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Even though the process itself looks horribly complex and inefficient the effort may still be worthwhile.
The cost of storing and distributing the gases is already paid; that infrastructure - already built - is a big, big, plus for NG or SNG in France.
But E-P is correct, you first must have the RE. And does France really want to repeat the German experience with wind and solar? And how much must the grid be changed to move the RE to specific sites where the SNG is generated.
Yes, in the US new nuclear plant costs are unbearable while construction never seems to end. That wasn't true fifty years ago either here or abroad.
France building Jupiter 1000 1MW Power-to-Gas project; connected to gas network
The first Power-to-Gas project connected to the French gas transportation network—Jupiter 1000—is being built in Fos-sur-Mer. This 1 MW demonstrator will enable the transition from the concept phase to an industrial tool. The purpose of the project is to test the technical and economic viabilit...
Seems like a lot of expense to determine very little.
It is almost as if they believe the process will magically cost less than the sum of its steps. Or maybe I am grouchy today.
FTA:
Hydrogen supply chain feasibility study. The demonstration project will provide data for assessing future courses of action required to reduce hydrogen costs, including the establishment of a mass production process, and the steps needed to implement deregulation.
It will also contribute to discussions on developing a model for promoting the adoption of hydrogen through technological innovation, and the development of full-fledged supply chains, based on projections of needs in 2030.
Japanese public-private partnership to test end-to-end H2 supply chain using wind power to begin this fall; 2nd-life hybrid batteries for ESS
A Japanese partnership comprising the Kanagawa Prefectural Government; the municipal governments of the cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki; Toyota; Toshiba; and Iwatani announced the forthcoming start of a four-year project to implement and evaluate an end-to-end low-carbon hydrogen supply chain wh...
Probably a good car. But you have to wonder why car makers bother, CNG isn't the future, or the present.
Driving Chevrolet’s 2015 Impala Bi-Fuel sedan
Chevrolet offers the 2015 Impala full-size sedan as an all-new bi-fuel model—the only manufacturer-produced full-size sedan in North America that can run on both compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline. Available at the end of 2015 to both fleet and retail customers in either LS or LT trims, t...
The diagram looks odd to me. The bottom orange block, H2, appears directly from the sun.
But H2 doesn't come directly from the sun. I have to assume they omitted two boxes like those shown for Electrolytic H2 into the H2Bioil Process.
The diagram may have been made that way to avoid clutter???
Mannstein reminds us solar thermal concentration with salt/storage is alive and running. That strikes me as the best approach for utilities.
The world has a lot of empty desert, and in North Africa, at least, the NIMBY voters won't stop it.
Researchers Estimate “Sun-to-Fuel” Fuel Yields from Different Biomass-based Processes, Propose New Process to Deliver Higher Yield
Estimated values of the overall annual biofuel yield from 1 m2 of land area with annual solar incident energy of 6307 MJ/ m2·y. Credit: ACS, Singh et al. Click to enlarge. A team from Purdue University has estimated the “sun-to-fuel” (S2F) yield for liquid hydrocarbon fuel via different biom...
BabyF:
Lighter and more efficient ICEs are being made. Improvements come to market every year. I expect this to happen for another five to ten years.
Eventually there there will be little or no profit to be gained from further ICE refinements and capital will not be invested.
Fifty, or even twenty, years ago manufacturers felt there was very little profit potential in improving efficiency or reducing weight. So they didn't.
They concentrated on reducing engine production cost instead.
Oxford University Study Finds Downscaling of Vehicle Size and Weight the Best Way to Reduce Transport GHG Emissions in the Short Term
An new study from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University suggests that best way to reduce transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the short term is a “drastic downscaling of both size and weight” of conventional gasoline and diesel cars. The study editor Sir...
Kelly: So this is certain.
It seems rather tentative to me after a very quick reading. But others with far more knowledge will be commenting soon.
Study Finds Stratospheric Water Vapor Is An Important Driver of Decadal Global Surface Climate Change
Decadal warming rates arising from (i) greenhouse gases and aerosols alone (black); (ii) that obtained including the stratospheric water decline after 2000 (red); and (iii) including both the stratospheric water vapor decline after 2000 and the increase in the 1980s and 1990s (cyan). Credit: ...
Reads much as you would expect given the subject.
In the Behavioral Change suggestions they write 'polices' several times where I expected to see 'policies'.
But maybe 'polices' is really what meant. As in 'cats and mices'. They will be the cats.
Somewhat more seriously. I agree with mahonj about this. The best way is to tax consumption at the time of fuel purchase. That doesn't require new bureaus, etc. They can just increase the existing tax rate.
Collecting more tax when a vehicle is sold is also a simple approach. These transactions are already taxed. Just boost the rate.
