Newsletter Vol.2
US military jets to run on weeds, scum & corpse-grease
Well on track to making their aircraft run on coal, the US forces have just ordered 600,000 gallons of renewable jet fuel made from weeds, algae or rendered fat from animal corpses.News of the biofuel push comes courtesy of Honeywell subsidiary UOP, which has been developing sustainable/renewable biofuels for use in jet engines since 2007, originally under the auspices of our old friends at DARPA. The Pentagon wildscience bureau originally called for jet fuel made from sources "including but not limited to plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria", raising the intriguing prospect of mushroom-powered air forces, but the programme seems to have developed along more conventional lines.
Financing Energy Projects Asia 2009(FEPA)
Now in its incredible 14th year, Project Finance International’s unbeatable Financing Energy Projects Asia conference is the global project finance industry’s must-not-miss annual meeting place for all things Asia and Energy: with a huge number of power projects in the pipeline, there is a vast amount discuss and catch up with for 2009 and into 2010 at FEPA.
Algae is a “realistic” car fuel
Researchers in America are claiming to have found a "realistic" fuel alternative in pond algae.An increasing number of scientists are involved in the development of algae as a commercial fuel alterative and according to a team at Florida International University, algae will power transport sooner than expected."I think it’s very realistic. I don’t think it’s going to take 20 years. It’s going to take a few years," said chemical engineer George Philippidis, director of applied research at Florida International University.He added: "We could hook up to the exhaust of polluting industries. We could capture it and feed it to algae and prevent that CO2 from contributing to further climate change."
First time in India: In house Workshop on Fuel Saving
Growdiesel Climate Care Council is pleased to announce in house Workshop on Fuel Saving. The workshop offers an excellent opportunity to save fossil fuel consumption up to 25%. The need for such workshop is being felt for a long time wherein the in house team of top management, project leaders, experts, strategists can assemble at a location of their own choice & invite an Industry expert for detailed discussions before chalking out their future business plans. Such a tailor made workshop is NOW being offered by the industry leader “Growdiesel Climate Care Council” for companies, governments & organizations across the globe. Very limited number of such high profile workshops shall be organized in coming year. For requesting a brochure or directly booking a workshop, pl. contact us NOW by clicking here.
Newsletter Vol.1
Green Algae has potential to take over Biofuel Industry
New Biofuel technologies could revolutionize the green energy market. Having already a variety of biofuels made from corn, sugar cane, canola and soybeans, why would one bother with algae? One of the latest researches, aimed at producing biofuels, has discovered that algae can produce a lot more energy than all other fuels combined . It could generate 30 times more energy per unit area than most other biofuels derived from crops. Such a discovery could create a whole new biofuel industry based on algae—not to mention the cost savings from reducing excess crop production.
The United States Department of Energy estimated that 15,000 square miles of algae (a bit larger than the size of Maryland) could replace all of the petroleum currently being used in the United States. By comparison, if you plant corn for biofuel use, you would need around 4 times the area of United States to meet current fuel level demands.As jet fuel prices have skyrocketed, some major aircraft carriers are already flying on algae fuel. On Jan. 8, 2009, Continental Airlines ran a first ever commercial test flight entirely on algae fuel—albeit not pure algae fuel. The fuel consisted of half algae fuel and half regular jet fuel. After a series of air maneuvers including a mid-flight engine shutdown, Continental pilots have praised the algae fuel as being very effective.
Additionally, other airlines such as Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Boeing Co. have also invested in algae fuels.
Second Algae Biofuel Summit in India a great success
Organizers of the Second Algae Biofuel Summit 2009 in New Delhi India held during the second week of September are very satisfied with the outcome of the event, which was attended by researchers, scientist, entrepreneurs and industry delegates from across the globe. The objective of the summit is to provide an improved up-to-date understanding of next generation biofuels using algae as the main feedstock.
The objective of the summit, which was jointly organised by Growdiesel and the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, is to provide an improved up-to-date understanding of next generation biofuels using algae as the main feedstock. It provided an excellent platform for disseminating information regarding recent research and development activities in the field of algae, mass production systems, photobioreactor technologies and other important areas of the Industry including financial issues.
