Some question for the day...
1. What does the KPCS's data suggest about its own inadequacy to provide transparency in diamond sourcing?
2. According to the EIA AEO 2011, most new electricity power generation capacity between 2010 and 2015 is expected to come from what type what source? What about 2020-2035?
3. What is tidal generation? What are the to basic types of tidal generation plants and how do they work? Given the current location of operating tidal generation infrastructure, what are the characteristics that you would look for when siting future tidal projects? What are the advantages and disadvantages of tidal power? Why is there so little tidal power generation throughout the world right now? When it comes to electricity generation, what is the difference between controllability and predictability? Which is more difficult to accommodate?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages specific to wind-powered electricity generation? When a renewable/alternative/green energy generation method is described as non-polluting, what does this mean? Why is time scale important in discussions about the predictability of electricity generation technologies such as wind and solar? Why are aesthetic arguments against wind power misguided (at least according to Prof. Low)? Should the Washington Monument be removed to prevent bird deaths? What are some of the specific considerations that you would make when siting a windmill or windfarm? Why are distribution and transmission important considerations? What does the EIA AEO 2011 say about expected growth in wind power in the next few decades?
5. What does the EIA AEO 2011 say about expected growth in geothermal power in the next few decades? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages specific to geothermal power? How does a geothermal plant work? What specific characteristics of the subsurface geology are required for geothermal plant to work well? Where (geologically and geographically) would you expect to find these conditions?
For Monday, please read How many gallons of gasoline would it take to charge an iPhone?, a December 14, 2011 post by Ken Cohen on ExxonMobil's Perspectives blog and Natural Gas Vehicles Driven to Outpace Oil by Ken Silverstein in Forbes.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Lecture 31 Summary and Notes
From the Plundered Planet Book Group...
Plundered Planet Paul Collier
General message:
How to use natural assets: nature + technology + regulation = prosperity
- Without regulation, you get plunder
- Without technology, you get hunger
The book sets out to try to solve the dilemmas that arise from natural assets in low-income countries. He writes that economics and environmental studies need each other and can be compatible.
Part I: Resource curse
Studies have found that countries with higher amounts of natural resources have slower economic growth than countries that do not; similarly, the absence of resources in democratic societies increased economic growth, and democratic countries with an abundance of resources have more economic troubles. So, are resources a curse?
It seems that resources are a curse in countries that have deeper issues. Remember the difference between Sierra Leone and Botswana and Nigeria and Norway.
countries with a comparative advantage should specialize it should use it to trade with other countries; some countries specialize in resource extraction which hinders other developments
Basically, weak or corrupt governance and non-agricultural resources make the asset of natural resources into a curse because there is no proper regulation of the extraction and distribution of natural resources.
Part II: Discovering natural assets
Natural assets lack owners so they can be plundered more easily. Collier divides the world into four quadrants: OECD: Russia/China/satellite nations; Emerging economies; Countries of the bottom billion
What is surprising about the poorer countries is that they tend to be resource-rich countries at present. This isn’t because the land has a greater amount of natural resources (because Africa was not naturally endowed with as many subsoil resources). The difference is that richer countries have been extracting resources for a longer period of time.
Collier highlights that for the bottom billion it is important to think of assets are an opportunity
Problems with natural assets in these countries:
- Tend to be located disproportionately in “difficult” territories
- Only ¼ of natural assets have been discovered in the botton bill compared to rich countries which means something mustve gone wrong
- Discovering what’s underground = EXPENSIVE
Collier’s solution: think of searching for assets as a public good
- Best to allow one entity to make search, let foreign enterprise perform the search b/c it’s so expensive (or even donors like the World Bank or the IMF and these donors could help multiple countries but it’s hard to get them to do this b/c they want to do more “picturesque” jobs like schools)
- Make geological info available as a public good
- Info clarifies what the resources/geological territories are worth so the gov can know how to sell these plots of land
Part III: Capturing Natural Assets
The problems that arise in the phase of capturing natural assets are corruption and underdevelopment.
- Corruption: extraction/discovery relies on extraction companies and the government to get revenues from resources to the country/its people
- Underdevelopment: revenue isn’t used domestically so the country can’t be improved and there is no increase in money in their market
Collier’s solutions:
- Transparency is needed when discovering resources (publish what you pay/EITI)
- Auction off rights to the resources (4 companies competing, will get true value of the resources, eliminates asymmetric info problem)
Extra hindrance:
- Taxes create problems: inefficiency in government and economy; creates uncertainty for companies who want to extract resources; companies try to dodge funky taxes which hurts the country’s revenue
o Contingencies: try to solve inefficiency; agree on a system of taxes ahead of time
o Royalties: reduces asymmetric info; tax on revenue
Overall solution Government should use tax structure w/ contingencies; transparency of companies and government; use royalties b/c they are observable (should be in tax code); legally-binding tax code
Part IV: Selling the Family Silver
Problem: How do we make sure the revenues are being used within the country (benefit future and present generations)
- Governments must balance consumption and savings
- Try to sustain economy with sustainable infrastructure rather than depleting resources
Solution: yield rate of return while the asset is still in the ground
- At what rate should we spend, save, invest (domestically and abroad)
o Norway invest 100% into capital markets and consume less at the beginning of extraction of natural resources
o Ghana spent too early and too much once they discovered early
o Boom and bust cycles: use savings in bust cycles; save a lot during boom cycles
o Long-term infrastructure deals are good but they should be made public for rights to resource extraction
Part V: Investing in Investing
- Most difficult part, but also must important
- Invest in public goods
o Get rid of corruption/ improve management of investment
o Need to promote big-scale projects
- Encourage private investment
o Lessens risk on government
o Mobility in market
- Lower price of capital goods
o Suggests trying to reach trade agreements with other countries or partnering with neighboring countries
- Use examples like Botswana and Malaysia rather than Norway
Slides are on Sakai. For Friday, please read A Measured Rebuttal to China Over Solar Panels by Keith Bradsher and Matther Wald published in the March 20, 2012 edition of the New York Times.
