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The Ecologist Square

A blog by Mark Piazzalunga in General

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Joint ventures and unions: making renewable energy market strong

Renewable energy companies have been in a tough situation for more than twenty years (since the beginning of renewables' sector). Two fires, two enemies to fight, the first is the entire fossil fuels' sector, the second is the internal competition in its own sector. The first is a strong, old and rich institution, with thousands of billion of dollars and has exponents like Shell, BP, Total, Exxon and Chevron. The second is also strong and in a long-term can monopolize the entire energy market, i
Mark Piazzalunga

Climate Change Debate Lands in Japan After Fukushima

Debates are good, healthy, and after a debate there’s always a winner. Believe me, in climate change debate action will win, action against the worst environmental crisis of human history, action against a deadly enemy which kills 7 million people a year. Climate change debate landed in Japan after the tragic facts of Fukushima in 2011. After three years Japan is ready to move on (at least the government is). In fact, the Nuclear Regulation Authority vouched last month for the safety of two reac
Mark Piazzalunga

The ten largest energy companies in the world

Renewable energy companies are just at the beginning but when the shift to renewables will take place would oil giants just go away? In this ranking there are just oil producers or traders. The first renewable company is 31st and is Iberdrola. 1. Exxon Mobil Corporation It's American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. A direct and the richest descendant of the famous Stantard Oil company. In 1999 Exxon merged with Mobil forming the biggest energy company in
Mark Piazzalunga

California's on fire: exceptional drought gets worse

While here in Northern Italy there are 18º and a lot of rain, storms and a Autumn climate California is a little bit hotter. Here's a news for the people who believe climate change doesn't exist: California’s three-year drought just went from bad to dreadful. In the course of the last week, the crimson expanse of “exceptional drought” grew to engulf the northern part of the state. The following chart , showing the drought's progession since 2011, speaks for itself: All of California is
Mark Piazzalunga

Innocent victims of another war: flight MH17

On Thursday 17th of July a Malaysian airplane, flight MH17, was hit by a surface-to-air missile over the border between Ukraine and Russia, an unstable and dangerous area because of the war between Ukrainian army and the separatists supported by Russia. The plane crashe to the land, all the passengers of the plane (280) and the crue (15) died and leaving on the ground a horrible apocalypse of fire and metal. Because of the news international media focused again of the civil war in Ukraine and re
Mark Piazzalunga

New technologies: hydrogen fuel cells

Our world is powered by an energy system based mainly on fossil fuels since the beginning of the XX century. How much could it last? Some years? Some decades? Certainly not an entire century. It’s time for alternative energy. An energy system based on renewables can last for centuries instead. Hydrogen cells represents part of the future of energy and its continuing development will have an effect on the reduction of fossil fuels usage. Hydrogen can be used to power vehicles with fuel‐cell en
Mark Piazzalunga

The Ten Most Polluted Cities in the World

The ranking is based on the data of Blacksmith Institute (an organization working against pollution and its damages) and Green Cross Switzerland. It's a sad chart and it shows how profit and personal interests can destroy the lives of many. AGBOGBLOSHIE, GHANA Agbogbloshie, in Accra, Ghana, is the second largest e-waste processing area in West Africa. E-waste, or electronic waste, is a broad term referring to a range of electronics. Heavy metals released in the burning process easily migrate
Mark Piazzalunga

Civil war in Iraq, ISIL Islamists are 80 miles from Baghdad

What is ISIL? It stands for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, also called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It's an unrecognized state established in 2004 by different Islamist religious groups, including Al-Qaeda in Iraq, professing Sunni Islam. It's still operative, actually more than ever, and they are intentioned to occupy the entire territory of Levant arriving to Lebanon. The military group of this state is composed by some tens of thousands of men and on 6 June attacked Mosul from the
Mark Piazzalunga

DESERTEC project, Sahara Sun could power Europe by 2050

Sahara desert climate is hot and arid, everybody knows it. So how can this simple and well-known fact become the idea to power a continent like Europe? Let’s start from the principle: renewable energy is the future of energy; we assume that this sentence is true since all facts gets to this point. Second principle: European territory is restricted and allows the construction of a few plants that could use renewable energy. Paradoxically, countries like Africa have renewable sources, particularly
Mark Piazzalunga

New Technologies: Wireless Power

New technologies are changing global energy system and there will be a time where physical energy infrastructures won't exist anymore because of wireless power, which is the transmission of electrical energy from a power source to an electrical load without man-made conductors. Can we really send Watts of energy as we send an email? Apparently yes and the advantages are endless. Think about the amount of money spent in energy infrastructures (pipelines, electricity cables...) and think how much
Mark Piazzalunga

No KXL; a Non-Environmental Point of View

All over the world people are protesting against what I call the stupidest project of the moment: Keystone XL. We shouldn’t use oil so why should people just accept the damages this pipeline will bring? “The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere averaged more than 400 parts per million throughout April, the first time the planet’s monthly average has surpassed that threshold.” When I read this on Bloomberg I immediately thought to oil and then Keystone. It’s unbelievable the disrespect of s
Mark Piazzalunga

Earth Day; Today (and Tomorrow) Protect the Environment

Today, a month and two days after Spring Equinox, is the Earth Day. A few days ago we celebrated the Earth Hour and now we dedicate an entire day to environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970 and now it's organized by the Earth Day Network and takes place in more than 192 countries each year. Over the years milions of people all over the world take action to make the Earth greener and safer and today everybody can act to contribute the Earth Day. But what is the sense? Will so
Mark Piazzalunga

