Natural gas latest consumer headache
The prices in April are about $1 per therm or more. Here’s one take on why the price is going through the roof, even as we leave the winter heating season. One interesting item:
Coal shortages at many American utilities like Exelon Corp (EXC), Ameren (AEE), Dynergy Inc (DYN) and PPL Corp (PPL) will force them to run gas plants to preserve coal stockpiles for the summer, even if it’s more costly to do so.
Of course, the article doesn’t even mention the possibility of manipulation of the natural gas market or the need for sensible regulation of the gas market. We regulate pork bellies better than we do such a necessity as natural gas. gas engines
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Renewable Energy penetration: the upcoming challenges for TSOs
40.8% of the overall electricity demand was supplied on real time basis by wind power some days ago in the Spanish electricity system. This record constitutes a real challenge for transmission system operators (TSOs).
In more general terms, renewable energy penetration strongly depends on the ability of TSO to evolve towards a new way of operating the system: dedicated predictability for renewable generation, voltage dip management and managing the power balance.
The big issue for the coming years (especially taking into account the targets set by the EU Directive on the use of energy from renewable sources) is balancing the transmission system in the presence of high renewable power penetration. This not only requires to redesign grid codes, but also a deep revision of power reserve policy. Along with renewable sources growth, a market for upgraded reserves is becoming necessary.
This paper shows some good practices from the Spanish TSO, REE, leading to better integration of renewable generation: commissioning a dedicated centre for renewable energy management, grid code evolution, development of specific applications to maximize renewable generation and provide production limits to each renewable energy plant, voltage control and congestion management.
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First Flight of Manned Hydrogen-Powered Airplane in History
Today Boeing has announced the first hydrogen-powered manned flight in aviation history. The aircraft climbed to 3,300 feet over Madrid, Spain, using only electricity and probably several bottles of yummylicious Ribera del Duero wine and Iberian Pata Negra ham rations. The airplane then cruised for 20 minutes at 62mph using only hydrogen cells.
A question would by why would you want to replace the APU? Existing APU’s run off the same fuel as the primary engines, feed off the same fuel tanks and are proven reliable. by greggantic at 09:01 PM on 04/03/08 Reply by Email * is it possible…
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First manned flight using hydrogen battery doesn’t cause rain, only tears
Filed under: Transportation
You’re looking at the world’s first manned flight powered by a hydrogen battery. Boeing’s prop-driven aircraft set the lone pilot aloft for about 20 minutes at a speed of 100-kilometres (62 miles) an hour at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. The 800-kilogram (1,760-pound) craft with a 16.3-meter (51-foot) wingspan is capable of flying for about 45 minutes under the power of its hydrogen fuel cells — the airplane’s batteries provided an additional boost for takeoff. The fuel cells harvest the energy produced by the chemical transformation of hydrogen and oxygen into water — that makes the craft clean as well as near silent. Unfortunately, the technology is nowhere near the point of powering commercial aircraft. At best, the fuel-cells could act as a secondary power source… in another 20 years.
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Corn Futures Up, Ethanol Stocks Down
What bad luck for U.S. ethanol makers. The very day when oil hits a record high, even when adjusted for inflation, corn also hits a record high. High oil should make ethanol more desirable, but the high corn prices are more than offsetting any benefits from the oil rally.
As a result, some corn ethanol stock are at or near their own records - well, record lows. Verasun Energy (VSE) posted its lowest close ever of $7.75 Tuesday, 66 percent down from its offering price of $23 a share. U.S. BioEnergy (USBE) fell to $6.19, also a low point, and 43 percent down from its IPO price of $14.
But there’s a morsel of good news for ethanol makers. Corn prices fell back 2 percent Wednesday amid expectations that animal-feed consumption will taper off in the U.S. and demand for corn abroad will also slow.
Nearly all of the ethanol stocks bounced back Wednesday by two or three percent. That’s really not much considering that some, like Verasun and U.S. BioEnergy, were suffered double-digit declines when corn hit its record high. There may be some investors looking to get in on what they believe are bargains. But it’s still not clear what when these companies’ operations will recover, and why.
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Renewable Fuels For Alternative Energy
The Germans have really taken off when it comes to renewable fuel sources, and have become one of the major players in the alternative energy game. Under the aegis of the nation’s electricity feed laws, the German people set a world record in 2006 by investing over $10 billion (US) in research, development, and implementation of wind turbines, biogas power plants, and solar collection cells.
