AutoblogGreen

How EV chargers today are like the gas stations of the past

Jon LeSage — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:48:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, Carbon Capture

In his 97 years, Charlie Yaeger has driven everything from a Ford Model T to a 1916 Baker Electric to a Nissan Maxima. More recently, he can be found behind the wheel of a Nissan Leaf. Since his automotive life mirrors the industry as a whole, Nissan thought it would be worthwhile to offer up a new video that shows Yaeger explaining how things change. The takeaway point: history repeats itself, EV drivers, and let's remember there was a time when you could not find gas stations on every street corner.

Yaeger says it wasn't easy driving 80 years ago. It was a challenge to make it between gas stations and blowing out tires on gravelly roads was common. "You had to pretty well memorize where gas stations were and where you could get off the road and have a chance of getting back on after you repaired the tire," he said. Heck, it was great that there was a 60-mile concrete highway between Chicago and Danville, IL. That was the "super highway" then and it only had two 12-foot lanes of concrete with no shoulder. It took decades for President Dwight Eisenhower to finish building the highway infrastructure. Until then, they kept paving over muddy roads, Yaeger said.

All these years later, history is repeating itself. Nissan has sold more than 50,000 Leafs worldwide - and that means the need for EV charging infrastructure is growing. While EV drivers face fewer hardships than the very first automobile drivers had to deal with, there is still a bit of worry, sometimes, when some drivers get behind the wheel. To make the gas-to-electricity transition easier, smart phones show EV drivers where to charge, and EVs can receive HOV lane access in some states. That's much better than memorizing.

Check out the video below.

Continue reading How EV chargers today are like the gas stations of the past

How EV chargers today are like the gas stations of the past originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should there be a fossil fuel moratorium? Some scientists say yes

Jon LeSage — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Solar, Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy, Carbon Capture

Climate change was barely mentioned during October presidential debates, but that doesn't mean the public doesn't care. After all, climate change affected Hurricane Sandy, and that got some media coverage. Some analysts say climate change is just part of historic weather patterns that humans have little say over but most scientists say humans play a big part in the matter, in part through our increasing consumption of fossil fuels.

The power sources required for generating electricity play a large part in CO2 emissions, and it looks like that will be increasing. What would it take to change over energy power to renewables such as solar, wind or hydropower instead of coal or natural gas? Three experts on renewable energy recently published a letter in Nature that calls for an immediate moratorium on adding to the fossil fuel infrastructure.

Keith Barnham, of the Physics Department at Imperial College London; Kaspar Knorr, of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology, in Kassel, Germany; and Massimo Mazzer of the CNR-IMEM, in Parma, Italy, write in "Progress towards an all-renewable electricity supply" that they believe that solar could fuel all the world's electricity power plants as early as 2020 using existing technology, a little energy storage and subsidies that might be no higher than Feed In Tariff structures being used in Germany. The scientists also question whether Germany's drive toward renewables has been as costly as critics claim. They argue that it has actually brought down the cost of peak energy prices.

For Treehugger writer Sami Grover, it's a simple equation: reduce fossil fuel consumption and transition energy over to renewables. Grover writes," a huge part of the climate change battle is simply defining what is possible... We are learning each day how massively underpriced fossil fuels are in the face of the destruction they cause."

There are activists out there trying to do something about climate change, like protestors occupying power stations or "hack-tivists" tweaking Big Oil. Along with generating electricity, the climate change implications for cars are massive and play a role in several global automakers building fossil fuel reduction into their sustainability campaigns. Will all of this be enough? According to Grover, "It's time to aim big or give up." An end to expanding fossil fuel infrastructure certainly fits into one of those two categories, and it's not giving up.

