Types of Alternative Fuels

1. Ethanol is usually made from corn or biomass (agricultural biological waste). Methanol can be made from various biomass like wood or from coal. Ethanol, a liquid produced from grain or agricultural waste, usually is sold as a blend of 85 percent denatured ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Ethanol had a dream that was sold that didn't necessarily have all the fundamentals, as it's dependent on the price of feedstock. However, the risk with geothermal is that people will say, "Well, it can only do 50 megawatts.

Ethanol is also available as an alternative fuel. E-85 is an alternative fuel blend containing 83% ethanol in the summer and 70% ethanol in the winter. Ethanol refueling sites can be found predominantly in the Midwest, close to the major supplies of ethanol. Efforts by DOE are underway in Minnesota to help construct a number of ethanol refueling sites.

2. Hydrogen, as an automotive fuel, is in the early stages of experimentation and development. Future hydrogen powered vehicles may produce tailpipe emissions that approach zero. Hydrogen can be used to cleanly power a modified internal combustion engine or a fuel cell vehicle with electric drive motors.

3. Electric vehicles are eco-friendly because they don't produce tailpipe emissions, although the generators producing the electricity used to charge EV batteries do emit pollutants. However, these pollutants are considered to be minimal when compared to the usage of gas. Electrical energy can be made by burning oil, coal, solid waste (rubbish), biomass, or other fuels. Or, electricity can be made without burning anything - by using the energy of the wind, the sun, or flowing water (more on electricity ). Electricity can be used as a transportation alternative fuel for battery-powered electric and fuel-cell vehicles. Battery powered electric vehicles store power in batteries that are recharged by plugging the vehicle into a standard electrical source.

4. CNG is a natural gas comprised mainly of methane, although it also contains small amounts of propane and butane. It is produced during the winning of crude oil or directly from natural gas fields. CNG also offers good availability and easy adaptability for today's automobile internal combustion powerplants. CON: CNG has a lower energy content than gasoline, so vehicles using it can generally only travel about 150 miles per tank.

State and fuel provider fleets are increasing their purchases of alternative fuel vehicles. City and County governments and large corporations may be required to purchase alternative fuel vehicles beginning in 2002. State vehicles outside the Ecogas contract (such as existing vehicles already converted to LNG or CNG, or new vehicles purchased already equipped for natural gas) will refuel at the 76?/gallon price.

Vehicle fuel systems for flex-fuel and dedicated natural gas vehicles are very similar. The main difference is that the gasoline fuel system is left intact on the dual-fuel or bi-fuel vehicle. Vehicles that can use either gasoline/diesel or an alternative fuel (bi-fuel vehicles) are a good transitional step. Soon, fleet use should bring enough demand for alternative fuels to make them as readily available as gasoline -- or as close as your home natural gas or electricity supply.

Vehicles covered by the CLEAR Act include those powered by hybrid engines, dedicated alternative fuels, fuel cells, and electric batteries. Vehicles that have been converted to operate on gasoline and alternative fuel (bi-fuel, must demonstrate ability to run on either fuel). Original equipment manufactured alternative fueled vehicles do not require an alternative fuel certificate. Vehicle storage systems being developed include compressed hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, and physical or chemical bonding between hydrogen and a storage media (for example, metal hydrides). Hydrogen vehicles are only available in a few select areas for small pilot programs.

When Do We Say Something is Energy Efficient?

Something is energy efficient if it uses energy efficiently. It can be used to refer to energy conversion efficiency which refers to the proportion between the amount of input of energy used in the system compared to the useful output. Useful output can mean either heat, mechanical power, or electrical power. Energy efficiency was brought to the attention of the average person on the street mainly because of the 1973 oil crisis. Amory Lovins, a physicist, popularized the concept of boosting energy efficiency rather than promoting heightened energy production at around the same time.
Lovins' idea has been expanded to apply to whole economies which are attempting to grow yet are hesitant to spur energy production as well. One US state which has managed to integrate energy efficiency policies into the daily activities of the common man, industries and even the government is the state of California. In the over 30 years since the mid-1970s when California started adhering to strict energy usage policies and programs, the state has been able to keep a flat rate of energy consumption while the rest of the country has seen their energy consumption double over that same time period. California also prioritizes energy efficiency above all, with use of renewable electricity supplies as its secondary priority.
Despite the energy savings that can be achieved when systems become energy efficient, there are still enterprises that are reluctant to set energy efficiency measures in place. It is believed that as much as 75% in savings on the current electrical consumption in the US alone can be reaped if efficient systems and measures were to be set in place and religiously observed.
Another side effect of using energy efficient systems is the corresponding decrease in real emissions without jacking up costs in the end, as stated by the Vienna Climate Change Talks 2007 Report.
We can categorize energy conversion efficiency into the subdivisions of electrical efficiency, mechanical efficiency, and thermal or fuel efficiency. The first sub-category of electrical efficiency can be computed by measuring how much useful power output is created when electrical power is used to power the system. Mechanical efficiency, on the other hand, is defined as the use of potential mechanical energy (such as water flowing from a river into a dam) to create mechanical energy. The last category refers to the use of fuel to produce heat.
In modern society, energy efficiency is used to refer to the volume of power supply (such as electricity) used by a certain system (let's say your radio) to carry out its function (which is to produce music over a certain period of time.) An energy efficient radio would be one that can produce good audio while using as little electricity from your electrical outlet as possible. A more thorough computation of the energy efficiency of your radio would mean factoring in running expenses and its expected lifespan as well.
When you, the average consumer, takes steps to choose items that are more energy efficient over items which are less energy efficient (such as switching to more fuel-efficient cars and selling your gas-guzzler vehicle to the scrap yard), that is called energy conservation. Energy conservation can be said to be successfully applied if you are able to reduce your usage of energy yet are still able to achieve the same level of functionality. In simple terms, if you use a more fuel-efficient car and can still get to work, but are able to use less gas in the process, then you can say that your attempt at energy conservation has been successful.

