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World’s Fastest Eco-Boat Arrives in Tortola
The Ferry Dock at Road Town Tortola was a buzz of activities this morning when the world’s fastest eco-boat, Earthrace arrived for a day’s visit.
Earthrace, which runs on 100% biodiesel, is the first boat in the world to use hemp composite. This is visible on the floor of the helm. Hemp is renewable, unlike carbon and Kevlar, and is strong and versatile enough for medium impact protection.
Earthrace has smashed the world speed record for a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe, completing the journey in 60 days, 23 hours 49 mins, and knocking almost 14 days off the previous record.
"Awesome! " The Ferry Dock at Road Town Tortola was a buzz of activities this morning when the world’s fastest eco-boat, Earthrace arrived for a d... more -
Il biodiesel dalle alghe arriva in Cina
Petrosun, dopo il lancio di successo del primo impianto di produzione di alghe per biodiesel negli Stati Uniti, si è indirizzata verso lo sviluppo di un nuovo stabilimento in Cina. (...) Petrosun, dopo il lancio di successo del primo impianto di produzione di alghe per biodiesel negli Stati Uniti, si è indirizzata verso... more
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US Expected To Become Booming Biodiesel's Largest Market by 2012
A report by SRI Consulting, a business research service for the global chemical industry, states that the "biodiesel industry has experienced some of the highest growth rates ever seen in the chemical industry," and that "[b]y 2012, the United States is expected to become the largest single biodiesel market, accounting for roughly 19% of world biodiesel consumption."
Although remarkably high growth rates are expected to continue, the overall growth of the global biodiesel market is expected slow some due to the ongoing fuel vs. food debate, the rising price of raw material, the changing regulatory environment, the slowing global economy, and the US financial crisis.
According to the report, biodiesel is not competitive against conventional diesel without political support and tax exemptions because of biodiesel's higher production costs. Consequently, political issues such as climate change, energy security, and rural development are "motivating forces behind the development of the biodiesel industry."
Full report at link... A report by SRI Consulting, a business research service for the global chemical industry, states that the "biodiesel industry has... more -
65 MPG Ford the U.S. can't have
If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor, known widely for lumbering gas hogs.
The ECOnetic will go on sale in Europe in November.
Ford's 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here's the catch: Despite the car's potential to transform Ford's image and help it compete with Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. "We know it's an awesome vehicle," says Ford America President Mark Fields. "But there are business reasons why we can't sell it in the U.S." The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.
Automakers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have predicted for years that a technology called "clean diesel" would overcome many Americans' antipathy to a fuel still often thought of as the smelly stuff that powers tractor trailers. Diesel vehicles now hitting the market with pollution-fighting technology are as clean or cleaner than gasoline and at least 30% more fuel-efficient.
Yet while half of all cars sold in Europe last year ran on diesel, the U.S. market remains relatively unfriendly to the fuel. Taxes aimed at commercial trucks mean diesel costs anywhere from 40 cents to $1 more per gallon than gasoline. Add to this the success of the Toyota Prius, and you can see why only 3% of cars in the U.S. use diesel. "Americans see hybrids as the darling," says Global Insight auto analyst Philip Gott, "and diesel as old-tech."
None of this is stopping European and Japanese automakers, which are betting they can jump-start the U.S. market with new diesel models. Mercedes-Benz by next year will have three cars it markets as "BlueTec." Even Nissan and Honda, which long opposed building diesel cars in Europe, plan to introduce them in the U.S. in 2010. But Ford, whose Fiesta ECOnetic compares favorably with European diesels, can't make a business case for bringing the car to the U.S.
Too Pricey to Import
First of all, the engines are built in Britain, so labor costs are high. Plus the pound remains stronger than the greenback. At prevailing exchange rates, the Fiesta ECOnetic would sell for about $25,700 in the U.S. By contrast, the Prius typically goes for about $24,000. A $1,300 tax deduction available to buyers of new diesel cars could bring the price of the Fiesta to around $24,400. But Ford doesn't believe it could charge enough to make money on an imported ECOnetic.
Ford plans to make a gas-powered version of the Fiesta in Mexico for the U.S. So why not manufacture diesel engines there, too? Building a plant would cost at least $350 million at a time when Ford has been burning through more than $1 billion a month in cash reserves. Besides, the automaker would have to produce at least 350,000 engines a year to make such a venture profitable. "We just don't think North and South America would buy that many diesel cars," says Fields.
