NewNergy

OLPC eyes experimental battery for $100 laptop

Eric Lai, 30 Mar 2007

Earlier this week, an One Laptop Per Child's 100$ laptop program official said that the non-profit group plans to test batteries relying on cutting-edge Lithium Ion Phosphate technology in its third batch of beta computers. Also known as LiFePo4, the material is reportedly safer and less toxic than Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries used in most notebook PCs sold today. While LiFePo4 batteries don't store as much energy as Li-Ion models, they hold more than cheaper Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, which until now the OLPC had said it planned to use.

Read the full news story from here @ Computer World, Australia

Labels: batteries, computers

Sugar-fuelled battery soon to juice up portable electronics

New technology uses any sugar source from soft drinks to tree sap for fuel

Liz Tay (PC World) 26/03/2007

Fuel cell technology that is currently in development boasts the ability of extracting energy from virtually any sugar source to power portable electronics like cellular phones, laptops, and sensors. The new technology is expected to be biodegradable, environmentally friendly and more energy efficient than current options, providing a green alternative to current Lithium-ion batteries.

The cell operates at room temperature and uses enzymes to oxidize sugars, hence generating electricity. So far, researchers have run the batteries on glucose, flat soft drinks, sweetened drink mixes and tree sap.

Read the full news story from here @ Computer World, Australia

Labels: batteries, efficiency, electricity, inventions

Millennium Cell and Jadoo Power Awarded Program to Develop Mobile Medical Power Source for U.S. Air Force

March 29, 2007, Press release

~ Fuel cell based power source to demonstrate extended military medical airlift capabilities ~

EATONTOWN, N.J. - Millennium Cell Inc. (NASDAQ: MCEL), a leading developer of hydrogen battery technology, today announced that it has been awarded a contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (“AFRL”) to develop with its partner Jadoo Power a 300 watt power system that provides 12 hours of runtime for use as a long endurance power supply for U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation flights. The combination of Jadoo Power’s fuel cells and N-Stor interface technology with Millennium Cell’s Hydrogen on Demand® fuel technology creates a power system which can address critical power source needs that cannot be achieved with traditional battery technologies. The program will culminate in the fourth quarter of 2007 with a demonstration of a fuel cell system capable of powering the Air Force’s Patient Support Pallet, which is designed to improve the survivability of soldiers being evacuated from the battlefield to advanced medical facilities.

Jadoo Power has been a licensee of Millennium Cell’s technology since February 2006. The two companies are actively developing Hydrogen on Demand® fuel canisters for use with Jadoo Power’s N-Gen Fuel Cell Power units and XRT Extended Runtime accessories for emergency response and other industrial and military uses. The XRT uses six metal hydride canisters for hydrogen fuel storage today, which weigh approximately 30 total pounds. With the new chemical hydride-based fuel canister jointly developed by Millennium Cell, the XRT is expected to deliver the same runtime with approximately half the fuel canister weight.

Millennium Cell is currently engaged on multiple programs with AFRL focused on the development of products which utilize Millennium Cell’s technology for a wide range of applications including soldier power and unmanned aerial vehicles.

“We are very pleased to get the opportunity to work on a system that has the potential to save lives by extending the mobile medical capabilities of the U.S. military,” said Adam Briggs, President. “This mission critical requirement effectively illustrates an application for which fuel cell systems deliver a significant value.”

About Millennium Cell

Millennium Cell develops hydrogen battery technology through a patented chemical process that safely stores and delivers hydrogen energy to power portable devices. The borohydride-based technology can be scaled to fit any application requiring high energy density for a long run time in a compact space. The Company is working with market partners to meet demand for its patented process in four areas: military, medical, industrial and consumer electronics. For more information, visit http://millenniumcell.com.

About Jadoo Power

www.jadoopower.com

Jadoo Power is a market-focused company that develops and sells next-generation, portable energy storage and power generation products. Jadoo Power is a leading commercial supplier of fuel cell products to the portable power space. Jadoo Power is financed by MDV, Venrock Associates and Sinclair Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:

This press release may include statements that are not historical facts and are considered ``forward-looking” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect Millennium Cell’s current views about future events and financial performance and are subject to risks. Forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “believe,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “on target” and similar expressions identifying forward-looking statements. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from Millennium Cell’s expectations, and Millennium Cell expressly does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) the cost and timing of development and market acceptance of Millennium Cell’s hydrogen fuel storage and delivery system; (ii) the cost and commercial availability of the quantities of raw materials required by the hydrogen fuel storage and delivery systems; (iii) competition from current, improving and alternative power technologies; (iv) Millennium Cell’s ability to raise capital at the times, in the amounts and at the costs and terms that are acceptable to fund the development and commercialization of its hydrogen fuel storage and delivery system and its business plan; (v) Millennium Cell’s ability to protect its intellectual property; (vi) Millennium Cell’s ability to achieve budgeted revenue and expense amounts; (vii) Millennium Cell’s ability to generate revenues from the sale or license of, or provision of services related to, its technology; (viii) Millennium Cell’s ability to form strategic alliances or partnerships to help promote our technology and achieve market acceptance; (ix) Millennium Cell’s ability to generate design, engineering or management services revenue opportunities in the hydrogen generation or fuel cell markets; (x) Millennium Cell’s ability to secure government funding of its research and development and technology demonstration projects; and (xi) other factors discussed under the caption “Investment Considerations” in Millennium Cell’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.

