Pentagon to Produce Jet Fuel from Algae? 03/17/2010
 Too good to be true? The Pentagon says it will start testing algae-based jet fuel next year, and it hopes to begin production in 2013. Not only would the ability to produce oil from algae be a boon to American forces stationed abroad (where fossil fuel costs can reach thousands of dollars per gallon in the mountains of Afghanistan) but also it looks to be cost competitive with fuel from gas stations in developed countries. Although we shouldn’t get our hopes up after the corn-ethanol debacle, algae-produced fuel promises to produce a fraction of the net carbon emissions that fossil fuel does. It produces far more energy per acre than any of its biofuel competitors, and it can be grown in wastewater. And of course, large-scale algae oil production, if ever feasible, would pull the rug out from under oil-fueled dictators. Money quote from the Guardian: The brains trust of the Pentagon says it is just months away from producing a jet fuel from algae for the same cost as its fossil-fuel equivalent. The claim, which comes from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) that helped to develop the internet and satellite navigation systems, has taken industry insiders by surprise. A cheap, low-carbon fuel would not only help the US military, the nation's single largest consumer of energy, to wean itself off its oil addiction, but would also hold the promise of low-carbon driving and flying for all. Darpa's research projects have already extracted oil from algal ponds at a cost of $2 per gallon. It is now on track to begin large-scale refining of that oil into jet fuel, at a cost of less than $3 a gallon, according to Barbara McQuiston, special assistant for energy at Darpa. That could turn a promising technology into a market-ready one. Researchers have cracked the problem of turning pond scum and seaweed into fuel, but finding a cost-effective method of mass production could be a game-changer. "Everyone is well aware that a lot of things were started in the military," McQuiston said. Fact of the Day 01/01/2010
 China burns more coal than the United States, Europe, and Japan combined. Coal is the dirtiest mainstream source of electricity. Keep this in mind as China blocks binding legislation to protect the environment: at the current rate of growth, China is set to emit more carbon over the next 30 years than the United States has in its entire history. Source: The New Yorker Fact of the Day 12/17/2009
 America is the number 3 oil producer in the world, producing 8.5 million barrels per day. Iran produces less than half of that amount (4.2 million). Saudi Arabia tops the list at 10.8 million. Of course, Americans also consume 19.5 million barrels per day-- much more than anybody else does. Thomas Friedman Writes a Good Article 09/20/2009
 He's been in a slump, but this one on a gas tax is well worth reading. To his credit, Friedman has been banging the drum about taxing gasoline for as long and as strongly as anybody. The idea is not new, but the effort to frame the tax as a masculine national security imperative is crucial to getting weak-kneed U.S. policymakers to do what should have been done 40 years ago. Friedman hits this note as well as anybody. Us Americans like to think that we are "man" enough to face a dangerous world with force while the Europeans pussyfoot around. But meanwhile we are unable to take a simple measure that would greatly strengthen our geopolitical position. It is an issue that honest policymakers have had a consensus on for decades- which has the added bonus of helping to prevent carbon dioxide from ruining our planet. What will it take for politicians to get this done already? - Jon Lithium - The New Oil? 09/12/2009
 Lithium Mines in Bolivia - NYTimes.com Lithium-ion batteries, because of their high energy density, are the batteries of choice for most new high-tech devices: cell phones, laptops, etc. But if the world begins mass-producing electric cars, Lithium demand will skyrocket, offering windfall profits for countries who have large supplies of the element. The amount of lithium needed to run a car dwarfs the amount needed to power a laptop. Bolivia claims to have nearly half of the world's known lithium reserves. Tibet also has large reserves. If lithium continues to be the element of choice for making car batteries, then keep an eye on this commodity, because it will have increasingly important geopolitical implications. 17 Percent 09/11/2009
 That is the percentage of total U.S. crude oil imports that came from the Middle East in June 2009, the last month for which data is available. One of the biggest and most prevalent myths out there is that the U.S. imports most of its oil from the Middle East. This is the fountainhead for a thousand conspiracy theories centered on America's thirst for Islamic oil. Yes, the oil market is sufficiently tight that major disruptions in the Middle East can have huge effects on world oil prices, and thus have significant effects on the American economy. But the U.S. gets most of its oil from its Western Hemisphere neighbors: Canada, Venezuela, and Mexico provide for over half of U.S. crude oil imports. Expect this figure to rise as Brazil's begins tapping its vast offshore deposits. And although American reserves are in decline, the U.S. is still the third largest oil producer in the world, supplying 1/4 of domestic oil consumption. Nabucco Rides On 07/13/2009
On Monday representatives from Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania signed a transit agreement in Ankara.  In recent weeks Turkey has redoubled efforts to position itself as a gatekeeper of oil and natural gas flowing to Europe from points eastward. On June 5 Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz announced that Turkey would attempt renegotiate its natural gas import contract with Russia to allow for the re-export of unused Russian gas to Southeastern Europe (here). And on June 2 Yildiz renewed talks with Azeri energy officials on a host of issues from the price Turkey pays for Azeri gas to the Nabucco project (here). | By Evan Tachovsky and Jon Friedman
|
RSS Feed