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Infrastructure and Technology Management Contributions From The Energy Healthcare and Transportation Sectors 1st Edition Tugrul U. Daim
Infrastructure and Technology Management Contributions From The Energy Healthcare and Transportation Sectors 1st Edition Tugrul U. Daim
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Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management
Tugrul U. Daim
Leong Chan
Judith Estep Editors
Infrastructure
and Technology
Management
Contributions from the Energy,
Healthcare and Transportation Sectors
Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge
Management
Series Editor
Elias G. Carayannis
George Washington University
Washington, DC, USA
Infrastructure
and Technology Management
Contributions from the Energy,
Healthcare and Transportation Sectors
Editors
Tugrul U. Daim Leong Chan
Department of Engineering and Technology School of Business
Management Pacific Lutheran University
Portland State University Tacoma, WA, USA
Portland, OR, USA
Judith Estep
Bonneville Power Administration
Portland, OR, USA
Part I Energy
1 Landscape Analysis: Regulations, Policies, and Innovation
in Photovoltaic Industry�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3
Dmitriy Moskovkin, Anna Mary Mathew, Qin Guo, Roli
Eyetsemitan, and Tugrul U. Daim
2 Landscape Analysis: Fracking Technology�������������������������������������������� 19
Rafaa Khalifa, Chih-Jen Yu, Joao Ricardo Lavoie,
Momtaj Khanam, and Tugrul U. Daim
3 Landscape Analysis: Connected Lighting System�������������������������������� 45
Nina Chaichi and Tugrul U. Daim
4 Technology Assessment: Developing Geothermal Energy
Resources for Supporting Electrical System in Oregon ���������������������� 67
Ahmed Shehab Alshareef, Tugrul U. Daim, and Ibrahim Iskin
5 Technology Assessment: Demand Response Technologies
in the Pacific Northwest�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 177
Judith Estep and Tugrul U. Daim
v
vi Contents
Part IV Infrastructure
14 Technology Roadmap: Google’s Eco-friendly Mobile Phones������������ 415
Xuran Dai and Tugrul U. Daim
15 Technology Assessment: The Evaluation of Residential
Pool Sanitation Options Using TOPSIS ������������������������������������������������ 437
Ori Wolman, Joseph C. Edmondson, and Leong Chan
16 Technology Assessment: Cloud Service Adoption Decision ���������������� 447
Greg Wease, Kwasi Boateng, Chih-Jen Yu,
Leong Chan, and Husam Barham
17 Project Delivery: Highway Construction���������������������������������������������� 473
Rafaa Khalifa, Tugrul U. Daim, and Robert Stewart
Part I
Energy
Chapter 1
Landscape Analysis: Regulations, Policies,
and Innovation in Photovoltaic Industry
1.1 Introduction
Reflecting concerns over the environment, health, and security stemming from the
consumption of conventional fossil fuel energy sources, such as gas, oil, and coal,
has been raised in the world, which increases the expectation of replacing fossil
fuels with renewable energy [1]. In addition to these concerns, rising prices of fossil
fuels have forced many countries to support the development of renewable energy
sources, such as, solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal [3]. Among these renewable
energy sources, solar photovoltaics (PV), which is also known as solar electric sys-
tem, has long been considered as a clean and sustainable energy that directly con-
verts solar radiation into current electricity by using semiconducting materials [4].
A PV system comprises a PV module and other electrical components, such as
charge controllers, inverters, and disconnects. The direct conversion of sunlight to
electricity occurs without any moving parts or environmental emissions during
operation, which significantly protects the environment. Meanwhile, it has been
D. Moskovkin (*)
REFCCO Consulting Group, Portland, OR, USA
e-mail: dmoskovkin@yahoo.com
A.M. Mathew
Intel Corp, Portland, OR, USA
e-mail: anna.m.mathew@intel.com
Q. Guo • T.U. Daim
Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
e-mail: guoqin@pdx.edu; tugrul.u.daim@pdx.edu
R. Eyetsemitan
Air Liquide Electronics, Portland, OR, USA
e-mail: eyetsem@pdx.edu
well proved that PV installations can operate for no less than 100 years with little
maintenance, thus extremely reducing the operating cost [4]. As Fig. 1.1 shows, this
report begins with a detailed analysis of policies and regulations influencing the
current innovation activities of solar PV. In particular, this study pays attention to
the government policy supporting technological innovation and market creation. In
addition, this report profited substantially from the knowledge of a few experts and
research leaders in the industry and academic field who made themselves available
for interviews and other queries. Then followed with several case studies on three
countries – Germany, Japan, and the USA – some data were collected to analyze
how market entry, product safety, environmental policies, and incentives influence
the innovation of PV industry. Finally, we provide conclusions and policy implica-
tions on the development of the solar PV industry.
Experts were consulted to gauge their feedback and further discuss the factors that
affect the growth of the PV industry. The experts that were contacted were from
industry, academia, and government laboratories (Table 1.1). The list of the experts
is given below.
Telephone conversations and email correspondence were completed over a
period of 3–4 weeks to discuss and analyze the information provided by the experts.
The decision-making on this sector was done by the team based on a survey result.
The survey that was put together had two questions.
1 Landscape Analysis: Regulations, Policies, and Innovation in Photovoltaic Industry 5
Table 1.1 Expert panel from academia, industry, and government laboratories
Industry Academia Government laboratories
– First Solar – Oakridge National Laboratory – NREL(National Renewable
– Accelerate Solar – MIT MECHE Energy Laboratory)
– Midnite Solar – WESRF (Wallace Energy Systems – Argonne National Laboratory
Inc. and Renewables Facility) – Brookhaven National
– Advanced – Portland State Laboratory
Energy University – Sustainability – Lawrence Berkeley National
– Solar World – Penn State – Institute of Energy Laboratory
– Absolutely Solar and the Environment – Sandia National Laboratory
Inc.
