Iran Khodro, a Peugeot partner for producing its line of  405 and 206D sedans, announced the production of what it claims is the world’s most powerful natural gas engine at 150 hp.  The engine runs on compressed natural gas (CNG), and is supposed to comply with the EURO 4 emission standards.  It will first be installed in the Samand Soren ELX, a 1700cc turbocharged gasoline bi-fuel four-door sedan, shown above at an auto show under supervision of the Ayatollah (much less dramatic photo here). 

But Khodro’s claims don’t quite measure up:  their engine is more powerful than the 113 hp Honda Civic GX (favorably reviewed by About.com and Consumer Reports) or the 98 hp 2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI BiFuel, but not any more than the 150 hp  Volkswagen Passat TSI EcoFuel Concept revealed last year , and far less than the 163 hp Mercedes-Benz E 200 NGT, which was launched back in 2005.

Honda Civic GX     and    Mercedes-Benz E 200 NGT

According to autoevolution.com, Iranians have converted over a quarter million cars to run on Compressed Natural Gas until now.  In Tehran, one of the most polluted cities in the world, all buses run on CNG, while almost all of the city’s taxi drivers have been forced into converting their cars.  CNG vehicles are far less polluting than gasoline or diesel cars, because CNG is a much simpler fuel and gives higher energy output for the same carbon content.

Why fossil fuels are used for energy: The underlying reason behind the widespread use of fossil fuels as a source of energy is the tremendous amount of energy that is released when carbon-hydrogen (C-H) and carbon-carbon (C-C) molecular bonds are broken.  Carbon atoms are often found in long chains or rings containing C and H atoms, collectively called hydrocarbons.  All of the fossil fuels we know are hydrocarbons: coal; natural gas; petroleum and its products like gasoline, diesel, and kerosene (jet fuel).  

When hydrocarbons are burned, the bonds break and the energy is released as heat.  The hydrogen, carbon and sulfur composing the fuel combines with oxygen and nitrogen molecules from the air to form new compounds.  Under ideal conditions the hydrocarbons are converted into carbon dioxide and water, with additional pollution in the form of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, which later on convert into particles, acid rain, smog and other health hazards.

The simplest fuels burn more cleanly and give more energy, and are therefore considered better for the environment.  All fossil fuels, however, will add new carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and will contribute to the rise of greenhouse gas concentrations.  On the balance, CNG powered cars will pollute less and emit fewer greenhouse gases, but are not a sustainable long term solution.  Fully sustainable transport is at least 10 years in the future, so it does make sense to switch over to technologies that are available today for widespread use.

Mass market adoption of CNG cars:  The biggest drawback of the CNG cars is the fueling infrastructure, simply meaning the places where you can fuel or recharge your car.  Safety considerations for compressed natural gas have been addressed elsewhere (e.g. by about.com), and it appears that CNG cars are at least as safe as their gasoline and diesel equivalents.  The existing fueling infrastructure, also a problem for electric vehicles, limits the potential range of these cars and adds a burden of inconvenience if you have fewer places where you can fuel. In my neighborhood of South Jerusalem, there is only one CNG station that I know of, on HaMusachim St. in the Talpiot industrial area.  

One solution is a CNG fueling appliance installed at your home currently available in parts of the US, similar to charging for plug-in electric vehicles.  Another is to use CNG cars in a limited area only – not extremely practical for the primary family vehicle, but ideal for fleets of delivery or service vehicles that travel a limited area, such as postal service, deliveries (pizza or UPS/DHL), maintenance.  And the most practical solution is the bi-fuel feature available for most natural gas cars, similar to hybrid electric vehicles.  This allows filling up the car with both CNG and gasoline, providing the flexibility between the better performance of gasoline vs. the improved mileage and environmental impact of the CNG, and preventing the scenario of running out of gas where there are no CNG fueling stations.

But without a doubt, only a small development is needed to make CNG cars perfect for the next generation picnics and tailgating parties, complete with built in stainless steel gas grills.  ”Because Jumpin’ Jack Flash is a gas gas gas!”

