Archive for the ‘Updates’ Category
BIO-DIESEL TRAINS: India launches Eco-Friendly Train
Bilimora (Gujarat), April 14: To make train travel more environment-friendly, a bio diesel train has been launched in Bilimora city of Gujarat.
This is the first bio-diesel train in the western division of Indian Railways. It uses a blended fuel, a mix of 10 percent bio-diesel.
The Railway has already introduced several such trains in other divisions.
Officials claimed that this blended fuel would reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide by a greater extent without affecting the engine.
On Wednesday, P.K. Sharma, Divisional Railway Manager, Mumbai Division, flagged off the train that will cover 51kilometers between Bilimora and Baghai.
“This train is environment-friendly as it runs on bio-diesel…the railway is also taking other steps to preserve environment like introduction of bio-degradable toilets and other measures to preserve environment. We are trying to explore all areas,” said P.K. Sharma.
Indian Railways, which has one of the largest networks of trains in the world, is also taking other measures to conserve environment.
Bio-diesel is a diesel-equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources i.e. vegetable oils, which can be used in unmodified diesel-engined vehicles.
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PRESIDENT OBAMA: State of the Union address Clean Energy and Green Jobs
Obama urged lawmakers in Wednesday night’s State of the Union address not to abandon the effort on what was once his top domestic priority. His enthusiastic words provided specific prescription for moving forward, leaving lawmakers little better off than before.
Preseident Obama clearly stated his plan to create more Green Jobs and invest in Clean Green Projects. He said, “But to create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.
I am grateful to the House for passing such a bill last year. And this year I’m eager to help advance the bipartisan effort in the Senate. ”
President Barack Obama voiced determination Thursday to change the tone of Washington politics and urged Republicans to get “off the sidelines” and help fix health care and other problems.
Stopping on his way out of a town hall meeting in Tampa, Fla., Obama hammered again on his State of the Union message — insisting that voters and politicians needed to “start thinking of each other as Americans first.”
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were in Florida to announce $8 billion in federal grants for high-speed rail projects nationwide — part of his push to combine spending on infrastructure with job creation.
Obama also used his first State of the Union speech Wednesday to push nervous Democrats to forge ahead on health care, despite voters’ worries and opposition from newly strengthened Republicans.
On Thursday, he turned emphatically toward Republicans and implored cooperation.
“Our political dialogue in this country has always been messy and noisy,” Obama told the crowd at the University of Tampa.
“We’re all Americans. We all should anticipate that the other person, even if they disagree with us, has the best of intentions. We don’t have to call them names. We don’t have to demonize them.”
Hanging over the Obama agenda and wobbly support among Democrats were fears fueled by events such as last week’s stunning GOP victory in the Massachusetts Senate race.
That setback may have cost Democrats their filibuster-proof Senate majority, Obama said, but “we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills.”
Vice President Joe Biden, appearing in an interview Thursday morning on NBC’s “Today” show, described Obama as upset with the way his program has been handled in Congress.
“One of the things that’s most frustrating to him,” Biden said, “is the obstructionist ways of the United States Senate, on the part of the Republicans, requiring 60 votes, a supermajority, for virtually every single, solitary initiative we’ve had. Now that we have 59 votes, it’s time for everybody to start taking responsibility.”
NEVADA CORPORATION MAKES A COMPELLING CASE
Global Biofuel Solutions Inc., a Nevada corporation, made a compelling case at the US-Chinese Business Summit held in Las Vegas for the alternate energy needs. It was very well attended and accepted by the businesses around the world who agreed on the need of Bio-Diesel produced from the Algae Oil, as the future of the Green Movement presenting an alternate the crude oil and petroleum based products.
January 3-5, 2010, Las Vegas featured an unprecedented gathering of over 1,000 minority business owners and entrepreneurs from the Chinese American communities across the U.S. and business delegations from China, under one summit. Along with forum discussions, cultural exchanges, and investment opportunities, there were plenty of networking as well.
The Summit had a number of high-level officials from China including China Investment Conference(CIC), National Development and Reform Commission, The Investment Association of China, Research Institute of Investment National Development and Reform Commission, China Commercial Network Construction Center, and the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC).
From the U.S, high profile keynote speakers and leaders invited to the Summit were from organizations such as the U.S. Census 2010, the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Small Business Administration, the National Restaurant Association, and Asian American Business Development Center, among others.
It was truly an excitement that Mayor Oscar Goodman of Las Vegas took time to meet with CBS committee members. The Mayor welcomed this US-China business summit to be held in Las Vegas; and applauded the Summit organizer, Smart Business Services, Inc., in leading efforts in fostering a platform between the U.S. and China business communities. Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) was also one of the official sponsors of the Summit.
GREEN ENERGY: $3.4 billion in clean energy funds
Top Democrats put the issue of climate change back in the spotlight Tuesday, debating legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions while announcing $3.4 billion in new clean energy funds.
A key congressional committee began hearings on a “cap-and-trade” bill requiring emissions to be cut by more than 80 percent over the next four decades.
Questions related to global warming have been among the most politically contentious in recent years. Democrats are generally more receptive to proposals designed to curb energy consumption in order to slow climate change; leading Republicans continue to express concern about the necessity and economic impact of such measures.
President Obama has made the push for greater investment in a clean energy agenda one of his top domestic priorities. Attempting to move that agenda forward, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee kicked off hearings on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Supporters say the bill would reduce nationwide greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 through a cap-and-trade program under which companies would buy and sell emissions credits.
Almost one-third of the credits would be given away to the electric power sector through 2026 in an effort to diminish negative economic effects. Leading Democrats have expressed optimism that the bill would help stimulate the creation of new “green energy” jobs.
