The World Economic Forum—the organization that convenes the annual Davos meeting of global leaders—has released the Global Risks 2007 report. The report highlights a growing disconnect between the power of global risks to cause major systemic disruption and our ability to mitigate them. More...

A new study released by European energy company Vattenfall concludes that curbing climate change through a sustainable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is technically and financially feasible if existing technical solutions are applied consistently—and globally. Vattenfall’s Global Climate Impact Abatement Map shows that the cost of stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases at 450 ppm by 2030 in an attempt to limit global average temperature increase to 2° C is equivalent to approximately 0.6% of the total gross world product—on condition that all the identified potential is exploited. More...

The first of what would become a number of climate change bills hit Congress. US Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ), with co-sponsors Susan Collins (R-ME), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Barak Obama (D-IL), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007. The new bill—S. 280—contains a declining cap provision that cuts greenhouse gas emissions steadily over time. More...

Five of the 45 projects awarded 2007 INCITE (Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment) Awards by the Department of Energy (DOE) are using the supercomputer time provided to explore different aspects of climate change. More...

uShip, the largest online transportation services marketplace, and TerraPass are working together on a new service, the TerraPass Certified Provider Program. The program enables uShip service providers to balance out the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the shipment of goods by funding clean energy and efficiency projects. More...

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced more than C$1.5 billion (US$1.3 billion) in funding for the ecoENERGY Renewable Initiative to boost Canada’s renewable energy supplies. More...

Marks & Spencer, the UK-based global retailer, has announced “Plan A�—a business-wide £200 million (US$394 million) “eco-plan� which will have an impact on every part of M&S’ operations over the next five years. The detailed 100-point plan means that by 2012 M&S will become carbon neutral; send no waste to landfill; extend sustainable sourcing; set new standards in ethical trading; and help customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle. One of the points of Plan A is a move to B50 biodiesel. More...

Abbott, one of the world’s leading health care companies, recently announced its participation in the PHH GreenFleet pilot program designed to improve vehicle efficiency and reduce fuel consumption among commercial fleets. More...

The University Of New South Wales Solar Racing Team’s (UNSW) solar car Jaycar Sunswift III broke the world record for the fastest solar powered road trip from Perth to Sydney by three days. More...

HYBRIDS and PLUG-IN HYBRIDS

Hino Motors, the Toyota subsidiary focused on commercial vehicles, will introduce its diesel-electric Dutro Hybrid truck in Australia this month as part of its broader effort to increase overseas sales based on the global trend for tighter emission standards. More...

The Volvo Group has presented its heaviest I-SAM hybrid to date. At an event at the Swedish embassy in Washington, DC, last week, the group unveiled a construction truck from its Mack subsidiary, a Mack Granite, which is equipped with a hybrid driveline and was developed for the US Air Force. More...

DaimlerChrysler will put more than 20 Dodge Sprinter Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) in service in the US between now and the first quarter of 2008 as part of a test fleet program. The company has been working with EPRI on the development and testing of different plug-in hybrid powertrain configurations supported by different battery chemistries, including lithium-ion. Four of the Sprinter PHEVs are already in operation with customers. More...

ENERGY STORAGE AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES

EEStor, the developer of a new high-power-density ceramic ultracapacitor (the Energy Storage Unit—EESU), has broken a long public silence and announced reaching two key production milestones .The company says that it remains on track to begin shipping production 15 kWh Electrical Energy Storage Units (EESU) to ZENN Motor Company in 2007 for use in their electric vehicles. More...

Electrovaya Inc. has introduced its “MN-Series� Lithium Ion SuperPolymer battery technology. The MN-Series, which is a Lithiated Manganese Oxide based system, offers up to 50% higher energy density and comparable safety characteristics to Electrovaya’s Phosphate-Series chemistry. More...

Phoenix Motorcars has placed a $9.25 million production order with UQM Technologies for electric propulsion systems to power Phoenix’s newly introduced all-electric Sport Utility Truck (SUT). The order also includes onboard UQM DC-to-DC converters to power the vehicle instrumentation. More...

