Green Energy News | July 8, 2001

July 8, 2001 – Vol.6 No.15

ENERGIES... week of July 8, 2001

TARGET METHANE. According to the well respected newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Bush Administration is considering targeting methane reduction as a way to combat global warming. Though a good first step - and an indirect admission by this administration that something must be done about the problem - the real work, the tough job of reducing carbon dioxide, would be further delayed - perhaps to another administration. Last year National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists recommended methane reduction as one, fairly easy step in tackling global warming.

A more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, methane can be reduced by putting it to work as an energy source or reducing its formation initially.

Tyson Foods, a U.S. poultry producer will be working with Renewable Energy Corporation of Australia to build a $12 million processing plant to convert 80-85,000 tons of chicken litter each year, as well as sludge from Tyson’s production facilities, into energy in the form of steam. The Renewable process is to gasify the waste into a synthesis gas made up of mostly methane and use it as fuel for combustion. The facility will be built in the Delmarva Region of the mid-Atlantic U.S. Chicken litter will come from Tyson operated farms in the area. Steam will be used by Tyson in its protein conversion plant.

Though methane reduction is not the purpose of the new facility, it is one positive result. The purpose of the facility is actually to reduce runoff of nutrients into rivers in the region that adjoin farmland. Chicken litter is now either stored or spread as fertilizer. Left to decay, chicken litter will release methane and carbon dioxide. Putting the methane to work will displace fuel oil now used by Tyson to make steam.

New Zealand is working to reduce its contribution of greenhouse gases by reducing belching and flatulence from cattle and sheep. Methane from the ruminants accounts for 44 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. One company, Wrightson Ltd in Wellington, is developing new types of grasses used for feed which will digest with less methane formation. Visit Wrightson at http://www.wrightsons.co.nz/ .

EV READY. With so much interest focused on fuel cell vehicles there is little news of pure, battery-powered, highway-capable electric vehicles. Until now. The State of Hawaii has taken delivery of 15 electric Hyundai Santa Fe SUV’s. The vehicles use a propulsion system developed by Enova Systems and can be rapid charged at stations built by AeroVironment.

The State would like to become the preeminent testing ground for battery EV’s. With strong state support, Hyundai chose the island state for the launch of the Santa Fe EV. Visit Enova Systems at http://www.enovasystems.com/ , AeroVironment at http://www.aerovironment.com/ .

SOLAR HYDROGEN. For hydrogen to be a truly zero-emission fuel it must be extracted from water using a zero-emission source of energy.

Honda has opened a solar powered hydrogen refueling station near Los Angeles that uses electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The station, the first of its kind installed by a major automaker, can produce enough hydrogen to power one car for one year. Back-up power is used to increase hydrogen production capacity.

Other, possibly better, choices for energy needed to extract hydrogen are wind and someday ocean energy. The lower cost of wind energy, for example, would equate to lower cost hydrogen.

Honda has been testing fuel cell cars at the California Fuel Cell Partnership since November of last year. Since then the cars have logged more than 3500 miles. Visit Honda at http://www.honda.com/, the Partnership at http://www.drivingthefuture.org/ .

WORLD WIND WATCH. In its 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005) China plans to increase its installed capacity of wind power by nearly 1200 megawatts. According to wire reports the nation is becoming increasingly concerned about air quality and dwindling fossil fuel supplies.

In the UK the Ministry of Defense (MOD) could put the brakes on a number of key offshore wind projects. At issue are low-flying military airplanes and air-defense radar. Towering wind turbines could pose an obvious hazard to aircraft in low-level training runs. Wind turbines can also produce static electricity that can show up on radar screens. Fortunately the MOD has so far rejected only one of seven projects proposed.