Auto farm graveyard in Nebraska Photo: GR Meyers

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have unveiled the first national standards to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve fuel efficiency of heavy-duty trucks and buses. The new proposed standards are for three categories of heavy trucks: combination tractors, heavy-duty pickups and vans, and vocational vehicles.

“The EPA and DOT sent draft rules to the White House in August.

“The program, proposed by EPA and DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is projected to reduce GHG emissions by about 250 million metric tons and save 500 million barrels of oil over the lives of the vehicles produced within the program’s first five years.

“For combination tractors, the agencies propose engine and vehicle standards that begin in the 2014 model year and achieve up to a 20 percent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and fuel consumption by 2018 model year.

“For heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, the proposal calls for separate gasoline and diesel truck standards, which phase in starting with 2014 model year and cut emissions and fuel consumption 10 percent for gasoline vehicles and 15 percent for diesel vehicles by 2018 model year (12 and 17 percent respectively if accounting for air conditioning leakage).

“For vocational vehicles, the agencies propose engine and vehicle standards starting in 2014 model year, which would reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption 10 percent by 2018 model year.

“Overall, the heavy-duty national program would provide $41 billion in net benefits over the lifetime of model year 2014 to 2018 vehicles, together with the potential for fuel efficiency gains, ranging from seven to 20 percent.”

We applaud the development of alternative energies but add this caveat for all supporters: it will be an extraordinary feat if the percentage of alternative energy powering the world’s grid comes anywere close to reaching five percent of supply in the next 20 years.

That brings us to the subject of power plants. Here are some power plant facts, according to the PowerPlantCCS website: 

“There are over 50,000 power plants in the world. These power plants constitute the single largest emitting industry for CO₂ emissions.”

One solution for solving this problem: carbon capture and sequestration, one of the reasons the PowerPlantCCS website was launched. The site provides a report, starting with CO2:

“Carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas after water vapor. Burning fossil fuels, land clearing and other activities of modern industrial society have caused the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to climb from about 280 parts per million to 380 parts per million, causing warming and other climate changes.

“From 1991 to 2000, CO₂ accounted for 82% of total U.S. GHG emissions in terms of its global warming potential. About 96% of these carbon emissions resulted from the combustion of fossil fuels for energy. With the increased emphasis on GHG abatement, it is imperative that these power plants undertake serious efforts to cut down their CO₂ emitted and sequester it.”

Now comes an argument for carbon capture:

“Energy efficiency improvements and switching from fossil fuels toward less carbon intensive energy sources were once seen as the only realistic means of reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. In recent years, however, analysts and policymakers have begun to recognize the potential for a third option—the development of “end-of-pipe” technologies that would allow for the continued utilization of fossil fuel energy sources while significantly reducing carbon emissions. “

Whether pro or con, there are numerous developments in this field — some that appear to provide plausible solutions that may help abate global warming. To help with the development of technologies like these, one of the best tyools available will be active involvement from a population that understand far more about global warming than it presently does.

“I am issuing a challenge for the year 2010: Build out a 100 acre turnkey algae production facility (growing, harvesting and extraction) without any local, state or federal grant funds.”

Mr. Cohen’s greeting to all for the beginning of 2010 is well worth reading, especially by all who want to see alternative fuels gain more solid footing on the American (and world) energy charts.

The accounting of his challenge ias worth the read:

“When this (American oil production) all started in 1859, nobody had all of the answers. 150 years later, the oil industry is still looking for answers. A 100 acre turn-key commercial-scale algae production facility will allow algae producers to look at real commercial algae production and operations as well as economies of scale issues. It will give algae researchers a much better understanding of commercial-scale algae production issues to work on as opposed to small raceway ponds and desk-top lab photobioreactors. It is, at this point, useless to continue to fund algae research without seriously funding commercial-scale algae production farms. As some have already learned, intellectual properties have no practical use if there is not an industry to use them. In order to create any value in existing algae technologies, we must have commercial-scale algae production facilities that can use them!