ZAP has selected Lotus Engineering to undertake engineering concept studies for a number of electric vehicles. The studies will explore the creation of a new generation of electric automobiles from concept to production. Of particular interest in the project is the challenge of advancing the electric car market by incorporating new technologies which will maximize the consumer appeal. More...

ZAP also announced that it has entered into a deal for the distribution of its line of electric vehicles—cars, scooters, seascooters, bicycles, and personal transporters—in Puerto Rico. More...

BIOFUELS

NTR plc and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group have formed a joint venture company—VBV LLC (Virgin Bioverda)—to exploit opportunities in the biofuels sector with particular focus on US-based ethanol. Bioverda (the bio-energy division of NTR plc), along with Virgin Fuels, through VBV, also announced an initial investment of US$336 million (€260 million) in two 100 million gallon corn ethanol plants, one in Indiana (Indiana Bioenergy LLC), the other in Tennessee (Ethanol Grain Processors LLC). More...

BioEthanol Japan became the world’s first company to produce cellulosic ethanol from wood construction waste on a commercial basis. The process uses technology from Celunol. More...

Dyadic International, a biotechnology company, has joined Royal Nedalco and other partners in R&D projects funded by the Netherlands government to develop technologies to produce ethanol from sugar beet pulp and wheat bran. More...

New Zealand’s Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation (ABC) has launched a prospectus for an offering of up to 10 million shares in a bid to raise NZ$5 million (US$3.5 million) for further research and development of its process to produce biodiesel from wild algae. More...

O2Diesel Corporation, a developer of ethanol-diesel fuel blends, has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire 80% of ProEco Energy Company, Inc., a privately held company that is developing an ethanol production facility in South Dakota with planned capacity of 100 million gallons per year. O2Diesel expects the acquisition to close during the second quarter of 2007. More...

Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation, which develops and markets biomass-based biofuel technology and products based on its advanced fast-pyrolysis process, is introducing a higher energy grade of BioOil it is calling “Intermediate BioOil.� Intermediate BioOil is designed as an alternative fuel for the intermediate and heavy fuel oil markets and as a higher energy source intermediate for the production of synfuels from biomass. More...

SunOpta Inc. provided an update on the status of four cellulosic ethanol projects which are or will be operational using SunOpta’s technology and equipment to produce ethanol from a variety of cellulosic biomass including woodchips, corn stover, sugar cane bagasse, and wheat straw. More...

Yanmar Co., a Japan-based global manufacturer of diesel engines and construction and agricultural machines, plans to build a facility in Malaysia to conduct research on the development of palm-oil biodiesel. More...

GM has brought UK-sourced Saab 9-5 BioPower flex-fuel vehicles to Australia to gauge interest in ethanol-powered vehicles in Australia in a trial that began last week. More...

Sales of Statoil’s E85 biofuel grew by 270% in Sweden last year compared with 2005. Svenska Statoil’s stations sold 19.5 million liters (5.2 million gallons US) of E85 in 2006, with 170 of its sites offering the product. More...

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota is leading a project to investigate the production of hydrogen at existing and future ethanol facilities. The hydrogen produced could be used on-site in fuel cells to provide additional power for the plant or as fuel for hydrogen vehicles. More...

HYDROGEN

The Raymond Corporation, a leading producer of materials-handling equipment, has been awarded a $750,000 contract from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to research hydrogen fuel cell applications in electric lift trucks. More...

DIESEL

BMW will introduce the new MINI Cooper D at the eneva Auto Show. The Cooper D promises to be the most fuel-efficient and cleanest MINI yet built. In comparison to the outgoing MINI One diesel’s combined fuel consumption of 4.8 l/100km (49 mpg US), the Cooper D is capable of 4.53 l/100km (52 mpg US), with CO₂ emissions of 118 g/km. More...

Union Pacific is beginning a year-long field test in the Los Angeles area of the rail industry’s first long-haul diesel electric locomotive modified with aftermarket experimental technology—oxidation catalyst filtering canister—an aimed at reducing exhaust emissions. More...

