How does driving a vehicle that gets 60 mpg's in the city and 51 mpg's on the freeway sound?
With gas prices hovering in the mid $3 range, many people are exploring vehicles that are powered by the hybrid technology. Toyota was a fore runner with the Toyota Prius around 2001 and has followed suit with a Camry Hybrid and an SUV, the Highlander Hybrid. Toyota Prius
Most other car makers have now followed suit with their own hybrid models of their popular gasoline vehicles such as the Honda Civic, Accord, Lexus GS (Sedan), RX (SUV), Saturn Vue, & Ford Escape to name a few.
These vehicles utilize the electric motor more when the car is at lower speeds, which is most likely to occur in a city setting with many stops and starts. At the lower speeds, an all gas engine consumes the most gasoline, thus the hybrid technology helps conserve such fuel. At higher speeds, the hybrid switches to utilize the gas portion more as it provides the power and it is when the engine generally requires less gas as there are fewer starts and stops.
The hybrid vehicles do not have to be plugged in as they have a battery pack that is constantly being charged to a level that is optimal for the longest life. While the hybrid's generally have fewer horsepower's as their gasoline counterparts, it is both eco and financially friendly.
As an additional financial incentive, the IRS offers a tax credit to individuals who purchase a hybrid vehicle and many states offer a similar tax credit. For example, in Oregon, if an individual purchases a qualifying hybrid vehicle, the are eligible to receive up to $1,500 in state income tax credits. OR Hybrid Tax Credit For the federal hybrid tax credit, an individual can claim anywhere from $250 to $3,400 depending on the model. Federal Hybrid Tax Credit
The car manufacturers, the government, many celebrities, environmentalists and activist(s) are all encouraging the purchase and use of hybrid technology as it reduces the reliance on fossil fuels and reduces emissions that cause smog and green house gasses. Oil companies remain mixed as they still have to purchase gasoline for hybrid vehicles but there may become a time that more people are driving hybrids that the overall consumption of gasoline would be lower than it is today, but we are many years, if not decades away from such a time.
How the oil companies are investing in "Green" is coming up next!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
An Emission-less Energy! WIND!
Wind is something that has been harnessed in the last 10-20 years to produce power for cities and/or individual businesses and residents. A wind farm can produce enough power to support a suburb or small town while businesses and residents can purchase smaller wind turbines to mount on their property or roof tops in an effort to reduce their energy costs.
In Lee County, IL, the Mendota Hills Wind Farm can supply enough power to supply approximately 15,000 homes with 125 million kilowatt hours produced annually. Mendota Hills Wind Farm It has 63 wind turbines that are each 213 feet tall with a rotor diameter of 171 feet.
Although wind is a free source of energy to harness, a huge investment must be undertaken to purchase, install and upkeep the turbines, land, infrastructure and staff.
A problem that developers have to overcome are NIMBY's (Not In My Back Yard). These are residents that support something (be it a wind farm, an airport, oil drilling, etc.) but do not want it anywhere that it could be seen, heard or have an impact on their surroundings. NIMBY's support the wind farms but oppose it being close to their city which brings added costs to a developer to create the infrastructure to transport the produced energy to the city it's trying to support. A benefit of these challenges is that land outside the city limits can be significantly cheaper and there exists the possibility of installing wind turbines on farmland without displacing a large portion of crops.
There are several initiatives created by the government to help support Wind farms and private wind turbines through the Production Tax Credit (PTC) Extension, Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) and Small Wind Systems Tax Credit. The PTC Extension allows an income tax credit of 2 cents/kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. The RPS is an initiative that 22 states and the District of Columbia have adopted which helps create economic activity, spurs jobs and helps reduce the reliance on conventional energy sources. The last one, the Small Wind Systems Tax Credit, is included bill S. 673 that would create credits for individuals who want to invest in wind energy for their residence. This Credit differs from the PTC as the PTC is only for large utility scale wind projects while this one is for individual properties. AWEA Legislation Overview
Anti-Wind Energy Section of H.R. 2337 introduced by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) would make it illegal to place a wind turbine on private property unless an approval from the head of the US Fish & Wildlife Service and other bureaucrats. The punishment would include imprisonment and a $50,000 fine for a violation. This is a step to restrict private farms because it is thought to negatively harm the surrounding wildlife and protect larger developments who have the money and resources to jump through all the hoops the government imposes.
A major benefit to Wind Farms, other than that wind is free to capture (see above), is that it produces no emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), SO2 (sulfur oxide) or NO2 (nitrogen oxide). These elements are the precursors to green house gasses, acid rain and smog, respectively. American Wind Energy Association These are huge improvements over conventional energy methods of coal, natural gas and oil.
Next Up, Hybrid Technology.
In Lee County, IL, the Mendota Hills Wind Farm can supply enough power to supply approximately 15,000 homes with 125 million kilowatt hours produced annually. Mendota Hills Wind Farm It has 63 wind turbines that are each 213 feet tall with a rotor diameter of 171 feet.
Although wind is a free source of energy to harness, a huge investment must be undertaken to purchase, install and upkeep the turbines, land, infrastructure and staff.