Germany’s “feed laws” permit the German homeowners to connect to an electrical grid through some source of renewable energy and then sell back to the power company any excess energy produced at retail prices.
This economic incentive has catapulted Germany into the number-one position among all nations with regards to the number of operational solar arrays, biogas plants, and wind turbines.
The 50-terawatt hours of electricity produced by these renewable energy sources account for 10% of all of Germany’s energy production per year. In 2006 alone, Germany installed 100,000 solar energy collection systems.
Over in the US, the BP corporation has established an Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) to spearhead extensive new research and development efforts into clean burning renewable energy sources, most prominently biofuels for ground vehicles.
BP’s investment comes to $50 million (US) per year over the course of the next decade.
This EBI will be physically located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The University is in partnership with BP, and it will be responsible for research and development of new biofuel crops, biofuel-delivering agricultural systems, and machines to produce renewable fuels in liquid form for automobile consumption.
The University will especially spearhead efforts in the field of genetic engineering with regard to creating the more advanced biofuel crops.
The EBI will additionally have as a major focal point technological innovations for converting heavy hydrocarbons into pollution-free and highly efficient fuels.
Also in the US, the battle rages on between Congress and the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). The GEA’s Executive Director Karl Gawell has recently written to the Congress and the Department of Energy, the only way to ensure that DOE and OMB do not simply revert to their irrational insistence on terminating the geothermal research program is to schedule a congressional hearing specifically on geothermal energy, its potential, and the role of federal research.
Furthermore, Gawell goes on to say that recent studies by the National Research Council, the Western Governors’ Association Clean Energy Task Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology all support expanding geothermal research funding to develop the technology necessary to utilize this vast, untapped domestic renewable energy resource.
Supporters of geothermal energy, such as this writer, are amazed at the minuscule amount of awareness that the public has about the huge benefits that research and development of the renewable alternative energy source would provide the US, both practically and economically.
Geothermal energy is already less expensive to produce in terms of kilowatt-hours than the coal that the US keeps mining.
Geothermal energy is readily available, sitting just a few miles below our feet and easily accessible through drilling.
One company, Ormat, which is the third largest geothermal energy producer in the US and has plants in several different nations, is already a billion-dollar-per-year business–geothermal energy is certainly economically viable.
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FYI: New Path to Produce Butanol
A team of researchers headed by an environmental engineer at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a new techniques to produce butanol, a biofuel superior to ethanol. It can be derived from lignocellulosic materials, which are plant biomass parts that range from woody stems and straw to…
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Renewable Energy Source - Introduction
The future of energy resources lies in renewable energy.
Renewable energy sources:
- Wind - Wind have been used for centuries as a source for energy. Wind mills were used all over the world centuries ago.
- Solar - The sun provides endless energy in the form of sun rays. Special technology (photo voltaic cells) can convert the sun’s energy to electricity.
- Geothermic energy - already used in many places around the globe, geothermic energy can be harnessed to produce electricity.
There are many reasons why renewable energy will dominate the future :
- Endless sources - renewable energy sources are being constantly re-generated.
- Clean - transferring these naturally occurring energy sources to energy forms consumable by us (e.g. electricity) does not harm the environment.
- Freely available - current energy sources are difficult to trace and process. Large amounts of money and expertise are required to take part in the energy markets. Regular people act only as consumers in that market. Some renewable energy sources are easily accessible and as technology progress, the means to become your own supplier of energy will be available.
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News: Australian Petroleum Production Surges to 7-year High
Australian petroleum production reached a seven-year high in 2007 and petrol sales topped more than 19 billion litres, despite high prices at the pumps.A key report - issued by energy economics group, EnergyQuest - revealed that Australian petroleum production for 2007 was 467 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE), a 4.6% jump on the previous year and just short of the all-time record of 474 MMBOE in 2000. …”
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Little nation has big green ideas
P’rtugal may become a real-life test case for renewable energy. The country has no coal, no oil. Though Portugal is heavily agricultural there’s no corn lobby, no rapeseed industry, no huge dependence on fertilizer, no local auto companies. Chief exports for Portugal include wine, fish, beef, olive oil, cork. A major […]
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