Delphi has introduced a new type of diesel engine oil condition sensor, designed to help increase engine reliability, reduce warranty issues and bring further cost reductions for vehicle operators. The new system is now available for integration with vehicle development programs. More...

SYNTHETIC FUELS

Syntroleum Corporation and Marathon Oil Company have struck a new definitive license agreement that replaces the original Master Preferred License Agreement for Syntroleum’s gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology, and it establishes a limited master license for Syntroleum’s coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology. More...

OTHER

Engine partners BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroën have introduced a new, naturally aspirated 1.4 liter gasoline engine as part of a growing family. This new engine is applied in the upcoming new MINI One and is directly derived from the existing 1.6 liter engine already applied in the MINI Cooper and Cooper S as well as on the Peugeot 207. It uses intake and exhaust variable valve timing and variable valve lift to optimize the output, while decreasing fuel consumption. As applied in the MINI One, the engine offers fuel consumption of 5.7 l/100km (41.3 mpg US), compared to 6.8 l/100km (35 mpg US) from its predecessor—a 16% reduction in fuel consumption. More...

GE Global Research, the centralized research organization of the General Electric Company, has developed a promising breakthrough in nanotechnology that provides a direct pathway to making nanoceramic materials from polymeric precursors. Developing processes and a greater understanding of nano-engineered ceramics could lead to future applications in aviation and energy, where products such as aircraft engines, gas turbines and catalysts could one day achieve new levels of efficiency, reliability and environmental performance. More...

A new study determined that the amount of aluminum used in new European cars has risen from 50 kg in 1990 to 132 kg in 2005 and is predicted to grow by another 25 kg by 2010. In 2005 two million tonnes of aluminum components were put on European roads in new passenger cars. The achieved weight savings will lead to an annual fuel saving of 1 billion litres and will save roughly 40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the lifespan of the vehicles, according to the study. More...

MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY – THE ENERGY EVOLUTION –R9

In order to insure energy and economic independence as well as better economic growth without being blackmailed by foreign countries, our country, the United States of America’s Utilization of Energy sources must change.
"Energy drives our entire economy." We must protect it. "Let's face it, without energy the whole economy and economic society we have set up would come to a halt. So you want to have control over such an important resource that you need for your society and your economy." The American way of life is not negotiable.
Our continued dependence on fossil fuels could and will lead to catastrophic consequences.

The federal, state and local government should implement a mandatory renewable energy installation program for residential and commercial property on new construction and remodeling projects with the use of energy efficient material, mechanical systems, appliances, lighting, etc. The source of energy must by renewable energy such as Solar-Photovoltaic, Geothermal, Wind, Biofuels, etc. including utilizing water from lakes, rivers and oceans to circulate in cooling towers to produce air conditioning and the utilization of proper landscaping to reduce energy consumption.

The implementation of mandatory renewable energy could be done on a gradual scale over the next 10 years. At the end of the 10 year period all construction and energy use in the structures throughout the United States must be 100% powered by renewable energy. (This can be done by amending building code)

In addition, the governments must impose laws, rules and regulations whereby the utility companies must comply with a fair “NET METERING� (the buying of excess generation from the consumer), including the promotion of research and production of “renewable energy technology� with various long term incentives and grants. The various foundations in existence should be used to contribute to this cause.

A mandatory time table should also be established for the automobile industry to gradually produce an automobile powered by renewable energy. The American automobile industry is surely capable of accomplishing this task.

This is a way to expedite our energy independence and economic growth. (This will also create a substantial amount of new jobs). It will take maximum effort and a relentless pursuit of the private, commercial and industrial government sectors commitment to renewable energy – energy generation (wind, solar, hydro, biofuels, geothermal, energy storage (fuel cells, advance batteries), energy infrastructure (management, transmission) and energy efficiency (lighting, sensors, automation, conservation) (rainwater harvesting) (energy and natural resources conservation) in order to achieve our energy independence.
"To succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality."

