Alternative Fuels Now

Use of solar energy is becoming more and more popular every day. The price of electricity is rising and the best alternative that we have today is using solar energy. We all know that global warming is on an everyday rise today. The main reason for this being burning of fossil fuels like coal,which in turn is being used to produce electricity,so if we want our future to be safe, this is the time we step forward and start using solar technology

NEED FOR ELECTRICAL POWER
Arguments that have constantly supported that electricity is of utmost importance and needs to remain are:

1) Need for light and power after it becomes dark 2) Need for appliances to work so that the food we eat remains edible.
We would be greatly interrupted in our daily routine if we did not have power or electricity for large portion of day. Not being able to use electricity for either work or entertainment would be a great hamper on life as we know it.

VARIETY OF SOLAR ENERGY PRODUCTS
The main reason that many people don’t use solar energy is because they are not aware of what all it has to offer. Thsi being stated that they are not aware of what all products are available that can be used with the help of solar energy for an average home. In fact, you can install solar energy systems that range from small portable systems for your vacation home to large permanent solar energy systems that are built right into your home as either a standalone system or a grid system. It is this wide-ranging versatility coupled with the fact that it is a renewable easily available power source that makes it such a great thing.

Turning sunflowers into energy By ratcliffstrategies But the challenge remains of finding a way to break down this biomass into a form that can be readily and cost-effectively converted into renewable fuels. Much remains to be done, though much already has been done at Auburn and other …

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Convert your car to run on water - save gas, save your car, save money and save the planet.
Fox News recently broadcasted an interesting and very important video report. A savvy automobile owner has come up with a very simple yet incredibly efficient way of boosting his old car’s gas mileage by up to 100% - that means several thousands of dollars economy every year.
The creator claims that his developed invention converts water into a gas called HHO (2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen). Also called Brown’s gas or Hydroxy burns better than regular gas at our fuel pumps and provides more energy. This process is often referred to as Hydrogen Fuel Cell conversion.

Gas prices are on constant rise and the fuel economy question is starting to get very serious. More hybrid cars are sold all over the world, concepts of electric cars and Hydrogen fuel cell cars are developed in almost any country and finally there is a way for you to add a little something to fuel efficient revolution.

Car owners seem to forget or maybe ignore the fact that they could get better gas mileage simply by changing the way they drive. You do not need to buy an ugly and slow prototype in order to save on gas. You could increase gas mileage of your V8 truck as well! To get better gas mileage you should follow these simple rules;

The Ford Motor Co. Australia has intimated its willingness to support the forthcoming research project by the University of Melbourne to study efficient and practical hydrogen fuelled vehicle technologies.

According to Peter Batchelor, the Minister for Energy and Resources, “The important study today received a $1.2 million grant from the Victorian State Government, announced by the Minister for Energy and Resources.”

To further aid the research project, Ford Australia has promised to contribute engines and resources. The support will coincide with the State Government’s grant to attain engine and vehicle development. The project is also aimed at analyzing hydrogen generation and storage technology. “Ford Australia is proud to extend our relationship with the University of Melbourne through this important project,” said Tom Gorman, the Ford Australia president.
Ford Australia and the Victorian State Government joined the university so as to form the Advanced Centre for Automotive Research Technology (ACART). The purpose of the centre is to boost auto development in Australia. ACART will soon build a new engine dynamometer facility, a diesel test cell, and a top-notch environmental wind tunnel that would be available for use by the automotive development community.

“Globally, Ford Motor Company is a leader in the development of alternative fuel vehicles and technologies. The Escape Hybrid, our range of E85-capable flexi-fuel vehicles, and the recent showcasing of the world’s first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle with plug-in capability are all examples of our broader global efforts,” added Gorman. “The University of Melbourne project is the first to research hydrogen engine alternatives using an Australian sourced engine, and will be an important complement to these initiatives,” he continued.

The Germans have really taken off when it comes to renewable fuel sources, and have become one of the major players in the alternative energy game. Under the aegis of the nation’s electricity feed laws, the German people set a world record in 2006 by investing over $10 billion (US) in research, development, and implementation of wind turbines, biogas power plants, and solar collection cells.

Germany’s “feed laws” permit the German homeowners to connect to an electrical grid through some source of renewable energy and then sell back to the power company any excess energy produced at retail prices.

This economic incentive has catapulted Germany into the number-one position among all nations with regards to the number of operational solar arrays, biogas plants, and wind turbines.
The 50-terawatt hours of electricity produced by these renewable energy sources account for 10% of all of Germany’s energy production per year. In 2006 alone, Germany installed 100,000 solar energy collection systems.

Over in the US, the BP corporation has established an Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) to spearhead extensive new research and development efforts into clean burning renewable energy sources, most prominently biofuels for ground vehicles.

BP’s investment comes to $50 million (US) per year over the course of the next decade.
This EBI will be physically located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The University is in partnership with BP, and it will be responsible for research and development of new biofuel crops, biofuel-delivering agricultural systems, and machines to produce renewable fuels in liquid form for automobile consumption.