Oxford University Study Finds Downscaling of Vehicle Size and Weight the Best Way to Reduce Transport GHG Emissions in the Short Term
An new study from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University suggests that best way to reduce transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the short term is a “drastic downscaling of both size and weight” of conventional gasoline and diesel cars. The study editor Sir...
Clett:
"I'd rather just bypass the whole biomass requirement and engineer cyanobacteria instead of E. coli.
That way you could take CO2, water and light and convert it directly to diesel with no middle man."
I think everyone would rather that. The Devil is in the details.
Meanwhile, I believe fuel from biomass will progress faster and can reduce our energy imports.
DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute and LS9 Collaboration Develops Microbe That Produces Biodiesel, Alcohols and Waxes Directly From Biomass
Electron micrograph shows rod-shaped E. coli secreting oil droplets containing biodiesel fuel, along with fatty acids and alcohol. (Image by Jonathan Remis, JBEI) Click to enlarge. A collaboration led by researchers with the US Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has devel...
Henrik and JMartin:
H:
I don't see that they have to produce motors in order to pick ...and validate the best, etc.
IMO it won't hurt but the benefits of actual production seem nebulous. We can watch, all auto makers face such decisions.
JM:
The money flows to and from Washington are now probably incomprehensible. Apparently the Fed and Treasury were befuddled even before O took office. And a dozen departments and agencies such as DOE make awards for hundreds if not thousands of reasons.
Hope this posts. Sometimes I cannot post at GCC and cannot detect see a reason.
GM To Manufacture Electric Motors; First GM Motors Will Go Into Next-Gen Two-Mode Hybrid in 2013
An electric traction motor (right) and stator (left) at the GM Powertrain Engineering Development Center Friday, 15 January 2010 in Pontiac, Michigan. (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors) Click to enlarge. Noting that power electronics and electric machine technology as well as batter...
???? Can GM somehow design better motors than the best electric motor suppliers, build plant, and produce them cheaper with UAW employees?
The article does say they won't make all their motors. So their motives may go beyond build better motors cheaper.
And this may be one motive.
"GM was selected in August by the US Department of Energy for a $105-million grant for the construction of US manufacturing capabilities to produce electric motors and related electric drive components."
Perhaps they figure they can keep federal money flowing in indefinitely to help them build the motors.
GM To Manufacture Electric Motors; First GM Motors Will Go Into Next-Gen Two-Mode Hybrid in 2013
An electric traction motor (right) and stator (left) at the GM Powertrain Engineering Development Center Friday, 15 January 2010 in Pontiac, Michigan. (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors) Click to enlarge. Noting that power electronics and electric machine technology as well as batter...
All developed nations talk a good tech game. But the Japanese seem to be making the greatest efforts to deploy it.
They are going for smart grid technology and charging stations and EVs like addicts go after cocaine.
Time will tell if it is a great initiative for them or evidence that they have too much money.
I wish them well.
EnerDel, ITOCHU Announce Second Smart Grid Battery Storage Project
US-based lithium-ion battery producer EnerDel is partnering with the real estate arm of Japan’s industrial trading giant, ITOCHU Corporation, to develop and produce the advanced battery systems for a residential smart grid energy storage project to be installed in a major apartment building near...
The report is actually about the expected consequences of tax policies. Want less production of CO2? Then tax it heavily.
It is hardly rocket science to forecast that premium autos will feature premium systems for reducing emissions. And lower cost autos will be different.
Premium autos are built differently because they are intended to seem different, better, and exclusive. Sometimes the "better" part isn't quite true but the different and exclusive can be relied upon.
I believe you can already buy some very uber-modern systems on high-end Mercedes. Just show them the money.
Frost & Sullivan Projects That About 80% of European Vehicle Sales Will Be in the <150 g/km CO2 Band by 2015; EVs as a Strategy of Premium Automakers
A new report from Frost & Sullivan, Implementation Roadmap of CO2 Tax Banding in European Countries and Impact Analysis on Powertrain and Green Technology Adoption, finds that about 80% of the European vehicle sales is expected to be in the less than 150 g/km CO2 emission band by 2015. The count...
The "delivery box" sounds like a workable system. I am not sure if it is really needed for the charging. Wouldn't a power meter that can read a card, ala ATMs, do as well?
But for package and mail delivery it does require some uniformity. The Post Office and delivery firms would both need access in the US. I don't know how that is handled in Japan.
On the plus side, I like systems that are proved, they have used it for packages for 15 years in Japan.
In the US colleges dorms seem like a natural place to use the delivery box application.
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Japan Delivery System Corporation Develop EV Charging System for Apartment Buildings in Japan
Over view of the i-CHARGER system. Click to enlarge. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and Japan Delivery System Corporation (JDS) have jointly developed an electric vehicle (EV) charging system for apartment complexes. The system, called i-CHARGER, is to be sold by JDS starting 1 December....