Jay Draiman, Energy Consultant
Northridge, CA. 91325
Jan. 21, 2007

P.S. I have a very deep belief in America's capabilities. Within the next 10 years we can accomplish our energy independence, if we as a nation truly set our goals to accomplish this.
I happen to believe that we can do it. In another crisis--the one in 1942--President Franklin D. Roosevelt said this country would build 60,000 [50,000] military aircraft. By 1943, production in that program had reached 125,000 aircraft annually. They did it then. We can do it now.
The American people resilience and determination to retain the way of life is unconquerable and we as a nation will succeed in this endeavor of Energy Independence.

Solar energy is the source of all energy on the earth (excepting volcanic geothermal). Wind, wave and fossil fuels all get their energy from the sun. Fossil fuels are only a battery which will eventually run out. The sooner we can exploit all forms of Solar energy (cost effectively or not against dubiously cheap FFs) the better off we will all be. If the battery runs out first, the survivors will all be living like in the 18th century again.

Every new home built should come with a solar package. A 1.5 kW per bedroom is a good rule of thumb. The formula 1.5 X's 5 hrs per day X's 30 days will produce about 225 kWh per bedroom monthly. This peak production period will offset 17 to 24 cents per kWh with a potential of $160 per month or about $60,000 over the 30-year mortgage period for a three-bedroom home. It is economically feasible at the current energy price and the interest portion of the loan is deductible. Why not?

Title 24 has been mandated forcing developers to build energy efficient homes. Their bull-headedness put them in that position and now they see that Title 24 works with little added cost. Solar should also be mandated and if the developer designs a home that solar is impossible to do then they should pay an equivalent mitigation fee allowing others to put solar on in place of their negligence.

Installing renewable energy system on your home or business increases the value of the property and provides a marketing advantage.

Nations of the world should unite and join together in a cohesive effort to develop and implement MANDATORY RENEWABLE ENERGY for the sake of humankind and future generations.

Posted by: Jay Draiman on January 21, 2007 8:31 PM

Dear all

I am pleased to introduce that Enhanced Biofuiels and Technologies India Pvt Ltd is a Biofuel based company working on Jatropha and Algae based Biofuels technologies.

The below links are self explainatory about us and we are pleased to hear from you about your interest on the subject and it is our interest to have your comments and share our ideas.

Regards

lakshmi
AO

http://www.ebtplc.com/news/PR_061026.htm

http://www.ebtplc.com/c4.htm

http://www.ebtplc.com/c2b.htm

www.ebtplc.com

Posted by: lakshmi on January 21, 2007 9:42 PM

Florida Chapter of the US Electric Auto Association holds electric vehicle races and show this weekend, and hosts the Electric Auto Association Chapters Conference on Sunday.

The Florida chapter of the US Electric Auto Association will be holding the second annual Battery Beach Burnout on January 26th & 27th, and will host the 6th EVer EAA Chapters Conference on Sunday, January 28th, 2007.

The Battery Beach Burnout is the Southeast's premier EV competition.

EVents will include drag racing, autcrossing, show-n-shine, technical competitions, range events and scootercross. The EAA Chapters conference is the National conference for all the EAA chapters.

Both events will be organized by the FL EAA and held in Jupiter, FL. Jupiter is located in the West Palm Beach area of South Florida.

Posted by: Hugh E Webber on January 22, 2007 2:51 PM

You know what would be great? If instead of encouraging new and different ways to justify individual car ownership, office culture could evolve so that more of us could telecommute. My partner's last manager claimed that there was no way to guarantee that goals would be met; I asked if formal warnings and termination of employment had been eliminated?

His current boss encourages working from home, and it's worked out brilliantly for us: two hours recovered from the daily commute; we eat better because the kitchen's right there; the company isn't spending as much on office space or power and they pay for our 'Net connection, which saves us even more. We don't have to own two separate wardrobes.

Obviously it wouldn't work with every job, but it's a lot more humane than a cube farm.

Posted by: Amalie on January 26, 2007 10:13 AM