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Earth News
May 31, 2008
- The Daily Five: Saturday, 31 May, 2008
Climate scientists reconcile a long-standing challenge to global warming predictions; space energy gets dragged out of the realm of sci-fi; and the ethanol industry pays the price for its own success. Welcome to the weekend — and your Saturday edition of The Daily Five.
Apparent Problem With Global Warming Climate Models Resolved: A nagging difficulty with global warming models has been a discrepancy between predicted upper atmosphere temperatures in the tropics and what scientists have actually been able to measure. Now a pair of Yale scientists have developed a more accurate method of measuring temperatures aloft than using thermometers. Robert J. Allen and Steven C. Sherwood arrived at the idea of observing changes in upper atmosphere winds, then calculating the temperatures which would be required to produce those changes. Using the new methodology, the pair estimates that 10 km temperatures have risen approximately 0.65 degrees Celsius per decade since 1970 — right in line with what the best climate models predict. (Science Daily)
How to harvest solar power? Beam it down from space!: The idea of beaming down solar energy collected in space has been around since the Sixties, but has always seemed less financial than technically possible. Skyrocketing energy prices have brought the idea back to the table. Pranav Mehta, director of Indian operations for the California-based Space Island Group, thinks the concept will become both practical and necessary in the next two decades. Mehta says the nation or nations which successfully place solar farms in orbit will become the next energy superpower. The idea is to place miles-long solar photovoltaic arrays in a geosynchronous orbit, then use microwaves to send the power to Earth. It’s likely to face a high level of scrutiny over safety concerns. (CNN)
Sunk: Shippers Try to Balance Fuel and Emissions Worries: Practically all bulk cargo from overseas gets transported by container ships. Maritime shipping — with its carbon-belching engines and gunky, sulfur-rich fuel oil — isn’t the planet’s most environmentally friendly economic sector. The industry is responding to green concerns by building larger, more efficient ships. They’re also moving to diesel fuels. But, as the Wall Street Journal reports, this isn’t entirely welcome news. Sea shipping could require up to 10 million barrels a day of diesel by 2025. That’s over half the projected demand of the developed nations during the same period. There just won’t be enough diesel to go around. (WSJ.com)
Maria Energia Hits the Road for Renewables: Maria Surma Manka has been on the road this week. liveblogging from a American Petroleum Institute/Newsweek-sponsored discussion series tagged Energy’s Future is in Technology: Innovation in Energy Supply, Energy Efficiency and Alternative/Renewable Energy. You’ll find Maria’s summaries here, here, here, and here. On Sunday, Maria Energia will begin reporting from the American Wind Association’s Windpower Expo in Houston. Well worth a read. (Maria Energia)
High Summer Corn Prices to Squeeze Ethanol: Corn-based ethanol production is beginning to be crushed under its own weight. Fuel demand for corn stocks is driving market speculation, with price-per-bushel futures averaging about $4.66. Since ethanol currently is going for $2.30 a gallon on the West Coast, producers will find it difficult to preserve profit margins. And that assumes a normal growing season, free from widespread drought or crop failures. (Earth2Tech)
- 5 months
source: (EcoTech Daily) - South Africa to Introduce Electric Vehicles
People’s Daily. South African-designed battery-electric passenger vehicles will be unveiled by early next year. The development of the prototype involves a range of stakeholders, including South African universities and industry.
Boni Mehlomakulu, group executive of the department’s [Department of Science & Technology] research, development and innovation program, told SAPA that both a passenger and a utility vehicle were currently being developed.
The passenger vehicle, “designed by a former Jaguar designer,” was a six-seater. It had a range of between 100 km and 400 km, depending on the speed at which it was driven, and the roof incorporated solar panels to help charge the battery when it was parked in the sun. The utility vehicle, which Mehlomakulu described as “like a panel van,” was a three-seater.
The vehicles will use batteries imported from China.
Initial production in 2010 is planned to be about 4,000 vehicles per year. Initially, the vehicles are intended for use in the government fleet.
- 5 months
source: (Green Car Congress) - Seattle Mayor Introduces City’s First PHEV
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels unveiled the first of four converted plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) the city of Seattle will test over the next year. (Earlier post.)
The first Seattle PHEV. Last October, the city of Seattle joined with the Port of Seattle, King County and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to test the performance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in an urban area. With funding from the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) matched by the participants, 13 Priuses are being converted to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The total cost is $156,000.