They Cost More So Why Buy Energy Saving Light Bulbs?

Energy saving light bulbs have been available now for a number of years, but, whilst more and more people are investing in them, there are still many who are concerned about the cost and dubious about their energy saving claims. But Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) can indeed save significant quantities of energy and don’t actually need to break the bank, so here is some information to throw some light on the situation!

On the energy saving front, CFLs, or energy saving light bulbs, use much less energy than their standard counterparts, up to 80% less in fact. They work in a similar way to traditional fluorescent lights but require a much lower wattage to achieve the same level of brightness as ‘normal’ bulbs. Straight away this indicates that savings can be made, and as lighting accounts for about 10-15% of domestic electricity bills, these savings will not be inconsiderable. And modern CFLs don’t suffer from the same issues of older varieties, which could take a short while to reach full illumination. On top of this energy saving light bulbs can also last up to 12 times longer than traditional bulbs, saving even more money.

The cost of energy saving light bulbs has often been a cause for concern. Prices have come down, however, and some varieties of CFLs are now available at less than £1 each from certain retailers. When this is then considered against the energy savings and the fact that the bulbs will need replacing much less often than standard bulbs, the savings far outweigh any extra costs.

Due to their longer lifespan, energy saving bulbs also have the advantage of reducing waste, as it is estimated that 80 million traditional fluorescent tubes alone are sent to landfill each year. Unfortunately there are few light bulb recycling schemes in the UK so waste reduction is critical.

Energy savings, which in turn mean a reduction in carbon emissions, cost savings and waste reduction add up to plenty of compelling reasons to choose energy saving light bulbs. These are now available in many varieties including dimmer bulbs so should meet the requirements of most if not all domestic lighting needs.

Alternative Power Generation for Tomorrow

Thanks to the Bush Administrations Alternative Power Initiatives we are seeing money flowing to alternative energy research and great strides being made in the private sector. America's way out of our energy situation now is the continued use of crude oilplus increased nuclear plants, solar, and wind power technologies. Understand that, within 10 years, solar, wind and nuclear energy will be widely available, helping America enjoy multiple sources of energy, still including petroleum products. While it is easy to read the solar power school initiative in Australia as a pure political ploy, it should still be celebrated. Energy efficient mortgages came to be because of a nudge from the government to lenders in an effort to promote the use of solar energy as a power source. One of the major milestones achieved in the solar power technology is the invention of photovoltaic cells. Experts have said that the technology of using photovoltaic cells and photovoltaic shingles is a major breakthrough in the harnessing of solar power. To be effective, solar power systems don't need to power an entire business community or even provide all of the power for a private residence. Of course, solar power is, in a sense, the source of many of our other forms of power, as well. Companies selling solar power equipment, panels and batteries should send out direct-mail marketing pieces to high net worth households within a 25-mile radius and also to all the small businesses in the area. Solar energy has been around for quite a while and most people don't think about it much except for the ones who are already into renewable sources of energy. Cost efficiency & economy Eskom South Africa provides our country with some of the cheapest conventional unsustainable electricity costs in the world, and that is the main reason for solar energy technology not taking off in South Africa. Electric Energy uses the power of the sun to produce electricity through solar cells, otherwise known as photo voltaics (PV). As photovoltaic cells continue to improve, the cost of solar energy will keep coming down, and eventually, it will become economically feasible for everyone to switch to solar. These are only a few of the stepping stones that make up the rich history of solar energy. Solar/Stellar Battery: Russian scientists have developed a battery that captures solar energy itself without the need for an external panel or collector. A solar energy panel collects energy from the sunlight and converts it into direct current (DC) electricity. One of the latest inventions concerning solar energy is the solar pool heater.

