TABLE OF CONTENTS
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S/N |
Title |
Synopsis |
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I. Subject Area: Environmental Technology |
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1 |
Personal power: Solar utility in a backpack |
A solar power unit with a capacity of 120 watt-hours per day which can be carried in a backpack has been developed by an inventor in Portland, Oregon. |
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2 |
Toyota preparing to introduce car equipped with fuel cells, electric motor |
Toyota Motor Corp, is preparing to introduce a hybrid car equipped with fuel cells and an electric motor for mid-2003. |
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II. Subject Area: Environmental Policy and Regulations |
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3 |
Ban on leaded gasoline takes effect in Jakarta |
A ban on the use of leaded gasoline takes effect in the Indonesian capital Jakarta and surrounding areas on 1 Jul 01 as part of efforts to reduce pollution. |
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4 |
EU proposes 10 ppm sulphur limit in diesel, gasoline fuels |
The European Commission (EC) adopted a proposal to introduce sulphur-free diesel and petrol (gasoline) fuels in every member state from 2011. |
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5 |
New EU law aims to double green energy by 2010 |
European parliament has approved a law that aims to double the share of renewable power in European Union's energy mix by 2010. |
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III. Subject Area: General Environmental News |
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6 |
Japan aluminium can recycle rate rises to 80.6 % |
A survey showed that the recycling rate of aluminium can in Japan is 80.6%, an increase of 2.1%. |
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7 |
US says carbon dioxide emissions rose 2.7 % in 2000 |
Preliminary data shows that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels increased by 2.7% in 2000. |
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SUMMARY REPORT
Period Covered : 2 Jul 2001 to 8 Jul 2001
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Item 1 |
Personal power : solar utility in a backpack |
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Summary |
A solar power unit that can be carried in a backpack, created by an inventor in Portland, Oregon, is already making its way around the world. The Solar Power Pack contains a folding monocrystalline solar panel, battery, controller, plugs, cords and light. It weighs only 24 pounds but provides users with 120 watt-hours of power a day. The unit can power AC and DC electronics up to 300 watts. After charging for six hours with the unit's solar photovoltaic panel, the Solar Power Pack can run a laptop computer for three hours. To reduce the cost of expensive solar cells, the unit makes use of reflectors to concentrate twice the amount of solar energy onto half the number of solar cells. The result is a solar pack that sells for $549. The solar panel is designed to last 20 years. The battery lasts for 600 charge cycles, which amounts to about 2 years of continuous usage. Once spent, the battery can be reused and recycled. |
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Reference |
http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/07/07022001/backpack_44179.asp |
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Item 2 |
Toyota preparing to introduce car equipped with fuel cells, electric motor |
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Summary |
Toyota Motor Corp, is preparing to introduce a hybrid car equipped with fuel cells and an electric motor for mid-2003, Toyota Executive Vice President Shinichi Kato said on June 18. The company hopes to become the world's first automaker to launch a next-generation automobile that uses hydrogen as fuel to address growing concerns about global warming. Toyota announced on June 18 that it had developed a new, fourth generation fuel cell hybrid vehicle, the FHCV-4, and obtained Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport certification on five FCHV-4 vehicles for performing public road tests. By adopting a hybrid system, an FC vehicle's performance, including speed and driving distance, improves by as much as 40%. The vehicle is powered by hydrogen stored in high pressure tanks. It features Toyota's proprietary FC stack, which resembles a battery, with an output of 90 kW. It has a secondary nickel-metal hydride battery that gives the vehicle regenerating braking capabilities and other hybrid functions. It has a top speed of 150 km/h and a cruising distance of 250 km. |
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Reference |
International Environment Reporter, Vol 24, No 13, Pg 529 |
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Item 3 |
Ban on leaded gasoline takes effect in Jakarta |
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Summary |
A ban on the use of leaded gasoline in the Indonesian capital Jakarta and surrounding areas took effect on 1 Jul 2001 as part of the government's efforts to reduce pollution, Mines and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said. There are some 2 million vehicles operating in Jakarta, making it one of the most polluted cities in the world. The Jakarta Post newspaper reported that getting rid of leaded gasoline in Jakarta would not take place until end of July to give Pertamina more time to organise its refineries and retail stations. Pertamina says that Jakarta and the surrounding areas needed around 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) of gasoline. |
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Reference |
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Item 4 |
EU proposes 10 ppm sulphur limit in diesel, gasoline fuels |
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Summary |
The European Commission (EC) adopted a proposal to introduce sulphur-free diesel and petrol (gasoline) fuels in every member state by 2011. The terms 'sulphur-free' fuels refer to gasoline and diesel which contain less than 10 ppm (by weight) of sulphur. These sulphur-free fuels are being proposed primarily to enable advanced emission control technologies that are sulphur intolerant, such as NOx absorber catalysts for both gasoline and diesel engines. The environmental specifications of fuels in the European Community are set by the Directive 98/70/EC, adopted in 1998 following the Auto-Oil I program. From January 1, 2000, the Directive set the maximum permissible sulphur content of gasoline at 150 ppm and that of diesel at 350 ppm. These limits will be reduced to 50 ppm on January 1, 2005 for both gasoline and diesel fuel. For comparison, the current sulphur level in highway diesel fuel in the US is 500 ppm, to be lowered to 15 ppm by mid-2006. |
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Reference |
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Item 5 |
New EU law aims to double green energy by 2010 |
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Summary |
The European Parliament has approved a law that aims to double the share of renewable power in European Union's energy mix by 2010. It will form a cornerstone of the EU's climate change policy. The directive is a key part of the bloc's drive to reduce the amount of 'greenhouse gas" emissions from fossil fuel use and achieve its commitment under the 1997 Kyoto agreement on global warming. EU Energy Commissioner said the law aiming to increase green energies such as wind and solar power was a 'major step towards a more diversified and environmentally friendly energy supply". The directive aims to double the proportion of the EU total energy consumption that comes from renewables to 12% by 2010 and increase the proportion of renewables in electricity production to 22.1% from the current 14%. |
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Reference |
Jan 2002 onwards
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Item 6 |
Japan aluminium can recycle rate rises to 80.6 % |
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Summary |
A survey showed that Japan recycled 214,107 tonnes of used aluminium can in the year to Mar 2001, or 80.6% of all aluminium cans brought in Japan in the same period. Of the 159,485 tonnes or 74.5% were used to make new aluminium cans and the remainder to produce die-castings and other products, the Japan Aluminium Can Recycling Association said. The recycling rate was 2.1% higher than the previous year, in line with a steady increase over the past decade. It was added that reusing aluminium saves some 97% of the energy used to make the metal from raw materials. In the US, 62% of used aluminium cans were recycled in 2000, while in western Europe the recycle rate reached 43% last year. |
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Reference |
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Item 7 |
US says carbon dioxide emissions rose 2.7 % in 2000 |
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Summary |
According to a preliminary data released by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA), carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels, the emissions blamed for causing global warming, rose by 2.7% in 2000. EIA termed the emissions increase in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions as a "long growth' attributable to return to normal weather, decreased hydroelectric power generation that was replaced by fossil fuels and strong economic growth. Carbon dioxide emissions account for more than 80% of US greenhouse gas emissions and are considered a good indicator of the change that can be expected in the nation's total greenhouse gas emission levels. |
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Reference |