Category: Energy Matters
The twentieth century way of life has been made available, largely due to the miracle of cheap energy. The price of energy has been at record lows for the past century and a half.As oil becomes increasingly scarce, it is becoming obvious to everyone, that the rapid economic and industrial growth we have enjoyed for that time is not sustainable.Now, the hunt is on. For renewable sources of energy, for alternative sources of energy, for a way of life that is less dependent on cheap energy.Â
admin /27 December, 2008
A Silicon Valley industry seminar this month heard that the billions of dollars invested in thin-film solar may never make a return as companies find that the technology fails to deliver commercially viable electricity. Venture capitalist, Neal Dikeman, told investors and entrepreneurs that “Investors assumed that if the technology worked and they had a good team, then it was simply an engineering problem [to make a return on the investment].” He said that the specific problem for photovoltaic manufacturers is that the technology does not scale well. Dikeman pointed out that, historically, the owners of infrastructure make the money from utilities not the technology driven entrepreneurs.
admin /27 December, 2008
The slump in energy demand as a result of the economic downturn has had a flow on impact to the corn based ethanol industry across America’s mid west. In Nebraska, for example, corn based ethanol is a $US3billion a year business, putting it behind cattle ($US7billion) and corn ($US4billion). With lower energy prices due to the reduced demand, continued high corn prices due to ongoing competition from food processors, the rapidly growing industry has struggled to make profits. National Farmers Union President Tom Buis said that there is a lot of misinformation as a result of a public relations war. “People are blaming ethanol for increases in the price of beer and toothpaste,” he said. These products do not contain corn, or corn based ethanol.
admin /27 December, 2008
Germany has passed the United States as the most attractive destination for investors in renewable energy according to an audit performed by Ernst and Young.
Figures released by the major accounting firm on December 23 show that the United Kingdom Climate Change Act 2008 has lifted that nation into the top five, tying with Spain. Globally, 1.5 billion US dollars were invested in clean power generation each quarter during 2008.
The collapse of the financial sector has seen a major slump in investment across the 25 countries monitored by Ernst and Young, but government policy is the major influence on the competitiveness of each nation.
admin /21 December, 2008
An independent study carried out by Stanford University scientist, Mark Jacobsen, indicates that wind and concentrated solar energy are the most efficient forms of renewable energy, closely followed by geothermal energy and tidal power. The independent study ranked sources of energy according to their environmental impact. Jacobsen specifically highlighted his finding that biofuels not only generate similar amounts greenhouse gas and other pollution as fossil fuels and compromise food production but also draw investment away from clean sources of energy.
admin /21 December, 2008
A grant last week from the European Union to Scottish scientists in Oban near Glasgow has alerted the mainstream media to the potential of marine algae, such as seaweed to supply large quantities of fuel oil. Algae can potentially return hundreds of times the volume of complex hydrocarbons as the same area of land growing Continue Reading →
admin /21 December, 2008
Chinese battery manufacturer, Build Your Dreams has launched a plug-in hybrid car that will travel 300kilometres between charges. The car is expected to be on-sale in the US before the recently announced Volt from General Motors or equivalent vehicles from Toyota and Nissan. The car was announced at the Motor Show in Detroit in January 2008, but many observers doubted the battery manufacturers ability to mass market automobiles. Since then, the BYD F3 petrol car has become the fastest selling car in China and the world’s richest man, Warren Buffet has bought a ten percent stake in the company.