:: motorward.com

In preparation for Israeli election day, we present a series of posts with a 

WATER

Green Movement – Meimad

1. The use of economic instruments and water prices as a tool that will allow basic consumption, but will encourage conservation by the various consumers;

2. Production of large amounts of high quality desalinated water from sea water and brackish water. It must be ensured that the desalination facilities will be based on renewable energy, and to act to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that are associated with the process;

3. Increasing the use of reclaimed and gray water;

4. Increasing the enforcement significantly against the various water polluters, both by increasing the manpower and the number of the various sewage samples, and by toughening the actual punishments. The demands of the Water Authority to require the Nature and Parks Authority to pay for water allocated to nature should be revoked, because nature has a basic right to exist;

5. Organizational changes in the authorities that deal with water issues in Israel in a way that will bring to a consolidation of authority in the hands of the Water Authority.

6. Research and Education – an appropriate budget must continue to be allocated for the performance of up-to-date scientific studies and strengthen the connection between the Authority and academic research institutions, and fund the training of water experts.  Additionally, resources should be invested in education for water conservation and appropriate outreach.

The Green Party

1. Conservation, purification and clever planning of the systems for consuming and producing water;

2. Reducing the pumping of water through reducing wasteful agricultural crops, improving the efficiency of distribution, recycling and desalinating water in order to protect the streams, the Kinneret and the groundwater reservoirs;

3. Alternative use of floodwaters and recycled water:  increasing the level of the purification of reclaimed sewage and capturing floodwaters.  Widespread use can be made of saline/brackish water in the residential and industrial sectors, instead of using valuable sweet water;

Hadash

1. Protection of the water sources, the sea and streams from industrial and other pollution;

2. Ceasing the privatization of the water services;

Israel Betenu

Vigorous activity to save the Dead Sea and its surroundings, including a solution to the water crisis in our region.

Israel Hazaka

1. Support for existing plans to rehabilitate streams, soil and groundwater contaminated with fuel;

2. Ceasing the construction of gasoline stations that might pollute groundwater and soil;

3. Allocating resources for a national plan to prevent the pollution of the sea with oil (petroleum);

4. Toughening the punishment for polluters of water sources, streams and sea, and criminal punishment for negligence that caused harm.

5. Reevaluating the continued depletion of potable water sources for the purpose of producing mineral waters, in cases where there is a concern of damage to nature and landscape;

6. In border areas of the Arava, the Golan, and upper Galilee where there is no supply of reclaimed water, the State should initiate a change in the structure of the agricultural market which will ensure an honorable livelihood with minimal exploitation of potable water;

7. Promulgation of regulations that will require the installation of systems for the reuse of gray water in residential buildings and new public buildings. Reuse of reclaimed sewage for agriculture and industrial uses; to act to desalinate reclaimed sewage to drinking water quality for the purpose of recharging the coastal aquifer; increasing the supply of water by desalinating saline water;

8. Allocating resources and encouraging those who deal in the development of technologies that improve the processes for producing potable water, its treatment, and its recycling for secondary uses.

Kadima

1. Comprehensive design of national infrastructures, among other in the field of water supply and the protection of its quality.

2. Safeguarding the status and professionalism of the planning system;

3. Increasing the desalination of sea water based on the national needs including a water allotment for the rehabilitation of Israel’s streams.

Labor

Establishing a sustainable water market based on demand-side management, conservation and the rehabilitation of contaminated wells and on a massive allocation of resources to desalination, improvement of drinking water quality provided to the public, rehabilitation of the streams and returning them to the public as a public asset and a halt to the release of sewage to the sea and to prevent pollution of the sea from land-based sources.

New Movement – Meretz

1. Establishing a system wide approach to the sources of water, taking into account all of the uses of water, including nature reserves, streams and spring conservation;

2. Ensuring equality in the distribution of access to water in general, and to high quality water in particular.  Correction of the discrimination against the Arab communities in the allocation of water for agriculture;

3. Development of alternative water resources, e.g. recycling of sewage water and desalination;

4. Initiate regulations that will enable and encourage the citizen to collect rain water and recycle gray water.

SHAS

Passing laws that are meant to protect nature, water sources and the beaches of the sea.

