OLPC eyes experimental battery for $100 laptop

Eric Lai, 30 Mar 2007

Earlier this week, an One Laptop Per Child's 100$ laptop program official said that the non-profit group plans to test batteries relying on cutting-edge Lithium Ion Phosphate technology in its third batch of beta computers. Also known as LiFePo4, the material is reportedly safer and less toxic than Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries used in most notebook PCs sold today. While LiFePo4 batteries don't store as much energy as Li-Ion models, they hold more than cheaper Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, which until now the OLPC had said it planned to use.

Read the full news story from here @ Computer World, Australia

Labels: batteries, computers

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Sugar-fuelled battery soon to juice up portable electronics

New technology uses any sugar source from soft drinks to tree sap for fuel

Liz Tay (PC World) 26/03/2007

Fuel cell technology that is currently in development boasts the ability of extracting energy from virtually any sugar source to power portable electronics like cellular phones, laptops, and sensors. The new technology is expected to be biodegradable, environmentally friendly and more energy efficient than current options, providing a green alternative to current Lithium-ion batteries.

The cell operates at room temperature and uses enzymes to oxidize sugars, hence generating electricity. So far, researchers have run the batteries on glucose, flat soft drinks, sweetened drink mixes and tree sap.

Read the full news story from here @ Computer World, Australia

Labels: batteries, efficiency, electricity, inventions

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Millennium Cell and Jadoo Power Awarded Program to Develop Mobile Medical Power Source for U.S. Air Force

March 29, 2007, Press release

~ Fuel cell based power source to demonstrate extended military medical airlift capabilities ~

EATONTOWN, N.J. - Millennium Cell Inc. (NASDAQ: MCEL), a leading developer of hydrogen battery technology, today announced that it has been awarded a contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (“AFRL”) to develop with its partner Jadoo Power a 300 watt power system that provides 12 hours of runtime for use as a long endurance power supply for U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation flights. The combination of Jadoo Power’s fuel cells and N-Stor interface technology with Millennium Cell’s Hydrogen on Demand® fuel technology creates a power system which can address critical power source needs that cannot be achieved with traditional battery technologies. The program will culminate in the fourth quarter of 2007 with a demonstration of a fuel cell system capable of powering the Air Force’s Patient Support Pallet, which is designed to improve the survivability of soldiers being evacuated from the battlefield to advanced medical facilities.

Jadoo Power has been a licensee of Millennium Cell’s technology since February 2006. The two companies are actively developing Hydrogen on Demand® fuel canisters for use with Jadoo Power’s N-Gen Fuel Cell Power units and XRT Extended Runtime accessories for emergency response and other industrial and military uses. The XRT uses six metal hydride canisters for hydrogen fuel storage today, which weigh approximately 30 total pounds. With the new chemical hydride-based fuel canister jointly developed by Millennium Cell, the XRT is expected to deliver the same runtime with approximately half the fuel canister weight.

Millennium Cell is currently engaged on multiple programs with AFRL focused on the development of products which utilize Millennium Cell’s technology for a wide range of applications including soldier power and unmanned aerial vehicles.

“We are very pleased to get the opportunity to work on a system that has the potential to save lives by extending the mobile medical capabilities of the U.S. military,” said Adam Briggs, President. “This mission critical requirement effectively illustrates an application for which fuel cell systems deliver a significant value.”

About Millennium Cell

Millennium Cell develops hydrogen battery technology through a patented chemical process that safely stores and delivers hydrogen energy to power portable devices. The borohydride-based technology can be scaled to fit any application requiring high energy density for a long run time in a compact space. The Company is working with market partners to meet demand for its patented process in four areas: military, medical, industrial and consumer electronics. For more information, visit http://millenniumcell.com.

About Jadoo Power

www.jadoopower.com

Jadoo Power is a market-focused company that develops and sells next-generation, portable energy storage and power generation products. Jadoo Power is a leading commercial supplier of fuel cell products to the portable power space. Jadoo Power is financed by MDV, Venrock Associates and Sinclair Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:

This press release may include statements that are not historical facts and are considered ``forward-looking” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect Millennium Cell’s current views about future events and financial performance and are subject to risks. Forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “believe,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “on target” and similar expressions identifying forward-looking statements. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from Millennium Cell’s expectations, and Millennium Cell expressly does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) the cost and timing of development and market acceptance of Millennium Cell’s hydrogen fuel storage and delivery system; (ii) the cost and commercial availability of the quantities of raw materials required by the hydrogen fuel storage and delivery systems; (iii) competition from current, improving and alternative power technologies; (iv) Millennium Cell’s ability to raise capital at the times, in the amounts and at the costs and terms that are acceptable to fund the development and commercialization of its hydrogen fuel storage and delivery system and its business plan; (v) Millennium Cell’s ability to protect its intellectual property; (vi) Millennium Cell’s ability to achieve budgeted revenue and expense amounts; (vii) Millennium Cell’s ability to generate revenues from the sale or license of, or provision of services related to, its technology; (viii) Millennium Cell’s ability to form strategic alliances or partnerships to help promote our technology and achieve market acceptance; (ix) Millennium Cell’s ability to generate design, engineering or management services revenue opportunities in the hydrogen generation or fuel cell markets; (x) Millennium Cell’s ability to secure government funding of its research and development and technology demonstration projects; and (xi) other factors discussed under the caption “Investment Considerations” in Millennium Cell’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.

Contacts
MBS Value Partners
Betsy Brod, 212-750-5800

Labels: batteries, fuel-cells, hydrogen

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Chrysler to build a Sprinter-based plug-in hybrid

March 29, 2007, by Auto123.com

Chrysler has announced plans to build a plug-in hybrid vehicle for their customers. It's an environmental commitment which is now also scheduled to roll on the next-generation Sprinter platform. Sprinter is a large utility van ideal for businesses, and its' currently available with a diesel engine. Up to 20 of the new hybrid models will be placed in use within the USA as a test-fleet project to gather real-world data from real-life use.

Read the full article from here @ Auto 123

Labels: batteries, hybrids

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U.S., Canadian fuel specs differ

Fuel quality specifications in Canada and the United States are similar, but they differ for those doing business on both sides of the border.

On one side, through the appropriate ASTM committee channels, the U.S. biodiesel industry has been working with those in the petroleum and other relevant industries to adjust the ASTM diesel fuel specification, D 975, to allow up to B5. Technically, this would mean that there would be no distinction to draw between pure hydrocarbon diesel fuel and B5 diesel fuel in the United States.

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New Mexico, USA considers B5 requirement

By Dave Nilles

Add another state to those considering a biodiesel blend requirement. New Mexico’s house and senate are looking at identical bills that would require 5 percent biodiesel in the state’s fuel supply.

Senate Bill 489 and House Bill 218 would require that all diesel fuel used in state vehicles must include B5 by July 1, 2010. The bill would affect all diesel fuel sold in the state by July 1, 2012.

Read the full report from here @ Biodiesel Magazine, Feb 2007

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Corn can't solve our problem

March 27, 2007, By David Tilman & Jason Hill - Check Biotech

The world has come full circle. A century ago our first transportation biofuels -- the hay and oats fed to our horses -- were replaced by gasoline. Today, ethanol from corn and biodiesel from soybeans have begun edging out gasoline and diesel.

This has been hailed as an overwhelmingly positive development that will help us reduce the threat of climate change and ease our dependence on foreign oil...But lost in the euphoria, however, is the fact that three of our most fundamental needs -- food, energy, and a livable and sustainable environment -- are now in direct conflict. Moreover, a recent analyses of the full costs and benefits of various biofuels, performed at the University of Minnesota, present a markedly different and more nuanced picture than has been heard on the campaign trail, says this analysis article at Check Biotech

Read the full article from here @ Check Biotech

Labels: economics, ethanol

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Burdening Brazil With Biofuels

Lúcia Ortiz and David Waskow, March 19, 2007

The prospects of a massive boom in ethanol production to meet demand in the United States is not entirely pleasant. If the U.S. moves to meet a substantial proportion of its fuel needs from biofuels the pressure to import ethanol and other biofuels will mount rapidly, reaching quantities far beyond what Brazil currently produces. Providing biofuels to meet just 10 percent of current U.S. gasoline consumption would require multiplying Brazil’s already sizeable ethanol production many times over. Expanding Brazil’s biofuel industry on such a large scale will create serious environmental and social problems, says this interesting news article.

Read the full article from here @ Tom Paine

Labels: environment, ethanol

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UK push for biofuels may harm environment, campaigners say

19 Mar 2007 bbj.hu

A UK plan to help tackle global warming by increasing the use of biofuels such as palm oil and rapeseed may do more harm to the environment than good,
environmental campaign groups said.

Fuel suppliers will have to ensure that from April 2008 a certain percentage of their sales come from biofuels, under a UK Department for Transport program. The proposal could see businesses producing biofuels by destroying rainforests and wetlands, threatening endangered habitats and species and releasing more carbon into the atmosphere, according to Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, WWF and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The groups said the government should tighten rules to ensure biofuel producers meet minimum standards on greenhouse gas emissions, and establish "environmental audits” of the entire life-cycle of the fuel, from cultivation through transportation to combustion.