The question, of course, is whether the U.S. ever will embrace diesel fuel and allow automakers to achieve sufficient scale to make money on such vehicles. California certified VW and Mercedes diesel cars earlier this year, after a four-year ban. James N. Hall, of auto researcher 293 Analysts, says that bellwether state and the Northeast remain "hostile to diesel." But the risk to Ford is that the fuel takes off, and the carmaker finds itself playing catch-up—despite having a serious diesel contender in its arsenal. If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system,... more -
Beyond Chevy Volt, Electric Cars From Cadillac, Pontiac - Plug-in Car Rumors - Pop...
Even as General Motors executives used the company’s boisterous 100th birthday bash today to pull the wraps off the production Chevrolet Volt, GM designers and engineers are quietly laying the foundation for what could become a full range of plug-in cars that the company refers to as Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, or E-REVs.
Scheduled to head for production in November 2010, the eagerly-awaited Volt is a cross between a pure electric vehicle and more conventional hybrids, such as the popular Toyota Prius. And like the Prius, Chevy’s new entry features a distinctive body. But under the skin, Volt shares much of its platform with GM’s global compact architecture, known as Delta. That means it has a lot in common with upcoming products like the new Chevy Cruze.
"The reason it’s on a global architecture is to make it possible to do other variants," said Bob Lutz, GM’s vice chairman and product chief. Even as General Motors executives used the company’s boisterous 100th birthday bash today to pull the wraps off the production Chevrol... more -
Pickens Natural Gas Cars Reality Check - Standard Taxi CNG -
Tell us why this is interestingSelf-made billionaire and self-proclaimed energy guru T. Boone Pickens has been all over the media and the Web this summer, with his energy evangelism gaining added traction as we count down the last 50 days to the election. Pickens wants to reduce our dependence on foreign energy as rapidly as possible, and he's willing to put his money where his mouth is.
As part of his viral video-powered campaign, then, Pickens wants to put $160 million behind his case for natural gas-powered vehicles. Central to that plan is the development of the so-called Standard Taxi (pictured above), which looks sort of like a London taxi made from Lego blocks. I can only speculate as to why it's so unconscionably ugly.
That being said, I happen to agree 100-percent with Pickens' assertion that converting a healthy proportion of the U.S. fleet to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) would provide tremendous medium-range solutions to our energy issues—no question about it. We have plenty of NG reserves, especially right offshore and in the Arctic. The infrastructure to carry it around the country is mature. There are many advantages to running a car or truck on CNG, especially for fleets that always return to a central location for refueling during the day or overnight. It's a clean-burning fuel, and a dedicated CNG vehicle can have almost the same range as a gas or diesel-powered one. Tell us why this is interestingSelf-made billionaire and self-proclaimed energy guru T. Boone Pickens has been all over the media and ... more -
Air Force Synthetic Fuel Test Flight - Video of Biofuels in Air Force
The airforce has green jet fuel on lock down. This has a video of the flight as well folks... check it out.
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Nasce il biodiesel persino dai rifiuti!
In California verrà costruito a breve un nuovo impianto di produzione di biodiesel ricavato dai rifiuti. (...)
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Go 2,000 miles on 1 tank of fuel. From London to Venice!
This sleek machine is being hailed as the future of high-performance, eco-friendly motoring.
With an engine that runs on pure biodiesel, the Trident Iceni can do 2,000 miles on one tank of fuel - enough for a return trip to Venice from London.
Capable of topping 200mph, the car has been designed and manufactured by Phil Bevan, of Norwich-based firm Trident Performance Vehicles.
Just 500 go on sale from next year, priced at £75,000, after the firm spent £2.3million in development.
A spokesman said: ‘It’s like having a Lamborghini without the cost or the damage to the environment.
‘Electric cars are great for short distances but not really ideal for people who live in rural locations.
‘The Iceni is incredibly economical on fuel, which is virtually unheard of in a car of that speed.’
It uses a technology called 'torque multiplication' which helps keeps the revs low and thus uses less fuel and gives out less emissions.
The chassis is made from stainless steel which won’t corrode and the body isbuilt of composite which will never rust or degrade.
I'll take one please! This sleek machine is being hailed as the future of high-performance, eco-friendly motoring. ... more -
Trash-To-Biodiesel Firm Files for $100M IPO
Trash-to-biodiesel producer Changing World Technologies, has filed for an auction-style IPO run to raise as much as $100 million. The company’s plant takes about 250 tons daily in carcasses and other waste from a ConAgra Butterball turkey factory and turns it into fertilizer and diesel fuel suitable for use as heating oil. Trash-to-biodiesel producer Changing World Technologies, has filed for an auction-style IPO run to raise as much as $100 million. The... more
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Lab makes renewable diesel fuel from E. coli poop
Story Highlights:
Some biotech laboratories are using bacteria to create a form of diesel fuel
"Production facilities" are so small, you can see them only under a microscope
Bacteria are fed plant material, or sugar, and excrete the equivalent of diesel
Experts say the process is still too small-scale to be a viable energy alternative Story Highlights: Some biotech laboratories are using bacteria to create a form of diesel fuel ... more -
McDonalds to power police cars
"Police in Manila are looking to convert their patrol cars to run on a mixture of diesel and used cooking oil from McDonald's, officials and the company said Tuesday.