The Likud party does not refer to the topic of water in its platform.

This summary was compiled in Hebrew ::Bar Ilan Environmental Clinic :: Chayim Usviva :: Translated by the greenprophet.com team.

photo::Creative Commons

In preparation for Israeli election day, we present a series of posts with a summary of the environmental positions of the parties running for the Knesset on the following topics: Open Areas and Beaches, Green Energy, Radiation and Global Warming, Sustainable Development, Recycling, Water, and  Air & Industrial Pollution and Enforcement.

RECYCLING

Green Movement – Meimad

1. Increasing the scope of recycling in the cities.

2. A mechanism will be established where residents pay for the waste they generate and are credited for savings in waste.

3. The waste market should be managed as a closed system, with the payments for property tax and for waste removal administered separately.

4. The landfilling of organic material should be limited and recyclers should be given incentives by the establishment of collection and treatment systems.

5. Trash separation will be encouraged by: giving financial incentives to the establishment of urban infrastructure and treatment facilities, emphasizing local and regional treatment; authorization and enforcement of the recycling regulations that require local authorities to recycle; outreach to the public regarding the importance of waste recycling.

The Green Party

1. Adjustment of market conditions in order to create incentives for recycling:  indirect intervention, limited in time and space, integrated with the educational system; 

2. Making a decision that Government support for industrial equipment will only be implemented as environmentally friendly investments; later on preference will also be given to recycled products like: fertilizers, wood, textile, metals, etc.

3. Promotion of recycling of organic waste, which can be separated easily for this purpose in broad applications (especially in the food industry, small communities, and the agricultural sector).

4. Operating composting facilities (production of fertilizer from organic waste) in local authorities;

5. Encouraging industries to produce energy from organic waste (bio-energy), as is customary in Brazil, US and other countries around the world.  Bio Energy is clean and healthy to the public.

Israel Hazaka

1. Implementing existing Government programs on topics of recycling all types of trash (construction, organic, household, paper) 

2. Reconstruction of landfill sites and providing a governmental example in all Government Ministries and bodies for implementation.

3. Recycling of plastic and paper bags by weight – updating the Deposit Law.

4. Education and public outreach in the education system and in all the media outlets about separation of trash.

5. R&d and purchase of technologies for the production of energy, raw materials and products from waste.

6. The process for constructing recycling plants and producing energy from waste

Labor

1. Converting voluntary recycling into mandatory recycling, will work towards stationing recycling facilities for paper, plastic, glass, and batteries in every municipality, every government office and every large business.

2. Passing a law for recycling of container waste, that will require the recycling of 70% of the total container waste created by every manufacturer or importer in Israel.

The New Movement – Meretz

1. Establishing positive and negative financial incentives, that will encourage consumers to consume less and the consume in an environmentally aware fashion;

2. Encouraging a policy of recycling in the private sector and industry; expanding the Deposit Law to cover drink containers of any volume; establishing goals for recycling and for the purchase of recycled materials as raw material and final products.

3. Establishing a default state for the use of electronic mail and virtual documents in government agencies;

4. Legislating the requirement to collect, recycle and reuse construction debris and recycled solid waste in public projects; 

5. Implementing advanced technologies for the treatment of hazardous waste (sequestration stabilization); reducing the extent of hazardous waste using targeted technology and a policy for the balanced use of toxic components, chemical and biological;

6. Reducing the use of single-use plates and utensils and plastic bags, through an educational campaign and economic incentives. 

The parties of Hadash, Israel Betenu, Likud, Kadima, and Shas do not refer to recycling in their platforms.

This summary was compiled in Hebrew ::Bar Ilan Environmental Clinic :: Chayim Usviva :: Translated by the greenprophet.com team.

AIR POLLUTION, INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION & ENFORCEMENT

Green Movement – Meimad

l. A significant budget increase to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the major portion of which will be direct to the creation of a monitoring unit and special enforcement within the Division of Air Quality. 

2. Increased action for the purpose of deterrence also in the area of prosecution against polluters and increase the frequency of mandatory self-reporting that is required by abnormal emissions and air pollution. 

