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 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 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

How we think, and perhaps lie, about the oil supply

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 5:30 am

Categories: Europe, biofuel, cars & traffic, conservation, energy, environmental health, federal government, fossil fuel, green tech, law & politics, petroleum, renewable energy, research

Tags: International Energy Agency, Aleklett, Leadership, Government, Management, Harry Fuller

I recently blogged about one oil expert claiming the world’s oil supply is less than officially admitted. In the most recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), it’s clear what they are worried about: economic panic.

The IEA warns that continued rising oil prices could stymie economic growth on a wide scale. Oil prices have risen 80% this year from their low point after the economic woes that were openly recognized late in 2008. Crude is still less than $80 per barrel, far below the record prices of $140 or more a couple years back.

The U.S. and China rank #1 and #2 in national oil consumption.

DON’T TRUST THE IEA

A group of European academics are warning their governments to not trust the IEA oil supply figures. Without directly referencing the recent whistleblower who says the IEA is cooking the books, these scientists and engineers say the oil supply and production numbers have been “politicized.” That’s polite talk for corrupted and dishonest. The academics go on to say the world production of oil will actually decline between now and 2030, not increase as much as the IEA continues to project.

Here is where you can find this report on “Peak of the Oil Age.” The leader author is Kjell Aleklett of Uppsala University. Aleklett is president of ASPO, Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO).

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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 12th, 2009

Hybrids not the only greener cars

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 10:15 pm

Categories: Blogroll, China, Europe, air pollution, biofuel, cars & traffic, conservation, energy, engineering, fossil fuel, petroleum

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

VW is having a surge of sales in the U.S. without a hybrid model to market. VW says much of their increased sales is from fuel-efficient diesel models that out-perform standard gasoline engines. Modern diesel tech is much more fuel efficient and produces less CO2 emissions than gasoline or old-fashioned diesel engines some of us remember from the 1970s.

VW has not been immune to the global auto slump, however. Their profits and units sales numbers are down as they are for nearly all auto brands.

ONE HOT AUTO MARKET

In China auto sales are greatly increased year-to-year. The government has a vigorous set of incentives to increase car sales and it is helping most manufacturers, including GM and Ford who both saw big increase in sales in China.

November 11th, 2009

Chemistry of clean coal

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 8:43 pm

Categories: Blogroll, air pollution, biofuel, cars & traffic, climate change, conservation, energy, engineering, environmental health, federal government, fossil fuel, green tech, petroleum, research

Tags: Reaction Design, clean coal, coal, electricity, NREL, DOE, greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, carbon footprint

Currently coal-burning accounts for over 45% of American electricity. Once the coal is out of the ground, what are the environmental concerns? Mercury, sulphur, nitrogen compounds and CO2 emissions.

This clean coal dream is a big deal politically in the U.S. Half of the states have significant coal reserves. And one-fourth of all coal in the world is believed to be in the U.S. The coal supply known to exist in the U.S. has more energy potential than all the earth’s known petroleum reserves.

The National Energy Research Lab (NREL) within the Department of Energy (DOE) is embarked on a project to find a way to burn coal with minimum CO2 release into the atmosphere. CO2 is one of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Over 3/4 of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. is CO2 from energy use or production.

One greentech company hired to work on the clean coal project is Reaction Design of San Diego. I spoke recently with Bernie Rosenthal, Reaction Design’s CEO. His company had just gotten a DOE grant to work on next generation coal-burning power plants. The most efficient ways of getting electricity from coal is via gasification.
Coal gasification schematic. Courtesy Reaction Design.

So Reaction Designs is working on modeling the chemistry needed to gasify coal, then burn it to produce electricity while capturing as much CO2 as possible. Rosenthal explained that it’s crucial to understand the chemistry of what happens both during gasification of coal and then during combustion. That’s where his company comes in. Also, Reaction will work on ways to make the footprint, literally, smaller. Current technology would require enormous physical additions to coal burning plants just to gasify coal. There is no commercial scale plant in the U.S. that gasifies coal right now. What happens chemically in both the boiler and the combuster at a coal-burning plant will be examined by Reaction.

Whatever results and chemical models Reaction comes up with will be tested burning real coal under real conditions. Rosenthal says Reaction will also produce designs and chemical reaction models that can be scaled up to the size needed by the U.S. expanding appetite for electricity.

Other projects that Reaction Designs is working on include: modelling surrogate engine fuels for vehicles. This work was done with consortium of engine and fuel manufacturers. Results not made public yet. Some of that work may be applicable to power generation companies, says Rosenthal.

Reaction’s worked with airplane engine manufacturers looking at possible future jet fuels. Looking also at non-fossil fuels for military as well. That’s through a NASA project. And Reaction has a biofuels project with DOE. They’re looking at next generation biofuels for autos.

