Julian Darley 11 June 2008

The peak oil balloon, it may appear, is finally going up. Not only have we seen obvious signs like the highest oil price rise in history on June 6 (coincidentally the anniversary of D-Day which began the liberation of Europe in the Second World War), but Gordon Brown, accidental Prime Minister of a former oil exporting (1980-2005 ) country, may also be one of the unlikely envoys of truth.

At the end of May, in the UK Guardian newspaper, a left-leaning organ that the right-listing New Labour normally avoids like the plague, Brown says in no uncertain terms that the world is in trouble – we are “facing the third great oil shock”, and it is now time to find alternatives to oil. “We must all act together” is the headline. A noble sentiment indeed. This is a most generous ‘all’, because it includes the OPEC cartel, who are no doubt thrilled to be called upon in this way, notwithstanding the fact that calling someone a nasty name (‘cartel’) is an unusual method of procuring favours from them.

In case the term ‘balloon goes up’ is unfamiliar, it derives from the First World War, when it was found that sending a balloon up was a good way of signaling over a long distance so that everyone could get synchronized in whatever it was they were trying to do. This was before text messaging and Facebook of course. I should admit that the purpose of this synchronization was not swimming or dancing but the launching of an artillery barrage, but that was not the balloon’s fault.

If the peak oil balloon really is going up, we should expect to see world leaders, politicians, business chiefs and the mainstream in general realizing and admitting that something new is happening. Years of dismissing the rising oil price as part of the normal economic cycle should now suddenly give way to an understanding that cheap oil is dead. We should also see business leaders and the UN begin to grapple with the implications of a permanently declining oil supply.

When this happens, it might well be called the tipping point. And like the balloon going up, it really ought to be a trigger too. If we really are at these new points, which surely will be looked back on as extraordinary moments in history, it might be instructive to consider the nature of such changes and look for some of the signs that we are indeed tipping, triggering or ballooning. Read more

Richard Heinberg, t r u t h o u t | Perspective 14 May 2008

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats introduced legislation that would halt a US arms sale to Saudi Arabia worth $1.4 billion. The implication is clear: no more war toys for the Saudis unless they agree to up their oil output.

The same day, the House approved a Senate plan to suspend oil deliveries to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in hopes of diverting that oil to the market, thus lowering the pump price a tiny amount.

A week earlier, a handful of senators proposed a bill threatening a trade dispute with members of OPEC if the organization doesn't stop its "anti-competitive practices and illegal export quotas on oil."

It's understandable that our elected leaders would want to do something about the meteoric rise of gasoline, diesel and heating oil prices that are now bankrupting independent truckers and forcing many folks in colder states to choose between being able to stay warm and being able to drive to work. Yet, efforts like the ones just mentioned are based on a profound misperception of why oil prices are rising. Read more

At last month's annual American Solar Energy Society conference in San Diego, the message was clear: solar energy is finally taking off, and both governments and businesses are taking it seriously. Gone are the days when a handful of solar panels on the White House was big news. Today, public and private institutions alike are building multi-megawatt solar power systems, and photovoltaics look to be seriously competitive with conventional energy sources in less than five years (and probably sooner, given the sudden sharp rise in oil prices). Read more

Groups and individuals in the Relocalization Network are also looking at ways to incorporate solar energy into their lives to reduce their environmental impact through creating their own media, heating, cooking, and electricity generation.

SolarTimes was initially conceived in 2006 as a newsletter for a local solar group in Stinson Beach, California that came together to promote solar energy in the community and raise awareness about sustainability issues. The newsletter was named StinsonSolarTimes by group member and editor/publisher Sandy LeonVest.

In late 2006, LeonVest, a journalist and former radio producer, decided the little newsletter had a greater calling, and struck out on her own to publish the first newspaper edition. She re-named the paper SolarTimes in 2007 to reflect its broader format and wider circulation. She also increased the content to include a wide variety of energy-related topics. Read more

It is becoming common knowledge that our food travels a phenomenally long way, an average of 1000 – 2000 miles, from soil to plate. It is also becoming common knowledge that the days of cheap hydro-carbons to fuel this travel are going to be a part of our agricultural history. Access to cheap transportation is a key factor in access to cheap food, so common sense tells us that as transportation costs rise, so will the cost of food. Read more

A selection of 3 articles appearing in Energy Bulletin.

Harnessing sunlight on the cheap
David Chandler, MIT News Office, 6 May 2008

A team of students, led by mechanical engineering graduate student Spencer Ahrens, has spent the last few months assembling a prototype for a concentrating solar power system they think could revolutionize the field. It's a 12-foot-square mirrored dish capable of concentrating sunlight by a factor of 1,000, built from simple, inexpensive industrial materials selected for price, durability and ease of assembly rather than for optimum performance. Read more

Solar-cooker project could cut air pollution
Mike Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2008

Veerabhadran Ramanathan tours the globe to conduct experiments and advise world leaders about climate change.

He helped craft the United Nations' landmark report in 2007 on global warming, and his research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla has been featured in major journals such as Nature.

... But at 63, Ramanathan seeks more than scientific accomplishment. He wants to use his knowledge to help poorer nations improve their quality of life and fight global warming at the same time. Read more

Many hands make light work of saving energy
Sarah Schweitzer, Boston Globe, 8 May 2008

Neighbors gather to install solar power — SANDWICH, N.H. - Last weekend, some 30 men and women arrived at a neighbor's home in this mountainside community, prepared for a day of hard labor. Their pay would be a pot of coffee, slabs of cornbread, and a spread of roast turkey sandwiches.

In days past, the end result might have been a barn. But in a twist on the traditional mutual aid event of a barn raising, the neighbors put up a solar-heated water system.

As the price of oil rises and the pressure to go green mounts, neighbors in this and other New England communities are coming together for daylong "energy raisers," installing solar collectors that can reduce a home's hot water bill by as much as 80 percent. Read more

Post Carbon Institute Speakers Schedule

Transportation Symposium 2035: Where are we headed?
June 26, 2008 - North Jersey Transportation Authority, Newark, NJ
Daniel Lerch, Post Carbon Cities Program Manager will be presenting at this meeting of leading experts in transportation policy, finance, economics, land use and technology.

Post Carbon Events Participation

Marin County Fair
July 2-6, 2008 - San Rafael, CA
Solar Car Share will participate in the Alt-Fuel Vehicle Road Show, a display of over 25 alternative fuel and high MPG vehicles.

Featured Events

The Big ONE 2008 A Grand Collaboration
June 21& 22, 9am-7pm, 2008 - Community Convergence for Change, Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

A village of engagement for healthy body, home, family and community.The Big ONE is our movement representing a tectonic shift in thinking about our sustainability. The Big ONE 2008 is the first annual gathering of its kind in the Bay Area, a free two-day community building event. This convergence is intended to develop new relationships through dialogue, committed engagement, and trust.

ASPO-USA Peak Oil Conference

September 21-23, 2008 - Hyatt Regency, Sacramento, CA
ASPO-USA announces its fourth annual high-level conference to discuss impacts of and responses to a peak in world oil production. Conference participants will include Matt Simmons, Jeff Rubin, Jim Buckee, Jeremy Gilbert, Herman Franssen, Kjell Aleklett, Randy Udall, Jim Puplava, David Hughes, Dan Reicher, Vince Mathews, Nate Hagens, and many others. Early Bird registration ends July 21.