

Energy security has occupied the minds of policymakers since the Arab oil embargo on the early 1970s. This concern, however, has not been matched with metrics that allow for a quantifiable, dispassionate, and comprehensive assessment of the risks to our Nation’s energy security. This shortcoming is what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy seeks to address by introducing a first-of-a-kind annual Index of U.S. Energy Security Risk. The Index, which covers the years 1970 to 2030, incorporates 37 different measures of energy security risk, covering a wide range of energy supplies, energy end-uses, operations, and environmental emissions. Besides providing an historical look at U.S. energy security, the Index can be used to explain whether our energy security is trending better or worse, to assess the potential impact of new policies on U.S. energy security, and to measure the aspects of energy security that have had, or are likely to have, the greatest impact on energy security risks. By developing a transparent and objective means for measuring the once elusive concept of energy security, the Energy Institute is working to ensure that energy security considerations are more directly incorporated into the policy debates moving forward.

D3.3 | Prism 2.0: Preliminary Insights from EPRI’s Regional Model

Bryan Hannegan | Vice President, Environment And Renewables , Electric Power Research Institute

Using a new regional economic model developed by EPRI, I will discuss the challenges faced by the electric power industry as it seeks to incorporate greater amounts of variable renewable energy into its future generation mix. I will also provide an updated assessment of the potential near-term and long-term response of the industry to an aggressive climate policy, and reiterate the value of investment in a “Full Portfolio” of low-carbon electricity technologies.

J8.4 | Implications of Cyber Attacks on the Critical Infrastructure

Donald Cox | Project Manager , Raytheon

The success enjoyed by modern society is built on a foundation of 16 major infrastructure sectors. For example, transportation, telecommunication, banking, electric power, water/wastewater, and agriculture are seven that combine to provide developed countries with the highest standard of living in the history of mankind. These infrastructure sectors are highly interdependent and reliable. Disruption of any one of these sectors threatens the quality of life we enjoy. Computerized industrial control systems are a contributing factor that has made industrial productivity possible and have hitherto been considered immune to cyber attack. Last year, the STUXNET cyber worm was exposed as the first cyber weapon to directly target industrial control systems. The emergence of this threat brought attention to the existing vulnerabilities of our industrial infrastructure resulting in government and industry leaders to question the reliability of the utilities that historically have been highly dependable. STUXNET surprised experts with its high level of sophistication; well beyond that of other cyber threats to date. This paper will briefly discuss Stuxnet and the implications of cyber threats focused specifically on industrial control systems and the processes they control. We also evaluate the possible impacts to reliability and sustainability of our critical industrial infrastructure.

L5.3 | Why Coal Plant Retirements & Fuel Switching Conversions to Natural Gas Matters to Utilities and Our Customers

Alex Hofmann | Sr. Energy and Environmental Services Engineer , American Public Power Association

Public power utilities, owned and operated by municipal governments in 49 states are operating in extraordinary times with lower industrial and commercial load (electricity demand) and pressures by the consumer to keep rates low. Public power communities are under pressure to “keep the lights on” and remain highly reliable while also transforming the current generation to lower carbon footprint and reduced conventional pollutants (SO2, NOx and mercury). This talk will discuss why premature retirements of power plants and fuel switching to gas matters to residential and industrial consumers. The talk will address costs, reliablity, infrastructure and debt remaining on power plants that might retire prematurely. The talk will also address recent events that have made the permitting of natural gas storage and natural gas pipeline more difficult. The talk will also take into account any recent studies by NERC, FERC, DOE or other relevant agencies.

L5.2 | Implications of Greater Reliance on Natural Gas for Electricity Generation

Catherine Elder | Senior Associate , Aspen Environmental Group

The study identifies issues that arise if electric utilities turn to natural gas to replace their existing baseload coal-fired generation, either to address carbon emissions or due to other pending regulations. It evaluates natural gas demand under a variety of resource portfolio scenarios, and demonstrates how much gas would be required to replace all existing coal-fired generation with gas. It tempers the favorable supply picture presented by natural gas producers, and reviews how much new natural gas transmission and storage infrastructure might be added across a variety of scenarios, including if all coal-fired generation were replaced with gas. In general, the potential demand, supply and infrastructure needed are unprecedented relative to maxima experienced by the industry to date. As much as 70 Bcf per day of new pipeline capacity might be needed, compared to the 45 Bcf per day added since 1990. In addition, not all natural gas pipelines have storage located along them and the ability to add storage is limited by geology. Between the necessary infrastructure to deliver gas, build new power plants, train staff, Aspen estimates a cost in the range of $750 billion, excluding higher commodity costs, debt service on existing plants, and local capacity constraints.

E2.4   Introducing eStar: The All-Electric Commercial Vehicle from Navistar

Mark Aubry | Vice President, Sales, Navistar, Inc.

Come learn about the eStar, the all-electric commercial vehicle from Navistar. It’s what business needs and Mother Earth deserves. A pure electric commercial truck with zero tailpipe emissions. Purpose-built to evolve with your business. Narrow and nimble for city streets and alleys. And quiet as a whisper.

P3 | The Emergence of Shale Gas in U.S Gigsaw

Mitchell Baer | Director. Oil and Gas Analysis, U.S. Department of Energy

This paper surveys U.S. energy use during the past 30 years and present projections of energy use into the future.  Energy resource information will include the traditional energy resources, coal, nuclear, oil, gas, and renewable (principally hydropower), and the projected future role of the expanding set of alternative/renewable energy resources, including solar, wind.  The advent and expansion of the natural gas production from the shale gas formations will be explored.