Renewable Energy Research

The U.S. federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory offers a renewable energy program that studies and disseminates news on the latest in energy efficient building technologies. Recognizing that construction designed around energy efficiency is crucial to growing the countries energy independence, these renewable energy programs research as well as train U.S. residents. They work closely with manufacturers and others in the construction and building industry, promote renewable energy endeavours and provide information to both consumers and builders about the financial savings involved in renewable energy. NREL also works with state and municipal regulatory agencies to improve their building regulations and codes and their energy standards for appliances.

This NREL Building Technologies Program supports renewable energy research and development, helping it stay focused on areas such as materials for switch able window technology, thermodynamics, building heat transfer, and engineering of renewable energy heat and cooling systems. The engineers and research scientist of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory work closely with the industry, testing and evaluating new designs for buildings, new technology and new energy-efficient equipment for both commercial and residential structures.

The primary focus of the NREL building technologies program is the improvement of residential dwellings, commercial structures, the equipment and other components of such buildings, the energy involved in heating and cooling each and delivering the requisite water, the tools to analyze energy consumption, green energy manufacturing, and energy-efficient appliance and lighting standards. Key to these missions are such NREL initiatives as its Zero Energy building program, its initiative for Solid State Lighting, and its Electro chromic Window project. An initiative called Building America is another important offshoot of the renewable energy focus of the building technologies program. NREL also collaborates with a similar building technologies initiative of the federal Department of Energy. This is administered by the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office.

Distributed energy is another facet of NREL initiatives. This can be used for power to our base loads, during peak time hours, as backup power, as remote power and for heating and cooling. Renewable distributed energy refers to the many small and modular technologies to generate power that work in combination with storage systems and energy management to advance the efficiency and improve the overall operation of our electricity delivery, whether connected to an electrical grid or not.

NRELs Distributed Energy Program supports renewable energy by researching various technologies that are thermally activated. It also develops the EERE program, including its Web site and other communications. NREL collaborates as well with the non-profit technology transfer associations and organizations developed throughout the various states.

From DER the consumer realizes improved reliability in its renewable and other energy, improved quality of power and its delivery, and the chance for participation in a choice of electric power markets which, through competition, brings down the cost. DER can potentially resolve transmission line congestion. Even the pricing, strengthen the security of energy and stabilize the electricity grid. With the implementation of DER technology dangerous emissions can be reduced and various applications of power and heat can become more efficient.

About the Author
James Copper is a writer for http://www.propertycareerskills.co.uk where you can get energy assessor training Source: ArticleTrader.com

Corporations Seriously Looking at Alternative Energy

In his new music video for the movie "American Gangster," best selling rapper Jay-Z flaunts the euro, not the dollar, to showcase his wealth.
Recently when asked "What is the best currency in the world to own right now?", billionaire Warren Buffet replied, "Not the u.S. dollar."
It was recently reported that supermodel Gisele Bundchen refused to be paid in U.S. dollars, because of uncertainty over its strength. She instead, asked to be paid in euros.
The examples above speak volumes about what many people with money, lots of money, think about the value of today's dollar. And many of them are beginning to hedge their bets with respect to the dollar. But what does all of this have to do with renewable energy resources?
If the dollar continues to be weak against other currencies, it will produce many unpredictable side effects. But one side effect that is almost certain to happen is a rise in the prices of traditional energy resources. All imports, but specifically oil and gasoline, will become more expensive. The days of $1.20 a gallon for gas are probably gone forever.
Grid Parity and Energy Prices
Grid parity is the point at which it becomes cheaper to produce your own electricity, from photovoltaic cells using solar power, than it is to buy it from power companies off of the electrical grid. As energy prices rise, more and more people will find themselves reaching grid parity.
Until very recently, the prospect of a community reaching grid parity any time soon seemed like a remote possibility. However, as energy prices have risen, some places in the U.S. have already reached that point. As of 2007, Hawaii has reached grid parity with the peak charging rates. Parts of California, particularly Northern California, have reached gird parity as well. As energy prices continue to rise, in large part due to the dollars devaluation, we'll see many more communities reaching grid parity.
But there is also an inverse price relationship happening with solar power and oil. As the price of oil slowly increases, the prices of photovoltaic cells are slowly decreasing. Companies are becoming more efficient at producing solar cells thus enabling them to be sold at lower price points. In addition, the solar cells themselves are becoming more efficient solar collectors, which let's the home or business owner save even more money.
And, of course, other factors pushing us towards greater uses of solar cell technology are the looming worries of global warming and the pressing need to decrease greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere.
Are corporations betting on solar power? One such company, SunPower, which makes photovoltaic panels for businesses, expects to pull in over one billion dollars in sales next year. Solar Power Inc. had revenues of over 8 million dollars in it's third quarter alone. Solar power companies in foreign countries such as Germany, Japan, and China have ramped up their solar power production facilities dramatically in the past few years.
For the past several years the U.S. has been borrowing money with reckless abandon. We have a national debt of over 9 trillion dollars. Now, the rest of the world is slowly deciding that they no longer want to bankroll us. For us, that means a continued low valued dollar and increased energy costs.