Plundered Planet Paul Collier
General message:
How to use natural assets: nature + technology + regulation = prosperity
- Without regulation, you get plunder
- Without technology, you get hunger
The book sets out to try to solve the dilemmas that arise from natural assets in low-income countries. He writes that economics and environmental studies need each other and can be compatible.
Part I: Resource curse
Studies have found that countries with higher amounts of natural resources have slower economic growth than countries that do not; similarly, the absence of resources in democratic societies increased economic growth, and democratic countries with an abundance of resources have more economic troubles. So, are resources a curse?
It seems that resources are a curse in countries that have deeper issues. Remember the difference between Sierra Leone and Botswana and Nigeria and Norway.
countries with a comparative advantage should specialize it should use it to trade with other countries; some countries specialize in resource extraction which hinders other developments
Basically, weak or corrupt governance and non-agricultural resources make the asset of natural resources into a curse because there is no proper regulation of the extraction and distribution of natural resources.
Part II: Discovering natural assets
Natural assets lack owners so they can be plundered more easily. Collier divides the world into four quadrants: OECD: Russia/China/satellite nations; Emerging economies; Countries of the bottom billion
What is surprising about the poorer countries is that they tend to be resource-rich countries at present. This isn’t because the land has a greater amount of natural resources (because Africa was not naturally endowed with as many subsoil resources). The difference is that richer countries have been extracting resources for a longer period of time.
Collier highlights that for the bottom billion it is important to think of assets are an opportunity
Problems with natural assets in these countries:
- Tend to be located disproportionately in “difficult” territories
- Only ¼ of natural assets have been discovered in the botton bill compared to rich countries which means something mustve gone wrong
- Discovering what’s underground = EXPENSIVE
Collier’s solution: think of searching for assets as a public good
- Best to allow one entity to make search, let foreign enterprise perform the search b/c it’s so expensive (or even donors like the World Bank or the IMF and these donors could help multiple countries but it’s hard to get them to do this b/c they want to do more “picturesque” jobs like schools)
- Make geological info available as a public good
- Info clarifies what the resources/geological territories are worth so the gov can know how to sell these plots of land
Part III: Capturing Natural Assets
The problems that arise in the phase of capturing natural assets are corruption and underdevelopment.
- Corruption: extraction/discovery relies on extraction companies and the government to get revenues from resources to the country/its people
- Underdevelopment: revenue isn’t used domestically so the country can’t be improved and there is no increase in money in their market
Collier’s solutions:
- Transparency is needed when discovering resources (publish what you pay/EITI)
- Auction off rights to the resources (4 companies competing, will get true value of the resources, eliminates asymmetric info problem)
Extra hindrance:
- Taxes create problems: inefficiency in government and economy; creates uncertainty for companies who want to extract resources; companies try to dodge funky taxes which hurts the country’s revenue
o Contingencies: try to solve inefficiency; agree on a system of taxes ahead of time
o Royalties: reduces asymmetric info; tax on revenue
Overall solution Government should use tax structure w/ contingencies; transparency of companies and government; use royalties b/c they are observable (should be in tax code); legally-binding tax code
Part IV: Selling the Family Silver
Problem: How do we make sure the revenues are being used within the country (benefit future and present generations)
- Governments must balance consumption and savings
- Try to sustain economy with sustainable infrastructure rather than depleting resources
Solution: yield rate of return while the asset is still in the ground
- At what rate should we spend, save, invest (domestically and abroad)
o Norway invest 100% into capital markets and consume less at the beginning of extraction of natural resources
o Ghana spent too early and too much once they discovered early
o Boom and bust cycles: use savings in bust cycles; save a lot during boom cycles
o Long-term infrastructure deals are good but they should be made public for rights to resource extraction
Part V: Investing in Investing
- Most difficult part, but also must important
- Invest in public goods
o Get rid of corruption/ improve management of investment
o Need to promote big-scale projects
- Encourage private investment
o Lessens risk on government
o Mobility in market
- Lower price of capital goods
o Suggests trying to reach trade agreements with other countries or partnering with neighboring countries
- Use examples like Botswana and Malaysia rather than Norway
Slides are on Sakai. For Friday, please read A Measured Rebuttal to China Over Solar Panels by Keith Bradsher and Matther Wald published in the March 20, 2012 edition of the New York Times.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Lecture 30 Summary and Notes
Some questions for the day...
1. What are the two different types of diamond deposits? How do they differ from the viewpoint of a prospector? How does the morphology of the mine differ based on type of deposit? Which type of deposit depends on the high density of diamonds relative to most other common crustal materials?
2. What is the evidence that there has been a kimberlite eruption in Rockbridge County? How can you be certain that this kimberlite is not diamondiferous?
3. What is unique/special about the formation processes, physical properties, and societal valuation of diamonds out of all of the gems, and other MSI that we have and will discuss in this class?
4. How has the advertising of diamonds evolved since the origin of the "A Diamond is forever" campaign in the late 1940s. How is the marketing/advertising of diamonds an example of a manufactured desire? How does the role of a diamond in the US engagement ritual factor in this manufactured desire? What was the average retail price for a diamond engagement ring in 2011? What is the "standard" equation used in the the calculation of how much should be spent on a diamond engagement ring? Who created this standard and why was the standard created in the first place? According to www.engagementringcalculator.com, will a proposal in which one (or more) parties is pregnant require a more or less expensive ring?
5. What are the 4 Cs? How do two of the Cs describe the composition of the diamond at different scales? How has the inflation-adjusted, wholesale price per carat changed over the past 50 years? What is the current wholesale price for a 1.00 carat, colorless (D), internally flawless, brilliant (round) cut diamond? What about the retail price for the same diamond?
6. What is the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme? What was the reason that Global Witness cited for leaving the Kimberly Process in late 2011?
7. What are conflict diamonds? Why are conflict diamonds an American problem? According to the WDC, what percent of blood diamonds currently come from conflict zones? According to the UN, what percent of blood diamonds currently come from conflict zones? Why is there such a wide gulf in between these two estimates? What were the respective roles of Sierra Leone and Liberia in the diamonds that helped to fund the WTC attacks on 9/11? Why are the DRC and Zimbabwe considered two potential sources for conflict/illegally traded diamonds? What are some of the things that you should look for when trying to source (or avoid sourcing) smuggled diamonds?
