Voltzman

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Algae hold the key to the biofuel conundrum

02 February 2008
Rachel Nowak
Magazine issue 2641

It is no secret that biofuels made from food crops such as corn and palm oil have driven up food prices and depleted rainforests, often without reducing net greenhouse emissions. The message was driven home by two recent UK reports, first from the Royal Society and then last week from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee.

The days of unbridled enthusiasm for first-generation biofuels have passed, even if production is still rising. Last week the European Commission controversially called for 10 per cent of transport fuels to be biofuels by 2020. Yet the drive to develop second-generation biofuels - ethanol brewed from plant cellulose in the form of wood, grass, or even waste - is edging towards commercialisation in the US.

Many experts say this next generation holds the greatest promise in the short term for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from transport, with potentially far fewer of ...

The complete article is 688 words long.

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:48:00 +0000

Ratifying Kyoto Protocol takes time: law expert
Posted 2 hours 21 minutes ago
An international law expert has cast doubt on whether the newly elected Federal Government will be able to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in the short term.
Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd has nominated ratifying the treaty quickly as one of his top priorities.
But Professor Donald Rothwell from the Australian National University says the normal ratification is a lengthy process requiring a National Impact Analysis, a parliamentary inquiry and development of new laws to support the treaty.
He says even if this is cut short, the treaty cannot be ratified quickly because of the need for new laws.
"Indeed, even under the Howard Government, there were exceptions that were permitted for emergency treaties," he said.
"Ultimately however the Kyoto Protocol will require that new Australian law to give effect to the Kyoto Protocol in Australian law and that ultimately requires an act of Parliament."
Professor Rothwell says there is still a point to signing the protocol even if the climate change conference in Bali next month reaches a new agreement.
"Bali is really seeking to negotiate the successor to the Kyoto Protocol which would see a new climate change instrument kick in from 2013," he said.
"If Australia ratifies Kyoto it will be expected to meet its Kyoto obligations between the period of 2008 and 2012 and to that end, having law in place to give effect to Kyoto will be quite important."

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:45:00 +0000

Cheap hydrogen power gets a nanotube boost

13:00 21 November 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Robert Adler

Tools

Nanotube tangles power printable batteries
16 November 2007
Light-harvesting nanowire could drive tiny devices
17 October 2007
Nano-cables convert light into electricity
14 December 2006

Web Links

Scientists have moved us a step closer to a hydrogen-based economy by successfully "wiring up" carbon nanotubes to hydrogenase – a biological molecule that can be used to harness hydrogen as fuel.

The conductive nanotubes act as tiny wires, shuttling electrons from hydrogenase molecules as they drive hydrogen-based chemical reactions.

Reacting hydrogen with oxygen releases electricity and could therefore offer a greener way to power cars, for example. Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen offers a way to store electricity generated using technology such as solar panels.

But existing methods of drawing electrical power from these reactions relies on rare and expensive precious metals such as platinum, palladium, or ruthenium. Connecting nanotubes to the catalyst hydrogenase promises a much cheaper approach.

"We need to be able to develop ways to generate energy that are cheap and effective," says Paul King, who led the research effort with Michael Heben at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Colorado, US. "Now we have a nice trick from biology that may be more effective in the long term."

Spontaneous attachment

The researchers forged an electrical connection between individual hydrogenase molecules and single-walled carbon nanotubes by first using detergent-like surfactants to create separate suspensions containing hydrogenase and nanotubes.

When these two mixtures are combined, the nanotubes spontaneously attach themselves to the hydrogenase molecules, producing stable, electrically conductive bonds. Connecting the nanotubes up to a circuit could provide a way to draw electricity out of the chemical reaction for practical use.

The researchers are still studying the exact location and nature of these connections, but believe that the nanotubes attach themselves to the electrically active sites on each hydrogenase molecule.

In the past, getting these sensitive natural enzymes to connect with other materials has been challenging. "We were surprised, at first, at the result," says King. "It wasn't clear that they would interact, but they just self-assemble. And it's a very strong and an apparently stable interaction."

The researchers were able to check that the connections successfully transmit electrons by observing changes in the optical properties of the suspended nanotubes, which occur when they absorb charged particles.

Controlled reaction

Nanotubes normally absorb and re-emit light at characteristic wavelengths but, after hydrogenase is added, this photoluminescence disappears, suggesting that the enzyme is feeding electrons into the nanotubes as it catalyses the oxidation hydrogen.

The team found that they could control the catalytic reaction by changing the pH balance of the solution or the amount of hydrogen in it.

As expected, when they added oxygen, which inactivates hydrogenase, the nanotubes lit up again. In the absence of oxygen, the hydrogenase-nanotube connections continued to work for up to a week.

"This is an exciting result," says John Peters, at Montana State University, US. "The ability to attach hydrogenase enzymes to conductive materials paves the way for biohybrid, precious-metal-free fuel cell technologies and new hydrogen-producing materials."

This is just what King and his colleagues are aiming to do. "It's a way to go directly from solar energy to chemical energy in the form of hydrogen," he says. "Downstream, we would like to use the enzyme in place of a catalyst, for example platinum, in solar-hydrogen energy production."

Journal reference: Nano Letters (Vol 7, No 11, pp 3528)

Energy and Fuels – Learn more about the looming energy crisis in our comprehensive special report.

Add a comment

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:45:00 +0000

Analysis: IPCC issues dire climate change warning

22 November 2007
Fred Pearce
Magazine issue 2631

THE warning is of "abrupt and irreversible" climate change. They are words we have heard often enough - but never before from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Its "synthesis report" published last week - which is intended mainly as a summary of findings presented in three detailed studies released earlier this year - has in fact gone further than those reports.

IPCC chiefs headed by chairman Rajendra Pachauri were stung by criticisms from scientists that their report on the physical science of climate change, agreed in February, had painted too rosy a picture. The charge was that their efforts to concentrate on findings with a 90 per cent certainty or better had resulted in them leaving out scarier but less certain scenarios. The synthesis report tries to make amends.

For instance, the February report predicted that sea levels will rise "between 18 and 59 centimetres" by 2100. Many ...

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:43:00 +0000

China surges ahead on clean energy spending

23 November 2007
NewScientist.com news service

Print Send Feeds

Tools

CHINA is leaving the US in the dust in its spending on clean energy - but it still has plenty to do if it is to shake off its sooty reputation.

According to a study released last week by the Washington-based think tank, Worldwatch Institute, China will invest more than $10 billion on renewable energy this year - double the amount invested by the US in 2006. China is on track to hit its goal of 15 per cent energy from renewables by 2020, up from 8 per cent today, the authors say. "I think the targets are realistic, even conservative based on what they have done so far," says Eric Martinot.

However, China remains heavily dependent on coal, the fossil fuel that emits the most carbon per unit of energy. Seventy per cent of its energy comes from coal compared with less than 25 per cent in the US.

From issue 2631 of New Scientist magazine, 23 November 2007, page 5

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 08:37:00 +0000

IPCC report urges swift action on global warming

Posted 1 hour 23 minutes ago

The IPCC says retreating glaciers and snow loss in alpine regions, thinning Arctic summer sea ice and thawing permafrost show that climate change is already happening (File photo). (Reuters: NASA)

The world's top scientific authority on climate change is set to adopt a landmark report that warns that the impacts of global warming are already visible, will accelerate this century and are potentially irreversible.

The document, crafted by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), summarises the first overview on the greenhouse-gas effect since 2001.

It is styled as a guide for politicians facing tough decisions on cutting pollution from fossil fuels, shifting to cleaner energy and bolstering defences against drought, flood, storms and other problems that are set to intensify through climate change.

The IPCC is going to adopt a 20-page "summary for policy-makers" and a 70-page technical document.