Read the full report from here @ BBJ, Hungary

Labels: climate-change, co2, environment

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Biofuels increasing food prices globally

Lester Brown, 21 March 2007, Cherry Creek News

The escalating share of the U.S. grain harvest going to ethanol distilleries is driving up food prices worldwide.

Corn prices have doubled over the last year, wheat futures are trading at their highest level in 10 years, soybean futures have risen by half. A Bloomberg analysis notes that the soaring use of corn as the feedstock for fuel ethanol “is creating unintended consequences throughout the global food chain.”

Food prices are also rising in China, India, and the United States, countries that contain 40 percent of the world’s people. While relatively little corn is eaten directly in these countries, vast quantities are consumed indirectly in meat, milk, and eggs in China and the US.

Read the full report from here @ Cherry Creek News

Labels: economics, ethanol

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Europe Tightens CO2 Standards with Two Directives

The European Commission has proposed two directives to combat CO2 emissions from cars.

The first proposal will force carmakers to cut CO2 emissions from new cars by 18% by 2012. Carmakers would be responsible for getting emissions down to 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer (g/km) through technology improvements.

The second proposal, which updates a fuel-quality directive from 1998, outlines new fuel-quality standards that aim to achieve, by 2020, a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions throughout the whole product life cycle.

Read the full report from here @ The American Chemical Society web page

Labels: climate-change, co2, environment

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U.S. automakers still don't get it

By Tommy Denton, Mar 20, 2007

After the energy shocks of the 1970s, the US Congress demanded that U.S. automobiles become far more energy-efficient. The average vehicle mileage required under the 1970s standards rose from the teens to the mid-20s -- and then sat there.

Thirty years later, after a spasm of gluttonous gorging of fuel to power SUVs and other muscle machines, the world's most profligate petroleum consumer has fallen back into vulnerability. Rather than applying the basic lesson that those who eat too much should eat less, much of the American business mind has been dedicated to finding alternative fuels to sate the nation's ravenous energy appetite, says this interesting opinion piece.

Read the full article here @ Roanoke

Labels: conservation, efficiency

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New science of metagenomics will transform modern microbiology

29 Mar 2007

The emerging field of metagenomics, where the DNA of entire communities of microbes is studied simultaneously, presents the greatest opportunity -- perhaps since the invention of the microscope -- to revolutionize understanding of the microbial world, says a new report from the National Research Council. The report calls for a new Global Metagenomics Initiative to drive advances in the field...Microorganisms are essential to life on Earth, transforming key elements into energy, maintaining the chemical balance in the atmosphere, providing plants and animals with nutrients, and performing other functions necessary for survival; these are used commercially for many purposes, including producing biofuels....

Read more from this interesting report here @ Innovations Report

Labels: biotechnology

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If we want to save the planet, we need a five-year freeze on biofuels

George Monbiot, March 29, 2007

"Oil produced from plants sets up competition for food between cars and people. People - and the environment - will lose.

It used to be a matter of good intentions gone awry. Now it is plain fraud. The governments using biofuel to tackle global warming know that it causes more harm than good. But they plough on regardless. In theory, fuels made from plants can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by cars and trucks. Plants absorb carbon as they grow - it is released again when the fuel is burned. By encouraging oil companies to switch from fossil plants to living ones, governments on both sides of the Atlantic claim to be "decarbonising" our transport networks," says George Monibot in this interesting opinion piece

Read the full article from the Guardian here @ ZNet Science

Labels: biofuels

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ANSI, NIST holds meeting on biofuels standardization

The United States and the European Union have expressed strong interest in making biofuels a commodity for trade. Compatible standards will be among the chief topics of discussion at the upcoming EU-U.S. Summit in Washington, D.C., which intends to launch a new trans-Atlantic economic partnership aimed at harmonizing regulations, technical standards, environmental protection and trade security.

In advance of the Summit, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a March 28, 2007 meeting to develop input related to biodiesel and bioethanol standardization issues. Input developed will be used to inform the U.S. delegation to the EU-U.S. Summit, as requested by the U.S. Department of State.

Read more from the invitation for this meeting here @ Reliable Plant

Labels: biofuels, events

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U.S. Auto Chiefs Ask Bush for Incentives on Biofuels

By Gopal Ratnam, Bloomberg

March 26 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. automakers' chief executive officers urged President George W. Bush to back incentives to bring ethanol and biodiesel to more pumps as the companies boost output of so-called flex-fuel vehicles.

Half the vehicles made by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler by 2012 could be able to run on biodiesel or E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, the CEOs said in a statement.

Read the full news report from here @ Bloomberg

Labels: autos, biofuels, ethanol

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Skoda Auto introduces biofuel, gas-fuelled models

28 March 2007

Czech car maker Skoda Auto today introduced two Skoda Octavia models running on biofuel and natural gas, and announced that it was ready to launch the production of the two models next year if there was good demand. The Skoda Octavia has a 1.6 MPI engine running on so-called FlexiFuel, a mixture of biofuel and petrol.

Labels: autos, transportation

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Dynamotive Starts Commissioning Intermediate BioOil Plant in Guelph, Ontario, Aiming at 'Untapped' Industrial Fuels Market

Press release

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM & LAS VEGAS, March 6, 2007 - Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (OTCBB:DYMTF), which develops and markets biomass-based biofuel technology and products derived from its proprietary fast pyrolysis process, announced today that it has started the commissioning of its biofuel plant in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, a process that is on target 11 months after start of fabrication.

The joint ventured Guelph plant, is designed to process 200 tonnes per
day of cellulosic biomass (recycled wood) and produce 175 tonnes (37,000
gallons) of biofuel per day (12.2 million gallons a year) with the equivalent
energy content of 550 barrels of conventional oil. Total development costs for
the plant are currently estimated at US$ 16.5 million. Full operations are
scheduled for the second quarter.

The Guelph plant commissioning announcement was made simultaneously in
Brussels, in connection with the World Biofuels Markets, Congress and
Exhibition, and in Las Vegas, in connection with PowerGen Renewable Energy &
Fuels Conference.

Unlike ethanol and biodiesel, the biofuels produced by Dynamotive will be
aimed at the industrial fuels market. This market accounts for approximately
25% of hydrocarbon usage and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas
emissions.

"The Guelph plant will help draw international attention to renewable
BioOil and Intermediate BioOil as being viable and highly economical
replacements, on a potentially enormous scale, for mainstream industrial fuels
whether in the US, China, Europe or the smallest nations which have little or
no fossil fuel but abundant cellulosic biomass residues which are the raw
materials from which our fuels are made," said Andrew Kingston, President and
CEO of Dynamotive.

"Biodiesel and ethanol target mobile fuels. Dynamotive's fuels target,
initially, the industrial market which is largely untapped. We believe we have
a great competitive edge in this market as well as being able to target
ethanol and syn-diesel production through further processing of our fuel."

"We believe that our BioOil and Intermediate BioOils can be shown to be
cost competitive with hydrocarbon-based industrial fuels.

"The attractive economics of BioOil partly derive from the simplicity of
the process, heat transformation of biomass into a liquid and char and the
fact that residual cellulosic biomass can be processed at smaller, distributed
plants that are significantly less costly to build and operate than other
biofuel production facilities that require large scale operations to be
economical," said Kingston.

"A main contributor to the cost competitiveness is the fact that
Dynamotive's fuel is produced from residual or waste biomass and not from
agricultural products that otherwise have food value."

The company has tested over 120 types of biomass to date. This provides
it with great flexibility in tackling the growing sustainable fuels market,
even providing opportunity to process residues from biodiesel and ethanol
production processes.

Dynamotive has developed and tested BioOil and Intermediate BioOil in a
number of industrial applications with major companies and has shown
equivalent performance to natural gas, heating oil and diesel with same heat
input (equivalent thermal input). Further, BioOil, Intermediate BioOil and
char produced at Dynamotive's West Lorne plant have received Environment
Canada's EcoLogo Certification through the Environmental Choice Program.
Information on tests and the EcoLogo program are available at the Company's
website www.dynamotive.com.

Kingston added that at a second stage of development Dynamotive will aim
to further process BioOil and Intermediate BioOil into synthetic diesel and
ethanol and, in doing so, further expand the market appeal for its technology
and fuels.

"Production of syngas from BioOil and Intermediate BioOil is a
preliminary step towards the development of mobile fuels and has been
successfully demonstrated by the company."

Dynamotive has developed the technology and fuels over the past 10 years
and demonstrated scaleability through six increasingly larger plants. It has
invested over US$ 50 million to reach this stage. Today, the Company has
developed two commercial plants in Ontario, Canada, Guelph and West Lorne, and
is planning further production facilities for Australia, China, Europe, South
America and the United States in addition to further plant modules of 200
tonnes per day capacity at the Guelph site.

Guelph's output biofuel - Intermediate BioOil - will be suitable for most
of the industrial uses now addressed by petroleum-based #2 or #6 heating oil,
such as industrial power, heating, paper manufacturing and aluminum smelting.

The company said it also expects to restart production near the end of
the second quarter, of its West Lorne, Ontario plant that is currently being
upgraded (after two years of operating as a commercial demonstration plant) to
130 tonnes per day of biomass processing capacity. The plant will produce
Light BioOil and Char. The output of the plant will be mainly for electricity
generation and for specialty products as BioOil has a number of high value
components that can be extracted.