Should there be a fossil fuel moratorium? Some scientists say yes originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Norwegian University study exaggerates downside of electric vehicles

Jon LeSage — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants, Carbon Capture

A recent column by Leo Hickman in The Guardian set off a wave of debate over the true merit of electric vehicles (EVs) compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (EVs). Hickman used a study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) called Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles that explored a variety of factors involved in the lifecycle of the car - from materials used to vehicle emissions to the source of energy moving the metal - as a starting point. The problem, as we'll see, is that the study uses some dubious assumptions to badmouth EVs.

The study sends something of a warning signal in its finding that the production and lifecycle of EVs makes them not as great as proponents have been stating. Specifically, the technology is more energy-demanding during production and can actually bring more CO2 emissions than conventional vehicles.

The study doesn't outright condemn EVs. At its conclusion, the report authors said that the production phase of EVs is more "environmentally intensive," but it does bring with it substantial overall improvements for GPW (global warming potential), TAP (terrestrial acidification potential) and other positive impacts if powered by appropriate energy sources. That being said, it's counterproductive to push for EVs in regions where electricity is generated by oil, coal, or lignite (coal in its early stage) combustion.

As for recycling of the EVs, Guillaume Majeau-Bettez, one of the paper's authors, wrote,
"Hopefully, subsequent 'waves' of electric cars would be made with a higher fraction of recycled metal (ecars made from ecars, cradle-to-cradle...), but the industry is not there yet."

Several readers left comments on Hickman's article saying the report overstated the downside of EVs. And criticism is growing. Fully Charged's Robert Llewellyn wrote an important article drawing connections between the report authors and the oil industry (hint: there are many). He also points out some egregious assumptions the authors make, for example, "Their calculations were for a 1,000 kg motor, the motor in the Nissan Leaf weighs 53kg. As you can imagine, an error of this magnitude could skew the figures rather badly. "

Earlier this year, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report analyzing emissions and costs for both EVs and gasoline-powered vehicles. The study provided a well-to-wheel (drilling, refining, burning for gas and mining coal, making electricity for EVs) comparison and found greater benefits coming from EV technology than that determined by NTNU. In a new blog post directly analyzing the NTNU article, UCS' senior engineer of clean vehicles, Don Anair, references the earlier work and then writes:

The numbers show that even in the worst case, on the dirtiest grid and assuming EV vehicle production creates twice the number of global warming emissions as a gasoline vehicle, an EV still has a slight (6%) emission advantage compared to the average new compact.

It's well worth the read. In fact, any time there's a study purporting to decimate arguments against plug-in vehicles, it's worth investigating the back story.

Norwegian University study exaggerates downside of electric vehicles originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK climate secretary: renewable energy pays off when oil exceeds $100 barrel

Eric Loveday — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:56:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Carbon Capture, UK

Recently, the UK's energy and climate change secretary, Chris Huhne, spoke of his country's ambitious low-carbon energy plans, telling conference-goers at the Royal Geographic Society that the billions invested in renewable energy will pay off economically. There's a caveat, though: this only happens if oil exceeds $100 a barrel. As Huhne predicts, consumers will see reduced utility bills from low-carbon energy investments when oil soars above what he calls "the break-even point" of $100 a barrel. Huhne worded it like this:

If we relied on oil and gas, and the price stayed relatively low at $80 a barrel then consumers will pay more under our policies - about an extra 1% on their bills by 2020.

At the oil price reached this month - $100 a barrel or more - consumers will pay less through the low carbon energy policies than they would pay for fossil fuel policies.

And if the U.S. administration is right, and the price is $108 a barrel in 2020, then our consumers are winning hands down.

We know that accurately predicting future oil prices is next to impossible, but with price up to $95 right now, doesn't investing in alternative seem like the smart bet?

[Source: Guardian.co.uk | Image: David Spender - C.C. License 2.0]

UK climate secretary: renewable energy pays off when oil exceeds $100 barrel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Roads laced with titanium dioxide could help us breathe easier

Eric Loveday — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Carbon Capture

Researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (EUT) may be on the brink of discovering a breakthrough that will lead to reduced pollution and cleaner air for all. According to the EUT, a roadway made of concrete blended with titanium dioxide can effectively remove up to 45 percent of the nitrogen oxides that it comes in contact with. The titanium dioxide, a photocatalytic material, captures airborne nitrogen oxides and, with the aid of the sun, converts it to nitrates that are harmlessly washed away by the rain.