These will be followed by a press conference attended by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who has warned that the world is on the verge of a "catastrophe" due to global warming.

The report encapsulates three phonebook-sized assessments, issued earlier this year, that effectively consign once-powerful "climate sceptics" to a small and shrinking minority.

The IPCC says the evidence of a human role in observed warming is now "unequivocal".

It says retreating glaciers and snow loss in alpine regions, thinning Arctic summer sea ice and thawing permafrost show that climate change is already on the march.

By 2100, global average surface temperatures could rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees Celsius, compared to 1980-99 levels, while sea levels will rise by between 18 and 59 centimetres, the IPCC forecasts.

Heatwaves, rainstorms, water stress, tropical cyclones and surges in sea level are among the events expected to become more frequent, more widespread and/or more intense this century.

The draft of the new report warns that all countries will be affected but poorer countries - ironically those least to blame for causing the problem - will be hit hardest and have the least resources for coping.

Bali conference

Publication of the synthesis comes in the run-up to a conference in Bali, in Indonesia, where the world's nations will gather to ponder the climate crisis.

The December 3-14 conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is tasked with setting a "roadmap" of negotiations for intensifying cuts in carbon emissions beyond 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol runs out.

Carbon pollution, emitted especially by the burning of oil, gas and coal, traps heat from the Sun, thus warming the Earth's surface and causing changes to weather systems.

Emissions are spiralling, driven more recently by coal-fired plants in fast-growing China and India.

In its present form, Kyoto will not even make a dent in this threat.

In a commentary published in the International Herald Tribune today, Mr Ban called for urgent action on global warming.

"I believe we are on the verge of a catastrophe if we do not act," he wrote.

"I am not scare-mongering. But I believe we are nearing a tipping point."

But Mr Ban has characterised the IPCC report's conclusions as "encouraging".

"The over-arching message: we can beat this," he wrote.

"There are real and affordable ways to deal with climate change."

- AFP

Tags: environment, climate-change, world-politics, spain

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:04:00 +0000

ASEAN summit to promote nuclear energy, solar power

by Martin Abbugao Tue Nov 13, 9:38 AM ET

SINGAPORE, Nov 13, 2007 (AFP) - Southeast Asian leaders will promote the use of civilian nuclear power, along with other alternative energy sources, when they meet in Singapore next week, a draft statement obtained Tuesday said.

Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will also agree to establish a "regional nuclear safety regime" to ensure that plutonium, a key ingredient for making atomic weapons, does not fall into the wrong hands.

A draft of an ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Sustainability, obtained by AFP, said the leaders will agree "to take concrete measures to promote the use of renewable and alternative energy sources such as solar, hydro, wind, tide, biomass, biofuels and geothermal energy"

They will also support "civilian nuclear power" for interested countries -- a move which environmental campaigners see as worrying.

But the draft says ASEAN will ensure "safety and safeguards that are of current international standards and environmental sustainability".

Heads of state and government from ASEAN's member states Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are to sign the document next Tuesday during their annual summit.

Host Singapore has said it wants climate change to be the focus of the summit, but the meeting is instead expected to be dominated by rogue ASEAN member Myanmar's deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in September.

The document commits ASEAN states to implement environmentally sustainable practices, improve cooperation to fight trans-boundary pollution and to take action against illegal logging.

Weak law enforcement to control the use of fire for clearing agricultural land in ASEAN's biggest member, Indonesia, has been identified as a main cause of the haze that blankets wide swathes of the region each year.

ASEAN leaders will also pledge to improve energy efficiency, reduce the loss of biodiversity in the region and halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water by 2010, according to the draft.

But the decision to promote civilian nuclear power has sparked criticisms from environmental activists.

Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have announced plans to build nuclear power plants by 2020 in a bid to cut their dependence on crude oil and natural gas.

World oil prices topped 98 dollars a barrel earlier this month.

"If they are going nuclear, I think they are going into disaster for the region," warned Nur Hidayati, a campaigner for the environment watchdog Greenpeace.

"The nature of this region is that it is very unstable, and so when there is an accident, the whole region will suffer," she told AFP by telephone from Indonesia, referring to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Southeast Asia also does not have the technology, the expertise or the raw materials to operate a nuclear power plant, she charged.

This means governments will have to import them from foreign sources, defeating the objective of gaining energy security, Hidayati added.

However, she supported ASEAN's efforts to promote solar, hydro, wind and geothermal power.

"There is still a lot of potential in the region that is not being tapped effectively. It is better for governments to look at these alternative energy sources that are relatively clean and safe," she said.

Singapore has embarked on a strategy to establish itself as a centre for solar energy development.

Last month, Norway's Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) said it planned to invest more than 3.0 billion euros (4.31 billion US) to build a manufacturing plant in Singapore for solar wafers, cells and modules.

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

Average (8 votes)

» Recommended Stories

Science News

Science Video

Geeks United ABC News - Fri Nov 16, 7:02 PM ET
Vacuum cleaner dinosaur Reuters - Fri Nov 16, 4:04 AM ET

New dinosaur fossils displayed BBC - Fri Nov 16, 12:01 AM ET
Nov. 15, 1981: NASA Report ABC News - Thu Nov 15, 9:33 PM ET

China sees reduction in coal emissions

Thu Nov 15, 12:05 AM ET

BEIJING - China said measures to improve the environment by cutting pollution at coal-fired power plants has started to show results, with emissions of a key air pollutant falling so far this year.

ADVERTISEMENT
<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N3382.Yahoo/B2126400.14;abr=!ie;sz=300x250;dcopt=rcl;click=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12ggcuoba/M=569937.9924994.10714865.1442997/D=news/S=84920061:LREC/_ylt=AomsHKf.zQwBT2ov4DWciLz9xg8F/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1195282782/A=4313061/R=1/*;ord=1195275582988419?"></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT><A HREF="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12ggcuoba/M=569937.9924994.10714865.1442997/D=news/S=84920061:LREC/_ylt=AomsHKf.zQwBT2ov4DWciLz9xg8F/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1195282782/A=4313061/R=2/SIG=13b2ikqoq/*http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N3382.Yahoo/B2126400.14;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=1195275582988419?"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N3382.Yahoo/B2126400.14;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=1195275582988419?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 ALT="Click Here"></A></NOSCRIPT>

Emissions of sulfur dioxide, a main marker of air pollution, fell by 1.8 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2007, State Environmental Protection Administration Director Zhou Shengxian said Thursday in a statement on the agency's Web site.

This compared to a 1.2 percent rise in 2006 from a year earlier. Zhou attributed the decrease to the installation of facilities that cut emissions of sulfur from coal-fired power plants.

"This shows measures to improve environmental quality have worked," Zhou was quoted as saying by the official China Daily newspaper.

China has some of the most polluted cities in the world and many of its rivers and lakes are full of toxic poisons after decades of breakneck economic growth.

The stunning economic growth means it accounted for 58 percent of carbon emissions worldwide in 2000-06, the International Energy Agency said in a report last week.

The environmental concerns extend to next summer's Beijing Olympics, with the International Olympic Committee and others voicing concern about the city's notoriously bad air pollution.

China aims to cut major pollutants by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010, but missed its target last year.

While China is against binding emissions caps, fearing they could harm economic growth, it is looking to technology — such as installations on power plants — to help cut emissions.

Zho said that a measure of water pollution, called chemical oxygen demand, or COD, also fell fractionally.

His report came a day after a commission on China's Yangtze River said the amount of sewage dumped into that waterway rose last year to a record 30.5 billion tons, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

That was an increase of 3.1 percent, or 900 million tons, from the year before, according to Hu Jiajun, a spokesman for the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission, Xinhua said.

