/PRNewswire/ -- Growth Energy announced today that U.S. jobs will be created, carbon removed from the air, and our national security made stronger with a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today to raise the amount of ethanol that can be blended into our fuel from 10 percent (E10) to 15 percent (E15) for all vehicles built in the last decade.
The decision today to permit E15 for 2001-to-2006 model year vehicles follows an October decision by EPA to permit blends up to E15 in vehicles 2007 model year and newer. The EPA was responding to a regulatory petition, the Green Jobs Waiver, filed in March 2009 by Growth Energy, America's leading voice for ethanol supporters and producers.
A full move to E15 creates a bigger market for American ethanol that could help create as many as 136,000 new jobs in the United States and eliminate as much as 8 million metric tons of GHG emissions from the air in a year — the equivalent of taking 1.35 million vehicles off the road. Increasing the domestic, renewable fuel supply would also displace some of the 7 billion gallons of oil that is imported every day into the United States from countries such as Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, at a cost of more than $300 billion annually to our economy.
"This is a bold move forward, changing America's energy future for the better," said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. "Increased use of ethanol will strengthen our energy security, create U.S. jobs, and improve the environment by displacing conventional gasoline with a low-carbon fuel."
Buis added that with engine and emissions systems testing on cars 2001 through 2010 complete – and showing no issues with using E15 as a fuel – EPA's approval of E15 should be extended to older vehicles to make continued progress in reducing America's dependence on foreign oil.
"There are many more steps we can take toward achieving our energy security and environmental goals. We commend the EPA and we urge them to continue testing E15 for all vehicles, so that every American motorist has the opportunity to use a blend of fuel that is proven to be better for our economy, our security and our environment."
The previous E10 standard – which permits up to 10 percent ethanol blended into fuel – was set in the 1970s to help spur the growth of a domestic, renewable fuels industry in answer to America's first major oil crisis, engineered by OPEC. Since then, the United States has remained addicted to foreign oil; two-thirds of the oil used in this country comes from overseas.
In March 2009, Growth Energy filed a petition with EPA to permit the raising of that regulatory cap on the ethanol blend from 10 percent to 15 percent to displace more foreign oil.
-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP
Showing posts with label fuel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fuel. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Nationwide Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Would Increase Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Study Finds
/PRNewswire/ -- The implementation of a nationwide low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) in the United States would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19 million metric tons each year - contradicting the claim of LCFS advocates that the standard would reduce such emissions - according to a study issued today.
The study assumes that because an LCFS would prevent American refineries from importing petroleum obtained from oil sands in neighboring Western Canada, the United States would instead have to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East and elsewhere. At the same time, the Canadian oil would be shipped in tankers across the Pacific to China and other Asian locations.
The study calls this long-distance movement of oil thousands of miles around the world in tankers a "shuffle" that would result in higher carbon dioxide emissions than simply extracting the Canadian petroleum from the oil sands for U.S. consumption, due to emissions created by shipping the oil such great distances.
Barr Engineering Company of Minneapolis conducted the study for members of NPRA, the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association.
"In conducting this technical study, we looked at the most accurate data publicly available, and the conclusion was clear," said Joel Trinkle, senior air quality consultant at Barr and one of the authors of the study. "Crude shuffling under a nationwide LCFS would substantially raise overall greenhouse gas emissions."
The study found that:
-- "A LCFS implemented in the U.S. results in a notable increase in
greenhouse gas emissions due to the displacement of Canadian crude
imports to the U.S. and re-routing of crude imports and exports to
accommodate this displacement. ... Nearby Canadian crude sources
would be diverted to regions not affected by LCFS and replaced with
supplies from distant parts of the world." (Page 2)
-- "While it is likely that LCFS would change the mix of crude imports to
the United States, LCFS implemented in the United States is not
expected to change overall trends in energy use and demand for crude
resources throughout the rest of the world. A shift in U.S.
crude-supply preferences will simply cause redirection of crude
supplies elsewhere." (Page 4-5)
-- "This analysis of the change in crude-transport-related emissions
accompanying implementation of a LCFS indicates that the net effect
will be a doubling of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions associated with
changes in crude-transport patterns. It indicates an increase in
global GHG emissions by 7.1 to 19.0 million metric tons per year,
depending on the extent of resulting Canadian crude displacement."
(Page 3)
Canada is currently the largest supplier of petroleum imported into the United States, but other nations are looking to the Canadian oil sands as a potential energy source. China alone has already invested more than $6 billion in Canadian oil sands projects as it continues to rapidly increase its presence in overseas energy production.
"By denying the American people access to oil from our friendly neighbor Canada, a low-carbon fuel standard would raise fuel costs and wipe out millions of American jobs," said NPRA President Charles T. Drevna. "Now this latest study shows that a nationwide LCFS won't reduce overall global greenhouse gas emissions - it will actually raise them. These findings simply reinforce NPRA's long-held belief that a federal low-carbon fuel standard is a policy of all pain and no gain."
Additional concerns regarding American access to Canadian oil sands resources have surfaced following a recent U.S. State Department decision regarding a proposed pipeline to transport Canadian crude to refineries in the Gulf Coast region. The decision will allow federal agencies an additional 90 days to comment on TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL project, pending the State Department's release of a final environmental impact statement. The proposed pipeline expansion would more than double the amount of Canadian crude imported to the United States.
Several regional and state LCFS initiatives are currently underway, including a statewide LCFS program in California established as part of the state's AB 32 climate law, and proponents of a federal LCFS continue to seek its enactment.
A federal LCFS provision was included in the 2008 Lieberman-Warner climate change bill that was defeated in the Senate. The 2009 Waxman-Markey climate change bill also contained an LCFS provision, although it was removed before the bill was passed by the House.
Two other recent studies cast additional doubt on the efficacy of low-carbon fuel standards:
-- A June 2010 report by Charles River Associates found that a nationwide
LCFS implemented in 2015 would result by 2025 in: the loss of between
2.3 million and 4.5 million American jobs; an increase of up to 170
percent in the price of gasoline and diesel fuel; and a 2 to 3 percent
decrease in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (totaling between $410
billion and $750 billion).
-- A report by the Canadian Energy Research Institute issued in October
2009 examined the impacts of developing Canadian oil sands on the U.S.
economy. It found that such development - which would be threatened by
the implementation of a nationwide LCFS in the United States - would
result in an estimated 343,000 new U.S. jobs between 2011 and 2015,
and that U.S. output of goods and services would increase by an
average of $62 billion per year from 2009 through 2025.
-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
The study assumes that because an LCFS would prevent American refineries from importing petroleum obtained from oil sands in neighboring Western Canada, the United States would instead have to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East and elsewhere. At the same time, the Canadian oil would be shipped in tankers across the Pacific to China and other Asian locations.
The study calls this long-distance movement of oil thousands of miles around the world in tankers a "shuffle" that would result in higher carbon dioxide emissions than simply extracting the Canadian petroleum from the oil sands for U.S. consumption, due to emissions created by shipping the oil such great distances.
Barr Engineering Company of Minneapolis conducted the study for members of NPRA, the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association.
"In conducting this technical study, we looked at the most accurate data publicly available, and the conclusion was clear," said Joel Trinkle, senior air quality consultant at Barr and one of the authors of the study. "Crude shuffling under a nationwide LCFS would substantially raise overall greenhouse gas emissions."
The study found that:
-- "A LCFS implemented in the U.S. results in a notable increase in
greenhouse gas emissions due to the displacement of Canadian crude
imports to the U.S. and re-routing of crude imports and exports to
accommodate this displacement. ... Nearby Canadian crude sources
would be diverted to regions not affected by LCFS and replaced with
supplies from distant parts of the world." (Page 2)
-- "While it is likely that LCFS would change the mix of crude imports to
the United States, LCFS implemented in the United States is not
expected to change overall trends in energy use and demand for crude
resources throughout the rest of the world. A shift in U.S.
crude-supply preferences will simply cause redirection of crude
supplies elsewhere." (Page 4-5)
-- "This analysis of the change in crude-transport-related emissions
accompanying implementation of a LCFS indicates that the net effect
will be a doubling of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions associated with
changes in crude-transport patterns. It indicates an increase in
global GHG emissions by 7.1 to 19.0 million metric tons per year,
depending on the extent of resulting Canadian crude displacement."
(Page 3)
Canada is currently the largest supplier of petroleum imported into the United States, but other nations are looking to the Canadian oil sands as a potential energy source. China alone has already invested more than $6 billion in Canadian oil sands projects as it continues to rapidly increase its presence in overseas energy production.
"By denying the American people access to oil from our friendly neighbor Canada, a low-carbon fuel standard would raise fuel costs and wipe out millions of American jobs," said NPRA President Charles T. Drevna. "Now this latest study shows that a nationwide LCFS won't reduce overall global greenhouse gas emissions - it will actually raise them. These findings simply reinforce NPRA's long-held belief that a federal low-carbon fuel standard is a policy of all pain and no gain."
Additional concerns regarding American access to Canadian oil sands resources have surfaced following a recent U.S. State Department decision regarding a proposed pipeline to transport Canadian crude to refineries in the Gulf Coast region. The decision will allow federal agencies an additional 90 days to comment on TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL project, pending the State Department's release of a final environmental impact statement. The proposed pipeline expansion would more than double the amount of Canadian crude imported to the United States.
Several regional and state LCFS initiatives are currently underway, including a statewide LCFS program in California established as part of the state's AB 32 climate law, and proponents of a federal LCFS continue to seek its enactment.
A federal LCFS provision was included in the 2008 Lieberman-Warner climate change bill that was defeated in the Senate. The 2009 Waxman-Markey climate change bill also contained an LCFS provision, although it was removed before the bill was passed by the House.
Two other recent studies cast additional doubt on the efficacy of low-carbon fuel standards:
-- A June 2010 report by Charles River Associates found that a nationwide
LCFS implemented in 2015 would result by 2025 in: the loss of between
2.3 million and 4.5 million American jobs; an increase of up to 170
percent in the price of gasoline and diesel fuel; and a 2 to 3 percent
decrease in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (totaling between $410
billion and $750 billion).
-- A report by the Canadian Energy Research Institute issued in October
2009 examined the impacts of developing Canadian oil sands on the U.S.
economy. It found that such development - which would be threatened by
the implementation of a nationwide LCFS in the United States - would
result in an estimated 343,000 new U.S. jobs between 2011 and 2015,
and that U.S. output of goods and services would increase by an
average of $62 billion per year from 2009 through 2025.
-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
Friday, April 9, 2010
IEER: French-Style Nuclear Reprocessing Will Not Solve U.S. Nuclear Waste Problems
/PRNewswire/ -- Contrary to some prevailing opinion, reprocessing would not eliminate the need for a deep geologic disposal program to replace Yucca Mountain. It aggravates waste, proliferation, and cost problems. The volume of waste to be disposed of in deep geologic repository is increased about six times on a life-cycle basis in the French approach compared to the once-through no-reprocessing approach of the United States.
A new report by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER), a nonprofit scientific research group, shows that France uses less than 1 percent of the natural uranium resource, contrary to an impression among some policy makers. The report has several recommendations for President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, which was created to address U.S. nuclear waste issues after the administration's cancellation of the Yucca Mountain program.