With oil prices at crippling highs, the project would convert cars in the Makati financial district to run on a mix of 40 percent diesel and 60 percent cooking oil, its police chief Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz said.
Used cooking oil will be donated by Makati outlets of the hamburger giant, said McDonalds franchising manager Buth Salaya.
Other restaurants are also considering donating their used cooking oil as well, Cruz said.
One police car has been converted to use the diesel/cooking oil mixture and is already in use, and the government is studying how viable it is to convert more vehicles.
"It's a win-win situation for us because we will both benefit," Cruz said. "The cooking oil of their Makati stores will be re-used and the Makati police will use it as a component for their biodiesel and also save money."
The head of police forces in the capital Manila, Geary Barias, said that if the project is successful, he may recommend it being adopted by police forces across the Philippines. "
That is SWEET, why do they do all the cool green energy things in other countries? "Police in Manila are looking to convert their patrol cars to run on a mixture of diesel and used cooking oil from McDonald'... more -
Truckin' From Diesel To Veg Oil
Discovery-News.com: A diesel-guzzling truck is converted to run on fryer oil. Take a trip with James Williams on the journey to veggie fuel automotion. Discovery-News.com: A diesel-guzzling truck is converted to run on fryer oil. Take a trip with James Williams on the journey to veggie... more
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Why is hemp off the biofuel menu?
With all the talk of Ethiopians starving because farmland is being diverted to planting crops that are to be processed into biofuel, but are uneatable I figured this would be a great read. Thank you Guardian...
The Royal Society, the European Commission and the UK government have all managed, in the last few days, to take the wind out of the sails of the biofuel industry, publishing reports that suggest biofuels could be causing more harm than good, the crops not being as environmentally friendly as first thought, with the Commons environmental audit committee calling for a moratorium on biofuel targets until more research can be done.
What struck me as astonishing about these reports is that they all managed to ignore the one crop which has been successfully used for many years to create bioethanol and biodiesel, is environmentally friendlier to produce than sugar beet, palm oil, corn or any of the crops mentioned in the report and can grow in practically any temperate to hot climate leaving the ground in better condition than when it was planted.
That plant is hemp.
Last year, the Conservative MP David Maclean tabled a question to the then environment secretary, Ian Pearson, asking what assessment had been made about the potential to grow hemp as a biofuel crop in England. Pearson responded:
Research into the potential of hemp as a biofuel crop suggests it is not currently competitive compared to other sources of biomass. However, hemp does have a number of high-value end uses. For example, as a fibre crop it is used in car panels, construction and as horse bedding. In addition, hempseed oil is used in food, cosmetics and various industrial applications. As a result, there is little interest in this country at present in growing it for biofuel production.
So the government cannot point to ignorance of hemp's uses, which makes hemp's omission from any of the recent reports even more perplexing.
The fact that hemp does not need to have land cleared to grow it, grows faster than any of the crops currently used and leaves the ground in a better state when it is harvested should surely be enough for it to be considered a perfect crop to offset the carbon currently produced by fossil fuels and by the less efficient biofuels currently being so roundly criticised by the various official research bodies.
The influential Biodiesel magazine reported last year on the cultivation of hemp as a biofuel and it too could only point to its lack of economic competitiveness (due to its minimal production) as a reason for not seeing it as a viable biofuel. But surely if it was mass-produced, this one drawback could be overcome and its many benefits as an efficient biofuel could be harnessed.
As far as research and implementation of hemp for biofuel, the US is way ahead of Europe and there are a range of websites dedicated to the use of hemp as a fuel for cars.
In the UK, companies such as Hemp Global Solutions have been set up very much with climate change and the reduction of carbon emissions in mind, but there is little, if any, research in this country that has looked into the viability of the hemp plant as a fuel for cars.
So why was there not a single mention of this miracle crop, that, in addition to being able to be used as fuel, can also be used as paper, cloth, converted into plastic and is a rich food source containing high levels of protein? With all the talk of Ethiopians starving because farmland is being diverted to planting crops that are to be processed into biofuel, ... more -
Van powered by cooking oil to travel length of Latin America
"A couple are travelling around Latin America to show off their van which is powered on used cooking oil from restaurants."
