Incentives Help Develop Alternative Fuels
Alternative fuel ideas are being batted around throughout the United States and the rest of the world that is dependent upon fossil fuels. The exception to that statement is that there are a few countries – mainly in the Middle East – that are sitting pretty atop most of the oil being produced.
The state of Pennsylvania has created a $5.3 million annual grant program to help accelerate the production and use of biofuels. The biofuels would be produced in the state and diminish the use of and dependence upon foreign oil.
“Pennsylvania’s alternative energy industry continues to grow through the development and deployment of a new generation of power sources and fuels and smart energy policies,” said acting Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger about Pennsylvania’s Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program. “Alternative fuels made from Pennsylvania’s crops are cleaner and invest millions of dollars into our economy by supporting our rural, agriculture-based communities.”
Since July, developers of fuel in Pennsylvania are required to put a percentage of ethanol or biodiesel into every gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel, respectively. The governor of Pennsylvania, Ed. Rendell, put the legislation in force to encourage production of alternative fuels in the state. The legislation allows for up to 10% of ethanol every gallon of gasoline and 20% of biodiesel in every gallon of diesel fuel.
The legislation which is called the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program, will give 75 cents per gallon to eligible applicants, with a cap of $1.9 million annually per single producer. Up to $5.3 million annually will be available under the program through fiscal year 2010-2011.
Eligibility for the monthly incentives for producing alternative fuel, is dependent on applicants producing and selling 25,000 gallons or more per month of qualified biomass-based diesel in Pennsylvania for transportation or home heating purposes.
Applications are available from DEP and will initially cover reimbursement requests for biodiesel produced and sold in Pennsylvania from July 1 through Sept. 30. Applications must be postmarked or received by Nov. 14. You can find information at www.depwe.state.pa.us, keyword: Alternative Fuels.
Ultra Battery for Hybrid Cars
With the world looking for alternative energy and automobiles that can get us where we want to go without using fossil fuels and adding to the pollutions problems, hybrid cars can be a good alternative to the cars most people are driving now.
One of the main drawbacks or the hybrid cars has been their batteries. The typical battery – a lead acid battery – can store a great amount of energy, however there are also problems associated with them. When they are charged and discharged repeatedly, as in turning on and off a car engine, the battery gradually fills with deposits of chemicals, which coat the inside of the battery. These deposits make the battery wear out much faster.
Researchers have been looking for a battery that will not have those problems, and a company named CSIRO out of Australia has created the Ultra Battery. The Ultra Battery combines a lead acid battery with a supercapacitor. The Ultra Battery will store as much energy as a regular lead acid battery without the battery plate getting coated with deposits that make it wear out sooner. The capacitor acts as a buffer during charging and discharging so that this does not happen and the life of the battery is extended.
During testing, the Ultra Battery lasted 4 times as long as the lead acid battery and drove over 185,000 km without any problems. The Ultra Battery was still in good shape with plenty of energy left to keep running.
Cost has been another worry regarding batteries for hybrid cars. The Ultra Battery should solve that problem as well. The projected cost of the Ultra Battery is about one-third to one-fourth of NiMH batteries and only one-sixth of what the lithium ion batteries used on higher powered electric cars cost. A couple of Battery manufacturers in Japan and the United States have begun the process of modifying their plants so that they can begin manufacturing the Ultra Battery, making it available sometime next year.
Developing Energy from All Viable Sources
No matter where we live or what our background or situation is, the fuel crisis affects us. Unless we are counted among that small percentage of people or families that makes a ton of money, we can literally feel the effects of the fuel crisis at the gas pump. Studies show that these days, even the uber-rich are feeling some of the pinch.
If we are not feeling the pinch because we have oh so much disposable income, perhaps we are feeling the need to make sure that global warming and other issues that are harmful to our environment and our planet do not increase. Or, it might just be a matter of not being dependent on foreign oil in order for this country to function properly.
Regardless of our reasons, most of us – including the government – are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels. There are a number of them out there – more than meets the eye. Many of them are in various stages of research and development and others are close to being ready for use or are already being used.
