No single renewable energy source, such as biofuel, solar or wind, will break the country’s massive dependence on foreign oil. Industry experts, scientists and policymakers gathered to discuss how the three sources combined could at the 2009 Southeast Bioenergy Conference Aug. 11 at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Ga.
Right now, oil is the “trump card” that beats all others in world power, said keynote speaker and prominent astronautics engineer Robert Zubrin, whose recent book “Energy Victory” outlines a plan to break the decades-long economic grip the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has had on the U.S. economy.
More than any other OPEC country, he said, Saudi Arabia is the strongest, making $400 billion from its oil last year, which costs only 50 cents per barrel to pump from the ground. Saudi Arabia produces more oil than the next four OPEC countries combined and uses its dominance to monopolize the market and fund terrorism.
OPEC’s power is very dangerous for the U.S. and the world, he said. For example, the 1973 Arab oil embargo sent the U.S. into economic chaos. At the time, the U.S. only received 30 percent of its oil from foreign countries.
Today, such an embargo would devastate the U.S., which now gets 65 percent of its oil from OPEC. Adding to the threat, OPEC has trillions of dollars in cash reserves and could implement a prolonged embargo.
“They can keep us shut down until you’re gone,” he said.
Oil control has been the key to success or defeat for many conflicts in the past century, particularly WW II. In 1940, the U.S. produced 60 percent of the world’s oil. Its allies Russia and England controlled another 15 percent. Germany lost the war because it literally ran out of gas.
To turn the tide, Zubrin said, alcohol-based fuels like ethanol and methanol must become the new trump card in the energy game. U.S. agriculture’s fertile ground could take a big lead in growing biomass to turn into fuel to power the world.
The first thing the U.S. can do, he said, is mandate all vehicles be equipped to run on flex-fuel, or a mix of gasoline and an alcohol-based fuel. Within a few years of such an action, gas stations would carry more alcohol-based fuels to meet the growing demand, which would help farmers, drastically increase the bioenergy markets and reduce carbon emissions.
Zubrin also estimates it would put 50 million flex-fuel vehicles on U.S. highways and millions more around the world.
Every resource for energy independence must be considered in terms of tax incentives or ways they are promoted, said U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).
“Whether it’s 50 percent of our cars by 2015 burning alternative fuels or whether it’s a voluntary system of protocols to reduce carbon emission into our atmosphere or whether it is tax incentives to promote bioenergy, all of those ought to be promoting every single resource so we in the United States can become energy independent,” Isakson said.
Georgia has the agricultural knowledge, climate, infrastructure and business-friendly atmosphere to lead the country in alternative-energy production, said Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue.
“Georgia has been uniquely blessed with the natural resources, intellectual capital and entrepreneurial spirit that can make growing, producing and using our own energy a reality right here in our state,” Perdue said.
The three-day conference drew 450 attendants from across the country and world to hear scores of speakers discuss topics such as biofuel crops and biomass, vehicles and farm equipment, conservation strategies, finance, current bioenergy development in the area and career opportunities.
Several entrepreneurs provided workshops on how to make ethanol and biodiesel on the farm. Dozens of vendors participated in the trade show, including Tesla and Gaia Transport, which displayed their cutting-edge renewable energy vehicles entered in the prestigious X Prize competition.
"I believe that now is the most exciting and profitable time to take advantage of renewable energies, and the Southeast Bioenergy Conference is one of the most comprehensive and affordable ways to learn how,” said Craig Kvien, a professor with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and conference organizer.
By Brad Haire
University of Georgia
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Showing posts with label energy independence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label energy independence. Show all posts
Friday, August 14, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
U.S. energy legislation forward thinking, limiting
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 charges the U.S. to add 36 billion gallons of biofuels to the country’s transportation fuel mix by 2022. Continued investment in research, development and deployment are required to achieve this goal.
Recent scientific studies warn that increasing land use for producing biomass for biofuels would increase greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions compared to gasoline. Some may disagree with these studies. However, they do show the weakness in expanding a crop-based fuel system without planning for sustainability.
If we continue to try to produce more biomass from the current spectrum of crop choices, GHG emission restrictions could put small biofuel producers and family farms at a disadvantage. Reduced emissions require crops that are easier to grow; require less money to plant, harvest and water; and are easier to process.
Needed production improvements
Corn ethanol production in the U.S. consumes a quarter of the country’s corn crop. Increasing ethanol production to the targeted 15 billion gallons a year by 2022 will double the corn required. That increase will impact land and water needs and create environmental concerns.
