 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
San Diego Non-Profit HRC Helps California Adapt To Climate Change
San Diego CA (SPX) Jan 09, 2008 A recently completed river-flow and reservoir management demonstration project shows how a new technology can help California generate more electricity and save water. The Integrated Forecast and Management (INFORM) system has the potential to boost hydroelectric production by up to 20% while increasing water supplies by up to 50%. INFORM was developed by the Hydrologic Research Center (HRC), a San Diego non-profit research organization, and the Georgia Water Resources Institute (GWRI), in Atlanta, Georgia. The system used extended weather models and decision management models covering a network of Northern California reservoirs. Growing concern over climate change inspired the INFORM project. Climate change is expected to create even greater water management and energy issues for California in the coming decades. The recent energy crisis and ongoing water shortage highlight California's vulnerability to heat waves and drought. As the climate continues to change, water and power will be in ever shorter supply - yet demand will continue to grow. Scientists have already seen a trend toward earlier onset of spring - and less water from mountain snowmelt available in summer. This troublesome trend is expected to accelerate according to an assessment study of the climate impacts for California. As the United Nations just concluded their climate summit in Bali, Indonesia without any specific targets for reduction in greenhouse gases, California must continue to seek ways it can both reduce its impact on global warming and adapt to climate change. Technology, like the system developed by HRC, will help California immensely. More hydropower means less carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas responsible for the warming trend. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Hydrologic Research Center (HRC) Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Alternative Fuel Demand Boosts Prices Of Forest Products
Charlotte NC (SPX) Jan 08, 2008Power companies in the South and Pacific Northwest will drive prices for wood fuels higher as new facilities are built to produce an energy alternative to fossil fuels, experts in the forest products industry said Friday. But the supply of wood chips � a byproduct of lumber production used at pulp mills and power facilities � is dropping as residential construction drastically slows in the weak housing market. The reduced supply has raised prices by almost 10 percent since the third quarter of 2006. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
