Kopi Luwak  

REA reports that tidal energy is coming to Nova Scotia - one of those truly massive unharnessed renewable energy sources.

In an effort to harness the huge tidal currents of Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy, British company Marine Current Turbines (MCT), the developer of SeaGen, has signed an agreement with Canada's Maritime Tidal Energy Corporation (MTEC). The companies plan to submit a joint proposal to the Nova Scotia Department of Energy to deploy MCT's SeaGen technology in the Bay of Fundy, which has one of the greatest tidal resources in the world.

Martin Wright, Managing Director of MCT said, "Working with MTEC in Canada, we will be using our unrivalled knowledge and experience from our 1.2 MW SeaGen commercial tidal system as well as our previous work with our 300kW SeaFlow tidal project in the Bristol Channel, the world's first offshore tidal stream device, to tap the massive potential that exists in the Bay of Fundy."

MTEC representative Ron Scott added, "MTEC can become a frontrunner in terms of in-stream tidal power development for the Bay of Fundy, and eventually elsewhere in the Atlantic Provinces and North America. This is a golden opportunity for Nova Scotia, which the Nova Scotia Government fully recognizes, to provide the lead in marine energy generation in North America, moving away from carbon based fuel systems."

The Nova Scotia Department of Energy plans to have tidal turbines operating in the Bay of Fundy during 2009. The Bay of Fundy is located on Canada's eastern seaboard.

WorldChanging has an article on Germany leading the way on renewables - setting a 45% target for 2030.

In July, Germany's Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety released a draft progress report on the country's Renewable Energy Sources Act. The Act, adopted in 2000, establishes an advanced "feed-in tariff" in Germany, enabling any company or individual who meets the technical and legal requirements to sell renewable electricity into the power grid for a guaranteed, long-term price for each kilowatt-hour sold. "The Renewable Energy Sources Act is the most important and successful instrument to promote the expansion of renewable energies in the electricity sector," the report notes.

The report's findings indicate significant advances in Germany's renewables sector, including:

* The share of electricity from renewable energy sources nationwide has increased from 6.3 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2006.
* The Act resulted in the avoidance of 45 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2006, up from 37 million tons avoided in 2005.
* All renewable energy used in Germany--for electricity, heat, and transport fuel--avoided the release of more than 100 million tons of CO2 in 2006.
* More than 9 billion euros (US$12.7 billion*) was invested in new renewable energy installations in Germany in 2006.
* Approximately 240,000 people in Germany were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2006, representing a 40-percent increase over 2004. More than half of these jobs were created by the Renewable Energy Sources Act.

The report also finds that the net economic benefits of renewable electricity in Germany amount to about 6 billion euro ($8.5 billion) per year. While renewable electricity costs the nation's consumers an estimated $3.3 billion euros ($4.7 billion) annually in differential costs (the cost premium of renewable over conventional power) and the provision of energy balancing (balancing electricity generation and demand), the government estimates that its benefits are far higher. The economic benefits of renewable energy totaled more than 9 billion euro ($12.7 billion) in 2006, including fuel-import savings of 0.9 billion euro ($1.27 billion), avoided environmental and health damages worth approximately 3.4 billion euro ($4.8 billion), and a decline in wholesale electricity prices amounting to 5 billion euro ($7 billion).

By some estimates, renewables will provide about 14 percent of Germany's gross electricity consumption by the end of this year, well ahead of official targets for 2010. As a result of this success, in July the German government increased its targets for renewable energy to 27 percent of electricity by 2020 (up from 20 percent) and at least 45 percent by 2030. Germany's success with the feed-in law has also prompted several other countries around the world to adopt advanced feed-in laws.

The SMH reports that New York is set to tax carbon emissions. Mike Bloomberg seems to be one of those rare politicians who actually understands the intersection of global warming and economics - the correct way to fix the problem is carbon taxes.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a national "pollution pricing" plan that would tax companies directly for the greenhouse gases they release. "If you really want to reduce carbon emissions, tax carbon at the source, which would mean at the mine head, at the oil well, whatever," Bloomberg told more than 100 other mayors at a climate summit sponsored by the US Conference of Mayors.

