55 results found for: biofuel

BioFuels from Crops – Answer to Climate Change and Global Warming?

Biofuels were all the rage during the Bush administration which mandated the use of biofuels for the Transportation Industry.It led to a huge boom in biofuel […]

Is Algae Based Biofuel a Great Green Investment Opportunity

Why Algae based Biofuels Algae Based Biofuels have been hyped in the media as a potential panacea to our Crude Oil based Transportation problems. The advantages […]

Valero Energy positions itself strongly for a Green Future by investing in Biofuels

Valero Energy which is the US’s largest oil refiner has positioned itself strongly to take advantage of future shift in the fuel industry.The massive drop in […]

Exxon to invest a Minuscule amount in Algae based Biofuels

World’s biggest Oil company Exxon Mobil has opened a Greenhouse facility to grow and test algae which will be used for producing biofuels.Algae based Biofuels is […]

Finland Proposes Innovative Blend of Renewable Energy,BioFuels,Smart Lighting and Electric Vehicles to Power a Highway to Russia

Finland is proposing to build a Billion Dollar Highway from its Capital Helsinki to a City near the Russian Border.This Highway will be the first Zero […]

Algae Biofuel Startup Solazyme pulls ahead of competition with new investors and contracts

Algae Based Biofuels as a Green Investing Opportunity is still some years away as the technology is still quite nascent.Despite a lot of hoopla and a number of IPO’s with synthetic biofuels as business,large scale commercial production and profits are still some time away.However the promise of this technology to revolutionize the Fossil Fuel powered Transportation Sector is Huge.Large Oil and Gas is already positioning itself in a small way to take advantage of this opportunity.Shell has been the biggest investor in Biofuels with a $12 Billion tie up with Brazilian Sugar Giant Cosan.Valero has also smartly invested in a number of biofuel startups despite being one of the strongest opponents of Green Energy.Exxon has only promised huge investments without investing much till date.

Algae Biofuel Green Company Solazyme $100mm IPO (Financials,Partners,Costs,Pros and Cons) – Tempting though Risky

Algae Based Biofuels have been hyped in the media as a potential panacea to our Crude Oil based Transportation problems. Algae Based Biofuels as a Green Investing Opportunity is still some years away as the technology is still quite nascent.Despite a lot of hoopla and a number of IPO’s with synthetic biofuels as business,large scale commercial production and profits are still some time away.However the promise of this technology to revolutionize the Fossil Fuel powered Transportation Sector is Huge.Large Oil and Gas is already positioning itself in a small way to take advantage of this opportunity.Shell has been the biggest investor in Biofuels with a $12 Billion tie up with Brazilian Sugar Giant Cosan.The advantages of Algae Biofuels are being propagated by strong backers like Bill Gates ,Rockefeller family and Exxon Mobil.The main advantages of algae based biofuels are Efficient Land Usage,Reduction in Global Warming affect and ability to be directly used in vehicles and aircraft.However Algae Biofuel Technology is still quite immature despite startups like Solazyme,Algenol,Sapphire Energy and Synthetic Genomics having made impressive strides.

Pros & Cons of Biofuels

Biofuels The liquid fuels that can be obtained from biomass like plant matter or by the waste that living creatures produce, such as manure is known […]

Advantages of Biofuels

What are Biofuels The liquid fuels that can be obtained from biomass like plant matter or by the waste that living creatures produce, such as manure […]

Biofuel Producers in India benefit from 5% mandatory blending in fuel

The Indian Government has finally come out with a policy mandating 5% compulsory blending of ethanol with fuel. The Oil Marketing Companies will have to procure […]

What does the Future hold for Biofuels?

In a bid to de-carbonize the transport sector, vehicles with different electrification standards receive the most attention. Even then, liquid fuels are expected to linger around […]

Lufthansa to use BioFuel in its Planes to Reduce Costs of buying Carbon Certificates

Lufthansa is going to mix biofuel with kerosene for its planes starting from 2012 . The EU is mandating the ETS system for the flight industry […]

Green Investing in India – Is it worth your money?

