Richard Sears on Planning for the end of oil

Hi,

Would we stop using oil because we run out of oil? No says Richard Sears. We stopped using stones for making tools because of new ideas and innovations. In the same way....



Cheers

Petroleum from wood-chips and sunlight?

Hi,


Making petroleum from wood-chips and other plant wastes is feasible now.

Clink on this link to access Sundrop Fuels looks to combine sunlight + wood-chip to make gasoline

Not only is it carbon neutral to use this petroleum, it is very cheap too. It costs only US$2 per gallon compared to US$60 to $80 per gallon for the conventional fossil fuel petroleum.

Since wood-chip, corn, wheat and rice stalks and leaves are produced in large quantities in crop production, these wastes can be turned into cheap petroleum. The energy for the chemical conversion comes from the unlimited sunlight. Light energy is captured by a series of mirrors and directed onto the plant wastes. The high temperature of 1,200 1,300 degrees Celsius created would break the chemical bonds in the organic material and make new bonds to turn them into fuel.


Cheers

Grow your own diesel cheaply and reduce green house gas at the same time

JOil GM Mr Hong with a Jatropha plant, ST 26 Nov 2008

Hi,

I have read about a plant called Jatropha, found as a weed, that some natives of India, Africa and America have been using like a candle. The seeds of this plant are so rich in good quality oil that they just light it up like a candle. It does not even have to be crushed to extract and concentrate the oils before using it with a wick to light up the humble homes of these indigenous people.

Jatropha has been studied by Indian scientists for a long time. Now, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (Singapore) has formed a joint venture with Tata Chemicals (India) to grow these plants on a commercial scale.

The new firm, called JOil, will produce new varieties of these plants either by genetic engineering or by selective breeding (The Straits Times article dated 26 Nov 2008 does not say which) to produce plants that have the "advantage of being able to customise planting materials to suit different regions and environments". (emphasis mine)

In the past, palm, soya and other edible oils were used to make biodiesel for diesel cars. Why choose jatropha now? I give 7 reasons below:

1- Jatropha is a very hardy and tough plant which is resistant to pests. It can be grown in scrubland and it needs little attention and irrigation. It is able to grow in dry and land prone to droughts.

2- Because it grows on wasteland or borderline arable land, it addresses the criticism that diversion of arable land that can be used to grow edible oils are being used to grow biofuels. This causes the price of soya beans, corn, palm oil etc to increase causing hardship to the masses. In parts of India, it is grown along the train tracks.

3- Jatropha can be intercropped with other cash crops. Therefore, in more fertile and valuable land, it does not take away land from food crops and is more ecological balanced. Intercropping in general simulates natural biodiversity so that creatures that predate on pests remove the need for toxic pesticides.

4- The plant is high-yielding, 40% of the seed is oil and the oil can be easily processed cheaply into high quality standard biodiesel.

5- The residue after crushing to extract the oil can be used as fuel to power electricity plants.

6- Since Jatropha is pan-tropical (originally from Central America and now widespread in India and Africa), it can be developed into a cash crop in these regions when the plant is ready to be grown on a commercial scale. At present it is undomesticated and the quality and yield is variable. It will provide employment to many people in these countries if they can be taught to grow these domesticated plants on large scales.

7- Biodiesel can become a renewable and sustainable energy source (photosynthesis changes light energy into chemical energy and store it in the form of oils.) As the science is advancing rapidly, the potential to revolutionise biodiesel production is imminent. We will not have to depend on fossil fuels for our diesel needs.

8- The carbon release into the atmosphere from burning biofuels was extracted from the air by the biofuel crops. This forms a virtuous circle as these crops also take up the CO2 once again.

A digression: When I travelled in Australia in the 1980s I was shocked to see that petrol was cheaper than milk. I cannot fathom how something like fossil fuel which took millions of years to form with the aid of geological forces, a limited resource, in imminent danger of running out at the rate we are guzzling it down with abandon, can be cheaper than milk which can be produced within 24 hours, is a renewable resource and limited only by the amount of grass we choose to grow to meet the demand ( unlike petroleum, which ceased being formed underground aeons ago...).

Potential affordable renewable energy is in the making, one of the diversity of sources (like solar, wind, etc.) that we all need right now to replace fossil fuels.

Cheers

Map of Ubin, the model green island in Singapore

Hi,

More on the tiny island north of Singapore which is to become a model 'green island' powered by clean and renewable energy

Please see the map of Ubin Island showing how it is to be transformed into a test site for renewable energy technologies by clicking on this link to a map of Pulau Ubin.

Cheers and have a nice day.

More on exciting new clean energy in our own backyards

Hi,

I have not gotten over the Ubin Island yet. It is like NeWater technology all over again

Please see the following links:

Map of Ubin Island showing how it is to be transformed into a test site for renewable energy technologies: http://www.asiaone.com/static/news/gallery/infographics_energy.pdf

The main article is on: http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2008/11/ubin-clean-energy-island.html

The different technologies explored include:

1. small wind turbines and solar panels to provide electricity


2. concentrated solar power to produce hydrogen from water


3. hydrogen fuel cell plant with facilities for hydrogen storage(the biggest impediment in this form of energy)


4. recycling of biomass waste to produce energy—plant and animal wastes from agriculture, farm, food and crop processing industries.


5. turbines which harvest energy from sea currents—wind, waves and tides


6. roof top solar systems

These need the support services of :

1. integrating energy storage for (backup)


2. power grid to integrate the different energy sources (solar energy will only be produced during the daylight hours and wind power only when the wind is blowing etc.)

Can you imagine the islanders will live in Utopia where they would have non-polluting power. At the moment they depend on generators, noisy, prone to breakdowns and polluting. Ubin project is one of Singapore's many programmes to transform Singapore into a global centre for clean energy.

1. In September 2008, there was an announcement that Semakau, another island to the south of main island which has been used as landfill for the past few years being converted into a test site cum eco-park. We can keep this place in mind when we are looking for a special nature walk. The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research of NUS and The Nature Society of Singapore have written a wonderful article which you can read: http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/workshop/semakau_workshop.php


2. Look out for the business park in Jalan Bahar where a business park will house companies that specialize in clean technologies and products. To be ready by 2010.

Cheers,
Have a nice day.