The EUT conducted real-world studies on a 1,000-square-meter section of repaved road in the Netherlands. Such testing showed that the laced pavement could reduce nitrogen oxides by 25 to 45 percent more than traditional concrete. As Jos Brouwers, professor of building materials at the EUT remarked, "The air-purifying properties of the new paving stones had already been shown in the laboratory, but these results now show that they also work outdoors."

Additional testing is still underway and although the pavement laced with titanium dioxide does cost some 50 percent more than regular cement, overall road-building costs only increase by a marginal ten percent. Costs aside, the advantages of the titanium dioxide are readily apparent, but the implementation of such a product requires repaving our roadways, a time and cost consuming endeavor.

[Source: Eindhoven University of Technology]

Report: Roads laced with titanium dioxide could help us breathe easier originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New report concludes carbon sequestration "profoundly unfeasible"

Nik Bristow — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:55:00 EST

Filed under: Carbon Capture

Ever since the idea of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) was first proposed, everyone from politicians to Big Oil lobbyists have spoken of the technology as already up and running successfully and ready for large scale implementation. Well, a new report in the Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering thinks that CCS' success is anything but a sure thing.

First, a definition of terms. When the report says "sequestration," it's referring to geological sequestration of carbon dioxide, essentially injecting the stuff into underground wells. There have been many other methods of carbon sequestration suggested, everything from feeding it to algae to sucking it from the air with giant, artificial trees, but the report doesn't go into those methods. So let's stick with the topic at hand - burying it. The crux of the study's argument is that we've drastically underestimated the amount of space we'll need to do so:

Published reports on the potential for sequestration fail to address the necessity of storing CO2 in a closed system. Our calculations suggest that the volume of liquid or supercritical CO2 to be disposed cannot exceed more than about 1 percent of pore space. This will require from 5 to 20 times more underground reservoir volume than has been envisioned by many, and it renders geologic sequestration of CO2 a profoundly non-feasible option for the management of CO2 emissions.

So, let's assume the study is correct and we need between 500 to 2000 percent more space for geologic CCS. No problem, if there's one thing the U.S. has, it's space a plenty, right? Not so fast. The study concludes:

In applying this to a commercial power plant the findings suggest that for a small number of wells the areal extent of the reservoir would be enormous, the size of a small U.S. state. Conversely, for more moderate size reservoirs, still the size of Alaska's Prudhoe Bay reservoir, and with moderate permeability there would be a need for hundreds of wells. Neither of these bodes well for geological CO2 sequestration and the findings of this work clearly suggest that it is not a practical means to provide any substantive reduction in CO2 emissions, although it has been repeatedly presented as such by others.

The size of a small state? Holy Delaware! As the country moves toward more and more plug-in vehicles, we'll be slowly moving away from carbon-rich liquid fuels, but if the nation continues to get a large portion of its grid power from burning coal, and if CSS really is as unfeasible as this report suggests, start looking for those giant, carbon dioxide-sucking trees to start popping up like dandelions.