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

Average (1 vote)

» Recommended Stories

World News

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:57:00 +0000

China Powers Ahead on Renewable Energy

Ali Rahman, OneWorld US Thu Nov 15, 9:31 PM ET

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (OneWorld) - China is well on its way to acquiring fully 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020, while the United States is dragging its feet on transitioning away from fossil fuels, according to a pair of reports released here this week.

Nations across the globe invested over $50 billion collectively into renewable energy conversion last year, and in 2007 China alone is expected to account for some $10 billion of investment, explains "Powering China's Development: The Role of Renewable Energy," released Wednesday by the Worldwatch Institute, an independent Washington, DC research group.

With this large financial commitment, China looks poised to pass solar and wind energy leaders in Europe and North America and become a leader in renewables manufacturing, the report notes, adding that, at this pace, China will draw 30 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2050.

"The future of the global climate may rest in large measure on China's ability to lead the world into the age of renewable energy, much as the United States led the world into the age of oil roughly a century ago," said Worldwatch President Christopher Flavin.

Renewable energy continues to be marginalized in many national energy plans despite its numerous benefits, say environmental and geopolitical experts. The environmental benefits are well-known, but also important, they say, is that renewable energy sources -- unlike traditional fossil fuels -- will never run out.

While the Chinese government advances closer towards its renewable energy goals, the United States appears to be lagging. The U.S. Congress recently discussed dropping several key provisions from the energy legislation it is considering.

The terms in question would mandate a 35-mile-per-gallon (mpg) fuel efficiency standard for the U.S. fleet of cars and light trucks; an expansion of renewable energy tax incentives; and a 15-percent share of the nation's energy to come from renewable sources by the year 2020.

But the United States had already set its goals low, and by dropping these provisions it will fall farther behind the rest of the world, said the Sustainable Energy Network, an umbrella group of over 500 organizations, businesses, and individuals that promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency.

In response to Congress' threat to drop the provisions, 100 of the group's members, including Public Citizen's Energy Program and the Redwood Alliance, sent a letter Wednesday urging lawmakers against this action. The letter declared that the goals to be dropped are actually less than "what has been technically and economically achievable for many years."

Although a target fuel efficiency standard of 35 mpg is "a significant improvement," the groups said, with hybrid technology the United States is easily capable of reaching 55 mpg, and with fuel cell technology could possibly go as high as 80 mpg in the future.

The same can be said of the tax incentive and energy share provisions of the bill, according to the groups. The goal of a 15 percent renewable energy share by 2020 pales in comparison to Germany's plan to source 45 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

Many U.S. states, including California, Minnesota, Hawaii, and Colorado, have set goals of 20 percent renewable energy shares by 2020 or earlier. If these states can make these ambitious targets, then the nation should at least aim for similar goals, say the letter's signers.

If the United States does not wish to fall behind in global efforts to convert to cleaner and safer renewable energy, then it must move forward -- not backward -- on the legislative front, the groups warned.

Discuss/share this article

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:56:00 +0000

China the focus in clean cars race

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer Fri Nov 16, 3:38 AM ET

ANTING, China - Automakers racing to find affordable ways to make cars environmentally sustainable are zeroing in on polluted, fuel-scarce China to help them take clean car concepts from the laboratory to the market.

ADVERTISEMENT
<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N805.yahoo.comSD1509/B2125095.22;abr=!ie;sz=300x250;dcopt=rcl;click=http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12fmmie8p/M=570180.9955598.10735140.2577455/D=news/S=8903535:LREC/_ylt=AomsHKf.zQwBT2ov4DWciLxv24cA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1195282582/A=4307134/R=1/*;ord=1195275382802994?"></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT><A HREF="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12fmmie8p/M=570180.9955598.10735140.2577455/D=news/S=8903535:LREC/_ylt=AomsHKf.zQwBT2ov4DWciLxv24cA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1195282582/A=4307134/R=2/SIG=13kn65jng/*http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N805.yahoo.comSD1509/B2125095.22;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=1195275382802994?"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N805.yahoo.comSD1509/B2125095.22;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=1195275382802994?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 ALT="Click Here"></A></NOSCRIPT>

Mounting alarm over global warming and soaring crude oil prices was evident among automakers showcasing their latest green technologies at the Challenge Bibendum, held this week in Shanghai's "Auto City" — an industrial zone to the west of the city.

At the 2004 Shanghai Bibendum, named after the puffy mascot of French tire-making sponsor Michelin, the talk was all of phasing in various technologies over decades.

Today, with crude oil prices encroaching on $100 a barrel, it's of moving ahead with all technologies as soon as possible, especially in China, where environmental crises and fuel shortages resulting from its embrace of the automobile make it a microcosm of global trends.

"We used to talk about timeframes of short-mid-long-term. Now all of them are in play to figure out what are the different options for the different markets," said Elizabeth Lowery, vice president for environment, energy and safety policy at General Motors Corp.

With its huge market and high velocity growth, China is "critical" to the effort to reduce dependence on petroleum and carbon dioxide emissions, Lowery said in an interview.

In both oil consumption and vehicle sales, China ranks second globally after the United States and is fast catching up. Vehicle sales jumped 25 percent last year to 7.2 million units, including trucks and buses.

Spurred by the country's growing dependence on oil imports, the government targeted cleaner cars as a priority in February 2006 as part of a broad range of efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency.

It has promised grants and tax breaks to support industry efforts, and recently issued rigorous standards for makers of alternative fuel vehicles.

The urgent need for progress was evident outside the Bibendum venue, where a gray haze hung over the sleek concept cars whizzing around the parking lot.

Worldwide, automakers are investing billions of dollars to develop more eco-friendly vehicles to meet stricter standards on auto emissions and fuel efficiency, helped by recent advances in battery and fuel cell technology.

Late last month, GM announced plans for a $250 million alternative-fuel research center in Shanghai.

Both Toyota and Honda produce hybrid vehicles, which are powered by electricity and gasoline, in China and GM has said it plans to start selling a gas-electric hybrid here next year.

The challenge remains making the technologies affordable, and that hinges on boosting production volumes to reduce manufacturing costs per vehicle. Automakers are looking to the double-digit growth in China and other developing markets such as India to help realize those economies of scale.

"What really counts is applying the right technology on volume vehicles," said John Viera, director of sustainable business strategies at Ford Motor Co.

Herbert Kohler, chief environmental officer and vice president at Germany's Daimler AG, echoed that sentiment. "The number one issue is commercialization: To get the cost down."

Viera urged that Beijing promote clean cars, both hybrids and others, with tax breaks and other policy incentives.

"When we have government support, we shall launch these products for Chinese consumers," he said. "We need governments to be our partners."

So far, progress toward commercialization has illustrated the lack of a one-size-fits-all solution. For some countries, such as major biofuel producer Brazil, ethanol is a viable option. Others are increasingly relying on hybrids and other advances in traditional fuels while they experiment with fuel cell technology.

China has sought to curb an expansion in biofuel production to help protect food supplies and control prices. Thus automakers such as Ford, Daimler and Volkswagen AG are focusing on diesel, which can be processed from a variety of resources, including coal and natural gas.

"Our aim is to make diesel as clean as gas engines and gas engines as efficient as diesel," Kohler said.

Meanwhile, tire makers and chemicals manufacturers are developing new materials to reduce vehicle weight, wind resistance and ground friction — factors that can account for about a third of the carbon emissions that cause global warming.

Even road contractors have a crucial role to play in reducing pollution, recycling materials and using paving that can maximize efficiency, noted Jean Beauverd, chairman of the International Road Federation and president of road building company Colas Switzerland.

"There is a general agreement that business as usual is not an option," Beauvert said.