"Our Intermediate-Grade BioOil is an excellent substitute for fossil
fuels, especially for use in industrial boilers, kilns, smelters and other
applications. BioOil pumps well, ignites and burns readily when atomized, and
it can be used by industrial customers with little adjustments necessary to
combustion equipment."

"According to the Energy Information Administration, a statistical agency
of the United States Department of Energy, nearly 25% (24.35%) of all U.S.
petroleum consumption is used by industrial boilers and similar equipment.

"Focusing on that huge market makes BioOil the natural, renewable choice
for industry," Kingston continued, "and, we believe, it will become a
necessary supplemental biofuel to complement ethanol and biodiesel - fuels
which are more focused on transportation usage."

Kingston will discuss the markets, technology and implications of
Intermediate BioOil in more detail on Friday, March 9th, when he speaks at the
World Biofuels Markets Congress in Brussels.

About Dynamotive

Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation is an energy solutions provider
headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with offices in the USA, UK and Argentina.
Its carbon/greenhouse-gas-neutral fast-pyrolysis technology uses medium
temperatures and oxygen-less conditions to turn dry waste biomass and energy
crops into BioOil for power and heat generation. BioOil can be further
converted into vehicle fuels and chemicals. For further information, please
visit Dynamotive's website: www.dynamotive.com.

www.dynamotive.com

Forward Looking Statement

Statements in this news release concerning the company's business outlook
or future economic performance; including the anticipation of future plant
start-ups, partnerships, consortiums, teaming agreements, government
assistance, other anticipated cash receipts, revenues, expenses, or other
financial items; and statements concerning assumptions made or expectations as
to any future events, conditions, performance or other matters, are
"forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are by their nature
subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual
results to differ materially from those stored in such statements. Such risks,
uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to, changes in energy
prices, availability of capital, and the Company's ability to access capital
on acceptable terms or any terms at all, changes and delays in project
development plans and schedules, customer and partner acceptance of new
projects, changes in input pricing, competing alternative energy technologies,
government policies and general economic conditions. These risks are generally
outlined in the Company's disclosure filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

For further information: Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation Nigel
Horsley, 604-267-6028 Executive Director, Communications and Investor
Relations or Nathan Neumer, 604-267-6042 Director, Communications or
Switchboard: 604-267-6000 Toll Free (North America): 877-863-2268 Fax:
604-267-6005, Website: www.dynamotive.com

Labels: biomass, cellulose, industrial-fuels

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Ethanol agreement could have unintended consequences

By Lillian Rose

Recently in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo, a new partnership was agreed upon by President George W. Bush of the United States and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil. The partnership has special focus on cooperations in biofuels.

But like most trade agreements, there are certain dangers ahead. This alliance will have an environmental as well as a social impact. A Brazilian engineer, Expedito Parente, was quoted as saying in a Brazilian newspaper, “We have 80 million hectares in the Amazon that are going to be converted into the Saudi Arabia of biodiesel.”

Read the full news & analysis report from here @ The News & Tribune

Labels: environment, ethanol

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Driving and Kayaking for Biofuels in Americas

Press release

Washington -- You might think that driving on restaurant fryer grease will not get you far. Think again. Grease got two enthusiasts of alternative fuels from the northern reaches of Alaska to Argentina.

Seth Warren, 28, a conservationist and world-class kayaker, and kayaking champion Tyler Bradt, 18, decided to prove that they can drive their truck across the two Americas -- through 16 countries -- without using a drop of gasoline or emitting much greenhouse gas.

As they developed what they call the ?Oil and Water Project,? they said, they committed to sharing their enthusiasm for and knowledge about biofuels with local communities and educating youth about alternative energy as an anchor of sustainable lifestyles.

The two set up the Biofuels Education Coalition ( BEC ), a nonprofit organization, to do just that and to use their and their sponsors? money -- about $70,000 -- to demonstrate what they believe in.

On the platform of an old Japanese fire truck converted to run on 100 percent biodiesel or vegetable oil, engineers installed containers for fuel and an oil press and equipment to process waste fryer oil and animal waste oils. The vehicle is meant to demonstrate how ordinary diesel vehicles easily and inexpensively can be modified to operate effectively on biofuels produced locally from local resources such as seeds, plants and used cooking oil.

?What we are trying to promote is self-reliance -- that farmers and other people essentially can grow their own fuel in their backyards,? Warren told USINFO from Bolivia. ?That gives people a lot of power.?

They set out in June 2006 from Dead Horse, Alaska, home to the largest oil field in the United States. By the beginning of March, they had reached Argentina.

Warren and Bradt plot their itinerary one month in advance and then try not to use maps as they follow it.

?The idea is to interact with people first by asking directions,? Warren said. ?We talk to everybody we come across.?

A broad range of people they have met on the road -- students, farmers, car mechanics, scientists and government officials -- has been receptive to their message.

?And why wouldn?t they be?? asked Warren rhetorically. ?What we are showing them is how to take trash or waste and make it into money.?

But learning is mutual, Warren said. In Colombia they were impressed by an inventive way some coffee farmers, with the help of a research group, make bioethanol from byproducts of the coffee industry, such as bean shells.

Whenever they stop, they first try to talk to local newspapers and TV stations to advertise their local demonstrations and educational meetings.

Initially, with their limited Spanish-language skills, this proved difficult. Now, after several months in Spanish-speaking countries, they are doing much better.

As a result of media attention, the two men often are treated as celebrities -- mobbed by young girls and invited to visit government officials, including the Peruvian minister of energy.

?What?s really cool about it is that, rather than sitting and talking about kayaking, we have things to say that can actually benefit the places we go to,? Warren said.

Not that they have forgotten completely about kayaking. They use every bit of free time and some weekends to seek out local rivers and paddle along them.

Back on the road, despite enthusiastic backing from local people and U.S. Embassy personnel, driving an experimental plant on the wheels can be challenging at times, Warren said.

?A lot of fuels we are using haven?t been scientifically tested and in some cases haven?t been tried at all,? he said.

For example, an African palm oil donated in Colombia solidified at high elevations in Bolivia, forcing them every morning for few days to take apart the whole system and purge all hoses.

There have been other challenges: living together in the small quarters of the truck, for example. And they have had some mishaps: Warren got malaria and was attacked and bitten by a pack of wild dogs; Bradt jumped into the water and hurt his feet when he landed on sea urchins.

They also have shared exhilarating experiences. In Bolivia they took a mountain road that steeply drops from the elevation of almost 4,600 meters to around 1,500 meters.

?We spent four hours driving down this crazy, one-lane road edged in the cliff with no room for two cars to pass,? Seth said.

After finishing their current trip, the two kayakers plan to replicate their project in Australia and New Zealand, southern Asia, Africa, Europe and the former Soviet Union, which they estimate will take the next 10 years.

With fast-food restaurants thriving in most of these regions and many farmers growing oil-producing plants, Warren and Bradt are sure they will not lack grease to fuel their adventures.

Additional information about the Oil and Water Project can be found on its Web site.

See also ?Green Bus Tour Promotes Environmental Awareness.?

For more information on U.S. policies, see Environment.

( USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov )

By Andrzej Zwaniecki
USINFO Staff Writer

Additional Information
Publisher: http://usinfo.state.gov

Labels: animal-waste, wvo

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Northwest embraces wind for electricity needs

Blaine Harden, The Washington Post

PASCO - The Northwest is hardly alone as it chases the wind for clean power. Anxiety about climate change and surging demand for electricity have triggered a wind-power frenzy in much of the United States, making it the fastest growing wind-energy market in the world. Power-generating capacity from wind jumped 27 percent last year and is expected to do the same this year.

But it is in the Northwest where wind power, an often capricious source of electricity, meshes most seamlessly with the existing electricity grid, which relies heavily on hydroelectric dams, power managers say

Read more from this news report here @ The Olympian Online

Labels: wind

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Turning to the tide for green energy

27 Mar 2007

Shannon Moneo, The Globe and Mail

VICTORIA -- The fast-moving tides and deep waters near Victoria were the backdrop for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's January announcement if $1.5-billion in spending over 10 years to boost Canada's supply of green energy.

Last summer, Vancouver-based Clean Current Power Systems installed a tidal turbine generator near Race Rocks.

Salt water corrodes the metal equipment, and the tides flow like a fast-moving river, which is more taxing on the generator than a slower current.

Other challenges have surfaced. Read more from here @ The Globe & Mail

Labels: hydroelectricity, tidal

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Swedes want more renewable energy

27 Mar 2007

More people than ever in Sweden want the country to expand its use of environmentally friendly energy sources. Support for hydroelectricity and biofuels has increased, according to a study from Gothenburg University, which also shows that just over three-quarters of people want Sweden to concentrate more on wind power, while 83 percent want more use of solar power.

Read more from here @ SR.se

Labels: renewable

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Businesses scramble to squeeze ethanol from Florida citrus waste

March 15, 2007

KANSAS CITY - Companies wanting to produce ethanol from citrus waste in Florida are scrambling to obtain patents and secure sites for pilot projects, evidence that the national craze for the fuel is branching out from the more traditional grain-based feedstock.

The material used in the process is what is left after processors have squeezed the juice from the orange, which equals nearly one-half of the fruit's original mass.