8. Is the statement by World Diamond Counsel chairman Eli Izhakoff that the industry knew nothing of the conflict-diamond trade until 1999-2000 indicative of willful deceit or stunning incompetence?
9. Can you use smuggleability in a sentence?
Slides are on Sakai. Please read Colin Tudge's review of The Plundered Planet, By Paul Collier in the Friday 09 July 2010 edition of the Independent for Wednesday's lecture presentation by the Plundered Planet Book Group.
1. What are the two different types of diamond deposits? How do they differ from the viewpoint of a prospector? How does the morphology of the mine differ based on type of deposit? Which type of deposit depends on the high density of diamonds relative to most other common crustal materials?
2. What is the evidence that there has been a kimberlite eruption in Rockbridge County? How can you be certain that this kimberlite is not diamondiferous?
3. What is unique/special about the formation processes, physical properties, and societal valuation of diamonds out of all of the gems, and other MSI that we have and will discuss in this class?
4. How has the advertising of diamonds evolved since the origin of the "A Diamond is forever" campaign in the late 1940s. How is the marketing/advertising of diamonds an example of a manufactured desire? How does the role of a diamond in the US engagement ritual factor in this manufactured desire? What was the average retail price for a diamond engagement ring in 2011? What is the "standard" equation used in the the calculation of how much should be spent on a diamond engagement ring? Who created this standard and why was the standard created in the first place? According to www.engagementringcalculator.com, will a proposal in which one (or more) parties is pregnant require a more or less expensive ring?
5. What are the 4 Cs? How do two of the Cs describe the composition of the diamond at different scales? How has the inflation-adjusted, wholesale price per carat changed over the past 50 years? What is the current wholesale price for a 1.00 carat, colorless (D), internally flawless, brilliant (round) cut diamond? What about the retail price for the same diamond?
6. What is the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme? What was the reason that Global Witness cited for leaving the Kimberly Process in late 2011?
7. What are conflict diamonds? Why are conflict diamonds an American problem? According to the WDC, what percent of blood diamonds currently come from conflict zones? According to the UN, what percent of blood diamonds currently come from conflict zones? Why is there such a wide gulf in between these two estimates? What were the respective roles of Sierra Leone and Liberia in the diamonds that helped to fund the WTC attacks on 9/11? Why are the DRC and Zimbabwe considered two potential sources for conflict/illegally traded diamonds? What are some of the things that you should look for when trying to source (or avoid sourcing) smuggled diamonds?
8. Is the statement by World Diamond Counsel chairman Eli Izhakoff that the industry knew nothing of the conflict-diamond trade until 1999-2000 indicative of willful deceit or stunning incompetence?
9. Can you use smuggleability in a sentence?
Slides are on Sakai. Please read Colin Tudge's review of The Plundered Planet, By Paul Collier in the Friday 09 July 2010 edition of the Independent for Wednesday's lecture presentation by the Plundered Planet Book Group.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Lecture 29 Summary and Notes
Some questions for the day...
1. How do diamonds form? Specifically, what combination of events are required for diamonds to exist at Earth's surface?
2. What are the differences between the carbon polymorphs (graphite and diamond) in terms of physical properties such as density and hardness, type of chemical bonds present, coordination polyhedra for carbon?
3. What is the stability region of diamond in PT space/ Why does diamond turn into graphite during normal upwards mantle convection? Why is the mantle beneath ancient cratons suc a good place to form so many of the diamond that evetually make their way to the surface of the Earth? What is a kimberlite pipe? How is a kimberlite eruption different from a "normal" volcanic eruption?
4. How long ago were most diamonds found near the Earth's surface formed? How long ago did most preserved kimberltie eruptions occur? Why is it interesting that there is a huge gap in between the respective time periods?
5. What does LLSVP stand for? Can you use LLSVP in a sentence? Why do we care about the shear wave velocity of the lower mantle? Why is it interesting that there was a large LLSVP underneath the diamond-bearing portions of Africa?
6. Two recent (2011) papers have discussed the isotopic composition of diamonds and mineral inclusions in diamonds. While not necessarily presenting information on how most diamonds form, what interesting observations and conclusions where these papers able to make?
Slides from lecture are on Sakai...
1. How do diamonds form? Specifically, what combination of events are required for diamonds to exist at Earth's surface?
2. What are the differences between the carbon polymorphs (graphite and diamond) in terms of physical properties such as density and hardness, type of chemical bonds present, coordination polyhedra for carbon?
3. What is the stability region of diamond in PT space/ Why does diamond turn into graphite during normal upwards mantle convection? Why is the mantle beneath ancient cratons suc a good place to form so many of the diamond that evetually make their way to the surface of the Earth? What is a kimberlite pipe? How is a kimberlite eruption different from a "normal" volcanic eruption?
4. How long ago were most diamonds found near the Earth's surface formed? How long ago did most preserved kimberltie eruptions occur? Why is it interesting that there is a huge gap in between the respective time periods?
5. What does LLSVP stand for? Can you use LLSVP in a sentence? Why do we care about the shear wave velocity of the lower mantle? Why is it interesting that there was a large LLSVP underneath the diamond-bearing portions of Africa?
6. Two recent (2011) papers have discussed the isotopic composition of diamonds and mineral inclusions in diamonds. While not necessarily presenting information on how most diamonds form, what interesting observations and conclusions where these papers able to make?
Slides from lecture are on Sakai...
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Lecture 28 Summary and Notes
Blood Diamonds Presentation- Key points from the lecture (summarized by J Jimenez)
Five important themes
1. How and where diamonds form
2. Diamond industry and production
3. Civil War in Sierra Leone and origins of “Blood Diamonds”
4. World response to war and blood diamond trafficking
You should be familiar with the following:
>> The four ways diamonds can form
1. Through volcanic eruptions and rise to the surface at rapid speeds through kimberlite pipes
2. In subduction zones
3. When an asteroid strikes Earth
4. Nanodiamonds form on meteorites in space when they collide
a. All these processes require carbon rich material, high heat, and high pressure
>>The five characteristics of a diamond
1. Most durable mineral
2. Highly stable bonds
3. Hardest mineral
4. High thermal conductivity
5. Cubic crystal system
*Note that diamonds come in different colors depending on the minerals they mix with.
