Table of content
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Title |
Synopsis |
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I. Subject Area: Environmental Technology |
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1 |
Ballard, Ford Introduce Hydrogen Genset |
Ballard Power Systems and Ford Power Products have jointly introduced and demonstrated Ballard's Ecostar 114 kVA hydrogen generator set ("genset"). |
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2 |
Solar Power To Challenge Dominance Of Fossil Fuels |
Solar power is one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources, offering a potentially endless supply of power generation capable of meeting the world's electricity demands. |
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II. Subject Area: Environment Policy & Regulation |
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3 |
Summer Sale Of Low-Volatility Gasoline To Be Mandatory In Sydney By September |
The sale of low-volatility gasoline, which evaporates more slowly and therefore reduces emissions of the volatile organic compounds that help to form ozone, will become mandatory in Sydney during summer, according to the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA). |
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4 |
USEPA Water Infrastructure Protection Resources Available |
In response to concerns over the safety of water resources, the USEPA and co-operating organizations have developed new tools to assist public and private wastewater and drinking water utilities increase security. |
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5 |
UK Adopts Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction Targets From Future Vehicles |
The UK Department of Transport together with other government agencies has unveiled the "Powering Future Vehicles Strategy", which aims to promote new low-carbon vehicle technologies and fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport. |
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6 |
Ontario Proposes New Regulation Requiring Reporting Of Sulphur Levels |
A new regulation will require Ontario manufacturers, blenders and importers of gasoline to report to the Ministry of Environment and Energy four times a year on the average sulphur levels in their products. |
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III. Subject Area: General Environmental News |
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7 |
Jet Trails Make Climate Milder |
Aeroplane vapour trails buffer the temperatures felt on earth, according to a study made possible by the consequences of the terrorist attacks of 11 Sep 2001. |
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8 |
Statoil Wins Prize For Burying Carbon Dioxide Under North Sea |
Norwegian state-controlled oil firm, Statoil has won a prize for its pioneering work to curb emissions of gases blamed for global warming by burying them beneath the seabed. |
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9 |
Ethanol Produces More Energy Than It Consumes |
US researchers reported that corn-based ethanol provides a net energy gain, producing more energy in combustion than it consumes as corn growing in the field. |
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10 |
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase In Japan |
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Japan increased 0.3 percent in fiscal year 2000 from 1999 levels, to 1,334 billion carbon equivalent tons, according to the Ministry of Environment, Japan. |
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SUMMARY REPORT
Period covered: 5 Aug 2002 to 11 Aug 2002
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Item 1 |
Ballard, Ford Introduce Hydrogen Genset |
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Summary |
Ballard Power Systems and Ford Power Products have jointly introduced and demonstrated Ballard's Ecostar 114 kVA hydrogen generator set ("genset"). The Ecostar genset, a hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine-driven generator, provides an alternative to more costly and harder-to-find hydrogen fuel cells. The generator emits no carbon dioxide and produces almost no nitrogen dioxide, a major smog component. These environmentally-friendly credentials make Ecostar an attractive alternative to combustion engines or small turbines powered by other fuels. |
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Reference |
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Item 2 |
Solar Power To Challenge Dominance Of Fossil Fuels |
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Summary |
Solar power is one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources, offering a potentially endless supply of power generation capable of meeting the world's electricity demands. According to industry groups in the US, solar power will become a serious threat to the global dominance of fossil fired generation within the next two decades as new technologies remove its main obstacle - cost. Photovoltaic, the most commonly applied technology that directly converts sunlight into electricity, is the quickest and cheapest solution for supplying electricity to remote rural households in developing nations. The market for photovoltaic solar energy is growing by 15 percent per year. |
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Reference |
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17234/story.htm |
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Item 3 |
Summer Sale Of Low-Volatility Gasoline To Be Mandatory In Sydney By September |
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Summary |
The sale of low-volatility gasoline, which evaporates more slowly and therefore reduces emissions of the volatile organic compounds that help to form ozone, will become mandatory in Sydney during summer, according to the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA). Gasoline evaporates more rapidly in the heat of summer, leading to greater ambient air concentrations of volatile organic compounds, which play a key role in the formation of ozone. Work undertaken in 1996-97 by the NSW EPA and NSW oil industry established that when compared with a range of other ozone reduction measures, reducing gasoline volatility in summer is a relatively cost effective strategy for reducing ozone levels in the Sydney region. |
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Reference |
International Environment Reporter, Vol. 25, No. 16, July 31, 2002, Page 759 |
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Item 4 |
USEPA Water Infrastructure Protection Resources Available |
