Category Archives: Electric Power

Comments on the Movie “Switch” and discussion at UC Irvine

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Dennis SILVERMAN

I have just returned from a showing of the movie Switch about forms of energy generation, and searching for our energy future, sponsored by the Newkirk Center.  Presenting was the film’s director, Harry Lynch.  We are planning to show this to … Continue reading →

Posted in Autos, Conservation, Electric Power, Energy Efficiency, Fossil Fuel Energy, Oil, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Energy | Leave a comment

Coming to Terms with Natural Gas Hydraulic Fracturing

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Dennis SILVERMAN

A path for reducing CO2 pollution from coal is production of natural gas from hydraulic fracturing by drilling deep and then sideways and using steam and chemicals to cause fractures in shale deposits, which eventually release trapped natural gas.  Since … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Electric Power, Fossil Fuel Energy, Natural Gas | Leave a comment

China’s Coal, Renewable and Nuclear Power: Present and Future

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Dennis SILVERMAN

China has large, public plans for an ideal world of power in China.  They are moving toward most of these.  Since power is partly a national project, they may well succeed in some of them.  Clearly they have the motivation … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Electric Power, Energy Efficiency, Fossil Fuel Energy, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Energy | Leave a comment

US and World Solar Power for 2012

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Dennis SILVERMAN

World Solar Power    World Wide Photovoltaics The total world wide photovoltaic peak power at the end of 2012 is 102 gigaWatts at peak overhead illumination, where a gigaWatt (GW) is a billion Watts or 1,000 megaWatts.  Germany has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Electric Power, Fossil Fuel Energy, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy | Leave a comment

Projections for Future Greenhouse Gas Reductions

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Dennis SILVERMAN

The first rule of the Energy Futures Club is that there are no rules, but you can talk about it all you want.  You would think that with power plants that last 60 or more years, and that take a … Continue reading →

Posted in Autos, Climate Change, Conservation, Earthquakes, Electric Power, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy, San Onofre, Solar Energy, Transportation, Tsunami, Wind Energy | Leave a comment

Talk by Mr. Yasutel Yamada at UC Irvine from the Skilled Veterans Corps for Fukushima

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Dennis SILVERMAN

  John Whiteley sponsored this talk for his class along with the Environmental Institute October 29, 2012 First John showed a short film on the Sendai earthquake and tsunami by NHK World Film.  Some notes from the film follow. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquakes, Electric Power, Nuclear Energy, San Onofre, Tsunami | Tagged | Leave a comment

SC Edison’s and California’s 2011 Greenhouse Gas Content

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Dennis SILVERMAN

I was amazed to find in my September 2012 SCE bill their Power Content Label for 2011, a report on their energy sources required by California law.  When I tried to look up more information on the California website, all … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Electric Power, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy | Leave a comment

Projections for Future US Natural Gas

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Dennis SILVERMAN

A graph for future US natural gas production has been posted in an article in Science Magazine by Eric McFarland (Vol. 338, p. 340-2, 19 October, 2012).  The article is titled “Unconventional Chemistry for Unconventional Natural Gas” showing the chemistry … Continue reading →

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Summary of Talks on “How Safe is Nuclear Power: Implications for San Onofre”

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Dennis SILVERMAN

I will present here a short summary of the talks at the luncheon of The Newkirk Center for Science and Society at UC Irvine on October 16, 2012 on the topic “How Safe is Nuclear Power:  Implications for San Onofre”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Electric Power, Fossil Fuel Energy, Nuclear Energy, San Onofre | Leave a comment

Southern California Energy Outlook for the Summer of 2012

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Dennis SILVERMAN

I watched the Irvine City Council meeting on Channel 30 last night, which featured the reports of the Cal ISO and SC Edison on plans for summer electricity, should San Onofre reactors not be available.  One additional complication was noting … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Electric Power, Nuclear Energy, San Onofre | Tagged | Leave a comment