Upton NY (SPX) Jan 16, 2007 - Platinum is the most efficient electrocatalyst for accelerating chemical reactions in fuel cells for electric vehicles. In reactions during the stop-and-go driving of an electric car, however, the platinum dissolves, which reduces its efficiency as a catalyst. This is a major impediment for vehicle-application of fuel cells.
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 16, 2007 - Nigeria's energy minister said Tuesday that the crude oil market was oversupplied, but OPEC did not need to hold an emergency meeting on the issue as cuts were already planned for February. The winter has been very mild. There is substantial oversupply in the market, said Maduabebe Edmund Daukoru, whose term as president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries ended on January 1.
Geneva (AFP) Jan 16, 2007 - A series of small earthquakes over the past month caused by Swiss drilling for a geothermal power plant are causing alarm on the border between Switzerland, France and Germany. There were no reports of damage after the latest tremor during the night to Tuesday, measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale. However, it prompted a flurry of calls to emergency services, authorities around the northern Swiss city of Basel said.
Cebu, Philippines (AFP) Jan 15, 2007 - Sixteen Asian nations pledged Monday to work together to save energy and develop new supplies in order to cut the region's reliance on expensive oil imports. Winding up a half-day summit, they signed an energy accord vowing to reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels, develop alternatives such as biofuels, open up their energy markets and work to cut back greenhouse gas emissions.
Washington (UPI) Jan 15, 2007 - A U.S. Department of Energy project has demonstrated the viability of a new technology that might unlock the nation's largest potential source of oil.
Dallas TX (SPX) Jan 12, 2007 - Earth Biofuels has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Earth Ethanol, has entered into an agreement with Liquafaction Corporation to construct and operate an ethanol production facility located near Moses Lake, Washington. Earth Ethanol will beneficially own 80% of the facility, which is projected to produce approximately 36 million gallons of ethanol per year by the end of 2007.
Cambridge MA (SPX) Jan 12, 2007 - Mascoma has announced that it has received a $14.8 million award from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to build and operate a biomass-to-ethanol demonstration plant in Rochester, New York, pending local permit approvals and definitive agreements among the relevant parties.
Brussels (AFP) Jan 10, 2007 - The European Commission unveiled a vast plan Wednesday to diversify EU energy sources, slash carbon emissions and boost competition in the face of tension over Russian oil and gas supplies and global warming fears. Calling for a post industrial revolution, the European Union's executive arm said the 27-nation bloc needs new policies to face new realities. however, some provisions of the proposal drew immediate objections from France and Germany,
Las Vegas (AFP) Nevada, Jan 09, 2007 - Computer giant Dell unveiled an initiative Tuesday allowing customers to donate to a tree-planting program to offset the carbon impact of electricity required to power their systems. The so-called carbon neutral initiative announced by company founder Michael Dell would include voluntary contributions by customers to a program aimed at offsetting the impact of so-called greenhouse gases.
Jakarta (AFP) Jan 09, 2007 - A Chinese oil firm Tuesday signed an agreement to develop a 5.5-billion-dollar bio-fuel project in Indonesia where conservationists have expressed concern over the threat to one of the world's largest remaining areas of pristine rain forest.
Washington (AFP) Jan 08, 2007 - Japanese Finance Minister Koji Omi called Monday for a new and practical system to manage the global environment that went beyond the Kyoto Protocol and included the United States, China and India. He said that the Kyoto Protocol covered only about 30 percent of the world's total current carbon emissions and that the ratio was projected to decline further as emissions from developing countries increased.
Sackets Harbor NY (SPX) Jan 05, 2007 - Cow manure, waste silage, cheese whey are waste products to some, but viable energy sources to enterprising Clarkson University researchers who are helping area farmers meet their own energy needs. Last year's New York State budget included a $1-million appropriation for Clarkson to investigate ways that dairy waste from cheese manufacturing and dairy farms can be used as feedstock to produce biogas to generate heat and electric power on New York farms.
Beijing, China (XNA) Jan 05, 2007 - Russia will build two large gas pipelines to China within five years, it was announced yesterday. The two countries will also continue a feasibility study on extending a Siberia-Pacific coast oil pipeline to China. The high-profile energy deals were announced after nearly two hours of talks between President Hu Jintao and his visiting Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Copenhagen (AFP) Jan 4, 2007 - The Danish government wants to introduce bio-ethanol in petrol and diesel by the end of 2007, a spokesman for the ruling Liberal Party told Danish television TV2 News on Thursday. The plan is part of the centre-right government's long-term energy strategy for 2025 due to be presented soon.
Boston MA (SPX) Jan 04, 2007 - Scientists from Whitehead Institute and MIT have engineered yeast that can improve the speed and efficiency of ethanol production, a key component to making biofuels a significant part of the U.S. energy supply. Currently used as a fuel additive to improve gasoline combustibility, ethanol is often touted as a potential solution to the growing oil-driven energy crisis.
Minneapolis MN (SPX) Jan 04, 2007 - Highly diverse mixtures of native prairie plant species have emerged as a leader in the quest to identify the best source of biomass for producing sustainable, bio-based fuel to replace petroleum. A new study led by David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology in the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences, shows that mixtures of native perennial grasses and other flowering plants provide more usable energy per acre than corn grain ethanol or soybean biodiesel and are far better for the environment.
