RELATED e360 DIGEST ITEMS

05 Feb 2010: Mideast Project Develops
Biofuel With Water From the Sea

Researchers in the Middle East are developing a technology they say will convert saltwater-tolerant crops into jet fuel, creating a biofuel that doesn’t consume huge amounts of fresh water or take land away from food crops. The Masdar Institute in the United Arab Emirates is creating a demonstration farm that will use a system called integrated seawater agriculture, in which seawater would be transported via canal to a desert-based farm that combines fish and shrimp farming with cultivation of mangrove trees and salicornia, whose seeds can be converted into fuel. The effluent from the fish farming will be used to fertilize the salicornia plants, which are grown in saltwater-irrigated fields, said Scott Kennedy, the project leader. The runoff of that irrigation, which by that point would be even saltier, would be used to grow the saltwater-tolerant mangrove trees. The oil-rich salicornia seeds would then be processed into biofuel suitable for blending in jet fuel, researchers said. One potential challenge for the project, experts noted, is the damage that high salt levels will likely inflict on machinery used to harvest the salicornia.
PERMALINK

01 Feb 2010: China Will Pass U.S. in
Smart Grid Investment in 2010, Study Says

The Chinese government will invest more money in the development of smart grid technology than the United States in 2010, according to a new market study. China will spend more than $7.3 billion in the form of stimulus loans, grants and tax incentives this year, compared to $7.1 million by the U.S., according to an analysis by Zpryme, a Texas-based research firm. “They’ve got a strong economy to push forward,” said Jason Rodriguez, director of research at Zpryme. China’s emphasis on creating a cleaner and more efficient electricity grid has attracted the attention of major U.S. companies, including General Electric, IBM, and Hewlett Packard, who will push to capitalize on that investment. Last month, G.E. announced a partnership with the city of Yangzhou to develop a smart grid demonstration center to promote its technology in the Chinese market. According to the analysis, smaller nations like France and Great Britain will spend less money on smart grid projects, but are nonetheless “already more advanced in smart grid infrastructure than the U.S.”
PERMALINK

25 Jan 2010: Producing Biofuels from Algae
Generates High Levels of Greenhouse Gases

Growing algae for biofuels is an energy-intensive process that can generate more greenhouse gases than the process sequesters, according to a new study. Examining the life cycle of algal biofuels, researchers from the University of Virginia found that the process emits high levels of greenhouse gases because algal production requires using large amounts of fertilizer. Those fertilizers often come from petroleum-based sources, and fertilizers also emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, according to the study. The study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, said that while biofuel production from crops such as corn, canola, and switchgrass can result in a net carbon dioxide uptake, that is not yet the case with algal biofuels. The paper said that one promising way to overcome the environmental impact of using fertilizers to grow algal biofuels is to produce them with effluent from sewage treatment plants. Proponents of algal biofuels also said it is too early to make firm conclusions about the environmental impact of the technology because it is still in its infancy.
PERMALINK

15 Jan 2010: China Secures Major Foothold
in California’s Growing Solar Market

Chinese manufacturers of photovoltaic solar panels have secured an increasing hold in California, the United States’ largest solar market, doubling their market share in the last year alone, according to a new report. In the last three years, China’s share of the market increased from 2 percent to 46 percent, says Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a research and consulting firm. The share of U.S. manufacturers in the California market dropped from 43 percent to 16 percent during that same period. “The ascendancy of Chinese manufacturers would be noteworthy regardless of market conditions, but is particularly telling in a time when purse-strings are still tight,” the report said. One Chinese company, Yingli Solar, now claims 27 percent of the California solar market. California accounts for about 40 percent of the U.S.’s total solar power business. The lower manufacturing costs of Chinese companies have given them a strong competitive advantage and have contributed to a sharp drop in solar module prices in the past year.
PERMALINK

