Energy

In America, the government banned incandescent light bulbs, convinced that if they banned them, the free market would replace it with something affordable, effective and efficient. In reality, since there was no good alternative, people just horded light bulbs. The automobile did not supplant the horse and buggy because horses were banned and banning regular light bulbs was not going to make compact fluorescent bulbs or light emitting diodes popular.  In the case of LEDs, the bluish, cold light has precluded their widespread use (and a desire not to wear a haz-mat suit if a bulb breaks…

In 2005, a decade and a half of environmental lobbying convinced President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress that corn ethanol was a promising fossil fuel substitute which would reduce both American dependence on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions. The 2005 energy bill mandated that 4 billion gallons of renewable fuel be added to the gasoline supply in 2006. That rose to 4.7 billion gallons in 2007 and 7.5 billion in 2012, to the delight of corn farmers, activists and almost no one else. Since then, life cycle assessments (LCAs) have shown that corn ethanol doesn't reduce CO2…

While corn ethanol was always a bad idea, biofuels themselves have a potential. Perennial biofuel crops miscanthus, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species have shown high yields in producing ethanol, and a 4-year University of Illinois study has found another beneficial characteristic – the ability to reduce the escape of nitrogen in the environment. The study compared miscanthus, switchgrass, and mixed prairie species to typical corn-corn-soybean rotations and each of the perennial crops were highly efficient at reducing nitrogen losses, with miscanthus having the greatest yield. …

These days Sweden is better known for its design exports than its blonde bombshells. IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, has developed a brand using a business philosophy that incorporates economics, society and the environment. Through mass production, delivering disassembled products in flatpacks, eliminating the middleman, locating stores in industrial areas with low overhead costs; IKEA can pass their savings on to consumers. Using recycled and renewable products makes IKEA an eco-friendly company. With the focus of providing its customers with affordable, stylish, and…

Galactan is a polymer of galactose, a six-carbon sugar that can be readily fermented by yeast into ethanol and is a target of interest for those researching advanced biofuels produced from cellulosic biomass. Galactans are polysaccharide components of pectin, the sticky sugar substance that binds together the individual cells in plant cell walls (and is used to make delicious jellies and jams). The β-1,4-galactan component of pectin is especially abundant in the “tension wood” that forms in cell walls in response to mechanical stress from wind or snowfall. An international collaboration has…

In Europe, Spain and Germany, whose populations bought into the 'subsidize legacy technology now and it will be cheaper later' myth, there is a backlash against solar power. Politicians are seeing the financial numbers through a prism of reality and cutting subsidies, which means big companies no longer see it as worthwhile. The same thing is happening in America. While both Presidential candidates said wind power was terrific when they were sound-biting for votes, no one really believed it. America spent $72 billion on alternative energy in the last four years, a 14,000% increase, and all we…

A future without fossil fuels is ideal but impractical in the short term.  However, for people not afraid of science, a PNAS paper showing that synthetic biology can be used to manipulate hydrocarbon chemicals, found in soaps and shampoos, in cells is some welcome news. This could mean fuel for cars or household power created from naturally-occurring fatty acids. Fossil fuels even more organic than current fossil fuels. Delightful! Hydrocarbon chemicals are everywhere in our daily lives; as fragrance in soap, thickener in shampoo and fuel in the car. Their number of carbons and whether…

Current global conditions provide numerous challenges for future generations. The United States has a mind-boggling federal deficit. Developing countries have rapid population growth that will lead to increasing energy demands and a larger carbon footprint. At the international level we have volatile energy markets, limited natural resources, and will have inevitable climate change based on historical precedent.   One solution is to change the growth model and consumption patterns in developing countries which will account for a majority of new greenhouse gases. However, it is…

 A nanostructured 'sandwich' of metal and plastic may be a way to nearly triple the efficiency of organic solar cells, those cheap and flexible plastic energy devices that could be the future of solar power. The researchers were able to increase the efficiency 175 percent and the technology should increase the efficiency of conventional inorganic solar collectors, such as standard silicon solar panels, but that is another research issue. Any solar solution needs to to overcome two primary challenges that cause solar cells to lose energy; light reflecting from the cell, and the inability…

A combination of coal, natural gas and non-food crops used to make synthetic fuel could reduce America's need for crude oil. It's been tried various times, even before World War II, with no success, but it may deserve a rethink. Less money going to oil-owning dictators is good in lots of ways and there may even be environmental benefits, researchers say. Because plants absorb carbon dioxide to grow, the United States could cut vehicle greenhouse emissions by as much as 50 percent in the next several decades using non-food crops to create liquid fuels.  Synthetic fuels would have an…