>>Where diamonds are in the world generally
1. Can you name the top diamond producing countries? Answer: (Botswana, Russia, Angola, Canada, Congo, South Africa….)
2. Do you know the names of the major diamond mines? Answer: (Orapa Mine, Argyle Mine, and the Kimberley Mine)
>> The mining pipeline
1. What are the stages of the mining pipeline? Answer: (Exploration, mining, sorting, cutting & polishing, jewelry manufacturing, and retailing)
2. What are the most common mining methods of diamonds? Answer: (Open pit mining, underground mining, coastal and inland (alluvial) mining, and marine mining)
*You should be able to briefly describe these different mining methods
3. What are the main uses of diamonds? Answer: (30% used for jewelry & 70% for industrial purposes)
4. What is the Kimberly process? (Answer: this is part of your homework assignment, but in general it is a certification process to regulate the import/export of rough diamonds and is a mandated by the United Nations with the goal of keeping out conflict diamonds in trade)
>> Civil War in Sierra Leone
1. What sides are at war? Answer: (Different groups at different times, but the main actors include the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the Sierra Leone Army (SLA), and the United Nation’s UNAMSIL—the UN’s largest and most expensive deployment of United Nations Peacekeepers in history.
A homework assignment was handed out at the end of class and is due Monday, March 26th. Also, there will be a quiz this Friday, March 23rd on the lecture and the reading assignment.
Check back on Thursday for Friday's reading assignment.
Five important themes
1. How and where diamonds form
2. Diamond industry and production
3. Civil War in Sierra Leone and origins of “Blood Diamonds”
4. World response to war and blood diamond trafficking
You should be familiar with the following:
>> The four ways diamonds can form
1. Through volcanic eruptions and rise to the surface at rapid speeds through kimberlite pipes
2. In subduction zones
3. When an asteroid strikes Earth
4. Nanodiamonds form on meteorites in space when they collide
a. All these processes require carbon rich material, high heat, and high pressure
>>The five characteristics of a diamond
1. Most durable mineral
2. Highly stable bonds
3. Hardest mineral
4. High thermal conductivity
5. Cubic crystal system
*Note that diamonds come in different colors depending on the minerals they mix with.
>>Where diamonds are in the world generally
1. Can you name the top diamond producing countries? Answer: (Botswana, Russia, Angola, Canada, Congo, South Africa….)
2. Do you know the names of the major diamond mines? Answer: (Orapa Mine, Argyle Mine, and the Kimberley Mine)
>> The mining pipeline
1. What are the stages of the mining pipeline? Answer: (Exploration, mining, sorting, cutting & polishing, jewelry manufacturing, and retailing)
2. What are the most common mining methods of diamonds? Answer: (Open pit mining, underground mining, coastal and inland (alluvial) mining, and marine mining)
*You should be able to briefly describe these different mining methods
3. What are the main uses of diamonds? Answer: (30% used for jewelry & 70% for industrial purposes)
4. What is the Kimberly process? (Answer: this is part of your homework assignment, but in general it is a certification process to regulate the import/export of rough diamonds and is a mandated by the United Nations with the goal of keeping out conflict diamonds in trade)
>> Civil War in Sierra Leone
1. What sides are at war? Answer: (Different groups at different times, but the main actors include the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the Sierra Leone Army (SLA), and the United Nation’s UNAMSIL—the UN’s largest and most expensive deployment of United Nations Peacekeepers in history.
A homework assignment was handed out at the end of class and is due Monday, March 26th. Also, there will be a quiz this Friday, March 23rd on the lecture and the reading assignment.
Check back on Thursday for Friday's reading assignment.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Lecture 27 Summary and Notes
We began our lecture today with some excerpts from Marc Reisners Cadillac Desert. I hope that this gave you some appreciation of:
a. the vast effect of dams on the American landscape (particularly in the American West)
b. the importance of US hydroelectric power generation not only in our modern energy portfolio but also in the development American and even world history
c. some of the working conditions that were endured during the construction of some of the major public works project that still provide us with some of our energy needs decades later
Some questions for the day...
1. What is the great American dam? What is the largest American dam? What external forces helped to allow for the construction of the Hoover Dam in only three years? What external forces allowed the projected surplus power generation from the Grand Coulee Dam to be consumed decades before predicted? When did dam construction in the USA peak? What was going on at the Hanford Reservation that required so much power? What is the one thing that humans can do to a river that nature cannot undo? What river is "like a forty-pound wolverine that can drive a bear off its dinner"?
2. Do hydroelectric dams function as base load or peaker plants? What are the relative capital and operating costs of a hydroelectric facility vs. a coal or natural gas plant? Is there room for expansion for hydroelectric facilities in the USA? What about the world? What is the average life of a North American dam (according to the American Society of Civil Engineers)? How does this "lifespan" bode for existing US hydroelectric infrastructure? How are dams responsible for the flux of anthropogenic greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere?
3. How does the EROEI of a dam (or any power plant, for that matter) change as a function of time?
4. What is river-basin "accounting"? Who "pays the bills" in river-basin "accounting"? What use(s) get(s) subsidized in river-basin "accounting"? Why is river-basin "accounting" important in the construction of large hydroelectric projects like those in the American West?
5. What is a pump storage plant (PSP)? How does a PSP work? How is a PSP different from a "normal" hydroelectric dam?
Slides shown in lecture today are on Sakai. Excerpts from Cadillac Desert are also on Sakai (Cadillac Desert.pdf). Your reading assignment for Wednesday is the first three sections of How the African Diamond Trade Works by Alia Hoyt
a. the vast effect of dams on the American landscape (particularly in the American West)
b. the importance of US hydroelectric power generation not only in our modern energy portfolio but also in the development American and even world history
c. some of the working conditions that were endured during the construction of some of the major public works project that still provide us with some of our energy needs decades later
Some questions for the day...