– SEIA
– Accord Power
1. Rank the factors affecting the sector on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the
highest rank and 5 being the least. The factors that were listed were:
(a) Market regulations
(b) Product safety regulations
(c) Incentives and subsidies
(d) Environmental regulations
2. Any other factors affecting this sector.
The results of the survey are as follows:
The main comments that were obtained from the survey with respect to each of
the regulations are listed below. The majority of the comments was related to incen-
tives and subsidy regulations and was in line with the survey results indicating that
incentives were the factor which had the most impact on this sector.
Comments Related to Market Regulations
“This can be a major problem when talking about grid tie equipment in Hawaii. The
utilities throw up road blocks that make it hard for manufacturers to meet their
requirements. The features that the utilities demand are in addition to UL and NEC
standards. The utility companies are not solar friendly. What they say is not what
they do. On the mainland there are utility companies that make it hard to have bat-
tery backup grid tie. They think people are going to sell their stored battery power
to the grid. This doesn’t make sense as it wears out the batteries. Batteries cost more
than the utility power.”
Anonymous Comments from the Survey Related to Market Regulation:
• Rate mechanisms (different than financial incentives) 4-grid integration
technology.
• Permitting fees.
• Access to transmission lines is a barrier. I’m not sure where this fits into your
classifications.
• Regulation of electric utilities.
• One of the largest challenges is the inconsistency of local jurisdiction on code
requirements.
6 D. Moskovkin et al.
Based on the survey conducted of topic experts, the original theory of specific poli-
cies and regulations affecting growth and innovation in photovoltaic energy was
confirmed. As some policies have direct impact due to involvement of governments
1 Landscape Analysis: Regulations, Policies, and Innovation in Photovoltaic Industry 7
The product market regulations were categorized using the index developed at the
OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) on a scale from
0 to 6, with higher numbers being associated with policies that are more restrictive
and stringent [5]. For each sector, the index combines information on state control
(such as price control and ownership) (Fig. 1.1), barriers to entrepreneurship and
administrative regulations (such as licenses and permits, administrative burdens,
and legal barriers) (Fig. 1.2), and barriers to trade and foreign direct investment
(such as tariffs and ownership barriers). It is evident from literature [5] that all three
countries under evaluation have a total index scale below 1.3 with the USA being
the least restrictive at 0.8 [5].
Environmental
Market Entry/
Barriers
Incentives
Product Safety
Other
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Energy available resources, public perception, and energy cost play a significant role
in government direction as well as public interests. Table 1.2 shows each country’s
energy consumption by source, while Table 1.3 shows the net export of fossil fuel
energy sources. It’s worthwhile to note that although the USA’s net export for petro-
leum and natural gas is negative, it is the largest producer of petroleum and natural
gas in the world (12,343 Thousand Barrels per Day for Petroleum and 29,542 Billion
1 Landscape Analysis: Regulations, Policies, and Innovation in Photovoltaic Industry 9
Cubic Feet of Natural Gas) [8]. Specific to natural resources, the tables below show
it is evident that the USA has an overall energy independence compared to Germany
and Japan, suggesting these two countries should be more aggressive when search-
ing for alternative energy resources. Also, negative public perception for nuclear
power (which is relatively a large source in Germany and Japan) adds to the trend of
renewable energy, making PV a more attractive source in Germany and in Japan.
1.3.5 Incentives
Incentives are direct policy aimed to stimulate the competitiveness and growth of
renewable energy technologies. Most recently, policy makers have looked to the
fast-increasing demand for goods and services associated with renewable energy as
an engine of economic growth. To help boost the rate of development of renewable
energy in general, or photovoltaic in particular, all three countries under evaluation
use market-based instruments that favor electricity generated from renewable
energy [9]. Table 1.4 shows applicable methods of incentives by country with an
explanation. In addition to direct subsidies for installation and growth, governments
10 D. Moskovkin et al.
of countries under evaluation have other forms of incentives. These include funding
research and development in an effort to raise the efficiency of renewable energy,
improve its reliability, and reduce its costs. This type of incentive is further devel-
oped in the case study (Table 1.5).
Feed-In Tariffs (FIT) Renewable energy power investors are compensated for the
power they provide to the grid and receive a long-term contract with a rate higher
than the rate for traditional sources of energy [10].
Feed-In Premiums Payment level is based on a premium offered above the market
price for electricity enabling developers to enjoy high returns when market prices
increase, but also run a risk of losses when they decrease [10].
Renewable Portfolio Standards/Quota Obligation It is a regulation set by gov-
ernment where utility companies are obligated to generate a certain percentage of
their power from renewable sources [11].
Tradable Green Certificates These are tradable certificates awarded for the gen-
eration of a given amount of power from solar sources [12].
Tax Incentives These are federal tax credits for development and deploying of
renewable energy technologies.
Net Metering It is a billing mechanism where electricity generated by consumers
and fed in to the grid is used to offset electricity consumed by the consumer [13].
The overall ranking of the countries based on solar energy generation by MW and
other factors such as solar intensity, GDP, and population is considered. Patent
activities in the green patent family which include the EPO (European Patent Office),
1 Landscape Analysis: Regulations, Policies, and Innovation in Photovoltaic Industry 11
PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty), and USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office)
were considered. The country that emerged as the leader in the solar photovoltaic
energy generation was Germany by producing nearly 27% of the total power gener-
ated using this technology. The two other countries that were studied were the USA
as the country leads in patent activity in this domain and also contributes to 11% of
the total solar power generated globally and Japan which falls close behind the USA
with a contribution of 10% of the total solar power generated from photovoltaic.
The Japanese photovoltaic (PV) market is expanding rapidly. By 2013, the installa-
tion of PV was over twice the amount in 2011, which places Japan among the
world’s largest PV markets, along with Germany, China, and the USA [2]. The
national and local governments have implemented a variety of policy measures to
support the innovation and diffusion of solar PV technologies in Japan (major poli-
cies are summarized in Table 1.6). These policies can be divided into two sections:
demand side and supply side.