IEER President Dr. Arjun Makhijani, the author of the report: "In recent years, a 'French fever' has gripped the promoters of nuclear power in the United States. Praise of France's management of spent fuel by reprocessing, including its use of the extracted plutonium as fuel in its nuclear power reactors, is now routinely heard. But it is a fantasy on the scale of the 1950s "too cheap to meter" mythology about nuclear power to imagine that 90 or 95 percent of the "energy value" of U.S. spent fuel can be extracted by reprocessing."
Key IEER report findings include the following:
-- On a life-cycle basis, French-style reprocessing and recycle increases
the volume of waste that would have to disposed of in a geologic
repository. Reprocessing results in high-level radioactive waste and
large volumes of Greater than Class C waste, both of which must be
managed by deep geologic disposal. Their combined volume on a
life-cycle basis is estimated to be about six times more than the
no-reprocessing approach that is current U.S. policy, according to
Department of Energy estimates. Low-level waste volume and waste
transportation shipments are also estimated to increase several-fold.
-- France spends about two cents per kilowatt-hour more for electricity
generated from reprocessed plutonium compared to that generated from
fresh uranium fuel.
-- Attempting to combined reprocessing with breeder reactors to convert
uranium in U.S. spent fuel in plutonium will create intolerable costs
and risks. Reprocessing plus breeder reactors are much more expensive
than light water reactors today, which are themselves expensive. Such
a system is required to convert most of the uranium in spent fuel into
a reactor fuel. Even a single penny in excess generation cost per
kilowatt-hour in a breeder reactor-reprocessing system would lead to
an added $8 trillion in costs to convert nearly all of the uranium in
the 100,000 metric tons of U.S. spent into usable fuel. It would take
hundreds of years to accomplish the task and require separation of
tens of thousands of bombs equivalent of fissile material each year.
The proliferation risks will be far greater than today.
-- Adoption of French-style reprocessing program would not eliminate the
need for a deep geologic repository. Even complete fissioning of all
actinides - an unrealistic proposition - will leave behind large
amounts of very long-lived fission and activation products like
iodine-129, cesium-135, and chlorine-36 that will pose risks far into
the future -- much beyond the 24,100-year half-life of plutonium-239.
In fact, France needs a geologic repository and opposition to one has
been intense there. The French appear to dislike nuclear waste in
their backyards as much as people in the United States.
-- Proliferation risks are inherently part of the French (and any other)
approach to reprocessing. Even advanced reprocessing technologies will
not significantly reduce proliferation risks. For instance a study
authored by scientists from DOE laboratories, including Los Alamos and
Sandia, concluded that it would take only a few days or a few weeks
for proliferant country to make material for nuclear bombs once it had
reprocessing plants. It found that new technologies, including
electrometallurgical processing, resulted in "only a modest
improvement in reducing proliferation risk over existing PUREX
technologies and these modest improvements apply primarily for
non-state actors." The IEER report concluded that electrometallurgical
increases risks in other ways. For instance, it is far less difficult
to conceal a plant than the present PUREX technology.
Other key findings include the following:
-- Six decades of sodium cooled breeder reactor development has so far
resulted in failure. Historical experience indicates no learning curve
for the sodium cooled fast breeder reactor, which is the breeder
technology that has received the most development. In fact, the two
most recent large scale demonstration reactors, Superphénix in France
and Monju in Japan, have been failures. Superphénix had a cumulative
capacity factor of less than 8 percent before it was shut. Monju has
been closed for almost 15 years, following a sodium fire, and has not
generated a significant amount of electricity. Sodium cooled breeder
reactors are not commercial today despite global expenditures on the
order of $100 billion over six decades. They face a host of safety,
proliferation and cost hurdles to overcome, some arising from the fact
that they use liquid sodium for cooling. They are unlikely to be
commercial in the near future. For instance, Japan's estimated date
for commercialization of the sodium cooled fast breeder is 2050.
-- Storage of liquid high-level wastes creates some risk of catastrophic
releases of radioactivity. For instance, the Norwegian Radiation
Protection Authority has estimated that a severe accident at the
liquid waste storage facility in Sellafield, Britain, could result in
cesium-137 contamination between 10 percent and 5,000 percent of that
created in Norway by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident,
which is the worst commercial accident to date, by far. A catastrophic
release of radioactivity from a military high-level waste tank
occurred in the Soviet Union in 1957.
-- Using more than 1 percent of the uranium resource in a light water
reactor system is technically impossible even with reprocessing and
re-enrichment. In light water reactor systems, almost all the uranium
resource winds up as depleted uranium or in spent fuel. Even with
repeated reprocessing and re-enrichment, use of the natural uranium
resource cannot be increased to more than 1 percent in such a system.
A corollary is that the use of 90 to 95 percent of the uranium
resource or of the material in the spent fuel is impossible in a light
water reactor system even with reprocessing.
These are physical constraints that go with the system and also apply to France's system.
The IEER report also sets out a number of recommendations for the Blue Ribbon Commission on
America's Nuclear Future appointed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu:
-- Spent fuel from existing reactors should be slated for direct geologic
disposal without reprocessing of any kind; a suitable path for a
scientifically sound program should be set forth.
-- In the interim, spent fuel should be stored on site as safely as
possible - in low density configurations while in pools and in
hardened storage when moved to dry casks.
-- Breeder reactors and reprocessing are not commercial after six decades
of development of sodium cooled breeder reactors, and enormous
expenditures. Given the long time frame for commercialization
estimated even by some promoters, the proliferation risks, and efforts
already made, it does not appear to be a good investment to spend more
R&D money in that direction. Rather energy supply R&D resources should
be focused on development and deployment of renewable energy
technologies and energy efficiency.
-- The Commission should request the French company AREVA and/or the
French government to supply it with data on the present use of the
natural uranium resource purchased for French nuclear reactors,
including, specifically, the increases in fission fraction that have
actually been achieved by reprocessing and recycling.
-- The Commission should also request official data on Greater than Class
C waste equivalent expected to be generated on a life-cycle basis in
France, and the total volumes and heat generation of packaged waste
expected to be disposed of in a deep geologic repository, including
estimates of decommissioning waste.
-- The Commission should investigate the public support or lack thereof
for repository programs in France and Britain, the countries with the
longest history of commercial spent fuel reprocessing.
-- The Commission should make the same requests regarding the British
reprocessing program.
-- Official analyses of the mechanisms, probability, and consequences of
large accidental releases of radioactivity to the atmosphere from
liquid high-level waste storage in tanks should be requested from the
French and British governments.
ABOUT IEER
On March 24, 2010, IEER held a news conference to release documents acquired under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) showing that the outgoing Bush Administration inked 11th-hour agreements with more than a dozen utilities involving 21 proposed nuclear reactors. As IEER noted, between the output of existing commercial nuclear reactors and the 21 proposed nuclear reactors covered by the agreements quietly signed by the outgoing Bush Administration, the U.S. already has agreed to store enough spent (used) reactor fuel to fill the equivalent of not one, but two, Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste repositories. For more information on the March 24th news event, go to http://216.250.243.12/ieer/032410.cfm.
A new report by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER), a nonprofit scientific research group, shows that France uses less than 1 percent of the natural uranium resource, contrary to an impression among some policy makers. The report has several recommendations for President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, which was created to address U.S. nuclear waste issues after the administration's cancellation of the Yucca Mountain program.
IEER President Dr. Arjun Makhijani, the author of the report: "In recent years, a 'French fever' has gripped the promoters of nuclear power in the United States. Praise of France's management of spent fuel by reprocessing, including its use of the extracted plutonium as fuel in its nuclear power reactors, is now routinely heard. But it is a fantasy on the scale of the 1950s "too cheap to meter" mythology about nuclear power to imagine that 90 or 95 percent of the "energy value" of U.S. spent fuel can be extracted by reprocessing."
Key IEER report findings include the following:
-- On a life-cycle basis, French-style reprocessing and recycle increases
the volume of waste that would have to disposed of in a geologic
repository. Reprocessing results in high-level radioactive waste and
large volumes of Greater than Class C waste, both of which must be
managed by deep geologic disposal. Their combined volume on a
life-cycle basis is estimated to be about six times more than the
no-reprocessing approach that is current U.S. policy, according to
Department of Energy estimates. Low-level waste volume and waste
transportation shipments are also estimated to increase several-fold.
-- France spends about two cents per kilowatt-hour more for electricity
generated from reprocessed plutonium compared to that generated from
fresh uranium fuel.
-- Attempting to combined reprocessing with breeder reactors to convert
uranium in U.S. spent fuel in plutonium will create intolerable costs
and risks. Reprocessing plus breeder reactors are much more expensive
than light water reactors today, which are themselves expensive. Such
a system is required to convert most of the uranium in spent fuel into
a reactor fuel. Even a single penny in excess generation cost per
kilowatt-hour in a breeder reactor-reprocessing system would lead to
an added $8 trillion in costs to convert nearly all of the uranium in
the 100,000 metric tons of U.S. spent into usable fuel. It would take
hundreds of years to accomplish the task and require separation of
tens of thousands of bombs equivalent of fissile material each year.
The proliferation risks will be far greater than today.
-- Adoption of French-style reprocessing program would not eliminate the
need for a deep geologic repository. Even complete fissioning of all
actinides - an unrealistic proposition - will leave behind large
amounts of very long-lived fission and activation products like
iodine-129, cesium-135, and chlorine-36 that will pose risks far into
the future -- much beyond the 24,100-year half-life of plutonium-239.
In fact, France needs a geologic repository and opposition to one has
been intense there. The French appear to dislike nuclear waste in
their backyards as much as people in the United States.
-- Proliferation risks are inherently part of the French (and any other)
approach to reprocessing. Even advanced reprocessing technologies will
not significantly reduce proliferation risks. For instance a study
authored by scientists from DOE laboratories, including Los Alamos and
Sandia, concluded that it would take only a few days or a few weeks
for proliferant country to make material for nuclear bombs once it had
reprocessing plants. It found that new technologies, including
electrometallurgical processing, resulted in "only a modest
improvement in reducing proliferation risk over existing PUREX
technologies and these modest improvements apply primarily for
non-state actors." The IEER report concluded that electrometallurgical
increases risks in other ways. For instance, it is far less difficult
to conceal a plant than the present PUREX technology.
Other key findings include the following:
-- Six decades of sodium cooled breeder reactor development has so far
resulted in failure. Historical experience indicates no learning curve
for the sodium cooled fast breeder reactor, which is the breeder
technology that has received the most development. In fact, the two
most recent large scale demonstration reactors, Superphénix in France
and Monju in Japan, have been failures. Superphénix had a cumulative
capacity factor of less than 8 percent before it was shut. Monju has
been closed for almost 15 years, following a sodium fire, and has not
generated a significant amount of electricity. Sodium cooled breeder
reactors are not commercial today despite global expenditures on the
order of $100 billion over six decades. They face a host of safety,
proliferation and cost hurdles to overcome, some arising from the fact
that they use liquid sodium for cooling. They are unlikely to be
commercial in the near future. For instance, Japan's estimated date
for commercialization of the sodium cooled fast breeder is 2050.
-- Storage of liquid high-level wastes creates some risk of catastrophic
releases of radioactivity. For instance, the Norwegian Radiation
Protection Authority has estimated that a severe accident at the
liquid waste storage facility in Sellafield, Britain, could result in
cesium-137 contamination between 10 percent and 5,000 percent of that
created in Norway by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident,
which is the worst commercial accident to date, by far. A catastrophic
release of radioactivity from a military high-level waste tank
occurred in the Soviet Union in 1957.
