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Growing algae for biofuel
"It's actually like growing tomatoes; the algae need similar things," he says.
This crop uses the warmth, light and a steady feed of carbon dioxide and nutrients to reproduce faster than any other plant on earth.
The amount of algae in these tubes can double daily. And that is both the attraction and the problem with algae as a commercial crop.
What Algae-Link's system claims to crack, possibly for the first time, is the problem of clogging. A patented internal cleaning system keeps the set-up harvesting twenty-four hours a day.
Once the cells of the algae are split into their constituent parts (an established science with all biofuel crops but a more secretive part of the process in this case), the green mass can be sold as feed for fish and oyster farms and the vegetable oil can be processed into engine fuel.
What will be crucial is to produce the raw material in sufficient quantities. Cynics are saying a land mass anything up to the size of Ireland would have to be devoted to algae production to fuel the world's civil aviation industry.
But that may not be out of the question. With algae cultivation in tubes, farming is feasible on otherwise unusable land; there are already projects up and running in the Gobi desert of northern China.
MUCH MORE IN LINK.
Nuclear power plants could of helped us 10 years ago, There is so many promising biofuel technology out right now, its time for America to step up. "It's actually like growing tomatoes; the algae need similar things," he says. ... more -
New Energy Project Will Be Even Larger than the Pickens Plan
Australian developer Babcock and Brown has announced that it is working on a 79.5 MW wind farm in the Texas Panhandle— but the company has much larger ambitions than a single farm. Majestic Wind Farm is only one part of a $1 billion effort company to build 567.5 MW of wind power throughout Texas, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. But there’s more.
Babcock and Brown’s current plans are part of an even bigger project in the Texas Panhandle Loop to create 8,000 MW of power from renewables, natural gas, and coal-fired plants. Companies including Airtricity, Celanese, and Occidental Energy Ventures will join Babcock and Brown in the massive effort.
Compare that to Pickens’ plan to install 4,000 MW of wind power in Texas—a staggering number in its own right. And lets not forget that Pickens is only one man, while the larger plan is part of a combined effort from multiple companies.
Babcock and Brown hasn’t announced a completion date for the 8,000 MW plan, but its Majestic Wind Farm will be up and running by the end of the year. Here’s hoping for an even bigger project to come along and steal Babcock and Brown’s thunder. Australian developer Babcock and Brown has announced that it is working on a 79.5 MW wind farm in the Texas Panhandle— but the company... more -
Al Gore on "Meet The Press"
In it's entirety, watch Mr. Gore outline his plans for alternate sources of energy, his opinion of folks like T. Boone Pickens, why he's not interested in being Obama's running mate and much, much more. In it's entirety, watch Mr. Gore outline his plans for alternate sources of energy, his opinion of folks like T. Boone Pickens, w... more
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Midstaters ditch cars for other rides
Wanda Jones was tired of paying $50 to fill up the tank of her SUV. So she bought a scooter. Now her 24-mile commute to work at Penn State Dickinson School of Law costs her about $4 a week in gas. "It's wonderful," she said. "People laugh at me and I say, 'Go ahead and laugh. I'll be laughing at you at the gas pumps.' "
Jones isn't the only one making a change in her commuting habits. Mass transit officials and agencies that help organize car pools in the region say interest in alternative transportation is rising quickly.
Money is part of that motivation.
And there is a lot to be saved -- $2.3 million a day in the four-county Harrisburg region, according to a Patriot-News analysis.
People who commute to work alone burn 108 million gallons of gas a year, according to the analysis that looked at the gasoline used by the 423,396 people in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and York counties who said they drive alone to work.
How much is 108 million gallons? Enough to fill a storage tank 100 feet around and as tall as the Empire State Building. Put another way, it would take 7.3 million barrels of oil to make that gas, enough to fill three and a half super tankers.
On the flip side, a 1 percent drop in solo riders would remove 8,400 vehicles from midstate roads each day and reduce fuel demand by more than 1 million gallons a year.