11 Jan 2010: New Chinese Rail Line
Said to be Fastest High-Speed Train

China has launched what is being called the world’s fastest rail line, a high-speed train that can reach speeds of 245 miles per hour (394 kilometers) over long distances, and will cut the 601-mile commute from Wuhan, in central China, to Guangzhou, on the southeastern coast, from 10.5 hours to less than three hours. The “WuGuang” line trains, a variation of Japan’s Shinkansen and Germany’s InterCity Express, have reached speeds that far surpass France’s TGV, which had been the world’s fastest train, with an average speed of 169 miles per hour. Rail experts say it’s an early step in a 2-trillion-yuan ($293 billion) government-funded initiative to connect all of China’s major cities with high-speed rail by 2020. An east-west line connecting Xi’an to Zhengzhou could begin operation later this month, and construction has begun on a project that could expand the Beijing-Tianjin line southward to Shanghai by 2012. “Over the next five years there’ll be more high-speed rail added in China than the rest of the world combined,” said Keith Dierkx, director of IBM’s Global Rail Innovation Center in Beijing. Dierkx said rail demand in China will more than triple to five billion passengers annually by 2020.
PERMALINK

07 Jan 2010: U.S. Vows Oil and Gas Companies
Will Not Control Leasing on Federal Lands

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his department will no longer be the “handmaiden” of the oil and gas industry and will conduct tougher environmental reviews of proposals to drill on public lands. Criticizing the Bush and administration for turning federal lands into a “candy store” for the petroleum industry, Salazar told reporters, “The difference is in the prior administration the oil and gas industry essentially were the kings of the world.” He said lax leasing policies “ran afoul of communities, carved up the landscape, and fueled costly conflicts that created uncertainty for investors and industry.” Salazar said he was ordering federal land managers to get out from behind their desks and to visit proposed leasing sites to evaluate the environmental and social impacts of drilling. The stricter review process would not reduce the amount of oil and gas extracted from federal lands, Salazar said, but would ensure that drilling was done in a more responsible manner. A more through review process will also reduce the number of costly court challenges to leasing decisions, said Salazar, noting that in 2008 roughly 40 percent of federal decisions to permit or deny drilling rights were challenged by one or more parties, compared with only 1 percent in 1998.
PERMALINK

05 Jan 2010: U.S. Car Fleet Shrinks
For First Time in 50 Years, Report Says

The number of cars on U.S. roads dropped by 4 million in 2009, the only large decline in the nation’s car fleet since the government began keeping records in 1960. While consumers bought 10 million cars during the year, another 14 million vehicles were scrapped, dropping the total to 246 million vehicles, despite the government’s “cash for clunkers” program that gave individuals as much as $4,500 to exchange older cars for more fuel-efficient models. Analysts cited numerous factors for the decline, including high gasoline prices, improved public transportation, and the popularity of online social networking, which for many teens has replaced the automobile as a way to socialize. In a report analyzing the decline, the Earth Policy Institute says the decrease is not merely a temporary phenomenon caused by the recession. The group says U.S. car ownership has reached a point of saturation, and the nation’s car fleet could drop another 25 percent by 2020. Currently, there are 117 vehicles for every 100 licensed Americans, but high debt and other costs of car ownership will make consumers less likely to keep more cars than they use, said Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute. Many families with three cars will likely cut back to two, he predicts, and those with two may cut back to one or none.
PERMALINK

05 Jan 2010: Solar-powered Irrigation
Of Great Benefit to African Villagers

Solar-powered drip irrigation systems significantly increased vegetable production in villages in the western African nation of Benin, improving nutrition and boosting household incomes, according to a new study. The study, led by a researcher at Stanford University’s Program on Food Security and the Environment, installed solar-powered drip irrigation systems in two villages in Benin and compared the impact with two nearby villages that did not have drip irrigation systems. The study found that, after a year, farmers with the solar irrigation systems saw vegetable production increase by 500 to 750 grams per person per day — three to five times greater than the villages that did not have irrigation systems. The significantly increased yield meant that farmers could feed their families and sell up to 80 percent of their harvest at local markets, sharply increasing household income, according to the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers noted that only 4 percent of cropland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated and that the spread of solar-powered drip irrigation technology “could be an important source of poverty alleviation and food security in the marginal environments common to sub-Saharan Africa.”
PERMALINK

