Power Hungry (53 page)

13
Bryan Walsh, “Linfen China,”
Time
, 2007,
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1661031_1661028,00.html
.

14
Matthew Knight, “Gore Calls for Coal Plant Protests,” September 25, 2008,
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/09/25/gore.carbon/index.html
.

15
Shaila Dewan, “At Plant in Coal Ash Spill, Toxic Deposits by the Ton,”
New York Times
, December 29, 2008,
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/us/30sludge.html?_r=1&em
.

16
James Hansen, “Dear Michelle and Barack,” December 29, 2008,
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20081229_DearMichelleAndBarack.pdf
.

17
James Hansen, “Coal-Fired Power Stations Are Death Factories. Close Them,”
The Guardian
, February 15, 2009,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/15/james-hansen-power-plants-coal
.

18
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “How to End America's Deadly Coal Addiction,”
Financial Times
, July 19, 2009,
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/58ec3258-748b-11de-8ad5-00144feabdc0.html
.

19
Jeff Goodell,
Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future
(New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2008), 134.

20
Ibid., 135.

21
Environmental News Service, “Mercury Found in Blood of One-Third of American Women,” September 1, 2009,
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2009/2009-09-01-092.asp
.

22
Goodell,
Big Coal
, 123.

23
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2009,
http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/2009_downloads/renewables_section_2009.pdf
. In 2007 and 2008, consumption increased from 3,194.5 million tons of oil equivalent to 3,303.7 million tons of oil equivalent, an increase of 109.2 million tons. Converted to oil, that's an increase of 800.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per year, or about 2.2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.

24
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2009.

25
Ibid.

26
Keith Bradsher, “China's Unemployment Swells as Exports Falter,”
New York Times
, February 5, 2009,
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/business/worldbusiness/06yuan.html?_r=1&sq=china%20and%20electricity&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all
. Goldman Sachs analysts have indicated that they also use electricity data as a proxy for output in China.

27
“Energy Statistics: Electricity: Consumption (per capita) (most recent) by Country,”
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_ele_con_percap-energy-electricity-consumption-per-capita
.

28
Alan D. Pasternak, “Global Energy Futures and Human Development: A Framework for Analysis,” Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, October 2000,
https://e-reports-ext.llnl.gov/pdf/239193.pdf
, 17.

29
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2009.

30
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook,
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ca.html
.

31
For images of Africa at night, see “Satellite Photo of Earth at Night” and other NASA images, at
http://geology.com/articles/satellite-photo-earth-at-night.shtml
.

32
“Poverty Facts and Stats,” n.d.,
http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats
.

33
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, “Country Comparison: Death Rate,”
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2066rank.html
.

34
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, “Country Comparison: Infant Mortality Rate,”
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html
.

35
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2008.

36
Ibid.

37
Xina Xie, “Capitalist Coal Versus Socialist Electricity,”
Energy Tribune
, July 21, 2009,
http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=2103
.

38
Energy Information Administration, “Existing Capacity by Energy Source,”
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epat2p2.html
.

39
“Graphic: The State of Nuclear Power,”
National Post
, July 31, 2009,
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/07/31/graphic-the-state-of-nuclear-power.aspx
.

40
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2009.

41
Ibid.

42
“Graphic: The State of Nuclear Power.”

43
World Bank, “World Bank Supports Modernization of Old, Polluting Coal-Fired Power Plants in India to Lower Carbon Emissions,” June 18, 2009,
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK
:22217371∼menuPK:2246552~pagePK:2865106∼piPK:2865128~the SitePK:223547,00.html?cid=ISG_E_WBWeeklyUpdate_NL.

44
“Pachauri Defends India's Climate Stand,” July 22, 2009,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200907220334.htm
.

45
Robert Bryce, “From Lahore to Copenhagen,”
Energy Tribune
, November 3, 2009,
http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=2533
. For the full text of Clinton's remarks, see U.S. Department of State, Diplomacy in Action, “Roundtable with Business Leaders Opening and Closing Remarks: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, Governor's House, Lahore, Pakistan, October 29, 2009,”
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/10/131073.htm
.

46
Energy Information Administration, Table 8.2a, “Electricity Net Generation: Total (All Sectors) 1949–2008,”
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/ptb0802a.html
.

47
Energy Information Administration, Table 1.1, “Net Generation by Energy Source: Total (All Sectors),”
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/tablel_1.html
.

48
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, “Europe: Spain,”
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html#Econ
.

49
Energy Information Administration, Table 8.2a. Note that in 1994, coal provided 1,690 billion kWh. In 2008, coal provided 1,994 billion kWh, for an increase of about 300 billion kWh.

50
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2009. In 2008, U.S. coal consumption equaled 565 million tons of oil equivalent. The total primary energy use for Central and South American countries was 579.6 million tons of oil equivalent.

51
Energy Information Administration, Table 1.1.A, “Net Generation by Other Renewables: Total (All Sectors),”
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table1_1_a.html
.

52
Ibid.

53
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, “National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks: Edison ‘Jumbo' Engine-Driven Dynamo and Marine-Type Triple
Expansion Engine-Driven Dynamo,” May 29, 1980,
http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5537.pdf
.

54
Klein,
The Power Makers
, 202.

55
See
EveryGenerator.com
for the Briggs and Stratton 30207,
http://www.everygenerator.com/Briggs-and-Stratton-30207-BAS1008.html
.

