Source Notes

Global Oil Production Trends and Projections (Energy Policy, Jan 2009)

Topic: Renewable Energy

Category: Academic

What is it? A graph from a peer-reviewed study on the future economic implications of a fossil fuel-based economy.

Authors: William P. Nel and Christopher J. Cooper

Accessed: Mar 12, 2009

Support: J.P. Rodrigue, C.J. Campbell, and British Petroleum

These sources provided data on the global oil production from 1900 until 2008. The statistics were combined to create the historical production figures listed.

Audience/Agenda: Energy Policy is the foremost international academic journal about energy research, development, and implementation. The journal is published by Elsevier, Inc. Elsevier Inc. is a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier, an international corporation that specializes in printing professional and scholarly journals. Funding may have been provided through this company. The intended audience is professionals, researchers, and policy makers.

Usefulness: One of the critiques opponents of renewable energy have is that we should be focused on the economy before we revamp our energy production. This is an erroneous way of viewing the problem because our economy is based on oil. We cannot expect to fix the economy if our financial health is tied to a finite and rapidly depleting natural resource. Without innovation in the field of energy production and distribution, our economy seems doomed to fail. Global warming, although now rarely disputed in the scientific community, is still a myth for some, but our country must realize that the new green economy is not. We cannot profit from resources that are disappearing, and we must move on to the future if we are to compete in the global market.

Source Notes

US Department of Energy Budget Authority for Renewable, Fossil, and Nuclear R&D, 1978–2008 (Energy Policy, Apr 2009)

Topic: Renewable Energy

Category: Academic

What is it? A graph showing the US Department of Energy’s yearly research and development budget for three energy categories over the last three decades taken from a peer-reviewed journal.

Author: Benjamin K. Sovacool

Accessed: Mar 11, 2009

Support:

Marshall Goldberg: stated that government spending on nuclear research is over 25 times as much as renewable energy’s funding from 1943-1999.

Janet Sawin: showed government spending on coal to be nearly 2 1/2 times that of wind from 1978 to 1995

David W. Orr: wrote that even when renewable research and development funding was at its peak, it was still surpassed by fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies.

Various other statistics are drawn from these three studies to supplement the DOE budget data.

Audience/Agenda: Energy Policy is the foremost international academic journal about energy research, development, and implementation. The journal is published by Elsevier, Inc. Elsevier Inc. is a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier, an international corporation that specializes in printing professional and scholarly journals. Funding may have been provided through this company. The intended audience is professionals, researchers, and policy makers.

Usefulness: This graph shows that most government funding for research and development has gone to conventional energy sources, distorting the true cost for consumers and discouraging innovation in cleaner alternative technology. Funding for renewable energy peaked in 1979 and dropped sharply soon after. The numbers did not rise again until 1998, and less than 1/5 of the amount spent in 1979 was used for researching alternative energy in 2008 (after adjusted for inflation). The coal and oil companies claim that we couldn’t create enough energy from renewable sources, but there seems to be a major correlation between government funding and the ability to reliably and cheaply generate power.

Source Notes

The 2005 Peak Falls (R-Squared Energy Blog, Mar 11, 2009)

Topic: Renewable Energy

Category: Citizen

What is it? A blog post reporting the world’s record-breaking 2008 oil production.

Author: Robert Rapier

Accessed: Mar 12, 2009

Support: Energy Information Administration and Ken Deffeyes. An EIA report is referenced for oil production statistics, and Ken Deffeyes is called out for being wrong about peak oil, which he thought had already passed in 2005.

Audience/Agenda: Robert Rapier has a masters degree in chemical engineering and has spent his career working in the energy field, mostly with fossil fuels. His blog represents a middle-of-the-road, pragmatic approach to renewable energy. It is nearly impossible to find his opinion on the big picture, as his blogs focus on specifics such as the price per kilowatt hour of different energy sources and the intricacies of new technology development. The blog does not seem to attract a large number of visitors per month, but it has an extensive archive of blogs that cover a broad range of energy-related topics. Unlike many blogs, Rapier’s links to other websites to back up his information, and his grammar isn’t that bad. This gives him a bit more clout than some of the bloggers out there. His master’s degree in chemical engineering (though it could be fabricated) and work experience also contribute to his legitimacy as a source.

Usefulness: Even as the world is seemingly embracing everything green and sustainable, our oil consumption is rising. This increase will likely be stalled soon, as the world economic slowdown “trickles up” to the oil companies. OPEC has already cut oil production, and as prices rise, they are unlikely to increase the supply. There’s a good chance that 2008 will be the year for peak oil, especially if the recession continues.

Source Notes

Snowfall-Driven Growth in East Antarctic Ice Sheet Mitigates Recent Sea-Level Rise (Science, May 2005)

Topic: Environmental Policy

What is it? A peer-reviewed study that measures growth on the east antarctic ice sheet and links the growth with increased precipitation caused by global warming.

