Hiatus

After careful review of my blog readership, I have decided that I obviously do not know how to sell this to a wider audience.  I have enjoyed this twice-monthly exercise as I have learned so much in researching some of the stories I have covered.  This alone was worth the time I spent.  I am not shutting this down per se; rather I am going to try to find ways to increase my audience so that I can make this worthwhile to more people.

If anyone has suggestions as to how to do this I would be happy to learn.  To anyone I have touched with any story, this to me is the ultimate reward.

Thanks again,

Bob

It's not the heat, it's the....

When I was in the army stationed at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, the summer I was there was brutally hot.  My drill sergeant always told us, "it's not the heat that gets you, it's the humility".  Now I am sure that he had some hidden meaning in this but we always knew that it really WAS the heat that got us.

As I write this blog sitting in my air-conditioned office in Tulsa, the temperature outside is 97 degrees.  This is pretty hot no matter where you live but the difficult part is that it is 10:15 AM.  The forecast highs are: 111, 109, 109, 109, 108, and 106.  Even for Oklahoma in the heart of the summer, these are about 15 degrees above normal.  My lawn is the color of old hay as I’ve given up trying to keep it green.  My air conditioning bill each month is close to what I paid for a used car in my youth.  My dogs refuse to go outdoors except under the most urgent of bodily needs because their water is too hot to drink (though the squirrels in the yard brave it).  My once-vibrant trees resemble weeping willows from the lack of rain.  I see the birds in our shade trees panting! 

So what the heck is going on?  My promise at the outset of this blog series was that it would not be a political disquisition.  It seems that our country is particularly polarized right now and although I am absolutely certain that my viewpoints are all 100% accurate and everyone who disagrees with me is absolutely wrong, my promise not to be political keeps me alive and safe!   

I live in the reddest state in the country (and I am not talking about sunburn either).  As such, there is a general tendency to disagree with things green.  One of our United States Senators, James Inhofe, has written a book, “The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future”.  Among relevant scientific evidence he offers this:  

 “…Genesis 8:22 that I use in there is that ‘as long as the earth remains there will be seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night,’ my point is, God’s still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous”.  

Now, I don’t intend to criticize Senator Inhofe for his religious views.  I can say that his quotation from Genesis has nothing to do with climate change.  Some things are a matter of faith, others an issue for science.  We human beings ARE able to change the climate and most everything else we get our hands on and not everyone is beholden to God for permission to do so. 

No doubt you see where my heart lies.  Spoiler alert: I am NOT a climatologist.  I am not a scientist. This means I have to take a stand based on what I think the best evidence shows.  Not everyone believes in climate change, not even climatologists.  My philosophy when these types of issues come along is to go with the preponderance of the evidence.  From what I’ve seen, some 97% of climatologists feel that climate change is real and that’s good enough for me.  I think there are signs that even diehard climate change deniers are coming around.  There was an interesting article by a recent convert to this view and I include it here for your pleasure.

Conversion of a climate change skeptic


Given the strong probability that climate change/global warming is real, what do we do about it?  Hey, don’t ask me.  I already told you I’m not a scientist!

My saying for this week’s blog has to do with the weather (surprise!).


"It is best to read the weather forecast before praying for rain”. ~Mark Twain, American Humorist and author (1835-1910)

Splendor in Lake Tahoe

As a slight departure from information regarding energy conservation let me offer this. I had the pleasant experience during the last week of June to spend it in Inverness Village, NV, flush on the banks of Lake Tahoe.  Located at 6500 feet elevation, the first few days of my visit were spent trying to find warm enough clothes to keep from freezing my assets off!  For those of you who haven’t been there, this is a most beautiful area of the country.  The water in the lake is as blue as any I have ever seen (except for some Tidy Bowl porcelain) and I have included a picture below to give you an idea of the splendor.   

As a member of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA) I have the privilege twice each year of attending their general meetings along with my wife Rosalie.  Each of these conferences is hosted at some of the finest hotels around in the most wonderful of locations suitable for the season.  Though the conference lasted only four days, Rosalie and I had planned to spend an extra few days in Reno.  Unfortunately my wife tripped over a piece of luggage and broke her arm so I learned the finer points of nursing, none of which I can say was particularly pleasing to me.  In any case, she is healing nicely but will be in a sling for the next several weeks.   

So what did I learn there that might be interesting to my extensive (OK, small) audience?  Regarding the November election, I heard one of the presenters say that the general election was Romney’s to lose.  For those Obama supporters in my group, do not despair as things are so tight and only the swing states really matter.  One attribute to living in Oklahoma is that it is so Republican that neither party spends money on campaigning here.  Contrast that to Nevada that is in play where ads ran all the time.  Of course as November draws closer, the local pols will be placing ads but that’s a bit away. 