Read the full news article from Check Biotech

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Purdue, city and county, industries join to turn waste into power

Giles Clark, 13 March 2007

by Susan A. Steeves

Planners and scientists from Purdue, central Indiana's Clinton County and city of Frankfort, and industries Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Indiana Clean Energy LLC (ICE) are joining forces to use waste to produce methane for conversion to electricity. Two separate facilities will be built — one for industrial waste conversion and another for hog waste — with the goal of having plants in operation by spring 2008.

Read the full report here @ Biofuel Review

Labels: industrial-waste, methane, waste

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Animal Fats into Jet Fuel

March 19, 2007

RALEIGH - Airlines could soon be looking to acquire chicken grease and hog lard to convert into jet fuel.

A team of NCSU scientists and engineers says it has developed a biofuels technology capable of converting animal fats - including lipids from dead chickens, hogs and cattle - into fuel for airliners and fighter jets.

The technology is "100 percent green," as no petroleum-derived products are added to the process. It can also be used to make additives for cold-weather biodiesel fuels and holds the potential to fuel automobiles that currently run on gasoline.

Read the full report from here @ The Pig Site

Labels: airlines, animal-waste, research, transportation, waste

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Lawmakers To Renew Animal Waste Effort

By Aaron Sadler, Stephens Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — A group of farm-state lawmakers Thursday said they would try again to prevent animal waste from being classified as a pollutant, an exemption opposed by environmental groups and plaintiffs in a case against Arkansas poultry companies.

A new bill specifies that manure would not be designated as a hazardous substance or contaminant under the federal “Superfund” law.

Read the full news report here @ Times Record, Fort Smith, Arkansas

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Vernon County turns manure into power

By TIM HUNDT / Lee Newspapers

LA FARGE, Wis. — A project that converts animal waste from large farming operations into usable energy has been a win for farmers and energy companies, supporters said.

The basic principle is to introduce bacteria into a manure-holding tank that is constantly circulating. The circulation keeps solids suspended and allows the bacteria to break down the waste.

As the digester breaks down the waste, the methane gas is collected in the top of the tank and siphoned off to power a generator.

Read the full news item from here @ La Crosse Tribune

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S. Korea begins operation of power plant using animal waste

SEOUL, March 14 - South Korea has begun operations of a cogeneration power plant that runs on animal waste, in an effort to enhance the country's use of reusable energy and protect the environment, the government said Wednesday.

The plant in Icheon, located 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is designed to process 20 tons of animal excrement a day, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said.

Read the full news report here @ Yonhap News

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More food waste being recycled in Milton Keynes, UK

More food waste in Milton Keynes (UK) is to be recycled after a successful pilot scheme to cut down on rubbish going to landfill.

The trial, which started in 2005, was carried out in Newport Pagnell and Bradwell Common to find out the best way to encourage residents to recycle their leftover food.

From April 2007 the food waste will be sent to Biogen's anaerobic digestion plant in Bedford where it will be combined with animal slurry to produce green energy and fertiliser.

Read the full news report from here @ Milton Keynes Today

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Trash power - Energy from Waste & Garbage

Mar. 27, 2007

Reynolds, a town 20 miles north of Lafayette, is aiming at generating its own electricity and gas, using everything from municipal trash to farm waste, hog manure and even town sewage.

The project will have a facility that turns garbage into electricity. The project could become part of the solution to two of the country’s biggest challenges: Disposing of garbage and reducing America’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy.

The equipment at the BioTown technology center in Reynolds includes an anaerobic digester, gasifier and fast pyrolysis, which will create syngas, bio-oil and fertilizer.

Read the full news story from here @ Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne

Labels: waste

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Cutting the Carbon Impacts of Waste

A clearer picture of how waste can be managed to reduce its impacts on climate change emerges in new research published today.

The reports anticipate the greenhouse gas effects of the UK’s main waste streams between 2005 and 20311, and assess the different ways of dealing with household garden and food waste2,3.

The ERM report shows that recycling has significant benefits over landfill, particularly in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the full news report from here @ The A to Z of Building

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MOL Group Terminal Introduces Tokyo's Largest Private Solar Power System, First at a Container Terminal in Japan

Tokyo, Japan, Mar 26, 2007 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (TSE: 9104) today announced that the solar power generation system at Ohi Container Terminal Berth No.4 started operation in March. The system is called the Tokyo International Container Terminal Solar Power Station.

Read the full news report here @ Japan Corp

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Pros and cons of solar power

24 Mar 2007

Vicki Vaughan, Express-News Business Writer - My San Antonio

In this article, the author discusses the pros and cons of solar energy.

One interesting concept discussed is "net metering". If, for instance, you instal solar panels and if you do not have batteries to store excess power, on some days the extra energy being generated by the solar panel can be fed being fed back into the electric grid, thus making a meter "run backward." Known as "net metering," customers who produce electricity at home (or their business) using renewable sources such as solar and wind get credit for any excess power they put back into the Energy grid.

But solar energy is not without its pitfalls, the main issue being cost, says this article.

Read the full article from here @ My San Antonio

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Singapore to spend $230 mln on clean energy research

26 Mar 2007, Source: Reuters

By Koh Gui Qing

SINGAPORE - Singapore will spend S$350 million ($230 million) on research into clean forms of energy over the next five years to meet soaring energy demand in the region, the government said on Monday.

Singapore will focus on solar power and fuel cell technologies research, the Economic Development Board (EDB) said, adding that the sector could create some 7,000 jobs and make up 0.6 percent of gross domestic product by 2015

Read the full report from here @ Reuters AlertNet

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Tatas to invest 100 million dollars in Bangalore solar project

By K G Vasuki, Mar 26, 2007

Bangalore: For power hungry India, a non-conventional energy source like solar power is proving to be a boom.

India's leading solar energy solution providers Tata BP Solar recently inaugurated the new mega solar power plant on the outskirts of Bangalore said they and would invest 100 million dollars in it.

Read the full report here @ Daily India

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Solar Panels for Municipal Watre Treatment Plant

A municipal water treatment plant in La Mesa, Calif., near San Diego, has installed enough solar panels to generate 20 percent of the electricity that it uses. The move is part of a greater effort by local city governments to produce more energy from renewable sources.

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The Government will earmark Sk100 million for solar energy

Slovak Economy Minister Ľubomír Jahnátek wants to submit a proposal, through which homes that decide to buy solar panels will be entitled to state subsidies.

Homes in Austria and the Czech Republic have been receiving such subsidies for several years already.

The Economy Ministry thinks solar energy has the biggest potential out of all renewable energy sources in Slovakia.

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Alberta biofuels plant to weave straw into gold

23 Mar 2007

RIMBEY -- A central Alberta town is on track to build a plant that will turn straw and municipal waste into millions of litres of biofuel each year.

Rimbey Mayor Dale Barr said construction on the plant could start as early as this summer, with an estimated cost of about $30 million.

Read the full report from here @ the Calgary Sun

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Brazil Soy Industry Prepares For Biodiesel War With Argentina

SAO PAULO and BUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones)--Brazil's major soyoil producers are preparing for a fight against Argentina over the biodiesel market, hoping Brasilia can convince Buenos Aires that Argentine tax policies are bad for Brazil's biodiesel program.

Brazil soy oil is the number one ingredient used in making biodiesel. Soy oil companies think Argentina's cheaper costs (Argentina has lots of tax incentives for biofuels) will cut them out of the market, especially the export markets.

Read the full report here @ Cattle Network

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BIO World Congress: Biofuels poised for exceptional growth

March 26, 2007

ORLANDO, FL - The biofuels industry stands poised for exceptional growth and ethanol is the most promising over the long term, keynote speakers said at BIO’s World Congress in Orlando yesterday.

Thousands of biotech industry executives, scientists, and economic development specialists gathered at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort for the event which started Wednesday and runs through Saturday. The congress is focused on industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing.

Read the full report here @ Check Biotech

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New biodiesel production method created

NASHVILLE, March 21 (UPI) -- A new Nanocatalyst developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory might replace a costly process in biodiesel production.

Scientists at the laboratory's Nanoscience Center say the technology might replace the biodiesel manufacturing process that consumes chemicals, water and energy.

Read the full report here @ Science Daily

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Van Der Horst Biodiesel builds S$40m plant in Singapore

By Tung Shing Yi, Channel NewsAsia, 21 March 2007

SINGAPORE: Van Der Horst Biodiesel is planning to build Singapore's first biodiesel plant that uses Jatropha as feedstock.

The plant on Jurong Island will cost the joint venture between Van Der Horst Engineering and the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, which is an institute linked to Nanyang Technological University, S$40 million.

Read the full report from here @ Channel News Asia

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Farmer promotes biodiesel plant

March 22, 2007, CBC News

A group of more than 30 farmers gathered in Charlottetown Wednesday night to explore the possibility of building their own biodiesel plant.

The proposal is for the plant to be owned by farmers. It would crush oil from canola grown by Island farmers and mix it with diesel to create a fuel that could run vehicles and heat buildings.

Read more from this news report @ CBC, Canada

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Oxidation stability of biodiesel and blends

A standardised quality parameter to avoid motor damage can be easily determined with the highly reliable Biodiesel Rancimat from Metrohm UK. In addition to other alternative fuels such as ethanol, methanol or biogas (methane), fatty acid methyl esters are increasingly found on the market; these are then known as biodiesel, RME (rapeseed oil methyl esters) or FAME (fatty acid methyl esters).