Good news. Their cost - which someday will be my cost and yours - is going in the right direction.
But there are "costs" and there are "costs." Some are more real than others.
That is not to say POET is fudging. No reason to think so. And companies have valid reasons to not reveal details to competitors.
There are so many subsidies, hidden and direct, in energy production that we must view announcements with caution. Especially cost numbers about alcohols from newer processes.
POET Reduces Cellulosic Ethanol Production Cost from $4.13 to $2.35/Gallon in First Year of Pilot Operation; <$2.00/Gallon Target for Commercial Start
Over the first year of operations of its pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in South Dakota (earlier post), POET has reduced its per gallon production cost from $4.13 to $2.35, exceeding its expectations. Cost reduction came via reductions in energy usage, enzyme costs, raw material requiremen...
This is a Dutch thing and I don't understand.
HarveyD gets it right. This is a flat tax, in effect a sales tax on driving not fuel. It does not discourage driving large and wasteful vehicles.
He is also right about GPS. Why introduce such a complex scheme? That can only benefit police surveilence, and require more public employees.
If the government wants revenue then raise the fuel tax. That requires a few memos, no new public employees, can be done quickly, and discourages fuel consumption.
Many public schemes turn out badly, but very few proposals seem to offer no benefits whatever. At the moment this seems a contender.
Dutch Cabinet Approves Mileage Tax; In Effect in 2012 if Approved by Parliament
The Dutch Cabinet on Friday approved a new road tax bill that would eliminate the current motor vehicle tax and purchase tax and replace them with a charge per kilometer driven, starting in 2012 and increasing through 2018. The measure needs to be approved by the Dutch Parliament before becoming...
I think Chrysler is too far gone and the relentless jaws of economics must them into particles.
Fiat shows little or no interest in putting in hard cash. But they can supply technology and hope to draw in government money. Too big to fail?
Fiat has been on a growth binge making alliances and/or buying when they don't have to use their own money. That might work if the world economy turns strongly upward. Otherwise I can't see how they can win.
These announcements themselves don't mean much. Marketing must praise and push what they have no matter how uncompetitive it is.
Chrysler Portfolio Segment Mix Shifting to Smaller, More Fuel Efficient Vehicles; 25% Improvement in Portfolio Fuel Economy by 2014
Projected shift in volume and segment mix. Click to enlarge. Chrysler’s worldwide product plan for 2010-2014 envisions a shift in its portfolio segment mix. Micro through mid-size vehicles will increase from 45% to 58% of volume, while large and full-size segments will decline from 55% to 42%...
I think Chrysler is too far gone and the relentless jaws of economics must them into particles.
Fiat shows little or no interest in putting in hard cash. But they can supply technology and hope to draw in government money. Too big to fail?
Fiat has been on a growth binge making alliances and/or buying when they don't have to use their own money. That might work if the world economy turns strongly upward. Otherwise I can't see how they can win.
These announcements themselves don't mean much. Marketing must praise and push what they have no matter how uncompetitive it is.
Chrysler Portfolio Segment Mix Shifting to Smaller, More Fuel Efficient Vehicles; 25% Improvement in Portfolio Fuel Economy by 2014
Projected shift in volume and segment mix. Click to enlarge. Chrysler’s worldwide product plan for 2010-2014 envisions a shift in its portfolio segment mix. Micro through mid-size vehicles will increase from 45% to 58% of volume, while large and full-size segments will decline from 55% to 42%...
Will someone involved in the industry make a comment about the value of these tests and calculations?
It sounds like interesting work but not innovative. And I'm not sure what problem it will solve.
National Labs Developing Methodology for Estimating Real World Fuel and Electricity Consumption of Plug-in Hybrids Based on Dynamometer Data
NREL’s proposed adjustment method assumes that the increase in gasoline use during CD mode is the same as the increase calculated for CS mode. This works well for blended PHEVs that have lower electric power capabilities. Source: Gonder et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers from the US Departme...
I think they should make the plugs compatible at the vehicle. And have the vehicle detect what voltage it is offered and charge accordingly.
The vehicle would default to a rather slow charge. If the owner wants a faster charge allow them to select it manually.
Henrik. Tesla owners report significant power lost to heat during charging. I have to believe that very fast charging is going to make that worse.
And I think it will be very bad for the batteries, at least those of today.
So I doubt that multiple charging cables into one vehicle is the way to go.
BMW, Daimler and VW Propose Global e-mobility Standardization on Vehicle2Grid Communication, Harmonization of Chargers
BMW, Daimler and VW are proposing a global OSI-Layer based standardization of smart charge communication. This diagram shows requirements and technologies mapped against the OSI 7-layer reference model for interoperability. Source: Oestreicher/Preuschoff/Bogenberger. Click to enlarge. In a joi...