On the economic front, sorry to say that’s a different kettle of fish.  One of the speakers – and remember he was addressing an audience consisting of business leaders in boilers and associated equipment who have been enjoying a couple of years of really good sales after three difficult years – spoke gloom and doom.  Although Romney and Obama will throw spears and barbs at each other, the blame for our woes extends far beyond that.  Two words stand out when fault is assigned: Europe and China.  Europe’s economy is going to be difficult for a long time and is a big trading partner of the US.  China, according to the presenter, sticks us with two problems: one is a slowing economy; the other is its unfair trade practices that lead to large trade surpluses against the US.  This, in turn, results in an economy that struggles.   

And besides all this "great" news, here in Tulsa, it’s HOT. 

As I am now a caregiver for my ailing wife I found how impatient (no pun there, really) I am and how wonderful real nurses are.  Here are some words for the occasion. 

"It is not how much you do, but how much LOVE you put in the doing."
Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Lake Tahoe June 2012

Boiler MACT update

In recent news, Republican Senator James Inhofe (from Oklahoma, wouldn’t you know it) is leading a charge against the EPA’s Boiler MACT rule.  As some may remember from previous blogs of mine, the American Boiler Manufactures Association (which includes E-Tech) has supported this rule for many years.  Many ABMA members (including me) wrote letters to our Congressman.  Yesterday I received a reply from Senator Tom Coburn, Oklahoma’s other US Senator in response to a letter I sent on February 8.  The essence of my letter was to say that ten years was enough time to evaluate the proposal; that our industry was entirely capable of implementing the rules with current technologies and at low cost; that the manufacturing base in Tulsa was particularly geared towards this particular industry and our opportunities due to passage of the bill would be great for business.  At that time, the Republicans were trying to attach this bill to the Payroll Tax Holiday Extension, something I found particularly odious.  Left unsaid, but certainly implied, was the EPA Boiler MACT rule was designed around making our products less polluting and consequently better for the collective health of the country. 

As Senator Coburn was the only Senator (none of Oklahoma’s Congressmen replied, nor did Senator Inhofe) to answer my letter, I can easily gloss over the four month delay in getting back to me.  Furthermore, it is not surprising that I heard tired old bromides such as these: 

• “.. the EPA has proposed a litany of cumbersome federal mandates without assessing if they achieve both economic and environmental progress.” 
• “..by imposing burdensome regulations on states, the EPA will sacrifice effectiveness while increasing costs..”
• “Instead of further taxing and regulating opportunity the EPA should…”

Well as John Steward says, I must call “bullshit” on this.

The upshot ofthe nonsense, including Senator Inhofe’s obstructive blockade, is a veto promise from the White House.  See here for the story on that. White House threatens veto

Further to this, a recent article written by Sue Tierny, a former USDOE official, lends learned credence to proceeding, noting the Republican theatrics lunacy.  Read here. Tierny article

Although, this blog will not be posted until June 30, it is being written on June 20, the first day of summer.  So my “wise” words today are:

“Then followed that beautiful season...Summer....

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape

Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

 

White Paper Delirium

On June 12, I had one of those phone calls that warm the heart – someone had read our white paper on condensing economizers and had a follow-up question!  Now you might ask, “Bob how cold is your heart that it takes so little to warm it”?  This is a sensible question but easily answered as my joy comes from the fact that someone has read this document.  (All white papers are available on the E-Tech web site here: http://www.e-techinc.com/Resources_e-tech_heat_recovery_systems-white_papers.aspx)   

The question was, how can I determine that I have enough of a heat sink to make a condensing economizer feasible.  For those who know me, I never can answer a question simply even though the asker put it to me in such a condensed version.  The easy answer is that if you have approximately 60% or more of makeup, there’s enough heat recoverable to justify a condensing economizer.  The longer answer – and this is where I come in – is there are other variables: the colder the makeup water, the lower the percentage needed; smaller boilers (600 HP or less) usually are poor candidates for secondary heat recovery; there may be other sources of cold water – say from a process stream – that make the condensing unit’s installation more viable. 

The easiest way to come up with the answer is to ask us.  If a condensing system isn’t in the cards, perhaps a ThermoCharger offers an alternative solution.  And, of course, there’s a white paper on that as well.  Either way, E-Tech will be able to recommend the best solution to your heat recovery needs. 

After getting off the phone with the caller, I had another call later that afternoon, this one having the opposite effect.  The caller, a long-term friend and representative of E-Tech said that it was difficult selling energy recovery equipment due to the low price of natural gas (NG).  His question to me was “what do you see for NG pricing down the road”?  As you might imagine, E-Tech’s business, along with many representatives and customers, depends upon a decent ROI for its equipment.  With NG prices hovering a bit over $3.00 per million Btu, paybacks have tripled over the past few years.  My answer to Tim, couched in my usual pragmatism, was not heartening.  Most of the articles I’ve read recently have run out of adjectives to describe the amount of NG available in the country.  Words such as “colossal”, “stupendous” and “enormous” don’t seem to announce adquately the size of our reserves. 