Green Investing in India has become a buzzword much as it has become in the rest of the world.However the Green Industry in India is at […]

Oil Industry learns nothing from the BP Environmental Disaster,Opposes California's Green Laws and Ban of Drilling

The Oil Industry which had gone on the defensive with questions being raised about their commitment towards  environment and society has learned nothing from the BP […]

Effects of Globalization of Agriculture- Food Price Rise,Hunger Riots and Spread of Ethnic Vegetables

Effects of Globalization of Agriculture Globalization of Trade,Capital Flows and Labor has led to many desired and undesired effects.While the globalization of Services and Industry has […]

France to boost Green Industry through Couple of Billion Dollars of Loans and Grants

rance has very low percentage of its energy mix being generated by non-nuclear Green Energy forms as most of its power is derived from Nuclear Energy.The low cost of abudant nuclear power has made France relatively immune from the Energy Insecurity faced by the rest of Europe.While Germany and Spain have installed large amounts of solar and wind energy,France remains a laggard in this respect.Unlike the other EU heavyweights,it has few companies in the field of Green Energy due to lack of a vigourous domestic market.

After an Epic Nuclear Project Disaster,Finland implements its first Renewable Energy FIT Scheme to promote Wind Power

Finland is a Fossil Fuel Deficient country getting 30% of its power from Nuclear Energy and 28% from mostly Biomass and Hydro Energy.It is constructing more Nuclear Power to meet it future needs but a Recent Nuclear Plant has caused massive headache.Finland’s Power Sector has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons.A Nuclear Plant being built on a Baltic Sea Island of Olkiluoto has entered the annals of Project Finance as one of the biggest Disasters.The main contractor Areva which is the worlds’ leading nuclear equipment supplier has surprisingly totally messed up.The original plan of builing the 1600 MW nuclear reactor for 4 billion Euros has doubled to 8 billion Euros.There are reports of faulty concrete bases and steel containers.There is already a blame game between the constructing companies Areva,EDF,Siemens and the government.The time and cost delay has truly been of epic proportions.Areva which is a giant conglomerate has suffered losses on account of just this one project.

Why do Reputed Consultants like BCG remain Blind and Ignorant to Solar PV Advances and Competitiveness

Solar PV Technology have made a huge advance in the last 2-3 years leading to a demand explosion with more than 100% growth forecast this year.Crystalline PV Technology as well as Thin Film Technology like CIGs and CdTe have reduced their costs drastically.While Solar PV still requires generous government subsidies for their growth,grid parity has come very close.Solar PV Technology has become economically competitive in parts of Italy where a unique combination of high electricity rates and sunshine have made Solar PV Technology very attractive.Costs are being reduced at more than 10% per year which would make Solar PV competitive in 2-3 years in most parts of the world.However mainstream and reputed forecasters and companies like Boston Consulting Group remain blind and ignorant to this.BCG in a recent report has said that biofuels and Concentrated Solar Thermal (CSP) Technology will become competitive.I have issues with both of these technologies.

Can the Chinese Trillion Dollars Resurrect the Faltering Global Renewable Energy Industry

Renewable Energy has faced a very bad year in 2010 at least in terms of stock prices.The failure of the Copenhagen Climate Meet in 2009 and the complete indifference towards the Cancun Meet in Mexico has made the Green Energy Sector one of the worst performing ones.Wind Energy has been the worst hit with falling gas prices and falling subsidies with USA and Europe the worst hit.Other sectors like Solar Energy and Biofuels have not got much love from the markets either.In fact major financial insitutions have sharply reduced their Renewable Energy Holdings with Short Interest Rising to a Record High amongst Green Companies like American Semiconductor,Jinko Solar etc.However despite the ascendancy of the Republicans in USA and the cold shoulder given to climate and energy bill,this might mark a bottom for Renewable Energy

Global Green Investments increases by 39% in 2010 despite Copenhagen Failure

Asset Financing for utility grade projects accounted for $128 billion while a substantial amount was also raised for Green IPOs notably Enel Green Power,Goldwind,Datang,Longyuan etc.The figure does not include M&A figures not that there were any big bang acquisitions though a number of M&A activities took place in the Smart Grid space.Government individually ramped up the subsidies for Green Industries despite a failure to arrive at a meaningful global agreement to reduce carbon emissions in the Copenhagen Meet.Most of the investments tool place as countries increasingly jockey for the top spot in the emerging Green Industry.Conglomerates like Samsung,GE,Mitsubishi,Siemens have made Green Industry the focus of their management focus and investment leading to the astounding 39% growth.Note Green Advocates have said that $500 billion in annual investments will be required by 2020 to restrict carbon emissions to a tolerable level.