[Source: Treehugger | Image: americaspower - C.C. 2.0]

New report concludes carbon sequestration "profoundly unfeasible" originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo Trucks start field tests of methane-diesel engines

Xavier Navarro — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Volvo, Natural Gas, Carbon Capture, Europe/EU

Volvo trucks has announced new field tests of bi-fuel methane-diesel engines in partnership with seven different Swedish companies, adding a new technology to the brand's at-fuel tests with DME and hybrid engines. The new engines, which are based on the Euro-V compliant 7-liter model, reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent compared to standard diesels thanks to methane's lean combustion. The system still uses a small amount of diesel fuel which is injected and ignited by the compression, which in turn ignites the methane gas/air mixture. This saves wear and tear on the spark plugs and allows Volvo to reuse the current emission systems, saving costs. Using methane also guarantees that these trucks keep the same usability as other versions. Methane, or natural gas, can also be obtained from renewable sources. Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Volvo Trucks]

Continue reading Volvo Trucks start field tests of methane-diesel engines

Volvo Trucks start field tests of methane-diesel engines originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coal plants could emit 90% less CO₂ thanks to chilled ammonia

Sebastian Blanco — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Carbon Capture

"But what about the long tailpipe?"

Critics of plug-in vehicles often use the "long tailpipe" argument - the fact that CO₂ emissions are generated at a power plant somewhere instead of coming from the vehicle - to show that all the "zero emission" cars aren't as clean as they seem. Plug-in advocates can then counter that, well, an EV is more efficient than an ICE car and we can use solar or wind to power our rides. But the fact remains that when plug-ins become more and more popular, they will be powered to a large extent by coal plants.

While coal has its own issues (mountain top removal? No, thanks), there is good news to report about a pilot carbon capture project running at the Pleasant Prairie coal-fueled power plant in Wisconsin. We Energies, Alstom and The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have used, since early 2008, a patented chilled ammonia process that is able to remove over 90 percent of the carbon dioxide from the plant's flue stream. The carbon is then "compressed, pipelined, and injected into two different saline reservoirs" that are about 8,000 feet beneath the plant. The test runs through the end of this year, and the operators have already begun scaling up the system to work on larger plants that produce tons more emissions.

[Source: We Energies]
Photo by Rennett Stowe. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Continue reading Coal plants could emit 90% less CO₂ thanks to chilled ammonia

Coal plants could emit 90% less CO₂ thanks to chilled ammonia originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO₂

Domenick Yoney — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:11:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Carbon Capture, Green Daily

It had been proposed sometime ago that geoengineering might help fight global warming. One plan in particular that drew a lot of attention was the dumping of hundreds of tons of iron filings into the ocean. Through wave action, the seas absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and the theory went that iron dumping would encourage phytoplankton population growth which would, in combination with zooplankton, take in CO₂ and deposit it on the bottom of the briny deep. The originator of the idea, John Martin (1935-1993) once famously declared, "Give me a half tanker of iron, and I will give you an ice age." Apparently many people were impressed by that and so studies were undertaken and now, after many years, the results from one of those are in. The results imply that (surprise!) it doesn't really work so well.

While it seems that impressive bio-blooms could be created, much of the zooplankton poop and other carbons bits didn't create the strong sedimentation effect expected on the briny bottom. Perhaps, if we really want to reduce atmospheric, and dangerously rising oceanic, CO₂ levels, a more straight forward approach like, say, stopping needless burning of carbon would have a more positive effect. For more scientific details about the "Iron Hypothesis" and the experiments findings, hit the jump for a press release.

[Source: Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory]

Continue reading Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO₂

Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO₂ originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 08 May 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World's first green speed bumps?

Frank Filipponio — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:49:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Etc., Carbon Capture

How can a speed bump be green? Simple. If it does its job right and rewards low speed driving and punishes speeding, it can reduce gas consumption and exhaust emissions. That's exactly what these new smart speed bumps aim to do. Sprung from the fertile minds of designers Jae-yun Kim and Jong-Su Lee, they use an inner damper to detect vehicle speed and if it is slow enough, the bump flattens. If the car is going too fast it remains upright and does what any good speed bump should. It punishes the driver and tells him or her to slow down for the next one.

The designers say their goal was to encourage drivers to maintain a constant slow speed, reducing the amount of stops and starts made, and thereby the amount of fuel consumption and exhaust pollution from the car. The worlds first green speed bumps? These new smart speed bumps are just a concept for now, but hopefully they will be put into production soon.

