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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/enfuem/asap/abs/ef800293h.html
Technologies to transform coal to liquid fuels have been around for a long time. Necessity was the mother of invention, as the Fischer-Tropsch process for coal to liquids was developed by German scientists to power the war machine of the 1940s. Now from Italy come reports of new processes which can make liquid fuels from coal-based synthetic gas with a higher yield, less energy inputs and measurably less carbon dioxide emissions. Given the requirements for lifecyle analysis of alternative fuels that the US Environmental Protection Agency is getting ready to release and the new Renewable Fuels Standard regulations due, the timing is very fortuitous. With coal reserves around the world at levels some 25 percent higher than crude oil, supporters could say that coal's time hasn't passed, it's yet to come.
ScienceDaily; October 21, 2008
Sumbitted by R. Campbell
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101902073.html
While oil prices can sometimes represent a game of Chutes and Ladders, the acceptance of the people on alternative fuel methods can often follow a similar pattern. As this Washington Post article on electric cars points out, the lack of permanent commitment and embrace by the public brings difficulties to creating a realistic transition away from fossil fuels and making a sustainable market for new vehicles and technologies. The struggle to change consumer behavior to favor and actually purchase the new vehicle model remains even with an energy crisis and oil dependence still present.
Its proponents say the electric car has transformative potential that other transportation alternatives lack. "We want customers to see the Volt as the game changer it is, not only for the technology, but also for business, and maybe more importantly for the way the world drives," said Troy A. Clarke, president of GM North America.
"Reducing our oil dependency meaningfully in the U.S., under any scenario, requires radically improving the efficiency of our vehicles," says Saurin D. Shah, a vice president at investment firm Neuberger Berman who expects an explosion of hybrid and plug-in cars by 2030. He predicts hybrid and electric cars will replace conventional vehicles as swiftly as electric locomotives replaced steam-driven ones.
But because their batteries are expensive, plug-in cars are going to cost as much as $8,000 more than conventional gasoline cars. The lower the price of gasoline, the longer it is going to take for fuel savings to make up for the car purchase premium. That is one reason why Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) has proposed a $7,000 tax credit for consumers who buy electric cars. Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) favors a $5,000 tax credit for cars with ultra-low emissions.
While government subsidies, grants, and private sector financing can help provide financial support for the development of the electric car industry, it does not sell them. It appears that a majority of drivers are still unwilling to transition away from their beloved Hummer H2 because of the lack of understanding of how an electric vehicle is maintained and the lack of infrastructure currently in place to support it. Combined with an economic existential crisis, there is even less spending or business development across the board, causing an even greater hill for electric car proponents to climb.
Washington Post; October 20, 2008
Submitted by K. Rutherford
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL95271320080909
Although small and only a start, Germany has entered the carbon capture and storage field with a new coal plant, located in the town of Schwarze Pumpe. The plant, produced by Vattenfall, will produce practically carbon-free power. While much smaller in scale and output than typical coal plants, the technology demonstrates a movement towards alternative energy around the world.
The plant operates through an oxyfuel boiler. Oxygen is injected into the boiler, powdered lignite (a type of coal with a high moisture content) is added, CO2 is produced and is then seperated and condensed to a smaller volume to be buried underground.
"Everybody's always criticizing CCS for never having a fully working model. Well here's one fully working model," said Stuart Haszeldine, a geologist at Edinburgh University and CCS expert.
"Maybe by 2013 you could predict a full size power station operating with CCS."
Coal is cheap and plentiful but also produces more heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) than energy sources such as oil, gas and renewables. CCS works by trapping those gases from coal plants and burying them in porous rocks underground.
A U.N. panel of climate experts says the technology could underpin the fight to slow rising temperatures and avert more powerful storms, droughts and rising seas.
CCS also has the support of many governments. But some environmental organizations say it is a distraction which will delay a global transition to renewable alternatives such as solar power, away from fossil fuels like coal, and accuse energy companies of making token investments.
"We're taking our responsibility seriously," said Josefsson at the inauguration of the 70 million euro ($98.92 million) plant built over two years which sits next to a conventional coal-fired plant 100 times as large.
A major downside to this new attempt is the damage it does to consumers' pocketbooks. Right now, CCS plants would raise power prices beyond what they are already at. As many other developing plans like wind and solar continue to mature, this plan is still stuck in the very early stages of development and implementation.