Tidal Wave Energy – Quick Guide to Costs,Investment and How Tidal Generators Produce Tidal Power

Tidal Waver Energy is still an immature technology with most of the plants built around the world being pilot/demonstration ones.However Tidal Wave Energy holds big potential though it is still a decade away from reaching large commercial scale just like Algae based Biofuel and other forms of Green Technology.Tidal Wave Energy essentially works by converting the energy generated by tidal waves into electricity energy.Tidal Generators are used to convert energy from tidal energy into a more useful form.Here are the following ways Tidal Generators are involved in producing Tidal Power.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Tidal Energy

Tidal Wave Energy Tidal Wave Energy is still a very niche technology with tidal barrages generating most of the electricity in a few power stations. Most […]

Tidal Renewable Energy Guide – Uses,Economics,Pros and Cons of Tidal Renewable Power

Tidal Renewable Energy is a niche form of Alternative Energy with less than 500 MW of Electricity Capacity worldwide.Tidal Renewable Energy generates less than .001% of the worldwide electricity generation as the Technology of this Alternative Energy is still quite immature.Tidal Renewable Energy is still an immature technology with most of the plants built around the world being pilot/demonstration ones.The older ones based on Tidal Barrages are also very few in number with the Tidal Power Plant in Le Rance in France the only major operating Tidal Power Plant in the World.Tidal Barrages however are facing major headwinds due to high capital costs and long gestation periods.The newer Tidal Renewable Energy Technologies like Pelamis and Seagen hold big potential though still a decade away from reaching large commercial scale just like Algae based Biofuel and other forms of Green Technology.

Tidal Wave Energy is still in its baby phase with the technology not developed far enough to make it a real alternative to fossil fuel energy.However like solar and wind power 20-30 years ago,Tidal Wave Energy can still develop to become a major form of alternative energy.

Obama's New Energy Policy – Just a lot of Empty Gas (Rhetoric)

Obama’s outlined a New Energy Policy as he periodically does without any far reaching national goals on to reduce America’s dependence on billions of barrels of imported oil which cause global warming,finance terrorist and prop up brutal regimes in the Middle East.However his periodic bursts of rhetoric on the US Energy Policy is nothing but a lot of empty gas without any specifics.Earlier he used to stress on nuclear energy which has been thrown out of the window with the Fukushima nuclear disaster.His plans of supporting the nuclear energy industry with $36 billion in DOE loans seems a bad if not a gruesome joke.Similarly last year his plans of allowing offshore drilling for Oil also fell flat after the massive BP Oil Spill ecological disaster.

Types of Renewable Energy – Major,Minor Types of Alternative Energy and Quasi Clean Energy

Type of Renewable Energy have been increasing with development in Technology and the imperative of using Alternative Energy as Fossil Fuels deplete and increase in costs.Besides Global Warming has made the benefits of Renewable Energy seem more attractive with each passing year.Note though there are many niches Renewable Energy types,the Three Major Forms of Renewable Energy are Solar Energy,Wind Energy and Biomass Energy (Biofuels).Nuclear and Hydro Energy are not considered as Renewable Energy according to the strict definition of Renewable Energy.However Hydro and Nuclear Energy both are responsible for more than 15% of global electricity production each.The clean energy industry saw a 30% increase in investments to $243 billion in 2010 which was another record year for Renewable Energy Capacity addition.Around 18 GW of Solar Energy and 38 GW of Wind Energy were installed with Solar Energy Capacity increasing by a whopping 150% from 2009.\wind power continued to lead at $95 billion. The solar sector is experiencing significant growth, with investments growing at 53% to $79 billion (source Pew).

