November 21st, 2009

American cars giving slightly more miles per gallon

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 4:12 pm

Categories: Blogroll, air pollution, cars & traffic, conservation, energy, engineering, environmental health, federal government, fossil fuel, petroleum

Tags: Car, Emission, Carbon Dioxide, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Harry Fuller

The avergae MPG of cars driven by Americans continues to edge up. According to the EPA, average MPG hit 21 in 2008. It’s up nearly 2 MPG since 2004.

High gas prices and then the cash for clunkers program are expected to keep the MPG moving up this year. CO2 emissions have also been fallling since 2004. That year marked a turnaround in the U.S. The EPA reports CO2 emissions increased and fuel efficiency decreased in the United States from 1987 to 2004.

November 20th, 2009

East Anglia, the next chapter

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 2:00 pm

Categories: Blogroll, Europe, air pollution, climate change, engineering, environmental health, global warming, law & politics, research

Tags: Global Warming, E-mail, Blogging, Online Communications, Internet, Harry Fuller

Earlier today I blogged about the propaganda war that has broken out following the hacking of thousands of emails from the University of East Anglia’s climate study center. Here’s a left-wing British newspaper blog on the words beking flung about. This blogger has read some of the correspondence. Sees little meaningful and lots of missing context.

Yet one blogger sees deception and fraud, at least. Plus a little cruelty when a critic dies and isn’t mourned.

Thie blogger claims to have read the emails. There is no question about the basic science, he claims, but there was definitely the intent to deceive and skew the public message.

Here’s the BBC analysis of the emails that were hacked and the claims made by global warming skeptics about those emails.

Here’s the Fox News version of the story.

Here’s the Wall Street Journal blog. It repeats second-hand info that the emails are all genuine and there are over 3000 files stolen from East Anglia. Not sure this blogger’s surmise that it was stolen by Russian black hats is vaild. But there is much interest in Russia and its rich in keeping the price of oil as high as possible as long as possible. That means any global warming treaty is a business threat to Russia, Saudi, Venezuela, Nigeria, Norway and other oil exporters. But access to a Russian-based server is not limited to Russians, of course.

This is one hack that will have a long-lasting political life. At least through the Copenhagen meeting if not beyond. Copenhagen talks begin December 7.
So far no public statement from the British government which runs University of East Anglia. All publicly-funded universities there are run by the national government. The UK has long been a vocal public advocate of global action against global warming.

 Loading ...

November 20th, 2009

Hacker scores by posting East Anglia global warming emails

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 10:54 am

Categories: Blogroll, Europe, Kyoto Protocol, Russia, air pollution, climate change, energy, environmental health, global warming, law & politics, research

Tags: Climate Change, E-mail, Hacker, Global Warming, East Anglia File, Harry Fuller, hacking, Copenhagen

A thousand files have been hacked at a British climate study center, and then posted on a Russian Internet server for public access. That server was quickly shut down but parts of the stolen files have been spread on blogs and other websites. East Anglia admits the theft and re-posting but has not confirmed all the material is genuine. There are the equivalent of thousands of pages of text and emails.

A right-wing British newspaper has published a blog praising the hacking and release of emails from a British university’s climate change science program. There are now claims that this is “climategate,” that “warmists” conspired to hide data and rig research conclusions. All this, say those who claim to have access to these files, expose the global warming scientists as liars.

Here’s some of the background: the files allegedly all come from University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit.

That is not an irrelevant place, East Anglia. A researcher there is famous for coming up with the famous temperature climb hockey stick graph. That graph has come under continued attack from global warming doubters. It was featured by Al Gore in his global warming film.

The hacked East Anglia files are being loudly touted by the “don’t-blame-me” folks, those who deny humans are to blame for any of the melting ice sheets, if you even want to believe that ice is melting when you can’t see it yourself.

An American climate scientist says this theft is probably aimed at discrediting climate science prior to next month’s Copenhagen climate change talks.

Meanwhile a criminal investigation is underway to find the hacker.
FOR MORE INFOMATION, MY NEXT BLOG ON THIS MATTER.

 Loading ...

November 19th, 2009

Alcohol and fuel cells in our future?

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 11:21 am

Categories: Blogroll, air pollution, cars & traffic, conservation, energy, engineering, environmental health, fossil fuel, green tech, renewable energy, research, venture capital

Tags: Fuel Cell, Neah Power, Navy, D'Couto, Methaol, Fuel Cells, Emerging Technologies, Harry Fuller

Neah Power, a Seattle-based company, is finding widespread interest in its portable fuel cells. Some of the company’s past research and development was paid for by the Pentagon. The Navy has been especially eager to see Neah’s technology developed. The Neah fuel cells can operate in anaerobic conditions. No air. Can’t do that with gasoline, diesel or even traditional fuel cells.