“Commercial-scale algae production is key to our industry and is one solution that helps to reduce dependence on foreign oil, to create new jobs and reduce CO2 emissions. The NAA challenges the algae industry to build a 100 acre commercial-scale algae production plant without any local, state or federal grants – this will be the true test of algae production farming and algaepreneurism at its finest!

“I would like to see the first 50 acres of production with proven benchmarked results – totally designed, developed and put into production without a single dollar of government money. The next 50 acres can be improved by making minor changes based on what was learned from the first 50 acres. I know it can be done, and you know it can be done – it´s time to do it!”

The entire document can be read at the association’s website .

The video is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYZ9I_aYYb4

One potential large supplier of such captured CO2 might be coal-fired electrical power generating plants.  The impact could be  significant, said Carbon Sciences CEO, Byron Elton. “We strongly believe we are developing the most efficient and viable renewable fuel technology in the world. We estimate tat that with less than half of the the CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, we can produce 30 percent of the world’s fuel supply.”

The conversion of captured CO2 to liquified fuels Source: Carbon Sciences

CutCO2.org estimated in 2006 that more than 9.3 billion tons of CO2 were being emitted and unsequestered each year from coal-fired power plants. Today, with growing worldwide demand to take action to reduce global CO2 emissions. One solution: capture CO2 and sequester it, storing its deep underground or in the ocean.

Byron Elton, Carbon Sciences CEO

“We happen to think sequestration is not a very good idea,” said Elton in an interview. “What do you do with it?”

Mr. Elton sees two significant challenges facing this planet’s population: energy and climate. With the world population growing by staggering multiples, the demand for energy is increasing by a factor equivalent to population growth.

“We have extraordinary problems in terms of climate; we’ve got to do something different. We’re doing irreparable damage to the world in which we live. All fuel starts with CO2. Is there a way to provide significant amounts of liquid portable fuel without destroying the planet? We think there is.”

Washington, DC — A major new national youth organizing campaign on clean energy and climate will launch with a national press teleconference on Wednesday.  The new effort, called Consequence, will organize young people across America to demand urgent Congressional action to unleash investment in clean energy sources like wind and solar, increase energy efficiency to save consumers money, and set firm limits on the carbon pollution that causes global warming.

The Consequence campaign, a new national grassroots organizing effort, kicked off today with a nationwide online advertising campaign, print and radio advertisements in targeted states, and the launch of an innovative social networking site, www.consequence09.org, that will lie at the heart of the youth-focused campaign. Consequence will organize young people in states across America to demand urgent Congressional action on a comprehensive clean energy and climate plan that will unleash investment in clean energy sources like wind and solar, creates millions of clean energy jobs, reduces our dependence on oil and place firm limits on the carbon pollution that causes global warming.

“Young people have an incredibly important role to play in demanding a clean energy future,” said Jessy Tolkan, Energy Action Coalition Executive Director.  “They understand that we must pursue a ‘Yes We Can’ approach to our nation’s climate and energy challenges and that there are real consequences—for our economy, our security and the future of our planet—if Congress fails to act. Through an intensive effort to organize and mobilize these young people, the Consequence campaign and its partners will ensure that our elected officials know that young people demand a commitment to a clean energy economy that creates millions of clean energy jobs, reduces our dependence on oil and curbs dangerous global warming pollution.”

Consequence will include a major national online advertising campaign commencing this week, as well as radio and print advertising in Arkansas, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

California LNG Plant at Altamont Source: Len Butler, Waste Management

According to joint venture partners, Linde North America and Waste Management, construction on the world’s largest plant to convert landfill gas into clean vehicle fuel is nearing completion.  Project details were shared today during a presentation at the National Biomethane Summit in Sacramento, Calif. The joint venture partners are installing systems to purify and liquefy landfill methane gas.
When the plant begins operating later this year, it can produce up to 13,000 gallons per day of liquefied natural gas (LNG). According to Waste Management, this amount of LNG can fuel hundreds of waste collection trucks in California.

The Altamont project is one of several LNG and biomethane projects around the world in which Linde has participated. “Biomethane is a truly renewable and readily available green source of high quality fuel. Although it is still an emerging commodity, its economic and environmental value is rapidly being recognized,” said Bryan Luftglass, manager of Linde North America’s energy segment.

