The case of the missing gas mileage - http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-case-gas-mileage.html

in Oil and Cleantech

China's demand for oil will equal US demand by 2040, study predicts - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201132521.htm?utm_source=feedburner

in Oil and Cleantech CO2 Sequestration

Hydraulic fracturing to release underground natural gas could be a 'game changer' for US energy supplies. But not if it comes with too high an environmental cost. - http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2011/0811/Yes-let-s-frack-with-caution

in Oil and Cleantech Natural Gas and Cleantech

 INFOGRAPHIC BY Carsort

in Oil and Cleantech

India hiked petrol prices today by about Rs 3.1, the tenth increase in the prices since June 2010! Petrol costs close to Rs 75/liter...it used to be Rs 50 liter not too long ago...
Tenth increase, imagine!
Should I be glad or sad?
Glad that petrol prices have started reflecting their scarcity and that these high prices will drive folks towards sustainability and renewables?
Or sad that from now on, I will be shelling out a lot more for petrol :-(

in Oil and Cleantech

Energy: Facts Versus Fiction - The IEA sets the record straight on energy-related misperceptions - interesting article - http://www.oilvoice.com/n/Energy_Facts_Versus_Fiction/72c7225ad.aspx

in Oil and Cleantech

The world uses about 13.2 billion T of hydrocarbon fuels a year - well, of that, oil is about 4 billion T, and coal about 8 billion T, so the rest is natural gas? At about $750 per T of oil (based on price at the pump) and coal at about $125 per T, together these account for about $ 4 trillion in sales revenues...

in Oil and Cleantech

We May Have to Choose Between Big and Small Renewable Energy

A recent Colorado news story captures the tension between two visions of renewable energy, with a quote that illustrates the conventional wisdom:

"It's not an either or choice, that we only put solar on rooftops or on people's homes or do utility scale, large projects," said Pete Maysmith, executive director of the Colorado Conservation Voters.

"As we move forward toward energy independence, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, on dirty, polluting sources of energy like coal, we need to move forward on all fronts with renewable [energy], and that includes rooftop solar and community solar gardens, local power. It also includes utility-scale solar that is properly sited, and that's really important."

Read the entire article by John Farrell at : http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2011/06/we-may-have-to-choose-between-big-and-small-on-renewable-energy

in Oil and Cleantech

Diesel demand may surge as subsidies prompt switch

Hmmm, when we are all talking about replacing diesel, here is something the exact opposite that is happening...read on (source: Reuters, 24 May)

"
Diesel demand will surge in India this summer as subsidies make it cheaper than fuel oil for burning in power plants and factories, potentially tightening distillate supplies in Asia if New Delhi does not act soon to raise local tariffs.

The government caps prices of diesel, the most common fuel for transport and its large farm sector, to protect the poor and control inflation. Fuel oil is sold at international rates, which are close to their highest since 2008.

The distortion in the relationship between fuel oil and diesel may result in the nation's diesel imports rising by as much as 30 percent on the year, traders and analysts said, at a time when supplies in Asia are expected to be thin as China clamps down on exports to meet a surge in summer demand.

"In some states a litre of fuel oil is costlier than diesel. Industrial users have already started switching to diesel, which is cheaper and cleaner," said R.K. Singh, chairman of Bharat Petroleum Corp, the nation's third-biggest refiner.
The Paris-based International Energy Agency sees India's diesel demand rising 6.3 percent this year to 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd), while fuel oil demand is seen falling 5.4 percent to 368,000 bpd. But with fuel oil prices rising above diesel, those trends could be exacerbated.

Fuel substitution has already propelled a sharp acceleration in diesel demand growth in May to around 15-18 percent from a year earlier, Singh and other industry sources estimated. That was up from growth in diesel sales of just 1.7 percent in April.

To meet the switch, Indian imports would need to rise despite the startup of two new refineries -- the 120,000 bpd Bina refinery in central India and 180,000 bpd Bathinda plant in the north -- this fiscal year.

The way demand is going up diesel imports could bounce back to the 2.5 to 2.6 million tonnes... from about 2 million tonnes in 2010/11," an Asian oil trader said.
That would equate to imports of around 53,000 bpd this year, up from around 41,000 bpd. The difference would be about 12,000 bpd over the year. The rise would be concentrated in summer, so the difference would be much higher during those months.

The retail price of diesel in India translates to $84 a barrel in Singapore markets, where benchmark 0.25 percent diesel now costs about $125 a barrel and 180 centistoke fuel oil is about $98 a barrel.

"

Interesting!

in Oil and Cleantech

Pine Needle Gasifier

Monoculture pine forests that have infested the middle level elevations of Himalayan region are depriving the local population of availability of water, fodder and fuel wood. On one hand, pine needles which litter the forest floor during dry summer months form a carpet on the soil causing the rainwater to run down the slopes before it percolates into the soil. On the other hand, the highly inflammable pine needles cause forest fires which deprive all other species except pine (trunk being fire resistant) from regenerating.