We need to improve the productivity of corn and other biofuels crops and incorporate improvements into the production process.
Producing lignocellulosic ethanol or other advanced biofuels, or green diesel, is a challenge. Technology development in this field has advanced, but most U.S. facilities are still in the early-demonstration phase.
Using existing forestry and agriculture residues for biofuels would have minimal environmental impact while creating opportunity for small businesses and farms.
Forestry and agriculture generate significant biomass. According to the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, forestlands can produce 368 million dry tons of biomass annually. Current legislative definitions make renewable forest biomass off-limits to biofuels companies. Definitions must be changed, while maintaining the resources' sustainability.
Data from the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources suggests collecting residues and producing chips for biofuel production costs $11 to $12 per ton delivered to mills.
Food v. fuel
It’s crucial that we have a diverse source of biomass that doesn’t compete with food supplies. Diversity allows different geographical regions to focus on crops best suited to local conditions. Current federal funding often favors specific feedstocks, hampering development and transfer technology for novel crops.
Many novel crops are being explored. For example, a recent UGA study looked at using a multi-benefit winter cover crop, oil seed radish, for its biofuels potential. UGA scientists led a global team in sequencing the sorghum genome and are now working toward understanding how we can use the information to produce biofuels at lower costs in poor soils.
Targets eliminate possibilities
Targeted GHG reductions can unintentionally eliminate some promising technologies that are lagging behind because of late starts, such as algae-based biofuels.
Anaerobic digestion, a well-developed technology, is not considered because the energy output (methane gas) isn’t a liquid transportation fuel at room temperature. A similar process called landfill bioreactor produces methane biogas which can be converted to compressed natural gas. Its GHG emissions are 17 percent less than its fossil-based equivalent.
Anaerobic digestion can create jobs and produce net income to farms and small biofuels producers. UGA researchers are developing a system that combines anaerobic digestion with algae production.
Current regulatory policies don’t readily support developing such integrated solutions in early development. More pilot-scale testing could help move them to the marketplace faster. Federal agencies seem focused on large-scale demonstrations before pilot-scale research is completed.
Welcomed policy change
Carbon sequestration is a welcomed change in national policy. Current regulatory emphasis favors carbon capture and storage through geological storage of compressed CO2. Although potentially a reliable technique, this approach favors larger-scale sequestration.
One example of a smaller-scale method is using biochar, a byproduct of pyrolysis, a high-temperature breakdown of cellulosic materials that produces a liquid hydrocarbon, which could be converted to green diesel or other liquid fuels.
Biochar has high carbon content and stays in the soil for decades, increasing agricultural productivity and sequestering carbon for a long time. However, the regulatory framework doesn’t favor developing this technology.
There is great promise for biofuels to augment our energy supply. New ideas, technologies and discoveries are emerging from universities and research centers daily. Development and use of these discoveries could be faster if regulatory framework would support deeper exploration into novel crops that don’t pit fuel against food.
Encourage innovation
We need policies to encourage processes and technologies that create jobs and income for farms and small businesses. We need support that allows us to investigate diverse feedstocks and low-cost, efficient production methods that protect and enhance the environment.
If we are to reach 36 billion gallons of biofuels in our transportation fuel mix by 2022 while reducing GHG emissions, all avenues of exploration must be open and barriers to development removed.
By K.C. Das
University of Georgia
K.C. Das is director of the Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Engineering. This editorial was presented as testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business’ subcommittee on regulations and healthcare.
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Recent scientific studies warn that increasing land use for producing biomass for biofuels would increase greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions compared to gasoline. Some may disagree with these studies. However, they do show the weakness in expanding a crop-based fuel system without planning for sustainability.
If we continue to try to produce more biomass from the current spectrum of crop choices, GHG emission restrictions could put small biofuel producers and family farms at a disadvantage. Reduced emissions require crops that are easier to grow; require less money to plant, harvest and water; and are easier to process.
Needed production improvements
Corn ethanol production in the U.S. consumes a quarter of the country’s corn crop. Increasing ethanol production to the targeted 15 billion gallons a year by 2022 will double the corn required. That increase will impact land and water needs and create environmental concerns.
We need to improve the productivity of corn and other biofuels crops and incorporate improvements into the production process.
Producing lignocellulosic ethanol or other advanced biofuels, or green diesel, is a challenge. Technology development in this field has advanced, but most U.S. facilities are still in the early-demonstration phase.
Using existing forestry and agriculture residues for biofuels would have minimal environmental impact while creating opportunity for small businesses and farms.
