Cows often get a bad rap for emitting methane – a global warming gas. Maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on Elsie the milk cow since her production of methane can be harnessed for energy. Not sure how to go about converting animal waste to energy? Then consider attending the first National Biomethane Summit being held in Sacramento, CA on …
San Jose First to Develop Organics-to-Energy Biogas Plant
San Jose wants to become energy independent but they’re not going about it in a traditional fashion. Instead, they hope to be the first city in the U.S. to generate its electricity through an organics-to-energy biogas facility. Should this plant come to fruition, it would be sited on a 40-acre site near the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant …
Book Review – Blue Covenant
“Where has all the water gone?” Asks author Maude Barlow in her book, “Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle For the Right to Water“. Living in America, many people may not realize that water shortages are already occurring throughout the country and more are expected if we don’t modify our water footprint. Barlow lays out three …
Renewable Electricity Use Continues to Grow in 2009
Non-hydro sources of electricity continues to gain market share according to the latest statistics published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its “Electric Power Monthly” report released on June 15, 2009. The even better news is while renewable energy is growing, coal and natural gas use in steadily decreasing (five and four percent respectively) while nuclear power has …
Will Biofuels Cause Water Apartheid?
Biofuels has been compared with fossil fuels, blamed for worldwide starvation, linked to CO2 increases and decreases, and born the brunt of scrutiny for rainforest destruction (aka land use). However, until now, biofuels have yet to receive a real beating on water use. Well, that day may be on the horizon with the release of the new Rice University study, “The …
Gas Prices Rise, Ethanol Saves Consumers Money
I’d like to take a poll to see how many people thought that gas prices would never get higher than last summer where some areas around the country nearly topped out at $5.00 a gallon and for several weeks consumers in the South couldn’t even get gas. Can you say deja vu? According to the Nebraska Ethanol Board, nationally gas …
‘Poo Power’ Activate
Okay, I just couldn’t resist this story. The citizens of Manchester are engaging in the green energy revolution by flushing the loo. Yes, you heard correctly. Simply flush your poo down the loo and generate renewable energy through biomethane. In a UK first, United Utilities has teamed up with National Grid to convert a by-product of the wastewater treatment process …
Book Review – Coming Clean
Come Clean America! This week I read “Coming Clean: Breaking America’s Addiction to Oil and Coal by Micheal Brune. I’m going to come clean for a moment and let you know that Brune is the Executive Director of the Rainforest Action Network and the book was published by Sierra Club Books. Ironically, last week I read Green Inc., and many …
Celebrate Iowa Corn Indy 250 with Discounted Ethanol
The Iowa Corn Indy 250 is racing into Newton for the third year, and in celebration the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) is offering drivers discounted ethanol through two pump promotions. The events will offer consumers the opportunity to register for $250 worth of free ethanol and the chance to win prizes including tickets to the race and the chance …
24 Hours of Le Mans to Use Cellulosic Ethanol
Last year, the American Le Mans Series used both E10 and cellulosic E85 as a part of its fuel mix with the exception of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year, the gasoline based cars will be fueled with 10 percent cellulosic ethanol. This is the first time an advanced biofuel has been used in the gasoline at the …