Demand-side policies could be used to “create a new market and develop demand
for a new technology,” including subsidies for purchase of “a particular product, tax
breaks, and renewable portfolio standards.” [1] For example, in July 2012, Japan
introduced the FIT, which requires utilities to pay renewable energy producers a
fixed price per kWh of production over a period of 10–25 years. Purchasing tariffs
are reduced on annual basis but may be adjusted if deemed necessary. The govern-
ment guarantees a purchasing rate of 37 yen (FY 2014) per each kilowatt-hour
(kWh) for a time period of 10 years for systems smaller than 10 kW while larger get
32 yen (FY 2014) per kWh (excluding taxes) for a contracting period of 20 years
granted for the total electricity production. The Japanese FIT will remain in place
until 2021 with a revision of the scheme conducted every 3 years [3].
Supply-side policies are used to encourage firms to directly conduct innovation
activities, including subsidies for R&D, illustration, and sometimes in early phases
of commercialization [2]. For example, In the 1970s, the scarce local fossil fuel
reserves and multiple issues associated with acquiring oil from foreign countries
motivated the Japanese government to pursue the development of solar PV tech-
nologies. In 1974, the government launched the Sunshine Project, focusing on the
development of solar cells and modules, which opened up an opportunity for most
of the Japanese solar manufacturers, such as Hitachi, Toshiba, and NEC Corporation,
to be involved in solar PV research and development (R&D). From 1993 to 2000,
an additional R&D program, called the New Sunshine Project, was launched to
develop the balance of system (BOS) technologies with the funding from the
Japanese government (including inverters, mounting equipment, monitoring sys-
tems, and site assessment). The solar cell production had increased significantly
since 1974. These national research and funding programs contribute to both the
technological development and the growth of solar PV market in Japan (Table 1.7).
12 D. Moskovkin et al.
Table 1.6 Summary of major policies related to solar PV technology (demand side)
Demand-side policies
Year Policy Notes
1974– National residential subsidy First phase: 1994–1996
2006 Second phase: 1997–2001
Third phase: 2002–2006 (March)
1997 Act on special measures for the Financial support for the business operators who
promotion of new energy use use the new energy including solar energy
2003 Renewable portfolio standard Requiring electricity retailers to supply a certain
amount of renewable electricity to grid
consumers
2009 National residential subsidy National residential subsidy will end in 2014
resumed
2012 Feed-in tariff Electricity utility companies are obligated to
purchase excess electricity generated through PV
facilities
Table 1.7 Summary of major policies related to solar PV technology (supply side)
Supply-side policies
Year Policy Notes
1974 Sunshine Project A national R&D project for “new energy”
including solar energy
1980 Establishment of the New Energy and Act on the promotion of development and
Industrial Technology Development introduction of alternative energy
(NEDO)
1993– New Sunshine Project The successor of the Sunshine Project
2000
2001– NEDO 5-year plan Development of technology to achieve
2005 482,000 kW of installation of PV by 2010
2004 NEDO Roadmap 2030 Direction of photovoltaic technology
development toward 2030
2009 NEDO Roadmap 2030+ Update of the Roadmap 2030
Japan’s PNV industry witnessed remarkable growth in 2013 after the establish-
ment of the feed-in tariff program in 2012. The feed-in tariff has been known to
result in rapid growth in the renewable energy market in areas where it has been
implemented. The Japanese government had one of the most generous feed-in tariff
rates in the world, and they did not anticipate the growth that resulted from the pro-
gram. The infrastructure to handle the amount of solar power produced was not in
place, and as a result the utility companies were overwhelmed and started blocking
access to the grid for new power solar generation. The country has since reviewed
the programs and reduced the support [22].
1 Landscape Analysis: Regulations, Policies, and Innovation in Photovoltaic Industry 13
Solar power in Germany consists mostly of photovoltaic (PV) and accounted for an
estimated 6.2–6.9% of the country’s net-electricity generation in 2014 [14].
Germany is the world’s top PV installer with an overall installed capacity of
38,359 megawatts (MW). The renewable energy sector contributes nearly 31% of
the total electricity produced in the country. The German government long-term
minimum targets of renewables’ contribution to the country’s overall electricity
consumption are 35% by 2020, 50% by 2030, and 80% by 2050.
Factors Affecting Growth in Solar Sector
Boom period in Germany was during 2010–2012. More than 7 GW of PV capacity
had been installed annually during this period. Due to the large amount of electricity
produced, the country is currently facing grid capacity and stability issues. The
country is increasingly producing more electricity than it requires, driving down
prices and exporting its surplus to other countries (record exported surplus of 32
TWh in 2013 and 34 TWh in 2014) [15]. New installations of PV systems have
declined steadily since 2011 and continued to do so throughout 2014. As of 2012,
the FIT costs about €14 billion (US$18 billion) per year for wind and solar installa-
tions. The cost is divided across all ratepayers in a surcharge of 3.6 €ct (4.6 ¢) per
kWh (approximately 15% of the total domestic cost of electricity).
The legislative reforms stipulate a 40–45% share from renewable energy sources
by 2025 and a 55–60% share by 2035 [14].
1.5 Conclusion
$/kWh in 2009–2014
Solar energy capacity Solar energy patents Cents in CO2 emissions
Country in GW in 2011 global % in 2011 2011 %
Germany 35.5 6.1 35 +1.2
Japan 13.6 34.1 26 +1.3
USA 12 14.1 12 −3.4
References
1. Takeda, C. “Government policy and innovation activity: a patent study of solar photovoltaic
balance of system in Japan,” PhD diss, 2014.
2. Friedman, B., Margolis, R., & Seel, J. “Comparing Photovoltaic (PV) costs and deployment
drivers in the Japanese and U.S. Residential and commercial markets,” National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL), 2014.
3. Kimura, O., & Suzuki, T. “30 years of solar energy development in Japan: co-evolution pro-
cess of technology, policies, and the market,” Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions
of Global Environmental Change: “Resource Policies: Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Equity,”
Nov, 2006.
4. Wikipedia. (2015, Mar). Photovoltaics. [Online].
5. Wolfl, A., Wanner, I., Kozluk, T., & Nicoletti, G. The years of product market reform in OECD
countries – insights from a revised PMR Indicator 24-Apr-2009. Available: www.oecd.org/
eco/working-papers. Accessed 14 Mar 2015.
