greenswitch – climate change and cleantech solutions

ens The United States and the European Union today signed a cooperation agreement to develop fuel cell technology. The seven point plan, brokered by European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin and the U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, aims to strengthen research by bringing together European and U.S. researchers from public and private sectors. Key challenges for fuel cells to become commercially competitive are cost reduction, improved performance and durability.

Running out of gas?

this source (title: “Will the natural gas supply meet the demand in North America?, International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy”) will give you some more background on the North American natural gas situation, also check the official forecast of the Energy Department and the American Gas Association site. Of course, this means good news to Canadians as stated in this Globe and Mail article — so good, Canada already can’t keep up with US demands….what now? Russians to the rescue! Putin has been lurking around the White House for quite a while to sell Russia’s gas to the Bushies…Russia is quite active in that realm; back east they are planning to build a natural gas pipeline from Eastern Siberia to China and South Korea. A 20 billion dollar investment set to bound the three nations for decades. Such an “investment” also has many political implications.

Newsday.com – Greenspan Sees Higher Natural Gas Prices High natural gas prices are likely to last into next year, and could weaken some key American industries’ ability to compete, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday.

Greenspan stopped short of suggesting that tight natural gas supplies, which have caused prices to more than double from last year, might thwart economic recovery.

Industries that heavily rely on natural gas hope that prices will decline, but Greenspan said market signals suggest tight supplies and high prices will persist because — unlike oil — the U.S. gas market is unable to draw on world supplies easily to meet surges in demand.

“The markets are telling us that $2 gas is a historic relic — at least for the time being,” Greenspan told a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Natural gas at wholesale has surged to $6.25 per thousand cubic feet, compared to an average of about $3 last year.

Quick note: I am currently busy with some other projects and my move back to Germany in June30th…I’ll post only some sources/stories but will keep my comments brief…

Renewable Energy News | U.S. Senate Passes Renewable Fuels Standard Much to the satisfaction of the Bio-fuels ethanol industry, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the Frist/Daschle renewable fuels standard (RFS) fuels agreement to its comprehensive energy bill, S. 14 at the end of last week. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) declared the RFS amendment is the cornerstone to a necessary, national energy policy. The RFS amendment was passed by a vote of 67 to 29.

check out their report: IT meets Enviro-Tech…

Digital Europe – Publications It’s time for business leaders to come out fighting for what they believe in, concludes new report from BT and Forum for the Future

Businesses and government have a moral obligation to push the boundaries of the business case for sustainable development beyond the comfort zone, according to Just Values a new report published today by BT and Forum for the Future.

Mercury News | 06/09/2003 | Fuel-cell start-ups hoping for breakthrough David Dorheim wants to run the world’s laptops on race-car fuel, and he’s one of many in the emerging fuel-cell industry turning to computer-chip history for inspiration.

Neah Power Systems, a Seattle-area start-up where Dorheim is chief executive, is emerging as a hot company in the portable fuel-cell business, along with competitors such as PolyFuel in Mountain View. Fuel cells use a chemical reaction to produce energy from fuels such as hydrogen or the methanol used in race cars, without burning it.

..

Neah Power, which has investment money from Intel among other investors, uses porous silicon as the surface that enables the electrochemical reaction. When methanol hits platinum coated on the silicon, the increased surface area creates more electricity in a smaller space.

Dorheim said using porous silicon could be a way to sneak some of the benefit of computer-chip advances into batteries, since Neah could increase the number of pores in the silicon and improve the fuel cell. But, he noted, “there is a big difference between the semiconductor industry and the electrochemical industry, which move at different rates.”

Rosy future predicted for European solar energy Rosy future predicted for European solar energy

The European photovoltaic industry is growing rapidly with its market share now standing at 25%, and Germany, the main EU force behind the industry’s expansion, now looking to export this energy, says German industry association BSI.

..

“Support though the Government’s 100,000 roofs programme over the last three or four years means that Germany has now reached a position where it can look abroad,” Horst Dufner, industry specialist and a director of the European Solar Thermal Energy Federation told edie.

..

Figures released earlier this year showed that the EU was unlikely to meet an official EU target to increase photovoltaic energy capacity to 650 MW by the end of the year (see related story). European capacity for 2002 was 391 MW with over 40% coming from Germany and a further 35% from Spain.

Flying the Efficient Skies Flying the Efficient Skies

Fuel cells could cut jets’ energy consumption, emissions.

…

Passenger jets on the tarmac are noisy and smelly, kicking out 20 percent of all airport emissions. That’s because jets burn fuel in auxiliary power units to generate the electricity that keeps air conditioners and other equipment humming. To take just one example, the auxiliary power unit in a Boeing 777 produces as much smog-causing nitrogen oxide as 155 Chevrolet Impalas.