Forestry and agriculture generate significant biomass. According to the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, forestlands can produce 368 million dry tons of biomass annually. Current legislative definitions make renewable forest biomass off-limits to biofuels companies. Definitions must be changed, while maintaining the resources' sustainability.
Data from the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources suggests collecting residues and producing chips for biofuel production costs $11 to $12 per ton delivered to mills.
Food v. fuel
It’s crucial that we have a diverse source of biomass that doesn’t compete with food supplies. Diversity allows different geographical regions to focus on crops best suited to local conditions. Current federal funding often favors specific feedstocks, hampering development and transfer technology for novel crops.
Many novel crops are being explored. For example, a recent UGA study looked at using a multi-benefit winter cover crop, oil seed radish, for its biofuels potential. UGA scientists led a global team in sequencing the sorghum genome and are now working toward understanding how we can use the information to produce biofuels at lower costs in poor soils.
Targets eliminate possibilities
Targeted GHG reductions can unintentionally eliminate some promising technologies that are lagging behind because of late starts, such as algae-based biofuels.
Anaerobic digestion, a well-developed technology, is not considered because the energy output (methane gas) isn’t a liquid transportation fuel at room temperature. A similar process called landfill bioreactor produces methane biogas which can be converted to compressed natural gas. Its GHG emissions are 17 percent less than its fossil-based equivalent.
Anaerobic digestion can create jobs and produce net income to farms and small biofuels producers. UGA researchers are developing a system that combines anaerobic digestion with algae production.
Current regulatory policies don’t readily support developing such integrated solutions in early development. More pilot-scale testing could help move them to the marketplace faster. Federal agencies seem focused on large-scale demonstrations before pilot-scale research is completed.
Welcomed policy change
Carbon sequestration is a welcomed change in national policy. Current regulatory emphasis favors carbon capture and storage through geological storage of compressed CO2. Although potentially a reliable technique, this approach favors larger-scale sequestration.
One example of a smaller-scale method is using biochar, a byproduct of pyrolysis, a high-temperature breakdown of cellulosic materials that produces a liquid hydrocarbon, which could be converted to green diesel or other liquid fuels.
Biochar has high carbon content and stays in the soil for decades, increasing agricultural productivity and sequestering carbon for a long time. However, the regulatory framework doesn’t favor developing this technology.
There is great promise for biofuels to augment our energy supply. New ideas, technologies and discoveries are emerging from universities and research centers daily. Development and use of these discoveries could be faster if regulatory framework would support deeper exploration into novel crops that don’t pit fuel against food.
Encourage innovation
We need policies to encourage processes and technologies that create jobs and income for farms and small businesses. We need support that allows us to investigate diverse feedstocks and low-cost, efficient production methods that protect and enhance the environment.
If we are to reach 36 billion gallons of biofuels in our transportation fuel mix by 2022 while reducing GHG emissions, all avenues of exploration must be open and barriers to development removed.
By K.C. Das
University of Georgia
K.C. Das is director of the Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Engineering. This editorial was presented as testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business’ subcommittee on regulations and healthcare.
-----
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Monday, May 4, 2009
Energy Independence Not Attainable Until 2030 or Beyond, Says KPMG Survey of Oil and Gas Executives
/PRNewswire/ -- More than three-quarters of oil and gas executives surveyed by KPMG LLP's Global Energy Institute say that energy independence is not attainable until 2030 or beyond, despite the emphasis on alternative energy sources in current and proposed government energy policies. The executives also said mass production of alternative energy is not viable in the short term. While there is a marked shift upward in the number of executives who acknowledge that global warming is occurring, the vast majority still don't support proposed regulations to stem CO2 emissions.
The KPMG Global Energy Institute survey polled 382 financial executives from oil and gas companies in April 2009. A total of 63 percent of respondents believe energy independence will not be attainable until after 2030; sixteen percent say it can happen by 2030, while nine percent deem it possible before 2020.
"Despite the increased focus on domestic energy sources, energy infrastructure, and alternative energy sources, a realistic assessment of technology and investment in the industry suggests energy independence is not realistic for at least two decades," said Bill Kimble, executive director of the KPMG Global Energy Institute. "The executives' perceptions of energy independence mirror their views on the viability of alternatives in the near-term as well."
Executives expect alternative and renewable energy sources to receive the most focus in President Obama's energy policy, the KPMG survey found. However, 52 percent said it will not be viable to mass produce any alternative energy sources by 2015, compared to 54 percent last year and 60 percent two years ago.