[Source: Autoblog]

World's first green speed bumps? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First carbon capture plant starts up in Germany

Xavier Navarro — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:33:00 EST

Filed under: Carbon Capture, Germany

Swedish company Vattenfall has announced that its carbon plant with an incorporated CO₂ capture facility in Stemberg, Germany, started working this week. The plant, which features proprietary technology to reduce pollutants, stores the CO₂inside an abandoned gas field in Altmark, Germany. How does this power plant work? With a so-called Oxyfuel process: Lignite and hard coal burn in a mixture of oxygen and re-circulated CO₂, which also contains water vapor. The flue gas is then treated to remove pollutants. Finally, the water is condensed and the concentrated CO₂ is compressed into a liquid and stored 600 meters (about 900ft) underground. Other carbon storage projects use abandoned coal mines (like this one in Spain) or keeps the CO₂ under the sea (with Ariel, apparently).

Vattenfall has invested more than €70 million in this plant, which produces 30 MW of electricity. This company expects to make the technology ready to sell by 2015, when two additional 30 MW plants will be ready in Germany and Denmark. According to the company, the Stemberg plant will have reduced its carbon emissions by 40 percent in 2020.

[Source: El Mundo via Madri+d]

First carbon capture plant starts up in Germany originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Australian study shows that planted trees capture less CO₂

Xavier Navarro — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:32:00 EST

Filed under: Carbon Capture, Green Daily, Pacific Region

A report issued by the Australian National University shows that unspoiled natural forests capture more carbon than artificially planted trees. The report states that this fact wasn't considered when planning counteracting actions against global warming by the IPCC. However, according to our source article, the report didn't consider the capture capacity of relatively young trees, whereas the IPCC did. IPCC calculations considered a tree a plant over 2 meters with 110 percent diameter crown, whereas the Australian report considers a tree over 10 meters with 120 percent diameter crown. Regardless of the actual calculation methods, the Australian report calculated 1 hectare of wild unspoiled forest in the SE of the country could store 640 tons of CO₂ , whereas the same surface of artificially planted trees stored 217. Take also in consideration that planted trees are usually cut for the use of its wood regularly and new trees are planted afterwards. The result: 25 trees planted every 4 years store less carbon than 1 tree planted for 100 years.

[Source: Cesefor via Agroinformacion]

Australian study shows that planted trees capture less CO₂ originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blade Your Ride: cut emissions and save gas

Shannon Arvizu — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:52:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Carbon Capture

While much of the green car field is devoted to developing technology of new vehicles, what about the 800 million vehicles already on the road today? What if the technology existed to green your existing vehicle at a low cost and minimal effort to you?

I recently had the opportunity to learn about Blade, a small attachment that fits to your tailpipe to increase gas mileage and trap dirty particulates. It fits most cars, but works best on 4-cylinder vehicles. It is reported that Blade can increase gas mileage on these types of vehicles by up to 34 percent. The promoters also say the Blade reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (6 percent), nitrous oxide (34 percent), methane (33 percent), hydrocarbons (57 percent), and carbon monoxide (14 percent). At $199, it has an average payback period of less than six months. You can install it yourself with the help of their how-to videos online, or take your car to an authorized installer near you.

"The worst thing that you do to the environment everyday is turn the key of your car...This is something that individuals can do to really make a difference," Bill O'Brien (CEO) told AutoblogGreen in an interview. The Crystal Method DJs agreed. Before their performance at a recent demonstration event about the Blade in Venice, CA, they added that they liked the filter because it made their car look like a "James Bond mobile."