Contacts
MBS Value Partners
Betsy Brod, 212-750-5800

Labels: batteries, fuel-cells, hydrogen

Chrysler to build a Sprinter-based plug-in hybrid

March 29, 2007, by Auto123.com

Chrysler has announced plans to build a plug-in hybrid vehicle for their customers. It's an environmental commitment which is now also scheduled to roll on the next-generation Sprinter platform. Sprinter is a large utility van ideal for businesses, and its' currently available with a diesel engine. Up to 20 of the new hybrid models will be placed in use within the USA as a test-fleet project to gather real-world data from real-life use.

Read the full article from here @ Auto 123

Labels: batteries, hybrids

U.S., Canadian fuel specs differ

Fuel quality specifications in Canada and the United States are similar, but they differ for those doing business on both sides of the border.

On one side, through the appropriate ASTM committee channels, the U.S. biodiesel industry has been working with those in the petroleum and other relevant industries to adjust the ASTM diesel fuel specification, D 975, to allow up to B5. Technically, this would mean that there would be no distinction to draw between pure hydrocarbon diesel fuel and B5 diesel fuel in the United States.

New Mexico, USA considers B5 requirement

By Dave Nilles

Add another state to those considering a biodiesel blend requirement. New Mexico’s house and senate are looking at identical bills that would require 5 percent biodiesel in the state’s fuel supply.

Senate Bill 489 and House Bill 218 would require that all diesel fuel used in state vehicles must include B5 by July 1, 2010. The bill would affect all diesel fuel sold in the state by July 1, 2012.

Read the full report from here @ Biodiesel Magazine, Feb 2007

Corn can't solve our problem

March 27, 2007, By David Tilman & Jason Hill - Check Biotech

The world has come full circle. A century ago our first transportation biofuels -- the hay and oats fed to our horses -- were replaced by gasoline. Today, ethanol from corn and biodiesel from soybeans have begun edging out gasoline and diesel.

This has been hailed as an overwhelmingly positive development that will help us reduce the threat of climate change and ease our dependence on foreign oil...But lost in the euphoria, however, is the fact that three of our most fundamental needs -- food, energy, and a livable and sustainable environment -- are now in direct conflict. Moreover, a recent analyses of the full costs and benefits of various biofuels, performed at the University of Minnesota, present a markedly different and more nuanced picture than has been heard on the campaign trail, says this analysis article at Check Biotech

Read the full article from here @ Check Biotech

Labels: economics, ethanol

Burdening Brazil With Biofuels

Lúcia Ortiz and David Waskow, March 19, 2007

The prospects of a massive boom in ethanol production to meet demand in the United States is not entirely pleasant. If the U.S. moves to meet a substantial proportion of its fuel needs from biofuels the pressure to import ethanol and other biofuels will mount rapidly, reaching quantities far beyond what Brazil currently produces. Providing biofuels to meet just 10 percent of current U.S. gasoline consumption would require multiplying Brazil’s already sizeable ethanol production many times over. Expanding Brazil’s biofuel industry on such a large scale will create serious environmental and social problems, says this interesting news article.

Read the full article from here @ Tom Paine

Labels: environment, ethanol

UK push for biofuels may harm environment, campaigners say

19 Mar 2007 bbj.hu

A UK plan to help tackle global warming by increasing the use of biofuels such as palm oil and rapeseed may do more harm to the environment than good,
environmental campaign groups said.

Fuel suppliers will have to ensure that from April 2008 a certain percentage of their sales come from biofuels, under a UK Department for Transport program. The proposal could see businesses producing biofuels by destroying rainforests and wetlands, threatening endangered habitats and species and releasing more carbon into the atmosphere, according to Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, WWF and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The groups said the government should tighten rules to ensure biofuel producers meet minimum standards on greenhouse gas emissions, and establish "environmental audits” of the entire life-cycle of the fuel, from cultivation through transportation to combustion.

Read the full report from here @ BBJ, Hungary

Labels: climate-change, co2, environment

Biofuels increasing food prices globally

Lester Brown, 21 March 2007, Cherry Creek News

The escalating share of the U.S. grain harvest going to ethanol distilleries is driving up food prices worldwide.

Corn prices have doubled over the last year, wheat futures are trading at their highest level in 10 years, soybean futures have risen by half. A Bloomberg analysis notes that the soaring use of corn as the feedstock for fuel ethanol “is creating unintended consequences throughout the global food chain.”

Food prices are also rising in China, India, and the United States, countries that contain 40 percent of the world’s people. While relatively little corn is eaten directly in these countries, vast quantities are consumed indirectly in meat, milk, and eggs in China and the US.

Read the full report from here @ Cherry Creek News

Labels: economics, ethanol

Europe Tightens CO2 Standards with Two Directives

The European Commission has proposed two directives to combat CO2 emissions from cars.

The first proposal will force carmakers to cut CO2 emissions from new cars by 18% by 2012. Carmakers would be responsible for getting emissions down to 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer (g/km) through technology improvements.

The second proposal, which updates a fuel-quality directive from 1998, outlines new fuel-quality standards that aim to achieve, by 2020, a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions throughout the whole product life cycle.

Read the full report from here @ The American Chemical Society web page

Labels: climate-change, co2, environment

U.S. automakers still don't get it

By Tommy Denton, Mar 20, 2007

After the energy shocks of the 1970s, the US Congress demanded that U.S. automobiles become far more energy-efficient. The average vehicle mileage required under the 1970s standards rose from the teens to the mid-20s -- and then sat there.

