Texas, whose fortunes have long been tied up with fossil fuel wealth, is pushing hard to develop wind power.

State legislation to promote renewable energy, plus improved technology that has reduced costs and a surge in natural gas prices last winter have all contributed to the Texas wind boom.

As of Jul 2001, Texas had just under 200 MW of wind power capacity up and running and an additional 900 MW planned, much of it slated to come online by the end of the year, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Startech Environmental Corp, the world leader in plasma waste remediation and recycling technology, announced that it has commenced shipment of Eiko Systems Corporation's first plasma converter to process hazardous waste incinerator ash and PCBs in Fukuoka, Japan.

Putting ash in a landfill produces very harmful soupy leachates that have the potential to pollute aquifers near landfills and the downstream waters fed by the aquifers.

Impco Technologies Inc, the World's leading source of advanced alternative fuel systems technology for internal combustion engines, has received an additional 100 orders from Scania-UK for the next generation Impco Eclipse natural gas fuel system.

The Eclipse is designed to optimize performance and fuel economy, while at the same time minimizing exhaust emissions. It features advanced electronic control for all major engine systems, and replaces the multiple electronic control units usually found in natural gas trucks and buses, with a single electronic control unit. The Eclipse system is used with high output, lean burn, and turbo-charged natural gas engines. Eclipse controls air fuel ratio, ignition, turbo-charger boost pressure and vehicle speed and has on-board diagnostics and knock controls. Trucks equipped with the Eclipse system have achieved Euro 5 2007-2008 emission standards.

The USEPA Deputy Administrator, Ms Linda Fisher, gave recognition to International Truck and Engine Corporation for its Green Diesel Engine Technology^TM. International's new "green" engine meets the particulate emission standards for diesel engines that will come into effect in 2007 and will be used in school buses in California. According to Fisher, this new diesel technology is an important and timely step to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve cleaner air.

Along with the cleaner engines, USEPA regulations mandate cleaner diesel fuel with significantly lower sulphur content, requiring a 97% reduction in the sulphur content of highway diesel from its current level of 500 ppm to 15 ppm. This lowering of sulphur content is essential to enable modern pollution-control technology to be effective on the engines.

Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) have developed a new process to produce a cleaner fuel, alkylate to replace petroleum-based fuels. Alkylate is a high-octane gasoline blend that is very low in harmful pollutants. The energy efficient process uses fewer harmful chemicals and reduces the amount of waste that is generated.

The INEEL team used a solid acid catalyst instead of a liquid catalyst to convert low octane gasoline into alkylate. Although the solid catalyst becomes coated with undesired pollutants during the process, it can be cleaned using a superficial fluid and be restored to 100% efficiency for reuse. In this way, the operating lifespan of the catalyst can be extended by about 20 times.

Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has imposed an order that computer printers such as bubble jets, laser and dot matrix printers should not be dumped. They must instead be added to the range of other information technology (IT) equipment to be recycled. The order arose because of a significant increase in the number of printers being dumped and their impact on the environment.

The recollected printers have to be disassembled and individual components including plastic capacitors, etc reused in new printers or recycled for use as raw materials.

Europe's second biggest listed utility company, Germany's E.ON, said yesterday that by 2006 most of its power generation will not produce CO₂ emissions as a result of recent changes in fuel base following agreements with foreign utilities.

E.ON's recent agreements with Sweden's Sydkraft and Austria's Verbund mean that two thirds of the group's power production will be CO₂ free by 2006. Sydkraft produces electricity from hydro and nuclear, while Verbund uses 100 % hydro for generation.

The changes in the group meant it would be able to cut total emissions from its current 400 kWh of CO₂ to less than 300 kWh/year, in contrast to the German industry average of 500 kWh/year.

The Philippines is to begin commercially producing natural gas by Oct 2001 as it shifts to cleaner indigenous sources of energy and reduces its dependence on imported oil.

The domestically produced natural gas, dubbed by experts as the 'fuel of the future', will come from the Malampaya gas field facility developed by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) off the western island of Palawan. First gas sales is expected in Jan 2002.

The facility is expected to generate about 16% of total nationwide electricity supply by year 2002, allowing Manila to save up to $670 million a year in oil import bills.

In implementing the EU Scrap Car directive, Germany plans to allow consumers to return old cars for recycling free of charge, according to the German Environment Ministry's draft of its 'Old Vehicles Act' published in Aug 2001.

The EU's Directive 2000/53/EC on End of-Life Vehicles requires manufacturers to take responsibility for cars at the end of their useful lives. All costs resulting from return and recycling will be charged to producers and importers.

According to the draft:

• Purchasers of new cars have the right to return their vehicles to producers or importers of that brand for recycling; owners of new cars already on the road may do so after 2007.
• Producers have to organize a widespread network of recycling points to collect vehicles of their brand.
• By 2006, producers are to recycle at least 85% of the vehicle's weight, and 80% of the materials are to be reused. By 2015, these shares are to reach 95% and 85% respectively.

The Scrap Car Directive was passed in 2000 and must be implemented by EU member states by Apr 2002.