Continue reading Blade Your Ride: cut emissions and save gas

Blade Your Ride: cut emissions and save gas originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pilot commercial algae to biofuel plant announced in Israel

Xavier Navarro — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:53:00 EST

Filed under: Biodiesel, Diesel, Carbon Capture

Inventure Chemical and Seambiotic have announced a joint venture to create a pilot commercial plant which will use algae to produce an array of chemicals and biofuels. The plant uses CO₂ as feedstock for the algae. Inventure Chemicals comes into the partnership with knowledge about second-generation biofuel manufacturing, as it has facilities in operation in Seattle, and Seambiotic brings its newly developed strains of microalgae.

These microalgae were developed a process that they call "algae CO₂ sequestering" in which the strains were fed with exhaust fumes from their power generator's fumes, giving important yields in algae rich in carbohydrates and fatty acids. The carbs can be used to produce ethanol while the fatty acids can be made into biodiesel. This allows Seambiotic to state that their process not only produces biofuels but also can help coal-fired power generators to meet CO₂reduction mandates. This method could potentially use the self-generated biofuel to make these generators work, closing the loop.

[Source: Seambiotic]

Pilot commercial algae to biofuel plant announced in Israel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trees can capture 20 percent of a country's carbon emissions

Xavier Navarro — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:21:00 EST

Filed under: Carbon Capture, Green Daily, Europe/EU

Figure of the day: In a country where half of the surface is covered by forests (such as Spain), trees capture 20 percent of that country's CO₂ emissions. This nice information masks two facts: we still have 80 percent of those emissions still to reduce and that the group that is currently spreading this information, the FBYCC (Forum of Forests and Climate Change) is asking for forest owners to be compensated. Seventy percent of Spanish forestsare held in private hands.

The FBYCC states that trees play a very important role in fighting combat change. Species such as eucalyptus and pine trees are the fastest growing, so they capture carbon more efficiently. Also, if you have some spare land available, bear in mind that you can offset a compact car's annual carbon emissions with the following: 0.39 ha of beech trees (about 1 acre), 0.14 ha of poplars (0.34 acre) or 0.19 ha of pines (about half an acre).

[Source: FBYCC via Madrid+d]

Trees can capture 20 percent of a country's carbon emissions originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tyca reveals lamps that could absorb CO₂ in parking lots

Xavier Navarro — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:34:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Carbon Capture, Green Daily, Europe/EU

French company Tyca, which usually works on aquarium and aquiculture projects, has announced the development of lamps that could capture CO₂. The lamps are actually a sort of aquarium made of transparent walls that hold microscopic algae that eat CO₂ and use solar light to produce O₂, like plants. These algae are bioluminescent, which means they produce light. According to the company, one kilogram of these microalgae capture two kilograms of CO₂, which means that one of these lamps, which holds 1.5 m³ of these algae could capture up to one ton of CO₂ per year. They can even work under artificial light, which makes them suitable for parking lots. Science fiction? Only time will tell.

[Source: Tyca via Planet Forever]

Tyca reveals lamps that could absorb CO₂ in parking lots originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 22 May 2008 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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British scientists develop CO₂ to natural gas process

Xavier Navarro — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:37:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Natural Gas, Carbon Capture, UK

What if we found a system to transform one of our big "enemies" into a fuel again, and then, when produced, re-transformed again? This is the aim of a project made at University of Nottingham's Centre for Innovation in Carbon Capture and Storage (CICCS), in the UK, directed by Mercedes Maroto-Valer. They have successfully completed a cycle of transforming CO₂ into natural gas (CH₄). This could lead to making most carbon capturing processes obsolete while also powering cars we already have. According to Ms. Maroto-Valer, the CICCS group tacked the problem by studying what plants do - capturing CO₂, water and solar light and transforming it into carbohydrates - and then replicated the process to create methane instead of carbs. However, it's still unknown what the energy balance the system is - we can't defeat the laws of Thermodynamics, after all.