-- Using more than 1 percent of the uranium resource in a light water
reactor system is technically impossible even with reprocessing and
re-enrichment. In light water reactor systems, almost all the uranium
resource winds up as depleted uranium or in spent fuel. Even with
repeated reprocessing and re-enrichment, use of the natural uranium
resource cannot be increased to more than 1 percent in such a system.
A corollary is that the use of 90 to 95 percent of the uranium
resource or of the material in the spent fuel is impossible in a light
water reactor system even with reprocessing.
These are physical constraints that go with the system and also apply to France's system.
The IEER report also sets out a number of recommendations for the Blue Ribbon Commission on
America's Nuclear Future appointed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu:
-- Spent fuel from existing reactors should be slated for direct geologic
disposal without reprocessing of any kind; a suitable path for a
scientifically sound program should be set forth.
-- In the interim, spent fuel should be stored on site as safely as
possible - in low density configurations while in pools and in
hardened storage when moved to dry casks.
-- Breeder reactors and reprocessing are not commercial after six decades
of development of sodium cooled breeder reactors, and enormous
expenditures. Given the long time frame for commercialization
estimated even by some promoters, the proliferation risks, and efforts
already made, it does not appear to be a good investment to spend more
R&D money in that direction. Rather energy supply R&D resources should
be focused on development and deployment of renewable energy
technologies and energy efficiency.
-- The Commission should request the French company AREVA and/or the
French government to supply it with data on the present use of the
natural uranium resource purchased for French nuclear reactors,
including, specifically, the increases in fission fraction that have
actually been achieved by reprocessing and recycling.
-- The Commission should also request official data on Greater than Class
C waste equivalent expected to be generated on a life-cycle basis in
France, and the total volumes and heat generation of packaged waste
expected to be disposed of in a deep geologic repository, including
estimates of decommissioning waste.
-- The Commission should investigate the public support or lack thereof
for repository programs in France and Britain, the countries with the
longest history of commercial spent fuel reprocessing.
-- The Commission should make the same requests regarding the British
reprocessing program.
-- Official analyses of the mechanisms, probability, and consequences of
large accidental releases of radioactivity to the atmosphere from
liquid high-level waste storage in tanks should be requested from the
French and British governments.
ABOUT IEER
On March 24, 2010, IEER held a news conference to release documents acquired under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) showing that the outgoing Bush Administration inked 11th-hour agreements with more than a dozen utilities involving 21 proposed nuclear reactors. As IEER noted, between the output of existing commercial nuclear reactors and the 21 proposed nuclear reactors covered by the agreements quietly signed by the outgoing Bush Administration, the U.S. already has agreed to store enough spent (used) reactor fuel to fill the equivalent of not one, but two, Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste repositories. For more information on the March 24th news event, go to http://216.250.243.12/ieer/032410.cfm.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
UPS Deploys 200 Hybrid Electric Vehicles
(BUSINESS WIRE)--UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced its fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles had expanded with the deployment of 200 next-generation hybrid electric delivery trucks in eight U.S. cities.
“We’re proud of this large HEV deployment to major cities in the United States”
The 200 new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) join roughly 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles already in use and have been deployed in Austin, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Long Island, Minneapolis and Louisville. Before this latest deployment, UPS was operating 50 hybrid electrics in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.
“We’re proud of this large HEV deployment to major cities in the United States,” said Bob Stoffel, UPS senior vice president of supply chain, strategy, engineering and sustainability. “This technology, where properly used, can yield a 35 percent fuel savings, the equivalent of 100 conventional UPS delivery vehicles.”
The 200 new HEV delivery trucks are expected to reduce fuel consumption by roughly 176,000 gallons over the course of a year compared to an equivalent number of traditional diesel trucks. The hybrids also should reduce by 1,786 metric tons the amount of CO2 gases released annually into the atmosphere.
The new hybrid power system utilizes a conventional diesel engine combined with a battery pack, saving fuel and reducing pollution-causing emissions. The small diesel is used to recharge the battery pack and to add power when necessary.
The HEVs also use regenerative braking. The energy generated from applying the brakes is captured and returned to the battery as electricity. The combination of clean diesel power and electric power, supplemented by regenerative braking, allows dramatic improvements in fuel savings and emissions reductions.
The HEV fleet features two different size vehicles from Workhorse Custom Chassis and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and a hybrid power system from Eaton Corporation. The external truck bodies are identical to UPS’s other signature brown trucks, although they feature additional labeling identifying them as hybrid electrics. The trucks use lithium ion batteries, which offer a faster re-charging capability and last longer than previous generation HEV batteries. Additionally, these vehicles are much quieter than conventional UPS trucks and feature keyless entry.
The UPS alternative fuel fleet is a diverse one with multiple technologies, including compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, electricity and hydraulic hybrid technology. Since 2000, the alternative fuel fleet has traveled more than 165 million miles.
UPS was the first package delivery company to introduce a hybrid electric vehicle into daily operation with a research program in early 1998. In 2001, the company deployed the industry's first hybrid electric delivery truck into regular service in Huntsville, Ala., where the truck worked a 31-mile route with about 160 pickups and deliveries each day. UPS then introduced its second generation HEV in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 2004, while at the same time testing its first hydrogen fuel cell delivery truck in regular service.
While continuing to develop its alternative fuel fleet – UPS has invested more than $15 million in the effort – the company also has purchased and is operating more than 20,000 low emission conventional vehicles. These vehicles have regular gas- and diesel-powered engines but employ the very latest technology and manufacturing techniques to reduce emissions as much as possible.
“The wide variety of technologies in our green fleet is indicative of UPS’s ‘rolling laboratory’ philosophy to energy efficiency and reduced fuel consumption,” Stoffel said. “Our goal is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but there is no silver bullet technology to achieve this. This dependence will rely on a multi-modal approach.”
UPS (NYSE:UPS) pursues a wide range of socially responsible and sustainable business practices designed to reduce its impact on the environment and improve communities around the world. UPS operates one of the largest fleets of alternative fuel vehicles in its industry with more than 2,000 vehicles and continues to invest in alternative fuel technologies and operational efficiencies to reduce its carbon footprint. UPS is included in the Dow Jones and FTSE4Good Sustainability Indexes, which evaluate corporations based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Learn more about UPS’s responsible business practices at www.ups.com/responsibility.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
“We’re proud of this large HEV deployment to major cities in the United States”
The 200 new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) join roughly 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles already in use and have been deployed in Austin, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Long Island, Minneapolis and Louisville. Before this latest deployment, UPS was operating 50 hybrid electrics in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.
“We’re proud of this large HEV deployment to major cities in the United States,” said Bob Stoffel, UPS senior vice president of supply chain, strategy, engineering and sustainability. “This technology, where properly used, can yield a 35 percent fuel savings, the equivalent of 100 conventional UPS delivery vehicles.”
The 200 new HEV delivery trucks are expected to reduce fuel consumption by roughly 176,000 gallons over the course of a year compared to an equivalent number of traditional diesel trucks. The hybrids also should reduce by 1,786 metric tons the amount of CO2 gases released annually into the atmosphere.
The new hybrid power system utilizes a conventional diesel engine combined with a battery pack, saving fuel and reducing pollution-causing emissions. The small diesel is used to recharge the battery pack and to add power when necessary.
The HEVs also use regenerative braking. The energy generated from applying the brakes is captured and returned to the battery as electricity. The combination of clean diesel power and electric power, supplemented by regenerative braking, allows dramatic improvements in fuel savings and emissions reductions.
The HEV fleet features two different size vehicles from Workhorse Custom Chassis and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and a hybrid power system from Eaton Corporation. The external truck bodies are identical to UPS’s other signature brown trucks, although they feature additional labeling identifying them as hybrid electrics. The trucks use lithium ion batteries, which offer a faster re-charging capability and last longer than previous generation HEV batteries. Additionally, these vehicles are much quieter than conventional UPS trucks and feature keyless entry.
The UPS alternative fuel fleet is a diverse one with multiple technologies, including compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, electricity and hydraulic hybrid technology. Since 2000, the alternative fuel fleet has traveled more than 165 million miles.
UPS was the first package delivery company to introduce a hybrid electric vehicle into daily operation with a research program in early 1998. In 2001, the company deployed the industry's first hybrid electric delivery truck into regular service in Huntsville, Ala., where the truck worked a 31-mile route with about 160 pickups and deliveries each day. UPS then introduced its second generation HEV in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 2004, while at the same time testing its first hydrogen fuel cell delivery truck in regular service.
While continuing to develop its alternative fuel fleet – UPS has invested more than $15 million in the effort – the company also has purchased and is operating more than 20,000 low emission conventional vehicles. These vehicles have regular gas- and diesel-powered engines but employ the very latest technology and manufacturing techniques to reduce emissions as much as possible.
“The wide variety of technologies in our green fleet is indicative of UPS’s ‘rolling laboratory’ philosophy to energy efficiency and reduced fuel consumption,” Stoffel said. “Our goal is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but there is no silver bullet technology to achieve this. This dependence will rely on a multi-modal approach.”
UPS (NYSE:UPS) pursues a wide range of socially responsible and sustainable business practices designed to reduce its impact on the environment and improve communities around the world. UPS operates one of the largest fleets of alternative fuel vehicles in its industry with more than 2,000 vehicles and continues to invest in alternative fuel technologies and operational efficiencies to reduce its carbon footprint. UPS is included in the Dow Jones and FTSE4Good Sustainability Indexes, which evaluate corporations based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Learn more about UPS’s responsible business practices at www.ups.com/responsibility.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Deloitte Survey: Age of Plenty Predicted for Natural Gas
/PRNewswire/ -- The United States is entering an age of plenty for natural gas, according to a survey of oil and gas professionals conducted by the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions.
"The survey numbers are striking," said Gary Adams, vice chairman and leader of Deloitte's oil and gas practice. "The overwhelming majority of survey respondents, 84 percent, say the best days for the natural gas industry are still ahead of us, despite today's low prices."
Current industry thinking would attribute this enthusiasm about natural gas to a surge in production from unconventional formations, such as shale and coal bed methane, and to the expectation that climate change legislation will increase the demand for gas-powered electricity generation.
Adams notes the survey confirms the increasingly common perception among many energy pundits that America's energy future will become more closely aligned with natural gas than we thought just a few years ago. In contrast, oil will continue to be a dominant fuel source for transportation for many years to come, but difficulties are expected to continue when it comes to finding and producing the fuel in the future, mainly because oil is increasingly found in challenging environments such as deep water and arctic regions, or in reserves controlled by national oil interests.
"While most analysts agree that oil will remain vital for transportation, the current belief in a vibrant future for domestic natural gas -- driven by significant technological advances in the production of gases from unconventional fuel sources -- stands in contrast to the industry's thinking just a few years ago, which indicated that natural gas supplies in the United States would not grow dramatically," said Adams.
The survey further supports the optimism about a natural gas future by looking at several key perceptions:
-- While oil is expected to remain the single most widely used energy
source in the United States for some time, its usage is expected to
decline over time. The number of respondents that expect oil to remain
the most widely used overall energy source in the United States drops
16 points over the next five years -- sinking to 41 percent who
believe oil will dominate in 2015 from 57 percent who currently think
oil is the most widely used overall energy source.
