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Biofuel Blends Catching on With Heating Oil Dealers
This article was originally published in HEAT This Week on October 9.
The national oilheat industry recently decided to include 2 percent biofuel in all heating oil by 2010. Some heating oil dealers aren’t waiting that long, and have made biofuel blends—conventional heating oil mixed with fuel from a source such as soybeans or canola—available now.
The [...]
Heating Oil to Contain Biofuel by 2010
At the recent national oilheat industry policy summit, leaders called for all heating oil to include at least 2 percent biofuel by July 2010, and aimed to increase that percentage in the future. This initiative is part of a statement approved by the leadership that would move the industry in a green and sustainable direction.
Biofuels—which [...]
Fuel of The Future: Pee Power!
90 miles per gallon with no emissions? Science fiction? No—urine. Cow urine, specifically, though any urine will do. Ohio University scientists have discovered a way to turn urine into a potent, if pungent, fuel by separating out its hydrogen component, Discovery.com reported last week.
Let’s take a step back—what is hydrogen, why do we want it, [...]
US and China to Collaborate on Green Energy Research and Develoment
This morning, the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, the United States and China, announced plans for a joint Clean Energy Research Center, according to the AP. Operations are set to begin by the end of 2009.
The US Department of Energy says the Center “would facilitate joint research and development on clean energy by teams [...]
Exxon Makes Big Investment in Algae Biofuels
The world’s largest publicly traded oil company, Exxon Mobile, is investing $600 million in the world’s smallest plants, the AP reported today. Exxon just announced a partnership with biotech company Synthetic Genomics to develop transportation fuels from algae.
Fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum, as well as their many derivatives, such as gasoline, [...]
Inadequate Electrical Grid Forces Pickens to Indefinitely Delay Massive Wind Project
Forbes reported last Wednesday that Texas oilman, T. Boone Pickens, has announced that he will delay, or perhaps cancel, plans for a giant wind energy project in the Texas panhandle.
Pickens’ project was supposed to be the largest wind power field in the world at a rated generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts per hour — about [...]
150 Years After First Oil Well, Concerns About Peak Oil and Other Dwindling Resources
We’ve previously looked at the Peak Oil theory here on The HEAT Zone. The idea is that oil is running out and what’s left is becoming harder to find and more difficult to extract. Eventually, it will either simply be gone, or be so difficult and expensive to get at, that nobody will be able [...]
Read More »Commercial Real Estate Cashing in on Advantages of Green Upgrades
It’s normally considered a “cool” color, but right now, green is the hottest trend in commercial real estate. New buildings are being constructed with energy-saving and environmentally friendly features, and famous old skyscrapers are being retrofitted that way as well.
The Empire State Building, New York’s and probably America’s most instantly recognizable skyscraper (even without a [...]
Heating Oil Users Would Pay Heavily Under Cap-and-Trade Law; Biofuels Could be the Solution
The Hartford Courant reported today that Connecticut, where more than half of all households use heating oil to keep warm, could bear the brunt of a broad climate change bill just approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Waxman Markey bill, otherwise known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act, was approved by the [...]
Pending Energy Bill Does Little to Reduce US Foreign Oil Dependence
The Obama administration has announced, broadly speaking, two main goals for their energy policy:
• Fighting climate change
• Reducing our dependence on often-unfriendly states for oil
There are other worthy goals also behind the Administration’s policy, such as creating new jobs in the green energy sector, but the two main thrusts are fighting global warming and improving [...]
Renewable Energy Industries Face Halt in Growth When Stimulus Funds Run Out
The massive government stimulus package, a.k.a. the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), contains billions for renewable energy development. Among the hoped-for results are reduced dependence on fossil fuels, cleaner air, and millions of jobs in new, green industries. The money is already flowing, but much remains to be distributed to companies developing solar and [...]
Read More »Algae Will Eat CO2, Produce Ethanol at Pilot Plant in Texas
The New York Times Green, Inc. blog reported on Monday that Algenol Biofuels and Dow Chemical Company are planning to build a pilot plant to produce low-cost, non-feedstock ethanol from algae on the site of a Dow plant in Freeport, Texas.
The plant already produces carbon dioxide (CO2), a key ingredient in the photosynthesis-based production [...]
Fuel of the Future: Bio-Butanol from Wood as Renewable Gasoline
We have known for centuries how valuable trees are: they help us breathe, provide us with wood for shelter and can even be turned into a variety of products, like paper. But now, some investors are developing ways to turn trees into bio-butanol to help wean America off its usage of petroleum.
According to a Reuters [...]
Cap-and-Trade Bill Passes House by Thin Margin
A sharply divided House of Representatives narrowly passed the controversial Waxman-Markey climate change bill Friday. An early vote on the bill had been pushed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who had first vowed to get it passed before the Fourth of July recess, then moved the vote to Friday.
The bill passed by the [...]
Court Rules in Favor of Federal Power Regulators in NE; Preview of Jurisdiction Fight Over Electrical Grid?
A U.S. Appeals Court ruled that New England states cannot determine the pricing their own citizens pay for electricity, Forbes reported last week. The electrical rates for Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine are set according to estimates of their near-future power needs—the higher the estimated need, the greater the price, in [...]
Read More »Green Jobs Update: Where Are they and What do They Pay?
A significant portion of the Obama stimulus package has been earmarked for clean energy development. Along with the obvious goals of reducing fossil fuel dependence and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions, it’s hoped that millions of new jobs will be created in green industries. How much money will go where and how much good can [...]
Read More »Updating the Power Grid: Many Challenges to Tackle
The nation’s electricity grid is a marvel of dependability, but it’s badly outdated and beginning to show signs of wear. The grid is having trouble coping with increasing demand and is unprepared to adapt to new alternative energy sources. The federal stimulus package includes $11 billion for improvements to the grid. But bringing it up [...]
Read More »New Energy Bill Would Establish Reserves of Refined Petroleum Products
The Washington Post reported Thursday on an expansive new energy bill which has already been approved by a Senate committee and is now working its way through Congress. Among other measures, the bill, if it becomes law, will allow new offshore drilling, require utilities to generate 15% of their electric power from renewable sources by [...]
Read More »Wind-Generated Renewable Energy: the Sky’s the Limit
Considerable attention has been paid to wind power as a clean and green solution to our nation’s energy needs. Wind offers several advantages: it’s the very definition of a renewable source, since we are not going to run out of wind; and it’s completely non-polluting. But it also has some problems, in particular:
• Variability: the [...]
MA Company to Build State’s First Biofuel Terminal
Sleepy North Andover, MA dates back to the earliest days of American history. But today, it stands at the forefront of the “going green” movement, as it will soon be the new home of a biodiesel fuel terminal, Biodiesel magazine reports.
Biodiesel is a renewable energy source growing in popularity. Animal or vegetable oils are mixed [...]
