Archived material from historical editions of The Generator
Clean energy projects across the United States last year attracted $US17billion, almost double the amount invested in the previous year., according to environment news service GristMill. In the same year the carbon trading market grew from zero to $11billion. Some of the fuinds came from ethical investors, but the bulk was mainstream groups such as Continue Reading →
PM Howard’s Energy Statement preserves oligopolistic stranglehold on LPG and biofuel production The Howard Government’s Energy Statement, announced on 15 August, was attacked by Labor and the Nationals because it did nothing to push down petrol prices or reduce reliance on foreign oil, reported The Courier Mail (17/8/2006, p.18).
28m Barren Box storage and wetland site saves extra 20,000ML for Snowy in NSW Murumbidgee region: project costs the same as buying water
Last week the Barren Box storage and wetland site was opened. It is the first big piece of infrastructure in NSW that will give water back to the environment without farmers having to give any up, reported The Sydney Morning Herald 915/8/2006, p.15).
Eco-friendly Britons seeking relief from soaring domestic energy bills can now pop down the high street and pick up solar panels for their homes. Electrical goods group Currys became the first major retailer in Britain to sell the power panels after Britain experienced its hottest month on record in July. Test market: Currys announced it Continue Reading →
According to Bob Griffith of Shed Fed Systems, hydroponically-grown fodder is an attractive option to achieve high productivity from a low acreage, reported Farm Weekly (10 August 2006, p.18).
2-3 tonnes of feed 365 days pa: "A paddock that produces two to three tonnes of high protein, highly digestible feed 365 days of the year without the need for excessive water is surely an attractive management tool," Mr Griffith said.
Impressive: And, the article continued, it is difficult not to be impressed when you see one kilo of barley or oats generate into six to seven kilos of highly digestible green feed in just seven days. On top of that, the protein approximately doubles and the cost is under four cents per kilo to produce.
Productivity tool: Hydroponic fodder sheds have traditionally been used as a means of keeping stock alive during drought but today the majority of farmers using the system are focussing on gaining more productivity from their farms. "Though the immediate gains are through feeding lactating animals to produce more milk for dairy, or to produce a more robust offspring, feeding any stock with a mixed ration of hydroponically grown fodder and hay has successfully produced good, fat stock," Mr Griffith said.
Boost stock numbers: Good fodder available throughout the year allows lambs and calves to be dropped at an optimal time to meet market peaks. Owners of smaller properties now have the means to economically increase their stock numbers without having to lot-feed or purchase additional land.
Minimal water use The sheds are insulated and air-conditioned and allow entry of natural light which aids the growth of the plant matter. An automatic reticulation system applies a mixture of water and nutrient to seed in trays and troughs. Water and power usage is relatively minimal with one kilogram of green feed in a hydroponic fodder shed requiring just 1.5 litres of water to grow.
Stock need less drinking water, too: To grow the same amount under irrigation requires 80-100 litres. The biscuit of seed, roots and plant growth is then fed to stock in the paddock. Further advantages of hydroponically grown fodder are increased digestibility and a need for less drinking water.
The pitch: Shed Fed Systems can offer a complete production shed ready for seeding or a personalised, cost saving system where farmers can build all or part of the shed themselves. Mr Griffith said potential clients should also study what other manufacturers were offering. "I am so convinced that more farmers should have these sheds that I would rather they buy from a competitor than not buy at all," he said.
Reference: For further information contact Bob Griffith at Shed Fed Systems, ph (08) 9938 3182, fax (08) 9938 3192, mob 0427 383 182, or visit the website at http://www.shedfedsystems.com.au email: griffcon@westnet.com.au
Farm Weekly, 10/8/2006, p.18
Source: Erisk Net
A system for producing energy from marine algae, to replace fossil fuels and reduce pollution, has been developed by Spanish researchers and will be operational in late 2007, according to its backers, reported IPS (4/8/2006).
Bernard Stroiazzo-Mougin, president of Biofuel Systems SL (BFS), the Spanish company developing the project, told IPS that "the system will produce massive amounts of biopetroleum from phytoplankton, in a limited space and at a very moderate cost".
Innovative process produces biopetroleum: On pointing out that biodiesel is already being produced in other countries, the executive explained that the photo-bioreactor to be produced by his company is not the same thing. BFS, with the support of the University of Alicante, "has designed a totally new system for producing biopetroleum — not biodiesel — by means of an energy converter," he explained.
Why biopetroleum is better than petroleum: The new fuel will have all the advantages of petroleum, including the possibility of extracting the usual oil derivatives, "but without its disadvantages, because it will not contribute to CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions, but will in fact reduce them. It will not emit SO2 (sulphur dioxide) and there will be hardly any toxic by-products".
All about algae: The raw material for the new fuel is phytoplankton — tiny oceanic plants — that are photoautotrophic, depending only on light and CO2 for their food. Among them are diatoms, a group of unicellular algae, also found in fresh water on land masses, and on moist ground. Phytoplankton produces 98 percent of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere.
System makes "400 times more oil" than any other biofuel source: According to Stroiazzo-Mougin, BFS’s system will produce 400 times more oil than any other source of biofuel. For example, he said, "a surface area of 52,000 square kilometres can yield 95 million barrels of biopetroleum per day, in other words an amount equivalent to the entire world production of crude oil at present, and at a considerably lower price."
New system heralds "inexhaustible source of energy": The system, he added, will ensure a permanent, inexhaustible source of energy, which also uses up excess CO2, thus helping to curb the greenhouse effect and global warming, of which CO2 is one of the main causes.
Plant-biofuels usage unrealistic: In order to replace 40 percent of the world’s present consumption of petroleum with biodiesel from plant sources, the area of land currently under cultivation would have to be multiplied by three, which is "totally impossible and counterproductive for the global economy," Stroiazzo-Mougin said.
Similarities to fossil petroleum: BFS’s new fuel will be similar to the fossil petroleum that was formed "millions of years ago under immense pressure and temperature and in the context of great seismic and volcanic activity, starting from the same plant elements that we will be using now (mainly phytoplankton)," he explained. It was "biodegradation of certain plant organic compounds (fatty acids and hydrocarbons) that gave rise to petroleum, and our system will be similar to that process," the president of BFS added.
Algae annual biofuel output of 20,000 cubic metres per square km: With respect to the surface areas needed to produce biofuels, he indicated that soya produces 50 cubic metres per square kilometre per year, colza (rape seed) produces 100 to 140 cubic metres, mustard yields 130 and palm oil 610 cubic metres, while algae produce 10,000 to 20,000 cubic metres of biofuel per square kilometre per year.
Reference: World Business Council for Sustainable Development, website: http://www.wbcsd.org
Erisk Net, 11/8/2006