-- In contrast, expectations that natural gas will be the most widely
used fuel source by 2015 double over the next five years, rising to
almost one quarter (24 percent) who believe it will dominate in 2015
from one in 10 respondents who see natural gas as the currently
dominant fuel source. Current industry thinking would indicate that
much of the rising demand for natural gas will be for power
generation.
-- Additionally, almost one in 10 respondents expects unconventional
natural gas to be the main source of energy in five years -- as well
as an additional 4 percent who think it will be liquid natural gas
(LNG) -- further elevating the status of natural gas in respondents'
views as a critical energy source.
-- When it comes to fossil fuel production, 85 percent of respondents
believe the domestic production of natural gas will increase in the
next five years, compared to only 45 percent who think American oil
production will increase during the same time period.
-- A higher percentage of survey respondents believe oil prices will
increase versus respondents that think natural gas prices will
increase. More than half (51 percent) believe the price of oil will
greatly increase over the next five years. In contrast, only 32
percent of respondents foresee the price of natural gas greatly
increasing in the same time period, probably due to the abundant
supply of natural gas versus increasingly constrained oil supplies.
Climate Change Legislation Expected to Pass; Industry and Consumers to Feel Impact
Survey respondents also were in accord regarding climate change legislation, anticipating some form of the legislation would pass within two years, but that it would penalize oil and gas companies, and increase fuel prices for consumers.
"According to our survey," said Adams, "a solid majority of respondents, 60 percent, think that some form of the climate change legislation currently under discussion in Congress will be finalized and passed within the next two years. A mere 14 percent think Congress will never pass such legislation."
While oil and gas professionals are split on whether or not climate change legislation will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they are united in their opinions that it will push consumer prices higher and penalize oil and gas companies:
-- More than 90 percent of respondents believe climate change legislation
will lead to higher gasoline and natural gas prices for consumers.
-- Three quarters (75 percent) of all respondents expect climate change
legislation will lead to significantly lower profits for oil and gas
companies and 68 percent say it will lead to more layoffs in the
industry.
-- Most oil and gas professionals (76 percent) believe that climate
change legislation is not likely to create more jobs for Americans.
"All of this speaks to a general concern about the effectiveness of governmental energy policies among oil and gas professionals," said Adams. "The survey reveals that most oil and gas professionals, 76 percent, think the energy industry is heading in the wrong direction and a similar amount, 63 percent, say it is in worse shape now than it was even a year ago."
Despite Concerns about Layoffs and Expense Cutting, Respondents are Optimistic about Exploration and Production Revenues
When the survey looked at recession-related business issues, it found that concerns about layoffs and expense cutting persisted among oil and gas professionals:
-- Almost one in two oil and gas professionals expects that layoffs in
the industry will increase over the next year.
-- Most oil and gas professionals say their companies are reducing
operating expenses (75 percent) and many say their companies are
reducing overall capital expenditures (56 percent) in response to the
recession.
Despite these concerns, respondents do not expect revenues to shrink in the various oil and gas industry sectors in the next year, with the exception of the refining sector:
-- 76 percent expect revenues to grow at national oil companies
-- 76 percent expect revenues to grow at international oil companies
-- 67 percent expect revenues to grow at independent exploration and
production companies
-- 61 percent expect revenues to grow at supply and service companies
-- 58 percent expect revenues to grow at outside energy consultancies
-- 35 percent expect revenues to grow at refining companies
The survey also shows that, contrary to speculation by many analysts about mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector, most oil and gas professionals do not currently see such activity at their own companies. When asked how their individual companies are responding to current oil and gas prices, only 14 percent say their company is pursuing a merger or acquisition.
"What we are seeing here is an underlying confidence in the sustainability of the oil and gas industry," said Adams. "Oil and gas companies have survived severe volatility over the past decades, and despite the current recession, these companies have sophisticated, adaptable business models and believe they can post healthy revenues well into the future."
Energy Independence will be Hard to Achieve in the Near Term
A final area of interest in the survey concerned energy independence. Oil and gas professionals are more or less evenly split on whether or not the United States can realistically achieve energy independence with 53 percent saying the United States can achieve independence while 46 percent say it cannot. Among the half that believes it is possible, most do not expect it for at least 15 years.
Concerns about independence from foreign oil are further complicated by climate change legislation. The majority of oil and gas professionals (62 percent) think climate change legislation will worsen the United States' dependence on foreign nations for oil.
Adams believes the survey responses reinforce the idea that oil and gas professionals are clearly looking to the future and that they see their industry as a vital part of the bridge to alternative energy and renewables. "Oil and gas will continue to be critical to meeting energy demand for many years to come, with natural gas playing an increasingly important role in our energy future. The oil and gas industry is healthy, innovative and enthusiastic about the opportunities before it," he added.
To view a graphic related to this survey, visit www.deloitte.com/us/OilSurvey2009. A high resolution version of the graphic is available upon request.
To obtain the full findings, contact Jon Rucket at 713-819-0712 (mobile) or 713-982-4217 (office) or jrucket@deloitte.com.
Survey Methodology
Deloitte conducted 200 quantitative interviews among oil and gas professionals from Oct. 30, 2009 to Nov. 5, 2009. All respondents were energy sector employees who have worked in the industry for at least five years, are college educated and earned at least $100,000 per year.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
"The survey numbers are striking," said Gary Adams, vice chairman and leader of Deloitte's oil and gas practice. "The overwhelming majority of survey respondents, 84 percent, say the best days for the natural gas industry are still ahead of us, despite today's low prices."
Current industry thinking would attribute this enthusiasm about natural gas to a surge in production from unconventional formations, such as shale and coal bed methane, and to the expectation that climate change legislation will increase the demand for gas-powered electricity generation.
Adams notes the survey confirms the increasingly common perception among many energy pundits that America's energy future will become more closely aligned with natural gas than we thought just a few years ago. In contrast, oil will continue to be a dominant fuel source for transportation for many years to come, but difficulties are expected to continue when it comes to finding and producing the fuel in the future, mainly because oil is increasingly found in challenging environments such as deep water and arctic regions, or in reserves controlled by national oil interests.
"While most analysts agree that oil will remain vital for transportation, the current belief in a vibrant future for domestic natural gas -- driven by significant technological advances in the production of gases from unconventional fuel sources -- stands in contrast to the industry's thinking just a few years ago, which indicated that natural gas supplies in the United States would not grow dramatically," said Adams.
The survey further supports the optimism about a natural gas future by looking at several key perceptions:
-- While oil is expected to remain the single most widely used energy
source in the United States for some time, its usage is expected to
decline over time. The number of respondents that expect oil to remain
the most widely used overall energy source in the United States drops
16 points over the next five years -- sinking to 41 percent who
believe oil will dominate in 2015 from 57 percent who currently think
oil is the most widely used overall energy source.
-- In contrast, expectations that natural gas will be the most widely
used fuel source by 2015 double over the next five years, rising to
almost one quarter (24 percent) who believe it will dominate in 2015
from one in 10 respondents who see natural gas as the currently
dominant fuel source. Current industry thinking would indicate that
much of the rising demand for natural gas will be for power
generation.
-- Additionally, almost one in 10 respondents expects unconventional
natural gas to be the main source of energy in five years -- as well
as an additional 4 percent who think it will be liquid natural gas
(LNG) -- further elevating the status of natural gas in respondents'
views as a critical energy source.
-- When it comes to fossil fuel production, 85 percent of respondents
believe the domestic production of natural gas will increase in the
next five years, compared to only 45 percent who think American oil
production will increase during the same time period.
-- A higher percentage of survey respondents believe oil prices will
increase versus respondents that think natural gas prices will
increase. More than half (51 percent) believe the price of oil will
greatly increase over the next five years. In contrast, only 32
percent of respondents foresee the price of natural gas greatly
increasing in the same time period, probably due to the abundant
supply of natural gas versus increasingly constrained oil supplies.
Climate Change Legislation Expected to Pass; Industry and Consumers to Feel Impact
Survey respondents also were in accord regarding climate change legislation, anticipating some form of the legislation would pass within two years, but that it would penalize oil and gas companies, and increase fuel prices for consumers.
"According to our survey," said Adams, "a solid majority of respondents, 60 percent, think that some form of the climate change legislation currently under discussion in Congress will be finalized and passed within the next two years. A mere 14 percent think Congress will never pass such legislation."
While oil and gas professionals are split on whether or not climate change legislation will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they are united in their opinions that it will push consumer prices higher and penalize oil and gas companies:
-- More than 90 percent of respondents believe climate change legislation
will lead to higher gasoline and natural gas prices for consumers.
-- Three quarters (75 percent) of all respondents expect climate change
legislation will lead to significantly lower profits for oil and gas
companies and 68 percent say it will lead to more layoffs in the
industry.
-- Most oil and gas professionals (76 percent) believe that climate
change legislation is not likely to create more jobs for Americans.
"All of this speaks to a general concern about the effectiveness of governmental energy policies among oil and gas professionals," said Adams. "The survey reveals that most oil and gas professionals, 76 percent, think the energy industry is heading in the wrong direction and a similar amount, 63 percent, say it is in worse shape now than it was even a year ago."
Despite Concerns about Layoffs and Expense Cutting, Respondents are Optimistic about Exploration and Production Revenues
When the survey looked at recession-related business issues, it found that concerns about layoffs and expense cutting persisted among oil and gas professionals:
-- Almost one in two oil and gas professionals expects that layoffs in
the industry will increase over the next year.
-- Most oil and gas professionals say their companies are reducing
operating expenses (75 percent) and many say their companies are
reducing overall capital expenditures (56 percent) in response to the
recession.
Despite these concerns, respondents do not expect revenues to shrink in the various oil and gas industry sectors in the next year, with the exception of the refining sector:
-- 76 percent expect revenues to grow at national oil companies
-- 76 percent expect revenues to grow at international oil companies
-- 67 percent expect revenues to grow at independent exploration and
production companies
-- 61 percent expect revenues to grow at supply and service companies
-- 58 percent expect revenues to grow at outside energy consultancies
-- 35 percent expect revenues to grow at refining companies
The survey also shows that, contrary to speculation by many analysts about mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector, most oil and gas professionals do not currently see such activity at their own companies. When asked how their individual companies are responding to current oil and gas prices, only 14 percent say their company is pursuing a merger or acquisition.
"What we are seeing here is an underlying confidence in the sustainability of the oil and gas industry," said Adams. "Oil and gas companies have survived severe volatility over the past decades, and despite the current recession, these companies have sophisticated, adaptable business models and believe they can post healthy revenues well into the future."
Energy Independence will be Hard to Achieve in the Near Term
A final area of interest in the survey concerned energy independence. Oil and gas professionals are more or less evenly split on whether or not the United States can realistically achieve energy independence with 53 percent saying the United States can achieve independence while 46 percent say it cannot. Among the half that believes it is possible, most do not expect it for at least 15 years.
Concerns about independence from foreign oil are further complicated by climate change legislation. The majority of oil and gas professionals (62 percent) think climate change legislation will worsen the United States' dependence on foreign nations for oil.
Adams believes the survey responses reinforce the idea that oil and gas professionals are clearly looking to the future and that they see their industry as a vital part of the bridge to alternative energy and renewables. "Oil and gas will continue to be critical to meeting energy demand for many years to come, with natural gas playing an increasingly important role in our energy future. The oil and gas industry is healthy, innovative and enthusiastic about the opportunities before it," he added.