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This is actually a good result of high gas prices. The question is, should they fall would people continue what they are doing now? Wanda Jones was tired of paying $50 to fill up the tank of her SUV. So she bought a scooter. Now her 24-mile commute to work at Penn S... more -
Hawaii first state to require solar homes
Hawaii has become the first state in the nation to pass into law a requirement that all new homes built after Jan. 1, 2010, be equipped with solar or other energy efficient hot water systems.
Signed into law by Hawaii’s governor on June 26, the bill's introducer, Senate Majority Leader Gary L. Hooser (D-Kauai, Niihau) said, "Hawaii is almost totally dependent on imported oil for its energy needs and estimates show that, with this law, our oil consumption will be cut by 30,000 barrels during the first year and continues to decline exponentially thereafter."
While allowing for other energy efficient choices, the new law is widely seen as a solar hot water mandate and is expected to cut home energy usage in Hawaii by an average of 30 percent starting in 2010.
With the price of oil recently reaching $140 per barrel, Hooser considers Hawaii's move toward cheaper, cleaner energy "a vital decision for our island state."
"While the instituting of broad mandates is never an easy thing to do, the public benefits resulting from the passage of this measure are huge," he added.
Hawaii currently has the highest electricity costs in the nation and it is estimated that homeowners will save $600 annually for a family of four. "The additional disposable income combined with a cumulative multiplier effect of that income circulating in the Hawaii economy, rather than being exported to import foreign oil, will result in significant additional economic activity," Hooser said.
Economics aside, the groundbreaking measure enables Hawaii to lead the nation in the country's growing effort to combat global warming. Hawaii's switch to solar will prevent the emission of over 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere every year.
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Aloha Hawaii! This is the way to go and show leadership as well. Who needs Washington Dc? Hawaii has become the first state in the nation to pass into law a requirement that all new homes built after Jan. 1, 2010, be equippe... more -
Homes that produce their own energy
"We’re in a rather good spot,” says Harry Shepherd-Cross of his nine-bedroom, 17th-century farmhouse, set in 40 acres of land west of Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire. “We’re on a windy, southwest-facing hill - and we don’t have many neighbours.” Better still, at the bottom of the hill stands an old windmill, its threshing and grinding equipment intact. “There are some old boys in the village who keep it going. They let it go every Sunday.”
Shepherd-Cross, 39, a property developer, and his wife, Dorte, 37, decided last year to put up a windmill of their own: a 5.3-kilowatt(kW) Eoltec Scirocco wind turbine. While they were at it, the couple also fitted an array of 16 mono-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) cells - solar panels to you and me - on the roof. Together with the turbine, these produce about 9,500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year.
The installation cost them a total of £40,000 - reduced to £27,000 by government grants (which are no longer available). Shepherd-Cross calculates that it will take 10 years to recoup this investment through lower energy bills. From then on, the family will effectively be getting their energy for free - and, in fact, making a profit by selling any surplus electricity they generate back to the grid. Given the rising cost of gas and electricity - heating bills could be 40% higher in the coming winter than last year - they might do even better than that. “If energy prices double, the pay-back period will halve,” he says.
Shepherd-Cross’s “eco-warrior” children, Jack, 11, Hughie, 9, Daisy, 8, and Kitty, 6, are impressed by what he has done. “Even quite young children now have environmental and sustainability issues injected into them,” he says. “Their friends come round to have a look. They can be disappointed if there’s no wind, but that’s not very often.”
Welcome to the new eco-industrial revolution. Until now, many people who have installed solar panels, wind turbines or other such green paraphernalia have done so largely out of ideological conviction. Increasingly, though, it can make economic sense, too, thanks both to the rising cost of energy and to a series of financial incentives, unveiled by the government last week, that will allow householders to sell surplus energy to the grid at premium prices. The proposals, which include the building of 3,500 onshore wind turbines, are designed to ensure that Britain hits its EU target of generating 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. "We’re in a rather good spot,” says Harry Shepherd-Cross of his nine-bedroom, 17th-century farmhouse, set in 40 acres of land wes... more -
Deleware approves U.S.'s First Offshore Wind Farm
The proposed new wind farm, which will (amazingly) be the first of its kind in the States, will consist of 150 turbines placed 12 miles off-shore. Hopefully this will start a trend of widespread adoption of another viable alternative energy source, as I'm pretty sure harnessing wind is cleaner than burning coal. The proposed new wind farm, which will (amazingly) be the first of its kind in the States, will consist of 150 turbines placed 12 mile... more
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Study supports U.S. wind energy expansion
Wind energy can supply 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs by 2030 at a "modest" cost difference, a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report says. The analysis predicts that the 20 percent wind scenario would cost about 2 percent more than sticking with the current energy mix, which relies more heavily on traditional fossil fuels.