3. Advancement of the preparation of standards that will give quantitative expression to the principles detailed in the Clean Air Law in order to maximally realize the potential of the law. 

4. Governmental policy in the area of air quality will be derived from the public interest of public health, workers’ health, and the national goal of increasing the quality of life.

5. Renew the activity of the Fund for Investment in Clean Production, in order to aid industries that are prepared to invest in environmental technologies but are having difficulties with the costs involved. Grants will be allocated to industries that show economic difficulties parallel to environmental improvement following installation of new equipment. 

The Green Party

1. The refineries are important to the Israeli economy, but it is not inconceivable that the damage that they cause cancels out this importance.  For their continued existence this industry will be required to adhere to a clear and unequivocal timetable for the gradual reduction of their emission of pollutants, according to models that have been successfully tried in Europe (e.g. “polluter pays” etc);

2. Power plants are essential to the market, but their activity today is unfettered: many power plants are built beyond actual need, they pollute and use badly needed space. The solution will come with the help of a transfer to energy from clean sources, and compliance with reduced emission standards according to a government plan;

3. Petrochemical industries, minerals, chemicals and building materials will be required to comply with strict regulations adopted by the European Union.

4. The Ministry of Environment will prepare a goal for pollutant emissions for every factory in Israel. A factory that does not comply with the goal and continues to endanger the lives of the public will be shut forthwith; 

5. Air quality monitoring stations will be operated under the auspices of the Ministry for Environment, which will give alerts about dangerous exceedances, identify their source and allow the determination of policies for mitigation.

Hadash

1. Aggressive action against the economic interests that stand behind environmental destruction; Special protection of residents around industrial areas.

2. Creation of  a national plan for the protection of public health from environmental hazards: enforcement of the laws for the prevention of pollution and harm to the environment; increase the punishments given to polluters; a policy of assertive enforcement against polluting factories; extraction of the full cost of pollution from the polluters themselves, in accordance with the principle of “the polluter pays”; Requirement of industrial factories to install units that prevent pollution of the air and environmental pollution; Make information on the condition of the environment available to the public. 

Israel Betenu

A deepening of the connection between industry and environmental protection.

Israel Hazaka

1.Decrease pollution of the air, earth, and water by the energy and transportation industries; Coordinated and determined action is required to reduce all of the negative ramifications of the energy industry on the environment and especially the ramifications of the emission of hothouse gases and poisonous air pollution. 

2.Increase the enforcement and punishment against polluting factories and facilities. 

Kadima

1.Preservation of the environment requires decreasing pollution of the air, water, rivers, agricultural lands, the sea, and nature.

2.Concentration of cooperative municipal industrial and business areas, with the division of Arnona in order to prevent inefficient land use. 

Labor

1. A significant reduction of air pollution levels from industry, transportation and power facilities, and the establishment and implementation of a national plan for the reduction of air pollution which includes measurable parameters and clear timetables for the reduction of air pollution.

2. Completing a base of detailed environmental legislation which guarantees efficiency, certainty, equality, transparency and stability for environmental topics based on the principle of polluter pays, which will include tools for enforcement and supervision, stricter punishment, and the granting of wider enforcement authority to local and national authorities.

Likud

Acting to solve the problem of air pollution and to achieve the non-existence of polluting and dangerous infrastructures.

The New Movement – Meretz

1. Legislation of a law to promote environmentally friendly industries which will mandate incentives to environmentally friendly industries and will brig about a shift to “green” industries instead of pollution industries.

2. Allocation of resources for enforcing the prohibition on discarding trash in open areas and for a national network for supervision on the discharge of effluent to streams and the sea;

3. Instituting a policy of “polluter pays”, de jure and de facto, while setting severe fines and deterrent punishments;

4. Creating legislation that will enable the filing of personal suits against polluters, for harming the quality of life and health of the residents, while transfering the burden of proof to the polluter.

Shas

Limit industries that damage, destroy, and pollute natural and national assets. 

This page translated by Daniel Pedersen and Bill Marcus, www.hinematov.net.