To view a graphic related to this survey, visit www.deloitte.com/us/OilSurvey2009. A high resolution version of the graphic is available upon request.
To obtain the full findings, contact Jon Rucket at 713-819-0712 (mobile) or 713-982-4217 (office) or jrucket@deloitte.com.
Survey Methodology
Deloitte conducted 200 quantitative interviews among oil and gas professionals from Oct. 30, 2009 to Nov. 5, 2009. All respondents were energy sector employees who have worked in the industry for at least five years, are college educated and earned at least $100,000 per year.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Southern Company Breaks Ground on Biomass Plant
/PRNewswire/ -- Southern Power, the Southern Company subsidiary that acquires, builds, manages and owns wholesale generation assets, today took a major step in building one of the nation's largest biomass-fueled projects with a groundbreaking ceremony in Sacul, Texas.
"Southern Company continues to develop and deploy smarter and cleaner energy technologies, including increased energy efficiency, nuclear power, clean coal and renewables," said David Ratcliffe, Southern Company chairman, president and CEO. "This project represents another step in developing a diverse portfolio to meet the nation's growing energy demands."
"This is an exciting time for Southern Power as we expand our presence in the wholesale market and diversify our fuel mix with a renewable resource," said Southern Power President Ronnie Bates. "Southern Power has a reputation of helping its customers meet their energy needs in cost-effective, reliable and environmentally responsible manner and we're pleased to be a partner with Austin Energy on a project that supports their environmental goals."
Southern Power acquired the 100-megawatt project -- the Nacogdoches Generating Facility -- from American Renewables, LLC on Oct. 9, noting at the time that it would move ahead with construction and bring the plant on line in the summer of 2012. The plant's output is committed to Austin Energy in a 20-year agreement that will help the city of Austin, Texas, meet a 30-percent renewable energy goal.
As a Southern Company subsidiary, Southern Power supports the parent company's commitments to corporate responsibility, which include generating affordable and reliable electricity and reducing environmental impact. Southern Company has invested about $6.3 billion in environmental controls and plans to spend an additional $3.1 billion through 2011 to further reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury.
The company is committed to finding solutions to environmental issues that make technological, environmental, and economic sense.
The Nacogdoches plant is one of two Southern Company biomass projects. The Georgia Public Service Commission in March approved Georgia Power's application to convert its 96 megawatt Plant Mitchell near Albany, Ga., to biomass. Georgia Power is the Atlanta-based Southern Company subsidiary serving 2.25 million customers in 155 of Georgia's 159 counties.
Southern Company is evaluating the feasibility of converting five additional coal plants to biomass as well.
Construction of the Nacogdoches facility will take about 32 months and will generate about 300 construction jobs. Approximately 40 permanent jobs will be created to operate the plant.
Total cost of the project will be between $475 million and $500 million. The plant, which will be built on 165 acres, will be fueled with biomass materials, including forest residue from the surrounding areas, wood processing residues and clean municipal wood waste. The project will require approximately 1 million tons of fuel annually, which is planned to be procured within a 75-mile radius of the project site.
Southern Power is among the largest wholesale energy providers in the Southeast, meeting the electricity needs of municipalities, electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities. The company owns and operates more than 7,500 megawatts with facilities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina and has an additional 820 megawatts committed to construction in North Carolina and Texas.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
"Southern Company continues to develop and deploy smarter and cleaner energy technologies, including increased energy efficiency, nuclear power, clean coal and renewables," said David Ratcliffe, Southern Company chairman, president and CEO. "This project represents another step in developing a diverse portfolio to meet the nation's growing energy demands."
"This is an exciting time for Southern Power as we expand our presence in the wholesale market and diversify our fuel mix with a renewable resource," said Southern Power President Ronnie Bates. "Southern Power has a reputation of helping its customers meet their energy needs in cost-effective, reliable and environmentally responsible manner and we're pleased to be a partner with Austin Energy on a project that supports their environmental goals."
Southern Power acquired the 100-megawatt project -- the Nacogdoches Generating Facility -- from American Renewables, LLC on Oct. 9, noting at the time that it would move ahead with construction and bring the plant on line in the summer of 2012. The plant's output is committed to Austin Energy in a 20-year agreement that will help the city of Austin, Texas, meet a 30-percent renewable energy goal.
As a Southern Company subsidiary, Southern Power supports the parent company's commitments to corporate responsibility, which include generating affordable and reliable electricity and reducing environmental impact. Southern Company has invested about $6.3 billion in environmental controls and plans to spend an additional $3.1 billion through 2011 to further reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury.
The company is committed to finding solutions to environmental issues that make technological, environmental, and economic sense.
The Nacogdoches plant is one of two Southern Company biomass projects. The Georgia Public Service Commission in March approved Georgia Power's application to convert its 96 megawatt Plant Mitchell near Albany, Ga., to biomass. Georgia Power is the Atlanta-based Southern Company subsidiary serving 2.25 million customers in 155 of Georgia's 159 counties.
Southern Company is evaluating the feasibility of converting five additional coal plants to biomass as well.
Construction of the Nacogdoches facility will take about 32 months and will generate about 300 construction jobs. Approximately 40 permanent jobs will be created to operate the plant.
Total cost of the project will be between $475 million and $500 million. The plant, which will be built on 165 acres, will be fueled with biomass materials, including forest residue from the surrounding areas, wood processing residues and clean municipal wood waste. The project will require approximately 1 million tons of fuel annually, which is planned to be procured within a 75-mile radius of the project site.
Southern Power is among the largest wholesale energy providers in the Southeast, meeting the electricity needs of municipalities, electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities. The company owns and operates more than 7,500 megawatts with facilities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina and has an additional 820 megawatts committed to construction in North Carolina and Texas.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Biodiesel Returns More Energy To The Earth Than Ever, Study Finds
/PRNewswire/ -- Biodiesel is better than ever at harnessing the power of the sun and turning it into fuel. In fact, a study shows the fuel is returning more than four times the energy that it takes to make biodiesel.
Newly published research from the University of Idaho and U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that for every unit of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel, the return is 4.5 units of energy. This energy-in, energy-out ratio is "energy balance."
Biodiesel made from soybean oil has a high energy balance because the main energy source used to grow soybeans is solar.
"This gives Americans even more reason to put their faith in the environmental and societal benefits of biodiesel," said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. "The Environmental Protection Agency should take this into account when considering biodiesel's greenhouse gas reductions," he said.
Jobe was referring to EPA's proposed rule to implement the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). EPA used 2005 baseline numbers for petroleum and biodiesel to project carbon impact 22 years in the future. That stacks the deck in favor of petroleum.
"In its rulemaking, EPA should recognize that biodiesel production is growing more efficient, while oil exploration and drilling becomes more intensive each day," Jobe said.
The USDA/Idaho study finds key drivers that continue to make biodiesel an efficient fuel choice:
-- New seed varieties and management practices are upping soybean yields.
-- Farmers have minimized cultivation of the soil. These reduced tillage
practices have cut how much fuel they need to grow soybeans.
-- Modern soybean varieties have reduced the need for pesticides.
-- Today's soybean processing and biodiesel plants are more energy
efficient.
"Our research shows continued progress in the renewability of biodiesel production," said University of Idaho Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Assistant Professor Dev Shrestha. "Farmers, soybean processors and biodiesel producers are getting even better at using non-fossil resources and adopting other efficiencies that are leading to greater energy returns."
The new study is based on biodiesel produced from soybean oil, the largest share of the biodiesel market. Other abundant sources used for biodiesel included recycled cooking oil, fats and other plant oils, such as canola oil. Biodiesel is a clean-burning renewable fuel for diesel engines. It improves air quality and creates green-collar jobs. The NBB is the national trade association of the industry.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Newly published research from the University of Idaho and U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that for every unit of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel, the return is 4.5 units of energy. This energy-in, energy-out ratio is "energy balance."
Biodiesel made from soybean oil has a high energy balance because the main energy source used to grow soybeans is solar.
"This gives Americans even more reason to put their faith in the environmental and societal benefits of biodiesel," said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. "The Environmental Protection Agency should take this into account when considering biodiesel's greenhouse gas reductions," he said.
Jobe was referring to EPA's proposed rule to implement the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). EPA used 2005 baseline numbers for petroleum and biodiesel to project carbon impact 22 years in the future. That stacks the deck in favor of petroleum.
"In its rulemaking, EPA should recognize that biodiesel production is growing more efficient, while oil exploration and drilling becomes more intensive each day," Jobe said.
The USDA/Idaho study finds key drivers that continue to make biodiesel an efficient fuel choice:
-- New seed varieties and management practices are upping soybean yields.
-- Farmers have minimized cultivation of the soil. These reduced tillage
practices have cut how much fuel they need to grow soybeans.
-- Modern soybean varieties have reduced the need for pesticides.
-- Today's soybean processing and biodiesel plants are more energy
efficient.
"Our research shows continued progress in the renewability of biodiesel production," said University of Idaho Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Assistant Professor Dev Shrestha. "Farmers, soybean processors and biodiesel producers are getting even better at using non-fossil resources and adopting other efficiencies that are leading to greater energy returns."
The new study is based on biodiesel produced from soybean oil, the largest share of the biodiesel market. Other abundant sources used for biodiesel included recycled cooking oil, fats and other plant oils, such as canola oil. Biodiesel is a clean-burning renewable fuel for diesel engines. It improves air quality and creates green-collar jobs. The NBB is the national trade association of the industry.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
UGA licenses technology to make fuel from dead forests and agricultural waste
An innovative process for turning waste biomass—such as dead trees, agricultural waste and lumber byproducts—into a liquid fuel to power conventional engines has been licensed by the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. to Tolero Energy, LLC, a private biofuels company based in Sacramento, Calif. The technology represents a leap forward for the biofuels industry: the ultra-low-sulfur biofuel does not require additional refinement or processing before blending with biodiesel and petroleum diesel.
The exclusive license provides Tolero Energy global rights to the technology, including the right to grant sublicenses.
Tolero CEO Chris Churchill said the company will focus on the transportation fuels market as it completes development of the UGARF bio-oil technology. He expects to make product based on the technology available in the first half of 2010.
Lead inventor of the technology is Tom Adams, a retired member of the University of Georgia Faculty of Engineering. Co-inventors are John Goodrum, Manuel Garcia-Perez, Dan Geller and Joshua Pendergrass—all presently or previously associated with the UGA Faculty of Engineering.
“Fuel produced through this efficient technology, which uses dead biomass as the starting material, holds the promise of being highly economical, carbon-negative and environmentally acceptable,” said Adams, now an engineering consultant.
Tolero will use this low-cost, on-site process to turn non-food, waste biomass into sustainable and renewable forms of energy and industrial products. The biomass is heated at carefully controlled high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, a process known as fast pyrolysis. The vapors produced during pyrolysis rapidly condense into a bio-oil that can be added to biodiesel or petroleum diesel. Other pyrolysis by-products are gas and bio-char, which can be used as a soil amendment.
Dead trees are one of the major sources of waste biomass for Tolero, said Churchill. He explained, “Infestations of the mountain pine beetle have devastated forests in the western United States and Canada, killing over 40 million acres of pine trees. As the trees decompose and decay, they release millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, and the devastation has created a significant and dangerous fire hazard in the western forests.
