Climate Change conference talks by EETD researchers
Posted by Allan on September 4th, 2009Berkeley Lab Scientists To Present Findings on Dangers of Greenhouse Gas Emissions to California’s Power Lines and Other Energy Infrastructure
at Climate Change Conference in Sacramento
Berkeley, CA—New research shows that climate change in California will make power plants, transmission lines and other portions of the state’s energy infrastructure vulnerable to flooding, fires and other disasters, according to leading scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This research and other new work on greenhouse gas emissions in California and around the world will be presented at the Sixth Annual Climate Change Symposium in Sacramento next week.
The conference will be held September 8 to 10 at the Sacramento Convention Center and is sponsored by the California Energy Commission, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Resources Agency.
Scientists from Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division will make presentations on three aspects of the dangers to California’s energy infrastructure from increasing temperatures, rising sea levels and changing precipitation due to climate change. Other scientists will present work on a variety of topics, ranging from research showing that methane and nitrous oxide emissions are even greater than currently estimated to research on soot emissions from inefficient stoves in developing countries.
Details of the presentations are given below. Please contact Allan Chen or Julie Chao to arrange on-site interviews before or after the presentations.
Methodology and Preliminary Findings for Potential Threats to Power Plants and Transmission Lines in California
Jayant Sathaye and Larry Dale, Sep. 9, 4:10 pm
Impact of Temperature Change on Energy Infrastructure Operations
Andre Frossard Pereira de Lucena, Sep. 9, 4:30 pm
Impact of Flooding and Wildfires on Energy Infrastructure
Peter Larsen, Sep. 9, 4:50 pm
A research team led by Jayant Sathaye, with Larry Dale, Andre Frossard Pereira de Lucena and Peter Larsen, is estimating the impact of temperature, precipitation, sea level rise and wild fires due to climate change on California’s energy infrastructure, which includes power plants, transmission lines, pipelines, gas and oil refineries and storage facilities. Power plants will be affected by flooding, and high temperatures will reduce their generation, requiring more power plants or efficiency improvements. Infrastructure along the coast and in the delta is vulnerable to flooding and inland to forest fires. Their findings are preliminary since work started only two months ago and will continue until next June. These three talks will address different areas of ongoing research within this project.
Results of One Year of Measurements at Two Towers in Central California and Complementary Aircraft Measurements
Marc Fischer, Sep. 10, 8:20 am
Marc Fischer and his colleagues are conducting atmospheric measurements and inverse modeling to quantify non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions from central California to help develop a state-wide network for verifying GHG emissions reductions mandated by state legislation (AB 32). Their measurements demonstrate that methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) mixing ratios in the Bay Area and Central Valley are significantly enhanced relative to air entering California, and their inverse models suggest that actual CH4 and N2O emissions are greater than current inventories estimate. The research will improve the certainty of the emission estimates and separation of different emission sources (industrial, residential, agricultural and transportation).
Black Carbon Snow Albedo Reduction and Emissions from Cookstoves
Thomas Kirchstetter, Sep. 9, 2:00 pm
This presentation will discuss planned research to measure the change in black carbon (soot) emission that might result from replacing inefficient methods of cooking used in developing nations with efficient cookstoves, such as the Berkeley Darfur stove, which was developed by Berkeley Lab researchers for displaced persons in Darfur. Thomas Kirchstetter will also discuss current work to measure changes in the reflectance of snow from deposition of atmospheric black carbon in the snow. Black carbon contamination of snow, even in very small amounts, has been found to increase the rate of snow melt. This research helps improve the accuracy of models of climate change and predictions of loss of California snow.
New Energy Balances for the State of California
Stephane de la Rue du Can, Sep. 9, 3:00 pm
Stephane de la Rue du Can will discuss work to update the California Energy Balances database and flow chart. Accurate energy consumption data are prerequisite to a reliable inventory of California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as to developing effective plans for reducing those emissions. See the earlier version of this flow chart here:
http://industrial-energy.lbl.gov/node/104
http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sabl/2005/November/06-cal-energy.html
Berkeley Lab is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located in Berkeley, California. It conducts unclassified scientific research and is managed by the University of California for the DOE Office of Science. Visit our website at http://www.lbl.gov.
More information on the Symposium:
http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/events/2009_symposium/index.html