This summary was compiled in Hebrew ::Bar Ilan Environmental Clinic :: Chayim Usviva :: Translated by the greenprophet.com team.

Tu Bishvat is also the birthday of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in 1950, and so it seems appropriate that on February 10, the day following that anniversary, is when Israeli citizens go out to select the representatives in our national parliament.

In preparation for Israeli election day, we present a series of posts with a summary of the environmental positions of the parties running for the Knesset on the following topics: Open Areas and Beaches, Green Energy, Radiation and Global Warming, Sustainable Development, Recycling, Water, and  Air & Industrial Pollution and Enforcement .

This summary was compiled as a joint initiative of the Environmental Clinic at the Bar Ilan University Faculty of Law, and the environmental umbrella organization “Life and Environment” (Chayim Usviva in Hebrew), where this summary is available in Hebrew.   The information was compiled by Yael Morag and Liat Elifaz, under the direction of Ayelet Baram, Eti  Rosenblum, Dr. Oren Perez From Bar Ilan and Naor Yerushalmi from Chayim Usviva.  The list was translated by the greenprophet.com team, with special thanks to Shoshana Michael-Zucker and Bill Marcus.

Please come back for updates, more topics, and a discussion by our greenprophets about the platforms.  And, as always, we encourage you to add your comments below.

We hope that these elections and the next Knesset will be the greenest ever!

The following political parties were surveyed:

Green Movement/Meimad: www.hayeruka-meimad.org.il

Green Party: www.green-party.co.il

Hadash: http://hadash2009.org.il

Israel Beytenu: www.beytenu.org.il

Israel Hazaka: www.israelhazaka.org.il/14-he/StrongIsrael.aspx

Kadima: www.kadima.org.il

Labor: www.havoda.org.il/14-he/Party.aspx

Likud: www.netanyahu.org.il, www.likud.co.il

New Movement-Meretz: www.newmeretz.org.il/aspx/default.aspx

Shas: http://shas.org.il

Topics summarized in this compilation include:

• Green Energy
• Sustainable Development
• Radiation and Global Warming
• Water
• Open Areas and Beaches
• Recycling
• Transportation
• Air & Industrial Pollution and Enforcement

photo:: Jonathan Shippin

What’s left of Iraq’s “Garden of Eden” Marshes

The Middle Eastern winter has never been more pleasant, bringing us day after day of perfect blue skies, comfortable temperatures, light winds and crisp, clear views. 

“What more could you ask for?” must think the residents of Western Europe and North America, who are being pounded by the flooding, snow and ice storms of General Winter.  Well, some real winter would be welcome here, especially some much needed rain – this January in Israel was the driest and one of the hottest in 60 years, since the state was founded. 

With less than 2 months of winter left, the region has received only 6% – 50% of the annual average rainfall, with the desert areas getting 30% or less.

Global climate change has delayed winter and reduced precipitation. At the same time, regional weather patterns with depressions over Europe have kept rainfall away from the Eastern Mediterranean region.  Drought conditions across the Middle East have been exacerbated by increasing water consumption for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses, and the damming (or should say damning) of water sources, and have led to a shortage of water across the region.  And where there are water shortages, disagreements, conflicts and security problems are never far behind.  

Iraq’s ancient marshes, once vast expanses of reeds that were home to fish, water buffalo and migratory birds, have been reduced to stalks, stubs and caked mud.  Reuters Mohammed Abbas reports that the marshes, thought to be the biblical Garden of Eden, covered 9,000 square km in the 1970s, but had shrunk to just 760 square km by 2002. 

Despite a recovery of 40 percent of the original area by 2005, the water coverage has dropped from 70% last year to less then 45% this year.  The Marsh Arabs who live in this area are being driven out by the harsh conditions, and the vast , remote region bordering on Iran is becoming “an excellent route for drugs and arms smuggling, receiving stolen goods and keeping hostages for ransom.”  Iraq eventually plans to recover 6,000 square kilometers, by building dams to keep the water in the marshes.   Abdulkadhum Yassir, of the Center for Restoration of Iraqi Marshlands, said the country is fighting back.  “In 2009 and 2010, we hope to achieve maximum water coverage with minimal resources. In the wet years we get a lot of water, but it is not properly harnessed.”