6. OECD, Environmental Directorate. Environmental policy tools and evaluation. Available:
http://www.oecd.org/env/tools-evaluation/environmentaltaxation.htm. Accessed 14 Mar 2015.
7. Braathen, N. A., & Greene, J. OECD, Environmental Directorate. Centre for Tax Policy and
Administration. Available: www.oecd.org/env/taxes/innovation. Accessed 14 Mar 2015.
8. U. S. Energy Information Administration. Available: www.eia.gov. Accessed 14 Mar 2015.
9. Domestic incentive measures for renewable energy with possible trade implications. OECD
Trade and Environment Paper No. 2013/01. Available: www.oecd.org/trade/envtrade. Accessed
14 Mar 2015.
10. Wikipedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed-in_tariff. Accessed 14 Mar 2015.
11. Wikipedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_portfolio_standard. Accessed
14 Mar 2015.
12. Wikipedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_Energy_Certificate_%28United_
States%29. Accessed 14 Mar 2015.
13. Wikipedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_metering. Accessed 14 Mar 2015.
14. Wikipedia. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Germany. Accessed 10
Mar 2015.
15. http://www.germanenergyblog.de/?page_id=283. Accessed 15 Mar 2015.
16. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2014/09/u-s-solar-industry-continues-
rapid-growth. Accessed 12 Mar 2015.
17. http://aceee.org/topics/financial-incentives-energy-efficiency. Accessed 11 Mar 2015.
18. http://programs.dsireusa.org/system/program?state=TER. Accessed 2 Mar 2015.
19. http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=11471. Accessed 5 Mar 2015.
20. http://energy.gov/eere/sunshot/solar-innovation-timeline. Accessed 13 Mar 2015.
21. http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/topics/encyclopedia/solar/. Accessed 9 Mar 2015.
22. http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/japans-feed-in-tariff-program-becomes-a-
solar-shambles
Chapter 2
Landscape Analysis: Fracking Technology
2.1 Introduction
technology helps to meet the current and future energy needs. Also, it could save the
countries’ economies from collapsing.
Therefore, most of oil and gas companies work hard to make sure that the frack-
ing is a sustainable development process for money-making opportunities. Most of
these companies often give large sums of money to societies by running some social
investment programs or sustainable development projects. These initiatives aim to
develop the people and their facilities around areas of fracking operations.
The future of energy has changed especially in the oil and gas industry. In the past,
the growth in production was measured based on the western market demand.
Natural gas has a significant role in the future energy. New technologies are being
developed to explore and extract the conventional and unconventional gas with
many ways to get a maximum benefit from its abundance. Increase in the natural gas
production has improved producer countries’ GDP growth [1]. During the past
decade, oil and gas prices have moved to a permanently high level. Power compa-
nies have been working hard to produce more efficient power plants and transporta-
tion facilities and supply alternative fuels to reduce the future impact of the full
dependency and the huge demand of the oil and gas in some industries. On the other
hand, always there are new innovative technologies and techniques which have been
introduced by some international companies and manufacturers to improve the pro-
duction process and to reduce the production cost and uncertainty of producing
unconventional oil and gas in this world. So, there is a question of why natural gas
is the most inspiring product in the future? To answer this question, we should dis-
cover the oil challenges in the energy market in two scenarios (low and high price):
oil and gas price, the average costs for resource development are considered high.
For this reason, the non-OPEC countries are not able to develop their worn-out
fields. As the non-OPEC production rises slightly in the projection through 2030,
the expectation indicates to return their crude oil production to roughly 51 million
barrels per day in 2040. In 2015, the crude oil price had fallen below $80 per barrel
and then to $70 after a few months. In 2016, the price fell below $50 and is expected
to follow by a slow increase to average $75 per barrel in 2040. Due to lower eco-
nomic growth especially in non-OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development) countries, the oil price impacted negatively the world [2].
In this scenario, the GDP growth in non-OECD indicates that its rapid growth is
more than the projected in the reference case. The liquid fuel consumption per unit
of GDP is declining than projected in the reference case. Due to the continuing
restrictions on oil production, OPEC maintains its market share of total liquid fuel
production. OPEC produces about a million barrels per day which about 37–40% of
the world market share. This value is lower than the value in the reference case. The
limited access to the existing resources and lower discovery rates lead to consider
the increase in the oil prices in non-OPEC petroleum production expanding approx-
imately as the rate in the reference case. Other liquids rise to eight million barrels
per day and are considered as strong in response to the higher prices in 2040. In the
high oil price case, the oil increases from $155 per barrel to $237 in 2020 to 2040,
respectively. Based on the increase in the robust price, the total world demand main-
tains within the range of expected production capabilities [2].
The STEEPLE model in Fig. 2.1 describes the different issues that are considered in
assessing the fracking technology.
Social perspective identifies aspects that affect society positively or negatively [10].
Four important aspects in social perspective are public perception, employment,
health and safety, and Local Infrastructure Development.
24 R. Khalifa et al.
Social
- Public
Perception
- - Job Creation
- Health &
Safety
Legal - Local
Infrastructure
- Federal Laws Technical
- Halliburton
Loophole - Diesel Fumes
- The FRACT - Fracturing
Act period
- Ban - Safety
- Future Laws
Ethical
- Interest based
thinking
- Right based
thinking
- Duty based
Political thinking Economical
- EPA - Shale gas
- Policy-makers reserve and
- NGO’s price
- Public - Investment in
Opinion fracking wells
- Federal - Economic
development
Agencies Environmental and trade shock
- Profitability of
- Water use
- Methane
Emissions
- Seismicity
- Land/surface
use
- Ground water
contamination
Views that are shared by population, social norm, and media coverage shape the
perception of the mass. Public perception is reflected in aesthetics, lifestyle, social
benefits, and social acceptance. National polling data published in the year 2014
found American population to be mostly ignorant or ambivalent toward fracking. A
small minority who knows about fracking are equally divided into a pro-fracking
and antifracking stance. Those who are in opposition to fracking are found to be
mostly women, open minded, and knowledgeable about fracking issues as these
women possess a habit of reading the newspaper more than once a week and talks
about the impact of fracking on the environment. People in favor of fracking are
2 Landscape Analysis: Fracking Technology 25
2.3.1.2 Employment
Health and safety are concerned with safety, health, and welfare of people, society,
and workplace. Technology should not affect public safety and work safety and
should not cause long-term health issues. People and workers are vulnerable in
areas of fracking to different contaminants emitting out of fracking operation. This
causes many forms of respiratory diseases. Occupational health hazard of workers
in the fracking industry is an issue of concern. Workers may get affected by chemi-
cals and also machineries used in fracking sites. Workers are exposed to dust,
crystalline silica, and fracking fluids that cause fatal health hazards. Also, workers
may get hit by moving equipment and high-pressure lines, be entrapped in between
two moving parts of a machine, or suddenly be exposed to high-pressure release.