Let's look at infrastructure not vehicles for a moment.
I doubt anyone will argue that FC vehicles will be more common than EVs and PHEVs for the next six years.
OK, Toyota says 2015 for fuel cells. Since the industry always means Dec 31 that means six years plus. Rather consistent with prior estimates.
The hydrogen infrastructure (HI) doesn't exist. And since we don't know what volumes of FC will come out by, or in 2015, it is very hard to establish an infrastructure construction plan or schedule.
OTOH EVs and PHEVs will need grid power (some will be charged by PV but that won't be the rule for quite some time) so we should assume the grid and utilities must prepare to supply more.
Building the HI will be of benefit only if the FC becomes economically feasible. But improving the grid and utility generation benefits everyone even if the EV and PHEV does not prevail.
So I think major HI investment is a bad deal for now. But emphasis on the grid and utilities will produce a good return.
What would be the arguments for serious spending on HI now?
Toyota Concerned About Market Viability of Plug-ins, Sees Clear Path to Commercialization of Fuel Cell Technology in 2015
Based on its 15 years of experience with advanced battery technology and the now-mainstream Prius, Toyota has key unanswered questions regarding market acceptance of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles and who the target buyers—in numbers sufficient to meet California ZEV mandates—might be, acc...
I suspect EPA has developed some sort of search engine - something like an inverse Google.
They ask it, what don't we control, who haven't we issued regulations to, what activity no matter how small doesn't need our direction?
The answers come out in batches of 1000. Mobilization is ordered, and across the fruited plain EPA marches out and combats Evil.
EPA Report Finds Significant Opportunity to Reduce GHG Emissions Through Materials and Land Management Practices
US GHG emissions allocated to systems, and by materials and land management. The Land Sink, represented by the outer ring, offset the equivalent of 13% of total US anthropogenic emissions in 2006. The entire pie chart represents total US emissions in 2006; the inner portion of the pie chart ...
The outline sounds rather objective although there is no doubt where the ELI stands. The report might be worth reading in detail.
The Foreign Tax Credit is not as simple as one might wish. It isn't easy to tax fuel and energy production activities done overseas in sovereign nations. And if you try the corporate forms will be modified to evade your efforts.
US recyclable producers would be getting tax credits if they did their work overseas. But recyclable fuel -mostly ethanol- is a domestic industry protected by tariff. The tariff is a subsidy, whether it is considered in the report isn't mentioned.
And alternative energies such as wind and solar and geothermal are domestic almost by definition. At least with our present technology.
I would prefer that they would keep hydropower out of these studies as they exclude nuclear. Hydropower produces a lot of electricity. But it is the outputs of the growing alternatives we really are interested in.
In the US hydropower is old, the big dams were built decades ago and there will be little added hydropower in the future. Others will differ but I would remove it from studies.
Study Finds that US Subsidies for Fossil Fuels Are Almost 2.5x Those for Renewables
US subsidies for fuels and renewable energy, 2002-2008. Nuclear was not included in the analysis. Source: Adeyeye et al. 2009. Click to enlarge. The vast majority of US federal subsidies for fossil fuels and renewable energy from 2002-2008 supported fossil energy sources that emit high levels ...
Keely: I wasn't aware their deliveries have not met promised dates.
But I won't dispute facts. If that is so then it is so.
Tesla Delivers 700th Vehicle, Closes New $82.5M Round
Tesla Motors delivered its 700th vehicle Tuesday at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where it also unveiled the production version of the Roadster Sport. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also announced that the company had raised an additional $82.5 million in private equity, led by new investor Fjord Capital Partn...
Their amazing moneyfinder/publicity generator continues to perform.
A real crunch is coming for Tesla, competitive EVs will be available soon.
But so far so good. There is little to criticize. They have delivered the vehicles promised.
Tesla Delivers 700th Vehicle, Closes New $82.5M Round
Tesla Motors delivered its 700th vehicle Tuesday at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where it also unveiled the production version of the Roadster Sport. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also announced that the company had raised an additional $82.5 million in private equity, led by new investor Fjord Capital Partn...
Again the US won't get the highest mileage variations. But we are starting to see real choice among cars that give 40+mpg. And 50+ is coming.
This FOCUS would be nice with a six or seven speed automatic of dual clutch design. I see Renault announced still another one today. Ford will get one into the Focus when they can.
New Ford Focus ECOnetic with Start-Stop Targets 62 mpg US, 99 gCO2/km
The 2010 Ford Focus ECOnetic. Click to enlarge. At the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford of Europe introduced the new 2010 Focus ECOnetic. When equipped with a new optional Ford Auto-Start-Stop system that was previewed on the Ford iosis MAX Concept at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the 2010 Focus ...
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