Big Oil/Gas (Shell,BP,Total) makes a Solar Energy Comeback – Total acquires Sunpower in biggest recent Solar M&A

Note Big Oil and Gas has been slowly been retrenching form the solar energy industry despite initial leadership.Shell which was one of the biggest solar players has become almost non-existent while BP has shut down a number of solar factories outsourcing production to China.Other Oil and Gas companies like Exxon,Valero,Chevron and others have concentrated their energies on related green sectors like algae based biofuels rather than on solar and wind energy.So the move by Total comes as a surprise as it acquires one of the top 15 solar panel companies in the world.Sunpower is being acquired at a cheap price considering its world beating solar cell technology and its massive systems business which has gigawatts of solar projects under development.Note Sunpower makes the highest efficiency solar panels on a commercial scale and recently tied up with AUO.It is the 2nd biggest solar plant installer in the US and has a massive presence in the commercial and government sector.Total said it looked at over 200 companies before buying Sunpower.Note M&A has been strong in the Solar Thermal Industry and has now started picking up in the Solar PV Industry as well.With solar company valuations at a historic low,it makes sense for the larger chemical and energy companies to pick up good companies on the cheap.

Renewable Energy in Poland (Wind,Biomass) in Brief – Increasing with Huge Prospects due to 90% Dependence on Coal

Poland is one of the largest countries in Europe to have such a high dependence on Coal Energy to meet its Electricity Needs.Note European Union has a target to meet 20% of its Energy by 2020 from Renewable Energy sources which has mad the fossil fuel dependent Eastern European countries looks towards Wind,Solar and Biomass Energy.Note Eastern European countries like Romania have seen a boom in wind energy driven by incorrect Green Energy subsidy policies while the Solar Boom in Czech led to a drastic increase in electricity prices forcing the government to Bust it with a combination of FIT cuts,tax increases and strict regulation.Poland which is the largest Eastern European country in the EU has traditionally depended on Coal to meet most of its Energy Needs.Despite the major disadvantages of Coal,Poland has resisted reducing the support given to the Thermal Power Industry.The cheapness and abudance of Coal has made it hard for Poland to shift its Energy Policy like other Coal dependent nations like South Africa,China and India.

Mandatory Ethanol Blending in India is a Dumb Idea pandering to Vested Interests (sugar industry)

The Government on India is proposing to introduce mandatory blending of ethanol in transport fuels to the extend of 5%.This means that the major transport fuel providers like IOC,BPCL and other will have to ensure that 5% of the petrol they sell will be mixed with 5% ethanol.The US is the biggest user of mandatory blending which has recently come under harsh criticism.The reasons given for supporting blending is that it reduces the requirements of fossil fuels which leads to lower carbon emissions,improves energy security and reduces pollution.However none of these advantages are seen in real life.In fact it has the massively negative consequence of increasing food prices which leads to the starvation of the poor globally.The Corn Industry in the USA has become a major lobbying force which makes the US government persist with the policy resulting in sharp increase in corn prices to the detriment of consumers.

Wave Energy Pros and Cons – Tidal and Ocean Wave Power Still Niche Technologies

Wave Energy is one of the niche renewable energy technologies which is still in its infancy stage.While other forms of alternative energy like solar,wind and biomass see hundreds of billions of dollars in investment each year,wave energy does not see even $1 billion in investment.This is because Wave Energy is still much behind in the technology curve in terms of costs and reliability.Also there are many varied approaches and technologies to harness the power of the ocean waves.However developed countries like UK are promoting this renewable energy since it has huge potential like solar and wind energy.Given the energy shortages that we are facing,we need to promote all forms of sustainable green energy and wave energy definitely has strong promise.Here we present the various pros and cons of wave energy

EU stops the Free Carbon Lunch – Airline Prices to Increase to factor in Carbon Emissions

Airline Ticket Prices are set to go up as European Union implements its ETS Scheme on the Airline Industry from 2012.Note EU as a region has been one of the most active players in the climate change arena and has an active carbon emissions market.Though this market has encouraged fraud and profiteering by unscrupolous players making it a good target for the fossil fuel lobby,the principle to fight against global warming is a good one.Compare that to USA,Canada and Japan who have done nothing to fight climate change despite the wealth of these nations.Canada has been guilty of abandoning the Kyoto Plan after missing its previous target.It has faced no penalties as it is not legally enforceable.The country continues down the pollute as much as you can pushing oil extraction from tar sands which is much more dangerous to the environment than normal oil drilling.