The summit received support from the Defence Research & Development Organisation, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Indo-EU Chambers and a large number of other global organizations. Speakers and delegates at the event included national and international industry experts, technologists, biofuel companies, scientists, investors, oil companies, policy-makers etc. Over 50 speakers deliberated on all issues encompassing this futuristic emerging industry, unanimously concluding that algae could become the best source of biofuels on the planet known to date.
Algae fuel is cool: It’s viable, sustainable and scalable
It’s an economically viable fuel option- producing algae fuel is low in cost and can yield high returns. Not only are the two main inputs free(sunlight and carbon dioxide), the fuel source itself is not subject to political price fluctuations. It also appeals to fuel companies as a way to reduce carbon emissions. It’s actually sustainable-algae farming doesn’t require arable land or potable water to produce an abundance of energy (it grows in brackish waste or sea water) and the energy used to turn the algae into liquid fuel. Algae removes inorganic carbon dioxide—excesses of which cause global warming—from the air, eventually turning it into the organic carbon dioxide that powers our cars, trains and planes. Though there might not be a net loss of carbon dioxide in the process, by displacing fossil fuel and other fossil fuel-intensive bio-fuel sources, algae fuel would eliminate the introduction of new carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
It’s scalable—enough algae fuel can be produced to sustain our fuel-guzzling habits. The constraints common among other alternative fuel sources don’t affect algae farming: algae reproduces at a rapid rate, can be harvested, dried and turned into liquid fuel within a two-week period, and is a sustainable practice. Currently, algae is the only crop capable of being converted into biodiesel fuel to support the world’s current consumption rates.
Admittedly, there are some remaining glitches in the proposition of large-scale algae farming. It has been tried before and met with mixed results; however, the newest fuel-production method is both more energy efficient and less expensive. New techniques such as gravity and non-thermal drying have greatly improved the process of algae biofuel harvesting.
First time in India: Inhouse Workshop on Emission to Biofuels:
Growdiesel Climate Care Council is please to announce inhouse Workshop on Algae Biofuels. The workshop offers an excellent opportunity to investment companies, renewable fuel companies, large Co2 emitting companies, govt. & public bodies to gain knowledge in depth knowledge about this great emerging opportunity. The need for such workshop is being felt for a long time wherein the inhouse team of top management, project leaders, experts, strategists can assemble at a location of their own choice & invite an Industry expert for detailed discussions before chalking out their future business plans. Such a tailor made workshop is NOW being offered by the industry leader “Growdiesel Climate Care Council” for companies, governments & organizations across the globe. Very limited number of such high profile workshops shall be organized in coming year. For requesting a brochure or directly booking a workshop,
Green goo…. Or is it green gold? It may not look nice, but algae could form the answer to the world’s energy needs
Algae on ponds, lakes and still water has never been seen as one of nature’s most pleasant gifts. Yet now, this scummy substance is being considered as an alternative fuel source and could soon be powering our cards, planes and perhaps even our homes. Rising oil prices and an urgent global need for cleaner energy have flung algae into the centre of a hot biofuels debate. Scientist, entrepreneurs and even Government ministries are discussing its viability, as we try to cut back our worldwide dependency on fossil fuels.
Of course you might think: "We've heard that one before". The same glowing promises were made about the so-called "first-generation" biofuels, based on food crops like sugarcane and corn. But those predictions quickly turned sour after the biofuels were blamed for higher food prices worldwide.But algae is different. At its most basic level, algae only needs water, sunlight, carbon dioxide and basic nutrients to grow. Unlike the first-generation biofuels, algae can be cultivated on non-arable land using seawater or waste water. They can double their size in photosynthesis in a day, and are easily grown in controlled conditions.
This means it potentially has all the strengths of biofuels extracted from conventional crops without contributing to the global food crisis.The exact science of cultivating algae into transport fuel, as well as its true cost, is still up in the air. What is definite is that, for now, it can't be grown everywhere: hot, sunny climes produce far more algae than overcast and rainy ones, warns the Carbon Trust, although companies are developing strains that can be grown in colder climates.
We also need to find a cost-effective way to produce algae biofuels on a scale that can meet our transport needs.