US oil agency accused of ethics violations
The US interior department agency Minerals Management Service was accused of ethics violations, ranging from accepting high-priced gifts from energy companies and manipulating contracts to cocaine use and sexual misconduct. An investigation by Minerals Management Service Inspector General Earl Devaney revealed, nearly a third of the staff of the Denver Minerals Management Service office accepted gifts from oil and gas companies between 2002 and 2006. The report also says that several employees “frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives”. MMS collects roughly $10 billion in royalties each year.
Bacteria: Alternative Energy Source in Future
Hydrogen is the environmentally cleanest and most abundant fuel. But extracting it from other organic materials or water, needs significant amount of energy, and it is currently not an efficient process. Fortunately, scientists are have discovered certain bacteria that exhale hydrogen during the normal metabolism.
These particular microbes grow in hot temperatures nearly boiling point of water. These thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria is known as Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus found in a hot spring in New Zealand. Hydrogen Fuel cell vehicles are available in California and the New York area. These vehicles run off of hydrogen gas and emit only water vapor. Therefore in future, Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus microbes can be used as an alternative energy source to power our vehicles.
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Google invests in Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is the heat of the Earth, which can be tapped into to produce electricity. Even though it has great potential as a renewable energy source it doesn’t get much attention it deserves. 2% of the heat below the United States at depths of 3-10 kilometers would be supply 2500 times the nation’s current energy needs. Through its philanthropic division Google.org, Google will be investing nearly $10.5 million into three projects researching advanced geothermal power. The technology Google focuses on is called EGS. EGS produces heat and electricity by harnessing the energy from hot rock deep below the earth’s surface, expanding the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude.
Toyota to boost Hybrid Prius production by 70%
Toyota plans to increase its Prius hybrid car production by 70%, bringing the production to a total of 480 000 units per year. Toyota build its gasoline-electric car production mostly in its Tsutsumi plant in central Japan. Toyota sold 281,300 Prius cars worldwide in 2007. Toyota is the world’s largest auto maker. It cannot make enough hybrid models to meet the demand. Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid vehicles annually soon after 2010.
CO2 emission can be reduced by 1 Billion Tonnes: HP
Some of the solutions described in HP’s white paper include “Low Carbon IT Solutions,” that identifies the potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
- Smart cooling and its use in the design of data center facilities that reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions from commercial premises.
- Innovation in telepresence and videoconferencing that enable improved virtual collaboration to reduce the environmental impacts of international travel. HP’s use of this technology is expected to save approximately 20,000 international trips and at least 32,000 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
- Flat panel displays and Laptops, increases workplace flexibility to reduce energy consumption from non-critical travel.
Top Energy Alternatives
- Fuel cells
- Energy from blowing wind
- Power in the tides
- Nuclear energy
- Geothermal energy
- Solar energy
- Hydroelectric dams
- Clean coal
- Biofuels
Turnoff the PlayStation
According to a study by the Australian consumer agency CHOICE, video game consoles and plasma flat-screen TVs are major electricity guzzlers. These equipments consume plenty of energy even when on standby. Study found that leaving a Playstation 3 on while not in use would cost almost five times more than it would take to run a refrigerator for the same yearly period. Desktop computer comes in third next to video game console and Plasma TVs in electricity consumption.
Greenest Vehicles of 2008
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) chose Honda Civic GX as the greenest vehicle of the year. Civic GX won the title for fifth consecutive year. Natural gas-powered Civic GX ranked first with the gasoline Civic, Fit and Civic Hybrid joining the list of the 12 most environmentally-conscious vehicles available to the public. This is the eighth year in a row that a Honda vehicle received the number one ranking.
Buying energy efficient refrigerator? Tips
Consider the size - An over sized refrigerator will not only cost more to run, but will also be less efficient if you do not filled it to full capacity.
Look for energy star label.
Don’t go for the extra feature which you will not use.
Energy efficient Microchip
A new chip design for portable electronics have unveiled by Researchers at MIT and Texas Instruments.,which can be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than present technology. The design could lead to long lasting cell phones, implantable medical devices, and sensors with lower battery consumption. It may take upto five years for the chip to be available in commercial applications
