Can Natural Gas Be Clean? HyperSolar Says Yes. Are we closer to having renewable natural gas using solar power, water and CO2?
That’s what HyperSolar, a technology company based in Santa Barbara, CA, is hoping to achieve. The company has filed a patent application for clean, renewable gas which it hopes replaces traditional natural gas without having to resort to aggressive and dangerous methods such as drilling and fracking. “The sun is our greatest source of energy and a method to use this energy to make clean, renewable fuel is a very significant discovery,” said Tim Young, CEO of HyperSolar. 54.5 MPG Fuel Economy Standards Formally Announced Today.
This is an archived story.
The information and any links may no longer be accurate. New fuel economy standards of 54.5 mpg are being formally introduced today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for model year 2017-2025 passenger cars and light trucks. Cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks are currently responsible for nearly 60% of U.S. transportation-related petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions. The standards literally double fuel efficiency from current levels and reduce carbon emissions by almost 50%. In July, the auto industry and Obama administration agreed to the fuel economy standards, which build on the 35.5 mpg standards that are in force for model years 2012-2016.
"This agreement on fuel standards represents the single most important step we've ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," says President Obama. Hydrogen Storage-Fuel Cells to Smooth Out German Wind Power. Clean Power Published on October 12th, 2011 | by Andrew Photo courtesy of Siemens AG Ontario’s Hydrogenics has won a contract to supply a hydrogen production, storage and fuel cell system to the German city of Herten, the Mississauga-based company announced today. Developing the means to manage intermittent electricity generation from wind power farms has been a key challenge for grid operators, one that Herten city officials decided was best addressed by using a Hydrogenics’ HySTAT 30 hydrogen generator to electrolyze water, storing the resulting hydrogen and then converting it back to electricity using a Hydrogenics’ HyPM 50-kilowatt (kW) fuel cell power system.
“Electrolyzing water into hydrogen using excess intermittent renewable energy is the optimal clean pathway to smart grid stabilization and energy storage capacity, Hydrogenics’ president and CEO Daryl Wilson stated in a press release. Gasoline and Diesel Sales down in the UK. University of Arkansas Students Launch Start-up to Manufacture Biodegradable Plastic. Business Published on October 6th, 2011 | by Priti Ambani.
News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. The recent rise in oil prices reminds us that volatility will remain a core feature of the global hydrocarbon market.
But what are the more fundamental changes we can expect over the next decade? In my 30 years in the energy business, I have witnessed several major periods of change. Vadxx Energy To Repurpose Plastics Into Fuel in Akron, OH. CleanTech Published on October 3rd, 2011 | by Priti Ambani The City of Akron, Ohio recently announced a contract with Greenstar Recycling (a local recycling facility) for processing the recyclable material picked up at the curb.
Greenstar Recycling is partnering with the City of Akron to increase recycling in Ohio’s fifth largest metropolitan area and will construct a “state-of-the-art” recycling facility within the corporate limits of Akron. But this is no ordinary curb-side recycling or facility. This facility will include innovative technology that converts recovered plastic into synthetic crude oil. How it Works and What Kind of Waste Can Be Used? Vadxx Energy (Cleveland, OH) manufactures synthetic crude oil, natural gas and recovers metals using raw material feedstock consisting of petroleum-based wastes. Energy from Waste Flowchart: Image Credit, Vadxx Per Vadxx, More Details On MIT’s “Artificial Leaf” (And Video) New Process Converts Plastic into Synthetic Crude Oil. ‘Artificial leaf’ makes fuel from sunlight. Researchers led by MIT professor Daniel Nocera have produced something they’re calling an “artificial leaf”: Like living leaves, the device can turn the energy of sunlight directly into a chemical fuel that can be stored and used later as an energy source.