1. What is the great American dam? What is the largest American dam? What external forces helped to allow for the construction of the Hoover Dam in only three years? What external forces allowed the projected surplus power generation from the Grand Coulee Dam to be consumed decades before predicted? When did dam construction in the USA peak? What was going on at the Hanford Reservation that required so much power? What is the one thing that humans can do to a river that nature cannot undo? What river is "like a forty-pound wolverine that can drive a bear off its dinner"?
2. Do hydroelectric dams function as base load or peaker plants? What are the relative capital and operating costs of a hydroelectric facility vs. a coal or natural gas plant? Is there room for expansion for hydroelectric facilities in the USA? What about the world? What is the average life of a North American dam (according to the American Society of Civil Engineers)? How does this "lifespan" bode for existing US hydroelectric infrastructure? How are dams responsible for the flux of anthropogenic greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere?
3. How does the EROEI of a dam (or any power plant, for that matter) change as a function of time?
4. What is river-basin "accounting"? Who "pays the bills" in river-basin "accounting"? What use(s) get(s) subsidized in river-basin "accounting"? Why is river-basin "accounting" important in the construction of large hydroelectric projects like those in the American West?
5. What is a pump storage plant (PSP)? How does a PSP work? How is a PSP different from a "normal" hydroelectric dam?
Slides shown in lecture today are on Sakai. Excerpts from Cadillac Desert are also on Sakai (Cadillac Desert.pdf). Your reading assignment for Wednesday is the first three sections of How the African Diamond Trade Works by Alia Hoyt
Friday, March 16, 2012
Lecture 26 Summary and Notes
Some questions for the day...
1. What is CCS? What is the difference between carbon capture and carbon sequestration? Which of the two is easier? What will implementing CCS technology have on the efficiency (EROEI) of fossil fuel-burning thermal electricity generation plants? How is carbon captured? What are the potential mechanisms for carbon sequestration? How common are plants that use CCS technology in the US? In the world? How is the electricity generating industry preparing for the implementation of CCS technology?
2. How many dams are there in the US? How many of theses dams have electricity generation as their primary stated purpose?
3. How does a hydropower plant work? What are the major factors that need to be considered when siting a dam in order to maximize the potential generating capacity? How do dams negatively affect aquatic biodiversity? What is siltation? Why is siltation a problem with all hydroelectric dams? Why is siltation a particularly bad problem for CO river dams? What are the relative capital and ongoing costs associated with hydroelectric power? What is the average generation output for large dams relative to their capacity? How does siltation affect the capacity of a dam?
4. Where are most of the large hydroelectric facilities in the US? What are the roles of the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation in the construction of large hydro projects?
5. In general, where are the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world located? What about the largest planned hydroelectric facilities? What countries have the largest capacity and actual production from hydroelectric facilities? How is this expected to change in the foreseeable future? Which countries have relatively large proportions of their total electricity generation portfolio coming from hydroelectric facilities?
Slide from lecture today are on Sakai. There is no reading assignment for Monday
1. What is CCS? What is the difference between carbon capture and carbon sequestration? Which of the two is easier? What will implementing CCS technology have on the efficiency (EROEI) of fossil fuel-burning thermal electricity generation plants? How is carbon captured? What are the potential mechanisms for carbon sequestration? How common are plants that use CCS technology in the US? In the world? How is the electricity generating industry preparing for the implementation of CCS technology?
2. How many dams are there in the US? How many of theses dams have electricity generation as their primary stated purpose?
3. How does a hydropower plant work? What are the major factors that need to be considered when siting a dam in order to maximize the potential generating capacity? How do dams negatively affect aquatic biodiversity? What is siltation? Why is siltation a problem with all hydroelectric dams? Why is siltation a particularly bad problem for CO river dams? What are the relative capital and ongoing costs associated with hydroelectric power? What is the average generation output for large dams relative to their capacity? How does siltation affect the capacity of a dam?
4. Where are most of the large hydroelectric facilities in the US? What are the roles of the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation in the construction of large hydro projects?
5. In general, where are the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world located? What about the largest planned hydroelectric facilities? What countries have the largest capacity and actual production from hydroelectric facilities? How is this expected to change in the foreseeable future? Which countries have relatively large proportions of their total electricity generation portfolio coming from hydroelectric facilities?
Slide from lecture today are on Sakai. There is no reading assignment for Monday
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Lecture 25 Summary and Notes
Some questions for the day...
1. What pollutants (general categories)will the new mercury standards (MATS) for US power plants regulate? Why is this new regulation significant? How many power plants are expected to retire as a result of the new regulations? What are the expected effects of the MATS on the consumer price of electricity? What are the benefits that are predicted by the EPA?
2. Coal, NG, oil, and biomass can all be used to generate steam to make electricity. What are the differences between these different combustion sources in terms of "peaking" ability, CO2 flux per unit electricity generated, potential pollutants, US reserve volume, and price?
3. What is a biogeochemical cycle? What is the carbon cycle? What are the major reservoirs of carbon in the carbon cycle? What are some of the mechanisms through which carbon move from reservoir to reservoir? How does the combustion of fossil fuels affect (disturb) the carbon cycle? Where does the carbon that used to be in fossil fuels end up after combustion? Why is more carbon in the ocean a problem? Why is more carbon in the atmosphere a problem?
4. Why is the regulation of CO2 pollution so difficult? How is our classical thinking about defining 'acceptable' risk largely inadequate for dealing with CO2 pollution? How would the predefined probability approach be applied for CO2 pollution? How would the 'currently tolerated approach to defining 'acceptable' risk be applied to CO2 pollution? How would economic approaches like cost-benefit and cost-utility analysis- particularly in a multi-risk assessment be applied for CO2 pollution? In such a scenario, who bears the cost of pollution reduction? Who benefits from risk reduction related to pollution reduction?
Slides from lecture today are on Sakai. Please read New Solar-Energy System Generating Power at W&L by Jeff Hanna for Friday's class.
