Chinese oil imports increase even as Iranian supply contracts stall

Chinese imports from Iran are the lowest since August.  The U.S. and Europe are implementing sanctions in response to Iran's nuclear program, but it may be that China's motivation is just to squeeze better prices out of Iran, and the sanctions of other countries actually increases China's bargaining power with Iran.  In January, China paid over $110 on average her barrel of Iranian oil. 

http://mobile.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-21/china-buys-least-iran-crude-in-five-months-amid-price-talks.html

A Five-year Plan

I received the following e-mail from Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS). It's only tangentially related to China, but I just had to point out the reference "Five-year Plan," heh heh. Do take the time to fill out the survey though; Stanford is actually somewhat responsive to input from the grassroots.

"Hello -

Stanford is in the process of creating its next 5-year sustainability plan. Students have a unique opportunity to add their voices to a plan defining the future of Stanford. To capture your voices, we created this survey, which will take less than 5 minutes. Anyone who fills out the online survey and enters their email will be entered into a raffle to win one of fifty $10 gift cards to Coupa Café, Jamba Juice, or Ikes.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/stanford_sustainability

This is our campus and this is our chance to make a difference."

EVs and Air Pollution in China

A common critique of vehicle electrification is that it simply shifts emissions from tailpipes to powerplants. While a host of studies have shown that EVs still have lower lifecycle emissions in the US, a recent report from University of Tennessee suggests that the coal-dependent Chinese power grid may mean that EVs in China actually have higher fine-particulate emissions than their gasoline counterparts. The report, which has garnered some press, looks at both the makeup of Chinese generation as well as the proximity of the population to the plants.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uota-urf021012.php

Of course, EVs offer some additional benefits as well in terms of energy security, and it could be argued that point source pollution (e.g., powerplants) are easier to regulate and clean than non-point sources (e.g,. vehicles). It's a good discussion topic, in any case.

A disastrous side effect to industry pollution

Widespread lead poisoning from industry pollution has been accompanied now by officials restricting access to blood testing.  Those who speak out are being silenced, and children in particular are susceptible to dangerous concentrations of the various toxins found in the farmland.  Refusal to treat the children is followed by sending them right back to their contaminated homes.  Although environmental regulations attempt to address the pollution responsible, the health effects already encountered are not being addressed.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/06/15/china-children-poisoned-lead-and-denied-treatment

Coal and CCS: another opportunity for China to export technology

Last week, I shared with the group an article on nuclear energy technology in China and the possibility that China might become a net technology exporter in that domain. Well, the news today is similar, but from the coal + CCS sector. Duke Energy is considering applying Huaneng Group’s low-cost carbon capture process at unit 3 of Duke Energy’s Gibson Station in Indiana. There are five units at Gibson with a combined capacity of 3,145 megawatts.

http://www.carboncapturejournal.com/displaynews.php?NewsID=898

Trend in China's Wind: Larger Turbines

The development of renewable energy is concerned not only with adding more new capacities, but also setting up the right projects at the right places. In terms of wind energy, as we talked about in last week’s class, China is the world #1 in new installation, but it faces significant challenges in grid integration, insufficient load factors, mismatch of source and use locations, etc. This Bloomberg New Energy Finance article presents an opinion from industry practitioners on the technological trend in the wind sector: though the common 1.5MW turbines dominate the market, the installations of larger turbines (over 2MW) are increasing. Also, wind farm projects are more regulated than before to ensure a sustainable expansion path.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-17/larger-turbines-may-help-china-s-wind-developers-ming-yang-says.html

Environmental Groups Fighting Coal Exports to China Through Pacific Northwest Ports

Environmental groups are fighting proposals to ship coal to China from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin out of ports located in Washington and Oregon. The groups against the coal exports are concerned with contributing to burning coal in China for energy because of its dirty nature and are also concerned with the risk of accidental coal spills and coal dust in the US ports. In my home state of Washington, people are very concerned about coal spills in the Puget Sound that could occur due to a proposed export location in Bellingham, near Canada. The Puget Sound supports fragile and unique ecosystems, making it a very contentious topic. On the other hand, these projects would create much-needed jobs in the Pacific Northwest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/us-coal-use-is-falling-but-what-if-the-coal-gets-shipped-abroad/2012/01/30/gIQAV9DoeQ_blog.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204573704577185232624361026.html

(Marielle Price)