Read more from this article @ Manufacturing Talk

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NextEnergy Biodiesel Summit Set Goals for Biodiesel Research

Press release

Detroit, MI - Manufacturers, policy makers, regulators and biodiesel industry representatives met on Monday, March 12, for a Biodiesel Summit to identify and remove barriers to widespread acceptance of biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent by volume (B20) by engine and vehicle manufacturers.

DaimlerChrysler, a sponsor of the B20 Summit, challenged the group to come up with a viable fuel standard for the B20 finished blend.

"Biodiesel represents a huge opportunity to address some of our nation’s toughest energy, environmental and economic challenges,” said Deborah Morrissett, DaimlerChrysler’s VP of Regulatory Affairs.

“We know this is the right thing to do – so the goal now is to develop a national B20 standard that can be universally applied to all diesel vehicles, both on road and in production, to confidently support higher blends of biodiesel such as B20.”


A major step towards full B20 support is finalization of a defined B20 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specification.

The ASTM B20 specification moved closer to reality in recent months when the group approved new limits in ASTM D 6751, the existing standard for pure (B100) biodiesel, for oxidation stability and other parameters needed for 2007/2010 diesel engines.

“The B100 standard has been designed so that it is protective of B20 and lower blends,” said Steve Howell, NBB Technical Director and Chairman of the ASTM Task Force on biodiesel standards, “but regulators need us to approve a finished blend standard to hold people to, and engine makers need something they can design to.”

The multi-industry Biodiesel Summit group met at the NextEnergy Center, Michigan’s alternative and renewable energy business incubator, located in Detroit’s TechTown district.

Beyond the final approval of the B20 finished fuel standard, participants identified several areas that need additional study and funding to bolster full B20 support, including:

>Long-term effects of B20 on emissions control and after-treatment devices .

>Long-term engine durability testing .

>Greater fuel quality monitoring efforts to ensure the fuel standards are being met.

“If we want to increase our economic competitiveness, strengthen energy security and help protect the environment, we have to provide customers with more clean, domestically-produced energy options,” said Jim Croce, NextEnergy CEO.

“Biodiesel has the most immediate potential to succeed. It’s sustainable, renewable and doesn’t require new invention."

The biodiesel industry is already looking to the future with the next generation of biodiesel.

“Our goals for next generation biodiesel are to optimize biodiesel’s fatty acid profile for cold flow and stability, optimize agriculture for higher production of oils and fats from traditional crops, and to develop non-traditional additional crops like micro-algae for biodiesel, or even crops that can be grown on marginal land or using brownfield sites,” said Donnell Rehagen, NBB Chief Operations Officer, who spoke at the summit.

“In my 40-plus years as an agricultural scientist and administrator, I have never experienced such exciting times in agriculture,” said Gale Buchanan, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

“The era of bioenergy and bioproducts is clearly agriculture’s “Grand Challenge” for the 21st Century.”

All major OEMs support B5 and lower blends, provided they are made with biodiesel meeting ASTM D 6751, the existing ASTM standard for pure biodiesel (B100).

Use of blends higher than B5 will not necessarily void existing warranties. A growing number of OEMs are also recommending that users purchase biodiesel from BQ-9000 certified companies.

BQ-9000 is the biodiesel industry’s quality program for biodiesel producers and marketers.

While full B20 support is the goal, several auto and equipment manufacturers have recognized that the market may not be willing to wait years for it to happen.

DaimlerChrysler was the first auto manufacturer to approve the use of B20 by government, military and commercial fleet customers in its 2007 model year Dodge Ram pickup truck.

New Holland has also approved the use of B20 in all of its equipment using New Holland engines, becoming the first OEM to announce full formal support for B20 in the engines it produces.

For more information, call Mark Beyer, NextEnergy at 313-833-0100.

See Related Websites/Articles:

National Biodiesel Board

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Genetic engineering industry hopes to save the world

March 23, 2007, By Markus Städeli - Check Biotech

Greenpeace has recently sparked of the genetic engineering controversy in Europe once again. The environmental protection organization claims that a genetically modified maize made by Monsanto has caused liver and kidney damage to experimental animals.

Monsanto strongly contests these accusations.

However, opposition to this technology remains strong. On the other hand, the genetic engineering industry does now see an opportunity to permanently clean up its somewhat tarnished Image. It hopes that the bioethanol boom will help here.

Read more from this Check Biotech news report

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Ethanol, energy and profits

March 24, 2007, Author: David Kennell

Brazil leads the world with “hundreds of miles” of sugarcane plantations, much of it derived by decimation of vast areas of the large Amazon rainforest basin, critical for life on the planet. Eight of 10 new Brazilian cars are fueled by ethanol. Brazilian media billed Bush’s meeting with President Lula da Silva as a bid to create a new “OPEC of ethanol.”

However, analysts point to a major problem for the Brazil-U.S. relationship: a 54 cent U.S. tariff per gallon on Brazilian ethanol. Since corn is the major U.S. plant source for ethanol, the tariff is to protect the U.S. agrichemical industry (free trade indeed).

Read more on this interesting viewpoint from this report @ People's Weekly World

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Diesels Come Clean

by Matt Vella

In Europe gas costs more than $5 a gallon. In the U.S., it's under $3. In Europe, diesel-powered cars and trucks account for 50% of all auto sales. In the U.S., they are less than 4%. What do the Europeans know that Americans don't?

They know that diesels provide superior fuel-economy without sacrificing performance. The main concern for most Americans is that the hangover from the smoky, smelly diesels of the 1970s remains fresh in many minds. But changes in the supply of diesel fuel, emerging cleaner-burning technologies, and growing consumer concern over the environment and fuel economy in particular are creating new opportunities for automakers willing to dabble in diesel, says this article

Read the full article here @ Business Week, 26 Mar 2007 issue

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Could crops support biofuel need? Breakthroughs needed?

March 26, 2007, By Jerry W. Jackson, Check Biotech

Scientists and researchers are grappling for more breakthroughs before ethanol, biodiesel and other fuels of the future are produced in large enough quantities at prices low enough to revolutionize the country's energy independence.

But a concerted effort could enable farms and forests to eventually generate more than 100 billion gallons of biofuel a year, enough to replace the amount of gasoline the United States imports annually, was the opinion from the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council (USA). Read more from this news report @ Check Biotech

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Researcher develops bioplastic as a disposable source of biodiesel

Posted by Giles Clark, London

23 March 2007

In an effort to develop a new source of sustainable energy, researchers at Polytechnic University, the premier New York-based technology and engineering higher education institution, have bioengineered a fuel-latent plastic that can be converted into biodiesel. Commercialization of this technology will lead to a new source of green energy.

The team made a new plastic from plant oils that has remarkable properties, which includes being tougher and more durable than typical polyethylenes. Additionally, the bioplastic can be placed in a simple container where it is safely broken down to liquid fuel.

REad the full report from here @ Biofuel Review

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Biodiesel for school buses in Wisconsin

Dane County and the Wisconsin Soybean Program provided the money and students at Wright Middle School provided the science in the unveiling Thursday of a plan to reimburse school districts for using biodiesel fuel in their buses.

The Dane County Clean Air Coalition will contribute $50,000 toward a fund that will reimburse county school districts for the cost difference between biodiesel and standard diesel fuel.

Read the full report here from Wisconsin State Journal

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Biodiesel in Trucks - Trucking Sees Use of Biofuels

Mar 2007

By John Latta

Almost a quarter of the way into a 2-million-miles test of biodiesel in 20 over-the-road Caterpillar-powered Peterbilts, the company behind the experiment claimed positive results at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

Hard numbers are not yet available from the identically spec’d trucks which began rolling last fall and 350,000 miles ago with a B20 blend of biodiesel. The tractors are Peterbilt 379s, 388s and 389s with Caterpillar C13 and C15 2006 and ’07 engines.

Increased lubricity, and the fact that biodiesel burns cleaner, are seen as the source of decreased maintenance for trucks & trucking.

Read the full report from here @ eTucker News

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Biodiesel could fuel canola explosion

by Bob Johnson, Check Biotech

Canola may provide California growers with a new alternative to other grain crops because its oil seeds are a major source of biodiesel. The crop is similar to wheat in terms of planting and harvesting dates.

And if biodiesel use increases as expected, there could be enormous demand and significant price increases for canola, says this report from Check Biotech

Labels: biodiesel, biofuels, canola, oilseeds

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Cummins Announces Approval of B20 Biodiesel Blends

23 Mar 2007

Louisville, Kentucky [RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

Cummins Inc. announced the approval of biodiesel B20 blends for use in its 2002 and later emissions-compliant ISX, ISM, ISL, ISC and ISB engines. This includes the recently released 2007 products.

Cummins is able to upgrade its previous position on the use of biodiesel fuel, which limited the use to B5 blends only, up to B20 for three key reasons.

Read the full report from here @ Renewable Energy Access

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Montreal buses to run on biodiesel

March 23, 2007, CBC News

Montreal's transit corporation is switching to biodiesel fuel and buying hybrid buses in an attempt to green its fleet and cut carbon emissions.

All Société de transport de Montréal (STM) buses will run on biodiesel fuel by 2008, and the transition should be fairly inexpensive, said president Claude Trudel.