Before the talkbacks begin: yes, I know there’s much skpeticism about “clean coal.” There is also much criticism of our current dependence on coal and the environmental results, of which I have frequently blogged. However, there is almost no chance we Americans will stop burning mounds of coal in the foreseeable future so cleaning it up seems like a worthwhile endeavor. And clean coal would be a wonderful tech to sell to China.

November 9th, 2009

This is going to blow some fuses among global warming deniers

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 8:51 pm

Categories: Blogroll, Europe, air pollution, climate change, conservation, energy, environmental health, fossil fuel, global warming, law & politics, ocean

Tags: Global Warming, Tuvalu, Harry Fuller, Pope, greenhouse gas, sea level

Now it seems the marching song of some global warming activists is “Onward Christian Soldiers.” This “take action” tour is led by Reverend Tafue Molu Lausam, a Christian pastor and activist from the South Pacific island of Tuvalu; Sara Kaweesa, who works with the Christian conservation group A-Rocha in Kampala, Uganda; and Peter Ilyn, executive director of Restoring Eden. Tuvalu is a low-lying island nation in the Pacifric that feels threatened with extinction by rising sea levels.

“The climate change policies of the industrialized nations are destroying innocent people elsewhere in the world, especially in the small low lying island countries in the Pacific,” said Rev. Lusama. “I must carry on this advocacy work to the global church until the world hears and decides on a positive, coherent and meaningful deal for stopping climate change and the tragic impacts that are threatening our very survival.”

The trio is touring Christian churches and colleges throughout the south and Midwest. Bleeding hearts in the heartland, so to speak.

Through the long years of argument over global warming in America it’s been the blue states and the more secular forces of environmental groups arguing for global warming action. More fundamentalist Christian groups have often been aligned with the forces that favor no government intervention, freedom for corporations and overall skepticism about global warming. Denial even. Apparently the good reverend from Tuvalu has now turned to his fellow man for some help, prayer not providing a ready answer at this time.

In some quarters there’s been official church effort to get global warming dealt with. The current Pope, has long been concerned about global warming.* And several Protestant demoninations have also taken public stands in favor of global action on global warming.

* Two previous sentences in this blog were not meant to denigrate the Pope, nor ignore his serious attention to global warming two years ago. I apologize if it appeared that this blog was taking a religious, or anti-religious position.

November 9th, 2009

EPA takes next step toward regulating greenhouse gases in U.S.

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 8:35 pm

Categories: Blogroll, air pollution, biofuel, conservation, energy, engineering, environmental health, federal government, fossil fuel, green tech, law & politics, petroleum, renewable energy

Tags:

One more formal step has been taken by the EPA in its move toward regulating greenhouse gas emissions from major American air polluters. The EPA has formally submitted to the White House its finidng that greenhouse gas emissions are endangering public health. The White House budget office now has up to 90 days to review the finding before allowing the EPA to move ahead with implementing any regulations.

It is not likely the White House will find any major objection to the EPA’s proposal to regulate emissions from major industries in the U.S. That means the EPA is likely to move ahead next year on cutting greenhouse gas emissions regardless of any Congressional action or inaction. At this point the Senate is where the energy/environment bill is tied up. And with medical insurance the over-riding issue in Washington, there is little danger of any Congressional action on energy in the near future. The House passed its Waxman-Markey bill last spring.

The EPA is acting under the authority of the Clean Air Act so expect opponents to sue claiming the act does not give the EPA power to regulate CO2. That would happen after the EPA actually issues its regulations.

Barring Congressional action the EPA will be in the center of the fight over greenhouse gas rules in the U.S. And if Congress fails to act many industries will begin to engineer and position themselves to comply with any EPA regs putting even greater value on eliminating coal-burning as a source of industrial energy. And making carbon sequestration an even more attractive possibility. In the short run this should also make natural gas an even more valuable source of energy for traditional industries that need heat rather than simply electricity, that ranges for bakeries to cement plants to wallboard manufacturers to brick makers.

November 5th, 2009

Kerry-Boxer bill gets out of the (first) box

Posted by Harry Fuller @ 3:38 pm

Categories: Blogroll, air pollution, biofuel, cars & traffic, climate change, conservation, energy, environmental health, federal government, fossil fuel, green tech, law & politics, petroleum

Tags:

The Kerry-Boxer bill got out of the first Senate committee to consider it, but it did so over the trampled bodies of Republicans who oppose it and boycotted the committee session.

There are other energy and greenhouse gas proposal swirling through the Senate, and those will be meshed with the Kerry-Boxer bill. I blogged earlier about the tri-partite effort to negotiate some energy legislation that could get enough votes to pass the Senate.

Even though the House passed a different energy bill last spring, today the Speaker of the House said the Senate bill can be meshed with the House’s earlier version.