Thirty years later, after a spasm of gluttonous gorging of fuel to power SUVs and other muscle machines, the world's most profligate petroleum consumer has fallen back into vulnerability. Rather than applying the basic lesson that those who eat too much should eat less, much of the American business mind has been dedicated to finding alternative fuels to sate the nation's ravenous energy appetite, says this interesting opinion piece.

Read the full article here @ Roanoke

Labels: conservation, efficiency

New science of metagenomics will transform modern microbiology

29 Mar 2007

The emerging field of metagenomics, where the DNA of entire communities of microbes is studied simultaneously, presents the greatest opportunity -- perhaps since the invention of the microscope -- to revolutionize understanding of the microbial world, says a new report from the National Research Council. The report calls for a new Global Metagenomics Initiative to drive advances in the field...Microorganisms are essential to life on Earth, transforming key elements into energy, maintaining the chemical balance in the atmosphere, providing plants and animals with nutrients, and performing other functions necessary for survival; these are used commercially for many purposes, including producing biofuels....

Read more from this interesting report here @ Innovations Report

Labels: biotechnology

If we want to save the planet, we need a five-year freeze on biofuels

George Monbiot, March 29, 2007

"Oil produced from plants sets up competition for food between cars and people. People - and the environment - will lose.

It used to be a matter of good intentions gone awry. Now it is plain fraud. The governments using biofuel to tackle global warming know that it causes more harm than good. But they plough on regardless. In theory, fuels made from plants can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by cars and trucks. Plants absorb carbon as they grow - it is released again when the fuel is burned. By encouraging oil companies to switch from fossil plants to living ones, governments on both sides of the Atlantic claim to be "decarbonising" our transport networks," says George Monibot in this interesting opinion piece

Read the full article from the Guardian here @ ZNet Science

Labels: biofuels

ANSI, NIST holds meeting on biofuels standardization

The United States and the European Union have expressed strong interest in making biofuels a commodity for trade. Compatible standards will be among the chief topics of discussion at the upcoming EU-U.S. Summit in Washington, D.C., which intends to launch a new trans-Atlantic economic partnership aimed at harmonizing regulations, technical standards, environmental protection and trade security.

In advance of the Summit, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a March 28, 2007 meeting to develop input related to biodiesel and bioethanol standardization issues. Input developed will be used to inform the U.S. delegation to the EU-U.S. Summit, as requested by the U.S. Department of State.

Read more from the invitation for this meeting here @ Reliable Plant

Labels: biofuels, events

U.S. Auto Chiefs Ask Bush for Incentives on Biofuels

By Gopal Ratnam, Bloomberg

March 26 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. automakers' chief executive officers urged President George W. Bush to back incentives to bring ethanol and biodiesel to more pumps as the companies boost output of so-called flex-fuel vehicles.

Half the vehicles made by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler by 2012 could be able to run on biodiesel or E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, the CEOs said in a statement.

Read the full news report from here @ Bloomberg

Labels: autos, biofuels, ethanol

Skoda Auto introduces biofuel, gas-fuelled models

28 March 2007

Czech car maker Skoda Auto today introduced two Skoda Octavia models running on biofuel and natural gas, and announced that it was ready to launch the production of the two models next year if there was good demand. The Skoda Octavia has a 1.6 MPI engine running on so-called FlexiFuel, a mixture of biofuel and petrol.

Labels: autos, transportation

Dynamotive Starts Commissioning Intermediate BioOil Plant in Guelph, Ontario, Aiming at 'Untapped' Industrial Fuels Market

Press release

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM & LAS VEGAS, March 6, 2007 - Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (OTCBB:DYMTF), which develops and markets biomass-based biofuel technology and products derived from its proprietary fast pyrolysis process, announced today that it has started the commissioning of its biofuel plant in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, a process that is on target 11 months after start of fabrication.

The joint ventured Guelph plant, is designed to process 200 tonnes per
day of cellulosic biomass (recycled wood) and produce 175 tonnes (37,000
gallons) of biofuel per day (12.2 million gallons a year) with the equivalent
energy content of 550 barrels of conventional oil. Total development costs for
the plant are currently estimated at US$ 16.5 million. Full operations are
scheduled for the second quarter.

The Guelph plant commissioning announcement was made simultaneously in
Brussels, in connection with the World Biofuels Markets, Congress and
Exhibition, and in Las Vegas, in connection with PowerGen Renewable Energy &
Fuels Conference.

Unlike ethanol and biodiesel, the biofuels produced by Dynamotive will be
aimed at the industrial fuels market. This market accounts for approximately
25% of hydrocarbon usage and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas
emissions.

"The Guelph plant will help draw international attention to renewable
BioOil and Intermediate BioOil as being viable and highly economical
replacements, on a potentially enormous scale, for mainstream industrial fuels
whether in the US, China, Europe or the smallest nations which have little or
no fossil fuel but abundant cellulosic biomass residues which are the raw
materials from which our fuels are made," said Andrew Kingston, President and
CEO of Dynamotive.

"Biodiesel and ethanol target mobile fuels. Dynamotive's fuels target,
initially, the industrial market which is largely untapped. We believe we have
a great competitive edge in this market as well as being able to target
ethanol and syn-diesel production through further processing of our fuel."

"We believe that our BioOil and Intermediate BioOils can be shown to be
cost competitive with hydrocarbon-based industrial fuels.

"The attractive economics of BioOil partly derive from the simplicity of
the process, heat transformation of biomass into a liquid and char and the
fact that residual cellulosic biomass can be processed at smaller, distributed
plants that are significantly less costly to build and operate than other
biofuel production facilities that require large scale operations to be
economical," said Kingston.