Winners and Losers in the New Energy Policy
Although executives did not think alternative energy sources were immediately viable, they did have clear opinions on which ones would benefit most from the Obama administration's energy policy. Thirty-five percent of respondents said that wind energy would be the biggest winner as a result of Obama's policy, followed by 18 percent for natural gas and 17 percent for biofuels. Conversely, 42 percent of executives see coal as the biggest loser while 36 percent say oil.
"These results clearly show the momentum wind energy has gained as a clean energy solution," said Kimble. "But 93 percent of our respondents see wind generation growing to only six percent of our energy generation by 2015 and only 17 percent say wind energy is viable for mass production by that year."
Marked Shift: More than Half Now Acknowledge Human Impact on Global Warming
When asked which areas in the Obama administration's energy policy would receive the most focus after alternative energy, executives cited greenhouse gas emissions and cap-and-trade. And, though the EPA recently pointed to CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels as the main cause of global warming, nearly half (47 percent) of executives still believe that global warming, is a natural weather cycle, although this number is down from 62 percent in 2008.
"Our data shows a noted swing in executive perceptions on the issue of greenhouse gases and global warming," said Kimble, "but there is clear reluctance to support proposed actions and regulations to stem CO2 emissions."
In fact, when asked if they would support a cap-and-trade or carbon tax to reduce CO2 emissions, KPMG found that 59 percent do not support either, 23 percent would support carbon tax, and 18 percent would support a cap-and-trade system.
Spending and Business Challenges
When asked about capital spending and key business challenges in the coming year, KPMG found that executives have a subdued view. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed expect their company to decrease capital spending, including 47 percent who predict a drop of greater than 10 percent. Only 17 percent expect an increase over 2008 levels. These views are in stark contrast to those from KPMG's 2008 survey, when 70 percent expected an increase in capital spending and only five percent saw a decrease.
While oil prices have stabilized after extreme volatility in 2008, KPMG found that executives still rank commodity pricing the most significant challenge facing their companies in the coming year. Other key business challenges in order of significance include the economy, access to capital and regulatory concerns.
Also, 63 percent believe eliminating intangible drilling costs (IDC) will result in companies drilling outside the U.S. and unconventional wells not being drilled, a factor that may further slow the race toward energy independence
"There is no question that the economy has had an impact on U.S. energy companies, both in terms of pricing and capital," said Kimble. "However, with the current regulatory and legislative environment, oil and gas executives are also faced with the challenges of an evolving and dynamic industry pushing toward non-traditional energy sources."
KPMG will be discussing these survey results during its Seventh Annual Global Energy Conference, the event for financial executives in the energy industry on May 12th and 13th at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston. This year's keynote speakers will be Madeleine Albright, Former United States Secretary of State, and Marvin Odum, President, Shell Oil Company.
The KPMG Global Energy Institute (GEI) has been designed to provide an open forum where industry financial officers, risk officers, internal audit directors, and tax executives can share knowledge, gain insights, and access thought leadership about key oil and gas or power and utilities issues and emerging trends. It offers ideas and innovative tools that help organizations apply rigor to compelling, real-world business and energy issues. GEI interacts with their members through a variety of channels, including Web-based videocasts, podcasts, conferences, share forums, and a web portal, www.kpmgglobalenergyinstitute.com.
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The KPMG Global Energy Institute survey polled 382 financial executives from oil and gas companies in April 2009. A total of 63 percent of respondents believe energy independence will not be attainable until after 2030; sixteen percent say it can happen by 2030, while nine percent deem it possible before 2020.
"Despite the increased focus on domestic energy sources, energy infrastructure, and alternative energy sources, a realistic assessment of technology and investment in the industry suggests energy independence is not realistic for at least two decades," said Bill Kimble, executive director of the KPMG Global Energy Institute. "The executives' perceptions of energy independence mirror their views on the viability of alternatives in the near-term as well."
Executives expect alternative and renewable energy sources to receive the most focus in President Obama's energy policy, the KPMG survey found. However, 52 percent said it will not be viable to mass produce any alternative energy sources by 2015, compared to 54 percent last year and 60 percent two years ago.
Winners and Losers in the New Energy Policy
Although executives did not think alternative energy sources were immediately viable, they did have clear opinions on which ones would benefit most from the Obama administration's energy policy. Thirty-five percent of respondents said that wind energy would be the biggest winner as a result of Obama's policy, followed by 18 percent for natural gas and 17 percent for biofuels. Conversely, 42 percent of executives see coal as the biggest loser while 36 percent say oil.