“Harvesting dead trees and forest residue and converting them to renewable fuel and soil amendment products will help reduce the CO2 released into the atmosphere and reduce the fire danger. The recent fire in the Los Angeles foothills, which was fueled by years of highly flammable dead biomass build-up, is a prime example of a situation where this technology can be put to use. Tolero has the capability to establish pyrolysis facilities to process the dead underbrush and convert it to a renewable fuel that is easy to transport,” Churchill said.
Tolero also will convert other types of cellulosic biomass, such as agricultural waste and waste wood pallets, into renewable transportation fuels, heating fuels, soil amendments and industrial products.
“We are glad that our new business partner, Tolero, will be using biomass waste as starting material for the production of biodiesel,” said Gennaro Gama, senior technology manager at UGARF charged with the management of UGA’s bioenergy technologies. “Not only is this approach socially responsible, since it does not employ food crops as the source of biofuels, it also is ecologically sound, as it will open areas to reforestation and at the same time lead to the production of cost-efficient, sulfur-free fuels,” he said.
“This commercialization approach perfectly reflects the social and ecological concerns of UGA’s bioenergy researchers and the research partnership formed with Tolero,” Gama concluded.
UGARF performs the technology transfer function for the University of Georgia, taking assignment of patents and licensing such patents to the private sector in return for royalty income to support the research mission of the university. To learn more about technology commercialization at the University of Georgia, see http://www.ovpr.uga.edu/tco/industry/.
Tolero Energy LLC focuses on renewable transportation fuel from waste biomass. More information is available at www.toleroenergy.com.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
The exclusive license provides Tolero Energy global rights to the technology, including the right to grant sublicenses.
Tolero CEO Chris Churchill said the company will focus on the transportation fuels market as it completes development of the UGARF bio-oil technology. He expects to make product based on the technology available in the first half of 2010.
Lead inventor of the technology is Tom Adams, a retired member of the University of Georgia Faculty of Engineering. Co-inventors are John Goodrum, Manuel Garcia-Perez, Dan Geller and Joshua Pendergrass—all presently or previously associated with the UGA Faculty of Engineering.
“Fuel produced through this efficient technology, which uses dead biomass as the starting material, holds the promise of being highly economical, carbon-negative and environmentally acceptable,” said Adams, now an engineering consultant.
Tolero will use this low-cost, on-site process to turn non-food, waste biomass into sustainable and renewable forms of energy and industrial products. The biomass is heated at carefully controlled high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, a process known as fast pyrolysis. The vapors produced during pyrolysis rapidly condense into a bio-oil that can be added to biodiesel or petroleum diesel. Other pyrolysis by-products are gas and bio-char, which can be used as a soil amendment.
Dead trees are one of the major sources of waste biomass for Tolero, said Churchill. He explained, “Infestations of the mountain pine beetle have devastated forests in the western United States and Canada, killing over 40 million acres of pine trees. As the trees decompose and decay, they release millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, and the devastation has created a significant and dangerous fire hazard in the western forests.
“Harvesting dead trees and forest residue and converting them to renewable fuel and soil amendment products will help reduce the CO2 released into the atmosphere and reduce the fire danger. The recent fire in the Los Angeles foothills, which was fueled by years of highly flammable dead biomass build-up, is a prime example of a situation where this technology can be put to use. Tolero has the capability to establish pyrolysis facilities to process the dead underbrush and convert it to a renewable fuel that is easy to transport,” Churchill said.
Tolero also will convert other types of cellulosic biomass, such as agricultural waste and waste wood pallets, into renewable transportation fuels, heating fuels, soil amendments and industrial products.
“We are glad that our new business partner, Tolero, will be using biomass waste as starting material for the production of biodiesel,” said Gennaro Gama, senior technology manager at UGARF charged with the management of UGA’s bioenergy technologies. “Not only is this approach socially responsible, since it does not employ food crops as the source of biofuels, it also is ecologically sound, as it will open areas to reforestation and at the same time lead to the production of cost-efficient, sulfur-free fuels,” he said.
“This commercialization approach perfectly reflects the social and ecological concerns of UGA’s bioenergy researchers and the research partnership formed with Tolero,” Gama concluded.
UGARF performs the technology transfer function for the University of Georgia, taking assignment of patents and licensing such patents to the private sector in return for royalty income to support the research mission of the university. To learn more about technology commercialization at the University of Georgia, see http://www.ovpr.uga.edu/tco/industry/.
Tolero Energy LLC focuses on renewable transportation fuel from waste biomass. More information is available at www.toleroenergy.com.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Georgia Employers Take Action to Reduce Unnecessary Diesel Idling
No-idle zones improve air quality and reduce operational expense
Since the 2008 launch of The Clean Air Campaign’s Diesel Idling Reduction Program, more than 60 employers and property managers in Georgia have taken the initiative to reduce unnecessary diesel engine idling among their fleets and at their work sites. Made possible by a grant from the UPS Foundation, the program has also educated more than 15,000 drivers about the harmful effects of vehicle idling.
“There is a strong business case to be made for establishing a no-idle policy,” said Executive Director Kevin Green. “It not only keeps pollution out of the air, but it improves operational efficiency. Less gas, less fleet maintenance and less wear on engine components are significant bottom-line budget considerations for this policy.”
Loading docks and delivery areas are the hot spots where you can usually find idling diesel engines. This exhaust is not only dangerous to drivers. Exhaust can also enter office buildings through air intakes, doors and windows, and studies show that diesel exhaust contains 15 carcinogenic pollutants. In Georgia, more business leaders are starting to take action to prevent harmful idling.
“We saw an opportunity to make an immediate difference in the air quality in and around our parking garages,” said Sean Cabrey of LAZ Parking. “After joining The Clean Air Campaign’s Diesel Idling Reduction Program, we enlisted the help of our Atlanta clients, and printed more than 50 “no-idle zone” signs for all of our delivery areas.”
“No-idle programs are the types of forward-thinking initiatives that should go in the pages of a company’s corporate sustainability report,” continued Green. “As more employers set out to cultivate a greener internal culture, this is another step toward that goal.”
The Clean Air Campaign continues to help Georgia employers develop best practices and policies for reducing unnecessary diesel engine idling, providing free “no-idle zone” signage, distributing educational and marketing materials, and providing the tools necessary to measure the impact and success of the Diesel Idling Reduction Program.
For more information about the program or to learn how your company can become a no-idle program participant, visit CleanAirCampaign.org or call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624).
About The Clean Air Campaign
The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit organization that works with Georgia’s employers, commuters and schools to encourage actions that result in less traffic congestion and better air quality. To accomplish this goal, The Clean Air Campaign, along with its associate organizations, partners with more than 1,600 employers to create custom commute options programs; and annually helps thousands of commuters find commute alternatives that work for them, providing financial incentives to get them started. The Clean Air Campaign also protects public health by distributing Smog Alerts and empowers students, parents and teachers to play a positive role in reducing traffic and cleaning the air through a multi-faceted education program reaching elementary, middle and high schools.
Each day, these programs reduce 1.6 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 800 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624) or visit CleanAirCampaign.org.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Since the 2008 launch of The Clean Air Campaign’s Diesel Idling Reduction Program, more than 60 employers and property managers in Georgia have taken the initiative to reduce unnecessary diesel engine idling among their fleets and at their work sites. Made possible by a grant from the UPS Foundation, the program has also educated more than 15,000 drivers about the harmful effects of vehicle idling.
“There is a strong business case to be made for establishing a no-idle policy,” said Executive Director Kevin Green. “It not only keeps pollution out of the air, but it improves operational efficiency. Less gas, less fleet maintenance and less wear on engine components are significant bottom-line budget considerations for this policy.”
Loading docks and delivery areas are the hot spots where you can usually find idling diesel engines. This exhaust is not only dangerous to drivers. Exhaust can also enter office buildings through air intakes, doors and windows, and studies show that diesel exhaust contains 15 carcinogenic pollutants. In Georgia, more business leaders are starting to take action to prevent harmful idling.
“We saw an opportunity to make an immediate difference in the air quality in and around our parking garages,” said Sean Cabrey of LAZ Parking. “After joining The Clean Air Campaign’s Diesel Idling Reduction Program, we enlisted the help of our Atlanta clients, and printed more than 50 “no-idle zone” signs for all of our delivery areas.”
“No-idle programs are the types of forward-thinking initiatives that should go in the pages of a company’s corporate sustainability report,” continued Green. “As more employers set out to cultivate a greener internal culture, this is another step toward that goal.”
The Clean Air Campaign continues to help Georgia employers develop best practices and policies for reducing unnecessary diesel engine idling, providing free “no-idle zone” signage, distributing educational and marketing materials, and providing the tools necessary to measure the impact and success of the Diesel Idling Reduction Program.
For more information about the program or to learn how your company can become a no-idle program participant, visit CleanAirCampaign.org or call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624).
About The Clean Air Campaign
The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit organization that works with Georgia’s employers, commuters and schools to encourage actions that result in less traffic congestion and better air quality. To accomplish this goal, The Clean Air Campaign, along with its associate organizations, partners with more than 1,600 employers to create custom commute options programs; and annually helps thousands of commuters find commute alternatives that work for them, providing financial incentives to get them started. The Clean Air Campaign also protects public health by distributing Smog Alerts and empowers students, parents and teachers to play a positive role in reducing traffic and cleaning the air through a multi-faceted education program reaching elementary, middle and high schools.
Each day, these programs reduce 1.6 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 800 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624) or visit CleanAirCampaign.org.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Are your gas station's pumps set correctly?
Here is how to check a pump to see if you are getting the right amount you pay for at your gas station:
Whichever grade you are using, put EXACTLY 10 GALLONS in your tank, then look at the dollar amount, if the dollar amount is not EXACTLY 10 times the price of the fuel you have chosen, then the pumps are rigged or incorrectly set.
If you do find a station that is cheating, contact the Georgia Agriculture Department, and direct your comments to Tommy Irvin, Commissioner. In other states contact proper authorities.
(rec'd via email from concerned citizen)
Whichever grade you are using, put EXACTLY 10 GALLONS in your tank, then look at the dollar amount, if the dollar amount is not EXACTLY 10 times the price of the fuel you have chosen, then the pumps are rigged or incorrectly set.
If you do find a station that is cheating, contact the Georgia Agriculture Department, and direct your comments to Tommy Irvin, Commissioner. In other states contact proper authorities.
(rec'd via email from concerned citizen)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Continuous Descent: Saving Fuel and Reducing Noise for Airliners
Airline passengers arriving in Atlanta on early morning “redeye” flights during the past few months may have noticed something different during their descent to the runway. Instead of the typical sound of engine power rising and falling as the aircraft descended in a series of level flight steps, they may have noticed a quieter arrival – without the steps.
The changes were part of Georgia Tech’s flight-testing of “continuous descent arrivals,” a procedure designed to save fuel and time while producing environmental benefits by reducing both noise and emissions. Involving more than 600 flights, the Atlanta study was done in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), FedEx and Atlanta’s two dominant air carriers: Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways.
The continuous descent arrival procedure has already been studied at Louisville and Los Angeles airports. Proponents hope the 90-day test at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – currently the nation’s busiest airport – will move the concept one step closer to nationwide implementation. Estimates suggest that continuous descent arrivals could save a large airline as much as $80 million per year in fuel costs alone.