"A main contributor to the cost competitiveness is the fact that
Dynamotive's fuel is produced from residual or waste biomass and not from
agricultural products that otherwise have food value."

The company has tested over 120 types of biomass to date. This provides
it with great flexibility in tackling the growing sustainable fuels market,
even providing opportunity to process residues from biodiesel and ethanol
production processes.

Dynamotive has developed and tested BioOil and Intermediate BioOil in a
number of industrial applications with major companies and has shown
equivalent performance to natural gas, heating oil and diesel with same heat
input (equivalent thermal input). Further, BioOil, Intermediate BioOil and
char produced at Dynamotive's West Lorne plant have received Environment
Canada's EcoLogo Certification through the Environmental Choice Program.
Information on tests and the EcoLogo program are available at the Company's
website www.dynamotive.com.

Kingston added that at a second stage of development Dynamotive will aim
to further process BioOil and Intermediate BioOil into synthetic diesel and
ethanol and, in doing so, further expand the market appeal for its technology
and fuels.

"Production of syngas from BioOil and Intermediate BioOil is a
preliminary step towards the development of mobile fuels and has been
successfully demonstrated by the company."

Dynamotive has developed the technology and fuels over the past 10 years
and demonstrated scaleability through six increasingly larger plants. It has
invested over US$ 50 million to reach this stage. Today, the Company has
developed two commercial plants in Ontario, Canada, Guelph and West Lorne, and
is planning further production facilities for Australia, China, Europe, South
America and the United States in addition to further plant modules of 200
tonnes per day capacity at the Guelph site.

Guelph's output biofuel - Intermediate BioOil - will be suitable for most
of the industrial uses now addressed by petroleum-based #2 or #6 heating oil,
such as industrial power, heating, paper manufacturing and aluminum smelting.

The company said it also expects to restart production near the end of
the second quarter, of its West Lorne, Ontario plant that is currently being
upgraded (after two years of operating as a commercial demonstration plant) to
130 tonnes per day of biomass processing capacity. The plant will produce
Light BioOil and Char. The output of the plant will be mainly for electricity
generation and for specialty products as BioOil has a number of high value
components that can be extracted.

"Our Intermediate-Grade BioOil is an excellent substitute for fossil
fuels, especially for use in industrial boilers, kilns, smelters and other
applications. BioOil pumps well, ignites and burns readily when atomized, and
it can be used by industrial customers with little adjustments necessary to
combustion equipment."

"According to the Energy Information Administration, a statistical agency
of the United States Department of Energy, nearly 25% (24.35%) of all U.S.
petroleum consumption is used by industrial boilers and similar equipment.

"Focusing on that huge market makes BioOil the natural, renewable choice
for industry," Kingston continued, "and, we believe, it will become a
necessary supplemental biofuel to complement ethanol and biodiesel - fuels
which are more focused on transportation usage."

Kingston will discuss the markets, technology and implications of
Intermediate BioOil in more detail on Friday, March 9th, when he speaks at the
World Biofuels Markets Congress in Brussels.

About Dynamotive

Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation is an energy solutions provider
headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with offices in the USA, UK and Argentina.
Its carbon/greenhouse-gas-neutral fast-pyrolysis technology uses medium
temperatures and oxygen-less conditions to turn dry waste biomass and energy
crops into BioOil for power and heat generation. BioOil can be further
converted into vehicle fuels and chemicals. For further information, please
visit Dynamotive's website: www.dynamotive.com.

www.dynamotive.com

Forward Looking Statement

Statements in this news release concerning the company's business outlook
or future economic performance; including the anticipation of future plant
start-ups, partnerships, consortiums, teaming agreements, government
assistance, other anticipated cash receipts, revenues, expenses, or other
financial items; and statements concerning assumptions made or expectations as
to any future events, conditions, performance or other matters, are
"forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are by their nature
subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual
results to differ materially from those stored in such statements. Such risks,
uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to, changes in energy
prices, availability of capital, and the Company's ability to access capital
on acceptable terms or any terms at all, changes and delays in project
development plans and schedules, customer and partner acceptance of new
projects, changes in input pricing, competing alternative energy technologies,
government policies and general economic conditions. These risks are generally
outlined in the Company's disclosure filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

For further information: Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation Nigel
Horsley, 604-267-6028 Executive Director, Communications and Investor
Relations or Nathan Neumer, 604-267-6042 Director, Communications or
Switchboard: 604-267-6000 Toll Free (North America): 877-863-2268 Fax:
604-267-6005, Website: www.dynamotive.com

Labels: biomass, cellulose, industrial-fuels

Ethanol agreement could have unintended consequences

By Lillian Rose

Recently in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo, a new partnership was agreed upon by President George W. Bush of the United States and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil. The partnership has special focus on cooperations in biofuels.

But like most trade agreements, there are certain dangers ahead. This alliance will have an environmental as well as a social impact. A Brazilian engineer, Expedito Parente, was quoted as saying in a Brazilian newspaper, “We have 80 million hectares in the Amazon that are going to be converted into the Saudi Arabia of biodiesel.”

Read the full news & analysis report from here @ The News & Tribune

Labels: environment, ethanol

Driving and Kayaking for Biofuels in Americas

Press release

Washington -- You might think that driving on restaurant fryer grease will not get you far. Think again. Grease got two enthusiasts of alternative fuels from the northern reaches of Alaska to Argentina.

Seth Warren, 28, a conservationist and world-class kayaker, and kayaking champion Tyler Bradt, 18, decided to prove that they can drive their truck across the two Americas -- through 16 countries -- without using a drop of gasoline or emitting much greenhouse gas.

As they developed what they call the ?Oil and Water Project,? they said, they committed to sharing their enthusiasm for and knowledge about biofuels with local communities and educating youth about alternative energy as an anchor of sustainable lifestyles.

The two set up the Biofuels Education Coalition ( BEC ), a nonprofit organization, to do just that and to use their and their sponsors? money -- about $70,000 -- to demonstrate what they believe in.

On the platform of an old Japanese fire truck converted to run on 100 percent biodiesel or vegetable oil, engineers installed containers for fuel and an oil press and equipment to process waste fryer oil and animal waste oils. The vehicle is meant to demonstrate how ordinary diesel vehicles easily and inexpensively can be modified to operate effectively on biofuels produced locally from local resources such as seeds, plants and used cooking oil.

?What we are trying to promote is self-reliance -- that farmers and other people essentially can grow their own fuel in their backyards,? Warren told USINFO from Bolivia. ?That gives people a lot of power.?

They set out in June 2006 from Dead Horse, Alaska, home to the largest oil field in the United States. By the beginning of March, they had reached Argentina.

Warren and Bradt plot their itinerary one month in advance and then try not to use maps as they follow it.

?The idea is to interact with people first by asking directions,? Warren said. ?We talk to everybody we come across.?

A broad range of people they have met on the road -- students, farmers, car mechanics, scientists and government officials -- has been receptive to their message.

?And why wouldn?t they be?? asked Warren rhetorically. ?What we are showing them is how to take trash or waste and make it into money.?

But learning is mutual, Warren said. In Colombia they were impressed by an inventive way some coffee farmers, with the help of a research group, make bioethanol from byproducts of the coffee industry, such as bean shells.

Whenever they stop, they first try to talk to local newspapers and TV stations to advertise their local demonstrations and educational meetings.

Initially, with their limited Spanish-language skills, this proved difficult. Now, after several months in Spanish-speaking countries, they are doing much better.

As a result of media attention, the two men often are treated as celebrities -- mobbed by young girls and invited to visit government officials, including the Peruvian minister of energy.

?What?s really cool about it is that, rather than sitting and talking about kayaking, we have things to say that can actually benefit the places we go to,? Warren said.

Not that they have forgotten completely about kayaking. They use every bit of free time and some weekends to seek out local rivers and paddle along them.

Back on the road, despite enthusiastic backing from local people and U.S. Embassy personnel, driving an experimental plant on the wheels can be challenging at times, Warren said.

?A lot of fuels we are using haven?t been scientifically tested and in some cases haven?t been tried at all,? he said.

For example, an African palm oil donated in Colombia solidified at high elevations in Bolivia, forcing them every morning for few days to take apart the whole system and purge all hoses.

There have been other challenges: living together in the small quarters of the truck, for example. And they have had some mishaps: Warren got malaria and was attacked and bitten by a pack of wild dogs; Bradt jumped into the water and hurt his feet when he landed on sea urchins.

They also have shared exhilarating experiences. In Bolivia they took a mountain road that steeply drops from the elevation of almost 4,600 meters to around 1,500 meters.

?We spent four hours driving down this crazy, one-lane road edged in the cliff with no room for two cars to pass,? Seth said.

After finishing their current trip, the two kayakers plan to replicate their project in Australia and New Zealand, southern Asia, Africa, Europe and the former Soviet Union, which they estimate will take the next 10 years.

With fast-food restaurants thriving in most of these regions and many farmers growing oil-producing plants, Warren and Bradt are sure they will not lack grease to fuel their adventures.

Additional information about the Oil and Water Project can be found on its Web site.

See also ?Green Bus Tour Promotes Environmental Awareness.?

For more information on U.S. policies, see Environment.

( USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov )

By Andrzej Zwaniecki
USINFO Staff Writer

Additional Information
Publisher: http://usinfo.state.gov

Labels: animal-waste, wvo

Northwest embraces wind for electricity needs

Blaine Harden, The Washington Post

PASCO - The Northwest is hardly alone as it chases the wind for clean power. Anxiety about climate change and surging demand for electricity have triggered a wind-power frenzy in much of the United States, making it the fastest growing wind-energy market in the world. Power-generating capacity from wind jumped 27 percent last year and is expected to do the same this year.

But it is in the Northwest where wind power, an often capricious source of electricity, meshes most seamlessly with the existing electricity grid, which relies heavily on hydroelectric dams, power managers say

Read more from this news report here @ The Olympian Online

Labels: wind

Turning to the tide for green energy

27 Mar 2007

Shannon Moneo, The Globe and Mail

VICTORIA -- The fast-moving tides and deep waters near Victoria were the backdrop for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's January announcement if $1.5-billion in spending over 10 years to boost Canada's supply of green energy.

Last summer, Vancouver-based Clean Current Power Systems installed a tidal turbine generator near Race Rocks.

Salt water corrodes the metal equipment, and the tides flow like a fast-moving river, which is more taxing on the generator than a slower current.

Other challenges have surfaced. Read more from here @ The Globe & Mail

Labels: hydroelectricity, tidal

Swedes want more renewable energy

27 Mar 2007

More people than ever in Sweden want the country to expand its use of environmentally friendly energy sources. Support for hydroelectricity and biofuels has increased, according to a study from Gothenburg University, which also shows that just over three-quarters of people want Sweden to concentrate more on wind power, while 83 percent want more use of solar power.