"The 20 percent wind scenario entails higher initial capital costs (to install wind capacity and associated transmission infrastructure) in many areas, yet offers lower ongoing energy costs than conventional power plants for operations, maintenance, and fuel," said the report, which was written in conjunction with industry and environmental analysts. Under the scenario, 500,000 new jobs would be created.
Wind energy provides just 1 percent of U.S. electricity today, compared with about 7 percent in Germany where the government has provided steady support for the industry since the early 1990s. State laws that require utilities to purchase wind power have recently revived the U.S. industry, and the country has led the world in wind power installations over the past two years.
The U.S. industry remains dependent on a short-term federal tax credit that will expire at the end of this year unless Congress extends it. "We need to fix the production tax credit uncertainty... as part of a plan to get [20 percent by 2030]," said Daniel Kammen, director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley.
The new study estimates that the increase in wind generation would avoid 7.6 billion cumulative tons of the principal greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, from being emitted - the equivalent of protecting about 48 million acres (19.4 million hectares) of forest from deforestation. This would nearly eliminate the projected increase in emissions from U.S. power plants between now and 2030.
The added wind power would also avoid 4 trillion gallons of water from being consumed for electricity generation, the report estimates. Less coal-fired power results in fewer emissions of mercury and the pollutants that cause acid rain, as well. Wind energy can supply 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs by 2030 at a "modest" cost difference, a new U.S. Department of ... more -
2 Billion Dollars - On Wind Farm!
An interview with billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens who is sinking billions of dollars into a new wind farm in Texas. It is likely to become the biggest in the world, producing enough power for the equivalent of 1.3 million homes (600 turbines). CNN's Ali Velshi asked the oil legend why he thinks wind could be the answer to this country's energy problems. An interview with billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens who is sinking billions of dollars into a new wind farm in Texas. It is likely t... more
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Nuclear subsidies in Lieberman/Warner bill draw criticism
The leaders of six national environmental and public interest groups warned today that the impending Lieberman-Warner climate change bill could contain at least $544 billion in taxpayer subsidies for nuclear energy. This would represent the biggest federal handout in history for the nuclear industry, already the most heavily subsidized energy sector over the past 50 years.
The Lieberman-Warner bill is expected to be on the Senate floor in early June. According to an analysis conducted by Friends of the Earth, the bill contains close to half a trillion dollars that can be accessed by the nuclear energy industry under a vaguely entitled category for “zero and low carbon energy technologies.” Nuclear is the only energy industry that could fall under this category that does not have a specific carve elsewhere; funding for renewable energy is identified separately in the bill.
“Although the word ‘nuclear’ has been carefully omitted from the bill, it is clear that this is a covert attempt to bolster a failing nuclear power industry in the name of addressing climate change,” said Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth. “It’s time to focus on real global warming solutions like solar, wind and energy efficiency, not to further fatten the moribund nuclear calf.”
The environmental and public interest group leaders decried the bill’s record-breaking giveaway to nuclear power which would encourage new construction of nuclear plants, the least-effective way of reducing carbon emissions because of their long construction times and high costs.
"After 50 years of unresolved safety and waste disposal issues, it perplexes many Americans why Congress would support massive subsidies for the nuclear industry," said John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA. "Nuclear power is a dirty and dangerous distraction from real global warming solutions," said Passacantando. "When both Wall Street and Warren Buffet think nuclear is a risky investment, Congress should not waste American tax dollars to further subsidize this 1950s technology."