“In commercial aircraft, we see anywhere between 300 and 1,000 pounds of fuel saved for each arrival,” said John-Paul Clarke, director of the Air Transportation Laboratory at Georgia Tech and an associate professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering. “With fuel cost at $3 per gallon, that would amount to as much as $600 per arrival and could really add up for the airlines at a time when they need all the savings they can get.”
Because aircraft engines don’t throttle up and down during a continuous descent arrival, there are also significant reductions in noise and emissions. Keeping engines at idle power can cut emissions of nitrogen oxides by nearly a third, and reduce noise by 6 decibels along certain portions of the flight path – both significant reductions that would improve the environment in the vicinity of airports.
And the technique could cut two minutes off the approach and landing portion of a flight. While that doesn’t seem like much, it could result in more efficient utilization of aircraft and reductions in flight times for crews.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the nation’s busiest.
Continuous descent arrival is one in a series of improvements aimed at creating the next generation of air transportation technologies. The goal is to redesign the airspace to allow future airliners to travel the most efficient paths to their destinations.
Though the final numbers from the Atlanta evaluation won’t be known for several months, the potential savings have been demonstrated by more than 60,000 landings at Los Angeles with a continuous descent arrival technique developed by Georgia Tech. But adopting the procedure throughout the airspace system won’t be easy. Safety considerations must be paramount, and there are a number of optimization challenges caused by widely varying aircraft types, wind conditions and airport configurations.
“Imagine a line of aircraft descending through a long tube that’s fixed laterally and limited vertically to be within a narrow band,” explained Clarke. “If each airplane were like a ball with a different coefficient of friction, then when you put the balls in the tube at equal intervals, they would begin to catch up with one another. The ball with the lower coefficient would tend to catch up with the ball with a higher coefficient. That’s something that we have to work very hard to avoid.”
While the risks of getting aircraft too close are obvious – and governed by FAA rules on minimum spacing – too much spacing between landing aircraft can waste time and reduce airport throughput.
“The goal is to design a procedure that allows the aircraft engines to throttle back to idle power at the point of initial descent and to remain at idle power along the flight path to the runway as long as possible,“ Clarke added. “We have figured out how to put altitude and speed constraints along the flight path so they can stay at idle power as long as possible while achieving the required minimal spacing at the runway threshold.”
Determining those constraints requires detailed knowledge of the performance of each aircraft type in use. Clarke and his research team have obtained performance data for most Boeing aircraft, as well as some of those manufactured by Airbus. Based on the performance data, they have simulated the operation of each aircraft type under varying wind and weight conditions.
The researchers have also modeled variation in pilot behavior, because small differences in when flaps are deployed and landing gear lowered create variations in speed, which affect aircraft spacing.
Arrivals would be customized for each airport, taking into account wind and traffic patterns. And because the spacing between aircraft is determined well before they arrive at their destinations, adoption of the technique will require changes in the nation’s air traffic control system.
“The air traffic control system currently isn’t designed to allow the kind of fine-tuning we need, but I’m very optimistic about being able to change that,” said Clarke. “Throughout all the areas, the FAA and the airlines, there is a growing acceptance that this is a solution. We have been able to do the analysis, the flight-testing and the number crunching to show that it can be done.”
Clarke, who began the research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining Georgia Tech in 2005, believes the cost savings will ensure adoption of continuous descent arrivals. He compared the technique to the adoption of fuel-saving winglets, small vertical attachments that have replaced traditional wingtips on many aircraft.
“For years people knew that winglets provided better performance, but it costs money to install them,” he added. “When fuel got more expensive, airlines started installing winglets because the savings justified the costs. The benefits of continuous descent arrival may also take some time to be realized.”
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Research Horizons, Georgia Tech’s research magazine.
-----
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
The changes were part of Georgia Tech’s flight-testing of “continuous descent arrivals,” a procedure designed to save fuel and time while producing environmental benefits by reducing both noise and emissions. Involving more than 600 flights, the Atlanta study was done in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), FedEx and Atlanta’s two dominant air carriers: Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways.
The continuous descent arrival procedure has already been studied at Louisville and Los Angeles airports. Proponents hope the 90-day test at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – currently the nation’s busiest airport – will move the concept one step closer to nationwide implementation. Estimates suggest that continuous descent arrivals could save a large airline as much as $80 million per year in fuel costs alone.
“In commercial aircraft, we see anywhere between 300 and 1,000 pounds of fuel saved for each arrival,” said John-Paul Clarke, director of the Air Transportation Laboratory at Georgia Tech and an associate professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering. “With fuel cost at $3 per gallon, that would amount to as much as $600 per arrival and could really add up for the airlines at a time when they need all the savings they can get.”
Because aircraft engines don’t throttle up and down during a continuous descent arrival, there are also significant reductions in noise and emissions. Keeping engines at idle power can cut emissions of nitrogen oxides by nearly a third, and reduce noise by 6 decibels along certain portions of the flight path – both significant reductions that would improve the environment in the vicinity of airports.
And the technique could cut two minutes off the approach and landing portion of a flight. While that doesn’t seem like much, it could result in more efficient utilization of aircraft and reductions in flight times for crews.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the nation’s busiest.
Continuous descent arrival is one in a series of improvements aimed at creating the next generation of air transportation technologies. The goal is to redesign the airspace to allow future airliners to travel the most efficient paths to their destinations.
Though the final numbers from the Atlanta evaluation won’t be known for several months, the potential savings have been demonstrated by more than 60,000 landings at Los Angeles with a continuous descent arrival technique developed by Georgia Tech. But adopting the procedure throughout the airspace system won’t be easy. Safety considerations must be paramount, and there are a number of optimization challenges caused by widely varying aircraft types, wind conditions and airport configurations.
“Imagine a line of aircraft descending through a long tube that’s fixed laterally and limited vertically to be within a narrow band,” explained Clarke. “If each airplane were like a ball with a different coefficient of friction, then when you put the balls in the tube at equal intervals, they would begin to catch up with one another. The ball with the lower coefficient would tend to catch up with the ball with a higher coefficient. That’s something that we have to work very hard to avoid.”
While the risks of getting aircraft too close are obvious – and governed by FAA rules on minimum spacing – too much spacing between landing aircraft can waste time and reduce airport throughput.
“The goal is to design a procedure that allows the aircraft engines to throttle back to idle power at the point of initial descent and to remain at idle power along the flight path to the runway as long as possible,“ Clarke added. “We have figured out how to put altitude and speed constraints along the flight path so they can stay at idle power as long as possible while achieving the required minimal spacing at the runway threshold.”
Determining those constraints requires detailed knowledge of the performance of each aircraft type in use. Clarke and his research team have obtained performance data for most Boeing aircraft, as well as some of those manufactured by Airbus. Based on the performance data, they have simulated the operation of each aircraft type under varying wind and weight conditions.
The researchers have also modeled variation in pilot behavior, because small differences in when flaps are deployed and landing gear lowered create variations in speed, which affect aircraft spacing.
Arrivals would be customized for each airport, taking into account wind and traffic patterns. And because the spacing between aircraft is determined well before they arrive at their destinations, adoption of the technique will require changes in the nation’s air traffic control system.
“The air traffic control system currently isn’t designed to allow the kind of fine-tuning we need, but I’m very optimistic about being able to change that,” said Clarke. “Throughout all the areas, the FAA and the airlines, there is a growing acceptance that this is a solution. We have been able to do the analysis, the flight-testing and the number crunching to show that it can be done.”
Clarke, who began the research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining Georgia Tech in 2005, believes the cost savings will ensure adoption of continuous descent arrivals. He compared the technique to the adoption of fuel-saving winglets, small vertical attachments that have replaced traditional wingtips on many aircraft.
“For years people knew that winglets provided better performance, but it costs money to install them,” he added. “When fuel got more expensive, airlines started installing winglets because the savings justified the costs. The benefits of continuous descent arrival may also take some time to be realized.”
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Research Horizons, Georgia Tech’s research magazine.
-----
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Friday, December 12, 2008
Fuel From Fat
When the cost of diesel skyrocketed to more than $4 a gallon, Travis Sweat fought back. Using knowledge from the Internet and recycled oil from fast-food restaurants, he made his own fuel for $1 a gallon.
“I’d heard of other people (making their own fuel), and I knew there were several different ways to do it,” said Sweat, who has run his 1997 Ford F250 on a blend of waste vegetable oil for seven months.
Free oil is the base
Sweat, a game warden from Griffin, Ga., gets free used liquid fryer oil from a friend who owns a restaurant. He uses vegetable, peanut and soybean oils. Hydrogenated oil can’t be used.
Sweat filters the oil twice and puts it through a water separator. It takes 30 minutes to process a 55-gallon batch of fuel. “Basically, I just pour a few things in a drum, filter it and I’m ready to go,” he said.
Sweat’s recipe is 80 percent oil, 15 percent to 20 percent diesel and 5 percent gasoline.
His fuel isn’t biodiesel, which is “harder to make and requires more chemicals,” he said. WVO fuel blend can only run in certain types of engines and injection systems, Sweat said. It won’t work at all in newer trucks.
A smooth ride
When Sweat switches his truck from diesel to his WVO blend, he likes the difference. “The engine gets really quiet and smooth, and it runs a lot better,” he said. “There used to be a rough idle at stop signs, and now there isn’t.”
Sweat’s wife, Stephanie, has faith in her husband’s homemade fuel. She must. She drives the truck to work and to run errands around town.
Sweat admits, though, his greatest concern is engine failure.
“It was a little scary at first,” he said. “If you blow a diesel engine, you’re looking at $5,000 to $10,000 to replace it.”
A matter of time
Sweat should be careful, said Dan Geller, a researcher with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. From an engineering standpoint, the fuels he’s burning won’t work for long.
“The engineer in me says this is a bad idea because of the potential for disaster,” Geller said. “But the practical, environmental side of me says it’s great. It’s just not for the faint of heart.”
With WVO, not all the oil combusts, he said, and over time carbon builds up in the engine and will damage it.
The problem is chemical not physical. “The molecules in the oil are big molecules, relatively speaking, compared to diesel molecules,” Geller said. “You can thin it all you want, but you aren’t changing the molecule structure.”
Do you feel lucky?
Geller has met hundreds of people who have used WVO in their vehicles for up to five years with no problems. He also knows some who have had unsuccessful ventures with WVO and other homemade fuel recipes.
“If you’re mindful of what you’re doing and are very mechanically inclined, go ahead and try it,” he said. “I wouldn’t personally do it.”
Geller has conducted numerous experiments with biodiesel, he said, and would use it in his own vehicle. “With biodiesel, you go to the pump, you put it in and you don’t have to think about it.”
WVO blended fuel is better for the environment, runs much cleaner than petroleum, is a renewable resource and relieves some of our dependence on foreign oil, he said. “But you can get all the same advantages from biodiesel, and you don’t have to make it yourself.”
By Sharon Dowdy
University of Georgia
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
“I’d heard of other people (making their own fuel), and I knew there were several different ways to do it,” said Sweat, who has run his 1997 Ford F250 on a blend of waste vegetable oil for seven months.
Free oil is the base
Sweat, a game warden from Griffin, Ga., gets free used liquid fryer oil from a friend who owns a restaurant. He uses vegetable, peanut and soybean oils. Hydrogenated oil can’t be used.