Read more from here @ SR.se

Labels: renewable

Businesses scramble to squeeze ethanol from Florida citrus waste

March 15, 2007

KANSAS CITY - Companies wanting to produce ethanol from citrus waste in Florida are scrambling to obtain patents and secure sites for pilot projects, evidence that the national craze for the fuel is branching out from the more traditional grain-based feedstock.

The material used in the process is what is left after processors have squeezed the juice from the orange, which equals nearly one-half of the fruit's original mass.

Read the full news article from Check Biotech

Labels: ethanol

Purdue, city and county, industries join to turn waste into power

Giles Clark, 13 March 2007

by Susan A. Steeves

Planners and scientists from Purdue, central Indiana's Clinton County and city of Frankfort, and industries Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Indiana Clean Energy LLC (ICE) are joining forces to use waste to produce methane for conversion to electricity. Two separate facilities will be built — one for industrial waste conversion and another for hog waste — with the goal of having plants in operation by spring 2008.

Read the full report here @ Biofuel Review

Labels: industrial-waste, methane, waste

Animal Fats into Jet Fuel

March 19, 2007

RALEIGH - Airlines could soon be looking to acquire chicken grease and hog lard to convert into jet fuel.

A team of NCSU scientists and engineers says it has developed a biofuels technology capable of converting animal fats - including lipids from dead chickens, hogs and cattle - into fuel for airliners and fighter jets.

The technology is "100 percent green," as no petroleum-derived products are added to the process. It can also be used to make additives for cold-weather biodiesel fuels and holds the potential to fuel automobiles that currently run on gasoline.

Read the full report from here @ The Pig Site

Labels: airlines, animal-waste, research, transportation, waste

Lawmakers To Renew Animal Waste Effort

By Aaron Sadler, Stephens Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — A group of farm-state lawmakers Thursday said they would try again to prevent animal waste from being classified as a pollutant, an exemption opposed by environmental groups and plaintiffs in a case against Arkansas poultry companies.

A new bill specifies that manure would not be designated as a hazardous substance or contaminant under the federal “Superfund” law.

Read the full news report here @ Times Record, Fort Smith, Arkansas

Labels: environment

Vernon County turns manure into power

By TIM HUNDT / Lee Newspapers

LA FARGE, Wis. — A project that converts animal waste from large farming operations into usable energy has been a win for farmers and energy companies, supporters said.

The basic principle is to introduce bacteria into a manure-holding tank that is constantly circulating. The circulation keeps solids suspended and allows the bacteria to break down the waste.

As the digester breaks down the waste, the methane gas is collected in the top of the tank and siphoned off to power a generator.

Read the full news item from here @ La Crosse Tribune

Labels: animal-waste

S. Korea begins operation of power plant using animal waste

SEOUL, March 14 - South Korea has begun operations of a cogeneration power plant that runs on animal waste, in an effort to enhance the country's use of reusable energy and protect the environment, the government said Wednesday.

The plant in Icheon, located 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is designed to process 20 tons of animal excrement a day, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said.

Read the full news report here @ Yonhap News

Labels: animal-waste, waste

More food waste being recycled in Milton Keynes, UK

More food waste in Milton Keynes (UK) is to be recycled after a successful pilot scheme to cut down on rubbish going to landfill.

The trial, which started in 2005, was carried out in Newport Pagnell and Bradwell Common to find out the best way to encourage residents to recycle their leftover food.

From April 2007 the food waste will be sent to Biogen's anaerobic digestion plant in Bedford where it will be combined with animal slurry to produce green energy and fertiliser.

Read the full news report from here @ Milton Keynes Today

Labels: animal-waste, waste

Trash power - Energy from Waste & Garbage

Mar. 27, 2007

Reynolds, a town 20 miles north of Lafayette, is aiming at generating its own electricity and gas, using everything from municipal trash to farm waste, hog manure and even town sewage.

The project will have a facility that turns garbage into electricity. The project could become part of the solution to two of the country’s biggest challenges: Disposing of garbage and reducing America’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy.

The equipment at the BioTown technology center in Reynolds includes an anaerobic digester, gasifier and fast pyrolysis, which will create syngas, bio-oil and fertilizer.

Read the full news story from here @ Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne

Labels: waste

Cutting the Carbon Impacts of Waste

A clearer picture of how waste can be managed to reduce its impacts on climate change emerges in new research published today.

The reports anticipate the greenhouse gas effects of the UK’s main waste streams between 2005 and 20311, and assess the different ways of dealing with household garden and food waste2,3.

The ERM report shows that recycling has significant benefits over landfill, particularly in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the full news report from here @ The A to Z of Building

Labels: climate-change, waste

MOL Group Terminal Introduces Tokyo's Largest Private Solar Power System, First at a Container Terminal in Japan

Tokyo, Japan, Mar 26, 2007 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (TSE: 9104) today announced that the solar power generation system at Ohi Container Terminal Berth No.4 started operation in March. The system is called the Tokyo International Container Terminal Solar Power Station.

Read the full news report here @ Japan Corp

Labels: solar

Pros and cons of solar power

24 Mar 2007

Vicki Vaughan, Express-News Business Writer - My San Antonio

In this article, the author discusses the pros and cons of solar energy.