Bus engines can run on biodiesel fuel without requiring any modifications, and the cost of a fill-up should be the same, says this report from CBC News, Canada

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A sweet future for biodiesel

26 March 2007

Sugar catalysts can turn waste vegetable oil into biodiesel, researchers have revealed.

Min-Hua Zong at the South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, and colleagues have used a sugar catalyst to prepare biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. Sugar catalysts, made by the sulfonation of partially carbonized D-glucose, have previously been used for making biodiesel from new vegetable oils, but had never been successfully used in making biodiesel from waste oil.

Read the full report from here @ Chemical Science

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Benefits of geothermal power eyed in Japan

Shigeyuki Koide / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

Geothermal energy, which is generated from the Earth's internal heat, is again attracting attention in Japan and elsewhere. An advisory panel to the economy, trade and industry minister in Japan that has been studying energy resources last month compiled a report calling for an expansion in the use of geothermal power.

Following a number of oil shocks, geothermal power generation rapidly grew in importance in Japan. By the mid-1990s, facilities capable of generating up to 530,000 kilowatts in geothermal power were built at 18 locations, mainly in the Kyushu and Tohoku regions. But as circumstances changed, such as a fall in crude oil prices, the focus on geothermal power decreased...

Read the full article from here @ Daily Yomiuri Online

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Geothermal power is hot stuff

Submitted by Jorge Sosa on March 16, 2007

George and Donna Pavelek love their renewable energy.

Since 2003, the couple have used a geothermal system to heat and cool their home. “I’m not into all this global warming (stuff) or anything,” Donna said. “It just made sense. We’re not radical by any means, just practical.”

Donna said four or five years ago, the cost-versus-payback equation on wind energy didn’t make sense for them. However, they expect their geothermal heating and cooling system to pay for itself in the next two or three years.

Read the full news report from here @ Hutchinson Leader

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Improving Geothermal Plants - Promoting Geothermal Energy

17 Mar 2007

In the debate over alternative energy resources, geothermal technology has received scant media attention. Advocates call it one of the cleanest, sustainable energy resources available. However, steep construction, equipment and drilling costs have prevented more widespread development of geothermal technology. An Ohio University hydrothermal systems expert Dina Lopez is working to change that.

The Pacific "Ring of Fire" provides some of the hottest spots on the planet for geothermal power. Because of this, Central America is a prime building area for geothermal power plants and draws researchers such as Lopez.

Read the full report here @ Tech News

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Making geothermal energy cheaper

22 March 2007

The US Geothermal Resources Council has awarded the ‘best paper award’ to a study by associate professor Dina Lopez from the Ohio University. She studied silica scaling which tends to clog up geothermal plants.

Lopez hopes the study will help guide efforts to control silica scaling, which may help reducing the maintaining costs of geothermal plants.

Read the full report from here @ Green Prices

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Human waste used to heat apartment

Canadian Press, March 26, 2007

Halifax (CP) - A low-rise apartment building in Halifax heated with the help of human waste takes energy efficiency to new heights, says an engineer whose company was involved in the affordable-housing development.

Energy providers working on the new building started with the concept that sewage isn't useless material; Human waste from the four-storey building is pumped into a holding tank for six hours before it's released into the city's sewer system. during these six hours, a geothermal inside the tank takes the heat out of the sewage.

Read the full article from here @ The Star Phoenix

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Geothermal Energy Data, Stats

Geothermal power generation capacity worldwide rose from 7,972.7 MW in 2000 to 8,933 MW in 2005, with 8,035 MW running. This is about 0.2% of the total world installed power generating capacity.

Labels: electricity, geothermal

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Finavera Renewables Signs Contract with SAIC for Ocean Energy Projects

Press release

VANCOUVER, CANADA, March 14 - Finavera Renewables Inc. (TSX-V:FVR)
has announced that SAIC, a leader in system integration, systems engineering
and scientific services, will serve as the system integrator for Finavera
Renewables' portfolio of ocean energy conversion programs and installation
projects. This agreement will combine the technology developed by Finavera
Renewables with the engineering and marine experience of SAIC.

According to the terms of the contract, SAIC, a research and engineering
company, will provide system integration, systems engineering and design
review support, plus program and project management support. SAIC will work
with Finavera to develop, integrate, procure, install and test ocean energy
conversion devices, including the patented "AquaBuOY" in marine renewable
energy parks.

Alla Weinstein, Director and General Manager of Finavera Renewables,
Ocean Energy, said, "This is another significant step in our emerging
industry. This agreement brings two innovative companies together in the
interest of commercializing a new renewable energy technology, introducing it
as an available resource and strengthening energy security. SAIC brings a vast
amount of marine engineering experience to the table, and we are thrilled to
be working with them on the development of our patented 'AquaBuOY' technology
and generating projects. This agreement will advance Finavera Renewables
pursuit of the commercialization of the 'AquaBuOY' and the development of the
wave energy industry worldwide."

Jason Bak, CEO, Finavera Renewables commented, "This agreement is of key
importance for the planned installation of an AquaBuOY device in the USA in
2007. Working with SAIC will allow us to aggressively develop and construct
the AquaBuOY for this deployment. Following this initial installation, it is
anticipated that a number of devices will be deployed in what is planned to be
America's largest wave park."

About Finavera Renewables

Finavera Renewables is a Canadian listed issuer dedicated to the
development of renewable energy resources and technologies. The Company's
objective is to become a major renewable and green energy producer by
developing and operating its assets in the wind and wave energy sectors.

Finavera Renewables is developing several wave energy projects worldwide.
They include a 1MW pilot plant in Makah Bay, Washington State, USA, a 100MW
staged power project in Figuera da Foz, Portugal, a 20MW staged project in
South Africa, and a pilot project in BC, Canada.

Finavera Renewables is also developing wind energy projects with the goal
of delivering near term revenue. Finavera Renewables recently signed an
agreement to acquire the 150 MW Three Hills wind power project in Alberta,
Canada. In addition, twelve projects are under development in the Peace River
region of northeast British Columbia, Canada and six in the Cascades region of
the province's southern interior with a total potential capacity of over
1,500MW. A total potential of 175MW of wind energy projects are planned in
Ireland, in areas with wind resources amongst the best in Europe.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation
of an offer to sell any securities in the United States. The securities have
not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and
may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless
registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws
or an exemption from such registration is available. Statements in this news
release, other than purely historical information, including statements
relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results,
constitute Forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on numerous
assumptions and are subject to all the risks and uncertainties inherent in the
Company's business, including risks related to exploration and development.
Consequently, actual results may vary materially from those described in the
Forward-looking statements.

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy
and accuracy of this release.

For more information, contact Finavera Renewables: info@finavera.com, + 1
604 288 9051.

For further information: Media Europe K Capital Source Jonathan Neilan
Tel. +353-1-631-5500 Cell. +353-86-231-4135, or Media North America Finavera Renewables Michael Clark Public Relations Tel. +1-604-288-9051

Labels: ocean, renewable, wave

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Biofuels launch 'third wave' to help meet increasing energy demand

March 22, 2007

By Paul Elias Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO —

Thousands of corporate executives and scientists gather this weekend in Orlando, Fla.,for an industry trade show specifically aimed at touting biotechnology's so-called third wave, industrial applications. The word on everyone's lips: ethanol. After decades of unfulfilled promise and billions in government corn subsidies, energy companies may finally be able to produce ethanol easily and inexpensively thanks to breakthroughs in biotechnology, says this article.

Read the full news report from here @ Times Argus

Labels: biofuels, biotechnology, ethanol, events, research

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Wave energy coming to coast

Renewable resource - An Oregon-based electricity co-op and a New Jersey company join forces

March 01, 2007, Gail Kinsey Hill

A Portland-based electric co-op has hooked up with a private company to help develop a wave energy project off the Oregon Coast near Reedsport.

The agreement between Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC Power) and New Jersey-headquartered Ocean Power Technologies signals rising commercial interest in the emerging form of renewable energy.

Read the full report from here @ Oregon Live

Labels: renewable, wave

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Wave energy catching on
John Driscoll The Times-Standard

28 Feb 2007

PG&E seeks permit for Humboldt, Mendocino

Seeing potential in the waves that buffet the North Coast, the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. plans to file a federal application today to study a swath of ocean off Humboldt Bay for a wave power project.

The preliminary permit application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, plus another for an area off the Mendocino County coast, are the first steps in the possible development of a project to produce electricity. The permits, if granted, act like a mining claim, and would give PG&E exclusive rights to study the areas for three years.

Read the full report from here @ Times Standard Online

Labels: wave

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Energy from Vacuum? - Perhaps, says Institute of Vacuumenergy

Came across an interesting site by Institute of Vacuumenergy...

Following is their introduction about themselves and what they do.

"In the Institute for Vacuumenergy we are researching a method, which may enable us to use the active potential inherent in the vacuum as an energy source. We would like to give mankind the possibility of clean electromagnetic energy.

The Institute for Vacuumenergy is an independent and privately financed project.

How does a free energy machine work which uses the active vacuum as an external energy source?