"These results clearly show the momentum wind energy has gained as a clean energy solution," said Kimble. "But 93 percent of our respondents see wind generation growing to only six percent of our energy generation by 2015 and only 17 percent say wind energy is viable for mass production by that year."
Marked Shift: More than Half Now Acknowledge Human Impact on Global Warming
When asked which areas in the Obama administration's energy policy would receive the most focus after alternative energy, executives cited greenhouse gas emissions and cap-and-trade. And, though the EPA recently pointed to CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels as the main cause of global warming, nearly half (47 percent) of executives still believe that global warming, is a natural weather cycle, although this number is down from 62 percent in 2008.
"Our data shows a noted swing in executive perceptions on the issue of greenhouse gases and global warming," said Kimble, "but there is clear reluctance to support proposed actions and regulations to stem CO2 emissions."
In fact, when asked if they would support a cap-and-trade or carbon tax to reduce CO2 emissions, KPMG found that 59 percent do not support either, 23 percent would support carbon tax, and 18 percent would support a cap-and-trade system.
Spending and Business Challenges
When asked about capital spending and key business challenges in the coming year, KPMG found that executives have a subdued view. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed expect their company to decrease capital spending, including 47 percent who predict a drop of greater than 10 percent. Only 17 percent expect an increase over 2008 levels. These views are in stark contrast to those from KPMG's 2008 survey, when 70 percent expected an increase in capital spending and only five percent saw a decrease.
While oil prices have stabilized after extreme volatility in 2008, KPMG found that executives still rank commodity pricing the most significant challenge facing their companies in the coming year. Other key business challenges in order of significance include the economy, access to capital and regulatory concerns.
Also, 63 percent believe eliminating intangible drilling costs (IDC) will result in companies drilling outside the U.S. and unconventional wells not being drilled, a factor that may further slow the race toward energy independence
"There is no question that the economy has had an impact on U.S. energy companies, both in terms of pricing and capital," said Kimble. "However, with the current regulatory and legislative environment, oil and gas executives are also faced with the challenges of an evolving and dynamic industry pushing toward non-traditional energy sources."
KPMG will be discussing these survey results during its Seventh Annual Global Energy Conference, the event for financial executives in the energy industry on May 12th and 13th at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston. This year's keynote speakers will be Madeleine Albright, Former United States Secretary of State, and Marvin Odum, President, Shell Oil Company.
The KPMG Global Energy Institute (GEI) has been designed to provide an open forum where industry financial officers, risk officers, internal audit directors, and tax executives can share knowledge, gain insights, and access thought leadership about key oil and gas or power and utilities issues and emerging trends. It offers ideas and innovative tools that help organizations apply rigor to compelling, real-world business and energy issues. GEI interacts with their members through a variety of channels, including Web-based videocasts, podcasts, conferences, share forums, and a web portal, www.kpmgglobalenergyinstitute.com.
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Friday, December 19, 2008
Pelosi Statement on First Anniversary of Enactment of Historic Energy Bill
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the first anniversary of the enactment of the Energy Independence and Security Act, the historic 2007 energy bill:
"The Energy Independence and Security Act's enactment marked a critical turning point in our nation's energy and environmental policy. By committing America to reducing our dependence on foreign oil, increasing the energy efficiency of everything from our cars and trucks to our appliances and buildings, and making an historic new commitment to homegrown biofuels, this legislation is making our nation more secure, encouraging the creation of new, energy-saving jobs, and helping to combat global warming.
"By breaking free of the failed energy policies of the past, the New Direction Congress embraced a clean, renewable and energy independent future for America with the Energy Independence and Security Act. We look forward to building on these achievements next year with an economic recovery package that will invest in green infrastructure, and the science behind it, to create the clean energy jobs that will provide a stronger economy for the future."
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"The Energy Independence and Security Act's enactment marked a critical turning point in our nation's energy and environmental policy. By committing America to reducing our dependence on foreign oil, increasing the energy efficiency of everything from our cars and trucks to our appliances and buildings, and making an historic new commitment to homegrown biofuels, this legislation is making our nation more secure, encouraging the creation of new, energy-saving jobs, and helping to combat global warming.
"By breaking free of the failed energy policies of the past, the New Direction Congress embraced a clean, renewable and energy independent future for America with the Energy Independence and Security Act. We look forward to building on these achievements next year with an economic recovery package that will invest in green infrastructure, and the science behind it, to create the clean energy jobs that will provide a stronger economy for the future."
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