Much of the current research available suggests that a combination approach is necessary to dig out of the current fuel crisis and create an independence when it comes to producing and sustaining fuel. There are many sources that are being investigated for various reasons including environment, availability, efficiency or cost effectiveness.
Drilling for oil is one part of the equation. America has numerous sources of oil, both offshore and in various areas on the mainland. In addition, there is plenty of coal. In fact, the U.S. has over 25% of the world’s coal reserves and these could be used for fuel, especially through coal liquefaction, which creates synthetic fuel that can be used the same as gasoline made from crude oil. This is not to say that these are the only answers. There are finite amounts of coal available, and if we are trying to eliminate certain types of pollution, it is essential that we limit and balance the amounts of certain fuels.
In addition to coal and oil, solar and wind power are available, but need to be developed further to be viable sources of energy. Nuclear power is another source of sustainable energy, and the country has the capability to expand nuclear energy. Bio fuels are also a good alternative to oil, and there are various types that can be grown and generated right here in this country. Also, automakers can work to create more solar powered cars, hydrogen powered cars and battery powered cars.
With lawmakers and researchers working on all of these sources at the same time, there should be developments that will sustain us far into the future. If these alternative choices were made available, there would be enough fuel to go around and people could chose what is right for their situation. For now, we must wait for developments while encouraging researchers, scientists, inventors, farmers, lawmakers and others to keep working to develop as many alternative fuel sources as possible.
How Did We Get to This Point?
Here we are in the 21st century with inventions that boggle the mind. In addition to computers that are outdated in a nanosecond, we have been offered – and some people have already put deposits down for – the first commercial trip to the moon.
All of this and we are unable to deal with the fuel crisis. It is interesting that the fuel crisis is not a new idea or situation that just landed on the horizon. As far back as the late 70’s we were being warned that this time would come, and it would happen sooner than we think and affect us much worse than we thought it would. Those who predicted this were right on the money, no pun intended.
In around 1979, Jimmy Carter, who was president at the time, stated that there should be alternative energy, such as solar power. He even went so far as to have solar panels installed at the White House. No word on whether they are still there or still in use, but it seems that he may have been a visionary who was ignored, as many visionaries are.
Carter had a few other ideas, too, such as pushing automakers to increase the mileage to somewhere around 48mpg by 1995. Well, a few of the hybrids, like the Prius that has been out a couple of years now, boast 50mpg. Carter suggested offering windfall taxes to oil companies so that they could look for alternative fuel and energy sources. He also felt that at least 20% of our energy should come from alternative sources – especially solar power – as soon as possible.
Here we are 30 years later listening to the very same arguments by lawmakers while the price of gas has gone up from under $.50 per gallon to over $4.00, partially due to inaction on some of the logical alternatives to dependence on fossil fuels. Then again, there is also the fact that for years, America has been far behind the curve in manufacturing cars that perform like those that have been manufactured in Japan. Only recently have U.S. automakers been catching up. And only recently – with an election looming and with gasoline prices that have skyrocketed – have lawmakers across the aisles been actually seriously talking, and some of them have stopped arguing long enough to actually communicate about getting things under control.
The worst of the issue is that we could have avoided getting to this point to begin with, so getting things under control now will not be quick or easy. It’s like trying to keep ice from melting after it has sitting on the counter for an hour or two. It can be done, but it has to go back into the freezer.
The fuel crisis can be remedied, but it will take going back to some of the ideas that have already been proposed and actually implementing them and adding to them to get started. It’s good to know that at least part of Congress is finally talking together and working together to move forward and get things done before it’s really, really too late. Hopefully, the rest of Congress will stop arguing and join in solving the problem.
Fuel Crisis Could Hit California Hard
The state of California produces the lion’s share of agriculture for the nation. That has always been a positive thing for the country and for the state. With the state of the economy and the issue of the fuel crisis as overwhelming as it has become, the fact that California is in the agricultural situation that it is can be more of a negative than the positive it used to be.