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

Average (39 votes)

» Recommended Stories

Business News

Business Video

Delayed Tax Refunds for 2008 ABC News - 1 hour, 23 minutes ago
Germany's trade ties

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:52:00 +0000

Absorbing CO2 by Dumping Urea Into Ocean Pisses Off Activists

By Brandon Keim November 05, 2007 | 11:52:52 AMCategories: Climate, Environment, Government, Oceans

The Philippines government has approved an Australian company's plan to absorb excess CO2 by dumping massive amounts of urea in the Sulu Sea. Environmental activists say the dumping is a potentially risky, scientifically unsound gamble that underscores the dangerous absence of international geoengineering regulations.

Like iron seeding, urea dumping is supposed to nourish blooms of greenhouse gas-gobbling plankton. But iron seeding is controversial, with some scientists saying it might produce even more CO2 -- and compared to urea dumping, iron seeding is well understood.

According to a statement issued by the Ottawa-based ETC Group, UK-based Corporate Watch, Malaysia-based Third World Network and the Philippines' SEARICE,

Urea and nitrogen fertilizer pollution caused by agricultural run-off has been linked to the creation of toxic algal blooms in the scientific literature, and raises the possibility of dead zones from oxygen depletion.

The groups called for regulators currently meeting to discuss the London Convention to evaluate urea dumping as well as iron seeding. The Convention, enacted by the International Maritime Organization in 1972, prohibits oceanic waste dumping -- but while simply pouring urea into the sea would be illegal, doing so to absorb carbon dioxide is permitted, or at least not forbidden.

That regulatory loophole is symbolic of the general absence of international guidelines for large-scale climate modification projects, both at sea and on land; and Sulu Sea urea dumping, proposed by the Ocean Nourishment Corporation and planned in the future for Malaysia, Chile and the United Arab Emirates, is symbolic of projects that are only going to become more common as climate change and entrepreneurship collide.

I've written a lot about geoengineering on WiSci, so check those posts out to learn more about the issues. The bottom line: geoengineering could work, and if the worst-case climate scenarios become more probable, we might need it. But there are enough question marks and potential problems to demand that humanity do it as wisely as possible.

Pissing for Profit in the Pacific [Press Release]

Backgrounder: Ocean Nourishment Corporation plans imminent urea dumping experiment in Southeast Asian seas [ETC Group, Third World Network, Corporate Watch & SEARICE]

Image: NASA

See Also:

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:50:00 +0000

Q&A: All We Are Saying Is, Give (Clean) Coal a Chance

By Alexis Madrigal 11.06.07 | 12:00 AM

Stanford research fellow Jeremy Carl says, "Coal is as dirty as it gets," but warns against throwing the possibly cleaned-up baby out with the dirty bathwater.
Photo: Jeremy Carl

Coal is dirty. But coal is driving the U.S., Chinese and Indian economies. And therefore, coal is not going away. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind generate only 1 percent of the world's electricity. Do the math: Making coal burn cleaner might be the most pressing environmental problem that no one talks about.

Despite recent estimates that pollution from China's booming coal industry reaches U.S. shores in as little as five days, the green-tech investment boom that has funded the rise of biofuels has bypassed coal. Even the head of the World Coal Institute recently proclaimed the last 10 years "a lost decade" for clean coal, saying it's time to play catch-up.

Stanford's Jeremy Carl, a research fellow in the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, couldn't agree more. He spoke on the phone with Wired News to discuss China, the holy grail of clean coal and how many coal plants he'd trade for Kyoto's accomplishments.

Wired News: Why'd you get into clean coal?

Jeremy Carl: I looked at the numbers. It's a question of where the big sources of emissions are and where we can attack them.

WN: Can you give us an idea of the scale of coal power? Can you put coal in context as an energy source?

Carl: Only oil makes a bigger contribution to global energy. In terms of energy in the industrial world, it's about 40 percent of electricity production.

WN: How dirty is coal?

Carl: Coal is as dirty as it gets. Coal has every element in the periodic table. And depending where in the world you get it from, "coal" can mean 100 different substances. If you sent the sort of coal you might use in a typical Indian plant to a supermodern boiler in Japan, it would shut the place down.

WN: But there's got to be good things about coal.

Carl: It's cheap. And coal doesn't have the kind of extreme risk that nuclear power has. You're not going to build a dirty bomb out of coal. And unlike other fossil fuels, it is really widely distributed, so there is less of a coal OPEC.

WN: And that distribution would seem to make resource wars less likely to break out over coal?

Carl: Yes.

WN: Is there an energy source that could replace coal?

Carl: Natural gas is the only viable replacement, and it's not clear that the natural-gas supply could scale up to replace coal.

WN: So, how can we can make coal cleaner?

Carl: The most-well-known is flue-gas desulfurization, which takes sulfur dioxide out of smoke stacks, and came out of concerns about acid rain. There are other pollution-control devices for nitrogen oxide and mercury filters.

WN: What about up-and-coming technologies like carbon capture and sequestration? Can you tell us about that?

Carl: You're taking carbon from a smokestack and pressure-injecting it into a geological formation of some sort. We actually already do this process at an industrial level. We know how this works.

WN: Seems like we're spending a lot of time on the backend scrubbing pollutants out. Should we be designing in a cleaner process on the front end?

Carl: A lot of people point to integrated gasification-combined-cycle (IGCC) plants, which gasify coal before burning it, as the holy grail because they get you a cleaner process. It gives you a more concentrated stream of carbon that you can sequester underground more cheaply. The capital cost is very high, though, and we don't have a lot of experience in designing them.

WN: We hear a lot about China's coal industry. Can you compare it with the U.S. industry, which ranks second in the world?

Carl: We mine about (1.1 billion tons) of coal per year. China was at about 1.4 billion tons seven years ago. Now they are at 2.4 billion tons. So, they essentially took the second-biggest coal industry in the whole world and replicated it in seven years. And if you look at the Chinese plans, they plan to ramp it up even more in the future.

WN: Given the obvious environmental impacts of these plants, why don't we have better answers for these problems than the Kyoto Protocol (which the United States didn't sign, and which exempted China and India from emissions restrictions)?

Carl: I'll give you a speculative, personal answer. It has to do with the politics of the type of people who were negotiating Kyoto. And the pressure put on by environmental groups that were uncomfortable with coal. There was just so much pressure on the symbolic importance of getting a deal done.

WN: What would you have rather seen?

Carl: I think there has been some really good criticism that says, "Was the U.N. really a good forum for this? Or would it have been better to have taken the 10 countries who consume 60 percent of global energy and do something with real teeth in it?" I think that would have been a much better approach.

I would have happily traded every emissions gain from Kyoto for eight clean coal plants sequestering carbon in different countries. Because then we could have a real discussion that says, "This works. Now let's see who has to bear the cost."

WN: Why would that be such a big deal?

Carl: Because right now we're having a conversation with China and India where we're trying to get China and India to build clean coal plants by saying, "Here's this thing that's never been tried before at a mass scale. You should build one." And that's not going to wor

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:16:00 +0000

Mechanical 'fish' could tap turbulence for energy

Devices that harvest energy from swirling wakes surrounding buildings are being developed by US researchers. Their novel designs – inspired by fish – could generate electricity using eddies, something that conventional turbines cannot do.

Fish use their bodies to get an energy boost from surrounding vortices, which may be created by other fish in the same shoal, or by stationary objects in the water. But this kind of turbulent flow cannot be used by conventional wind or water turbines, which instead need a steady flow.

John Dabiri at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, US, realised that it might be possible for a mechanical system to extract energy from vortex wakes and has developed a mathematical model, based on the way fish move, to help put this into practice.

"In fish we have a working example of a system that extracts energy from vortices, now we need to work out how to build our own," he says.