Climate Change is a Disaster; Meanwhile Oil Boom Continues

While the third IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report explains that fossil fuels use must end to avoid the dramatic consequences of climate change, 202 millions barrel of oil are stocked in Houston, Texas ready to entering the energy market. Let's proceed in order: IPCC is an international organization, part of UN and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Its reports are precise, accurate and sadly true. Refute the results of reports would be stupid and useless since I do
Mark Piazzalunga

Earth Hour; lights off, change on

On Saturday March 29th at 8:30pm, millions of people across the world are switching off lights for one hour - to celebrate their commitment to the planet. This is definition of the Earth Hour, the biggest event against climate change in history launched in 2007 and organized by WWF. In a few hours the world will be darker but millions of people will be happy to fight against a phenomenon that is starting to change our daily lives. Bacteria that are coming from the melting of the ices, high pollu
Mark Piazzalunga

New Technologies: Space-Based Solar Power

In the previous post I mentioned space-based solar power (if you prefer SBSP) as the future of photovoltaic. Does it seem too fictional? DOE (Department of Energy) thinks it's not. The first time space-based solar power was mentioned was in a novel of Isaac Asimov. Now it has become a possible alternative for the future. Let's hear what DOE has to say: every hour, more solar energy reaches the Earth than humans use in an entire year and 30% of energy is reflected back into space. Solar panels
Mark Piazzalunga

Targets For The Future; A New Energy System

We live in a world where renewable energy is taking place and the kind of energy won't be the only thing to change. In a few years we will face the necessity of a new, modern and efficient global energy system, i.e. a structure including: I. Searching of energy sources. The search of sources such as oil, natural gas and coal will reduce through the years since the search of renewable sources (solar, wind, hydro) will be integrated in the proper power plant. This is one of the great advantages
Mark Piazzalunga

Never Trust the Appearance

In the past months one of the most popular topics in Europe and America was the weather (especially the bad weather). Part of this climate condition was Polar Vortex: a phenomenon that hit on the USA caused the death of many people and billions of dollars of damages (five according to The Guardian). It led at least a dozen of Governors to declare a state of emergency and forced some of the world's top airports to shut down for some weeks. The Polar Vortex has brought to the lowest temperatures o
Mark Piazzalunga

California’s Drought Is Over. Sure?

One of the major accusations against the environmentalists is to be too much repetitive about a thesis so to become extremely boring. Therefore, let the photo speaks. From the image we can clearly see a desert landscape, like a Far West scenario. It’s California. This image depicts a devastating calamity, California’s drought. It’s a tragic consequence of the weather, “we can’t control it” said the Govern of California Jerry Brown. All we can do is face its consequences. 38 millions of peo
Mark Piazzalunga

America’s Oil Train Boom Disastrous Consequences

In the past few years, in the area between the States of Colorado, North and South Dakota and Wyoming, there was a peak of extraction and production of oil and gas. The lack of pipelines and energy infrastructures led to an increase of rail use to transport crude oil to the refineries, from 9,500 carloads in 2008 to 400,000 this year. Today 10% of total crude oil production is shipped by rail. But a series of accidents (like Quebec, North Dakota or Alabama, where 47 people died) which killed
Mark Piazzalunga

West Virginia Chemical Spill; too much time without doing nothing

The spill of about 7,500 gallons of a chemical substance from a cistern has polluted the Elk River in West Virginia, forcing 300,000 residents of nine counties not to use tap water for drinking, cooking or bathing since Jan. 9. The chemical material, used in coal processing, came out from a tank of the Freedom Industries Inc. complex, near the river. Freedom Industries president apologized for the spill said the company is working with state and federal officials. The operations to clean up t
Mark Piazzalunga

How people’s opinion can change global energy

Can we be afraid by energy? Just think to some of the tremendous consequences that energy can bring to. The fear caused by these consequences leads to a fear for energy itself. It’s impressive how energy can fascinates some people and completely disinterests others while it can divide people creating debates. Interest, fear, fascination, even skepticism and indifference are feelings caused by energy. It isn’t a soap opera, it’s a remarkable fact and is determinant for the global energy system
Mark Piazzalunga

Biofuels can be a solution

Biofuels are a controversial topic because of the conflict between two fronts (obviously pros and cons) that booth have valid points. The pros are many: the reduced cost and environmental impact compared to oil (85% of GHG emissions less) and their high availability (biofuels are considered renewable sources).the cons aren’t less: the environmental impact, reduced but still too high and the environmental consequences related to biofuels production. Actually there are two generations of biofue
Mark Piazzalunga

A Renewable Day

In our daily life we don’t pay much attention to the essential role that energy sources have. Every time we stop to a gas station we don’t think how oil is important (or someone does). In the lives of some of us energy is more important or have more consideration but we don’t spend an entire day thinking to energy or how our lives could change without it. It could be a positive thing to think to these questions just for a moment. It’s necessary to ask ourselves what will be the energy of the
Mark Piazzalunga

Green Politics: A Way To Path

Green politics isn’t a priority in these tough times of economic crisis and it seems too useless to the most important purpose: defeating the same crisis. On the contrary, it’s an objective fact that green politics is a way to path to reach this purpose. In 2013 jobs related to renewable plants sector are 700,000 and if the number of plants increases so also jobs will. Green politics mustn’t be a green parties’ battle ‘cause with the right financial support it could be an apolitical system to
Mark Piazzalunga

Emerging Renewable Technologies

Besides the “traditional” renewable energies (solar power, wind, hydro and geothermal) other technologies are currently under development, among these there are artificial photosynthesis (exposed in the previous article), marine energy (which includes wave and tidal power), CPV (concentrated photovoltaic) and cellulosic ethanol (many companies such as Abengoa, Mascoma and BlueFire Renewables have invested significant amounts of money in this sector with the conviction that cellulosic ethanol wil
Mark Piazzalunga

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