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So not only does this bill disguised as a climate change bill when it is nothing more than a pork bill to polluters call for investment in CSS systems for the coal industry to allow themmore time to pollute, but the biggest subsidies for the nuclear industry. And this is the best we can do? The leaders of six national environmental and public interest groups warned today that the impending Lieberman-Warner climate change b... more -
Wireless EEG System Self-powered By Body Heat And Light
Scientists have developed a battery-free wireless 2-channel EEG system powered by a hybrid power supply using body heat and ambient light which could be used to monitor brain waves after a head injury or... Scientists have developed a battery-free wireless 2-channel EEG system powered by a hybrid power supply using body heat and ambient li... more
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California powered by cows
Talk about alternative energy. Researchers are now using cow manure to generate electricity to the grid.
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International Aid Crucial To Addressing Climate Change in China
China's total Co2 output by 2030 will equal the current Co2 global output unless an international treaty that recognizes the challenges China and other developing countries face in balancing economic development with climate change is forged by 2009. This treaty must set limits on Co2 emissions that fall in line with their economic output with a definite timeframe for transition to these alternate energies. Climate change seeks to totally forever change the landscape of China, and their rapacious use of coal and oil seeks to forever change the landscape of this planet. That is something we must as an international community come together to address before it is too late. It is then imperative that the international community come together to see solar, wind, and other alternate energies become prevalent means of China's production usage in lieu of coal simply because it is abundant and cheap.That is also why the United Stated must lead the way in setting the example for the world in reductions of GHGs and setting a price on carbon. Once alternate energies like solar, geothermal, biofuels, etc. are made available to developing countries at an affordable price within the next five years, that will also spur job growth and economic development and oil and coal will most assuredly not look as attractive as it does now out of expedience. China's total Co2 output by 2030 will equal the current Co2 global output unless an international treaty that recognizes the chal... more
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Turtle Island Project: Respect for Environment, Native Americans and all Indigenou...
The Turtle Island Project in northern Michigan was founded in August 2007 by two Midwest pastors who believe the future of mankind and world is at a crossroads.
Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard and Rev. Dr. George Cairns believe that Christians could learn a lot about nature and the environment by listening to Earth-based cultures like Native Americans, Celts, and other Indigenous peoples.
Rev. Hubbard is a Lutheran pastor, and Rev. Cairns is an ordained United Church of Christ minister.
Both have extensive backgrounds in interfaith and multicultural work.
The Turtle Island Project (TIP), based in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, promotes respect for the environment and Native Americans.
Two Midwest pastors created the TIP to foster a national discussion and debate on a wide variety of issues involving the future of the planet and mankind including encouraging Christians to learn how to appreciate nature like Earth-based religions such as American Indians, Celts and other Indigenous peoples.
Turtle Island Project volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson has more on the founders and their goals.
Time: 9:50
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White Buffalo Calf Woman Society:
http://www.wbcws.org
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Turtle Island Project related websites:
Turtle Island Project main website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
Turtle Island TV (blipTV)
http://turtleislandtv.blip.tv/
Turtle Island TV (youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/MunisingWhiteHorse
Turtle Island (myspace)
http://www.myspace.com/TurtleIslandProject
Turtle Island Project websites/Blogs:
http://groups.msn.com/WhisperingTurtle
http://turtleislandproject.wordpress.com/
email:
TurtleIslandProject@charter.net The Turtle Island Project in northern Michigan was founded in August 2007 by two Midwest pastors who believe the future of mankind and... more -
Goodbuy Gas?
As the debate over alternative fuel continues, some drivers aren't waiting for greener options-- they're creating them.
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Say NO To Liquid Coal!
Please contact Congress and tell them to stop trying to push this down our throats in their effort to hold on to the status quo and maintain their campaign contributions while trying to make us believe they care about this planet. There is no such thing as clean coal and liquid coal is NOT a clean option. They would dare to include this in the Farm Bill and the Energy Bill yet they strip out tax incentives for alternate energy. There is something VERY wrong with the priorities and mindset of this Congress, and we must become much more vocal regarding the health of this planet, ourselves, and our children. Those who pick the gold bars over this planet are making a false choice. Liquid coal means double the global warming pollution...3 times the water usage...23% more mining...Coal kills. Please contact Congress and tell them to stop trying to push this down our throats in their effort to hold on to the status quo and ma... more
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