The city of Seattle will operate four of the converted Priuses, King County will operate four, the Port of Seattle will have two and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will have three. The plug-in conversion kits are provided by Hymotion packs from A123Systems.
Three of the four city of Seattle Priuses are used by City Light and the other is in the city’s general-use motor pool. With 330 Priuses in its fleet, Seattle has the largest fleet of Priuses in the state. In addition, the city fleet includes 47 smaller electric vehicles, including 22 scooters, two electric bikes, one neighborhood electric cart and 22 Segways.
The plug-in Prius conversions cost $12,000 per vehicle. The conversion includes the installation of equipment by Seattle company V2Green that will automatically collect on-road data from each vehicle. (Earlier post.) The data gathered will add to the IN’s growing database on PHEVs and support the federal government’s vehicle development projects. V2Green’s equipment will also allow Seattle City Light to remotely control vehicle charging.
- 5 months
source: (Green Car Congress) - Mercedes-Benz Actros Takes Guinness Record For Most-Efficient Series-Production Truck
The Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer/tractor combination has entered the Guinness World Records as the most fuel-efficient 40-tonne truck, with fuel consumption of 19.44 liters of diesel per 100 km— the equivalent less than 0.8 liters per hundred tonne-kilometers (tkm)—during a test drive of more than 12,728 kilometers.
The consumption was determined during a seven-day round-the-clock test drive, with a standard-specification Actros hauling more than 25 tonnes of payload at an average speed of 80 kph around a test course in Nardo, Italy.
The Actros also reduces CO2 emissions to 20.5 grams per tonne of payload and kilometer (g/tkm). By comparison, a theoretical "one-liter car" would produce 53 g/tkm. Today’s hybrid passenger cars produce 297 g/tkm of CO2. Even in normal traffic, the 40-tonne trailer/tractor combination performs significantly better, boasting fuel consumption figures between 30 and 35 liters, and 30 to 37 g/tkm of CO2.
The fuel consumption test for the new Mercedes-Benz Actros was monitored by DEKRA (the German automotive inspection agency) under ideal conditions at the test site in Nardo.
The fuel consumption test in Nardo also illustrates what factors increase fuel consumption on the road: inadequate traffic infrastructure and a lack of traffic management, incorrect vehicle configuration, inadequate vehicle maintenance and actual driving style. The measurements in Nardo confirmed the figures from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), according to which the instantaneous fuel consumption of a 40-tonne trailer/tractor combination can triple if the vehicle is forced to stop twice every kilometer, instead of travelling unimpeded at 50 kph.
Correct vehicle configuration can also influence fuel consumption. Failure to order additional aerodynamic equipment when purchasing the vehicle can see fuel consumption increase by 10%, according to Daimler. Correctly adjusting the wind deflectors on the cab can on its own improve fuel consumption by up to 4%.
Even apparently minor details such as incorrectly tightened or flapping tarpaulins will inexorably push up diesel consumption. By contrast, the aerodynamic A-pillar panelling available ex-factory for the new Mercedes-Benz Actros at no extra cost can reduce fuel consumption by one percent.
The same applies to tires. Mercedes-Benz offers Super-wide tires for its trucks instead of the twin tires on the rear axle. Potential fuel savings of up to 2% have been measured in tests. Insufficient tire pressure can increase fuel consumption by up to 8%. Around 30% of all trucks on the road have insufficient tire pressure.
The test drives with the Mercedes-Benz Actros showed that under optimum conditions the vehicle technology accounts for just about 60% of the fuel consumed by a 40-tonne trailer/trailer combination. Traffic conditions, topography, vehicle configuration and maintenance make up the various factors in the remaining 40% or so, i.e. between 10 and 15 liters per 100 kilometers. Traffic planners, dispatchers, fleet decision-makers and drivers can influence many of these parameters.
- 5 months
source: (Green Car Congress) - Dubai Internet City supports World Environment Day (AME Info)
Dubai Internet City (DIC), one of the largest managed ICT clusters in the region and a member of TECOM Investments, marked World Environment Day on June 5th, 2008 by making a significant contribution to a number of recycling drives in the region. - 5 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - Poll: 64% of UK Motorists Put Fuel Economy as Top Consideration For New Car
Almost two-thirds of UK motorists say fuel economy is the number one priority when buying a new car, according to a new survey by Motorpoint, the UK’s leading car supermarket group. The poll found that 64% of people regarded fuel economy as the key consideration when changing their vehicle—a clear indication, according to Motorpoint, that the escalating cost of fuel is having a direct effect of people’s buying behavior.