Lateral drift

Fish move from side to side in order to exploit the way wakes in flowing water produce vortices that alternately spin clockwise and anticlockwise, as shown in the videos on this page.

For a mechanical device to pick up energy from an eddy, Dabiri's model shows that it must also change its angle in a similar way to a fish, to pick up as much energy as possible.

"We need a device that can be aware of what is happening upstream and position itself relative to incoming flows accordingly," says Dabiri.

"To exploit this we [also] need to find locations with naturally occurring fluctuations," says Dabiri. "This is exactly the situation in urban environments." Buildings constantly produce turbulent wakes making many rooftops unsuitable for normal wind turbines, but perfect for harvesting eddies.

Dabiri and colleagues have begun designing prototypes devices for use in the air and in the water. "They look less like a fish than you might think – we aren't trying to copy them directly, just to uncover and use the underlying dynamics of what they do."

Slow but steady

Once operational such devices will generate less power than a normal wind turbine in full flow, but should still compete over the long term, Dabiri says. "Turbines need wind to get over about 10 metres per second to work," he says. "But we should be able to extract energy all the time. It's like the tortoise and the hare." Over about a year, Dabiri says, the two may harness the same total energy.

James Liao a biologist at Cornell University, US, first demonstrated in 2003 that fish in shoals use vortices to save energy, something long suspected.

Liao says Dabiri's model will help to push the concept forward. "It could make this idea accessible to a wider audience," he says. Dabiri's model is a simplified version, he adds, but a full model of the fluid dynamics involved is impractical, because of the complexity of modelling both a wake and the effect of a moving fish.

Laio has previously collaborated with other engineers interested in harvesting energy from vortices and is now looking at how fish use their lateral lines to sense vortices and guide the way they move. "The question is, what do you need from the environment to be able to do this," he says. "That is also important for any man-made uses of vortices."

Journal reference: Bioinspiration & Biomimetics (DOI: 10.1088/1748-3182/2/3/L01)

Energy and Fuels - Learn more about the looming energy crisis in our comprehensive special report.

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 07:46:00 +0000

Go nuclear for a third industrial revolution, says EC

We are on the brink of the "third industrial revolution", according to José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission - who believes it means nations may have to embrace nuclear power.

Europe's "low-carbon age" is the revolution Barroso spoke of last week at an energy conference in Madrid, Spain. "Member states cannot avoid the question of nuclear energy," he said, following the commission's announcement last month of a new research initiative for nuclear energy. The European Union should contribute to research, Barroso said.

However, not all of Europe shares his view. At a separate nuclear energy conference in Vienna last week, environment ministers from Austria, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Norway and Italy declared that global growth in nuclear power would severely increase the risks of nuclear proliferation. "Some European countries are almost religiously opposed to nuclear power," says Hans-Holger Rogner of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

From issue 2625 of New Scientist magazin

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 05:13:00 +0000

Gore's climate film has scientific errors - judge

· Court rules documentary can be shown in schools · Presentation is 'broadly accurate' but lacks balance
David Adam, environment correspondent
The Guardian
Thursday October 11 2007
Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, was yesterday criticised by a high court judge who highlighted what he said were "nine scientific errors" in the film.
Mr Justice Barton yesterday said that while the film was "broadly accurate" in its presentation of climate change, he identified nine significant errors in the film, some of which, he said, had arisen in "the context of alarmism and exaggeration" to support the former US vice-president's views on climate change.
The film was broadly welcomed by environmental campaigners and scientists on its release last year, and while they did point out that it contained mistakes, these were relatively small and did not detract from the film's central message - that global warming was a real problem and humans had the technology to do something about it.
The judge made his remarks when assessing a case brought by Stewart Dimmock, a Kent school governor and a member of a political group, the New party, who is opposed to a government plan to show the film in secondary schools.
The judge ruled that the film can still be shown in schools, as part of a climate change resources pack, but only if it is accompanied by fresh guidance notes to balance Mr Gore's "one-sided" views. The "apocalyptic vision" presented in the film was not an impartial analysis of the science of climate change, he said.
The judge also said it might be necessary for the Department of Children, Schools and Families to make clear to teachers some of Mr Gore's views were not supported or promoted by the government, and there was "a view to the contrary".
He said he had viewed the film and described it as "powerful, dramatically presented and highly professionally produced", built around the "charismatic presence" of Mr Gore, "whose crusade it now is to persuade the world of the dangers of climate change".
The mistakes identified mainly deal with the predicted impacts of climate change, and include Mr Gore's claims that a sea-level rise of up to 20ft would be caused by melting in either west Antarctica or Greenland "in the near future".
The judge said: "This is distinctly alarmist and part of Mr Gore's 'wake-up call'." He accepted that melting of the ice would release this amount of water - "but only after, and over, millennia."
Despite his finding of significant errors, Mr Justice Barton said many of the claims made by the film were supported by the weight of scientific evidence and he identified four main hypotheses, each of which is very well supported "by research published in respected, peer-reviewed journals and accords with the latest conclusions of the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]."
The nine points: fact or fallacy?
· The film claimed that low-lying inhabited Pacific atolls "are being inundated because of anthropogenic global warming" - but there was no evidence of any evacuation occurring
· It spoke of global warming "shutting down the ocean conveyor" - the process by which the gulf stream is carried over the north Atlantic to western Europe. The judge said that, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it was "very unlikely" that the conveyor would shut down in the future, though it might slow down
· Mr Gore had also claimed - by ridiculing the opposite view - that two graphs, one plotting a rise in C02 and the other the rise in temperature over a period of 650,000 years, showed "an exact fit". The judge said although scientists agreed there was a connection, "the two graphs do not establish what Mr Gore asserts"
· Mr Gore said the disappearance of snow on Mt Kilimanjaro was expressly attributable to human-induced climate change. The judge said the consensus was that that could not be established
· The drying up of Lake Chad was used as an example of global warming. The judge said: "It is apparently considered to be more likely to result from ... population increase, over-grazing and regional climate variability"
· Mr Gore ascribed Hurricane Katrina to global warming, but there was "insufficient evidence to show that"
· Mr Gore also referred to a study showing that polar bears were being found that had drowned "swimming long distances to find the ice". The judge said: "The only scientific study that either side before me can find is one which indicates that four polar bears have recently been found drowned because of a storm"
· The film said that coral reefs all over the world were bleaching because of global warming and other factors. The judge said separating the impacts of stresses due to climate change from other stresses, such as over-fishing, and pollution, was difficult

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 22:32:00 +0000

Scientists developing clean energy systems from micro-algae

An international consortium established by an Australian scientist is developing a clean source of energy that could see some of our future fuel and possibly water needs being generated by solar-powered bio-reactors and micro-algae while absorbing CO2.
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
Renewable Energy - Learn the truth about solar, wind, hydro, bioenergy www.greenpeace.org.au
46 cent per gal BioDiesel - Not Biodiesel. No conversions. 30,000+ people Love this Answer DieselSecret.com
Top 5 Energy Stocks - Add some Green to your Portfolio. Free Alternative Energy Report. www.RisingStarStocks.com/Energy

Associate Professor Ben Hankamer, from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at The University of Queensland, has established the Solar Bio-fuels Consortium which is engineering green algal cells and advanced bio-reactor systems to produce bio-fuels such as hydrogen in a CO2-neutral process.
");
//]]>-->

document.context='YTowOnt9';