Asymmetrical vacuum energy machine

A device which is able to use the quantum mechanical vacuum as an external energy source, intervenes into the active vacuum in the sense of an open system. It is possible to design an EM system in such a way, that a certain amount of electromagnetic energy is being used to create a so called asymmetric situation. A channel can be opened through which the potential of the vacuum in the sense of an external energy source can flow into our system because of a mechanism of asymmetry.
So the energy from a vacuum energy machine of course does not derive from nothing, but from the active vacuum. Ironically our source charge (dipole) is already a vacuum energy machine,concerning the extraction of the energy from the vacuum, meaning that our common electric circuit is already beeing potentiallized through an asymmetry towards the active vaccum. The scalar potential has an internal dynamic nature like any standing wave having an internal dynamic nature. If we don´t want to violate the first law, we just have to consider the vaccum as an energy domain and add it to our calculations.

...

Interesting, isn't it?

More can be known about them at their web page on vacuum energy

Labels: electromagnetic, renewable

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Wave farms show energy potential

By Jason Margolis, BBC

Proponents of clean energy have long seen the oceans as a great hope for the future. Ocean waves carry tremendous power, and could, in theory at least, provide much of the world's electricity.

But while other sources of renewable energy - such as wind and solar - have been widely adopted in recent years, wave energy has been slow to take off.

But that's changing. Scottish engineers will soon deploy an offshore "wave farm" in Portugal, says this detailed news report @ BBC News. Read the full report here

Labels: wind

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Wave Of Support For Tidal Energy

23rd March 2007, Carbon Free

Despite key political support, the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) said it was concerned that this rhetoric is not yet being backed up by long term policy support. It said that the publication of the Marine Bill White Paper provides the overarching framework for planning and consenting marine renewable energy projects but claimed this needs to be backed up by new financial support mechanisms, if the UK is to retain its current global lead.

Read the full report here @ Carbon Free, UK

Labels: renewable, tidal

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Wave energy set to turn the tide in the UK

By Brian Milligan, Business reporter, BBC News, Island of Hoy

Delegates at a key wave and tidal power conference in London held in Mar 2007 were told that marine energy needs more financial support to help the industry get established as quickly as possible. On Orkney Islands in the UK, the Ocean Power Delivery company is pioneering a wave energy project, and has built a site for the world's biggest wave farm so far, which comprise four 40 metres long steel tubes, which float on the surface of the sea. The action of the waves makes each section flex against the next one. Plenty of sea could mean plenty of energy...

Read the full news report from here @ BBC News

Labels: wave

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Green business: Ocean Power rides the alternative energy wave

22 March 2007

Lauren MacGillivray, News Reporter

Ocean Power Technologies is to be involved in a scheme to build a power plant on the Cornish coast (UK) by 2008.

The American company uses PowerBuoy® technology to float large buoy-like devices that are loosely tied to the seabed. The buoys capture wave energy through a turbine and send the energy through a cable to the coastline which is then fed into a power grid.

Read the full news report from here @ City Wire

Labels: ocean, wave

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Multi-Million-Dollar Wind Energy Contract In China

23rd March 2007

Windtec has signed a multi-million-dollar wind energy system joint development contract with Sinovel Wind Corporation Limited. AMSC also has a prior delivery right to sell future electrical components under the same conditions as other suppliers to Sinovel for the wind energy systems covered under the contract, creating a substantial follow-on business opportunity for AMSC. Since 2005, Sinovel has ordered electrical components from Windtec for 785 wind energy systems rated at 1.5 megawatts (MW).

Read the entire report from here @ Carbon Free, UK

Labels: wind

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Going green to save the white stuff

By Tom Gardner, Associated Press, March 26, 2007

The ski industry in the USA is going green to help offset the pollution that feeds global warming -- a phenomenon that challenges the resorts' very existence with the threat of later snowfalls and earlier snow melts.

Fifty-five resorts in 14 states are buying renewable energy to offset part or all of their power needs, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Of these, 26 are operating 100 percent on green energy.

Read more from this report @ Casper Star Tribune

Labels: climate-change, renewable

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Ex-communist Europe Lags the West in Green Energy

Bulgaria, Hungary & Poland have thousands of megawatts in untapped renewable energy, but these states remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels causing friction between older and newer EU members as the EU pushes an ambitious plan to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and boost its reliance on green energy

Read more from this report @ the Post & Courier, Charleston SC

Labels: renewable

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In Quest for Cleaner Energy, Texas City Touts Plug-In Car

AUSTIN, Texas -- Austin city Mayor Will Wynn is pushing a new version of the electric car called the plug-in, which runs almost entirely on electricity and has a big rechargeable battery. Mayor Wynn envisions the parked electric cars plugging into a network operated by the city's utility, which would then use the powerful car batteries as a big storage system from which to draw power

Source: WSJ

Labels: electric-cars, electricity

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Wind Energy Sweeping across Western Illinois

By Stephen Elliott

What started with the Erie school district wind energy project has now exploded into a high-demand growth industry...Wind energy is being considered the panacea for all that ills some school districts and municipal governments. It is changing the way people think about future energy costs at hospitals and nursing homes.

It has given rural landowners incentives to lease property to companies seeking to harness wind energy to sell to large power companies. Some landowners are even working with private investors to put single towers on their properties....

Read the full report here @ Quad Cities Online

Labels: wind

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Nuclear future bright for Eunice, New Mexico

Eunice in New Mexico, population 2,700, is expected to grow by about 1,000 people in the next year or two - workers needed to build and operate the Louisiana Energy Services' $1.5 billion uranium enrichment plant there that recently was approved by state and federal regulators.

Anti-nuclear critics say its a fool's bargain, but Eunice and southeastern New Mexico are betting on a future in which nuclear energy is in demand, uranium enrichment is a growth industry and some of the associated profits will flow into Eunice.

Read the full report from here @ the Albuquerque Tribune

Labels: nuclear

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How Green is Nuclear Power?

By Mark Clayton, The Christian Science Monitor

Nuclear Power is an idea that may be catching on. At least 11 new nuclear plants are in the design stage in nine states, including Virginia, Texas, and Florida, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute website.

But that carbon-free pitch has researchers asking anew: How carbon-free is nuclear power? And how cost-effective is it in the fight to slow global warming? asks this article from CSM, read the full article here @ KVOA, Tucson

Labels: climate-change, costs, environment, greenhouse-gases, nuclear

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The inconvenient truth about energy

Mar 25, 2007

Claims from certain quarters of the American left to be genuinely interested in energy independence are ringing hollow. And it is painfully obvious because opposition to just about any kind of energy development comes from, you guessed it ... the left, says this opinion article from The Daily Interlake

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Academic to argue case for nuclear energy

NZPA | Friday, 23 March 2007

New Zealand's reliance on hydro and geothermal energy sources could be short-sighted in the face of climate change, says the European energy expert Terry Wynn, a former member of the European Parliament.

The visiting academic at Auckland University 's recently-created Europe Institute plans a public lecture at the university on the pros and cons of nuclear energy.

Read the full report from here @ Stuff.co.nz

Labels: nuclear

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Reusing Soent Nuclear Fuel

A U.S. Department of Energy initiative to reprocess spent nuclear reactor fuel is trying to find a home for a facility. Fred Kight reports the Bush administration says the plan is a means to safely expand nuclear energy. Critics of the initiative say it's unsafe and unwise.

Read more from here @ GLRC

Labels: nuclear

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New buses drive transportation to next level

By Mike Westervelt

09 Mar 2007

Purdue, USA - A new type of CityBus is driving the company into the realm of alternative energy.

CityBus bought six new buses, two of which use hybrid technology. The company considers the purchase an investment considering the hybrid buses cost an additional $195,000 than regular diesel buses.

The buses are expected to reduce fuel consumption somewhere between 25 and 30 percent, and the fuel savings could also translate into less emissions.

Read more from this report @ Purdue Exponent

Labels: buses, conservation, hybrids, transportation

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A Step Toward Fusion Energy

March 10, 2007

Science Daily — A project by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has come one step closer to making fusion energy possible.

The research team, headed by electrical and computer engineering Professor David Anderson and research assistant John Canik, recently proved that the Helically Symmetric eXperiment (HSX), an odd-looking magnetic plasma chamber called a stellarator, can overcome a major barrier in plasma research, in which stellarators lose too much energy to reach the high temperatures needed for fusion.

Read the full story from Science Daily

Labels: nuclear, research

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Manure to become energy in Mount Joy

By Patrick Burns, Staff

Intelligencer Journal

Mar 09, 2007

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - EnergyWorks, of Annapolis, Md., has agreed to build an anaerobic digestion plant on a poultry farm that would produce biogas from waste created by the chickens.

The plant will produce an odorless, colorless gas similar to natural gas that is produced when animal waste is decomposed by bacteria in the absence of oxygen.

More from this news report @ Lancaster Online

Labels: animal-waste, biofuels, biogas, waste

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Echelon Technology To Help Reduce Energy Use in Home Appliances

(WebWire) 3/8/2007

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Echelon Corporation, a global networking company providing technology and solutions for controls, smart metering, and energy and environment management, and LonMark® International, a non-profit trade association, announced that CECED, the European Committee of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances, has adopted Echelon’s technology as part of its Household Appliances Control and Monitoring – Application Interworking Specification (AIS) standard. The CECED AIS standard defines Echelon’s control networking technology platform as one of the technologies for communication among household white goods such as ovens, washers and dryers.

The combined solution with Echelon’s standard will support the growing demand for intelligent home appliances that are more energy efficient, user friendly and convenient.