Lebanon’s beautiful Bekaa valley, is no stranger to strife.  IRIN news service reports that an historic feud there over irrigation is being slowly re-ignited, illustrating how increased water scarcity is triggering social conflict in Lebanon.  A 40 year feud between two clans over the use of springwater was settled in 1991, but today, rising temperatures, spiraling population growth and inefficient irrigation are severely straining resources and threatening renewed economic and social breakdown. 

Despite having the highest rainfall in the region, 827 mm per year, demand for water in Lebanon will have increased by more than 80 percent by 2025, and average summer temperatures in the country are predicted to increase by 1.2 degrees centigrade. This, in turn, could boost demand for irrigation in the Bekaa’s rich agricultural farmlands by as much as 18 percent, according to Randa Massad, an irrigation expert at the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute.  “Water shortage is not a new phenomenon in the Bekaa region,” said Massad. “What is new is that it is occurring in an increasingly changed environment and this makes it more serious and long-lasting.”

In 2007, the Energy and Water Ministry said Lebanon could have a water deficit by 2010. The ministry is implementing and developing a 10-year water strategy designed to promote integrated water-resource management, including controlling unlicensed wells, updating antiquated distribution mechanisms – such as exposed canals that lose water to evaporation – and addressing the lack of wastewater treatment facilities for water reuse. 

Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Jordan is rain-poor in the best of years, but the driest winter since 1995 is causing concern and leading to a reevaluation of water resource management.  The country’s northern region has received only 28 per cent of its annual average of rain, while the central and southern areas have been harder hit, receiving 21 per cent and 10-12 per cent respectively. The Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation is planning the digging of new wells, new irrigation pipelines, the banning of water-intensive summer crops and desalinating water from saline wells.   Jordan’s field crops, grains, and forestry that make up the country’s meager 1 per cent green cover all depend on rain, as does the effort to combat desertification.  The water shortage will also cause pressure to increase the amount of water that Israel is required to transfer to Jordan under the water sharing agreement in the peace treaty between the two countries.

Jordan Desert

Palestinian water resources are also being severely affected, increasing the strain on the already contentious relationship with Israel.  The unusually dry winter means that the aquifers have not been replenished, and Palestine could face the worst drought in years. According to the Palestine Water Authority, the country received only 144 mm of rain by the end of January, or only 30% of the average rainfall for that period (434 millimeters).

The head of the Palestine Water Authority, Shadad Al-Atili, warned that the country is facing a “dangerous situation” with regard to water in the coming months, since the lack of rain has “a great impact of the level of water that reaches the aquifers.”  Al-Atili said that the PWA is gearing up to face a water crisis this coming summer by practicing good water management. However, the Authority faces enormous challenges, as it only has control over part of the water resources in the West Bank and Gaza, with the rest controlled by Israel and its national water company, Mekorot.

Although Israel itself is facing it’s own water crisis, Al-Atili said that part of the PWA’s emergency plan is to ask Israel not to reduce the amount of water it allows the PWA to use. The Authority is also planning to improve the performance of existing water sources, repair wells, increase the use of treated water, and impose guidelines for appropriate water use.

Israel is a world leader in advanced water technologies, and Israeli developments include such widely accepted practices as drip irrigation, as well as reclamation and reuse of wastewater for agriculture and aquifer recharge.  These advances can and should be used to help the entire region cope with the looming specter of long term droughts and water shortages.

::Reuters, Jordan Times, Lebanon Daily Star, Ma’an News Agency.

Hat tip:: MIDEASTENVIRONET listserv

Photo::Reuters/Mohammed Ameen, FlickrJunkie, Carlesmari

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Masdar’s PRT pod cars.

The playground of the rich, Abu Dhabi, is not just a place for playing kick-the-golden-can. Instead of simply finding ways to spend oil-money on futuristic gadgets and grandiose monuments, there is a lot of interest providing proving grounds for sustainable solutions and new urban paradigms.

