The Green LiterGoing the extra mile with electric vehicles, hybrid cars, fuel efficient cars, biofuels and alternative energy sources

China, arguably the world’s most influential and dynamic economy, is beginning to eye renewable as a partial solution to its voracious and growing energy needs. If Beijing determines that biofuels represent the future, expect to see the current modest western investment field to change dramatically.

As yet, China’s involvement is modest. According to a PetroChina company official, the firm intends to increase its production of biofuels by 2015 to 1.1 million tons and import and additional 470,000 tons. PetroChina, a traditional hydrocarbon company, is clearly thinking outside the box to increase its alternative energy portfolio.

… Continue reading.

Honda will be pushing a different kind of Green Car to the US auto industry: the compressed natural gas (CNG) powered car: The Civic GX.

A CNG runs on methane and is considered the cleanest among all fuel alternative type of vehicles. One user even says that it “makes the Prius look like a Hummer” (For those who aren’t familiar with the Hummer–it’s a large vehicle that is known to use huge amounts of gasoline to run)

The Civic GX will be made available to the US Govt and business fleet owners before it will be introduced to the retail market. Compared to other green cars, it can run up to 250 miles (403 kilometers) on a single tank.

[Article  and Image via: AFP]

Tequila-making plant Agave has been discovered by researchers as an excellent source of biofuels. Two species of the Agave plant are believed to be producing more yields of biofuels compared to those from biofuel feedstocks including wheat, sorghum, corn, and soybean.

According to University of Illinois scientists who have reported in the recent edition of the journal Global Change Biology Bioenergy, there were 14 studies that confirmed the high potential of the Agave plant as a source of biofuel.

The report said that the fuel can be grown on plantations of the Agave plants that are already abandoned. After they have been utilized to make tequila, the remains of the Agave plants can be harvested to have the fuel.

[via Inhabitat | image credit: Ultimate Journey]

President Barack Obama called for the funding of new research into biofuels in the aim of having 80% of the electricity of the US to come from clean sources by 2035.

Obama mentioned the importance of biofuels during his State of the Union address as he promotes the inclusion of natural gas, nuclear gas, solar energy, and wind energy on the production of electricity via clean sources.

In order to pave the way for new energy development, Obama called for the elimination of the oil industry subsidies. He believes that they can do well on their own and it would be better to invest in the energy of tomorrow rather than that of yesterday.

[via Des Moines Register]

As an answer to too much smog in the city, a street lamp called Biolamp aims to convert all the smog in the city into biofuel that can power green vehicles.

The concept street lamp was created by a Hungarian designer named Peter Horvath. The core goal of the Biolamp is to suck up the dangerous carbon dioxide formed as pollution and these are converted into beneficial biofuel that can be used by eco-friendly vehicles.

Apart from the benefit of the Biolamp to eco-friendly vehicles, the fuel also serves as the power that the lamp utilizes.

The carbon dioxide is transformed into oxygen by the mixture of water and a liquid known as alga.

[via The Design Blog]

Without getting into direct competition with food or pastureland, the fuel consumption of today’s generation can be reduced to half by means of replacing it with biofuels, according to a latest research at the University of Illionis-Urbana Campaign.

Bioenergy is said to be produced by a type of biofuel crops known as low-impact high-diversity (LIHD) perennial grasses without affecting the grassland. The marginal cropland benefited from the additional of LIHD crops that are initially from marginal grassland. There was a significant increase resulting to 1,107 million hectares of estimated land area—a doubled value compared to the original one. This is despite of the fact that the possible pasture land has already been set aside.

The land with LIHD crops is expected to produce 26 to 56 percent of the current liquid fuel consumption of the world today.

[via Tech News Lit]

Biofuel company Yokayo Biofuels encourages Lake County residents in California to drop off used cooking oil to recycle it as fuel.