Reuters; September 9, 2008
Submitted by K. Rutherford
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gV7z6TGMMJP4J2L4KWix9DADnEiAD92Q55801
It might sound like a lesson plan for an Intro to Macroeconomics course; the conclusion that subsidies can cause fiscal havoc in the markets. But in addition, popular energy subsidies are a growing threat to preventing global warming. According to a new U.N. report, governments around the world are ignoring basic economic theories and environmental hazards that result from the presence of these subsidies. The report, just released by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), details the impacts that have occurred due to the establishment of numerous energy subsidies by countries including Russia, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, and India. By serving as an incentive for the continued use of fuel by consumers and the current methods of producers, the subsidies are discouraging energy conservation and efficiency. They also hamper the implementation of renewable energy development by protecting the status quo.
"In the final analysis, many fossil fuel subsidies are introduced for political reasons but are simply propping up and perpetuating inefficiencies in the global economy," said UNEP director Achim Steiner, who also is a U.N. undersecretary general.
In a statement released with the report, Steiner advised governments to "urgently review their energy subsidies and begin phasing out the harmful ones."
Several countries have felt the consequences of cutting subsidies. Last year, riots erupted In Myanmar when cash-strapped authorities raised fuel prices as much as 500 percent. In the last few months, India, China, and Indonesia have all trimmed their fuel subsidies, unable to keep pace with the rapid rise in oil prices.
The U.N. report said money could be redirected into programs that support low income families more directly and should be targeted to promote green energy, such as wind or solar.
Cutting off the subsidies would be good for the environment as it would reduce carbon emissions by as much as 6 percent, said Zahedi.
Free market advocates and environmentalists agree that these subsidies for modern energy use are hurtful, based on the detrimental effect the subsidies have on economic equilibrium and environmental preservation that both groups desire most. But since there are numerous types of subsidies and different approaches to providing energy, it is hard to determine what should be done. Creating new subsidies that are directed at renewable energy practices is a promising solution, although economists will stress the importance to preserving quality market conditions as well.
The Associated Press; August 27, 2008
Submitted by K. Rutherford
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/nyregion/26wind.html?ref=environment
In the race to become the premier alternative energy source, wind power seems to have a new selling point. While different stakeholders disagree about the best way to approach the problem of energy efficiency, advocates of wind turbines have a new technology to leverage their case. The new strategy to encourage wind power relies on air storage, which allows the energy to be stored for peak use and not necessarily only when there is a lot of wind to generate it. By compressing the air and then keeping it underground, the system prevents the fear of running on empty when the wind ceases to be present.
“This is a game-changing technology,” said Stephen C. Byrd, the president of P.S.E.G. Energy Holdings, which will invest $20 million over three years. “There is a desire for energy independence, and this will reduce the need for oil and natural gas.”
The venture has met with utilities that might buy the storage technology. Compressed air can be produced by a variety of fuels. But the new venture hopes to put wind power generated during off-peak hours to use during peak hours — typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — and especially on hot days.
One of the main challenges to using wind power is that the wind, in general, is unpredictable, which makes it harder for utilities to rely exclusively on it since they prefer to buy energy a day or more in advance.
While the new feature for wind power sounds promising, the debate continues as to whether it is necessary, or if it is the best choice to reduce the dependency on oil. But with Mayor Bloomberg and T. Boone Pickens staking their claims behind the technology, their influence and financial stamina may be enough to blow the competition away.
The New York Times; August 26, 2008
Submitted by K. Rutherford
With party leadership on both sides digging themselves in on energy issues, the only hope for a legislative solution to cope with increasing energy prices may fall with two bi-partisan groups that have formed in both the House and Senate. Each of these groups has developed a "compromise" proposal that attempts to increase production and conservation while boosting funding in renewable and alternative energy sources...
After two months of fever-pitch debate over how to deal with the soaring price of oil, Congress left town yesterday without doing anything on energy. The final day featured a group of raucus Republicans who remained on the House floor after an adjournment vote was passed, the microphones turned off and the lights dimmed, demanding that Democratic leaders return and take action on comprehensive energy legislation.
On the Senate side, a bipartisan group of senators known as the "group of 10" yesterday outlined a possible $84 billion compromise bill including new "targeted" offshore drilling opportunities and a $20 billion program to get 85 percent of new U.S. vehicles off petroleum-based fuels in 20 years. But the group left unresolved some of the toughest issues -- such as how to fully pay for the bill. The group called for a bipartisan summit to be held after the August recess, but by early afternoon different pieces of the plan were being picked apart. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) criticized the offshore drilling portion, and the liberal Center for American Progress said the group deserved "an A for effort, but their proposal is unsatisfactory and needs many improvements." Red Cavaney, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said he hoped small bipartisan groups in the House and Senate could spur legislative action in September. "Though there is not a lot of time, maybe we'll see some vote on those bills or some version thereof," he said.