Sweat filters the oil twice and puts it through a water separator. It takes 30 minutes to process a 55-gallon batch of fuel. “Basically, I just pour a few things in a drum, filter it and I’m ready to go,” he said.
Sweat’s recipe is 80 percent oil, 15 percent to 20 percent diesel and 5 percent gasoline.
His fuel isn’t biodiesel, which is “harder to make and requires more chemicals,” he said. WVO fuel blend can only run in certain types of engines and injection systems, Sweat said. It won’t work at all in newer trucks.
A smooth ride
When Sweat switches his truck from diesel to his WVO blend, he likes the difference. “The engine gets really quiet and smooth, and it runs a lot better,” he said. “There used to be a rough idle at stop signs, and now there isn’t.”
Sweat’s wife, Stephanie, has faith in her husband’s homemade fuel. She must. She drives the truck to work and to run errands around town.
Sweat admits, though, his greatest concern is engine failure.
“It was a little scary at first,” he said. “If you blow a diesel engine, you’re looking at $5,000 to $10,000 to replace it.”
A matter of time
Sweat should be careful, said Dan Geller, a researcher with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. From an engineering standpoint, the fuels he’s burning won’t work for long.
“The engineer in me says this is a bad idea because of the potential for disaster,” Geller said. “But the practical, environmental side of me says it’s great. It’s just not for the faint of heart.”
With WVO, not all the oil combusts, he said, and over time carbon builds up in the engine and will damage it.
The problem is chemical not physical. “The molecules in the oil are big molecules, relatively speaking, compared to diesel molecules,” Geller said. “You can thin it all you want, but you aren’t changing the molecule structure.”
Do you feel lucky?
Geller has met hundreds of people who have used WVO in their vehicles for up to five years with no problems. He also knows some who have had unsuccessful ventures with WVO and other homemade fuel recipes.
“If you’re mindful of what you’re doing and are very mechanically inclined, go ahead and try it,” he said. “I wouldn’t personally do it.”
Geller has conducted numerous experiments with biodiesel, he said, and would use it in his own vehicle. “With biodiesel, you go to the pump, you put it in and you don’t have to think about it.”
WVO blended fuel is better for the environment, runs much cleaner than petroleum, is a renewable resource and relieves some of our dependence on foreign oil, he said. “But you can get all the same advantages from biodiesel, and you don’t have to make it yourself.”
By Sharon Dowdy
University of Georgia
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Friday, December 5, 2008
UGA Researchers Looking to Turn Fruit into Fuel
Half of all the fruit grown in Georgia is never eaten by people or animals. It rots in the fields. A University of Georgia researcher says that spoiled fruit could fuel cars.
That wasted fruit can be converted into bioethanol through a fermentation process, said Elliot Altman, program coordinator for the UGA Center for Molecular Bioengineering.
“All fruits are 10 percent sugar, or potentially 5 percent ethanol,” said Altman, an engineer with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “It’s a real opportunity.”
The fermentation process could create a high-protein byproduct, which can be used in animal feed, called dried distillers grain. The largest opportunity in Georgia lies in watermelons and peaches. Last year, the state harvested one billion pounds of watermelon and more than 61 million pounds of peaches. The same amount rotted in the fields.
The fruit is left behind because it doesn’t make the grade for commercial sale. Consumers don’t want fruit that doesn’t look perfect, even though it is fine to eat in most cases. Some of the discarded fruit is used in preserves and juice, but 50 percent never leaves the field.
Ethanol conversion is not possible on a small scale like biodiesel operations. Getting enough commodity groups excited about converting the waste to fuel is one battle Altman hopes legislation may help with.
“One farmer isn’t big enough to set up operation,” he said. “If packers knew in advance the fruit would be used for something, they could gather it in a separate place for transport to the ethanol plant.”
Government regulations mandate the blending of 5 percent ethanol into gasoline by 2009 and 10 percent by 2011. The Renewable Fuel Standard program will increase the volume of renewable fuel required to be blended into gasoline from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons by 2022.
But, ethanol plants aren’t cheap.
“You can’t build a small plant,” he said. “To be cost effective, most experts agree that a plant would need to produce at least 10 million gallons of ethanol a year.”
Altman and his colleague Mark Eiteman, a biological and agricultural engineering professor, are working on techniques to simplify the commercial ethanol plant, making it cheaper to produce ethanol and DDG.
For example, their group has researched adding expired table sugars to increase the ethanol yields that can be obtained. Access to waste fruit is not a year-round venture, he said.
“Even with a couple of fruits, a fruit-ethanol plant would only be operational for half a year, and the infrastructure for an ethanol plant is a significant investment,” Altman said.
Altman is currently researching several other products – like grain sorghum – that could be used when the fruit is not available.
“It has silo storage capability and is able to grow in areas of Georgia not suitable for anything else,” he said. “It does not take away from other crops and would not hurt the food market.”
Georgia also has potential to produce ethanol from bakery waste. “We have a unique niche in the Atlanta area with our bakeries.”
By April Sorrow
University of Georgia
April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
-----
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
That wasted fruit can be converted into bioethanol through a fermentation process, said Elliot Altman, program coordinator for the UGA Center for Molecular Bioengineering.
“All fruits are 10 percent sugar, or potentially 5 percent ethanol,” said Altman, an engineer with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “It’s a real opportunity.”
The fermentation process could create a high-protein byproduct, which can be used in animal feed, called dried distillers grain. The largest opportunity in Georgia lies in watermelons and peaches. Last year, the state harvested one billion pounds of watermelon and more than 61 million pounds of peaches. The same amount rotted in the fields.
The fruit is left behind because it doesn’t make the grade for commercial sale. Consumers don’t want fruit that doesn’t look perfect, even though it is fine to eat in most cases. Some of the discarded fruit is used in preserves and juice, but 50 percent never leaves the field.
Ethanol conversion is not possible on a small scale like biodiesel operations. Getting enough commodity groups excited about converting the waste to fuel is one battle Altman hopes legislation may help with.
“One farmer isn’t big enough to set up operation,” he said. “If packers knew in advance the fruit would be used for something, they could gather it in a separate place for transport to the ethanol plant.”
Government regulations mandate the blending of 5 percent ethanol into gasoline by 2009 and 10 percent by 2011. The Renewable Fuel Standard program will increase the volume of renewable fuel required to be blended into gasoline from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons by 2022.
But, ethanol plants aren’t cheap.
“You can’t build a small plant,” he said. “To be cost effective, most experts agree that a plant would need to produce at least 10 million gallons of ethanol a year.”
Altman and his colleague Mark Eiteman, a biological and agricultural engineering professor, are working on techniques to simplify the commercial ethanol plant, making it cheaper to produce ethanol and DDG.
For example, their group has researched adding expired table sugars to increase the ethanol yields that can be obtained. Access to waste fruit is not a year-round venture, he said.
“Even with a couple of fruits, a fruit-ethanol plant would only be operational for half a year, and the infrastructure for an ethanol plant is a significant investment,” Altman said.
Altman is currently researching several other products – like grain sorghum – that could be used when the fruit is not available.
“It has silo storage capability and is able to grow in areas of Georgia not suitable for anything else,” he said. “It does not take away from other crops and would not hurt the food market.”
Georgia also has potential to produce ethanol from bakery waste. “We have a unique niche in the Atlanta area with our bakeries.”
By April Sorrow
University of Georgia
April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
-----
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Siemens and USDA/ARS Partner in Pilot to Convert Second Generation Biofuel Feedstocks to Fuels and Chemicals
PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. and the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that will improve the processes used to convert second generation, non-food-based, biofuel feedstocks, including perennial grasses, animal wastes and agricultural residues such as corn stover, into liquid bio-fuel intermediates, such as bio-oil.
As part of the CRADA, Logical Innovations of Richmond, Va., will work with researchers at USDA/ARS's Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, Pa., to improve on pyrolysis oil production via innovative control technologies. They will install a distributed control system (DCS) based on Siemens SIMATIC(R) PCS 7 Box technology on ERRC's bench scale, fluidized bed pyrolysis system that heats the biomass in a reactor and converts it to liquid bio-oil, bio-char, and synthetic gas. The project will be commissioned in late 2008.
"We think distributed control will help accelerate second generation biofuels and biochemicals development by improving the repeatability, consistency and efficiency of our research processes," said USDA/ARS Research Leader Dr. Kevin Hicks.
According to Dave Hankins, vice president of Siemens Chemical and Pharmaceutical Center of Competence, the PCS 7 Box technology provides a new level of flexibility to biofuels producers, as well as improves worker safety and equipment protection.
"Siemens is proud to partner with the USDA in this important, environmentally friendly, pilot program," Hankins said. "This investment in the future of second generation feedstocks is another example of Siemens commitment to alternative fuel development and production. New feedstocks that can be quickly and easily processed will benefit the nation and the biochemicals and biofuels industries."
About Siemens:
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens' operating companies in the U.S. Headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. manufactures and markets one of the world's broadest ranges of electrical and electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and turnkey industrial systems. For more information: www.sea.siemens.com.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
As part of the CRADA, Logical Innovations of Richmond, Va., will work with researchers at USDA/ARS's Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, Pa., to improve on pyrolysis oil production via innovative control technologies. They will install a distributed control system (DCS) based on Siemens SIMATIC(R) PCS 7 Box technology on ERRC's bench scale, fluidized bed pyrolysis system that heats the biomass in a reactor and converts it to liquid bio-oil, bio-char, and synthetic gas. The project will be commissioned in late 2008.
"We think distributed control will help accelerate second generation biofuels and biochemicals development by improving the repeatability, consistency and efficiency of our research processes," said USDA/ARS Research Leader Dr. Kevin Hicks.
According to Dave Hankins, vice president of Siemens Chemical and Pharmaceutical Center of Competence, the PCS 7 Box technology provides a new level of flexibility to biofuels producers, as well as improves worker safety and equipment protection.
"Siemens is proud to partner with the USDA in this important, environmentally friendly, pilot program," Hankins said. "This investment in the future of second generation feedstocks is another example of Siemens commitment to alternative fuel development and production. New feedstocks that can be quickly and easily processed will benefit the nation and the biochemicals and biofuels industries."
About Siemens:
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens' operating companies in the U.S. Headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. manufactures and markets one of the world's broadest ranges of electrical and electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and turnkey industrial systems. For more information: www.sea.siemens.com.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Monday, October 13, 2008
East Coast Ethanol, LLC Will Become Biggest Supplier to Southeast U.S.
East Coast Ethanol, LLC is announcing the construction of a new 110-million gallon per year,
$216 million corn-based ethanol production facility near Jesup in Wayne County, Georgia.
The new Georgia ethanol operation is part of an $871 million investment by ECE - one of four plants to be built in the Southeast U.S. that will help solve the growing need for ethanol
fuel and our Nation's energy crisis by providing home-grown renewable fuel. This grassroots U.S. based firm will hire more than 40 employees locally and generate over $100,000,000 annually to the local economy.
_____
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
$216 million corn-based ethanol production facility near Jesup in Wayne County, Georgia.
The new Georgia ethanol operation is part of an $871 million investment by ECE - one of four plants to be built in the Southeast U.S. that will help solve the growing need for ethanol
fuel and our Nation's energy crisis by providing home-grown renewable fuel. This grassroots U.S. based firm will hire more than 40 employees locally and generate over $100,000,000 annually to the local economy.
_____
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