Kent Stoddard, vice president of public affairs for Waste Management’s West Group sees the Linde partnership partnership allowing Waste Management to tap into a valuable source of clean energy. He added that the use of recovered landfill gas offers many environmental benefits, among them a reduction in the greenhouse gas, methane.

Landfill gas is produced by the breakdown of organic waste under anaerobic conditions. Once purified, biomethane can be compressed or liquefied to fuel cars and heavy transport vehicles.

Today’s presentation van be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjCjWVY3MOw.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 52,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion (USD 15.9 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Waste Management, based in Houston, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Its subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. The company is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America.

The future for E-fuel is now looking brighter

E-Fuel Corp. has unveiled the final production model of the E-Fuel MicroFueler, a portable micro-refinery fuel system for consumer use. The State of California’s Department of General Services is also exploring a pilot program to test the MicroFueler with its flex-fuel vehicles. Video information of today’s press conference with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and San Diego-based GreenHouse is available at www.GreenHouseEnergy.com.

“We are making our state a cleaner, greener and healthier place for everyone, but our goals require revolutionary technologies and low-carbon fuels,” said Schwarzenegger. “ It’s great news for our economy, our environment and our energy future.”

GreenHouse Energy, a division of GreenHouse, will be the exclusive distributor of the E-Fuel MicroFueler in California and Arizona.

GreenHouse is developing its business of distributing affordable alternative fuel by the end of 2009, said Chris Ursitti, GreenHouse CEO.
GreenHouse is positioning its E-Fuel distribution system as a model for sustainability. Organic fuel is produced using carbohydrate waste products found in brewery waste, algae and cellulose (no corn or food-based products). Using semiconductor technology, the appliance-sized units are pump-stations and ethanol distillers that will be installed at residences by the GreenHouse distribution team.

Each MicroFueler requires three kilowatts of electricity to produce a gallon of Efuel100, in turn one gallon of Efuel100 will generate up to 23 kilowatts of power. The ethanol generated will play an affordable and integral part in reducing California greenhouse gas emissions.

Biodegradable plastic bottles will soon be on grocery shelves. Source: Enso Bottles, LLC

What’ll it be: 10,000 years, or two years? That is the question when it comes to the life expectancy of the plastic bottle you drink from.

For those of us looking for the next level of plastic – something that’s not going to be around for eternity – even compostable – we may need to look no further than Arizona.
That’s where ENSO Bottles, LLC is making plastic drinking bottles that are – yes – biodegradable. Not only biodegradable, but when they go to the landfill, digestible to microbes making methane, which can be captured and converted to energy.

This is exactly the kind of cycle in waste-to-energy that ENSO Bottle co-founder and president, Danny Clark, wants. “When our bottles go into the landfill, the idea is that the bottled will break down and create methane.”

Thus Clark can proudly list one of his company’s operating mantras that it develops products that can create value when they are discarded. Clark says there is no exact time for how long it takes his bottles to break down, but estimated the time to be about two years.

ENSO Bottle logo on Times Square Source: PR Newswire"Our new logo demonstrates the ethos of ENSO Bottles. We chose the name, ENSO Bottles(TM) to reflect the concept and life cycle of our products. Our name and the ENSO logo, represents wholeness and the returning to where it initially began. Our bottles reflect this precept, originating from the earth, providing a value of use, and then returning to the earth in a reusable organic state."

Specifically, the bottles are designed to biodegrade, leaving behind harmless inert humus and biogases. An ENSO bottle contains an organic compound, called Ecopure, that has been added into the crude oil-based polymer chain to attract microbes.

ENSO Bottles is not the only company developing biodegradable plastic bottles. Clark says other scientists are also involved in developing plastics from renewable sources such as corn and switch grass.

Creating bottles that are biodegradable means expanding the molecular structure of the plastic, altering the polymer chain and adding nutrients and other organic compounds which weaken the polymer and attract microbial activity.

This is good news, considering more than 150 billion plastic bottles are annually produced in the United States alone, with less than 30 percent going to recyclers, with many of the remains ending as roadside or water-born trash.