The Washington Post; August 2, 2008
Submitted by J. Andrews
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/robison/5902405.html
The waiver request submitteed by Gov. Perry marks the first attempt at reducing the renewable fuel mandates expanded in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The EPA's decision on this request will offer significant insight into the EPA's view on the RFS.
Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday renewed his request for a waiver from ethanol requirements for gasoline, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's postponement of a decision. Perry said a one-year, 50 percent waiver from the grain-based Renewable Fuels Standard "is an essential step toward decreasing the devastating statewide, national and international impact of skyrocketing feed and food costs. A decision had been expected Thursday, but EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said he and his staff needed more time to review more than 15,000 public comments. The agency now hopes to decide in early August.
The Chron.com; July 22, 2008
Submitted by J. Andrews
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=afFetHs1nhBY&refer=home
The updated renewable fuel standard is mandating the usage of higher levels of renewable fuels. As a result, expanding the infrastructure to distribute such fuels, including access to fuels with a higher renewable fuel content, will be necessary to carry out this mandate...
General Motors Corp., the biggest U.S. automaker, and the National Governors Association said they are working on expanding the distribution network for E85 ethanol in preparation for selling ethanol from non-grain sources.
The plan calls for GM to assist states in finding appropriate place to put ethanol pumps, according to a statement issued today. The Detroit-based company has helped bring 300 E85 pumps online in 15 states during the last three years. There are fewer than 1,700 pumps for E85, which is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, in the country out of about 170,000 gasoline stations, GM said.
Having more E85 pumps will provide owners of flex-fuels vehicles better access to the fuel. GM said it will make 50 percent of production flex-fuel capable by 2012, if the infrastructure is moving ahead. The company also has investments in two ethanol companies, Coskata Inc. and Mascoma Corp."
Bloomberg.com; July 13, 2008
Submitted by J. Andrews
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-07-08-t-boone-pickens-plan-wind-energy_N.htm
T. Boone Pickens wants to replace oil consumption with wind power, and he is prepared to bankroll part of our national effort to do so. Today, Americans import just under 70% of our oil, an increase from 20% in 1970 and 42% in 1991. Pickens has made his fortune through investing in oil and through his energy hedge fund, BP Capital.
"We're paying $700 billion a year for foreign oil. It's breaking us as a nation, and I want to elevate that question to the presidential debate, to make it the No. 1 issue of the campaign this year," Pickens says.
Today, Pickens will take the wraps off what he's calling the Pickens Plan for cutting the USA's demand for foreign oil by more than a third in less than a decade. To promote it, he is bankrolling what his aides say will be the biggest public policy ad campaign ever. The website, pickensplan.com, goes live today.
Jay Rosser, Pickens' ever-present public relations man, promises that Pickens' face will be seen on Americans' televisions this fall almost as frequently as John McCain's and Barack Obama's.
"Neither presidential candidate is talking about solving the oil problem. So we're going to make 'em talk about it," Pickens says.
Indeed, though Sweetwater is a windy place, plenty of locations farther north in the Great Plains are even better suited to wind farming. One is about 250 miles north of Sweetwater, near Pampa, northeast of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. That's where Pickens is building what would be the world's largest wind farm, four times larger than the current titleholder near here. So far, he has spent $2 billion on the project, including a record purchase of nearly 700 wind turbines this year from General Electric. He expects to spend up to $10 billion on the project and to begin generating electricity in 2011.
USA Today; July 8, 2008
Submitted by B. Shapiro
Texas has become a leader in wind energy with Houston adding itself to the list.
The heart of the U.S. oil patch on Tuesday began using wind-powered electricity for about a fourth of its municipal power needs at a lower price than it is paying for power produced from coal and natural gas, city officials said. The move shows how renewable energy's prospects are improving at a time of soaring fossil-fuel prices. Long derided as an expensive niche, wind power now is moving closer to the mainstream. Houston's push also underscores how far renewable energy has to go. Wind power has taken hold more in Texas than in many other states, both because the western part of the state is breezy and because Texas has enacted a mandate designed to boost wind-power generation. The federal government has rejected calls to implement that kind of mandate nationally.
The Wall Street Journal; July 2, 2008
Submitted by J. Andrews
