Clean New Power » biodiesel http://cleannewpower.com renewable energy for a better world Fri, 08 May 2009 15:20:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Biofuels or Food? http://cleannewpower.com/biofuels-or-food/ http://cleannewpower.com/biofuels-or-food/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:52:11 +0000 http://cleannewpower.com/biofuels-or-food/ Biofuels are one way of reducing the world’s dependency on petrol. It will be difficult to reach high volumes soon but as with all efforts, every little bit helps.

It’s not all good news though. A big controversy is building on the influence this is having on the world food prices. Already prices of agricultural crops have gone up substantially in the last 12 months.

You can make ethanol from corn, then mix it with gasoline to drive your car. More corn is needed because it is also used to feed the cattle in the US and Europe. So it changes from a low value commodity into a high value renewable energy source.

The same is happening with palm oil which is a basic cooking ingredient in most of Asia. More and more plantations are being seen as fuel farms because the oil is mixed into a biodiesel and prices of palm oil is becoming a problem for low-income residents.

biofuel or food?

biofuel or food?

Some other voices: A Swedish bus company ‘Flygbussarna Airport Coaches’ is advertising their transition to environmental biofuel using some funny pictures.

Flygbussarna Airport Coaches wants you to know that they now run on environmental biofuel. To illustrate how clean this biofuel really is, their print ad campaign shows people drinking it right off the pump to prove that it is “clean enough to drink.” The campaign, which was created by Acne Advertising agency, Stockholm, Sweden and photographed by Martin Runeborg, shows people quenching their thirst by galloping biofuel. I just hope they do not light up a cigarette after this fuel consumption…

Drinking Biofuel – Flygbussarna Airport Coaches (GALLERY)

Biodiesel and ethanol, the most common biofuels in use today, are produced mainly from agricultural crops: sugar cane, soybean rapeseed and corn. However, these crops are often water intensive and pose a number of environmental problems related to land use and soil degradation. This is why the Commission favours so-called ’second-generation’ biofuels which are more efficient and less problematic from an environmental viewpoint. These are typically made from agricultural residues and ‘woody’ sources such as straw, timber, woodchips and manure

EurActiv.com – Wood, food or biofuels? | EU – European Information on Sustainable Dev.

Could you believe that countries are raising taxes on imports of ethanol to ‘protect’ their farmers?

A key part of this approach to biofuels is agricultural protectionism. A number of countries, including Brazil, can produce ethanol much cheaper, with a greater saving of nonrenewable energy and lower emissions, for example, by using sugar. But this sugar-based ethanol is subject to a prohibitive tariff in the United States (and there are similar barriers in Europe)

Straight Talk – The (Food) Price of Success – Finance & Development, December 2007

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]]> http://cleannewpower.com/biofuels-or-food/feed/ 0 What Is Alternative Energy? http://cleannewpower.com/what-is-alternative-energy/ http://cleannewpower.com/what-is-alternative-energy/#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2007 10:27:13 +0000 http://cleannewpower.com/what-is-alternative-energy/ Alternative energy is becoming ever more popular as an environmental topic in America and the rest of the world. The topics of alternative energy are no longer completely focused on nuclear power for electricity.

Now they also include things such as ethanol for motor vehicles. It is wise to learn how alternative energy works, what it is, and what the various types are. As you stay up to date on environmental political campaigns and legislation you can make the best choices for your home and family.

Basic Definition of Alternative Energy

Quite simply, alternative energy is the creation of energy from materials that do not harm the environment or drain the Earth’s natural resources. Therefore, energy from a nuclear plant or coal can not be categorized in this group because they are harmful to the Earth and deplete the natural resources.

Renewable energy is also a form of alternative energy. This is because they use natural resources that renew themselves and never run out. It is a fact that 13 percent of the world’s energy comes from renewable sources.

Different Types of Alternative Energy

Hydropower is generated by water. Micro-Hydro turbines are placed into flowing water to create energy.

Solar power is generated by the sun.

Sunlight can be turned into energy by using cells made from silicon. When these cells are exposed to the sun, they create an electric charge. A different kind of solar panels will heat up water which can be used in the house.

Wind power is created by turbines on large poles or towers and when the blowing wind is transformed into electricity.

Ethanol is an alternative fuel that can replace gasoline. It is a common form of alcohol produced from corn or wheat or any plant that contains sugar. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel solution to petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel can be made from vegetable or animal fats and also from dry waste biomass.

There are many types of alternative energy. For a cleaner world we need to start thinking of the things we use on a daily basis and try to replace our power needs with something that will not destroy the ozone layer or deplete the Earth’s natural resources.

 

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