1. What pollutants (general categories)will the new mercury standards (MATS) for US power plants regulate? Why is this new regulation significant? How many power plants are expected to retire as a result of the new regulations? What are the expected effects of the MATS on the consumer price of electricity? What are the benefits that are predicted by the EPA?
2. Coal, NG, oil, and biomass can all be used to generate steam to make electricity. What are the differences between these different combustion sources in terms of "peaking" ability, CO2 flux per unit electricity generated, potential pollutants, US reserve volume, and price?
3. What is a biogeochemical cycle? What is the carbon cycle? What are the major reservoirs of carbon in the carbon cycle? What are some of the mechanisms through which carbon move from reservoir to reservoir? How does the combustion of fossil fuels affect (disturb) the carbon cycle? Where does the carbon that used to be in fossil fuels end up after combustion? Why is more carbon in the ocean a problem? Why is more carbon in the atmosphere a problem?
4. Why is the regulation of CO2 pollution so difficult? How is our classical thinking about defining 'acceptable' risk largely inadequate for dealing with CO2 pollution? How would the predefined probability approach be applied for CO2 pollution? How would the 'currently tolerated approach to defining 'acceptable' risk be applied to CO2 pollution? How would economic approaches like cost-benefit and cost-utility analysis- particularly in a multi-risk assessment be applied for CO2 pollution? In such a scenario, who bears the cost of pollution reduction? Who benefits from risk reduction related to pollution reduction?
Slides from lecture today are on Sakai. Please read New Solar-Energy System Generating Power at W&L by Jeff Hanna for Friday's class.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Lecture 24 Summary and Notes
Some important questions for the day...
1. What were the biggest external life cycle costs associated with coal in Epstein et al., 2011. Are the cost spread more toward coal mining, transportation, or combustion? If these costs were included, what would the effect on the price of coal (measured in cents per kilowatt hour) be? How is the cost of climate change due to CO2 and CM4 emissions monetized relative to the cost of climate change due to coal combustion-related particulate matter? How is the cost of climate change due to due to combustion-related particulate matter monetized relative to the cost of emissions of combustion-related air pollution?
2. What are the major fuel types used in the generation of US electricity right now ("right now" = 2011)? How has this changed from 2010? What factors have shaped that change?
3. What are the major fuel types used in the Dominion electricity generation mix right now ("right now" = 2011)? How is the actual mix different from the full capacity mix?
4. What are the mix of operating and planned electricity generating plants operated by Dominion?
5. How does a thermal electricity generating facility (like a coal-fired power plant) work? How does a steam turbine work? What are the steps required to convert heat energy into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy? What is electricity? Why do metallically-bonded materials tend to have higher electrical conductivity than ionically or covalently bonded materials? What is the difference between AC and DC power?
6. How does the equipment used to remove NOx, SOx, and PM2.5 from the coal combustion waste stream differ? What is a "scrubber"? How does a scrubber work?
Slides from lecture today are on Sakai. Please read Calamity on the Colorado by James Powell (photographs by Peter M. McBride) published in the July/August 2010 issue of Orion magazine
For class on Wednesday.
1. What were the biggest external life cycle costs associated with coal in Epstein et al., 2011. Are the cost spread more toward coal mining, transportation, or combustion? If these costs were included, what would the effect on the price of coal (measured in cents per kilowatt hour) be? How is the cost of climate change due to CO2 and CM4 emissions monetized relative to the cost of climate change due to coal combustion-related particulate matter? How is the cost of climate change due to due to combustion-related particulate matter monetized relative to the cost of emissions of combustion-related air pollution?
2. What are the major fuel types used in the generation of US electricity right now ("right now" = 2011)? How has this changed from 2010? What factors have shaped that change?
3. What are the major fuel types used in the Dominion electricity generation mix right now ("right now" = 2011)? How is the actual mix different from the full capacity mix?
4. What are the mix of operating and planned electricity generating plants operated by Dominion?
5. How does a thermal electricity generating facility (like a coal-fired power plant) work? How does a steam turbine work? What are the steps required to convert heat energy into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy? What is electricity? Why do metallically-bonded materials tend to have higher electrical conductivity than ionically or covalently bonded materials? What is the difference between AC and DC power?
6. How does the equipment used to remove NOx, SOx, and PM2.5 from the coal combustion waste stream differ? What is a "scrubber"? How does a scrubber work?
Slides from lecture today are on Sakai. Please read Calamity on the Colorado by James Powell (photographs by Peter M. McBride) published in the July/August 2010 issue of Orion magazine
For class on Wednesday.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Lecture 23 Summary and Notes
Some questions for the day...
1. How to the predefined probability approach, the currently tolerated approach, and the economic approach (cost-benefit analysis and cost-utility analysis) differ as mechanisms for determining acceptable risk? What is a historic example of a cost-benefit analysis that demonstrated the economic savings of risk reduction outweighing the cost of intervention? How does cost-benefit analysis work when more than one risk or potential risk is present? In a cost-benefit analysis, who generally pays for the costs associated with failure to reduce a risk; in the same system, who generally benefits from the failure to reduce a risk? What is VSL? How does VSL figure in to calculating risk of some behavior? What is a modern estimate for VSL (American, not too old)? According to the WHO, when is a risk acceptable?
2. What is a life cycle analysis? What is full cost accounting? What are externalities and and how does their exclusion from economic transactions distort the decision-making processes?
3. What is average price of coal as an energy source (cents per kilowatt hour? How does this price compare with electricity that has been generated from other sources? How would full cost accounting (adding in all of the “externalities” ei costs are external to the coal industry) affect the price of electricity produced from coal coal combustion?
4. What are the most common coal combustion products (both gasses and solids)?
5. How common are acute coal mining related deaths in the USA (over the past 30 years)? How has this changed from 100 years ago? What combination of factors have been responsible for these changes? 6. How do acute mining deaths in the US compare with those over the past decade or so in China?