16 Dec 2009: London Will Become
Europe’s Electric Car Capital, Mayor Vows

Speaking to a gathering of mayors in Copenhagen, London Mayor Boris Johnson announced plans to add 25,000 charging stations for electric cars across the city by 2015, turning London into a center of plug-in vehicle technology. By creating the right conditions, Johnson said the city can encourage a “golden era” of electric cars, and he predicted that every resident will be within a mile of a charging point. Johnson said the challenge of reducing carbon emissions is urgent, but should not require “hair-shirt abstinence.” London officials, who face multimillion-pound EU fines if they are unable to improve the city’s air quality, will launch an online website next year to explain the payment options for electric car owners, and plan to begin adding the new stations within two years. The plan calls for the installation of 22,500 charging stations at businesses citywide, 500 charging points on city streets, and another 2,000 in public garages and parking lots. Johnson said the city will also purchase 1,000 electric cars for its Greater London Authority. He made clear, however, that the plans will require government funding.
PERMALINK

10 Dec 2009: Adoption of Efficiency Measures
Could Cut U.S. Energy Use 30 Percent By 2030

The adoption of stricter fuel economy standards, widespread improvements in energy use in office buildings and homes, and new efficiency standards for appliances could cut U.S. energy use by 30 percent below 2030 projections, according to a study by the National Research Council. The report said that deploying energy-efficiency technologies in buildings alone could eliminate the need to add new electricity generation capacity. Building owners could reduce electricity costs by 1.2 percent a year if they adopted cost-effective efficiency measures, the report said; buildings account for 41 percent of U.S. energy use. The report said that near-term efficiency gains in the transportation sector must come from improvements to the internal combustion engine, and that plug-in vehicles will offer a promising mid-term to long-term option. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles may not enjoy widespread use until 2050, the report said. The report listed many potential barriers to energy efficiency initiatives, including high initial costs, a lack of incentives and information, and “Americans’ penchant for increasing vehicle size and performance.”
PERMALINK

08 Dec 2009: Nanotechnology Used to Create
Batteries and Supercapacitors Out of Paper

Stanford researchers have used nanotechnology to produce lightweight batteries and supercapacitors out of paper, a breakthrough that they say could lead to storing energy for large-scale projects or for smaller electrical devices. The scientists coated sheets of paper with an ink made of carbon nanotubes and nanowires, which can be charged with energy. The nanomaterials cling to the paper’s fibrous surface, making the battery and supercapacitor durable, said Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, whose findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Society really needs a low-cost, high-performance energy storage device, such as batteries and simple supercapacitors,” Cui said. The supercapacitor, he said, may be able to withstand 40,000 charge-discharge cycles — an order of magnitude more than lithium batteries. Researchers say the paper batteries and supercapacitors could be used for numerous applications, from hybrid and electric car batteries requiring quick transfers of electricity, to large-scale electricity storage for renewable energy sources, such as wind farms and solar arrays.
PERMALINK

03 Dec 2009: Renewable Energy Investments
Will Soar to $200 Billion Worldwide in 2010

Global investments in alternative energy projects will rise nearly 50 percent in 2010, climbing from $130 billion this year to $200 billion next year. In a survey of the green energy market, Bloomberg News reports that despite the dim prospects of forging a climate treaty in Copenhagen this month, companies and governments are moving rapidly ahead to build wind power farms, large solar arrays, and other green energy projects. Thanks in large part to state-funded economic stimulus programs, government spending on green energy will more than double in 2010 to about $60 billion, according to the report. Analysts said that with China, the European Union (EU), and individual U.S. states aggressively adopting regulations and incentives promoting green energy, the field will continue to rapidly develop even if a global climate treaty is not signed. “Country by country, state by state, regulations will continue to spur demand independent of what might happen in Copenhagen,” said one U.S. clean technology analyst. Major renewable energy projects are now underway across the globe, Bloomberg reported, including a $900 million offshore wind farm being built by CLP, Hong Kong’s biggest electricity supplier.
PERMALINK