Yokayo Biofuels in Ukiah partnered with Lake County on letting used cooking oil be dropped off at Lake County Waste Solutions in Lakeport, and Southlake Refuse and Recycling in Clearlake among others. At the end of this month, dropping off can also be done at Northshore Fire Protection District station in Lucerne.

Waste products such as used cooking oil are utilized by Yokayo Biofuels to produce biodiesel which is a kind of fuel that can be used in different kinds of motor. Those that operate on diesel as fuel can take advantage of the eco-friendly fuel.

Yokayo is known for its distribution of biodiesel to fuel stations situated in Northern California.

[via Lake County News]

The future of biofuels will be discussed in the six-day conference to be held in Singapore March of next year. Experts from different fields will gather to determine the potentials of biofuel technologies and their integration into the present energy infrastructure.

The government, academia, and the private sector will be commenting on the existing policies and researches related to biofuels for a maintainable and economic future.

From March 1 to March 6, 2011, the biofuel conference is being organized by Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, which is a non-profit organization headquartered in the United States, together with Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR) from Singapore.

Internationally prominent speakers will be present at the conference including Dr. Arthur Grossman of Solazyme Inc., Professor Timothy Donohue of the University of Wisconsin-Madison/Great Lakes Bioenergy, Professor Lonnie Ingram of the University of Florida, and Dr. Adam Brown of the International Energy Agency.

The first conference organized by Keystone Symposia was held last 2009 in the United States.

You can learn more about the 2011 biofuel conference in Singapore at www.keystonesymposia.org/biofuels.

[via Gov Monitor | image credit: Keystone Symposia]

Many of us interested in stretching each liter of fuel as far as it goes would probably consider RVs as the least appealing mode of transportation and living because of the perceived notion that RVs are gas guzzlers. Sure, how could these big behemoths not be guzzling gas with their size and heft. But one trend that has been up-and-coming these past years is the concept of the green RV. It has even been featured on the New York Times.

Suddenly, RVs are not so bad for the ecosystem, after all.

It starts with willpower and willingness to go back to the roots of one’s love for the recreational vehicle–traveling and the outdoors. When you pack your bags and drive off on your RV, you essentially embrace the nomadic lifestyle (whether for good, or temporary is up to you). Isn’t it high time you tried to give back to nature instead of just taking everything for yourself?

RVs usually go eight miles per gallon. But with RVs that use biofuels, solar panels, and hybrid technology, the hope is that mileage is extended, and RVs become more environmentally-friendly. With water-collection technologies and recycling facilities (such as turning used cooking oil into fuel), we may have hope yet for the future!

It doesn’t even involve having to buy a brand new, hybrid RV, which can come at quite a steep price. A lot of innovative individuals are just snapping up used RVs for sale and converting these to become greener–and more valuable.

Remember, going the green mile is not only about looking into the usual green lifestyles. Rather, it’s also about looking into how you can make existing lifestyles greener through various innovative means.

Oil prices are plunging, hopefully back to normal but that doesn’t mean that we should stop finding alternative fuel such as this one being used in Vietnam named Gasohol.

For the record, Gasohol is a combination of Ethanol and Petrol. We can fell a sigh of relief as far as the continued downward trend of the oil price is concerned but you never know when they can go up again. We have seen LPG, Biofuel and other forms of ethanol or alternative fuel that are being introduced in the market and if we are wise, we should keep our options open.

Waiting for another unruly fuel price hike is not exactly the best position we may find ourselves in and if we value our convenience as far as transportation is concerned, then we should do what the Vietnamese people are doing as well.

PV Oil, a PetroVietnam subsidiary, announced on Monday that Gasohol E5 will be provided on a pilot basis in the districts of Dong Da and Cau Giay at VND16,500 ($1) per liter – VND500 and VND1,000 cheaper than A92 and A95 petrol respectively.

Gasohol E5, which is five percent ethanol and 95 percent gasoline, is produced by the PetroVietnam Biofuel Joint Stock Co., an affiliate of PV Oil. This fuel is cost-effective, eco-friendly and safe for engines, PV Oil says.

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