The UNEP Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008 Report makes some interesting reading. It appears that sustainable energy is on the rise; nearly $150 billion of new money was raised in 2007 representing a 60% increase from 2006. Wind energy appears to be leading the way and this trend is set to continue according to the European Wind Energy Technology Platform . In their recently published Strategic Research Agenda they indicate that wind energy could provide up to 28% of EU electricity consumption by 2030. Certainly it appears that the UK will be have more wind capacity online soon with the recent announcement that a 315MW wind farm off the coast of Norfolk have been given the thumbs up by Government. However, a word of warning has been sounded about a shortage of skilled operation and maintenance teams for wind farms – it appears that in the US up to 60% of turbines may be behind in critical maintenance.
Moving from wind to solar energy, scientists at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute have proposed to turn asphalt roads and car parks into a giant solar collector. The idea relies on capturing the heat by passing water in pipes through the hot asphalt roads. The hot water could be used "as is" for heating buildings or in industrial processes, or could be passed through a thermoelectric generator to produce electricity.
Maintaining a surprisingly consistent animal theme it has been proposed that Australia should switch farming focus from sheep and cows to kangaroos. It has been estimated that belching (cows) and flatulent (sheep) livestock contribute a whopping 11% of Australia's carbon emissions. Kangaroos, of which there are around 60 million or so (that's three kangaroos to every Australian if my calculations are correct), have a more climate friendly digestive system that means they produce virtually no methane.
Friday 15 August 2008
Carbon capture and corrections
It has been a rather quiet week in the energy news. UKERC's personal highlight was a letter published in the Guardian in response to George Monbiot's column about carbon capture and storage (CCS). In related news a post-combustion carbon capture pilot plant has been officially launched in Beijing, China. The plant is designed to capture (in a liquid – presumably an amine of some sort) around 3000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
The proposed emission banding of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) has been debated at length this week. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report into VED declared it to be a "step in the right direction" but suggested that it did not go far enough and that there should be "really penal rates for high-emission cars and really attractive 'carrots' so that tax is almost nothing on the greenest models". Furthermore a car scrappage scheme to pay drivers of high emission cars to switch to a more environmentally friendly model was also advocated.
The Renewable Fuels Agency has released its first monthly report on the supply of biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The report contains some interesting statistics. Biofuels now account for 2.14% of UK road fuel; the majority (86%) comprises biodiesel with bioethanol making up the rest. The market is dominated by imported biofuels (percentage not given) with America being the most important supplier of biodiesel and unsurprisingly Brazil being most important for bioethanol. Only 19% of biofuels met the UK environmental standards and in total biofuels accounted for a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas savings (presumably compared to the petroleum displaced). These savings did not account for changes in indirect land use as noted in the Gallagher review.
In energy news elsewhere, Nissan has developed an eco-accelerator pedal that pushes back if you are being heavy footed. In a more startling eco-car development students at Stuttgart University have developed a vehicle powered entirely by wind . Defra's Chief Scientist, Professor Bob Watson, has warned that the UK should take steps to prepare for a temperature rise of up to 4C . Closer to home for me (being a Cumbrian lad) Cumbria has announced a £2 billion Energy Coast vision that focuses on both nuclear (with an emphasis on power and skills) and renewable energy. Finally, continuing an extended bovine theme it is proposed that homes in a new Pembrokeshire eco-village could be fuelled by cow dung.
The proposed emission banding of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) has been debated at length this week. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report into VED declared it to be a "step in the right direction" but suggested that it did not go far enough and that there should be "really penal rates for high-emission cars and really attractive 'carrots' so that tax is almost nothing on the greenest models". Furthermore a car scrappage scheme to pay drivers of high emission cars to switch to a more environmentally friendly model was also advocated.
The Renewable Fuels Agency has released its first monthly report on the supply of biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The report contains some interesting statistics. Biofuels now account for 2.14% of UK road fuel; the majority (86%) comprises biodiesel with bioethanol making up the rest. The market is dominated by imported biofuels (percentage not given) with America being the most important supplier of biodiesel and unsurprisingly Brazil being most important for bioethanol. Only 19% of biofuels met the UK environmental standards and in total biofuels accounted for a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas savings (presumably compared to the petroleum displaced). These savings did not account for changes in indirect land use as noted in the Gallagher review.