But a new class of fuel cells, which use solid-oxide technology rather than the proton-exchange-membrane technology favored for cars and small electronics, may eventually do the same job more cleanly—plus allow greater efficiencies in-flight.

All about oil…

Blair is already in big trouble (Spiegel headline: “Worse than watergate”) to explain his pro war arguments and Paul Wolfowitz doesn’t shut up: Iraq is swimming in oil, he says. I wonder what’s going to happen in the US? Is this another 2000 election story? Motto: “Well, it happened and now let’s move on!”? Does anybody care and why isn’t there more (mass) public uproar?

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil

…

The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz – who has already undermined Tony Blair’s position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by describing them as a “bureaucratic” excuse for war – has now gone further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is “swimming” in oil.

The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.

Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated differently from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had been found, the deputy defence minister said: “Let’s look at it simply. The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil.”

Energy Crisis Overview: What lies ahead Energy Crisis Overview: What lies ahead

Germany: can deposit is here to stay

It’s a silly law: Pay 25 to 50 cents deposits on cans but you’re only allowed to bring it back to the same retailstore…

Germany No debate on “can deposit”

Despite facing strong criticism from the beverage industry, Germany’s can deposit law is here to stay, German Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin said on Tuesday. The law, which requires manufacturers to charge a 25 to 50 cent deposit on drinks sold in disposable packaging, was accepted only grudgingly by the beverage industry. It went into effect in January. Trade and industry representatives announced Tuesday they would stop preparations for a nationwide collection system, despite having agreed last year to put one in place. The cost was too high, the German Retailers Association said. For the moment, consumers may only return cans and single-use bottles to the store where they bought them. The Federal Association for Consumer Protection said the industry’s threats were “brazen” and that drink manufacturers should work with the government to create a sensible return system. In a conciliatory gesture, Trittin invited opponents from the beverage industry to meet with him early next week to discuss planned measures.

New enviro democrats runnung against Bush

AlterNet: Q&A: Howard Dean on the Environment With George W. Bush boasting perhaps the worst environmental record of any president in U.S. history, it almost goes without saying that any contender in the 2004 election will appear to be an environmentalist nonpareil by comparison. Indeed, nearly every Democrat running for president is advertising himself as just that, and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is no exception. On April 22, Earth Day 2003, Dean posted a message on his website that read, “As an outdoorsman, I have experienced the incredible power of the natural world. I am horrified by what the Bush administration is doing to our land, our air, and our water. The United States must play a leading role in combating climate change and the ongoing loss of the world’s diversity and natural heritage.”

C&EN: TODAY’S HEADLINES – UPS To Give Fuel Cells A Try A fuel-cell-powered delivery truck is scheduled to be on the road by the end of the year in Ann Arbor, Mich., through a collaboration of DaimlerChrysler, UPS, Air Products, and EPA. The demonstration project, announced in Michigan last week, will begin with an automobile-size express delivery vehicle and grow to include at least one Dodge Sprint van in 2004.

Renewable Energy News | European Solar Thermal Study Unveiled A new study reveals significant opportunities for solar thermal technologies in European countries. The European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) published “Sun in Action II – a Solar Thermal Strategy for Europe”. Built on the analyses of 21 national markets, this study identifies reasons for success and barriers to growth. ESTIF proposes concrete measures to support solar thermal.

..

“Solar thermal has grown by 11.7 percent per year over the past decade. And still the technical potential for this clean technology is largely untapped”, said ESTIF president Ole Pilgaard. “We estimate that 1,4 billion m2 of solar thermal collectors could be installed in the EU. This is 100 times more than the current capacity of roughly 14 million m2. In Sun in Action II, we propose a detailed action plan to help Europe realize this vast potential and thus reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, nuclear power and imported energy.”

Hydrogen fueling in record time



H2Report: Scientists from the Research Center of Karlsruhe (FZK) achieved a milestone in hydrogen storage. According to a recent press release this development enabled the charging of nanoparticles with hydrogen in only a few minutes. Storage remains one of the major challenges for the H2 economy. The energy carrier can be stored under high pressure or at extremely low temperatures. Another option are metal hydrides, which absorb hydrogen, store it in their atomic structure and release it under increased temperatures.

One of the problems of this technology, in the eyes of the FZK team, is the time it takes for the hydrogen to be absorbed and released, which results in a refueling process of more than an hour, during which the fuel quality is said to suffer. FZK seems to have developed a superior alternative with their proprietary nano particles.

A custom made catalyst made from titanium nano clusters was able to significantly reduce the process of charging and releasing the hydrogen to a record time of 7 to 8 minutes. “This brings us close to fueling times like to future user of the hydrogen car is used to from his conventional vehicle”, explains Dr. Maximilian Fichtner, project leader at the Research Center. The material could also be employed in applications such as camcorders or laptops, where compared to the recharging of batteries even more dramatic improvements were possible.