Greenline Industries, a San Franscisco-based biofuel equipment company, secured $20 million in investment capital to further develop its patented “waterless” biodiesel system.
The cover story in the current issue of Time Magazine calls biofuels a “clean energy scam.” We offer ten facts to consider from the article, including this one: the grain it takes to fill an SUV tank with ethanol could feed a person for a year.
The vision of hundreds of thousands of electric cars buzzing along American highways and byways makes most utility companies downright giddy. It’s not just the opportunity sell a lot more electricity that gets them excited. “We think there’s a fundamental game-changer here. And that’s energy storage,” said Ed Kjaer, director of electric transportation at Southern California Edison. What will it take to get us there?
BMW’s Hydrogen 7, which has garnered attention for being test-driven by a roster of celebrities, has been confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to surpass Super Ultra Low-Emission Vehicle standards.
A recent panel of diesel experts identified the environmental benefits of clean diesel. “Diesel has a major role to play because it’s inherently more efficient than gasoline combustion," said Tim Johnson, director of environmental technologies, Corning Inc. "And it produces about 20 percent fewer greenhouse gases." But the panel didn’t sidestep the most difficult challenges either.
For decades, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been trumpeted as the best strategy for reducing emissions from our cars and trucks. Billions of dollars later, top executives from General Motors and Toyota appear ready to give up on the viability of hydrogen-powered cars. Is this shift a clear-headed assessment of hydrogen technology and its economics? Or merely corporate maneuvering?
Volkswagen is the latest car company to announce plans to introduce a vehicle that combines hybrid and diesel technologies. The company says that a diesel-hybrid Golf, to be offered in Europe as early as 2009, will achieve 70 miles to the gallon. But is the cost of combining technologies simply too high?
BMW will introduce a mild hybrid diesel concept vehicle—based on the BMW X5—at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in March. The seven-passenger vehicle, which will utilize a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine, promises 36 miles to the gallon and 200 horsepower. "This is no pie-in-the-sky project," said Klaus Draeger, head of development at BMW. "All of the features are production-feasible."
Penn State researchers have developed a proof-of-concept device that can mimic photosynthesis by splitting water to produce recoverable hydrogen. Is it pie-in-the-sky?
Two new studies cast doubt on the ecological benefits of biofuels. Researchers found that, when all relevant factors are considered, biofuels produce more greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels.
