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Date: 2013-04-12
Dynamic modeling of sea-level rise, which takes storm wind and wave action into account, paints a much graver picture for some low-lying Pacific islands under climate-change scenarios than the passive computer modeling used in earlier research, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
A team led by research oceanographer Curt Storlazzi of the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, Calif., compared passive "bathtub" inundation models with dynamic models for two of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The team studied Midway, a classic atoll with islands on the shallow atoll rim and a deep, central lagoon, and Laysan, which is higher, with a deeper rim and an island in the center of the atoll. Together, the two locations exhibit landforms and coastal features common to many Pacific islands. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they are also among the world's most important nesting and breeding sites for migratory birds and other wildlife.
The team found that at least twice as much land is forecast to be inundated on Midway and Laysan by sea-level rise than was projected by passive models. For example, 91 percent of Midway's Eastern Island is projected to be inundated under a model that takes into account storm and wave activity accompanied by a sea-level rise of 2 meters as compared with only 19 percent under passive sea-level-rise models. Storm waves on Midway are also projected to be three to four times higher than they are today, because more deep-water wave energy could propagate over the atoll rim and larger wind-driven waves could develop on the atoll. These findings have importance not only for island wildlife on the largely uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and other low-lying Pacific Island groups.
The report, Forecasting the Impact of Storm Waves and Sea-Level Rise on Midway Atoll and Laysan Island within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument - A Comparison of Passive Versus Dynamic Inundation Models, is available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1069. (Source: USGS, 11 April, 2013) Contact: USGS, Curt Storlazzi, (831) 427-4748, [email protected]; Barbara Wilcox, (650) 329-4014, [email protected], www.usgs.gov
Tags Global Warming news,
Date: 2013-02-27
Pittsboro, North Carolina-based Piedmont Biofuels has been certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) Program following a third-party assessment conducted by SCS Global Services (SCS). Piedmont Biofuels collects used cooking oil from restaurants in the Research Triangle Park area and uses it to produce biodiesel that it sells locally through seven filling stations. Piedmont is a Certified B corporation that sells its fuel to approximately 300 members of a biodiesel cooperative.
SCS Global Services (SCS) provides third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. SCS is a chartered benefit corporation and Certified B Corp™, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. (Source: SCS Global Services, 25 Feb., 2013)
Contact: Nick Kordesch (510) 452-8035, [email protected], www.scsglobalservices.com; Piedmont Biofuels, (919)321-8260, www.biofuels.coop
Tags Piedmont Biofuels news, SGS Globa news, Biodiesel news, Biofuels news, Sustainable Biofuelsl news,
Date: 2012-12-05
The Arizona Geological Survey has announced that the National Geothermal Data System (NDGS) has reached a milestone with data from over one million wells now online and available free of charge at http://geothermaldata.org.
The database contains information from a network of academic researchers, private industry, and state and federal agencies. It includes more than 717,000 oil and gas wells, 414,000 water wells, and 9,300 geothermal wells nationwide. An additional 2 to 3 million wells will be added to the database within a year.
These wells are critical resources to aid in the exploration and development of the nation's geothermal energy resources. They also represent an invaluable resource for a wide variety of environmental, hydrological, and other natural resource uses. Each well is accompanied by geographical coordinates, county and state location, well status, total depth, and spud and end-of-drilling dates. Some wells include bore hole temperature, aqueous geochemistry, drillers log, and geophysical logs -- typically porosity, resistivity and temperature logs.
To serve the geothermal exploration and research communities, the NDGS catalog portal provides data discovery via an interactive geographic map tool, ready data access, and analysis. NGDS uses open standards and protocols to encourage developers to build custom applications for accessing and displaying data. The site also includes a FAQ section and tutorials for use of the system. The system can accommodate common GIS applications, including GoogleEarth, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Explorer, NREL Geothermal Prospector, Microsoft Layerscape, and the USGS' National Map Viewer. (Source: Arizona Geological Survey, Tucson Citizen, 4 Dec., 2012)
Contact: Access FREE National Geothermal Data System at http://geothermaldata.org
Tags Arizona Geological Survey news, Geothermal news,
Date: 2012-10-29
As much as 44 billion tons of nitrogen and 850 billion tons of carbon stored in arctic permafrost could be released into the environment over the next century by the effects of global warming. This is roughly the amount of carbon stored in the atmosphere today, and its release could have a serious impact on ecosystems, the atmosphere, and water resources including rivers and lakes. According to the US Geological Survey, the study quantifies the impact on Earth's two most important chemical cycles -- carbon and nitrogen, from thawing of permafrost under future climate warming scenarios.