Slides from today's lecture are on Sakai and the data file for HW 8 is on Sakai and there are additional copies of the assignment tacked to my bulletin board if you missed class today. We will continue with coal on Monday with a further look into the waste stream of coal, a discussion of how electricity is generated from coal, how pollution control technology works, how recently adopted regulations by the EPA are affecting the viability of coal-fired power plants in the USA, and how burning fossil fuels such as coal affects the global carbon cycle. For Monday, please read Utilities announce closure of 10 aging power plants in Midwest, East by Juliet Eilperin published in the February 29 edition of the Washington Post and Christian environmental group says the EPA's new rules on mercury pollution is a pro-life issue by Jim Harger in the December 03, 2011 edition of the The Grand Rapids Press.
1. How to the predefined probability approach, the currently tolerated approach, and the economic approach (cost-benefit analysis and cost-utility analysis) differ as mechanisms for determining acceptable risk? What is a historic example of a cost-benefit analysis that demonstrated the economic savings of risk reduction outweighing the cost of intervention? How does cost-benefit analysis work when more than one risk or potential risk is present? In a cost-benefit analysis, who generally pays for the costs associated with failure to reduce a risk; in the same system, who generally benefits from the failure to reduce a risk? What is VSL? How does VSL figure in to calculating risk of some behavior? What is a modern estimate for VSL (American, not too old)? According to the WHO, when is a risk acceptable?
2. What is a life cycle analysis? What is full cost accounting? What are externalities and and how does their exclusion from economic transactions distort the decision-making processes?
3. What is average price of coal as an energy source (cents per kilowatt hour? How does this price compare with electricity that has been generated from other sources? How would full cost accounting (adding in all of the “externalities” ei costs are external to the coal industry) affect the price of electricity produced from coal coal combustion?
4. What are the most common coal combustion products (both gasses and solids)?
5. How common are acute coal mining related deaths in the USA (over the past 30 years)? How has this changed from 100 years ago? What combination of factors have been responsible for these changes? 6. How do acute mining deaths in the US compare with those over the past decade or so in China?
Slides from today's lecture are on Sakai and the data file for HW 8 is on Sakai and there are additional copies of the assignment tacked to my bulletin board if you missed class today. We will continue with coal on Monday with a further look into the waste stream of coal, a discussion of how electricity is generated from coal, how pollution control technology works, how recently adopted regulations by the EPA are affecting the viability of coal-fired power plants in the USA, and how burning fossil fuels such as coal affects the global carbon cycle. For Monday, please read Utilities announce closure of 10 aging power plants in Midwest, East by Juliet Eilperin published in the February 29 edition of the Washington Post and Christian environmental group says the EPA's new rules on mercury pollution is a pro-life issue by Jim Harger in the December 03, 2011 edition of the The Grand Rapids Press.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Lecture 22 Summary and Notes
Some questions for the day:
1. How do valley fills affect the runoff ratio in a watershed? How are flood peaks different in watersheds with more valley fill area? How does the physiography and the resulting way the West Virginians inhabit the landscape amplify flooding hazards?
2. What are the characteristics of mineable (either underground of surface) coal reserves? What are the techniques that are important in coal prospecting? Why are their so few coal geologists right now?
3. How is coal mined? What must be considered when mining an underground coal seam?
4. How and where is coal processed? Why does coal need to be proceeded (why can't it just be shipped directly from the mine to the power plant? How is coal separated from silicate material? What happens to the silicate waste material? Why is the disposal of silicate mine waste a problem in Appalachia?
5. How is environmental risk assessed? What factors need to be considered?
6. How do "we" decide the level of acceptable risk? What is the "standard" for acceptable risk using a predefined probability approach to risk definition? Who (and WHO) uses the 1 in 1 million standard? What does "1 in 1 million" mean? How do the current regulatory limits for Arsenic (As) in drinking water (USEPA or WHO) fit with the general risk goals of the regulatory community? Given the answer to the last question, is it safe to say that practical (ei economic) considerations also go into establishing current regulatory limits? What does the initiallism MCL stand for?
Slides from today are up on Sakai. Friday, we will look further into risk assessment and mitigation and recent efforts to address the waste stream of coal mining and combustion. There is no new reading assignment for Friday.
1. How do valley fills affect the runoff ratio in a watershed? How are flood peaks different in watersheds with more valley fill area? How does the physiography and the resulting way the West Virginians inhabit the landscape amplify flooding hazards?
2. What are the characteristics of mineable (either underground of surface) coal reserves? What are the techniques that are important in coal prospecting? Why are their so few coal geologists right now?
3. How is coal mined? What must be considered when mining an underground coal seam?
4. How and where is coal processed? Why does coal need to be proceeded (why can't it just be shipped directly from the mine to the power plant? How is coal separated from silicate material? What happens to the silicate waste material? Why is the disposal of silicate mine waste a problem in Appalachia?
5. How is environmental risk assessed? What factors need to be considered?
6. How do "we" decide the level of acceptable risk? What is the "standard" for acceptable risk using a predefined probability approach to risk definition? Who (and WHO) uses the 1 in 1 million standard? What does "1 in 1 million" mean? How do the current regulatory limits for Arsenic (As) in drinking water (USEPA or WHO) fit with the general risk goals of the regulatory community? Given the answer to the last question, is it safe to say that practical (ei economic) considerations also go into establishing current regulatory limits? What does the initiallism MCL stand for?
Slides from today are up on Sakai. Friday, we will look further into risk assessment and mitigation and recent efforts to address the waste stream of coal mining and combustion. There is no new reading assignment for Friday.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lecture 21 Summary and Notes
Some questions for the day...
1. How does coal rank vary from North to South in West Virginia. How does the geospatial variation in coal rank in WV demonstrate the expected progression of coal composition with increasing P and T?
2. What is science? What is the scientific method? What is the difference between peer-reviewed scientific literature and mainstream literature? What are the essential components of a scientific paper?
3. What are the top coal producing states in the USA? What is the general geographic distribution of states whose production is dominated by surface mining vs. states whose production is dominated by underground mining?
4. How has the productivity (measured in the mass of coal that an employee can produce in an hour) of coal mining changed over the past 50 years? How does productivity vary east vs. west of the Mississippi? How does productivity vary surface vs. underground? How would you describe the area (east vs west) and mining method (surface vs underground) that is most productive?
