“Clean” Coal Power Plant Canceled–Hydrogen Economy, Too
The FutureGen coal-fired power plant would not only have captured greenhouse gas emissions, it also would have produced hydrogen.
The U.S. government—and major U.S. banks—seem to have lost their appetite for coal. After spending five years and approximately $50 million on preliminary studies as well as selecting a proposed site in Mattoon, Ill., the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has scuttled plans to build the so-called FutureGen power plant.
Biofuels Are Bad for Feeding People and Combating Climate Change
By displacing agriculture for food—and causing more land clearing—biofuels are bad for hungry people and the environment.
Green Promotional Item Cuts PC Energy Use
About Ecobutton
- Plugs into any PC’s USB port
- At the push of a button, the ecobutton automatically puts your computer into a special “ecomode” that saves more energy than normal sleep mode, drawing only the same nominal power as when the computer and monitor are completely shut down
- Save energy while taking a phone call or break, while doing paperwork or going to lunch or meetings,
- At the touch of any button, the computer instantly returns to where you left off and displays a splash screen showing both money and carbon (CO2) savings
- Your company logo, message and weblink can be incorporated into the ecobutton splash screen***
- Reduces company energy output and carbon footprint
European research shows that hydrogen energy could reduce oil consumption in road transport by 40% by 2050
A scientific project funded by the EU’s research programme has found that introducing hydrogen into the energy system would reduce the total oil consumption by the road transport sector by 40% between now and 2050. By taking a leading position in the worldwide market for hydrogen technologies, Europe can open new economic opportunities and strengthen its competitiveness. But the analysis also states that transition won’t happen automatically. Substantial barriers have first to be overcome, ranging from economic and technological to institutional barriers, and actions must be taken as soon as possible. The HyWays project brings together industry, research institutes and government agencies from ten European countries. Following a series of more than 50 workshops the project has produced a Roadmap to analyse the potential impacts on the EU economy, society and environment of the large-scale introduction of hydrogen in the short- and long- term, as well as an action plan detailing what needs to be done for this to take place. The report is published as the Member States are due to give their approval of a new €940m public/private research partnership for the development of hydrogen and fuel cells.
Japan CO2 Emissions Rise as Nuclear Output Drops, Nikkei Says
(Bloomberg) — Japan’s carbon dioxide emissions increased 2.7 percent in the year ended March because of shutdowns of nuclear power plants, said the Nikkei English News, citing a study by the trade ministry.
Biofuels Are Key To Reducing Greenhouse Gases
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Executive Vice President, Industrial & Environmental Section, Brent Erickson today released the following statement:
Nokia : Connecting People with their environment
The concept
The concept consists of two parts – a wearable sensor unit which can sense and analyze your environment, health, and local weather conditions, and a dedicated mobile phone.
The sensor unit will be worn on a wrist or neck strap made from solar cells that provide power to the sensors. NFC (near field communication) technology will relay information by touch from the sensors to the phone or to or to other devices that support NFC technology.
Both the phone and the sensor unit will be as compact as possible to minimize material use, and those materials used in the design will be renewable and/or reclaimed. Technologies used inside the phone and sensor unit will also help save energy.
Mercedes-Benz Launches New Natural Gas Semitrailer Tractor
NGV Global. Mercedes-Benz launched its latest natural gas powered commercial vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT 1828 semitrailer tractor for urban and short-radius distribution, at the 2007 RAI International Commercial Vehicle Show in Amsterdam.
Increasing ozone will damage crops
Without global emissions controls, increasing ozone levels associated with fossil fuel combustion will damage agriculture considerably over the coming decades.
If current upward trends in fossil fuel emissions continue, global average ozone levels will rise 50% by 2100. The resulting damage to agriculture could reduce global crop production by at least 10%, according to a study in the November issue of Energy Policy.
Factory Farms - Air Pollution
The way milk is produced has changed. A lot of dairy farms are much bigger and more efficient. They’re often called factory farms. Mark Brush reports, neighbors of these farms say they’re paying a high price for the cheap dairy products on your store shelves:
More than 50 cows trudge single file into this big, new building. There’s a bright white tile floor and lots of light. The animals are herded into individual metal stalls. The gates close over their heads, kind of like how the bar comes over you’re head when you get on a rollercoaster. At the other end of the cow, workers insert its udders into suction cups - and the milking starts:
“They’re milked three times a day - then they go back to the free-stall barn, so we’re currently milking 1,000 cows.”