Other early money for Neah came from Novellus and Intel. The power for portable gear is very attractive to corporations making all manner of remote or portable equipment.

I recently spoke with Neah’s CEO, Chris D’Couto, who’s got a PhD in chemical engineering and an MBA. Right combo, because Neah has a number of chemical processes they intend to patent. And they’re building and selling fuel cells that use methanol for fuel. No Kevlar-reinforced cylinders full of liquid hydrogen. Just simple plastic cartridges with methanol inside. For portable uses, no expensive and heavy lithium-ion batteries with their concomitant ability of exploding on a ship or plane. Just plastic cylinders of methanol. Neah’s goal: better power through chemistry.

D’Couto sees Neah’s tech becoming common across many parts of the economy. The military needs to get those heavy batteries out of the foot soldier’s backpack, and out of ships at sea or airplanes overhead. Neah fuel cells can help run digital technology in remote areas where there’s no electrical grid. Campers, hikers, boaters will use it for many purposes. Already Neah and Hobie are teamed making electrically-powered kayaks. The parts needed for Neah fuel cell on board a kayak.
The Torqueedo. Images courtesy Neah and Hobie.

D’Couto sees easy acceptance of the Neah fuel cells. Methanol is already widely produced and available in the U.S. It is much easier to handle and safer than liquified hydrogen. The chemistry: methanol is CH3OH. When it burns in the fuel cell it produces water, carbon dioxide and a spare electron. That’s the electricity. Neah has developed super-efficient fuel cells, says D’Couto. Neah claims efficiency as much as 2.5 times as great as the traditional fuel cells using pure hydrogen and requiring an constant air supply.

The Neah fuel cells use only miniscule amounts of gold or platinum, the necessary catalysts for breaking down the methane and freeing the hydrogen which gets burned in the fuel cell. D’Couto says they can get down to sub-micron thickness of gold and platinum in their fuel cell design. Important because those metals are expensive. That’s why they are classed as “precious.”

And there’ll be no need for building large, new infrastructure to build the cartridges or other components. Neah will hire existing computer chip fabrication plants to create the necessary catalyst parts for its fuel cells. No capital expenditure, no ramp up.

November 17th, 2009

Cap and trade controversial in Australia

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 11:54 am

Categories: Blogroll, European Union, air pollution, cars & traffic, conservation, energy, engineering, environmental health, federal government, green tech, law & politics, renewable energy, research

Tags: Cap-and-Trade, Harry Fuller

It’s not only in the U.S. that cap and trade (CAT) is a controversial approach to try to lower greenhouse gas emissions. A report written in Australia, and critical of CAT, has sparked a battle over censorship. Finally the report’s author and the leading science agency in Australia have reached a compromise that will allow publication there.

Currently there are CAT schemes in place in the European Union and among the northeastern states in the U.S. Here’s the website for RGGI which administers CAT across ten states in the northeastern section of the U.S.

Japan’s current government is looking at introducting CAT in the next two years. Some major metro areas of China have long had carbon trading schmes in place. But there is no national emissions regulation or CAT in China.

November 16th, 2009

New car sales soar in Europe, thinking smaller

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 10:24 am

Categories: Blogroll, Europe, European Union, air pollution, cars & traffic, conservation, energy, engineering, fossil fuel, mass transit, petroleum

Tags: Car, Sales Strategy, Sales Force Management, Sales, Harry Fuller

Western Europe saw a dramatic new car sales increase in October. Sales were encouraged by heavy subsidies for owners getting rid of older cars, “scrappage” they call it in British. And the smaller cars sold best. Huge increases were seen in sales at companies from Fiat to Renault, Chevy, Skoda, VW. Down in sales year to year: Saab, BMW, Mercedes, Audi. Japanese auto makers have a smaller share of the European car market than they command in North America or Asia.

A majority of the cars sold in Europe have long been new-generation diesel, meaning they run more efficiently and are cheaper to maintain than gasoline-burners. Fuel prices in Europe are double or even higher than that compared to U.S. prices. The fuel, diesel or gasoline, is more heavily taxed. Except Norway, most of Euroope depends on oil imports.

