Biofuels given boost in United States

Many people see biofuels as one of the best alternatives to fossil fuels, as United States is trying to become greener by developing its renewable energy sector. Biofuels, together with wind energy and solar energy, are becoming leaders in U.S. renewable energy sector, and U.S. government is also doing their part to promote these renewable energy sources. One of the best examples of what U.S. government is doing to give boost to renewables is a $24m grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will be given to companies that develop technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value bio-based products using biomass as feedstock.

The conditions that these companies have to met are as follows: the awardees must contribute a minimum of 20% of matching funds for R&D projects and 50% of matching funds for demonstration projects. For bio-based products and biofuels development, there are currently chosen companies as GE Global Research, Gevo, Itaconix, Yenkin-Majestic Paint Corporation, and Velocys.


Gevo, one of the most prominent biofuel companies, was awarded $1.8m, their chairman said that this grant will help fund ongoing development of its yeast strain to produce biobutanol from cellulosic biomass. The company started up its biobutanol demonstration plants the first in the world just year ago. The facility was designed from adapting an existing demonstration scale ethanol plant to produce biobutanol.

Itaconix, another of these awarded companies aims to produce green polymers from itaconic acid fermented with sugars extracted from hardwood biomass. Their product polyitaconic acid is a water soluble polymer, and according to their latest reports has a 2 million ton/year market potential as a replacement for petrochemical dispersants, detergents, and super-absorbents.

Other companies that were awarded include names like include Exelus, which wants to develop a Biomass-to-Gasoline (BTG) technology; and universities such as University of Tennessee that works on switchgrass, etc.

One company that also has to be mentioned here is energy crop company Ceres also won a grant of $5m from the DOE to develop high-yielding, low-input energy grasses. The company aims to expand an advanced trait development project to increase biomass yields of several energy grasses by nearly 40%, and at the same time to decrease the use of inputs such as nitrogen fertilizers. This "amazing grass" as it was called by some energy experts could displace 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 58 million tons of coal over a ten year period, according to latest reports from Ceres.

In any case it is nice to see that federal government is investing money in development of renewable technologies. Without the adequate investment the renewable energy sector will be too weak to compete with fossil fuels, and this would significantly decrease the Obama's efforts to make U.S. greener in years to come.

How does nuclear power produce energy?

Many people are still not aware that nuclear power is one of the most important energy sources, second after the dominant fossil fuels. In fact a significant amount (nearly 17%) of the electricity produced for the world's energy demand is generated by nuclear power in nuclear power stations. There are even some countries (like for instance France) where the majority of the electricity comes from nuclear energy. Countries mostly decide for nuclear power because nuclear power is basically a low-cost alternative to fossil fuels. And while current reserves of fossil fuels are becoming exhausted, uranium (necessary to create nuclear fission) is still plentiful source.

It is widely known that creating electricity from nuclear energy is not without inherent risks. But, managing those risks is possible and provides an opportunity to leverage a sustainable energy source. Given current safety measures in nuclear power plants across the globe we can be almost 100% positive that new Chernobyl is unlikely to happen again.

So how is the nuclear energy transformed into electricity? Process is known as nuclear fission. A Uranium-235 nucleus is split by a free neutron. When we split nucleus we get 2 new atoms and multiple free neutrons, and heat as the byproduct. The heat is then used to create steam which powers turbines. The turbines then operate generators that produce and help distribute electricity.


Nuclear power plants need to have maximum safety all the time therefore all components need to be at perfect condition because each component does not only play important role in the production of electricity, but it also helps regulate the integrity of the entire process. Each component has its extremely important function and so for instance enriched uranium is collected into bundles that are immersed in water, while control rods are used to normalize the heat of the bundles.

How does turbine in nuclear power stations work? The steam that is generated from the heat in the containment structure is transferred into a turbine. This turbine includes a cooling water condenser that helps normalize the power provided to the generator. The condenser is also connected to a cooling tower that aids the normalization process. Upon receiving power from the turbine, the generator begins spinning to produce electricity.

Many energy experts agree that nuclear power is efficient and environment friendly source of electricity. Nuclear power plants emit significantly less carbon and sulfur than conventional fossil fuels powered plants. However there are also some disadvantages too.

First, using uranium is not a clean process. Mining, purification and nuclear fission produces significant amount of toxic waste. This waste remains toxic for centuries so extreme care must be used in its disposal. Second, nuclear power is not a renewable energy source which means that once the world's supply of uranium is depleted, it cannot be replenished. Third, a poorly-designed nuclear facility (like it was the case with Chernobyl) imposes extreme risk to the environment and the people who live within close proximity to it.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in using nuclear energy to generate electricity, and this is likely to continue in years to come, not only because energy demand keeps on growing but also because nuclear energy with maximum safety on presents one of the best alternatives to dirty fossil fuels. So don't be surprised if world turns out to be much more "nuclear" in years to come.

Most Americans would turn to solar energy

When planning and thinking about renewable energy future for your country it is always important to know public opinion, and the public opinion in United States suggests that vast majority of Americans wants to see further development of solar power across the whole country

92% percent of Americans think that it’s important for the country to develop and use solar power, making this alternative and renewable energy source look very popular.

