SUSTAINABILITY AND THE COMMONS

Sustainability and the Commons

Sustainability and the Commons

Breaking News by Rlinton (November 9, 2009)

In the light of the article of Rlinton (2009) it might be mentioned that UK electricity production is 398 billion kWh gross, from 83 GWe capacity. Net imports are about 8 TWh, from France. Annual final consumption is 343 TWh, or about 5660 kWh/person.

In recent years UK nuclear plants generated 19% of UK electricity (69 billion kWh of some 380 billion kWh net), compared with 36% from gas and 38% from coal. About 3% of UK electricity demand is met by imports of nuclear power from France, so overall nuclear total in UK consumption is normally about 22%.

In words of Rlinton (2009) in this world of increasing worries over dependence on foreign oil, environmental degradation and the vulnerability of power networks, many people are calling for greater use of clean energy alternatives such as solar power. It is encouraging therefore to note the completion of the world's largest factory for solar panels, built by MSK, Japan's leading specialist solar manufacturer.

Tokyo-based MSK Corporation has opened the doors to its new production facility located in Nagano, Japan. The factory will help meet consumers´ growing demand for increasingly efficient and cost- effective solar power. The new facility boasts the world's largest solar panel production capacity at a single site.

More impressive, the company explains, is the fact that MSK is a specialist solar company, completely dedicated to developing and manufacturing solar systems, with no other business interests Rlinton (2009). The new factory therefore marks a significant milestone for the rapidly expanding solar industry.

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are the technology of converting sunlight directly to electricity using semiconductors. Many experts believe it offers the greatest hope for abundant amounts of environmentally friendly power, free from dependency on dwindling foreign fossil fuel reserves.

Is Bio-fuel Use Sustainable by Kawsu (November 6, 2009)

In the light of my reading of the article I think that yes, biofuel use is sustainable. We know that biofuel is a renewable resource that is produced from biomass. It is not as clean as the other renewable energies. Biomass can be directly burned to produce heat energy or steam to run turbines for electricity generation. Liquid biofuel can be produced indirectly from biomass that is available worldwide in a variety of forms: wood, grasses, crops, and crop residues. These are converted to energy through thermal or biological conversion or as feedstock to produce liquid or gaseous biofuels.

Biomass itself is carbon neutral, but when used for biofuel production, the emission of methane is blocked, thus helping the environment. Unsustainable ways of biofuel production are not environmentally friendly. However, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels is working to define criteria, standards, and processes to promote sustainably-produced biofuels to positively impact global warming mitigation.

Most mainstream environmental groups and environmental scientists support biofuels as a significant step toward slowing or stopping global climate change. However, if biofuels are not produced from biomass in a sustainable manner, they might be detrimental to the ...