While I have heard of many others undertaking a similar trek, it sounds like this couple are attempting the longest journey in hopes of raising awareness for their preferred alternative fuel. Check out the video on the link. "A couple are travelling around Latin America to show off their van which is powered on used cooking oil from restaurants." ... more -
Laboratorio en Movimiento
HELP a couple of people cross Latino America to promote alternative energy use. They been traveling using a biodiesel powered SUV and they need your help to get to Patagonia! Learn more about the project at:
http://www.laboratorioenmovimiento.com/index.html HELP a couple of people cross Latino America to promote alternative energy use. They been traveling using a biodiesel powered SUV and ... more -
Grocers feeding lies, food for fuel a scam??
"Don't buy what the grocers are trying to feed you." That’s the message from Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board, in response to the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s campaign to blame biofuels for rising food costs. "Don't buy what the grocers are trying to feed you." That’s the message from Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Bo... more
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Amazing vertical algae-to-biofuel technology produces cost-effective, non-pollutin...
Glen Kertz, CEO of Valcent Products, explains HDVB algae-to-biofuel technology.
From Valcent Products, Inc.:
The Holy Grail in the renewable energy sector has been to create a clean, green process which uses only light, water and air to create fuel. Valcent's HDVB algae-to-biofuel technology mass produces algae, vegetable oil which is suitable for refining into a cost-effective, non-polluting biodiesel. The algae derived fuel will be an energy efficient replacement for fossil fuels and can be used in any diesel powered vehicle or machinery. In addition, 90% by weight of the algae is captured carbon dioxide, which is "sequestered" by this process and so contributes significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Valcent has commissioned the world's first commercial-scale bioreactor pilot project at its test facility in El Paso, Texas.
Current data projects high yields of algae biomass, which will be harvested and processed into algal oil for biofuel feedstock and ingredients in food, pharmaceutical, and health and beauty products at a significantly lower cost than comparable oil-producing crops such as palm and soyabean (soybean).
The HDVB technology was developed by Valcent in recognition and response to a huge unsatisfied demand for vegetable oil feedstock by Biodiesel refiners and marketers. Biodiesel, in 2000, was the only alternative fuel in the United States to have successfully completed the Environmental Protection Agency required Tier I and Tier II health effects testing under the Clean Air Act. These tests conclusively demonstrated Biodiesel's significant reduction of virtually all regulated emissions. A U.S. Department of Energy study has shown that the production and use of Biodiesel, compared to petroleum diesel, resulted in a 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Algae, like all plants, require carbon dioxide, water with nutrients and sunlight for growth. The HDVB bioreactor technology is ideal for location adjacent to heavy producers of carbon dioxide such as coal fired power plants, refineries or manufacturing facilities, as the absorption of CO2 by the algae significantly reduces greenhouse gases. These reductions represent value in the form of Certified Emission Reduction credits, so-called carbon credits, in jurisdictions that are signatories to the Kyoto Protocol. Although the carbon credit market is still small, it is growing fast, valued in 2005 at $6.6 Billion in the European Union and projected to increase to $77 Billion if the United States accepts a similar national cap-and-trade program.
Valcent's HDVB bioreactor system can be deployed on non-arable land, requires very little water due to its closed circuit process, does not incur significant labor costs and does not employ fossil fuel burning equipment, unlike traditional food/biofuel crops, like soy and palm oil. They require large agricultural acreage, huge volumes of water and chemicals, and traditional farm equipment and labor. They are also much less productive than the HDVB process: soybean, palm oil and conventional pond-grown algae typically yield 48 gallons, 635 gallons and 10,000 gallons per acre per year respectively.
http://www.valcent.net/s/Ecotech.asp?ReportID=182039 Glen Kertz, CEO of Valcent Products, explains HDVB algae-to-biofuel technology. From Valcent Products, Inc.: ... more -
Hemp makes ethanol and biodiesel too
"Hemp is the term commonly employed for the industrial (non-drug) usage of the cannabis plant, otherwise known as marijuana. The stalk of the cannabis or marijuana plant has no THC content whatsoever, that is, it has no mind-altering properties.
The use of cannabis for hemp products goes back thousands of years. Today, hemp can be used in thousands of commercial products. The hemp tops and seeds can go to food, and the stalks can go for fuel, fiber and building materials, so it is like growing two crops in one field..." "Hemp is the term commonly employed for the industrial (non-drug) usage of the cannabis plant, otherwise known as marijuana. The ... more
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