“The development of clean fuels to combat climate change and protect against oil price shocks is an urgent challenge facing our society,” said Associate Professor Hankamer, who co-directs the Consortium with Professor Olaf Kruse from the University of Bielefeld in Germany. “Many countries are already aiming to replace 10 to 20 percent of their existing energy production capacity with CO2-neutral energy systems by 2020. But this is very likely not nearly enough. “Some reports indicate that 50-66 percent of current energy production capacity may have to be CO2-free by 2020 to avoid the worst effects of climate change. This will be very hard to achieve and we need new technologies to do so.” Fuels make up about two-thirds of the energy market, yet most low-CO2 emission technologies, such as nuclear power and clean coal technology, target the electricity market. In contrast, the solar bio-hydrogen process uses solar-powered bioreactors filled with single-celled algae to produce hydrogen from water.
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
Tank Cleaning Underground Petroleum Tank Cleaning and Biofuel Tank Conversionswww.masstech.com.au
Lowest Electricity Cost Independent energy consultants Best market prices guaranteedwww.tteg.com.au
Complete Biodiesel Kits Turn-key Biodiesel Kits w/ Heat Have questions? Call 1-800-679-1398www.HomeBiodieselKits.com/BioKits

Algae naturally capture sunlight and use its energy to split water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen, however this process is not efficient enough to make it commercially viable. The Consortium uses this natural reaction, but is developing ways of enhancing its efficiency to a level where the process will be economically viable. This will be done with the help of a $286 000 Australian Research Council grant received last week. “We have conducted detailed feasibility studies that show that, once key technical milestones are overcome, this technology could achieve economic viability, which will increase further with the introduction of carbon trading schemes and the predicted rise in the oil price,” Associate Professor Hankamer said. “We have focused on micro-algae as a source of hydrogen because they have several advantages over traditional bio-fuel crops.” One major advantage, especially in drought-stricken countries like Australia, is that hydrogen can be produced from salt water. Marine and salt-tolerant algae can extract hydrogen and oxygen from seawater and on combustion these gases produce fresh water and electricity, which can be fed into the national grid. Consequently, clean energy production can theoretically be coupled with desalination. This is by no means the only advantage. One of the current concerns about traditional bio-fuel crops is that they will compete with food production for arable land and water. In contrast, algal bioreactors can be placed on non-arable land and use much less water than conventional bio-fuel crops. “This opens up new economic opportunities for arid regions and eliminates competition with agricultural crops or rainforest regions which are increasingly being used to plant oil palms for bio-diesel production,” Associate Professor Hankamer said. “Algae also have a very short life cycle and can be harvested every one to ten days rather than once or twice a year, increasing yield.” One other major benefit of the hydrogen production process is that it absorbs CO2. “We are therefore starting to investigate whether our hydrogen producing systems can be linked to conventional power stations to sequester CO2 which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere”, said Associate Prof Hankamer. For more information on the Consortium please visit http://www.solarbiofuels.org . Source: University of Queensland
» Next Article in General Science - Biology: Researchers help develop pest-resistant eggplant for South Asia

would you recommend this story?

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 06:48:00 +0000

Democrats eye key climate summit

By Roger Harrabin
Environment analyst, BBC News

John Kerry has already stated that he will attend the Bali summit

A team of leading US Democrats is planning to send a delegation to a key UN climate conference to rival President Bush's official team.

They are so frustrated by Mr Bush's refusal to support US emissions cuts that they will travel to Bali to set out their alternative vision.

The UN summit in December is seen as a vital step towards a new global climate deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

The delegation may be led by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Her office has not confirmed or denied Ms Pelosi's travel plans, citing security reasons, but sources say she is keen to attend if the legislative schedule allows.

Details of the delegation are expected to be released in the next few days, but Senator John Kerry, the former presidential candidate and long-term environmentalist, has already publicly stated that he will make the trip.

Power struggle

While it is common for opposition politicians to attend meetings of the UN climate process, this delegation may take on greater significance as the Bush administration nears the end of its time in office and the Democrats' majorities in Congress prepare their strategy.

What happens in the corridors is just as important, maybe more important, than what happens in the negotiating hall

Dr R K Pachauri,
IPCC chairman

Soon, they will push through an Energy Bill that goes further than President Bush wants.

And they are set to introduce a Climate Change Bill in the Senate mandating binding carbon dioxide (CO2) cuts in the US; details of the bill should be published on 15 October.

The Democrat visit is welcome news to EU politicians, who have pledged to cut Europe's emissions by an ambitious 30% by 2020 from 1990 levels if other big nations make similar effort.

Big developing nations like China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico are refusing to make any international commitments while the US refuses to move.

Climate negotiators from Europe and Africa have told BBC News that a Democrat presence in Bali would be very welcome. They said it could apply pressure on President Bush's representatives in the negotiating hall.

Last week, Sigmar Gabriel, the German environment minister, said he had visited Mr Bush's Washington meeting on climate change and that he had enjoyed very fruitful discussions with the Democrats about the shape of US climate policy.

Dr R K Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), observed: "I think it's very important for legislators from every country to be exposed to what's going to happen in Bali.

"In a Conference of the Parties (COP), what happens in the corridors is just as important, maybe more important, than what happens in the negotiating hall," he told BBC News.

"I would like to see legislators from China and India taking part, too."

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 06:27:00 +0000

Norwegian gas group sets up biggest liquefied gas project in Europe

Fri Sep 21, 2:11 PM ET

OSLO (AFP) - Norwegian oil company Statoil said Friday it had set up the biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Europe in the Barents Sea.

It said the large-scale gas project also involves French oil group Total and gas utility Gaz de France, who respectively hold 18.4 percent and 12 percent of the project, against Statoil's 33.53 percent.

Situated at the northern tip of Norway, and linked by pipeline to the gas deposit at Snoehvit, the project produced its first cubic metres of liquefied natural gas on September 13 after five years of development and with a cost overrun of 18.8 billion kronor (2.4 billion euros, 3.3 billion dollars), it said.

Initially fixed at 39.5 billion kronor, the cost of the project ran to 58.3 billion, Statoil said.

The other partners are the Norwegian company Petoro (30 percent), US firm Hess (3.26 percent), and Germany's RWE-DEA (2.81 percent).

"The first phase will be characterised by instability," Tim Dodson, Statoil's acting executive vice president for exploration and production Norway said in a statement.

"We must expect that the plant will again be closed for shorter or longer periods for further adjustments to the process."

The gas is destined for the American and European markets.

RECO

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 06:11:00 +0000

Rudd in climate talks with Gore

Posted 5 hours 44 minutes ago
Updated 5 hours 23 minutes ago

Climate crusader: Al Gore (File photo) (Reuters: Joshua Roberts)

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has met with the former US vice-president and climate campaigner Al Gore in Melbourne to discuss climate change issues.

Mr Rudd says Australia's failure to ratify the Kyoto protocol means it does not have voting rights at the December meeting of the UN framework convention on climate change in Bali.

He says ratification is long overdue.

"We would have been 11 years or a decade at least down the track towards substantive diplomatic engagement on bringing the Chinese on board, on bringing the Indians on board, on working with our friends in Washington to bring America on board and to work out the practical strategies necessary," he said.

"But instead we've had a decade of denial on climate change."

Mr Gore has welcomed Mr Rudd's pledge to ratify the protocol, and says it would put overwhelming pressure on America to do the same.

But he stopped short of endorsing Mr Rudd for prime minister.

"If I were a citizen of Australia and cared deeply about the climate crisis I would pay very careful attention to the fact that there is a clear and stark difference in the positions of the two candidates," he said.

"One supports ratification of the world treaty to solve the climate crisis and the other opposes it. That would weigh very heavily on my vote."

Tags: environment, climate-change, government-and-politics, federal-government, federal-election-2007, rudd-kevin, australia, vic, melbourne-3000

Search for news

Help

My Tags

Add Tag Page links here to follow news categories important to you.

View all tags | Tag cloud

Help

My Stories

Bookmark stories, video and audio clips you may want to access later.