[Source: Agencia Efe via Madrid+d]

British scientists develop CO₂ to natural gas process originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 09 May 2008 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greenpeace: Carbon capture is not going to save our climate

Xavier Navarro — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:50:00 EST

Filed under: Carbon Capture

Greenpeace is quite unhappy with recent proposals to use carbon capture technology (CCT) at power plants that burn coal. According to the environmental group, CCT is like burying money. Their reasons? First and foremost, the technology is not yet 100 percent ready, and won't be until 2030. Meanwhile, the need to reduce carbon emissions is quite immediate. Secondly, Greenpeace claims that CCT wastes energy: about 10 to 40 percent of the energy produced by the power plant where carbon is captured is used to store that carbon. This offsets 50 years of development in power plants, Greenpeace says, and guess who is going to pay for that? Final users. Of course, Greenpeace states that this can be fixed if we all change to renewable sources of energy, like solar or wind turbines.

[Source: Econoticias]

Greenpeace: Carbon capture is not going to save our climate originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 07 May 2008 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New $100 million X-Prizes created to spur development of clean energy

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:56:00 EST

Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, Solar, Carbon Capture, Automotive X-Prize

The X-Prize foundation was established help spur developments in a variety of areas including space travel, medicine and genomics. We've had plenty of coverage here of the Automotive X-Prize where the target is to develop a production viable car that can achieve the equivalent of 100mpg. The foundation is now establishing what it calls the Energy and Environment Prize suite that includes the Automotive Prize. The suite will include a number of prize competitions that go beyond just transportation to include clean energy sources. A Biofuels X-Prize has already been created to inspire breakthroughs in next generation sustainable liquid fuels. The biofuels prize competition will officially launch later this year with a prize of at least $10 million. Other categories that will be attacked in the next couple of years include solar power, water, sustainable housing and carbon capture. In total the energy and environment prizes are will give away up to $100 million.

[Sources: X-Prize Foundation, BusinessWeek]

New $100 million X-Prizes created to spur development of clean energy originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 05 May 2008 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CO₂ captured to feed biodiesel-producing algae

Xavier Navarro — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:32:00 EST

Filed under: Biodiesel, Emerging Technologies, Carbon Capture

Two companies, Holcim and Aurantia are starting a new project to reuse CO₂. They take the CO₂ produced by a cement plant in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain and "feed" it to microalgae which then turn around and produce biodiesel. The results of this project will be tested to assess if the carbon dioxide supplied by the cement plant is suitable for the algae. The two companies will also select the best type of algae for the project as well as assessing the viability of the project. The test will be performed on an-almost industrial scale, so once the final green light is given, it could start working immediately.

[Source: Econoticias]

CO₂ captured to feed biodiesel-producing algae originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutoblogGreen

How EV chargers today are like the gas stations of the past

Should there be a fossil fuel moratorium? Some scientists say yes

Norwegian University study exaggerates downside of electric vehicles

UK climate secretary: renewable energy pays off when oil exceeds $100 barrel

Report: Roads laced with titanium dioxide could help us breathe easier

New report concludes carbon sequestration "profoundly unfeasible"

Volvo Trucks start field tests of methane-diesel engines

Coal plants could emit 90% less CO2 thanks to chilled ammonia

Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO2

World's first green speed bumps?

First carbon capture plant starts up in Germany

Australian study shows that planted trees capture less CO2

Blade Your Ride: cut emissions and save gas

Pilot commercial algae to biofuel plant announced in Israel

Trees can capture 20 percent of a country's carbon emissions

Tyca reveals lamps that could absorb CO2 in parking lots

British scientists develop CO2 to natural gas process

Greenpeace: Carbon capture is not going to save our climate

New $100 million X-Prizes created to spur development of clean energy

CO2 captured to feed biodiesel-producing algae

Coal plants could emit 90% less CO₂ thanks to chilled ammonia

Newsflash: Dumping iron filings into ocean won't reduce CO₂

Australian study shows that planted trees capture less CO₂

Tyca reveals lamps that could absorb CO₂ in parking lots

British scientists develop CO₂ to natural gas process

CO₂ captured to feed biodiesel-producing algae