02 Dec 2009: Farmer Groups Protest
India’s First Genetically Modified Food Crop

Farmers’ organizations and environmental groups are fighting the approval of what would be India’s first genetically modified food crop, questioning the possible long-term effects on human health and ecology. The nation’s biotechnology regulator and the government’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee recently concluded that a genetically modified strain of eggplant called Bt brinjal is safe for human consumption, a decision that could clear the way for more GM crops in the populous nation grappling with food shortages. The strain is named for bacillus thuringiensis — a soil bacterium that creates a toxin that kills a type of moth known to destroy the fruit and stem of the brinjal eggplant. The genetically modified Bt brinjal is engineered to be resistant to the disease. Final approval rests with Jairam Ramesh, the nation’s environmental minister. Several groups are pushing for Ramesh to reject the GM crop, citing concerns about possible adverse health effects, including traces of toxicity found in animals injected with the bacterium. “We do not need GM foods in India — not now, not 20 years later,” said Puspha Bhargava, a senior biotechnologist and dissenting member on the approval committee. The genetically modified eggplant was developed by the American agrochemical giant Monsanto, which has already introduced genetically modified cotton to India.
PERMALINK

30 Nov 2009: Irish University Introduces
World’s Largest Wave Energy Converter

An Irish university has launched the world’s largest hydro-electric wave energy converter off the coast of northern Scotland. The so-called Oyster is a mechanically-hinged flap that is embedded into the sea floor — at a depth of about 32 feet (10 meters) — and moves with the motions of the waves. That wave energy pumps high-pressure water to a shore-based electric turbine. Power will be fed into the national grid and provide electricity to homes in the Orkney islands. Researchers say a farm of 20 Oysters could eventually provide enough electricity to power 9,000 three-bedroom homes. The technology was developed by Queen’s University Belfast and Scotland-based Aquamarine Power Ltd. “Devices such as these have the power to revolutionize the world’s energy industry and help combat climate change,” said Trevor Whittaker, professor in the Queen’s School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering and lead investigator for the project. School officials say wave and tidal power could one day provide 20 percent of the UK’s energy needs.
PERMALINK

25 Nov 2009: Agribusiness Executive
Attacks Organic Food Movement

Michael Mack, the chief executive of the Swiss agrobusiness conglomerate, Syngenta, says organic farming does far more harm to the planet than conventional farming because organic methods often require 30 percent more land. Given the need to feed rapidly rising populations this century, increasing productivity on existing agricultural land is crucial, which means that conventional methods using chemical fertilizers and pesticides are superior to organic farming, Mack told The New York Times. “Organic food is not only not better for the planet,” said Mack, whose company sold $12 billion in seeds and “crop protection” technologies last year, “it is categorically worse. If the whole planet were to suddenly switch to organic farming tomorrow, it would be an ecological disaster.” Mack defended pesticides as being “absolutely not harmful” to humans or the environment and said modern farming methods had greatly boosted yields. Organic farming, he said, is the “productive equivalent of driving an S.U.V.”
PERMALINK

20 Nov 2009: Using Enzymes from Termites
To Make Biofuel from Plants and Wood Waste

A U.S. company has come up with a new way of producing biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks, such as agricultural waste: Using enzymes from the guts of termites to more efficiently produce ethanol. The startup company, ZeaChem, says using the enzymes from the wood-eating insects has achieved ethanol yields in the laboratory 35 percent higher than other producers of cellulosic ethanol, according to MIT Technology Review. ZeaChem uses acid to break the cellulose into sugars, but instead of fermenting the sugars into ethanol using yeast — as is customarily done — the company feeds the sugars to an acetogen bacteria found in termites. The bacteria turns the sugars into acetic acid, which produces ethanol when combined with hydrogen. “It’s not the obvious, direct route, but there is a high yield potential,” said an official from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. ZeaChem’s CEO said the company has produced 135 gallons of ethanol per ton of cellulosic feedstock.
PERMALINK