The measure is similar to a climate change bill narrowly passed by the House of Representatives in June.
Scientists “tell us that we have a narrow window of time in which to avert the ravages of global warming,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California. Boxer, who chairs the environment committee, called the legislation “our best insurance against a dangerous future.” It is “a responsible approach that sets attainable goals for gradual reductions in carbon emissions, and it protects consumers, businesses and workers as we move toward clean energy,” she said.
Administration officials testified on behalf of the bill, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. In all, 54 witnesses are scheduled to testify on the bill over the next three days.
Obama, meanwhile, unveiled what the White House called the largest energy grid modernization investment in American history. At a Florida solar energy center, the president announced $3.4 billion in Smart Grid Investment Grant awards.
“By facilitating the creation of a clean energy economy, building this 21st century energy infrastructure will help us lay a foundation for lasting growth and prosperity,” Obama said. The awards, going to 100 private companies, utilities and cities, will be divided into grants ranging from $400,000 to $200 million. They will be matched by $4.7 billion in private sector funds.
ALTERNATE ENERGY: Now Algae-powered hybrid
The car, aptly dubbed the “Algaeus” — built into the shell of a Toyota Prius — will take off today on a 10-day nationwide tour, stopping first in Sacramento, where governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is planned to pour a vial of algae into its gas tank. Sapphire’s algal biofuel, called “green crude,” is significant because it’s a drop-in fuel, meaning it works with current automotive technology, no newfangled advancements necessary.
The technology is relatively simple. Sapphire grows the algae in salt-water ponds at its facility in New
Mexico. It adds a combination of carbon dioxide — trapped and sequestered from industrial sources, thereby limiting their emissions as well — and sunlight. And through a proprietary microbial process, it produces hydrocarbons capable of replacing gas. Unlike ethanol, the fuel is not alcohol based, and it’s not just an additive, emphasizes Sapphire CEO Jason Pyle.
The Algaeus, which supposedly gets 150 miles per gallon, was unveiled today to showcase Sapphire’s technology — though technically, the company has nothing to do with the building of cars, and certainly not the plug-in hybrid aspect of the model. The event also celebrated the debut of the film FUEL, a documentary about America’s addiction to oil and the damage it causes. It took director Josh Tickell, who also founded anti-fossil fuel nonprofit the Veggie Van Organization, 11 years to make the film, which will premiere on Sept. 18 in New York when the Algaeus finishes its trek.
The car is part of a caravan that includes several other green vehicles, including an all-electric motorcycle and a classroom-fashioned bus powered by rooftop solar panels. The latter contains models and materials showing how Sapphire’s technology works and why it’s important that viable replacements are found for fossil fuels. The plan is to have the caravan tour college campuses following its cross-country drive.
Sapphire has already proved its technology in several key arenas. Late last year, it signed deals with companies like Continental Airlines and Boeing to successfully test out algae-based jet fuel. And the San Diego-based startup says it will be building a larger demonstration plant (capable of producing 2 million gallons of diesel and 1 million gallons of jet fuel a year), also in New Mexico, in the coming months to refine its process even more. There’s no doubt that algae is capable of powering vehicles.
These same characteristics also make algae important to surrounding communities where green jobs could go a long way. For example, Sapphire’s current facility in New Mexico — a state that could use agricultural revenue — employs 140. And its new demo plant will employ even more.
The only hurdle standing in algal biofuel’s way is government policy, Pyle says. In order for any alternative fuel of its kind to be widely adopted, renewable fuel mandates and emissions restrictions will need to be implemented and strongly enforced. The Obama administration is headed in the right direction, with its recommended changes for the country’s energy mix, but no major shift can happen until legislation like Waxman-Markey becomes a reality.
ALTERNATE ENERGY: $535m Solar-Plant govt. support
The Energy Department will give a $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndra Inc. so the solar-panel maker can manufacture photovoltaic panels at a plant that will employ 1,000 people, a person familiar with decision said.
The department offered the closely held Fremont, California, company the loan guarantee in March, pending Solyndra securing its portion of the financing. Vice President Joe Biden will announce the award via satellite today, and Energy Secretary Stephen Chu will attend a ceremony in Fremont, according to the person who asked not to be identified because the agreement wasn’t public.
Money for the loan guarantee came from the economic stimulus plan signed by President Barack Obama in February. The Energy Department is preparing to dole out about $83 billion in loan guarantees for energy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We expect additional loan guarantee announcements before the end of the year, but believe the program won’t gain real momentum until mid-2010,” said K. Whitney Stanco, an analyst for investment adviser Washington Research Group.
The loan guarantee covers 73 percent of the plant’s cost and the company is responsible for the balance, Stanco said. The plant will have a manufacturing capacity of 500 megawatts a year. In 2008, solar power accounted for 514 megawatts of consumption, or a fraction of 1 percent of U.S. power use, according to the Energy Department.
The company said in March the project will create as many as 3,000 construction jobs and 1,000 long-term jobs.
Toyota Motor Corp. said last week it will shut a Fremont plant it has run with General Motors Corp. for 25 years. The car factory employs 5,400 people, including almost 4,600 union workers.
Lawmakers, trying to encourage a shift to clean-energy sources such as wind, solar, and bio-fuel have sought to stretch government funds by using loan guarantees instead of grants or direct support.
Solyndra’s backers include Richard Branson’s Virgin Group Ltd. Solyndra said in July it has more than $2 billion in orders and is sending shipments to customers in Europe and the U.S. The Associated Press reported the loan guarantee earlier today.