The artificial leaf — a silicon solar cell with different catalytic materials bonded onto its two sides — needs no external wires or control circuits to operate. New Advanced Biofuel Identified That Can Replace Diesel Fuel. The continuing quest for advanced biofuels based off of synthetic biology has made an important advance with researchers at the Joint BioENergy Institute (JBEI) — based at the Lawrence Livermore Lab — announcing that they have bio-engineered a combination of two microbes, a yeast and a bacteria, which working together can produce a viable bio-sourced drop-in replacement for D2 diesel fuel. by Chris de Morsella, Green Economy Post Chris is the co-editor of The Green Executive Recruiter Directory.
Follow Chris on Twitter @greeneconpost. Lotus in the driving seat at new biofuels centre - 30 Sep 2011. Microbial fuel cell produces hydrogen from wastewater without wasting energy. 'Inexhaustible' source of hydrogen may be unlocked by salt water Monday, September 19, 2011 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A grain of salt or two may be all that microbial electrolysis cells need to produce hydrogen from wastewater or organic byproducts, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or using grid electricity, according to Penn State engineers.
"This system could produce hydrogen anyplace that there is wastewater near sea water," said Bruce E. Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering. "It uses no grid electricity and is completely carbon neutral. Microbial electrolysis cells that produce hydrogen are the basis of this recent work, but previously, to produce hydrogen, the fuel cells required some electrical input. Natural Gas (with Methane Emissions) Still Better than Coal. This is an archived story.
The information and any links may no longer be accurate. Over its full cycle of production, distribution, and use, natural gas emits just over half as much greenhouse gas emissions as coal does for equivalent energy output, according to a study from the Worldwatch Institute and the Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors. China and Biofuels – Stir-Fry or Fly? China’s omnivorous global appetite for energy resources is well known.
While biofuel production is one of the rising energy stars of the 21st century, it is unlikely to become a significant source for China in the near future, as the country’s arable land is devoted first and foremost to feeding the country’s massive population 1.3 billion citizens, unless a feedstock can be found that grows well on marginal land. But the issue of food may yet prove to contribute to the country’s energy output by recycling a traditional component of Chinese cuisine – used cooking oil.
According to a recent article in the People’s Daily, Beijing’s 19 million inhabitants are seeing the grease used to fry up their dim sum and other delicacies carted off by eight licensed collectors of used cooking oil, known as “hogwash,” for recycling into biofuel. Eco-business.com. It’s a phrase that’s been popularised in advertising for a motoring product. But when it comes to the use of palm oil in food manufacturing, Australian Orangutan Project president Leif Cocks says the same message applies: oils ain’t oils. ”It’s estimated 300 football fields of rainforest per hour are being destroyed,” Cocks says of the repercussions in Malaysia and Indonesia as the global demand for cheap oil climbs.
Estimates suggest 93 per cent of all palm oil produced is used in food. Agrocarburants : l'UE donne un agrément à sept mécanismes de durabilité. Malgré les critiques, l'Union européenne persiste dans la voie des agrocarburants. La Commission vient de reconnaître sept organismes de contrôle de durabilité de ces carburants. EU powers ahead with 'sustainable' biofuel certification schemes - 20 Jul 2011. Will the EU reveal judging criteria for biofuel bodies? - 19 Jul 2011. Gaz de schiste : une nouvelle proposition de loi déposée par le PS et les Verts.
12 Synthetic Biology Biofuel & Biochemical Companies to Watch. A detailed review of 12 U.S. based synthetic biology, biofuel & biochemical companies that are developing third and fourth generation biofuels, bioindustrial & household chemical, and food additive products; using synthetic biology to produce engineered microorganisms and specialty enzymatic products. Seaweed Biofuel? U.S. Backs Plant to Make Fuel From Corn Waste.
Virgin Australia taps aviation bio-fuel from eucalypt trees. Virgin Australia (ASX: VBA) is collaborating with Renewable Oil Corporation (ROC), Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (DYMTF) and Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre (FFI CRC) to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel that also has benefits for the Australian farming community and the environment.