After a steady stream of news out of Washington this past year that ethanol was going to cure all our woes, it's refreshing to hear some rational thoughts to the contrary. Written by the Co-Directors of the International Forum on Globalization (www.ifg.org), the authors make some good points about the pitfalls of looking for biofuels to cure our dependence on oil noting that "corn-produced ethanol and many of the other biofuel varieties are leading us down a path of unsustainability as they continue to impact fragile ecosystems, threaten biodiversity, concentrate corporate power and increase inequities in rural communities."
I think a move away from corn based ethanol is an absolute necessity and sources like switchgrass and other cellulosic materials can provide a much more sustainable system of supply. Ultimately, though, it is like the authors say, " "the answer must involve renewables plus significant efforts toward all-out conservation, efficiency, reduced consumption and "powering down" of energy use."
Switchgrass, a resilient, high-yield grass native to North
America, has been drawing a lot of attention lately thanks to the president giving
it his imprimatur in his 2006 State of the Union address.
This might just be more than political rhetoric because Switchgrass
(also known as Tall Panic Grass) could become the biofuel of our dreams.
Interesting article from Der Spiegel on the dangers of wind power. The article claims that as the use of wind power continues to grow, the number of accidents have also grown as well as the number of mishaps and maintenence problems.
A wind tower toppling over in the middle of a field doesn't quite seem to pose the danger that global warming does, but I do see their point. I see the advantages of wind power vastly outnumbering the problems and I imagine as the technology improves we'll see some of these difficulties overcome.
Automotive X PRIZE (AXP) announced that it was funding a competition with a prize greater than $10 million for a car that is capable of obtaining 100 miles per gallon in real-world driving and conditions.
"We invite the world's best and brightest minds to look at this independent, high-profile competition as a way to make a difference for generations to come," said Mark Goodstein, executive director, Automotive X PRIZE. "In the spirit of grand competitions throughout history - including Lindbergh's historic flight across the Atlantic 80 years ago - we expect that the Automotive X PRIZE will bring about change and innovation for the benefit of everybody. This competition will help level the playing field and capture entrepreneurial, scientific and technical energy to bring about viable cars that consumers want to buy."
More information and guidelines can be found at http://auto.xprize.org.
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today announced that the U.S. ethanol industry set annual production records in 2005. During this time, it has produced just under 4 billion gallons (3.904 billion gallons) and averaging nearly 255,000 barrels of ethanol production daily, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The month of December also set production and demand records. Ethanol production in December rose 5,000 b/d from the previous month to 280,000 b/d. Demand skyrocketed to 310,000 b/d, breaking the old record of 297,000 b/d.
For more information, visit the Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.ethanolRFA.org.
Wind energy refers to the power that is extracted from the wind via wind turbines or windmills. As the technology in this field evolve, the cost of wind generated electric power continues to fall and the efficiency continue to increase. It has been estimated that the cost to produce energy from wind was nearly five greater in the late 1990s than in 2005. This is linked to more efficient wind turbines couples with larger multi-megawatt turbines that are becoming more mass produced.
The term "clean tech" generally refers to those technologies that:
- Attempt to produce energy or use raw materiels more efficiently
- while still delivering equal or greater performance,
- and ideally creating less waste or toxicity
Cleantech companies and technolgoy include those related to water purification, air quality nanotechnology, alternative fuels, manufacturing, recycling and renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydrogen.
Increasingly, venture capitalists, as well as traditional financial firms, are looking towards new and emerging technologies for unique investment opportunities. Cleantech provides such an avenue.
A hybrid vehicle or gas-electric hybrid powered vehicle uses a mixture of technologies such as internal combustion engines (ICEs), electric motors, gassoline, and batteries.Today's hybrid cars are driven by electric motors powered by both batteries and an ICE. Please see Gas-Electric Hybrid for further clarification of what the word hybrid is describing with regards to these vehicles.
Switchgrass, a resilient, high-yield grass native to North
America, has been drawing a lot of attention lately thanks to the president giving
it his imprimatur in his 2006 State of the Union address.
Automotive X PRIZE (AXP) announced that it was funding a competition with a prize greater than $10 million for a car that is capable of obtaining 100 miles per gallon in real-world driving and conditions.
Wind energy refers to the power that is extracted from the wind via wind turbines or windmills. As the technology in this field evolve, the cost of wind generated electric power continues to fall and the efficiency continue to increase. It has been estimated that the cost to produce energy from wind was nearly five greater in the late 1990s than in 2005. This is linked to more efficient wind turbines couples with larger multi-megawatt turbines that are becoming more mass produced.
A hybrid vehicle or gas-electric hybrid powered vehicle uses a mixture of technologies such as internal combustion engines (ICEs), electric motors, gassoline, and batteries.Today's hybrid cars are driven by electric motors powered by both batteries and an ICE. Please see Gas-Electric Hybrid for further clarification of what the word hybrid is describing with regards to these vehicles.