Also Of Interest

Bush lacks leadership on climate: Garrett
2 Sep 2007 - 2 weeks ago

Govt failing on climate change: Rudd
2 Jun 2007 - 16 weeks ago

Rudd in his element in talks with Chinese President
7 Sep 2007 - 2 weeks ago

Rudd pledges $500m towards hybrid car development
15 Mar 2007 - 27 weeks ago

Downer says APEC can deliver on climate change
3 Sep 2007 - 2 weeks ago

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 06:09:00 +0000

PM announces national clean energy target

Posted 1 hour 38 minutes ago
Updated 1 hour 18 minutes ago

Mr Howard says he plans to consult state and territory leaders immediately. (File photo) (AAP: Dean Lewins)

Prime Minister John Howard has announced a new national clean energy target requiring that 30,000 gigawatt hours per year come from low emission sources by 2020.

Those sources include renewable energy, as well as fossil-fuel power generation which uses carbon capture storage.

The national scheme is designed to replace the individual state and territory schemes.

Mr Howard says he plans to consult state and territory leaders immediately.

"The great virtue of this is it will establish a single national target and over the past few years the states have regularly called on the Commonwealth to have a single national scheme," he said.

"And therefore in announcing this today, the states are really being invited to support something that they have called for."

Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the new target will drive further investment in the renewable energy sector as the emissions trading scheme is introduced.

"By the time this target is established, by 2020 and of course the years that follow, the emissons trading scheme itself will be having an impact," he said.

"So we will see both from this target and from the emissions trading scheme, and enormous amount of impetus behind clean energy sources right through Australia."

Tags: environment, alternative-energy, government-and-politics, federal-government, howard-john, australia

Search for news

Help

My Tags

Add Tag Page links here to follow news categories important to you.

View all tags | Tag cloud

Help

My Stories

Bookmark stories, video and audio clips you may want to access later.

Also Of Interest

Creating a bright future for Australia
24 Apr 2007 - 21 weeks ago

Carbon trading on agenda at states' meeting
2 Jun 2007 - 16 weeks ago

Rudd announces $1.5b clean coal policy
25 Feb 2007 - 30 weeks ago

PM criticised for not revealing greenhouse reduction target
3 Jun 2007 - 15 weeks ago

Govt told to bin 'absurd' energy report
31 Jan 2007 - 33 weeks ago

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:48:00 +0000

Study says the best energy strategies to meet the world’s growing demand for electricity are green, small and local

The wisest energy strategy for the United States, and indeed other countries facing similar challenges, is to move away from their reliance on large-scale centralized coal and nuclear plants, and instead, invest in renewable energy systems and small scale decentralized generation technologies. According to Benjamin Sovacool from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, these alternative technologies are simultaneously feasible, affordable, environmentally friendly, reliable and secure. His analysis and recommendations are published in Springer’s journal Policy Sciences.
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
Energy Industry Seminars - Understand Energy/Electric Markets, Futures, Options & Derivatives www.pgsenergy.com
Power Generation Mgt - Profit can be Maximized from your Power Plant www.sterling-energy.com
Total Generators - Generators, Transformers, Cables Fuel Cells, Dist & Load Equip www.totalgenerators.com

The electricity sector as it currently operates is at the mercy of natural disasters, price fluctuations, terrorist attacks and blackouts. Coupled with other, more long-standing problems such as increasing levels of pollution, growing vulnerability and inefficiency of transmission and distribution networks, and rising electricity prices related to disruptions and interruptions in fuel supply, these challenges add to the need for an evaluation of alternative energy technologies. Sovacool studies in detail the current technological composition of, and challenges faced by, the American electric utility industry. He then evaluates the broad portfolio of energy technologies available to American electricity policy makers, against five criteria: technical feasibility, cost, negative externalities (or impact on human health and the environment), reliability and security. Sovacool’s detailed analysis shows that three other sets of technologies – energy efficiency practices (like more efficient appliances), renewable energy systems (such as generators that create electricity from sunlight, wind, and falling water), and small-scale distributed generation technologies (such as generators that produce decentralized and modular power close to its point of consumption) – appear to offer many advantages over large and centralized nuclear and fossil fueled generators.
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
The Electricity Blog Electrical technologies and their applicationwww.leonardo-energy.org/
Save on energy costs Reduce your electricity and gas bills foreverwww.ecomaster.com.au
Top 5 Energy Stocks Add some Green to your Portfolio. Free Alternative Energy Report.www.RisingStarStocks.com/Energy

Sovacool’s paper shows how these alternative approaches can offer policy makers solutions to curb electricity demand, minimize the risk of fuel interruptions and shortages, help improve the fragile transmission network, and reduce environmental harm. He concludes that “it is these miniature generators – not mammoth and capital-intensive nuclear and fossil fuel plants – that offer the best strategy for diversifying electrical generation in a competitive energy environment.” Source: Springer

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:46:00 +0000

Asia-Pacific nations urged to study biofuels more carefully

The nations of Asia and the Pacific are being urged to study the issue of biofuels with greater care before deciding on how they will use their agricultural products to generate energy.
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
Algae Biofuel - The Aquatic Plant That Could Solve America's Fuel Crisis. New Report. www.GreenChipStocks.com/Biofuel_Rpt
46 cent per gallon Diesel - No conversions. Not Biodiesel 30,000 People Love it so far DieselSecret.com
Biofuels International - Free sample copy. Learn more about biodiesel, bioethanol & biomass. www.biofuels-news.com

Scientists say there is an urgent need to support the current rush toward major decisions on biofuel policies in Asia and the Pacific with solid research and unbiased information about their potential benefits, impact, and risks. This appeal was issued at the end of a recent Expert Consultation on Biofuels organized by the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) together with the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India, the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute, and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico. The consultation was held at IRRI’s headquarters in Los Baños, Philippines, on August 27-29. “There’s no doubt biofuels will have an impact on agriculture in Asia and the Pacific and present some very interesting new opportunities,” APAARI’s executive secretary, R.S. Paroda, said. “But we need to be absolutely sure this will not affect the region’s food security and its continuing efforts to alleviate poverty.”
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
Biomass to Bio Oil Company commercializes technology converting biomass to liquid fuelwww.dynamotive.com
Top 5 Energy Stocks Add some Green to your Portfolio. Free Alternative Energy Report.www.RisingStarStocks.com/Energy
New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia MFA Film and Televisionwww.nyu.edu/tisch/searchasia

In the Asian region, both China and India are gearing up for substantial investments in biofuels. Malaysia and Indonesia are investing heavily in oil palm plantations for biodiesel production. The Philippines has mandated the blending of gasoline with 5 percent biofuel. However, at the same time, countries such as China have currently banned the use of maize – a vital food crop for national food and feed security – as biofuel. The consultation focused on important issues such as (i) how bioenergy production may have an impact on global and regional food security, (ii) understanding bioenergy options for key crops and cropping systems in Asia, (iii) identifying research priorities for designing and evaluating integrated food-bioenergy production systems, and (iv) developing a framework for research on biofuels in key agricultural systems of Asia. Source: International Rice Research Institute

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:47:00 +0000

Making EU climate goal 'unlikely'

The IPCC report warns of declining crop yields and increased hungerThe European Union's goal of keeping the global temperature rise to 2C is unlikely to be met, a leading climate researcher has warned.
Professor Martin Parry told BBC News that millions, if not tens of millions, would be at increased risk to their lives from a rise above 2C (3.6F).
Professor Parry co-chairs the impacts working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The group's full 2007 report is being presented to scientists in London.
Its summary findings were unveiled in April.
Asked what the chances were of keeping the average global temperature rise at or below 2C, Professor Parry said: "Quite little, I think, unfortunately.
Failing to tackle it will lead to floods, droughts and natural disasters which can destroy poor people's lives
Gareth Thomas, DfID"And it's evident from the work of the IPCC that even with a maximum of 2C we're not going to avoid some major impacts at the regional level."
His personal estimate was that the rise could be constrained to between 2C and 3C.
Adapt and survive
The IPCC report on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation paints a picture in sober scientific language of a world where some regions see significant changes as greenhouse gas levels and average temperatures escalate.
Parts of Africa would see water shortages, as would Asian and South American zones fed by mountain glacier melt.
Crop yields would decline across the tropics; Europe would see an increase in heatwaves.