Authors: Curt H. Davis, Yonghong Li, Joseph R. McConnell, Markus M. Frey, and Edward Hanna

Accessed: Mar 5, 2009

Support:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): This Nobel-prize winning organization was founded by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations to research climate change, and has released four extensive reports on the topic. They predicted the growth of the ice sheet caused by precipitation as a result of global warming.

W. Krabill et al., E. Rignot and R. Thomas et al.: Studied the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, respectively, concluding that they were major contributors to rising sea levels.

J. R. McConnell et al.: Linked variations in precipitation with elevation changes on the Greenland ice sheet.

J. A. Church et al.: Determined the the speed of rising ocean levels in 2005 to be approximately 1.8 mm per year.

Audience/Agenda: The research was published in Science, an academic journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The AAAS is the world’s largest general science society, and Science has the highest paid circulation of any general science journal. Their website often has over 350 thousand unique visitors per month.

Usefulness: This study is used in the CEI commercial that promotes carbon dioxide and questions global warming, but it is actually a piece reinforcing earlier predictions about global warming effects made by the IPCC. This is interesting because CEI has attempted to refute many of the IPCC’s findings. The main author of this study spoke out against the commercial, saying, “These television ads are a deliberate effort to confuse and mislead the public about the global warming debate. They are selectively using only parts of my previous research to support their claims. They are not telling the entire story to the public.” He explained that the findings do not agree with CEI’s message, and that the ice growth mentioned may slow rising sea levels, but this will not negate adverse effects caused by climate change.

Source Notes

Clean Coal: This is Reality (This is Reality, Feb 2009)

Topic: Renewable Energy

Category: Institutional

What is it? A commercial claiming the nonexistence of clean coal technology with a short intro condemning the coal industry for pollution and misleading ads.

Author: Directed by the Coen Brothers and Produced by This is Reality

Accessed: Mar 5, 2009

Support: None

Audience and Agenda: This is Reality is an environmental coalition that includes the Alliance for Climate Protection, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the League of Conservation Voters. They are the first organization of their kind to have the resources to undertake a large-scale advertising campaign of this magnitude. This is Reality has even used top Hollywood directors in this commercial, and it has blanketed the airwaves. The group claims that they want to expose the coal industry, which has used misleading ads to greenwash the general public. Unfortunately, this commercial lacks facts and distorts the truth as well. Coal, although one of the dirtiest energy sources, has become cleaner due to technological advances in pollution mitigation. Clean coal (0% emissions) is not yet advanced to the point of implementation, but may well soon be if funding is provided and projected costs decrease. There is a good chance that the market will favor wind and solar over clean coal, though, as they are currently cheaper.

Usefulness: The debate over renewable energy has both sides so polarized that you may mistake them for abortion activists. The disparity between the two groups’ facts and conclusions is confusing at best. Neither side is above bending the truth for their cause. With a problem this large and complex, the people need unbiased and rational thinking, but they get opposing viewpoints that confuse the masses. The government can help fill the void in the middle by working with both sides and with the people’s best interest in mind to find a solution to our energy crisis.

Source Notes

Renewable Energy and Economies of Scale (Excerpt from Fora.tv Lecture, Apr 2007)

Topic: Renewable Energy

Category: Academic

What is it? Video of Daniel Kammen, head of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC Berkeley, explaining how cost-effective implementing wind and solar would be in America based on other countries’ experiences.

Author: None Listed

Accessed: Mar 5, 2009

Support: Governor Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger signed an executive order calling for the State of California to meet Kyoto Protocol standards by 2020 (10 years later than the Protocol suggests).

Audience and Agenda: Fora.tv is an internet-based network started in 2007 that is funded by “a select group of investors” that includes Adobe Ventures and William R. Hearst III. The network claims to have the largest collection of academic videos on the internet, and has competed fiercely with larger media sites such as Charlierose.com, attracting up to 160,000 unique visitors per month. It is similar to Youtube, if Youtube was extremely slick and educated. The site seems to slant to the left a bit, which combines with the educational content to create a multimedia brew reminiscent of public television.

Usefulness: Kammen discusses how far behind our country has gotten in the field of energy innovation. It’s not hopeless, though, because other countries such as Germany have moved to renewable sources and found them to be easy and inexpensive. If this kind of success is possible with existing technology, the United States should find the switch fairly painless, especially as the government begins investing heavily in green energy research and development.

Works Cited: Fora.tv, siteanalytics.com

Source Notes

CEI Carbon Dioxide Commercial (Produced by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 2006)

Topic: Renewable Energy

Category: Institutional

What is it? A commercial promoting carbon dioxide emissions.

Author: CEI

Accessed: Mar 3, 2009

Support: Time, The Washington Post, USA Today, Science, NRDC, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth

This commercial claims that Time, The Washington Post, and USA Today have printed articles stating that “we’re doomed” due to global warming. Science is an academic journal. Two studies are shown from this publication to refute global warming. The remaining sources are presented as “global warming alarmists” that “want to force us to cut back” on fossil fuels.