Even political parties seem to be agreeing on this one, with 89% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats and 93% of Independents agreeing that solar energy is an important aim that definitely deserves much bigger emphasis in years ahead.


The 2009 Schott Solar Barometer study, conducted by independent firm that does the polls Kelton Research, found that 77% of respondents also believe the federal government should make solar power development a national priority. Nearly half of people questioned are considering solar power options for their home or business, while 70% of asked people hope to make the switch to solar energy in the next five years. However, only 3% of them already use sun for energy.

They would also asked what they would choose for their preferred source of energy if they would be elected as the U.S. president: 43% of respondents would decide for solar, 17% would've picked wind, and only 12% asked would decide for traditional natural gas while 10% would select nuclear.

But if we look at this data more we can see that only 12% of those polled could say that they were extremely well informed about solar power while 74% said they wished they knew more about solar energy options which definitely imply that solar power is lately getting lots of positive media reaction.

All energy experts agree that solar energy is the largest available energy source for the United States, though it's potential is still negligibly used. However this looks to be changing and the reports from 2008 suggest how solar energy deployment has increased at a record pace in the United States in the last year. If current trend continues solar power's contribution to total U.S. energy sector could grow to 10% of the nation's power needs by 2025. If you look at the all available media you can see that large-scale U.S. solar power facilities are becoming commonplace in many parts of the United States, especially in Arizona and California that lead U.S. with the number of solar energy projects.

U.S. has also the largest solar power plant in the world, namely the MW SEGS thermal power plant, located in California, with 354 MW installed capacity, and due to the eight year extension of the 30% solar tax credit, it is estimated that an additional 28,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power will be installed by the end of 2016.

Since the year 2000 solar energy has been really expanding in United States, growing at an incredible average pace of 40% per year so when you look at this data it is really not hard to conclude why public would opt for solar energy as the primary renewable energy source.

Solar power has all signs of bright future in years ahead. Estimates say that in the next seven years solar energy should create 440,000 jobs, 28 gigawatts of solar power, and lead to a total $300 billion investment in solar energy.

Optimizing Fleet Routes Decreases Fuel Costs

Discovering new ways to lessen our carbon footprint comes in many shapes and forms; from algae-based fuel substitutes to solar energy. Many 21st-century findings are aimed at long-term feasibility for increased efficiency, as to compete with oil companies. Meanwhile, who’s looking into short-term attempts to moderate the rate in which we use energy?

According to Energy Bulletin, US Military energy consumption is the single greatest consumer of energy in the world, outputting thousands of trillions of Btu (British Thermal Unit) every year. In 2006 alone, they used nearly 900 TRILLION BTUs of Jet fuel, which can be quite costly.

But, looking at the consumption of military jet fuel over time, we can clearly see a steady decline of consumption:
Similarly, municipal fleets, including buses and other forms of city transportation, use a heavy amount of energy every year. Although, much like the military, we’ve seen a steady decline in the rate at which they consume. Factors include:

• Manufacturing (technology)
• Fewer people traveling
• People living closer to work
• Hybrid transportation

Ultimately, we can say that these slowly declining numbers are part of a systematic attempt to increase fuel efficiency through technology. One particular method of doing so involves fleet route optimization.
The CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) and Doug band are one fine example of a large collaborative unit of corporations, political figures, and non-profits that are helping in the process of route optimization. Route optimization can be defined as an attempt to locate the fastest route from point A to B, similar to the algorithms found in most GPS’s.

In a partnership with San Francisco, ESRI, and NAVTEQ, the CGI and Doug Band provide a commitment to incorporate plans to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from fleets in the San Francisco Bay Area through Fleet Route Optimization Software. This will target anything from public transportation to work force vehicles. NAVTEQ actually makes digital maps and content that drives navigation- and location-based services solutions worldwide, including:

• Auto navigation systems
• Mobile navigation devices
• Internet-based mapping applications
• Government and business solutions

Utilizing GIS mapping software, ESRI also helps the user interpret data, further aiding in transportation-based decision-making, reliant on the best information and analysis. Much of this is similar to what the average consumer finds on his/her portable GPS. Furthermore, it’s important to note that this technology has been around and is widely used.

Most of the time, these feature will be labeled as “alternate routes,” and will allow the user to view multiple paths, along with other elements like fuel cost, distance, time and gas station stops. Similarly, developers incorporate mechanisms that permit users to view weather/traffic in their area. This is GREATLY beneficial travelers as nobody likes to get in bad weather, or a traffic jam for that matter! Typically, users will have to pay a little extra for these features, and may even have to attend to a monthly fee for traffic/weather updates.

Both forces hope to provide powerful solutions for technology companies that enforce municipal transportation efforts. Once a seamless integration of communication and navigation has been implemented, transportation will become much more efficient. Again, this is something that has already taken effect and will continue to improve energy efficiency in regards to transportation fuel costs. As we technology progresses and becomes more affordable, individual consumers will begin seeing GPS as longer just an option, but rather a integral part of any vehicle.