18 Nov 2009: Companies Increase Commitment
To Tackling Climate Issues, Report Says

Major corporations in the U.S. have shown an increased willingness to voluntarily reduce their impact on climate change despite a sluggish economy, according to a new scorecard produced by the nonprofit group Climate Counts. Eighty-one of the 90 major companies assessed saw an average increase of 22 percent from last year’s scorecard, with Nike topping the list with a score of 83 out of a possible 100 points. Scores are based on 22-criteria in four general areas: measurement of impact on global warming; reduction of impact; engagement in climate-related public policy; and transparency. In Climate Counts’ third corporate scorecard, several companies saw major improvements, including eBay, which completed a company-wide inventory of its effects on global warming; US Airways, which set goals to reduce climate impacts; and Apple, which resigned from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the chamber's opposition to climate legislation. Companies with leading climate ratings include Starbucks, General Electric, HP, IBM, Unilever foods, UPS, and L'Oreal. The scorecard was developed with oversight from an independent panel of business and climate experts from universities and non-governmental groups. See the full list.
PERMALINK

17 Nov 2009: Increase In GM Crops
Leads to Jump in Herbicide Use

The widespread use of genetically modified crops engineered to tolerate herbicides has led to a sharp increase of the chemicals in the U.S. and is creating herbicide-resistant “super weeds” and an increase in chemical residues in U.S. food, according to a new report. As more farmers have adopted variations of corn, soy beans, and cotton bred to tolerate weed killer in recent years, the use of herbicides has increased steadily, with herbicide use growing by 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008, according to a report released by The Organic Center, the Union for Concerned Scientists, and the Center for Food Safety. Forty-six percent of that increase occurred during 2007 and 2008. The most popular genetically modified crops are known as “Roundup ready” for their ability to survive after being sprayed with the well known herbicide, Roundup. Officials with the Biotechnology Industry Organization said herbicide-resistant crops make it easier for farmers to manage weed problems. But Bill Freese, science policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety, called the increase in herbicide use “bad news for farmers, human health and the environment,” in part because it has led to an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds. The report said the use of insecticides has actually decreased by 64 million pounds since 1996 because many genetically modified crops carry traits that make them resistant to insects.
PERMALINK

17 Nov 2009: U.S. and China Establish
Extensive Cooperation on Clean Energy

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao have announced the creation of a joint program to develop clean energy, including the creation of a $150 million clean energy research center. Meeting in Beijing, the two presidents agreed to a seven-point plan designed to speed the development of renewable energy and improve energy efficiency. The agreement includes initiatives to establish a U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center; launch a joint program to develop electric vehicles that will include pilot projects in more than a dozen cities; collaborate on improving the energy efficiency of buildings, factories, and consumer appliances; establish a renewable energy partnership to promote alternative energy technologies, including programs to promote cooperation between states and regions in the two countries; conduct joint research into developing methods of capturing CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants and storing the carbon dioxide underground; and share U.S. expertise in extracting natural gas from underground shale deposits.
PERMALINK

09 Nov 2009: Australia Invests in World's
First Utility-Scale Wave Power Project

A UK-based renewable energy company has received a $61 million grant from the Australian government to build the world’s first utility-scale wave power project. Ocean Power Technologies will begin construction of the 19-megawatt project in the waters off Victoria in 2010. The project will provide enough electricity to power 10,000 homes. Wave technology uses buoys riding up and down on waves to drive an electrical generator, and then sends the power ashore via underwater cable. The project is part of a larger $218 million government investment in renewable energy that officials say will help Australia meet its goal of generating 20 percent of its electricity demands with renewable sources by 2020. The other projects receiving government funds include two geothermal projects and a mini-grid that coordinates wind, solar, biodiesel and storage technologies.
PERMALINK