Due to flammable gas and materials in fracking sites, there is a high probability of
fire explosion. Worker sometimes needs to work in a confined space under high
power lighting. All these events may lead to fatal injury, disability, or sometimes
death [13]. The nonoccupational health hazard is caused by polluting gases and
harmful chemicals and silica that are used in the fracking process and contaminate
groundwater or atmosphere. Sudden economic expansion or recession which is
known as “Boom and Bust” sometimes causes mental stress to people in the com-
munity. Fracking causes a sudden increase in economic activity. This increase
in local economic activity is often followed by a rapid decrease upon depletion of
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the purposes of the temporary friendship. “I knew after the first
fortnight it wouldn’t suit me at all. But I’ve stayed nine months for
reasons. It doesn’t do for a man with my record in good families to
go chopping and changing every five minutes, it gets him a bad
name.”
Lane signified his approval of this politic conduct, and noting that
the valet’s glass was empty, hastened to have it refilled, a
proceeding to which Mr. Simmons offered no objection. With his
shrewd knowledge of men, his habit of drawing conclusions from
small but infallible signs, the detective inclined to the belief that his
new friend was an acquisitive kind of fellow, a man who would take
all he could get and give as little as he could in return.
“Your health, Mr. Cox.” The man lifted his glass and looked
appreciatively at his host, while he gave utterance to further thoughts
of his master.
“I don’t say Sir George isn’t all right in the matter of family,
although of course we know they’ve come down through his old
father playing ducks and drakes with the property. But the truth is, a
poor place doesn’t suit a man at my time of life, forty-five last
birthday. Wages are nothing; it’s the pickings that enable a fellow to
put by and start a snug little place of his own to keep him in his old
age.”
A poor place, an absence of “pickings”! This confirmed the
banker’s report. As a matter of fact, Lane did not want the banker’s
report confirmed, he could rely on it as far as it went. He was on a
much deeper game, and with that object he had sought the society
of Mr. Simmons in the hope of finding him the sort of person who
would help him to play it.
“Now, that’s rather funny,” he said in assumed surprise. “I’ve heard
a good deal about Sir George, one way and another, and I was
always under the impression he was a wealthy man, had come into a
large fortune.”
Mr. Simmons gave a contemptuous sniff. “If he came into a large
fortune, and I think I’ve heard something of that tale myself, it was
before my time. I’ll bet he hasn’t got any of it left now. I tell you what
he does, Mr. Cox, he bluffs a lot, he makes out to most of his
acquaintances that he’s got tons of money, and, of course, several of
them take his word. I’ve heard him putting the pot on often myself
when he didn’t know I was listening.”
An eavesdropper, this quiet, respectable-looking man! If he had
the smaller infirmities, he would be pretty certain to have the bigger
ones. Such was the thought of the shrewd detective.
“But I’ve always heard he bets high, Mr. Simmons.”
The valet, warmed by his potations, gave another sniff of
contempt. “Not he; that’s where he bluffs again. I know it for a fact. I
overheard him one morning put a fiver on a horse over the
telephone; it won at six to one. That same evening, when I was
bringing in the whisky, he told a pal of his right before me he’d laid a
hundred. Of course, he didn’t know I’d heard him in the morning.
That’s how he got the reputation of wealth, by bluffing, gassing and
lying.”
It was clear that Simmons hated his employer with the deadly
rancour of a man deprived of his legitimate “pickings,” for he
proceeded to further disclosures, not at all redounding to Sir
George’s credit.
He emitted a sardonic chuckle. “I overheard a little conversation
between him and that precious nephew of his one day, and I soon
put the pieces together, though I wasn’t in at the beginning of it. It
seems Sir George had changed a cheque for thirty pounds at one of
his clubs, in the expectation of some money coming in the next day.
Well, the money hadn’t come in, and he was in a frightful stew. ‘If I
can’t pay-in the first thing to-morrow morning, I’m done, and I shall
be had up before the Committee. The bank won’t let me overdraw
five pounds; the manager refused me a week ago when I begged the
favour of him.’ That’s your wealthy man. Bah! I’m a poor chap
enough, but I believe I could buy him up if he was for sale.”
Lane shrugged his shoulders. “If you weren’t in the know you’d
hardly credit it, would you, Mr. Simmons?”
“By George, he was in a stew. I remember his words to his
nephew; he almost screamed them; ‘Archie, old boy, you must stand
by me, you must get me that money this afternoon, or it’s all up with
me.’ Queer sort of thing to say, wasn’t it, Mr. Cox.”
“Very queer,” agreed the detective. “Did you hear young Brookes’s
reply? I take it you were listening outside the door.”
“I was,” admitted Mr. Simmons, quite unabashed. It was evident he
was a very curious sort of person, and spent a considerable portion
of his time eavesdropping. “Young Archie was talking extremely low,
and I couldn’t catch very distinctly what he said. But there was a bit
of an argument between the two. I thought I caught the words, ‘it’s so
soon after the other,’ and then Sir George almost screamed out
again, ‘I can’t help that; I tell you it’s got to be done.’”
“An interesting couple,” remarked the supposed Mr. Cox. He was
quite sure now of the kind of man Mr. Simmons was. Should he
approach him at once or cultivate him a little further before he did
so? Being a cautious man and disinclined to do things in a hurry, he
chose the waiting policy. So he asked the valet when he would be
likely to meet him there again, at the same time proffering another
whisky.
“To tell the truth, Mr. Cox, I shall be here for the next three
evenings. A bit of luck has come my way. Sir George is going into
the country to-morrow morning, and won’t be back till Friday. He isn’t
taking me with him, and I don’t know where’s he’s going. No letters
or telegrams are to be forwarded.”
“A bit queer he doesn’t want his valet with him, isn’t it?”
“I think so,” replied Mr. Simmons with a knowing expression. “A
very dark horse is our respected and wealthy baronet! If he’s going
to a swagger country house he takes me fast enough. But it’s not the
first time by half a dozen that he’s sloped off like this by himself. He’s
after something that he doesn’t want anybody else to know about,
you bet. A very queer fish, Mr. Cox.”
So Sir George would be away for a few days; that would just suit
Lane’s plans. He must open the campaign with the not too
scrupulous valet as soon as possible, but not to-night.
“Look out for me to-morrow evening then, Mr. Simmons. I like this
little place, it’s very snug and quiet, and I have very much enjoyed
my chats with you. Good-night. Sure you won’t have another before
you go?” But the acquisitive valet had that delicacy in him that he
declined further hospitality; he had already done himself very well at
his companion’s expense, and was perhaps fearful of trespassing
too greatly on his good nature.
The next evening they were again in their quiet corner, and Lane
opened the ball a few minutes after they had exchanged greetings.
“Now, Mr. Simmons, I am going to be quite frank with you. I didn’t
come here by accident. I got to know—it doesn’t matter how—that
you were Sir George’s valet, that you frequented this place. If you
are so inclined, you are just the man to give me help in a little job I’m
after. I’m a detective by profession; here is my card with my name
and address. If you have any doubts about the truth of my assertion,
I will take you down to Shaftesbury Avenue now and convince you by
ocular proof.”
Mr. Simmons scrutinized the card carefully; he was a shrewd and
wary fellow, and not one to be easily taken in.
“To tell you the truth, Mr. Cox, or rather Mr. Lane, to give you your
true name, I had a sort of suspicion all along that you were a ’tec and
wanted something out of me. I’ve never seen you in this place
before, and you’ve given me a lot of drinks and wouldn’t take one
back. Now, sir, if I may speak without offence, a man who meets a
stranger doesn’t do all the paying without a motive. Well, sir, let’s
come to business. What can I do for you—of course, with safety to
myself, and if I do it, what do I get out of it?”
A business-like fellow, a bit of a rogue, in a noncriminal way no
doubt! But it was always easier to deal with a rogue than a fool in
matters of this kind. There would be no beating about the bush.
Lane briefly explained what he wanted. He wished to examine Sir
George’s pass-book; if that was not available, his paying-in slips. Did
the valet know where he kept them?
Yes, Mr. Simmons did know. Sir George was in the habit of getting
his book every month from the bank, and after examining it, returning
it in about three weeks to be made up for the following month. He
kept it with his cheque-book and the paying-in slips in one of the top
drawers of his writing-table. Sometimes the drawer was locked, more
frequently not, for in some matters where the vast majority of men
were cautious, the mysterious baronet was singularly careless. At
the present moment Mr. Simmons did not know whether it was
locked or not, but it would probably be locked before he went away.
“That doesn’t present much difficulty,” said Lane with a calmness
that took away his companion’s breath. “If it is not a very complicated
lock, and it’s not likely to be if the writing-table is an ordinary sort of
one; I can easily pick it.”
Mr. Simmons pursed his lips in perplexity. “But that’s burglary, isn’t
it, and spells quod if were caught?”
The detective smiled. “’Pon my soul, I’m not very sure. We have to
do this sort of thing sometimes, but we don’t run any very great risk,
because the people we do it to have so much to conceal that they
daren’t take action. I’m not proposing to take away anything, you
know.”
But Mr. Simmons evidently did not like the prospect. He was
perfectly unscrupulous in a small way, would not have objected to
certain petty pilferings sanctioned by custom and tradition amongst
certain members of his profession. One of his grievances against the
baronet was that he counted his cigars and his bottles of wine; there
was never a chance of getting a free smoke or drink.
But this looked a bigger thing than he expected. He thought very
deeply for a few seconds, while Lane cursed him in his heart for a
faint-hearted rogue, who let his inclination wait upon his fears.
“Look here,” he said at length. “We haven’t said anything yet about
terms. If I do it—and mind you, I’m not very gone on it—what’s the
price? It ought to be a good one.”
Lane named a liberal sum, and, truth to tell, it did make the valet’s
mouth water, but he was a greedy fellow, and he was determined to
try for a bit more. So for a few minutes they haggled till a
compromise was effected. But still Simmons was torn in two
between his greed and his fear of detection and would not say
positively that he would assist.
The detective was a man of resource, he saw that he must adopt
different tactics with this cowardly rogue and relieve him from his
apprehensions.
“Look here, my friend, I can see you are in a blue funk; you are
afraid of what I am certain won’t happen, that Sir George will return
unexpectedly, walk into his flat and find me at work. Of course, he
has got his key.”
Mr. Simmons wanted to get that money in his possession, and his
greed sharpened his wits.
“Yes, he has got his key; he always carries it with him. But I could
put the inside latch up, making some plausible excuse for doing so,
and while I was going to the door you could put things straight and
escape into my room, hide there and be smuggled out as soon as
we got a chance. What do you think of that?”
“Quite ingenious,” was the approving answer. No doubt the fellow
would have developed a very pretty talent in the domain of
“crookdom” if he had been properly trained by a qualified professor.
“Quite ingenious,” repeated Lane; “but I think I can manage it in a
way that will avert any danger from yourself if accidents should
happen. Now here is my plan. I will explain it as briefly as possible.
You won’t appear in the matter at all.”
Mr. Simmons heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at his new friend
with an air of admiration; he felt he was in the presence of a master
mind.
The detective lucidly explained his scheme. “You meet me at the
bottom of the street to-morrow evening at seven o’clock, and hand
me the key of the flat. You come on here, I join you in five minutes;
we have met here as usual for a chat. I’m in a hurry; I stay with you a
quarter of an hour, then hasten off on the plea of having to attend to
some urgent business. I go on to the flat, take care that nobody is
about, put the key in the door, enter Sir George’s room and do my
business. You will sit here for an hour with your pals, then you will
leave and meet me, say, in the buffet of Victoria Station, when I will
hand you back your key.”
“It sounds all right,” said Mr. Simmons, still speaking dubiously.
“But what happens if Sir George ‘cops’ you, and you can’t meet me
at Victoria?”
“I’m coming to that, although there’s not the smallest probability
that Sir George will ‘cop’ me. If he does, I think I shall have to say
something to him that will prevent him from giving me in charge. But
whatever happens, all that can be proved against you is indiscretion
—mind you, rather unpardonable in a man of your years, but still
only indiscretion. So you tumble to it now?”
“I think I’m getting an inkling; but you might explain it fully. You are
a clever chap, and you make things seem so clear.”
“You met a very plausible stranger in a certain pub. Give the name
to show good faith. Your friends can prove they have seen us talking
together. You got rather pals; he stood you a lot of drinks. On this
particular evening he gave you a little too much, perhaps put
something in it to make you stupid, and while you were losing your
wits, picked your pocket of the key and rushed round to the flat,
leaving you to recover yourself. So remember, after I leave you to-
morrow evening, to be a little foolish in your manner for half an hour
or so.”
“Excellent,” cried Mr. Simmons in genuine admiration. “By jingo,
you are a knock-out; you think of everything. To-morrow evening, just
at the bottom of the street; afterwards here. Now, what do you think
of something on account—say a ‘tenner.’”
“I don’t mind a ‘fiver,’” was Lane’s answer; he was not disposed to
trust the valet too much. If he got as much as ten pounds safely into
his hands he might back out at the last moment and leave the
detective in the lurch. “I won’t give it you before all these people; you
never know who’s looking. We’ll leave here in about half an hour,
and I’ll hand it over when we’re safe out of the street.”
About eleven o’clock the next morning he received a further
surprise in connection with this most puzzling case. A note was sent
round to him from Mr. Morrice:
“Dear Sir,—Another development! On opening my safe
this morning I found that the packet of papers abstracted
in the first robbery has been put back, also the bundle of
Swiss notes. I suppose the thief found they were of no use
to him and obligingly returned them. Come round as soon
as you can. I shall be in all day.
“Yours faithfully,
“Rupert Morrice.”
CHAPTER XIII
AUNT AND “NEPHEW”!
T HERE was not very much to discuss when Lane did get to
Deanery Street. Certain inexplicable things had happened for
which, at present, there seemed no accounting. Somebody seemed
to be doing what he liked with this wonderful safe, abstracting and
replacing property when he chose, without hindrance, in a house full
of people. One novel feature on this occasion was the total absence
of finger-prints. They had been carefully rubbed out.
Morrice seemed greatly perturbed, as was quite natural under the
circumstances; but Lane noticed that there was a considerable
difference in his demeanour on this occasion from the last, when he
had insisted, with some display of temper, upon the certainty of
Croxton’s guilt.
Lane had been a little nettled at the time—at the cocksure attitude
of this hard-headed man of business who, however great his
success in his own particular line, did not seem to possess a very
great logical faculty, and could not forbear putting a rather pertinent
question.
“Are you quite as sure as you were, Mr. Morrice, that your late
secretary is the thief?”
Morrice shrugged his shoulders. It was easy to see that he was in
a subdued mood; there was no fear of further explosions to-day. “I
admit there are complications in this infernal business that perplex
one extremely. But I don’t think that, so far, I can see any particular
reasons for altering my previous opinion. You can’t get over the
insurmountable fact that Croxton and myself were the only two
persons who knew the secret of the mechanism. He may not be the
actual purloiner, I admit; he may have passed on his knowledge to a
confederate with whom he shares the spoil.”
Lane let fall only a few words in answer to these observations, but
they were very significant ones.
“Don’t forget, Mr. Morrice, that you lost the original key or
memorandum, as you call it, of the workings.”
But the financier was an obstinate person, as many strong-minded
men are. When he had once formed a theory, he did not give it up in
a hurry.
“Only mislaid, I expect,” he answered, but it was easy to see his
tone was not quite so confident as usual. “I shouldn’t be surprised if
it turned up at any moment.”
But Lane hastened to put on a damper at once. “And if it did, I
don’t see that it would help you so very much. You couldn’t possibly
know in what other hands it might have been during the interval.”
The financier had no wish to engage in further argument with this
calm, self-possessed man, whose merciless logic made such short
work of anything in the nature of a positive opinion.
“It doesn’t seem to matter much what I think,” he cried with a slight
return of his old petulance. “And perhaps it would be wiser to admit
at once that I don’t possess your capacity for weighing facts and
drawing deductions from them. I should like to know one thing, Mr.
Lane—does what has just happened convey any new suggestions to
you, throw any fresh light upon the situation?”
He did not gauge the detective as accurately as one might have
expected from a man with his wide knowledge of human nature, or
he would never have put this question in the hope of getting a
satisfactory answer. Whatever theory or theories might be forming in
his mind, and there could be no doubt that it was working at full-
speed all the time, and readjusting itself to every fresh turn of events,
Lane would make no disclosures till he judged the time was ripe.
He shook his head with great gravity: “We work very slowly, Mr.
Morrice; we come to conclusions with equal slowness, in our
profession. I dare say to a keen business man like yourself who plan
your coups with lightning rapidity, make and clinch a deal of many
thousands in a few minutes, we must seem dull, plodding fellows.
But you must remember that most of our time we are working
underground where very little light penetrates. What has happened
to-day may suggest a new line of thought to me, but I have not yet
had time to digest its significance. It will want a great deal of patient
thinking over before it bears any fruit.”
With this the rather impatient financier had to be content. He was
beginning to have a certain respect for the firm, self-reliant attitude of
the detective, who did not appear to be in the least overawed by
Morrice’s wealth and position. And he had a shrewd idea that, in his
own particular and less remunerative line, Lane had a brain not
greatly inferior to his own. They worked in different directions with a
vast disproportion between the rewards attending their efforts.
Morrice had the instinct of moneymaking, Lane the instinct of
unravelling criminal mysteries. Perhaps in the bare fact of intellectual
equipment there was not much to choose between them.
As the detective passed through the hall on his way out, he found
Rosabelle waiting for him. She was of course cognizant of what had
happened, and on Lane’s arrival her first idea had been to be
present at the interview between him and her uncle. But on second
thoughts she had decided to speak to the detective alone.
She still loved her uncle very dearly; she must always do that for
all the kindness and affection he had lavished on her. But it was
impossible there should not be a little secret antagonism between
the two in the circumstances. He appeared to be firmly convinced of
Richard Croxton’s guilt, she as firmly convinced of his innocence.
She was a fair-minded girl, and she was prepared to make every
allowance for Morrice’s attitude, but as there did not seem any
common ground on which they could meet when the matter was
under discussion, she judged it best to speak of it to him as little as
possible.
She put to him practically the same question that her uncle had
done: “Well, Mr. Lane, what do you think of the new development?
Does it reveal anything to you?”
That wary and cautious person shook his head. He had taken a
great liking to Rosabelle. Her staunch devotion to her lover had
appealed to the finer chords of his nature; for although he never
allowed sentiment to sway him unduly, he was by no means destitute
of that human quality. But not even for Rosabelle’s sake would he
depart greatly from that cautious attitude which was habitual to him.
“It is a strange development, Miss Sheldon, but I have not yet had
time to think it over. I am going back to my office to do so, and the
thinking over will take some time.”
Her charming face fell. “You cannot see in it even the remotest
thing that tells in favour of Richard Croxton?”
The eyes were very sad, the voice was very pleading. Should he
give the unhappy girl one little crumb of comfort? For a little time he
hesitated, then compassion got the better of prudence and of his iron
reserve.
“I will just say this, Miss Sheldon, and no more. It is becoming a
less impossible task to clear him than I at first thought; but please
don’t be too jubilant—there are still very formidable difficulties in the
way.”
A radiant light came into the charming face, although her eyes
filled with tears and she clasped her hands nervously together. Her
voice trembled as she spoke.
“You have put new life into me with those words, Mr. Lane. I know
you quite well by now, and I am sure that, coming from you, they
mean much.”
Poor Lane began to think he had made a bit of a mistake in
departing from his usual caution, in being moved by the pleading
attitude of the girl into giving her this small crumb of comfort. That
was the worst of women—they were so impressionable and
optimistic, or pessimistic, as the case might be. Their moods were
never equable: they were either at the height of elation or in the
depth of despair.
“Please do not let me excite false hopes, Miss Sheldon,” he
hastened to say. “Remember, I have told you there are great
difficulties in the way. Until we are on much firmer ground I would
beg that you do not repeat my words to Mr. Croxton.”
But she did not give any answer to this request, and he knew that
for all practical purposes he might have held his peace. Of course,
she would post off to her lover as soon as she could get away, and
infect him with her own optimism. Well, he was loath to confide too
much in the most hard-headed and sceptical man; he had only
himself to blame for having been over-confidential with a member of
the emotional sex.
Later on in the day Rosabelle carried out his prediction; she made
up her mind to pay a visit to Petersham, to hearten her lover with a
recital of those words which she was convinced meant so much,
coming from a man of Lane’s cautious temperament.
Morrice had left the house shortly after the detective’s departure.
The two women would have lunched alone together but for the
unexpected arrival of young Archie Brookes, who was pressed to
stay for the meal.
Rosabelle was very sensitive to impressions, and, for so young a
girl, particularly observant. It struck her that during the progress of
the luncheon the young man seemed rather distrait and preoccupied.
Two or three times he answered at random, and once Mrs. Morrice
called out to him sharply, “I don’t think you are listening to what I am
saying, Archie.” At that rebuke he seemed to pull himself together,
but the girl was sure his thoughts were far away from her aunt’s light
chatter.
Presently aunt and nephew, to call him what Rosabelle, ignorant of
Lane’s discoveries, still believed him to be, went up to Mrs. Morrice’s
boudoir. There was nothing unusual in this; it was a frequent custom
when the young man called or lunched at the house.
Rosabelle thought she would start for Petersham at once, making
her journey there as usual in a taxi. She always had plenty of money
for her needs, as Morrice supplemented her own little modest
income of a hundred a year with a very generous allowance.
As she went upstairs to her own room to make ready for her
expedition, she passed her aunt’s boudoir, the door of which stood
slightly ajar. It was a rather unusual circumstance, for when the two
were closeted together Rosabelle had noticed that it was nearly
always closed. This time it had evidently been forgotten by both.
She was not a girl who in ordinary circumstances would have
condescended to listen at doors, but she could not help hearing
words that startled and puzzled her.
Archie was speaking in a voice of great excitement and emotion.
“But if I don’t have it I am ruined. It means that I cannot face the
disgrace—there is only one alternative——” His voice had by now
sunk almost to a whisper, and she could not catch what followed.
She stood rooted to the spot. The young man’s preoccupied
manner at the lunch-table was accounted for. He was in some deep
trouble from which he was begging Mrs. Morrice to rescue him.
She heard her aunt reply in tones that were half angry, half tearful.
“How many times have you threatened me with that, and I have
yielded. I have half ruined myself for you; it cannot go on much
longer.”
Suddenly she felt that she was listening to a conversation not
intended for her ears, and resolutely turned away and went to her
own room. For the present she would say nothing, not even to Dick,
of what she had heard by the purest accident. But she thought over it
all the way on the long drive to Petersham. Was there yet another
tragedy going on in the Morrice household, and was her placid-
looking, dignified aunt the centre of it?
And what was that alternative which Archie Brookes had described
in a whisper she could not catch? Had he threatened to destroy
himself if his request were not acceded to? And what did Mrs.
Morrice mean by saying she had half ruined herself for him?
CHAPTER XIV
AN ALARMING INTERRUPTION