5. Increases in productivity means less employees are required... What % of West Virginians are currently employed by coal mining companies? How has this changed in the past 30 years
6. What is a watershed? At what level of anthropogenic disturbance will stream biodiversity and water quality suffer? Below valley fills in the central Appalachians, streams are characterized by geochemical characteristics? What is conductivity? How is conductivity used to estimate water quality? What is the effect of increasing conductivity (and increasing dissolved material) on stream biodiversity?
7. What are the effects of MTR/VF mining on the hydrologic characteristics of watershed? What are nested watersheds? How do flood crests differ in nested watersheds? How to flood crests differ in watersheds with large amounts of urbanization or changes in surface characteristics due to MTR/VF?
Slides from today are up on Sakai. Wednesday, we will continue our discussion of coal with a look at coal mining trends in Appalachia and beyhond. There is no new reading assignment for Wednesday.
1. How does coal rank vary from North to South in West Virginia. How does the geospatial variation in coal rank in WV demonstrate the expected progression of coal composition with increasing P and T?
2. What is science? What is the scientific method? What is the difference between peer-reviewed scientific literature and mainstream literature? What are the essential components of a scientific paper?
3. What are the top coal producing states in the USA? What is the general geographic distribution of states whose production is dominated by surface mining vs. states whose production is dominated by underground mining?
4. How has the productivity (measured in the mass of coal that an employee can produce in an hour) of coal mining changed over the past 50 years? How does productivity vary east vs. west of the Mississippi? How does productivity vary surface vs. underground? How would you describe the area (east vs west) and mining method (surface vs underground) that is most productive?
5. Increases in productivity means less employees are required... What % of West Virginians are currently employed by coal mining companies? How has this changed in the past 30 years
6. What is a watershed? At what level of anthropogenic disturbance will stream biodiversity and water quality suffer? Below valley fills in the central Appalachians, streams are characterized by geochemical characteristics? What is conductivity? How is conductivity used to estimate water quality? What is the effect of increasing conductivity (and increasing dissolved material) on stream biodiversity?
7. What are the effects of MTR/VF mining on the hydrologic characteristics of watershed? What are nested watersheds? How do flood crests differ in nested watersheds? How to flood crests differ in watersheds with large amounts of urbanization or changes in surface characteristics due to MTR/VF?
Slides from today are up on Sakai. Wednesday, we will continue our discussion of coal with a look at coal mining trends in Appalachia and beyhond. There is no new reading assignment for Wednesday.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Lecture 20 Summary and Notes
Some questions to ponder...
1. What are the differences between the source material for coal vs. petroleum in terms of the source of the source material and its relative C, H, and O.
2. Of the organic molecules, cellulose, lignin, cutin, suberin, and algaenen, plants are mostly____________.
3. Coal is classified according to rank. What are the ranks, how do they differ in terms of their composition (with regard to their carbon content and their volatile content), their physical characteristics, and their temperature and pressure (depth) of equilibration? For instance, how deep does bituminous coal need to be buried in order to form anthracite?
4. What are the compositional characteristics that are optimal for thermal coal? How do the compositional characteristics that are optimal for metallurgical coal differ?
5. As coal rank increases, what happens to the volume of natural gas generated, the pore space volume, and the tenancy for natural gas to segregate from the coal?
6. What are the major and minor elements present in coal? Which of those elements come from the plant material and which some from geologic material?
7. In general, what is the geographic and age distribution of world coal resources?
8. Is Saudi Arabia the Saudi Arabia of oil? Is the US the Saudi Arabia of coal? How does coal production in the US compare to production in China? How does the reserve life of China's reserves compare that of the US? Who is the Saudi Arabia of chicken?
Do not forget the homework assignment for Monday: Complete the following sentence:
_____________ is the Saudi Arabia of _________________.
submissions should be:
-true
-related to economic geology* (optional)
-not about any particular member of the W&L community
-G- or PG- rated
-submitted via email before 10 am Monday March 5th
5 point for completion with +1 for unique response 2 quiz points for peoples' choice (class vote) and 2 quiz points for critic's choice (my favorite).
Slides from today are up on Sakai. Monday, we will continue our discussion of coal with a look at coal mining trends in Appalachia. Your reading assignment for Monday will be Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal by Epstein et al. (2011) in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. This is a longer article...
1. What are the differences between the source material for coal vs. petroleum in terms of the source of the source material and its relative C, H, and O.
2. Of the organic molecules, cellulose, lignin, cutin, suberin, and algaenen, plants are mostly____________.
3. Coal is classified according to rank. What are the ranks, how do they differ in terms of their composition (with regard to their carbon content and their volatile content), their physical characteristics, and their temperature and pressure (depth) of equilibration? For instance, how deep does bituminous coal need to be buried in order to form anthracite?
4. What are the compositional characteristics that are optimal for thermal coal? How do the compositional characteristics that are optimal for metallurgical coal differ?
5. As coal rank increases, what happens to the volume of natural gas generated, the pore space volume, and the tenancy for natural gas to segregate from the coal?
6. What are the major and minor elements present in coal? Which of those elements come from the plant material and which some from geologic material?
7. In general, what is the geographic and age distribution of world coal resources?
8. Is Saudi Arabia the Saudi Arabia of oil? Is the US the Saudi Arabia of coal? How does coal production in the US compare to production in China? How does the reserve life of China's reserves compare that of the US? Who is the Saudi Arabia of chicken?
Do not forget the homework assignment for Monday: Complete the following sentence:
_____________ is the Saudi Arabia of _________________.
submissions should be:
-true
-related to economic geology* (optional)
-not about any particular member of the W&L community
-G- or PG- rated
-submitted via email before 10 am Monday March 5th
5 point for completion with +1 for unique response 2 quiz points for peoples' choice (class vote) and 2 quiz points for critic's choice (my favorite).
Slides from today are up on Sakai. Monday, we will continue our discussion of coal with a look at coal mining trends in Appalachia. Your reading assignment for Monday will be Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal by Epstein et al. (2011) in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. This is a longer article...
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