The Weekend

Mubarak is out!
This is simply terrific news. I have found the pictures from Cairo both shocking and amazing. The end of a dictator ship has taken just two weeks to happen. Several thoughts have occured to me in this time:
Is this going to make the rest of the middle east unstable?
What role has the US and.other western nations had on all this?
What was going through the minds of the people in the egyptian army when they fired on their own citizens?
What did oil have to do with making the situation so political.

EWB Interviewer Training
I am writing this on the train coming back from the EWB placement manager training held in London over the weekend. Things covered included application grading, interview tips, as well as other responsibilities for placement managers, the team of people looking after volunteers while on their placements.

Some of the best exercises included thinking about how our initial preconceptions of people affect your view of them, listening activities to assess weaknesses in listening skills, and a roleplay interview to determine the suitability of different questions. Having always been on the interviewer side of an interview, it is surprising how difficult it is to ask the right questions. Preparation is key!
It was a fantastic opportunity to see all those who also did EWB placements in the summer.

Chemical Engineering Design Project

6 people around a table, all relatively clueless about what they should be doing. A standard story for most third years doing the chemical engineering design project.

Today started with a group meeting to discuss hazard study 2, the process which can help identify potential hazards at an early stage so they can be designed out of the process, as well as our individual and group reports.
After two and a half hours sat in front of a computer reading endless electronic design books on grinding mill design and particle technology, I never really managed to write anything constructive. (I know a lot more about particle size reduction now though.)

So why am I doing this? It is these processes which allow so many valuable products to be made, which ultimately involves making lots of money. Once you understand the process, the calculations do become interesting and strangely satisfying when you finally arrive at a result.
I understand that I can ask for help from lecturers, but sometimes you just wish they'd told you some things a little earlier, as I found out today - 3 sentences neatly describing how to design a crusher - design project sorted!

For the second time this term, I went to Tiverton pool, which suddenly became a hive of activity when it opened at 8.30. Just why to they heat it so much?

A day of 'Fun'

I suppose this very much depends on someone's opinion of fun!

Today started with a 'tutorial' on the other side of campus in the module; Environmental Engineering and Life Cycle Analysis. This was instead a video from Steven Koonin, the current under secretary of state for the US Department of Energy, and previous chief scientist for BP. (see: clients.mediaondemand.net/bp/)
This afternoon, I attended two successive presentations about nuclear power. One given by Lee Dodds of University of Tennessee, giving a US perspective and the other by Andrew Worrall of the UK National Nuclear Lab, giving a UK perspective on nuclear energy. Later followed a presentation by Prof. Peter Liss on Geo-Engineering and its use in sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere.

Having proceeded to the final of the nPower energy challenge (npower.com/brightergraduates/npower-challenges-you.html) in the heats on monday, I am finding myself doing less chemical engineering and more and more stuff to do with energy.

Regrettably, my first real interest in energy and climate change started on my bus journey to school listing to a UK government radio advert. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzjOcOcQ90U

• It annoys me how climate change and renewable technologies were hammered into everyone as I was growing up in school and still no global action plan has yet been taken. 
• It annoys me that only now have I my own views on UK energy policy
• It annoys me than it wasn't until May 2009 did I really understand the link between climate change and poverty. (http://practicalaction.org/consulting/docs/consulting/20090902-ClimateChangeTraining.pdf)
• It annoys me how climate change is still considered an 'environmentalist topic' (http://ukycc.org/2010/02/you-dont-have-to-be-an-environmentalist/) You Don't Have to Be an Environmentalist! (or eco-nut as I have been called!)

I would like to present my own views on climate change and UK energy:

• However persuasive the nuclear power talks today were, and how pro-nuclear the government is, I am still anti-nuclear. The main reason being the scale of the projects - it is simply not a 'Technology with a human face' (amazon.co.uk/Small-Beautiful-Economics-People-Mattered/dp/0349131325)
• Renewables need to make up a large proportion of energy supply, supported by the UK government
• High taxes and duties on non-renewable fuels are needed to support the renewable alternatives.
• Electrification of heating is essential to remove dependence from gas
• Storage technologies are required to match demand & supply. For the UK, this should be in the form of large scale tidal lagoons.
• Climate change is the single greatest threat to mankind
• 9 billion people IS sustainable.

My realistic UK energy policy: (http://2050-calculator-tool.decc.gov.uk/)

In my opinion, this tool gives the most comprehensive view of what individual opinions mean in reality. Read the analysis report to find out what these choices mean in reality.

Unfortunately my energy mix does not meet the obligations of the UK 2008 Climate Change Act. This would be my adapted plan:

What is so apparent is how many opinions their are about the subject. Almost every statement has to start with 'I believe' (btw a great song by Simian Mobile Disco).
It is this mix of viewpoints which makes my studies so interesting.

This however only gives a UK perspective of Energy. The Poor People's Energy Outlook outlines the importance of energy for people living in the developing world. This is essential for a fairer and more equal society.

http://www.practicalaction.org.uk/energy-advocacy/ppeo-report-poor-peoples-energy-outlook