In the past month, diesel prices in the UK have risen by their highest margin this century and are now almost 12 pence per liter more expensive than gasoline, according to the UK’s Automobile Association (AA). The current average price per liter of diesel across the UK is £1.293 (US$9.70). High petroleum prices have also fueled a near-record rise in gasoline prices; the average price of unleaded gasoline across the country is currently £1.158/liter (US$8.69/gallon).
Motorpoint’s sales figures show a sharp rise in sales of small cars such as Ford Fiesta, Fiat Grande Punto, Renault Clio and Vauxhall Corsa for the first quarter of 2008 as drivers look for ways of offsetting these recent price hikes at the pumps.
- 5 months
source: (Green Car Congress) - Lieberman-Warner, going nowhere
The formation of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership was a landmark moment in the long history of efforts to get the federal government to regulate greenhouse gases. But the alliance of big companies and NGOs has split over the Lieberman-Warner bill that is headed for the Senate floor—without enough votes to pass. - 5 months
source: (GreenBiz.com) - Galapagos eruption no threat to giant turtles
QUITO (Reuters) - A volcano in the Galapagos islands that spewed molten lava is not a threat to 100-year-old giant tortoises living around the crater, island officials said on Friday.- 5 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - Galapagos eruption no threat to giant turtles
QUITO (Reuters) - A volcano in the Galapagos islands that spewed molten lava is not a threat to 100-year-old giant tortoises living around the crater, island officials said on Friday.- 5 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - For a new source of energy, just say 'Cheese'
Some cheese-making French monks have come up with an innovative way to reduce their electricity bills.
- 5 months
source: (Environmental News) - Talking Business: At Exxon’s Can’t-Miss Meeting
Arguments about global warming have become so bitter and passionate that they can divide families. Even the Rockefellers.
- 5 months
source: (NYT > Environment) - Off the Charts: It’s Easier to Be Green if It Also Saves Money
The Federal Highway Administration estimates that in March Americans drove 4.3 percent fewer miles than they did at the same time of the year last year.
- 5 months
source: (NYT > Environment) - Executive Pursuits: Before the Hunt, a Lesson With a High Flier
Falconry is an ancient sport that originated as a means of survival for both human beings and birds. Hunting is what it is all about.
- 5 months
source: (NYT > Environment) - "La Nina" effect may be behind Mexico shark attacks
ZIHUATANEJO, Mexico (Reuters) - Cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures due to the La Nina phenomenon may be partly responsible for a spate of fatal shark attacks off Mexico's Pacific coast, a U.S. shark expert said on Friday.- 5 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - "La Nina" effect may be behind Mexico shark attacks
ZIHUATANEJO, Mexico (Reuters) - Cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures due to the La Nina phenomenon may be partly responsible for a spate of fatal shark attacks off Mexico's Pacific coast, a U.S. shark expert said on Friday.- 5 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - Apparent Problem With Global Warming Climate Models Resolved
Yale University scientists may have resolved a controversial glitch in models of global warming: A key part of the atmosphere didn't seem to be warming as expected. Computer models and basic principles predict atmospheric temperatures should rise slightly faster than, not lag, increases in surface temperatures. Also, the models predict the fastest warming should occur at the Tropics at an altitude between eight and 12 kilometers. However, temperature readings taken from weather balloons and satellites have, according to most analysts, shown little if any warming there compared to the surface. - 5 months
source: (ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News)
May 30, 2008
- Galapagos volcano eruption threatens giant turtles
QUITO (Reuters) - A volcano in the Galapagos islands spewed molten lava, threatening 100-year-old giant tortoises living around the crater, island officials said on Friday.- 5 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - Galapagos volcano eruption threatens giant turtles
QUITO (Reuters) - A volcano in the Galapagos islands spewed molten lava, threatening 100-year-old giant tortoises living around the crater, island officials said on Friday.- 5 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - Carbon offset beer wins environment award (ABC via Yahoo!7 News)
A program that helps volunteers become involved with community environment projects and a new carbon neutral beer are among the winners of Tasmanian environmental awards. - 5 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - Himachal launches environment audit for all Govt depts (IE via Yahoo! India News)
In a move aimed at making Himachal a "carbon neutral" state, the Prem Kumar Dhumal Government on Friday launched an environment audit plan for all departments, PSUs and institutions, asking for voluntary efforts to cut down energy costs and reduce environmental pollution. - 5 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment)