CQ Politics | Innovations - Energy and Environment: September 2008 Archives

Engine Could Provide Energy for Hybrid Vehicles

September 30, 2008 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Engineers are looking at an alternative to hydrogen fuel cells or conventional engines in hybrid vehicles, an efficient design called a free-piston engine. As Technology Review explains, a free-piston engine has no mechanical connection between the piston and the crankshaft, which reduces friction and makes for a more efficient engine. In fact, researchers believe it could be far more efficient in producing electricity than either conventional generators or newer fuel-cell technology.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Skyscraper Farms Could Save Energy

September 30, 2008 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

South African Boer goats chews on tough weeds to clear a steep hillside lot in downtown Los Angeles. In the future, maybe the livestock will be inside the skyscrapers. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Instead of spending all that energy to plant and plow fields and then truck the produce from the country to the city, why not grow food right in a city, in a glass tower with different floors for different crops and livestock? A Columbia University professor tells Scientific American that such "vertical farming" would bring fresh food to urban dwellers with less fuel expended on shipping, and would allow farmers to heat or cool the environment as needed to grow crops all year round.'

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Continue reading Skyscraper Farms Could Save Energy.

Auction Sets Carbon Emissions at $3.07 per Ton

September 29, 2008 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The country's first auction of emissions permits set the price of releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at $3.07 per ton. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a consortium of 10 states in the Northeast, held the first U.S. cap-and-trade auction last week and announced the results today, the Associated Press reports. Under the program, companies buy permits to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases, and if they reduce their emissions they can sell the permits to other companies for a profit.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Boeing Begins Jet Biofuel Initiative

September 26, 2008 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has teamed up with 10 airlines, including Air France, Continental, and Virgin Atlantic, to form a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group. Flightglobal reports that the group will look for ways to make renewable jet fuel, with the goal of at least partially replacing fossil fuel used in airplanes with biofuel by 2013. Boeing is funding two studies on making jet fuel from algae or the plant jatropha, being done at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Yale.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

House Paves the Way for Hybrid Trucks

September 25, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kathryn A. Wolfe, CQ Staff

The House passed a bill Wednesday designed to spur the development of plug-in hybrid utility and delivery trucks.

The measure , which passed by voice vote, would create a competitive grant program at the Energy Department to help businesses research, develop and ultimately sell these vehicles.

Continue reading House Paves the Way for Hybrid Trucks.

Solar Panels Enter Black Market

September 24, 2008 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular, with thieves who resell them on eBay, according to the New York Times. Although no one's compiled statistics, police departments in California say they're seeing a rash of such crimes. Outside of California, where fewer panels have been installed, thefts are rarer, but growing, the paper says.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Microbe Could Help With Plastic Recycling

September 23, 2008 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All those billions of plastic bottles you're drinking your designer water and energy drinks out of could be recycled into a biodegradable plastic that could replace the cellophane in food packaging, Science News reports. The trick is to heat the plastic so it breaks down into constituent parts, including an acid. Feed the acid to the right kind of microbes and they turn it into a new, biodegradable plastic.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Chicago Plans to Cut Greenhouse Gases

September 19, 2008 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The City of Chicago wants to cut its emission of greenhouse gases to three-quarters of 1990 levels by 2020, and one-fifth of 1990 levels by 2050. The Associated Press reports that the plan includes updating the city's building code to improve insulation and heating and cooling systems in all buildings, increasing recycling and carpooling, and promoting alternative fuels. Chicago emits 34.6 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Digital TV Transition Could Create a Toxic Mess

September 19, 2008 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Adrianne Kroepsch, CQ Staff

Worried that the transition to digital television will result in a nationwide dumping of lead-laden analog TV sets early next year, environmentalists pushing for a response are beginning to gain traction in Congress. But the attention from lawmakers may be too late to limit damage.

Two resolutions (S Res 663 and H Res 1395) calling for the United States to join other nations in banning the export of electronic waste to developing countries have been introduced. But even if enacted, they would have little or no legal impact. The prospects for any other substantial congressional action in the short term are dim.

Continue reading Digital TV Transition Could Create a Toxic Mess.

Powdered Methane Could Provide New Energy Source

September 18, 2008 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Methane holds a lot of promise as a fuel source---there's enough in two deposits off the coast of South Carolina to power the United States for a century---but it's difficult to store and transport. Now chemists in England have come up with a simple way to turn the natural gas into a sugar-like powder that would be cheaper and easier to store than current methods allow, the Discovery Channel reports. The researchers turned the gas to a powder simply by mixing it with water filled with fine particles of silica.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Should Taxpayers Subsidize the Chevy Volt?

September 17, 2008 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

General Motors unveiled its much-hyped hybrid electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, this week and was immediately faced with questions about who was going to pay for it, the Los Angeles Times reports. The auto industry is asking the federal government for $25 billion in low-interest loans to help it move toward higher fuel-efficiency standards. Critics call the loans a bailout.

New Smithsonian Labs on the Horizon?

September 16, 2008 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Molly Hooper, CQ Staff

Barro Colorado is the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's primary site for the study of lowland moist tropical forests.

The House is ready to act as early as Tuesday on a bill that would allow the Smithsonian Institution to build laboratory space for environmental research centers in Maryland and Panama.
The bill would authorize the Smithsonian Board of Regents to create a new facility at the Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., and to build a new lab for expanded study in Gamboa, Panama, for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Up to $41 million over three years would be authorized for the Maryland facility and up to $14 million would be authorized for the building in Panama.
Bush administration officials have not issued a position on the bill.
The measure will be considered under suspension of the rules, which limits debate, bars amendments and requires a two-thirds vote for passage.

Carpooling Becomes a Web 2.0 Activity

September 14, 2008 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With gas prices rising and more people looking to share rides to work, governments and iPhone apps are offering ride-matching services to link riders with drivers. BusinessWeek tells us that a number of companies are springing up that use Web 2.0 interactivity to do a better job of match-making, with some even offering to verify users' identity to make the process safer.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Podcars Provide Alternative Transportation

September 12, 2008 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With 70 million Americans nearing retirement age, the number of people isolated as they lose their ability to drive is expected to increase dramatically. In an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, a University of Southern California professor touts a system she says would provide private transportation for these people, as well as cutting down on pollution and traffic. The system uses podcars---small, four-passenger cabs that travel on a monorail system and, unlike a subway line, are available on demand.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy

Is There a Wind Bubble Coming?

September 12, 2008 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wind power is booming, with capacity last year growing by 45 percent and wind power companies being bought and sold. The Atlantic displays an interesting map showing where the wind and the windmills are, but worries that the current optimism in the wind market may turn sour. It cites two problems: the poor capacity of transmission lines to carry the electricity from the sparsely inhabited, windy areas where it's generated to the big cities that need it, and the variability in supply caused by changes in the weather.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Tax Breaks Proposed for Hybrids, Wind and Solar Energy, Biofuels

September 12, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Richard Rubin, CQ Staff

The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee are trying yet again to extend tax breaks for renewable energy, revealing on Thursday another attempt to break a continued logjam.

Chairman Max Baucus and ranking Republican Charles E. Grassley released a new tax package that will top $40 billion once revenue estimates are finalized.

"Here we are again," said Baucus, D-Mont. "I'm starting to feel like Don Quixote, except I'm not jousting at windmills. I'm jousting for windmills."

Continue reading Tax Breaks Proposed for Hybrids, Wind and Solar Energy, Biofuels.

Cities Cooperate to Fight Climate Change

September 11, 2008 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Francisco and its neighbors, Oakland and San Jose, are working together to develop a regional climate change compact. The agreement, not yet done, will include pledges to use more renewable energy and generate more "green" jobs, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Can We Solve Global Warming by Storing CO2 Underground?

September 11, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Christopher Swope, Governing.com
On a ranch outside Cranfield, Mississippi, workers for the state's largest oil and gas operator are shooting a dense liquid 10,300 feet into the earth. The liquid is a supercritical form of carbon dioxide that serves a valuable purpose for Denbury Resources Inc. Oozing through porous rock, the CO2 mixes with oil and pries it out from underground nooks that otherwise would be hard to reach. Denbury pumps the slimy blend back out of the ground, sells the oil and sends the carbon dioxide back down, repeating the cycle until a well runs dry.

What geologists want to know is what happens to the CO2 that's left behind.

Continue reading Can We Solve Global Warming by Storing CO2 Underground?.

Obama, McCain Compete on Who's More Energy-Savvy

September 8, 2008 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Both the Democratic and Republican nominees for president have made energy security and environmental issues part of their campaign, leading Reuters to ask who is best equipped to turn the White House green. Barack Obama, who wants higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles and calls offshore drilling a stop-gap measure, has the endorsement of most environmental groups. John McCain wants to develop technologies that reduce American dependence on foreign oil, and told his party's convention last week, "We will drill new oil wells off-shore, and we'll drill them now."

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Solar Power Provides Enough Energy for Everything, Expert Argues

September 8, 2008 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Solar power has the potential to provide for all the world's energy needs, the research director of a Paris-based institute told a European energy conference, according to Agence France Presse. Daniel Lincot, research director for the Institute for Research and Development of Photovoltaic Energy, says solar energy is so far providing only a negligible contribution to the global energy supply, but there's enough sunlight striking the Earth to cover all the planet's needs. Scientists at the conference called on governments around the world to speed up the deployment of solar power.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Candidates Differ on Plug-in Cars

September 8, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a likely first for presidential campaigns, Barack Obama and John McCain have staked out positions on plug-in electric vehicles. CalCars takes a look at where the two stand. Obama would support more tax credits for consumers and companies for plug-ins and switch the White House fleet to all plug-in vehicles within a year. McCain has something called the "Clean Car Challenge" which also includes some consumer tax credits and a $300 million prize for advanced batteries that deliver a 70 percent improvement at 30 percent of their current cost. He has specifically supported Chevrolet's electric Volt.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Is Geoengineering a Good Idea?

September 5, 2008 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A number of ideas that go far beyond cutting down greenhouse gas emissions have been floated to combat the effects of global warming, such as seeding the atmosphere with reflective particles or placing giant mirrors in space to divert sunlight from the planet. The International Herald Tribune reports that some scientists say such plans could have unintended negative effects, while the Royal Society, a British scientific body, says they might become necessary regardless of how risky they are.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Candidates Have Big Differences on Energy

September 4, 2008 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Republican presidential candidate John McCain opposes subsidies, earmarks, and heavy regulation regarding energy, while Democrat Barack Obama wants a stronger federal role in developing renewable energy, according to a report from the research firm New Energy Finance. CNET News reports that the firm dug through voting records and public statements to determine each candidate's positions on energy policy. It found, for instance, that McCain wants to scale back the government's role in promoting ethanol, while Obama would continue it.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Boston Turns Out the Lights to Save Electricity

September 4, 2008 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The City of Boston is starting a two-month trial of a program to turn off the lights in 34 skyscrapers as a way to save energy. The city estimates that turning off all the lights above the 30th floor between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. should cut the amount of electricity used for lighting by about 25 percent, according to the Boston Globe. If the program is deemed successful, it could continue year-round.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Costs, Regulation and a Touch of Corporate Responsibility Put More Green into IT

September 4, 2008 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One research firm estimates that at least 2% of global atmospheric carbon emissions can be traced to the information technology industry because of the electricity consumed by PCs, servers, cooling systems, telecommunications gear and printers. Now, under pressure from tightening global anti-pollution standards, the threat of environmental lawsuits and more awareness of corporate responsibility, many technology firms are racing to place a "green" stamp of environmental approval on their operations and products, according to a report from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Web pick posted by CQ Staff

Like Dems, Republicans Aim for Green Convention

September 3, 2008 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Catherine Richert, CQ Staff

Some call it a partisan re-branding, others call it genuine eco-friendliness. But no matter how you parse it, the Republican Party's efforts to host a "green" convention this week indicates the party has been doing some soul-searching when it comes to the environment.

"The Republican Party is the party of Theodore Roosevelt, who was the first to push conservation," said Melissa Subbotin, a spokeswoman for the organization that planned the 2008 Republican National Convention. "Republicans have a long history of environmental stewardship."

Continue reading Like Dems, Republicans Aim for Green Convention.

New Technique Could Neutralize Greenhouse Gas

September 1, 2008 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chemists at Brandeis University in Massachusetts have found a way to separate fluorine from carbon compounds, opening the door to eliminating one of the most potent types of greenhouse gas. Science News reports that, so far, the scientists only have a proof of their concept, but hope to develop it into a practical process for breaking up hydrofluorocarbons. The volume of HFCs is much lower in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but they trap more heat and do not break down easily.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Texas Approves Biomass-Burning Plant

September 1, 2008 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A $2.3 billion biomass-burning plant in East Texas has won approval from the Austin city council. Earth2Tech says the 100-megawatt facility will burn woody waste, such as sawdust and tree trimmings, and sell the power to Austin Energy.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com