In continuation of our work with appropriate technology, AVANI has been exploring the possibility of harnessing the destructive energy of pine needles that litter the forest floor. We have been working on the idea of using pine needles as feedstock for a biomass gasifier to produce electricity.

After many years of exploring and researching, a 9 kW pine needle gasifier system has been developed and installed in this year, as a pilot, at AVANI campus. This system is fully operational and generates 9 KW of electricity. Out of this 9 KW, 1.5 KW is consumed for running the system and a continuous output of 7.5 KW is available for productive use such as welding and calendering applications. Work is also ongoing to study the economic viability of such systems and a report will be brought out once the studies are complete.

Source Credit : http://www.avani-kumaon.org/?page_id=362

in Oil and Cleantech

Shift towards natural capital

Last week, the National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA), of UK concluded that nature was worth billions of pounds to the UK each year through providing "ecosystem services" such as clean water, pollination and fertile soil.

Capital idea

As a result, an accounting will be done of nature's value to us. The new ecological accounts will be prepared by a Natural Capital Committee that will report to the cabinet Economic Affairs Committee, chaired by Chancellor George Osborne.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13672600

in Oil and Cleantech

APEC Hopes to Address 'Green Energy' Trade Disputes

Many political leaders say manufacturing the equipment needed to tap renewable energy is a key source of good jobs. The political rush to create such jobs is sparking conflicts among major trading partners as they scramble to serve the large new market and boost jobs for their own citizens. Those tensions may be part of the discussions at trade talks by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

It will take thousands of workers to turn out the windmills, solar panels and biomass equipment needed to drastically increase the amount of energy that economies around the world get from renewable sources.

A report from the Pew Charitable Trusts says clean energy finance and investment hit nearly $200 billion in 2010 in the 20 largest economies, and the amount of such funding is soaring around the world, particularly in China.

President Barack Obama is one of many leaders who think factories that turn out clean energy equipment will help their nation use less imported oil, solve environmental problems, and cut the unemployment rate.

"The clean energy jobs at this plant are the jobs of the future," said the president.

in Oil and Cleantech

Heat pumps and biomass boilers boost utilities' green services

EDF Energy has formed a partnership with a British heat pump manufacturer in response to the growing demand from customers seeking to benefit from the government's planned Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.

The utility announced this week that it has signed a contract for an undisclosed sum with Surrey-based Daikin to supply the Altherma range of air source heat pumps to domestic customers.

EDF said it now plans to launch the Daikin Altherma Monobloc unit by June this year alongside the Mitsubishi Ecodan units it already offers customers

in Oil and Cleantech

Pepsi's New Green PET Bottle

PepsiCo is one of the leading food and beverage businesses in the world. Since 2010, it has been focusing on protecting the earth's natural energy resources with competent use of soil, water, power and finding and focusing on innovative ways to do so. Recently PepsiCo developed the world's first plastic bottle made entirely from renewable and plant-sourced raw materials. This, in contrast to the traditional PET bottle leaves less carbon trace on our planet.

in Oil and Cleantech

I bought a new toothbrush yesterday...almost every part of it was a synthetic plastic. The cost? Just Rs 10 (25 US cents), I still can't believe it costs so little. It's simply the ability to produce on massive scales that has made plastic producers and users of those plastics for products to be able to sell at such low prices. Can bio-based polymers and plastics ever be able to compete with these? The advantage for the synthetics (which is not there for bio) is that a large part of the cost in making the oil from which these are produced has been borne by nature, and this is no accounted for anywhere...

What are your thoughts on this?

in Oil and Cleantech

In May 2010, Novozymes, China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation, and China Petrochemical Corporation announced the construction of a 10,000 ton-capacity demonstration plant for commercial-scale production of advanced biofuels from corn stover - the leaves and stalks of maize plants - which will begin this year.

in Oil and Cleantech

The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun.

in Oil and Cleantech

Osama bin Laden, Oil and Climate Change - http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-oil-and-climate-change/

in Oil and Cleantech

Microbes in Bio-Fuel Production
Currently biofuel is produced from plants as well as microbes. The oils, carbohydrates or fats generated by the microbes or plants are refined to produce biofuel. This is a green and renewable energy that helps in conserving fossil-fuel usage. But a new research has led to a new discovery of getting the microbes to produce fuel from the proteins instead of utilizing the protein for its own growth. The research is being done at the premises of University of California in Los Angeles.

in Oil and Cleantech

Our company begin to tested new devices to activate diesel / gasoline fuel with electromagnetic coil ( h.freq. ), by adding some amount of ozone into air intake , also we will test new spark plugs ( h.freq. ) new type ignition system . That can cut down fuel consumtion 15-19 %, better cold start, a lot less pollution .
And good news we already put our application - proposal to find investor-co investor in biofuel project in India.

in Oil and Cleantech