Personal Rapid Transit: Our very own Jesse Fox is covering the Abu Dhabi World Future Energy Summit and reported on an unusual system of mass transit – “podcars”, which serve as a personal units for automatic public transportation.  The concept is that small transport units will be available on demand, instead of having to wait for larger, less frequent trains or buses.

For off-peak commuting, this model is reportedly more efficient than having empty buses roaming around, and for peak travel it will provide the comfort of an individual automobile, instead of being crammed into a crowded subway car.  According to the designer of the system, Systematica, the pods will be able to travel freely on the shortest route between points, and will not be confined to a rail, thus melding the qualities of taxis and trains.

The podcar system is part of the car-free design of Masdar, a city planned to have a sustainable, zero-carbon, zero-waste ecology.  Cars will be parked on the ouskirts of the city, and the residents will rely on walking, cycling and electric public transit – and that’s where the podcars come in, supplemented by electric railways for commuting to the airport or nearby Abu Dhabi city.

Other sustainable features of the city include solar and wind power, and recycling of waste and desalinated water.  High density construction will combine living, work and shopping areas, so that all are available within 200 meters, leading to an efficient use of land.

The designs for Masdar are expensive because they are a prototype, but will serve to implement these paradigms and technologies in what is promoted as the world’s first sustainable city.  The rest of us who are beginning to promote sustainable development can then observe these principles in action and move them forward.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The historic discovery of a large deposit of natural gas off of the Israel coast has the potential to restructure the Israeli energy market, with effects reaching into other countries in the region as well.  The “Tamar 1″ deposit, located 90 km west of Haifa, is projected to begin delivery in 2015, and contains at least 88 billion cubic meters of gas.   The projections are that Israel will use 220 billion cubic meters by 2030 to generate electricity, so that this deposit will provide about a third of the demand over the next 20 years - certainly a substantial contribution to Israel’s energy budget. 

Today, about 70% of Israel’s electricity is generated from coal, almost 25% from natural gas and the rest from highly polluting diesel and bunker fuel (Mazut, in Hebrew), according to the national bureau of statistics.  This new deposit has the potential to increase the proportion of gas in the mix, and will also diversify the supply of gas and reduce the dependence on the problematic supply from Egypt or the much smaller deposits off the coasts of Ashkelon and Gaza.

Natural gas is a much cleaner burning fuel than coal:  Since gas has a higher energy content, less needs to be burned, and it emits less CO2 per unit energy than coal.  Because it has a simple molecular structure and contains no contaminants, it burns cleaner with less pollution from particles and sulfur compounds, both of which are known health hazards.  A switch of electrical generation from coal to gas will reduce harmful air pollution, increase air quality, and minimize creation of  greenhouse gases.  On the other hand, coal can be stockpiled while gas cannot, and the mandated 3-month supply of coal provides a security buffer fro emergency or warfare conditions that gas cannot provide.

Calls to cancel planned coal fired plant:  The Ministry of Infrastructure has approved the construction of a new coal-fired power plant alongside the existing one in Ashkelon.  Environmental movements, such as Green Course, the student activist group, and the Israel Union for Environmental Defense, are conducting a campaign to cancel this plan.  

The discovery of the largest deposit of natural gas in Israel creates a new energy budget for Israel and makes the new coal plant superfluous.  Today there are 3 existing gas fired power plants in Israel – Ashdod, Reading/Tel Aviv, and Gezer – with the “Hagit” station due to go online in a few weeks, and the cornerstone for a similar plant was laid in Haifa last week.

Shifting more electrical production from coal to gas will provide a more flexible and modern electric market, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gases.  The newly discovered source of gas will make this transition easier and allow it to happen earlier.

::Sources:  nrg.co.il, globes.co.il, businessweek.com, the Marker, Jerusalem Post.

For those of you who hate scorching your feet on hot beach sand, the developers of one of Dubai’s latest luxury hotels has the ultimate pampering for you: the climate controlled beach.  No more toasted toes on the way to the waves of the Arab Gulf, promises the Palazzo Versace.  The beach will feature a cooling system that will cool the sands and allow the guests to bask in the sun without becoming overheated. 