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Summary |
In response to concerns over the safety of water resources, the USEPA and co-operating organizations have developed new tools to assist public and private wastewater and drinking water utilities increase security. The USEPA's Water Protection Task Force and Regional Offices lead the protection efforts. Areas of focus include providing direct grant assistance to large, publicly owned drinking water facilities; supporting development of tools, training and technical assistance for small and medium drinking water and wastewater utilities, and promoting information sharing, and research. |
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Reference |
http://www.earthvision.net/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=21641 |
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Item 5 |
UK Adopts Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction Targets From Future Vehicles |
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Summary |
The UK Department of Transport together with other government agencies unveiled the "Powering Future Vehicles Strategy", which aims to promote new low-carbon vehicle technologies and fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport. The Strategy is one of several measures to counteract climate change, to fulfil the Kyoto protocol commitments and UK domestic emission reduction targets. The main target of the plan is to ensure that 10% of new cars sold in the UK will be "low carbon" vehicles by 2012, and that 600 new buses per annum (about 20%) will be low carbon. No targets have been set for light goods vehicles (LGV) or for heavy goods vehicles (HGV). |
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Reference |
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Item 6 |
Ontario Proposes New Regulation Requiring Reporting Of Sulphur Levels |
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Summary |
A new regulation will require Ontario manufacturers, blenders and importers of gasoline to report to the Ministry of Environment and Energy four times a year on the average sulphur levels in their products. The regulation which takes effect from 1 Sep 2002, requires reporting of sulphur levels in gasoline measured at the refinery. The data will be made publicly available on the ministry's internet site. |
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Reference |
International Environment Reporter, Vol. 25, No. 16, July 31, 2002, Page 753 |
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Item 7 |
Jet Trails Make Climate Milder |
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Summary |
Aeroplane vapour trails buffer the temperatures felt on earth, according to a study made possible by the consequences of the terrorist attacks of 11 Sep 2001. Scientists had suspected that the wispy condensation trails left by jumbo jets could behave like high altitude clouds and alter the climate. But constant air traffic had prevented them from testing the idea. However, the three-day grounding of aeroplanes across North America after 11 Sep 2001, gave climatologists at the University of Wisconsin the jet-free skies they needed. The climatologists found that in the absence of the condensation trails, daytime high temperatures were higher and night-time low temperatures were lower at 4000 weather stations across North America. |
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Reference |
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Item 8 |
Statoil Wins Prize For Burying Carbon Dioxide Under North Sea |
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Summary |
Norwegian state-controlled oil firm Statoil has won a prize for pioneering work to curb emissions of gases blamed for global warming by burying them beneath the seabed. Since 1996, Statoil has been injecting carbon dioxide produced by the Sleipner West natural gas field in the North Sea into formations about 1,000 metres deep. It said that emissions of carbon dioxide have been cut by about one million tonnes per year. Statoil is now studying to see if the gases stay put or leach upwards. Carbon dioxide is the main gas targeted by the international Kyoto pact aimed at helping reduce emissions of gases blamed by many scientists for pushing up global temperatures. |
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Reference |
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/17243/story.htm |
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Item 9 |
Ethanol Produces More Energy Than Consumes |
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Summary |
US researchers reported that corn-based ethanol provides a net energy gain, producing more energy in combustion than it consumes as corn growing in the field. A recent new study by the US Department of Agriculture, found a net energy gain of 21,105 BTU per gallon. The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a pound of water by one degree F is a BTU and one gallon of gasoline contains 125,070 BTU. The new findings could impact US energy policy. By mid-September, the House and Senate hope to compromise on an energy bill, perhaps including a renewable fuels standard that could triple ethanol sales by the end of the decade to 5 billion gallons annually. Ethanol production has been rising in recent years, reaching a record 1.77 billion gallons distilled last year. The corn-based fuel emerged as much-needed national energy sources during the 1970s fuel embargoes and serves a dual purpose of utilizing surplus corn crops. Recently, it has been used to raise the octane level of motor fuels and to produce cleaner-burning fuels. |
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Reference |
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Item 10 |
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase In Japan |
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Summary |
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Japan increased 0.3 percent in fiscal year 2000 from 1999 levels, to 1,334 billion carbon equivalent tons, according to the Ministry of Environment, Japan. Of the 1,334 billion tons, carbon dioxide alone accounted for 1.24 billion tons, up 0.3 percent from 1999. The 1,334 billion tons represent an 8 percent increase from 1990 levels, the benchmark year stipulated by the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which Japan recently ratified. The ministry attributed the latest increase in emissions primarily to increased energy use by households and businesses. |
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Reference |
International Environment Reporter, Vol. 25, No. 16, July 31, 2002, Page 764 |