When in 2005 the federal Production Tax Credits (PTC) for companies producing renewable power was renewed, it sent a message far and wide that the renewable energy industry was worth getting into, with the promise of profitability, energy efficiency, and social/environmental “good karma” all in one tidy package. The following are some of the latest ways we’ve seen this collective foray into renewable energies take shape.

The Workforce: Businesses are given tax credits for changing over their sources of electricity to certain renewable energies, steadily increasing the demand for workers in every area of the industry - from research and development to manufacturing to distribution to installation, service and support.

More and more states are taking the federal government’s lead and implementing their own public incentive programs and benefit funds to encourage greater renewable energy usage, with the same result. According to a report released by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in the five years between 2001 and 2006 the voluntary demand for renewable energies increased a thousand-fold. The bottom line is as clear as sunlight - the renewable energy industry creates jobs.

The Corporations: General Electric, Whole Foods Market, Safeway, Starbucks, General Motors, Kinko’s, FedEx - these are but some of the world-leading companies that have made and continue to make an active and aggressive switch to renewable energies.

In the case of many companies, this comes in the form of purchasing renewable energy credits to supplant their local utility usage. In other cases, the forays into renewable power run deeper, producing their own biofuels, setting up their own wind farms, and investing in research and development into improved renewable energy technologies.

Iowa, nicked named the Tall Corn State on account of its most common crop, is a medium sized state situated in the Midwestern region of the USA. The state is an unlikely leader in green fuel; it is the largest producer of ethanol, a major producer of biodiesel (manufacturing more than 15 million gallons per year from its two biodiesel plants) and boasts the 3rd largest wind powder economy in America. However, despite being a leader in the production of renewable energies and fuel, the state has lagged behind in using them, although the Iowa state government currently uses Biodiesel in two of its Department of Transportation fleets.

To help increase renewable energy uptake proposals have been recently made to quadruple the use of renewable fuels over the next decade and Iowa is hoping that their new legislation will form a model for which other states will follow. The proposal will require Iowa petrol retailers to sell a minimum percentage of renewable fuels; ethanol blends such as E10 and E85 would also count towards the quota. The schedule would require minimum renewable fuel sales of 10% by 2008, 15% by 2010, 20% by 2012, and 25% by 2015. Currently, Iowans can purchase biodiesel and ethanol blends from more than 150 locations across the state and this is predicted to rise. Biodiesel has been hailed as a wonder fuel; it’s a blend of soy oil and diesel fuel that can significantly reduce air emission without comprising vehicle performance.

Although there are many different ways being experimented with to make biodiesel, algae is one of the most promising production sources for biodiesel. Although algae is by no means a new way to create biodiesel, with the current oil crisis going on in the world it is important for companies to look into new ways that they can quickly and efficiently create biodiesel.

Because algae is a renewable resource, it is a great source. Algae can grow in a wide range of conditions, they can grow in bodies of water or even damp places. Just like plants algae need sunlight and carbon dioxide so that it can grow. They use the sunlight for photosynthesis in which they turn sunlight energy into chemical energy. Algae can be grown in a closed structure called photo bioreactor.

In a photo bioreactor you can control the environment which will make you be able to create algae at a much faster rate then just waiting for it to grow in an open pond. The photo bioreactor can be set up to harvest algae by setting it up with nutrients and algal seed.

Different types of photo bioreactors include tanks, plastic sleeves or bags and even glass or plastic tubes. To grow algae at home you simply take a container and put a small amount of algae culture in it. To grow algae for biodiesel you need specific strains from the biodiesel.
If you add an aquarium bubble stone you will increase the growth and help the algae circulate. The only things you will need is CO2 nutrients, fertilizer, and some type of light source. Temperature range depends on the strain that you are using. Suggestions for light sources are fluorescent bulbs and even natural light which will both efficiently do the job.

Hummer’s first production E85 models will be the 2009 H2 pickup and H2 SUT, a Hummer spokesman said today. Hummer made the announcement during the grand opening of a Dallas area dealership’s E85 ethanol station.

Filed under: Hybrid, North America

Big serious trucks are not usually what comes to mind when you think of the word “hybrid” but in a world of $100+ barrels of light sweet crude, Peterbilt is putting out some products that may change that. Its medium duty Model 330 (photo above) is just like a Prius. Except it takes diesel and boasts as much torque as a herd of Prii.

Featuring the Eaton parallel hybrid power system, the Model 330 and Model 335 both offer electric motor assist, regenerative braking, lithium ion batteries and fat tax credits. The 330 uses about 30 percent less fuel in an urban driving cycle while the 335 can save a whopping 60 percent when it’s used in a utility configuration. How does it do that? Say you’re up in the bucket rescuing a kitten restoring power after a thunderstorm, the battery supplies the juice you need to maneuver. If you need more than the battery has, the motor will automatically turn on and quickly recharge it.

Peterbilt has another type of truck that features Eaton’s Hydraulic Launch Assist (HLA). The imaginatively-named Model 320 is designed for “vocational stop-and-go applications” or “garbage truck,” in the modern parlance. As a vehicle that may stop and go a thousand or more times a day, this Peterbilt takes advantage of hydraulics to recover up to 75 percent of the energy from stopping to use for relaunching.