Billions face climate risk
Mapping climate impacts But Professor Parry said steps could be taken to help societies adapt to these impacts.
"We need to talk very seriously about major amounts of adaptation being put in place now," he said.
The Kyoto Protocol established mechanisms which would leverage money for adaptation from carbon trading. But the funds have been criticised as being too small and too bureaucratic, and there have been wrangles over who controls them.
A number of development agencies including Britain's Department for International Development (DfID) are seeking to build climate adaptation into their aid projects.
Speaking at the London IPCC meeting, held at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), Trade and Development Minister Gareth Thomas described climate change as a "development challenge".
"Failing to tackle it will lead to floods, droughts and natural disasters which can destroy poor people's lives as well as their livelihoods," he said.
"If we want to achieve the aspirations of the Make Poverty History campaign or the targets of the Millennium Development Goals, we - governments, citizens and developing countries themselves - must rise to the challenge."

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:10:00 +0000

How this 12inch miracle tube could halve heating bills

Amazing British invention creates MORE energy than you put into it - and could soon be warming your homeLast updated at 21:09pm on 15th September 2007
Comments (5) It sounds too good to be true - not to mention the fact that it violates almost every known law of physics.
But British scientists claim they have invented a revolutionary device that seems to 'create' energy from virtually nothing.
Their so-called thermal energy cell could soon be fitted into ordinary homes, halving domestic heating bills and making a major contribution towards cutting carbon emissions.
Scroll down for more...

Hot stuff: Ecowatts boss Paul Calver with the device
Even the makers of the device are at a loss to explain exactly how it works - but sceptical independent scientists carried out their own tests and discovered that the 12in x 2in tube really does produce far more heat energy than the electrical energy put in.
The device seems to break the fundamental physical law that energy cannot be created from nothing - but researchers believe it taps into a previously unrecognised source of energy, stored at a sub-atomic level within the hydrogen atoms in water.
Scroll down for more...
The system - developed by scientists at a firm called Ecowatts in a nondescript laboratory on an industrial estate at Lancing, West Sussex - involves passing an electrical current through a mixture of water, potassium carbonate (otherwise known as potash) and a secret liquid catalyst, based on chrome.
This creates a reaction that releases an incredible amount of energy compared to that put in. If the reaction takes place in a unit surrounded by water, the liquid heats up, which could form the basis for a household heating system.
If the technology can be developed on a domestic scale, it means consumers will need much less energy for heating and hot water - creating smaller bills and fewer greenhouse gases.
Jim Lyons, of the University of York, independently evaluated the system. He said: 'Let's be honest, people are generally pretty sceptical about this kind of thing. Our team was happy to take on the evaluation, even if to prove it didn't work.
'But this is a very efficient replacement for the traditional immersion heater. We have examined this interesting technology and when we got the rig operating, we were getting 150 to 200 per cent more energy out than we put in, without trying too hard.
People are sceptical - but somehow it works
'We are still not clear about the science involved here, because the physics and chemistry are very different-to everything that has gone before. Our challenge now is to study the science and how it works.'
The device has taken ten years of painstaking work by a small team at Ecowatts' tiny red-brick laboratory, and bosses predict a household version of their device will be ready to go on sale within the next 18 months.
The project, which has cost the company £1.4million, has the backing of the Department of Trade and Industry, which is keen to help poorer families without traditional central heating or who cannot afford rocketing fuel bills.
Ecowatts says the device will cost between £1,500 and £2,000, in line with the price of traditional systems.
The development of the groundbreaking technology results from a chance meeting between Ecowatts chairman Chris Davies, his wife Jane and an Irish inventor, Christopher Eccles, while the couple were on holiday near Shannon in 1998.
After the inventor showed the couple his laboratory experiments, Mrs Davies, immediately signed a £20,000 cheque on the bonnet of her car and handed it over to Mr Eccles.
He later became chief scientist of Ecowatts' parent company Gardner Watts, but has since left after 'falling out' with the company, according to insiders. Sadly, Mrs Davies died three years ago, so she will be unable to share in the success of her husband's development of the idea.
Mr Davies, now 75, of Dedham, Essex, was unavailable for comment last night.
But Ecowatts chief executive Paul Calver said: 'When Jane Davies whipped out her cheque book, it turned out to be a very good investment indeed.
'She and Chris were always interested in ecology and now it looks as if our heat exchanger system is ready to go on sale soon. We're producing a device in the next nine months to heat radiators.
'Most British homes rely on gas, and the Government has admitted there is a problem getting a substitute. Our device will help solve that.'
Sustainable energy expert Professor Saffa Riffat, of Nottingham University, has also led a team investigating the system.
He said: 'The concept is very interesting and it could be a major breakthrough, but more tests are required. We will be doing further checks.'
Share this article:
What is this?
Digg it

Del.icio.us

Reddit

Newsvine

Nowpublic

noreply@blogger.com (voltzman) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:05:00 +0000

Bondi Beach to be wiped out

Article from:
Font size: Decrease Increase
Email article: Email
Print article: Print
Submit comment: Submit comment
September 16, 2007 03:05pm
THREE of Australia's most popular beaches could be wiped out by rising sea levels in less than 100 years thanks to climate change, a Sydney mayor said today.Waverley Mayor George Newhouse said results of a CSIRO study into climate change predicted that sea levels would rise by at least 88cm by 2100 wiping out Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches in the Sydney's east. “These are places where families and children gather,” Mr Newhouse said. “Our children are our future and we are mortgaging their future by failing to act on this climate change issue.” Mr Newhouse launched a climate-change marker today at North Bondi Children's Pool, which he said was forecast to be under water by 2030. The marker indicates to beach visitors the predicted water height by 2100. “At Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte, we will just lose the whole beach and at other beaches like Collaroy and Narrabeen (in Sydney's north) we will see houses falling into the water,” Mr Newhouse said. The CSIRO study analysed sea level increases at six sites around the world between 1990 and 2006, he said. “I'm told that CSIRO estimate is actually conservative, meaning we could see greater increases in sea levels,” Mr Newhouse said. “After a recent extreme weather event (high seas in March) in Sydney, we spent $60,000 fixing our beaches in one weekend and those occurrences are going to increase with storm surges and extreme weather events as weather heats up.” Mr Newhouse said the event had prompted a group of Sydney coastal councils to commission an independent study into sea levels. “We are extremely worried about this issue and eagerly await the results of our study so we can look at who is best placed to bare the risk of climate change,” he said. Mr Newhouse said he hoped results of the council study would be available by the end of the year.

Voltzman

Algae hold the key to the biofuel conundrum

Tools

Related Articles

Web Links

Spontaneous attachment

Controlled reaction

Add a comment

Tools

IPCC report urges swift action on global warming

Bali conference

ASEAN summit to promote nuclear energy, solar power

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

China sees reduction in coal emissions

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

China Powers Ahead on Renewable Energy

China the focus in clean cars race

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

Absorbing CO2 by Dumping Urea Into Ocean Pisses Off Activists

Mechanical 'fish' could tap turbulence for energy

Lateral drift

Slow but steady

RECO

Search for news

My Tags

My Stories

Also Of Interest

Search for news

My Tags

My Stories

Also Of Interest