Petrochemicals group Sasol, the world’s leader in making motor fuel from coal, plans to reduce its carbon footprint by capturing its emissions, producing solar power and making its plants more efficient.

Henri Loubser, project director at the company’s New Energy unit, said a public-private partnership between Sasol, other energy firms and a South African university would start producing thin film solar modules within two and a half years.

“We are still speaking two and a half years before the facility can realistically be operational,” Loubser told journalists on Friday.

A South African team of scientists invented the design for the solar panels, which consist of micro-thin metallic film – only five microns thick – that converts light into energy at a fraction of the cost of conventional panels.

The Thin Film Solar Technology (TFST) joint venture will build a power plant to produce 40 MW using the film, he said.

Sasol, ranked second after power utility Eskom the country’s top polluter, reported total carbon emissions in South Africa for the financial year to end-June of 62 million tonnes.

The firm, criticised by environmentalists for doing little to streamline its operations towards a carbon-free economy, said it had set a target to reduce its emissions intensity by 15 percent across its operations by 2020 from a 2005 baseline.

It also plans to make new coal-to-liquids (CTL) plants more efficient by reducing emissions of those built before 2020 by 20% and those built before 2030 by 30%.

Loubser said producing energy from solar sources, of which there is an abundance in South Africa, will be a focus for the company, and Sasol plans to make a choice which type of concentrated solar power technology it will pursue by next June.

Loubser said Sasol also plans to make its power generation units cleaner by either converting natural gas to electricity or by building nuclear plants to power its operations.

“We will consider a technology step like that (in nuclear) … it’s baseload power and it’s a proven technology,” he said.

The company said switching from coal to natural gas already reduces its plant’s emissions by 40%.

In the long term it will also invest in producing power from hydro sources, preferably from countries around South Africa.

Sasol would like to store emissions from its power plants.

It currently captures between 20-30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from its Secunda CTL plant a year but it flares the carbon into the air as it has yet to find a proper storage site.

Sasol plans to generate half of its power needs by 2012 to beat rising electricity prices and to reduce its dependence on the national grid, especially as utility Eskom struggles to supply fast rising demand from industrial and residential users.
Source: Fin24

Amonia

The trouble with hydrogen as an energy source is that, as a gas, it’s not very energy-dense, it can explode, and it’s tough to transport.

So for the last 5 years the Iowa Energy Center at Iowa State University has been holding annual conferences on the use of ammonia as a fuel, and some of that dreaming is now coming out of the lab.

The chemical formula for ammonia is NH3. Combined with CO2 you know it as urea, the main component in urine. There are patents on producing anhydrous ammonia (the kind useful as fuel) from urea but currently the main feedstock for it is natural gas. Ammonia produced in this way is called “brown ammonia.”

The most recent Iowa State ammonia conference was held in Kansas City, and featured demonstrations of a car running on ammonia, and explanations of ammonia as a direct fuel (replacing hydrogen) for fuel cells, as well as many sessions on storing and transporting it.

Source: Smart planet

Solar roof tiles

What is the true cost of solar power? The answer to this question may determine whether or not you decide to install solar panels on your home or business. In fact, in the current economy, everyone is worried about investments, and whether they make sense long term.

How does the cost of solar power factor in?

In order to accurately determine solar energy cost, you’ll need to consider a range of factors. Get your pencil out… you should write these down:

1. Current utility bills, averaged on a monthly basis
2. Projected future utility bills, over your estimated years of ownership of the property
3. Amount you may save annually in electricity bills
4. State and provincial solar energy tax rebates and other incentives, such as no money down
5. Type of solar panel system you want to install: PV Panels or Solar roof shingles
6. Other potential energy savings, through energy efficient bulbs, shutting off lights, adjusting thermostats
7. Other potential energy retrofitting measures, including windows, insulation, Energy Star appliances, etc.

When you consider the fact that solar power is free, once you install the panels, it may be worth it to consider converting now.

Case in point

Let’s say that your solar panel system will cost you R20,000.  Now, consider that your monthly electricity bills average R600 a month, which is R7,200 a year. That alone would be about a 3-year return on investment, but wait! What about the increase in value of your home? If you can save the entire R7,200 a year, multiply that figure by 20 which is the typical loan period you get R144,000.   That’s right: R144,000 in additional property value!

Eskom tarif hike

Now, add in the rising electricity rates that you won’t have to worry about. Oh, and the cost of continued global warming – you are doing your part you know… priceless!

You see, it just takes some focused arithmetic to determine the true cost of solar power. Think beyond your initial investment/outlay, and I’ll bet you will soon see that solar energy is the way to go, without requiring you to break the bank.
Source: Solar Panel | Green Power

According to a new report published by the Worldwatch Institute, global emissions caused by the “lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food” are much higher than previously thought. Environmental advisers Jeff Anhang and Dr. Robert Goodland, report previous estimates of greenhouse gases caused by livestock were in fact, underestimated.

An earlier report, Livestock’s Long Shadow – Environmental Issues and Options, released in 2006 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), took an in-depth look at the impact the world’s livestock had on the environment.

Based on a simple model of the carbon cycle, the report concluded that annual emissions from cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs and poultry were 18 percent, “The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent. This is a higher share than transport.” Dr. Henning Steinfeld, senior author of the Long Shadow report and FAO official said that livestock is “one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems” and urged immediate action.
Source / more: Simply Green

This week The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) revealed that last month was the second hottest land and ocean temperature on record for the month of September. NOAA’s records date back to 1880. In the 100 plus year history, only September 2005 showed warmer temperatures.

This is a concerning trend, considering the 2 warmest months of September (the last month of summer) out of 129 years of record keeping, have been felt in the last 4 years. Scientists, researchers, and leaders in government and industry use NCDC’s monthly reports to help track trends and other changes in the world’s climate.
Source: Simply Green