Read more from this press release here @ WebWire

Labels: conservation, efficiency, homes

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Going green: Local schools, city find new energy initiatives can pay

Click-2-Listen
March 10, 2007

A major university with a $13.5 million electric bill switches to windpower, saving $2 million a year while helping save the atmosphere.

Baylor University just signed a 10-year contract with WPS Energy of Wisconsin to buy power that will be generated mostly from Texas wind turbines, starting in 2008.

Read more from this news report @ Wacotrib

Labels: electricity, wind

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Bright idea: Consumers attracted to energy savings of compact fluorescent lamps

ERIC SHACKLETON
March 10, 2007

Excerpts:

1. Compact fluorescents provide high energy efficiency
2. Nova Scotia's energy minister says the province plans to give retailers four or five years to prepare for a ban on incandescent light bulbs
3. Project Porchlight, a campaign organized by a not-for-profit energy conservation group, is working to deliver one CFL bulb to every household in Canada.
4. the PL bulbs, also called CFLs, have a longer life and will save the buyer money.
5. CFLs are also environmentally friendly because less energy is used.

More from this news report @ Brooks Alberta Business News

Labels: conservation, efficiency, electricity, environment, homes, lighting

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Breakthrough Carbon Capture Technology That Turns Wastewater to Resource

Press release

Sydney based greentech company Geo-Processors Pty Limited announced the completion of development of a breakthrough Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology following successful initial process trials.

The technology - identified as Carbon Capture and Products Recovery (CCPR) system - enables efficient capture of CO2 from ambient air or point-sources and then conversion to mineral byproducts for industrial use or recycling.

Central to this technology is the use of massive volumes of bicarbonate-rich water produced as waste water by oil/gas production, coal mining and coal power stations and desalination processes - currently a source of environmental concerns and operational costs.

Read more from this press release @ IPD Group

Labels: co2, environment

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Total Launches the First Integrated CO2 Capture and Geological Sequestration Project in a Depleted Natural Gas Field in SW France

Press release

February 12, 2007

Total announces the launch of a pilot CO2 capture and sequestration project in the Lacq basin in southwestern France. The project, which leverages a technique considered among the most promising in the fight against climate change, calls for up to 150,000 metric tons of CO2 to be injected into a depleted natural gas field in Rousse (Pyrenees) over a period of two years as from end-2008.

Read the full press release here @ OilVoice

Labels: climate-change, co2

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U.S. Government Awards Firefly Energy Contract to Develop Battery for ''Silent Watch'' Program

Press release

March 05, 2007

Peoria, IL-based company receives $5 million to support military defense efforts

The US federal government has executed a $5 million contract with Peoria, IL-based Firefly Energy to fund prototype development of its 3D and 3D2 advanced battery technologies ( carbon-graphite foam prototype batteries ) to assist the nation’s military defense efforts, specifically in a “Silent Watch” program, which allows the military to perform reconnaissance in ground combat vehicles without being detected by the enemy.

Read the full press release here

Labels: batteries, transportation

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Atraverda Gets Funding for Environment-friendly Battery Technology

Mar 9 2007

David Williamson, Western Mail

PIONEERING battery technology company Atraverda has secured $12m from investors to push forward environmentally-friendly energy storage.

The Abertillery-based business's Ebonex technology - based around conductive ceramics - will use the new funding to develop the commercial opportunities.

More from this news report @ IC Wales

Labels: batteries, environment

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Chinese Lawmaker suggests developing nuclear energy in inland areas
10 Mar 2007
From: Mathaba

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Development of nuclear energy in China's inland areas is not only feasible but necessary, said a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature of China.

"Now China has the ability to solve safety and environmental protection problems in inland areas, where shortage of primary energy and electricity is showing up while people could afford higher power charges," said Fan Mingwu

More from this Mathaba page

Labels: nuclear

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March 10, 2007

The strangulation of government beauracies and regulations have killed the development of small hydroelectric projects.

Nine Vermont (USA) towns urge more micro-hydroelectric projects.

Voters at eight town meetings called on state government to clear the way for rapid development of small hydroelectric projects, but prospects for action appear poor.

By one estimate, Vermont has more than 1,000 dams, many of them abandoned 19th century mill sites. Activists say some of those dams could be used to generate small amounts of electricity without harming the environment.

Complex, lengthy, state and federal permitting processes make those projects financially impossible, according to complaints

Read the full report here @ Burlington Free Press

Labels: hydroelectricity

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Houston Area Power Plant Runs Entirely on Biodiesel

08 Mar 2007

Oak Ridge North, Texas [via RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

Biofuels Power Corp. has begun producing and selling electricity into the ERCOT Power Grid from its biodiesel powered generating plant in Oak Ridge North, Texas, which is run entirely on biodiesel.

Biofuels Power plans to build a series of biodiesel powered electric generating plants to serve residential and industrial customers in the Houston Metropolitan area.

Read more from this report @ Renewable Energy Access

Labels: biodiesel, electricity

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Rabobank warns of overcapacity in biodiesel

March 09, 2007

HONG KONG: Asia may see a large overcapacity in biodiesel due to an investment boom in Malaysia and Indonesia, Rabobank analysts warned on Thursday.

Though less than half of biodiesel projects currently planned are likely to be realised, Asia may see a surplus capacity of more than one million tonnes a year by 2010, analysts said.

Read the full story here @ Daily Times, Pakistan

Labels: biodiesel

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UK company installs 100% biodiesel pumps for its fleet

09 March 2007

A UK company, Sandtoft, has taken the radical step of installing 100 percent biodiesel pumps and storage tanks at its Doncaster HQ. The move represents the first benchmark in ambitious plans to convert all of the company’s fleet vehicles to 100 percent biodiesel within three years.

The Sandtoft pumps dispense 100 percent Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME) biodiesel, which is produced to EN14214 quality standards and derives from oilseed rape.

Read more from here @ Biofuel Review

Labels: biodiesel, biofuels, rapeseed-oil

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March 9, 2007 - Brazil and the United States signed a strategic agreement in the promotion of production of ethanol fuel. Brazil is one of the largest producers of ethanol for fuel purposes.

George Bush is currently on a tour of the Latin American countries

Labels: ethanol

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Biodiesel boat sets off on record attempt today

10-Mar-2007

A record-attempting New Zealand boat, running on biodiesel fuel, sets off on a global adventure today.

The 24-metre trimaran, Earthrace, is trying to snatch the powerboat record for circling the world, from a British boat which made it in 75 days in 1998.

Source: TV3, New Zealand

Labels: biodiesel, transportation

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Research Project To Determine Best Biodiesel Fuel Blend

09 March 2007

A two year research project by the University of Saskatchewan Engineering Department will help the city determine the best biodiesel blend to use in it's buses.

Transit Manager Jeff Balon says two conventional diesel buses and two electric hybrid buses are being used to test the effect of low sulphur diesel, and 5 per cent canola biodiesel blend.

Read more from here @ Saskatoon Homepage

Labels: biodiesel, biofuels, research

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Hoover, AL turns old grease to biodiesel

March 10, 2007

After President Bush visited Hoover in September and praised the city for its use of ethanol in city vehicles, Mayor Tony Petelos said city leaders decided to seek more ways to use alternative fuels.

The city this week launched a new initiative, making its first batch of biodiesel fuel from leftover cooking oil.

Read more from this Al.com report

Labels: biodiesel, biofuels, wvo

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Geothermal idea stalls at ground level

By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff | March 1, 2007

Alberta Bennett's determination to blaze a pollution-free path has become an odyssey of Homer-like proportions.

Just as Alberta Bennett is poised to have a geothermal system installed, a new hurdle has sprung up. City officials say this would be their first experience with a geothermal system, and with no regulations in place, they want to proceed carefully before issuing any permits.

Read more from this Boston Globe report

Labels: geothermal

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Advocates push for geothermal energy

Gazette Washington Bureau

Geothermal resources could provide a significant share of Montana's and the country's energy needs, but only if state and federal policies begin supporting it, advocates of the clean, renewable technology said Thursday.

Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association, said the U.S. could triple its geothermal capacity in the next decade but only if research and development funding levels and government incentives put it on a level to compete with other emerging energy technologies.

Read the full news report from Billings Gazette, Mar 2007

Labels: geothermal

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Canton Votes to Install Geothermal Systems in Schools

March 7, 2007

Canton, Illinois - The Canton School Board voted to spend $1.8 million on geothermal heating and cooling systems at Eastview and Westview Elementary schools.

The systems will be installed this summer and should be operational at the start of the next school year.

Full news story from here, @ PJStar

Labels: geothermal

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Geothermal energy delivering big savings

Ground-source heating attracts interest despite initial costs

By James Bow - Business Edge
09 Mar 2007

In only two months last year, Eric Lange's company, Lange Transportation and Storage Ltd. found $12,000 in energy savings beneath his company's 70,000-sq.-ft. Mississauga warehouse after installing a geothermal heating & cooling system.

Geothermal energy conjures up images of homes heated by volcanic hot springs in Iceland or Japan, but the system Lange installed, referred to as ground-source heating and cooling, works most places on the planet.

Geothermal power may not be for every building, and initial capital costs are an obstacle.

Read more from this report @ Business Edge Canada

Labels: costs, geothermal

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Here we go!

The NewNergy Blog will provide news on what's new in energy.

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