The reason: fuel. Agriculture alone uses a lot of fuel that, on the surface, we don’t think about, and, often, neither do politicians or farmers. For instance, in addition to some of the fossil fuels that are used in agriculture – aside from those used in trucking and transporting products to market and aside from equipment used on the land itself – there are other, more subtle uses.
Asphalt for roads uses fuel. Plastic used in many types of containers use fuel. Pesticides and other fertilizers use fuel. When you produce as much agriculture as the state of California does, these things add up to a lot of fuel.
California is in a good situation on one hand because they have 206 oil fields. On the other hand, California uses about 20 billion gallons of fuel just to be able to drive. This is a lot of fuel.
Even though the nation and most states do not have a comprehensive energy plan or energy conservation plan, the need is there. Politicians – especially the two presidential candidates – are talking about this issue on a daily basis. CNN and MSNBC along with all the other news channels have program after program about what to do about this crisis.
Some cities in California are not just waiting around for the federal or state government to come up with a plan. Cities such as Oakland and San Francisco are working on alternative energy in areas such as their mass transit. Hopefully other cities and counties across the country will follow suit.
The fuel crisis is a problem throughout the world, not just in California, however, since California produces nearly half the fruits and vegetables in the United States, it is critical for them to be able to be sure that they can continue to do so.
But California is not alone. The country is in need of alternatives, and we are hearing from people like Richard Branson and T. Boone Pickens, among others, with ideas that could help get the fuel crisis under control in the short term and the long run. California is in a tough situation, and their situation will effect the country and essentially, the world. It is a good thing that they are taking the lead and taking responsibility to start looking at conservation and alternatives on their own without waiting for the problem to get any worse or the government to help.
Is Nuclear Energy Part of the Solution?
For decades there has been an ongoing debate as to whether nuclear energy is a viable alternative to other forms of energy. With the advent of nuclear power plants came concerns – some justifiable – about accidents and other issues that could harm people and the environment, especially those near the power plants themselves.
Then there were accidents in places around the globe – including the United States – and the fear that came along with the accidents, as well as the myths that were perpetrated as a result.
As our fuel and energy sources have waxed and waned over the years the debate about nuclear power has continued. With the fuel crisis in full bore, we are hearing more and more about alternative forms of energy these days.
Natural gas has been touted as one form of energy that can be used to replace oil that is so scarce and so expensive. The problem with that is that the United States gathers much of its natural gas from Canada, and Canada has put the U.S. on notice that there is little natural gas that they can spare due to having to tap into their own reserves to keep their industries moving forward. In addition,
there have also been huge price hikes in the cost of natural gas, making it ineffective to use in many businesses.
Natural gas has been used to replace electricity but this drove the prices up and has caused over a million jobs to be cut in order to keep up. The cost of natural gas has risen 93% just since last August. In addition, natural gas is a finite resource. North America – particularly the United States – has not been increasing its natural gas production, and with Canada having said that it cannot spare much, if any, of its natural gas, the United States needs to come up with a new commodity – fast.
This is where nuclear energy may or may not come in. Researchers suggest that nuclear energy would be a good source of energy for electricity, while using other types of energy for other needs. There is debate about how this would work and whether this would work.
Regardless of what the result may be, it is clear that we need to look into all types of energy – including nuclear energy – in trying to address and solve the fuel and energy crisis before it is too late.
Subsidies and Fuel Prices
The high cost of fuel is no secret these days. No matter where you are around the world, fuel prices are a tremendous issue. Whether you are earning an average or above average income, the increased cost of fuel is having an effect on the way you live. People are buying smaller, more economical vehicles and driving less. They are carpooling more and many are changing jobs, opting for a lower salary closer to home so they can save fuel costs.
When fuel started inching toward $3 per gallon, people were getting worried and upset. Now that the price per gallon is over $4 per gallon, people are besides themselves worrying about how to make the dollars stretch.
