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DRIVING WHILE DELUDED | More Intelligent Life 

THE CHEAPEST LIQUID IN THE FILLING STATION IS STILL PETROL In this second extract from " Zoom ", their forthcoming book about the next revolution in cars ... and fuel, Iain Carson and Vijay Vaitheeswaran look at the hidden subsidies which keep American petrol prices down, and crowd out cleaner fuels... Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE Americans are forever complaining about gasoline prices at the pump—especially in summer, as consumers get ready for what market analysts call the "driving season" leading up to Labor Day. But despite the perpetual moaning, gasoline is hardly over-priced. Adjust for inflation, and it turns out that Americans were paying as much or more for it a few decades ago. The 30-cents-a-gallon price that old-timers recall from the 1960s is, in today's prices, really about $2 a gallon. The $1.25-a-gallon price that more people remember from the 1980s translates in today's money to about $2.50 a gallon. In fact, gasoline is a bargain at today's prices. If you don't believ   [More...] [Less...]

PopSci's Best of What's New 2007 

Imagine a solar panel without the panel. Just a coating, thin as a layer of paint, that takes light and converts it to electricity. From there, you can ... picture roof shingles with solar cells built inside and window coatings that seem to suck power from the air. Consider solar-powered buildings stretching not just across sunny Southern California, but through China and India and Kenya as well, because even in those countries, going solar will be cheaper than burning coal. That’s the promise of thin-film solar cells: solar power that’s ubiquitous because it’s cheap. The basic technology has been around for decades, but this year, Silicon Valley–based Nanosolar created the manufacturing technology that could make that promise a reality. The company produces its PowerSheet solar cells with printing-press-style machines that set down a layer of solar-absorbing nano-ink onto metal sheets as thin as aluminum foil, so the panels can be made for about a tenth of what current panels cost and at   [More...] [Less...]

Fact Sheet: Renewable Fuels Infrastructure 

Quantum to Supply Modular Hydrogen Refueling Station to Shell Hydrogen 

IRVINE, Calif., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., (Nasdaq: QTWW ) today announced that it has been ... awarded a contract from Shell Hydrogen LLC for a modular hydrogen refueling station. The unit will be sited by Shell Hydrogen at a yet to be determined location within the United States. Quantum will supply one of its modular, portable, and transportable hydrogen refueling stations together with a hydrogen storage cascade. The system incorporates an oil-free gas compression system to deliver hydrogen at high-pressure from the storage cascade. This refueling appliance will provide both 35 MPa (5,000 psi) and 70 MPa (10,000 psi) fill capabilities. "Quantum's hydrogen refueling stations, integral elements of our alternative energy product portfolio, are cost-effective, just-in-time modular solutions to deliver hydrogen to hydrogen powered vehicles as their demand continues to grow around the world. We are pleased to support Shell Hydrogen i   [More...] [Less...]

Ceres | Investors Achieve Record Results in 2007 in Spurring Corporate Action on Climate Change 

Investors engaging with US companies on the financial risks and opportunities from climate change had their most successful year ever during the 2007 proxy ... season. A record 43 climate-related shareholder resolutions were filed with US companies this year, of which 15 led to positive actions by businesses such as ConocoPhillips, Wells Fargo and Hartford Insurance. Shareholders withdrew their resolutions after the companies made their climate-related commitments. Remaining resolutions that went to a vote received record high average voting support of 21.6 percent, including 39.5 percent support for a resolution filed with Allegheny Energy, the highest vote ever on a global warming shareholder resolution. The ’07 proxy season also was marked by the first-ever filing of seven resolutions requesting that companies, including Exxon Mobil, set specific greenhouse gas reduction targets from their operations and products. These resolutions also received strong support, including 31.1 percent   [More...] [Less...]

[Abstract] A Review of the Future for Wind and Tidal Power Generation in the UK 

A Review of the Future for Wind and Tidal Power Generation in the UK I.F. Bitterlin (UK) Keywords Wind Power, Tidal Power, Renewable, Intermittence, Integration, ... Hydrogen Economy Abstract Even against todays historically low energy prices the technical & commercial viability of both wind and tidal power is established. As reserves of (low extraction cost) fossil fuels dwindle in the future and costs rise the economic viability of all renewable sources will increase. The paper provides an overview of the resource capacity of renewable wind and tidal power generation in the UK, comparing it to the demand and considering the problem of integration. The options for matching the intermittence of these power sources using energy storage are considered, including using the energy to power the hydrogen economy. Important Links: DOI: From Proceeding Go Back   [More...] [Less...]