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.

Alternative Energy

Oil fuels the modern world. No other substance can equal the enormous impact which the use of oil has had on so many people, so rapidly, in so many ways, and in so many places around the world. Oil in its various refined derivative forms, such as gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel, has a unique combination of many desirable and useful characteristics. These include a current availability in abundance, a currently high net energy recovery, a high energy density, ease of transportation and storage, relative safety, and great versatility in end use. Oil is also useful as more than an energy source. As is the basis for the manufacture of petrochemical products including plastics, medicines, paints, and myriad other useful materials, it is also a significant industry source. Finally, the asphalt "bottoms" from refineries have converted millions of miles of muddy trails around the world into paved highways on which transport vehicles fuelled by oil run. Alternative energy sources must be compared with oil in all these various attributes when their substitution for oil is considered. None appears to completely equal oil. But oil, like other fossil fuels, is a finite resource. True, there will always be oil in the Earth, but eventually the cost to recover what remains will be beyond the value of the oil. Also, a time will be reached when the amount of energy needed to recover the oil is equals or exceeds the energy in the recovered oil, at which point oil production becomes no more than a break-even, or a net energy loss situation. Oil being the most important of our fuels today, the term "alternative energy" is commonly taken to mean all other energy sources and is used here in that context. Realizing that oil is finite in practical terms, there is increasing attention given to what alternative energy sources are available to replace oil. The imperative to pursue alternative energy sources is clearly established by two simple facts. The world now uses more than 26 billion barrels of oil a year, but new discoveries (not existing field additions) in recent years have been averaging less than seven billion barrels yearly. The peak of world oil discoveries was in the mid-1960's. Inevitably, the time of the peak of world oil production must follow, with most current estimates ranging from the year 2003 (Campbell, 1997) to 2020 (Edwards, 1997). Significantly, all estimates of production peak dates are within the lifetimes of most people living today.

Corporations Seriously Looking at Alternative Energy

In his new music video for the movie "American Gangster," best selling rapper Jay-Z flaunts the euro, not the dollar, to showcase his wealth.
Recently when asked "What is the best currency in the world to own right now?", billionaire Warren Buffet replied, "Not the u.S. dollar."
It was recently reported that supermodel Gisele Bundchen refused to be paid in U.S. dollars, because of uncertainty over its strength. She instead, asked to be paid in euros.
The examples above speak volumes about what many people with money, lots of money, think about the value of today's dollar. And many of them are beginning to hedge their bets with respect to the dollar. But what does all of this have to do with renewable energy resources?
If the dollar continues to be weak against other currencies, it will produce many unpredictable side effects. But one side effect that is almost certain to happen is a rise in the prices of traditional energy resources. All imports, but specifically oil and gasoline, will become more expensive. The days of $1.20 a gallon for gas are probably gone forever.
Grid Parity and Energy Prices
Grid parity is the point at which it becomes cheaper to produce your own electricity, from photovoltaic cells using solar power, than it is to buy it from power companies off of the electrical grid. As energy prices rise, more and more people will find themselves reaching grid parity.
Until very recently, the prospect of a community reaching grid parity any time soon seemed like a remote possibility. However, as energy prices have risen, some places in the U.S. have already reached that point. As of 2007, Hawaii has reached grid parity with the peak charging rates. Parts of California, particularly Northern California, have reached gird parity as well. As energy prices continue to rise, in large part due to the dollars devaluation, we'll see many more communities reaching grid parity.
But there is also an inverse price relationship happening with solar power and oil. As the price of oil slowly increases, the prices of photovoltaic cells are slowly decreasing. Companies are becoming more efficient at producing solar cells thus enabling them to be sold at lower price points. In addition, the solar cells themselves are becoming more efficient solar collectors, which let's the home or business owner save even more money.
And, of course, other factors pushing us towards greater uses of solar cell technology are the looming worries of global warming and the pressing need to decrease greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere.
Are corporations betting on solar power? One such company, SunPower, which makes photovoltaic panels for businesses, expects to pull in over one billion dollars in sales next year. Solar Power Inc. had revenues of over 8 million dollars in it's third quarter alone. Solar power companies in foreign countries such as Germany, Japan, and China have ramped up their solar power production facilities dramatically in the past few years.
For the past several years the U.S. has been borrowing money with reckless abandon. We have a national debt of over 9 trillion dollars. Now, the rest of the world is slowly deciding that they no longer want to bankroll us. For us, that means a continued low valued dollar and increased energy costs.