The question is: What pushes the cost of fuel up so high? The answer, in part, is subsidies. The way subsidies work is that various countries such as Mexico, India and China subsidize their motor fuel. What this does is encourage consumption of fuel and make the prices rise while the governments of those countries make up for the deficit at the pump for their consumers. Research indicates that countries with subsidies accounted for over 95% of the increase in oil use around the world in 2007. Because of this, prices rose to alarming levels, and in some countries like the United States, demand for oil fell because prices were allowed to rise.
Subsidies are a big factor in creating an imbalance between supply and demand of fuel, therefore pushing oil prices up and making it hard for consumers to afford it. As a result, other parts of the energy and economic equation are affected, such as automobile sales – especially luxury cars and SUV’s. These high-ticket items were often acquired by consumers who leased them from the automakers on long-term leases. As the fuel crisis has deepened and the economy has changed automakers have taken huge losses due to these leases. So deep, in fact, that Chrysler will no longer offer leases.
In addition, individuals who have purchased these vehicles that consume a great deal of fuel have taken losses personally, as well, adding further to the economic problems resulting from the fuel crisis. Adding all these factors together has created a situation that is creating a strain on individuals, families and entire countries.
While economists search for a solution, one thing is clear: fuel prices will not be going down in the near future and it is essential to continue looking for alternative sources of energy to replace or supplement subsidies. We need to find ways to deal with the fuel crisis head on, eliminating or adjusting artificial fixes and developing real solutions now.
Drilling for Fuel: Is it Enough?
The fuel crisis is out of control. We are hearing all sorts of theories about what needs to be done to fix it. One minute we hear that we need alternative energy sources. Then we hear that there is plenty of fuel right now. Then we hear that there is a need for more drilling. And we keep hearing that one.
Drilling may be part of the solution to the problem, but is it enough? Some people are saying that it is.
We are being told that drilling would be enough if it was done smartly and efficiently. We are also being told that with the right agreements with the right countries, the United States and other countries would not be dependent upon oil that is being held hostage by countries who would benefit from seeing prices continue to rise worldwide and seeing the “free word” have to scramble for oil.
The solution, some say, is to drill more ourselves. Perhaps that is true, but it will take time to find out. For instance, it is important that tests be done in advance of drilling. With many of the computer programs and models available today, “virtual drilling” on a computer program is possible. Not only are these programs able to pinpoint where oil is thought to be available, but also to determine how far under the ground it is and what type of drilling is needed to gain access to it. These programs can also tell researchers the best way to approach the drill is and what the approximate results would be.
Even with all this information, there are questions as to whether drilling will be enough. Can the oil be processed fast enough to be converted to fuel? Can it be marketed fast enough to avert a further shortage or market collapse? Can all this be done in a way that is financially prudent?
These are questions that are still being researched and will need to be answered. In the meantime, we are already in the middle of a fuel and economic crunch now.
It is important to look at all the options available. Drilling is one of them. Time will tell if drilling will be enough to stop the crisis. Additional drilling might be enough to at least help.
Will the Fuel Solution Lie in a Combination?
We are being told by Congress, the news, the President, politicians, the oil companies and others that there are solutions to the fuel crisis. However, every entity has a different opinion as to what the most appropriate solutions are.
There are ideas about alternative fuel, alternative energy, traditional fuel, fossil fuels, solar power, hydrogen power, water power and more.
All of these seem to have their place and it seems as though, since the world is in such a crunch for energy, there might just be a place for most types of energy to keep the world running.
Since all of the various energy sources are available – some in more limited quantities than others – why not do what we can to use them all in the most efficient ways possible?
Wind power can provide for the energy needs that electricity provides for. Solar power can create electric energy plus energy to run cars and fill other energy needs. Hydrogen and water can run vehicles and they can provide for other energy needs, as well.
There is water power – hydro-electricity, which has been around for decades. There is also nuclear power – which is often a “nasty” word, but in times like these even some of the ideas we don’t like become less distasteful if we can find positive uses for them – especially in saving the planet, creating energy and saving money, not to mention, making the country “fuel independent.”
When we look at all the types of fuel available, it is good to know that there are choices, alternatives and combinations of energy that we can use to address the energy needs now and in the future.