In energy news elsewhere, Nissan has developed an eco-accelerator pedal that pushes back if you are being heavy footed. In a more startling eco-car development students at Stuttgart University have developed a vehicle powered entirely by wind . Defra's Chief Scientist, Professor Bob Watson, has warned that the UK should take steps to prepare for a temperature rise of up to 4C . Closer to home for me (being a Cumbrian lad) Cumbria has announced a £2 billion Energy Coast vision that focuses on both nuclear (with an emphasis on power and skills) and renewable energy. Finally, continuing an extended bovine theme it is proposed that homes in a new Pembrokeshire eco-village could be fuelled by cow dung.
Tuesday 5 August 2008
Birds, cows and electric cars
There has been heavy traffic in the news about cars this week. For starters, the future for electric cars is looking bright. In Spain the government aims to have 1 million electric cars on the roads by 2014 as part of a plan to cut energy consumption and dependence on expensive imports. In the shorter term the Spanish also plan to cut speed limits around cities by up to 20 percent. Closer to home, the mayor of London, Boris Johnson has announced that the number of electric vehicle recharge points in London will be almost trebled. This is good news if you are thinking of splashing your cash on one the new high performance electric sports cars unveiled at London's International Motor Show.
Electric vehicles aren't the only ones benefiting from positive news this week. A new thermoelectric material has been developed that could convert the waste heat from internal combustion engines into electricity and boost efficiency by up to 10 percent. Elsewhere second generation biofuels have been receiving attention with breakthroughs announced in converting yard waste and sawdust into biofuels. The optimism regarding biofuels is not shared by EU leaders. Recent press regarding sustainability and food vs fuel issues has changed minds and they are considering reducing the EU biofuels target in favour of increased targets on saving energy.
Moving away from cars, a few stories have caught the eye this week. Firstly, Hewlett Packard are proposing to deploying trillions of sensors to measure and diagnose what ails the Earth and presumably to prescribe a treatment. Geologists are also in on the global act and have stripped the Earth naked to reveal a digital map of her geology. Fuel cells also made the headlines with the announcement that the new World Trade Centre will have a 4.8MW fuel cell capacity as well as other renewable energy generation technologies. Further good news on this subject was announced by Professor Daniel Nocera of MIT who has developed a new efficient catalytic system to produce hydrogen from water.
In animal related news, it seems that climate change is good news for the Dartford Warbler. The bird, which almost died out in the cold winter of 1962-1963, is now positively thriving in the milder Kent weather. Continuing a previous theme of burping cows, but focusing rather on the other end, it has been postulated that cow dung, via anaerobic digestion, could provide up to 3 percent of the power for North America.
Electric vehicles aren't the only ones benefiting from positive news this week. A new thermoelectric material has been developed that could convert the waste heat from internal combustion engines into electricity and boost efficiency by up to 10 percent. Elsewhere second generation biofuels have been receiving attention with breakthroughs announced in converting yard waste and sawdust into biofuels. The optimism regarding biofuels is not shared by EU leaders. Recent press regarding sustainability and food vs fuel issues has changed minds and they are considering reducing the EU biofuels target in favour of increased targets on saving energy.
Moving away from cars, a few stories have caught the eye this week. Firstly, Hewlett Packard are proposing to deploying trillions of sensors to measure and diagnose what ails the Earth and presumably to prescribe a treatment. Geologists are also in on the global act and have stripped the Earth naked to reveal a digital map of her geology. Fuel cells also made the headlines with the announcement that the new World Trade Centre will have a 4.8MW fuel cell capacity as well as other renewable energy generation technologies. Further good news on this subject was announced by Professor Daniel Nocera of MIT who has developed a new efficient catalytic system to produce hydrogen from water.
In animal related news, it seems that climate change is good news for the Dartford Warbler. The bird, which almost died out in the cold winter of 1962-1963, is now positively thriving in the milder Kent weather. Continuing a previous theme of burping cows, but focusing rather on the other end, it has been postulated that cow dung, via anaerobic digestion, could provide up to 3 percent of the power for North America.
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