“We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on,”  said the founder of the hotel, Soheil Abedian. “This is the kind of luxury that top people want.”

Technological solutions: So, how do you keep the sands cool, and can you do it in an environmentally responsible way?

One reported solution is to run coolant pipes under the beach in order to draw the heat out of the sand, and bring it to a comfortable temperature in the scorching heat of the United Arab Emirates. 

Sea water itself could be used, in conjuction with a refrigeration/air conditioner system, or on its own.  Another source reports that cool sands could be achieved by a combination of clever landscaping and shading by trees, or by forcing air conditioned exhaust air from the hotel and residential building under the beach. 

Just roll out the red carpet

While the second solutions appear to be more environmentally responsible, the only effective solutions seems to be the ridiculous option of refrigeration.  Maybe putting down a carpet would be the best.

And does it really matter whether it is green, if  60% of Dubai’s power bill goes to air conditioning, and expensive luxury high rises with all of the latest amenities are springing up everywhere, causing traffic jams, congestion and pollution?  

In keeping with the ever-expanding search for the ultimate tourist attraction, Dubai has an impressive list (map):

• An indoor desert ski resort
• Plans for the world’s first rotating skyscraper
• The tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai, currently under construction at 780 meters
• The first 7-star luxury hotel
• A palm-shaped artificial island
• A stunning skyscraper covered in solar cells and wind turbines

Are Dubai’s building hey-days numbered?

But it appears that the party might be over, and Dubai’s grandiose plans, both wasteful and responsible, may be going nowhere. 

The global economic crisis, causing a shortage of disposable income and a severe credit crunch, is bad news for an economy based on tourism, shopping and real estate projects: Dubai’s economy gets less than 6% of its revenue from petroleum and natural gas, as part of a calculated policy to depend on trade, real estate and financial services. 

With dropping prices for the little oil it has, and a decrease in available foreign cash, Dubai might have to turn to low cost solutions and expand on its environmental projects:  A planned  fleet of electric cars, the Middle East’s largest solar panel factory, or bicycles in the 40 degree heat?  Maybe they will convert to eco-tourism, and join other eco-tourist destinations in the region.

Sources: Green Inc. blog, NY Times, Treehugger blog, National Geographic, 2007: Dubai: Sudden City

 No stone is left unturned in our desperate search for energy sources to wean us from our dependence on fossil fuels.  Sources of primary renewable energy, like solar, wind, and geothermal are the primary focus, but some overlooked sources are also getting attention, because every little bit counts.

We’ve seen reports on generating electricity from stationary workout bikes, dance club floors and Japanese subway stations.  Now we cover the Israeli company of Innowattech, which developed a technology to harvest mechanical energy from roadways, railroads and runways and convert it into electricity.

The vibrations caused by the vehicles are transformed into an electric current by piezoelectric generators (IPEG), solid state crystals that convert mechanical stress into current or voltage.  The IPEG are connected to electrical storage or and electric grid and can be used for lighting, or eventually for charging electric vehicles.

An additional benefit is to use the piezoelectric network to record the weight, frequency and speed of the vehicles, providing information for “smart roads” that can be optimized for traffic flow, to reduce congestion and reduce pollution further.

While this clever solution does not create its own energy, it can still provide commercial amounts, an estimated 500 kW per kilometer for busy highways.  The company presents a cost table comparing various power technologies, although the numbers they present are different from the ones I’m familiar with (for example, as far as I know, solar power is on the order of 30 cents per kWh, and the payback times mentioned for the subsidized photovoltaic systems in Israel is about 10 years). 

Assuming, however, that the benefits are greater than the costs, this development could be a welcome addition to the sustainable energy arsenal.

Come see it in action and judge for yourself:  the public is invited to attend a demonstration of the technology on December 30, 2008 at the Technion in Haifa.  Details on the company website.

Links:
Photo: Flickr.com, Atwater Village Newbie
Innowattech’s website explains the technology
Inhabitat reports on the roads
Technology Comparison on Innowattech site

Graphics credit: Innowattech