One interesting concept discussed is "net metering". If, for instance, you instal solar panels and if you do not have batteries to store excess power, on some days the extra energy being generated by the solar panel can be fed being fed back into the electric grid, thus making a meter "run backward." Known as "net metering," customers who produce electricity at home (or their business) using renewable sources such as solar and wind get credit for any excess power they put back into the Energy grid.

But solar energy is not without its pitfalls, the main issue being cost, says this article.

Read the full article from here @ My San Antonio

Labels: costs, solar

Singapore to spend $230 mln on clean energy research

26 Mar 2007, Source: Reuters

By Koh Gui Qing

SINGAPORE - Singapore will spend S$350 million ($230 million) on research into clean forms of energy over the next five years to meet soaring energy demand in the region, the government said on Monday.

Singapore will focus on solar power and fuel cell technologies research, the Economic Development Board (EDB) said, adding that the sector could create some 7,000 jobs and make up 0.6 percent of gross domestic product by 2015

Read the full report from here @ Reuters AlertNet

Labels: fuel-cells

Tatas to invest 100 million dollars in Bangalore solar project

By K G Vasuki, Mar 26, 2007

Bangalore: For power hungry India, a non-conventional energy source like solar power is proving to be a boom.

India's leading solar energy solution providers Tata BP Solar recently inaugurated the new mega solar power plant on the outskirts of Bangalore said they and would invest 100 million dollars in it.

Read the full report here @ Daily India

Labels: solar

Solar Panels for Municipal Watre Treatment Plant

A municipal water treatment plant in La Mesa, Calif., near San Diego, has installed enough solar panels to generate 20 percent of the electricity that it uses. The move is part of a greater effort by local city governments to produce more energy from renewable sources.

Labels: solar

The Government will earmark Sk100 million for solar energy

Slovak Economy Minister Ľubomír Jahnátek wants to submit a proposal, through which homes that decide to buy solar panels will be entitled to state subsidies.

Homes in Austria and the Czech Republic have been receiving such subsidies for several years already.

The Economy Ministry thinks solar energy has the biggest potential out of all renewable energy sources in Slovakia.

Labels: solar

Alberta biofuels plant to weave straw into gold

23 Mar 2007

RIMBEY -- A central Alberta town is on track to build a plant that will turn straw and municipal waste into millions of litres of biofuel each year.

Rimbey Mayor Dale Barr said construction on the plant could start as early as this summer, with an estimated cost of about $30 million.

Read the full report from here @ the Calgary Sun

Labels: biofuels, waste

Brazil Soy Industry Prepares For Biodiesel War With Argentina

SAO PAULO and BUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones)--Brazil's major soyoil producers are preparing for a fight against Argentina over the biodiesel market, hoping Brasilia can convince Buenos Aires that Argentine tax policies are bad for Brazil's biodiesel program.

Brazil soy oil is the number one ingredient used in making biodiesel. Soy oil companies think Argentina's cheaper costs (Argentina has lots of tax incentives for biofuels) will cut them out of the market, especially the export markets.

Read the full report here @ Cattle Network

Labels: biodiesel, soy

BIO World Congress: Biofuels poised for exceptional growth

March 26, 2007

ORLANDO, FL - The biofuels industry stands poised for exceptional growth and ethanol is the most promising over the long term, keynote speakers said at BIO’s World Congress in Orlando yesterday.

Thousands of biotech industry executives, scientists, and economic development specialists gathered at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort for the event which started Wednesday and runs through Saturday. The congress is focused on industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing.

Read the full report here @ Check Biotech

Labels: biofuels, biotechnology, ethanol, events

New biodiesel production method created

NASHVILLE, March 21 (UPI) -- A new Nanocatalyst developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory might replace a costly process in biodiesel production.

Scientists at the laboratory's Nanoscience Center say the technology might replace the biodiesel manufacturing process that consumes chemicals, water and energy.

Read the full report here @ Science Daily

Labels: biodiesel, inventions, research

Van Der Horst Biodiesel builds S$40m plant in Singapore

By Tung Shing Yi, Channel NewsAsia, 21 March 2007

SINGAPORE: Van Der Horst Biodiesel is planning to build Singapore's first biodiesel plant that uses Jatropha as feedstock.

The plant on Jurong Island will cost the joint venture between Van Der Horst Engineering and the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, which is an institute linked to Nanyang Technological University, S$40 million.

Read the full report from here @ Channel News Asia

Labels: biodiesel, jatropha, oilseeds

Farmer promotes biodiesel plant

March 22, 2007, CBC News

A group of more than 30 farmers gathered in Charlottetown Wednesday night to explore the possibility of building their own biodiesel plant.

The proposal is for the plant to be owned by farmers. It would crush oil from canola grown by Island farmers and mix it with diesel to create a fuel that could run vehicles and heat buildings.

Read more from this news report @ CBC, Canada

Labels: biodiesel

Oxidation stability of biodiesel and blends

A standardised quality parameter to avoid motor damage can be easily determined with the highly reliable Biodiesel Rancimat from Metrohm UK. In addition to other alternative fuels such as ethanol, methanol or biogas (methane), fatty acid methyl esters are increasingly found on the market; these are then known as biodiesel, RME (rapeseed oil methyl esters) or FAME (fatty acid methyl esters).

Read more from this article @ Manufacturing Talk

Labels: biodiesel, engines

NextEnergy Biodiesel Summit Set Goals for Biodiesel Research

Press release

Detroit, MI - Manufacturers, policy makers, regulators and biodiesel industry representatives met on Monday, March 12, for a Biodiesel Summit to identify and remove barriers to widespread acceptance of biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent by volume (B20) by engine and vehicle manufacturers.