There are, however, a couple of thin reeds to hang our hopes on.  First, there are environmental issues to be considered.  Does fracking cause earthquakes (don’t laugh)?  Fracking requires huge amounts of water, water that as of now cannot be recycled to use on crops.  Finally, what is the environmental impact of this water? 

Second, and I wrote about this in my blog in mid-April, many areas in the world (Japan for instance) pay upwards of $15 for liquefied natural gas (LNG).  There have been thoughts about exporting LNG to areas around the globe, something that sounds good on the surface but still have the ecological considerations mentioned above.   

My conclusion?  Low gas prices for the next several years. 

Finally, I am aware that my blog is not on the top one million viewed list.  This isn’t hurtful to me because I’m sure there are better ways to advertise the blog than whatever I’ve been able to do.  So for those of you who do read it, thank you.  Perhaps there is something helpful in here, a morsel that approaches wisdom.

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it”.  Albert Einstein (1879-1955).

In Honor of Heroes

As a Vietnam veteran, I recall my return home to the US after my service overseas.  For those of you old enough to remember, this was a very unpopular war.  Soldiers coming home, all with the same problems that our fighting men have now with PTSD (not a term then) and other issues, were treated unceremoniously at the very best and with scorn at the worst.  I say this not as a “poor me” moment since this was 40 years ago and is now a very distant memory, but rather as a thank you to all the troops who have been fighting for this country over the past decades.  Memorial Day (or as I called it when I was young, Decoration Day) has just passed and I see the patriotism in this country so much more noticeable in 2012.   

For those of you interested, John Huston (with his father, Walter narrating), directed a film, “Let There be Light”, after WWII that documented the travails of returning soldiers.  The army did not want it shown so it sat gathering dust until a couple of years ago when it was brought out again.  An hour long, it is well worth viewing.  Here is a link to the site: Let There be Light 

I have told my loyal reader(s) (thanks Mom) that I have been traveling a great deal for the past several months.  June offers no respite, alas.  Because of this, I beg your indulgence in granting me an extra couple of weeks before my next posting (late June). 

There is much going on in the world of energy.  Natural gas prices continue to be low (with little change in sight), followed by a decline in oil prices (gas prices in Tulsa as of today are some of the lowest in the country at $3.14/gallon while just a few months ago hovered above $3.69/gallon.  In California earlier this month, I paid $4.39/gallon).  Coal continues to be the bad boy of energy with rather dim outlooks. 

There’s a recent article of interest that I read in the USA Today regarding what was once considered an old shibboleth, “energy independence”.  So what is the real story today?  Is it a dream or a distinct possibility? Energy Independence? 

Once upon a time, E-Tech had considered working with companies involved in carbon capture as there were energy savings opportunities possible.  Fortunately, as reported in a New York Times article, I didn’t put this into my sales forecast! Carbon Capture Disappointment

Finally, and somewhat analogous to the previous article, coal is finding major difficulties, even in the middle of coal country.  Read this detailed report from the NY Times. Coal in trouble?

And, finishing where I left off, here’s a wonderful saying regarding our marvelous fighting men and women.  

“And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.  Joseph Rodman Drake” (1795-1820)

So, as I mentioned in my last blog (a long time ago, it seems), I have been on the road quite a bit including a trip to the Monterrey Peninsula to play in the Nationwide Boiler Charity Golf Tournament.  The picture of me standing on the 18th tee box doesn't quite depict the big smile on my face.  For those of you who play golf, this is a bucket list item for sure.

So what's new in the world that's interesting?  Aside from the politics, I mean.

Several of my blogs of late have discussed natural gas in particular and energy resources in the US in general.  We have gone from a country that was importing a great amount of our oil from overseas to one that seems to be at the edge of a boom.  And in natural gas - well don't get me started.  There are many stories regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  For me it's hard to envision too much criticism of this group as it has, at its heart, our environment and health as its main interest.  But there are those who have suggested doing away with it (you know who you are you dastardly cads!).  But the EPA has taken an interesting view on a difficult issue - fracking.  Is it harmless, dangerous or somewhere in-between.  One would expect the EPA to be rather circumspect on this problem but, as reported by one of my favorite columnists, Ezra Klein, they are taking a longer view.  See the article if you'd like to know more. Ezra Klein article

Another article of particular interest to me, although still on a natural gas theme LNG), is the following one from Politico.  In it is discussed the Cheniere Energy Partners’ Sabine Pass project.  What's so fascinating about this story is that the plant in question was originally conceived as an operation to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) but now is being converted to export it.  How's that for a turn of events?  The question raised in this story is whether or not we should do it?  Take a look and see for yourself. Sabine Pass Terminal

I hope this has proved interesting to you and look forward to writing more next month.

In closing, here's a California theme (how can I not after spending last week in that beautiful state). 

"Helsinki may not be as cold as you make it out to be, but California is still a lot nicer. I don't remember the last time I couldn't walk around in shorts all day." - Linus Torvalds (born 1969)