Bloomberg suggested a fee of $US15 ($A16.5) for every ton of greenhouse gas companies emit, with the money used to reduce payroll taxes and finance tax credits for companies that reduce their greenhouse gas pollution. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane trap the sun's energy, warming the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere.

Bloomberg's plan is similar to one already proposed by Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Chris Dodd. Bloomberg said the voluntary and unenforceable emissions targets favoured by President George W Bush are "like voluntary speed limits - doomed to fail." He also said another carbon-reduction approach known as cap-and-trade, which many Democratic candidates have endorsed, is a flawed solution and could create bidding wars.

The Guardian has a look at the British Environment Agency's list of 50 ways to save the planet. Some of the top 20 look dubious to me (16 and 17 in particular) and many others could all be wrapped up in to 1 concrete action - institute carbon taxes.

The full list is published on Monday in the Environment Agency's quarterly magazine Your Environment (environment-agency.gov.uk). To comment on the list, or suggest your own ideas, visit guardian.co.uk/environment, where you can also sign up to the Guardian's new Tread Lightly eco-pledge project.

The top 20: What the panel prescribes

1 Dramatically improve the energy efficiency of electrical goods
2 Religious leaders to make the environment a priority for their followers
3 Encourage the widespread use of solar power throughout the world
4 Secure a meaningful post-Kyoto treaty on reducing the emissions that contribute to global warming
5 Encourage households to generate much more of their own power
6 Introduce tax incentives to "buy green"
7 Tackle the rapid growth in aviation emissions
8 Wean ourselves off dependency on petroleum
9 Encourage individuals to buy less non-essential "stuff "
10 Dramatically improve public transport
11 Aim for a "zero waste" culture
12 Install "smart energy" meters in all homes
13 Introduce a measure of economic success that includes the environment
14 Fully harness Britain's huge potential for generating renewable energy
15 Seek alternative, less damaging sources for biofuels
16 Bury carbon dioxide from power stations underground
17 Encourage hydrogen fuel cell technology in cars
18 Implement government policies to control global population growth
19 Reach international agreement on preserving rainforests
20 Create better incentives to improve energy efficiency in the home

The SMH notes that while the drought may be pushing up basic food prices, "top-end restaurants, bars and food shops are still finding that there is an insatiable demand for their most expensive goods". Apparently my local coffee shop sells the most expensive coffee in town - but I'm not sure I want to try it, even if I did feel like spending that much on a coffee...

The most exclusive coffee in Sydney is Kopi Luwak, available at $50 a cup from Rob Forsyth's shop in Naremburn. It is made in Indonesia from coffee beans that have been eaten and excreted (whole) by a possum-like marsupial called a luwak. The 10-centimetre slabs are then dried, broken up, cleaned and roasted for a brew which is - apparently - exceptionally smooth. Mr Forsyth said: "We do get people coming in to drink it but I think it's more because of the hype than the taste."

Links:

* Energy Bulletin - DOE publishes poster: "Peak Oil - the Turning Point"
* David Strahan - Total boss on why oil production will never top 100 mb/d
* The Oil Drum - ANZ News 4 November
* REA - Banking on Green Energy
* PhysOrg - Japan: Total Mobility Project Converts Standard Auto to Solar
* PhysOrg - Fowl play as scientists make power from chicken droppings
* Green Car Congress - Khosla and BIOeCON Form New Bio-Oil Joint Venture
* Auto Blog Green - Audi A3 TDIe crosses Australia at 71.3 mpg!
* TreeHugger - Is a Negative CO2 Footprint Possible For Bioplastic ?. See also Better Living Through Green Chemistry.
* Solar Rocks - Wanna Leave Solar Net-Metering Standards up to Utilities? Here’s What You Get.
* SMH - 'Unwelcoming' US sees sharp fall in visitors
* The Guardian - Déjà vu all over again