Car sales in eastern Europe continue to decline due to less government intervention there. The former Soviet satellite states are still much in love with the “free market” after years of central planning and Russian domination.

November 16th, 2009

Asia-Pacific leaders: no final deal in Copenhagen

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 4:51 am

Categories: Blogroll, China, Europe, Kyoto Protocol, air pollution, climate change, energy, environmental health, federal government, global warming, law & politics

Tags: Leader, Copenhagen, Asia-Pacific, Leadership, Management, Harry Fuller

Here’s the word from the Singapore meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders which includes Japan and the U.S. There’ll be plenty of global warming talk at the Copehagen talks beginning December 7. There will be no binding deal reached. That situation will be reinforced when President Obama meets with China’s President Hu.

Meanwhile, Copehagen’s hosting a pre-meeting meeting. Forty major countries have sent their environmental ministers or lead negotiators. Think of the carbon footprint of all those jets. Couldn’t they do a Skype conference call?

This week’s pre-meeting meetings are closed to the media in Copenhagen, but there’ll likely be plenty of publicity by those trying to pressure others to do what they want. As you might expect, some Europeans are reporting that the delaying tactics leading up to Copenhagen and no agreement…why that’s due to the fact that the U.S. Senate has not passed a climate and energy bill.

There is a distinct gulf between what rich nations and poor nations are looking for. As often is the case, the money part of any agreement is proving to be the toughest part. Who pays whom to stop polluting the one atmosphere we have?

November 16th, 2009

Don't envy the ENVI. GM re-VOLTing other brands

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 3:50 am

Categories: Europe, air pollution, cars & traffic, conservation, energy, engineering, green tech, renewable energy

Tags: Electric Car, Fiat, Brand, Chrysler LLC, General Motors Corp., Harry Fuller

Fiat/Chrysler’s new leaders are scrapping the ENVI electric car program. Last year Chrysler planned putting 50,000 electric vehicles on the road. That was before Chrysler sold itself to Fiat during the Detroit automaker meltdown. You can see a video report on that decision here.

Meanwhile, GM’s looking to make the electric VOLT design and technology pay off. The corporation is reportedly going to begin building the Cadillac Converj by 2013. It will be an upscaled VOLT which is the Chevy electric due to launch in about a year.

And GM seems to be stuck with the Opel division in Europe, so they’ve decided to use VOLT technology to build an Opel plug-in there, the Ampera. Ampera, amp, electric car…get it?

Here’s the Ampera website, auf English.

Europeans will get their first chance to buy either the Opel Ampera or the Chevy Volt in 2011.

November 15th, 2009

U.S. and China to talk global warming

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 8:09 am

Categories: Blogroll, China, Kyoto Protocol, air pollution, climate change, energy, environmental health, federal government, fossil fuel, global warming, law & politics

Tags: China, Copenhagen, Global Warming, Government, Harry Fuller

The Copenhagen climate talks are less than four weeks away. President Obama and China’s President Hu Jintao will meet soon for their own two-way climate talk. They are the world’s two leading CO2 emitters and two major nations that refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol. The stance of China and the U.S. when they arrive in Copenhagen could prove crucial to any attempt to craft a widely acceptable agreement on global warming.

Hu, of course, has a great deal of unilateral power in China. No Congress, no lobbyists, many of China’s major companies are owned largely by the Chinese government. China’s sovereign wealth fund is a huge investment force across the globe. In Washington it is clear no climate and energy bill will be voted on by the U.S. Senate before Copenhagen talks convene December 7. Still not clear: will President Obama personally appear in Copenhagen? Would it matter if he did?

November 15th, 2009

Geoengineering warning to Congress

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 8:08 am

Categories: Blogroll, India, air pollution, climate change, energy, engineering, environmental health, green tech, ocean, research

Tags: Atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide, U.S. Congress, Harry Fuller

A British scientist recently warned some American Congressmen: geoengineering schemes are not a magic bullet. Furthermore, there’s no guarantee any human effort can reverse global warming.

The testimony also covered issues of how to calculate and then govern any major geoengineering experiments. Various schemes have been suggested for either CO2 removal from the lower atmosphere, or reducing the amount of solar radiation hitting the earth or its atmosphere.

The first semi-large geoengineering experiment did not go as hoped with nature reacting in an unforeseen way to seeding the South Atlantic with iron to increase plankton to increase CO2 capture. That Greman-Indian joint project was named Lohafex. Natural predators, shrimp, came in and devoured much of the extra plankton, their usual food source.