A problem that developers have to overcome are NIMBY's (Not In My Back Yard). These are residents that support something (be it a wind farm, an airport, oil drilling, etc.) but do not want it anywhere that it could be seen, heard or have an impact on their surroundings. NIMBY's support the wind farms but oppose it being close to their city which brings added costs to a developer to create the infrastructure to transport the produced energy to the city it's trying to support. A benefit of these challenges is that land outside the city limits can be significantly cheaper and there exists the possibility of installing wind turbines on farmland without displacing a large portion of crops.
There are several initiatives created by the government to help support Wind farms and private wind turbines through the Production Tax Credit (PTC) Extension, Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) and Small Wind Systems Tax Credit. The PTC Extension allows an income tax credit of 2 cents/kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. The RPS is an initiative that 22 states and the District of Columbia have adopted which helps create economic activity, spurs jobs and helps reduce the reliance on conventional energy sources. The last one, the Small Wind Systems Tax Credit, is included bill S. 673 that would create credits for individuals who want to invest in wind energy for their residence. This Credit differs from the PTC as the PTC is only for large utility scale wind projects while this one is for individual properties. AWEA Legislation Overview
Anti-Wind Energy Section of H.R. 2337 introduced by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) would make it illegal to place a wind turbine on private property unless an approval from the head of the US Fish & Wildlife Service and other bureaucrats. The punishment would include imprisonment and a $50,000 fine for a violation. This is a step to restrict private farms because it is thought to negatively harm the surrounding wildlife and protect larger developments who have the money and resources to jump through all the hoops the government imposes.
A major benefit to Wind Farms, other than that wind is free to capture (see above), is that it produces no emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), SO2 (sulfur oxide) or NO2 (nitrogen oxide). These elements are the precursors to green house gasses, acid rain and smog, respectively. American Wind Energy Association These are huge improvements over conventional energy methods of coal, natural gas and oil.
Next Up, Hybrid Technology.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Cleaner Alternative Fuel & Energy Sources!
Some of the newer cleaner fuels that our society is now harnessing are
Wind Power, Wave Power, Solar Energy, Biofuel/Biodiesel & Hybrid Technology for Vehicles. These are energy sources that are renewable, unlike fossil fuels, and are extremely clean compared to current fuel sources.
The auto industry has embraced hybrid technology with Toyota being a leader and innovator. For biofuel/biodiesel, it's supporters have came from thousands if not millions of consumers that have adapted their car to burn biofuel which is made primarily from recycled vegetable oil. Unfortunately the aviation community is hesitant to embrace such technology as of yet. Sir Richard Branson, founder or CEO of the Virgin group, is working with aircraft manufacturers as well as jet engine makers to test and analyze the results of uses biofuel to power aircraft in an effort to save money and CO2 emissions. Virgin Group & Biofuel
The government has put in place various tax credits in order to make consumers and companies more proactive in the consumption of fuel. For consumers who purchase a hybrid vehicle, not only does their fuel costs see a dramatic decrease but they can claim a decent sized tax credit on state (Oregon) and federal tax refunds.
In the next two to three posts I will be analyzing the pros and cons of each fuel/energy source and who are the active parties both for and against them.
Wind Power, Wave Power, Solar Energy, Biofuel/Biodiesel & Hybrid Technology for Vehicles. These are energy sources that are renewable, unlike fossil fuels, and are extremely clean compared to current fuel sources.
The auto industry has embraced hybrid technology with Toyota being a leader and innovator. For biofuel/biodiesel, it's supporters have came from thousands if not millions of consumers that have adapted their car to burn biofuel which is made primarily from recycled vegetable oil. Unfortunately the aviation community is hesitant to embrace such technology as of yet. Sir Richard Branson, founder or CEO of the Virgin group, is working with aircraft manufacturers as well as jet engine makers to test and analyze the results of uses biofuel to power aircraft in an effort to save money and CO2 emissions. Virgin Group & Biofuel
The government has put in place various tax credits in order to make consumers and companies more proactive in the consumption of fuel. For consumers who purchase a hybrid vehicle, not only does their fuel costs see a dramatic decrease but they can claim a decent sized tax credit on state (Oregon) and federal tax refunds.
In the next two to three posts I will be analyzing the pros and cons of each fuel/energy source and who are the active parties both for and against them.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Climate Change caused by Energy?
I think one of the major issues about energy consumption in today's society would have to be about the Climate Change, also known as Global Warming. Many environmental groups protest that it is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the release of CO2 into the Earth's atmosphere. Some claim that the effects of Global Warming are part of the reasons for the increase in hurricane intensity in the recent years. Union of Concerned Scientists
Whether or not it is true or false, the U.S. Department of Energy is overseeing a program called "Climate VISION" to examine ways to reduce greenhouse gasses in a cost effective way. USDOE Climate Change
There are many types of alternative fuels that show signs of reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but often those fuels are expensive thus preventing major investments in such projects. Later this week, hopefully Friday, May 18, 2007, I will post about some of the alternative fuels with both the support and opposition to such fuels to illustrate how these controversies are somewhat played out.
Whether or not it is true or false, the U.S. Department of Energy is overseeing a program called "Climate VISION" to examine ways to reduce greenhouse gasses in a cost effective way. USDOE Climate Change
There are many types of alternative fuels that show signs of reduced greenhouse gas emissions, but often those fuels are expensive thus preventing major investments in such projects. Later this week, hopefully Friday, May 18, 2007, I will post about some of the alternative fuels with both the support and opposition to such fuels to illustrate how these controversies are somewhat played out.
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