1
U.S. Institute for Peace, “Iraqi Oil Revenues: ‘Managing the Devil's Excrement,'” n.d.,
http://www.usip.org/events/iraqi-oil-revenues-managing-devils-excrement
.

2
For an analysis of various fuels and their energy densities, see Wikipedia, “Energy Density,”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density
.

3
Vaclav Smil, “The Two Prime Movers of Globalization: History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines,”
Journal of Global History
2 (2007), 376–377,
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~vsmil/pdf_pubs/jgh%202007.pdf
.

4
Robert Bryce,
Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of “Energy Independence”
(New York: PublicAffairs, 2008), 63–64. Diesel consumption in 2008 was about 3.9 million barrels per day. See Energy Information Administration, “Product Supplied,”
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_cons_psup_dc_nus_mbblpd_a.htm
.

5
Ibid.

6
Energy Information Administration, “Diesel—A Petroleum Product,”
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12860647/Encyclopedia-of-Energy-Basic
.

7
Smil, “Two Prime Movers,” 377–378.

8
Ibid., 391.

9
Ibid., 379.

10
Rachel Layne, “GE, Safran Plan Engine to Help Keep Lead into New Era,” Bloomberg, July 13, 2008,
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=arNVkr5BBKjI&refer=home
.

1
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2009,
http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/2009_downloads/renewables_section_2009.pdf
. See also Jad Mouawad, “OPEC Plans Further Output Cut,”
New York Times
, December 17, 2008,
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/business/worldbusiness/17opec.html?fta=y
. Mouawad reports that the Saudis settled on a production rate of 8.5 million barrels per day in November 2008.

2
Here's the math: 5,800,000,000 J / 86,400 s = 67,129 W. To account for heat lost during the conversion of energy into electrical power, we must multiply the 67,129 W by 0.33, which leaves us with 22,152 W.

3
BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2009.

4
Energy Information Administration, Table 1.1, “Primary Energy Overview, 1949–2008,” n.d.,
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/ptb0101.html
.

5
Gene Whitney, Carl E. Behrens, and Carol Glover, “US Fossil Fuel Resources: Terminology, Reporting, and Summary,” Congressional Research Service, October 28,
2009,
http://epw.senate.gov//files/22/38/63/f223863/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=f7bd7b77-ba50-48c2-a635-220d7cf8c519
, 17.

1
Witold Rybczynski, “The Green Case for Cities,”
Atlantic Monthly
, October 2009,
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200910/solar-panels
.

2
E. F. Schumacher,
Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered
(New York: Harper and Row, 1973).

3
The calculations for the power densities of the renewable sources is based on work done by Jesse Ausubel. See Ausubel, “The Future Environment for the Energy Business,”
APPEA Journal
(2007),
http://phe.rockefeller.edu/docs/ausubelappea.pdf
, 8. Ausubel's estimates for renewables are of the same orders of magnitude as those published by the Nature Conservancy. Furthermore, Ausubel's numbers are almost identical to estimates provided to the author by Stan Jakuba, an engineer who has collected power-density data from numerous sources.

4
Ibid.

5
Ibid.

6
Robert I. McDonald, Joseph Fargione, Joe Kiesecker, William M. Miller, and Jimmie Powell, “Energy Sprawl or Energy Efficiency: Climate Policy Impacts on Natural Habitat for the United States of America,” August 26, 2009,
http://www.plosone.org/article/info
:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0006802#pone-0006802 -g001.

7
Author interviews with Porter by telephone, January 25 and 26, 2010.

8
See the work by Nina Pierpont at the website
Windturbinesyndrome.com
.

9
American Wind Energy Association, “Wind Turbine Sound and Health Effects, An Expert Review Panel,” December 2009, ES-1,
http://awea.org/newsroom/releases/AWEA_CanWEA_SoundWhitePaper_12
–11–09.pdf.

10
Richard Cockle, “Oregon wind farms whip up noise, health concerns,”
The Oregonian
, March 26, 2009,
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/oregon_wind_farms_whip_up_nois.html
. See also Dan Gunderson, “Wind turbine noise concerns prompt investigation,” Minnesota Public Radio, August 4, 2009,
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/03/wind-turbine-noise
.

11
Vaclav Smil, “A Reality Check on the Pickens Energy Plan,”
environment360
, August 25, 2008,
http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2058
.

12
The math here is simple: 40,000 miles times 5,280 feet/mile times 100 feet equals 21.1 billion square feet. Divide by 27.9 million square feet per square mile to get approximately 750 square miles. Data on rights-of-way from American Transmission Company, “Property Values,” n.d.,
http://www.atcllc.com/PropertyValues.shtml
. For Rhode Island info, see “U.S. States (plus Washington, D.C.): Area and Ranking,” n.d.,
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/area.shtml
.

13
Los Angeles Times
, “Regulators Approve $1.9 Billion Power Line,” December 19, 2008,
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/dec/19/business/fi-sunrise19
.

14
Desert Protective Council, “Big Solar,” February 26, 2009,
http://www.dpcinc.org/_bigsolar.shtml
.

15
Miriam Raftery, “Courts Likely to Overturn Sunrise Powerlink Approval, Consumer Attorney Predicts to Crowd of 600 Protestors in Alpine,”
East County Magazine
, April 8, 2009,
http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/856
.