Audience and Agenda: The video on Youtube has been viewed over 185,000 times, and this commercial was broadcast on national television, giving it an extremely large audience. The funding was provided by CEI, a nonprofit organization and conservative think tank. The institute has a yearly budget of over $4 million, but most of their funding comes from unidentified sources. According to Sourcewatch.org, CEI “is an ideologically-driven, well-funded front for corporations opposed to safety and environmental regulations that affect the way they do business,” and the institute receives large sums of money from Texaco, Arch Coal, GM, and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

Usefulness: This commercial demonstrates the opposition faced by green and renewable energy. Although many energy companies and manufacturers claim to be “green” or feign interest in renewable energy, they are funding groups such as CEI that distort facts and promote emissions. The private sector is fighting renewable energy, and they will continue to do so until it is as profitable as fossil fuels. The government is going to have to step in and fund the research themselves if breakthroughs are expected.

Works Cited: Sourcewatch, Media Transparency

Source Notes

A Multiple Perspectives View of the Market Case for Green Energy (Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Jan 2009)

This peer-reviewed study examines the feasibility of green energy implementation in the United States. It is the first study of its kind to explore the market case for green power using the multiple perspectives (TOP) framework, which considers “technological, organizational, and personal criteria” for new energy sources.

Topic: Environmental Policy

Category: Academic

What is it? A Portland State University study that looks at the business and technology aspects of green energy development.

Authors: Robert R. Harmon and Kelly R. Cowan

Accessed: Feb 23, 2009

Support:
V. Coates et al: Concluded that a multiple perspectives approach is useful in technology forecasting and assessment, particularly for complex problems such as energy.

Daim et al: Showed that TOP framework can accurately predict the emergence of new technology.

Astrand and Neij: Used a “socio-technical systems approach” (O and T) to do a case study on Swedish wind power and discovered that poor government decisions (O) impaired the development of technology (T) and stunted not only the growth of wind power, but also the monetary returns.

Linstone: Developed the multiple perspectives framework (often abbreviated as TOP) used by the authors to investigate the feasibility of renewable energy sources.

Union of Concerned Scientists: Provide statistics such as the renewable energy standards of each U.S. state.

Audience and Agenda: If funding was provided for this study, it is not mentioned in the work. The article was first printed in Technological Forecasting and Social Change, a scholarly journal published by Elsevier Inc. Elsevier Inc. is a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier, an international corporation that specializes in printing professional and scholarly journals. Funding may have been provided through this company. The intended audience is professionals, researchers, and policy makers.

Usefulness: This study examines the multi-faceted and complex energy crisis more thoroughly than any I have read, and was the first to consider technological, organizational, and personal factors. All forms of renewable energy so far developed are carefully inspected to determine future usefulness. The role of American government is considered as well. The optimistic conclusions are questionable, however, as the authors have assumed that a technological breakthrough in solar will lead to inexpensive and prevalent renewable energy. The potential for solar is great, but technology must advance drastically if we hope to harness the energy of the sun.

Works Cited: “About Us”. Reed Elsevier, Inc. http://www.reed-elsevier.com/AboutUs/Pages/Home.aspx. March 3, 2009

Source Notes

Roger Hamilton Interview (Feb 26, 2009)

As the white house starts to embrace plans to build a green economy and conserve resources, experts in the field are becoming more hopeful that new energy sources will soon be more heavily researched and utilized nationwide. I sat down with Roger Hamilton at the Institute for Sustainable Environment to discuss the future of renewable energy.

Topic: Renewable Energy

Category: Institutional, Expert Interview

What is it? An interview with Roger Hamilton.

Author: Josh Clark

Recorded: Feb 26, 2009

Support: Roger Hamilton is an advocate for high voltage transmission for wind power systems and former Oregon state public utility commissioner. He works with the Institute for Sustainable Environment and the Climate Change Institute at University of Oregon, where he researches new energy and adaptation strategies to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Audience and Agenda: Roger Hamilton has assisted former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber, renewable energy companies, and various environmental groups with his research about energy production and distribution. He has worked to influence policy internationally, and speaks on behalf of green energy all around the world.

Usefulness: As an expert researcher and major influence on the production and distribution of renewable energy, Roger Hamilton is a human encyclopedia of green energy. But, due to his environmentalist, pro-green-power outlook, the information presented will naturally provide support for renewable energy while focusing on the negative side of traditional energy sources.

Most People Are Boring, But Soundslides is Fun

Making an audio slideshow was an experience that I won’t soon forget. Combining images and audio into a cohesive whole was much easier (and more enjoyable) than I expected, and I found myself eager to take my relationship with media to the next level: video production. Although I had previously envisioned myself becoming frustrated with this assignment due to the unflinching eye for detail it required, it is actually much easier to make slideshows than it is to write a short paragraph such as this one.

Finding a story seemed fairly easy. The story I found is similar to some of the examples we saw in class in that it is just a basic sequence of events that doesn’t really go deeper than the surface. There is no unmitigated truth about the human condition or life-changing lesson learned from it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get an exciting, compelling story from a randomly selected stranger who has not recently experienced some sort of major event. This will be easier if I work at a real newspaper that assigns more interesting interviewees.