DaimlerChrysler, a sponsor of the B20 Summit, challenged the group to come up with a viable fuel standard for the B20 finished blend.

"Biodiesel represents a huge opportunity to address some of our nation’s toughest energy, environmental and economic challenges,” said Deborah Morrissett, DaimlerChrysler’s VP of Regulatory Affairs.

“We know this is the right thing to do – so the goal now is to develop a national B20 standard that can be universally applied to all diesel vehicles, both on road and in production, to confidently support higher blends of biodiesel such as B20.”


A major step towards full B20 support is finalization of a defined B20 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specification.

The ASTM B20 specification moved closer to reality in recent months when the group approved new limits in ASTM D 6751, the existing standard for pure (B100) biodiesel, for oxidation stability and other parameters needed for 2007/2010 diesel engines.

“The B100 standard has been designed so that it is protective of B20 and lower blends,” said Steve Howell, NBB Technical Director and Chairman of the ASTM Task Force on biodiesel standards, “but regulators need us to approve a finished blend standard to hold people to, and engine makers need something they can design to.”

The multi-industry Biodiesel Summit group met at the NextEnergy Center, Michigan’s alternative and renewable energy business incubator, located in Detroit’s TechTown district.

Beyond the final approval of the B20 finished fuel standard, participants identified several areas that need additional study and funding to bolster full B20 support, including:

>Long-term effects of B20 on emissions control and after-treatment devices .

>Long-term engine durability testing .

>Greater fuel quality monitoring efforts to ensure the fuel standards are being met.

“If we want to increase our economic competitiveness, strengthen energy security and help protect the environment, we have to provide customers with more clean, domestically-produced energy options,” said Jim Croce, NextEnergy CEO.

“Biodiesel has the most immediate potential to succeed. It’s sustainable, renewable and doesn’t require new invention."

The biodiesel industry is already looking to the future with the next generation of biodiesel.

“Our goals for next generation biodiesel are to optimize biodiesel’s fatty acid profile for cold flow and stability, optimize agriculture for higher production of oils and fats from traditional crops, and to develop non-traditional additional crops like micro-algae for biodiesel, or even crops that can be grown on marginal land or using brownfield sites,” said Donnell Rehagen, NBB Chief Operations Officer, who spoke at the summit.

“In my 40-plus years as an agricultural scientist and administrator, I have never experienced such exciting times in agriculture,” said Gale Buchanan, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

“The era of bioenergy and bioproducts is clearly agriculture’s “Grand Challenge” for the 21st Century.”

All major OEMs support B5 and lower blends, provided they are made with biodiesel meeting ASTM D 6751, the existing ASTM standard for pure biodiesel (B100).

Use of blends higher than B5 will not necessarily void existing warranties. A growing number of OEMs are also recommending that users purchase biodiesel from BQ-9000 certified companies.

BQ-9000 is the biodiesel industry’s quality program for biodiesel producers and marketers.

While full B20 support is the goal, several auto and equipment manufacturers have recognized that the market may not be willing to wait years for it to happen.

DaimlerChrysler was the first auto manufacturer to approve the use of B20 by government, military and commercial fleet customers in its 2007 model year Dodge Ram pickup truck.

New Holland has also approved the use of B20 in all of its equipment using New Holland engines, becoming the first OEM to announce full formal support for B20 in the engines it produces.

For more information, call Mark Beyer, NextEnergy at 313-833-0100.

See Related Websites/Articles:

National Biodiesel Board

Labels: biodiesel, events

Genetic engineering industry hopes to save the world

March 23, 2007, By Markus Städeli - Check Biotech

Greenpeace has recently sparked of the genetic engineering controversy in Europe once again. The environmental protection organization claims that a genetically modified maize made by Monsanto has caused liver and kidney damage to experimental animals.

Monsanto strongly contests these accusations.

However, opposition to this technology remains strong. On the other hand, the genetic engineering industry does now see an opportunity to permanently clean up its somewhat tarnished Image. It hopes that the bioethanol boom will help here.

Read more from this Check Biotech news report

Labels: biotechnology, research

Ethanol, energy and profits

March 24, 2007, Author: David Kennell

Brazil leads the world with “hundreds of miles” of sugarcane plantations, much of it derived by decimation of vast areas of the large Amazon rainforest basin, critical for life on the planet. Eight of 10 new Brazilian cars are fueled by ethanol. Brazilian media billed Bush’s meeting with President Lula da Silva as a bid to create a new “OPEC of ethanol.”

However, analysts point to a major problem for the Brazil-U.S. relationship: a 54 cent U.S. tariff per gallon on Brazilian ethanol. Since corn is the major U.S. plant source for ethanol, the tariff is to protect the U.S. agrichemical industry (free trade indeed).

Read more on this interesting viewpoint from this report @ People's Weekly World

Labels: economics, environment, ethanol

Diesels Come Clean

by Matt Vella

In Europe gas costs more than $5 a gallon. In the U.S., it's under $3. In Europe, diesel-powered cars and trucks account for 50% of all auto sales. In the U.S., they are less than 4%. What do the Europeans know that Americans don't?

They know that diesels provide superior fuel-economy without sacrificing performance. The main concern for most Americans is that the hangover from the smoky, smelly diesels of the 1970s remains fresh in many minds. But changes in the supply of diesel fuel, emerging cleaner-burning technologies, and growing consumer concern over the environme