To generate their estimates, the USGS scientists studied how permafrost-affected soils, known as Gelisols, thaw under various climate scenarios. They found that all Gelisols are not alike: some have soil materials with large amounts of decaying organic matter that burns easily and will impart newly thawed nitrogen into the ecosystem and atmosphere. Others have materials that are very nutrient rich and will impart a lot of nitrogen into the ecosystem. All Gelisols will contribute carbon dioxide and likely some methane into the atmosphere as a result of decomposition once the permafrost thaws. And, gases will themselves contribute to further warming.
"The scientific community researching this phenomena has made these international data available for the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says USGS soil scientist Jennifer Harden. "As permafrost receives more attention, we are sharing our data and our insights to guide those models as they portray how the land, atmosphere, and ocean interact." Harden added. (Source: USGS, TG Daily, Oct. 29, 2012) Contact: U.S. Geological Survey, www.usgs.gov
Tags U.S. Geological Survey news, Carbon Emissions news,
Date: 2012-09-28
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research suggests that the value of salt marsh ecosystems in capturing atmospheric carbon might become much more important as the climate warms, said Matthew Kirwan, a University of Virginia environmental scientist, and the lead author of this USGS-funded and supported research.
The research forecasts that under faster sea-level rise rates, salt marshes could bury up to four times as much carbon as they do now. The study forecasts that marshes will absorb some of that carbon dioxide, and if other coastal ecosystems -- such as seagrasses and mangroves -- respond similarly, there might be a little less warming.
Interestingly, salt marshes are perhaps the best example of an ecosystem that actually depends on carbon accumulation to survive climate change: the accumulation of roots in the soil builds their elevation, keeping the plants above the water. Salt marshes store significant quantities of carbon by taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through their leaves, and then storing it in their roots. As plants die, the carbon becomes part of the soil and helps the marsh survive sea level rise.
"Coastal wetlands are among the most economically and ecologically valuable ecosystems on Earth, with their services estimated worth about $15,000 an acre," said Matthew Larsen, associate director for climate and land use research at the U.S. Geological Survey. "They provide clean water, abundant food, wildlife habitat and protection from storms. This and other USGS research aims to understand and forecast the vulnerability of coastal wetland systems to global change and identify ways that managers can effectively respond to global change effects."
Kirwan cautioned that the study also showed that marshes can survive only moderately fast rates of sea level rise. To survive, the elevation of the soil surface has to build vertically through time. If the seas rise more quickly than the marsh can build up, marshes drown and die off. "At fast levels of sea level rise, no realistic amount of carbon accumulation will help them survive. And, , if marshes are drowned by fast-rising seas, they no longer would provide a significant carbon storage capacity," Kirwan said.
The US DOI manages 35 million acres of low-lying coastal areas, including marshes and thousands of miles of shoreline. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service alone manages about 5 million acres of coastal wetlands.
"This research can help decision makers understand and prepare for how coastal areas may fare in response to climate change," said Glenn Guntenspergen, a USGS researcher who leads a project on Coastal Marsh Response to Climate and Land Use Change Project that this study was a part of. Kirwan and his co-author, Simon Mudd, a geosciences researcher at the University of Edinburgh used computer models to predict salt marsh growth rates under different climate change and sea level scenarios. (Source: USGS, PR, 26 Sept., 2012)
Contact: USGS, www.usgs.gov
Tags U.S. Geological Survey news, Climate Change news, Salt Marsh news,
Date: 2012-09-28
Utah Geological Survey scientists have found a massive new source of potential geothermal power in Utah's west desert. It is a different type of resource, they say, much deeper than the geothermal industry now uses but it still should be exploitable.
Over the past two years, crews drilled nine wells in Utah's Black Rock Desert basin south of Delta to test out a theory that water at high temperatures might exist deep beneath the surface that would be hot enough to be turned into steam, which could then be used to generate electricity.
The agency has identified an approximately 100-square-mile area within the Black Rock Desert basin it believes could eventually support power plants that could conservatively produce hundreds of megawatts of electricity. The area is especially attractive for geothermal development because of the existing infrastructure, including a large coal-fired power plant, a 300-MW wind farm and a nearby major electrical transmission line.
The U.S. Geological Survey several years ago conducted a survey of the nation's available geothermal resources and, at that time, estimated 80 percent of the potential sites had yet to be discovered. (Source: USGS, Utah Geological Survey, Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 27, 2012) Contact: Utah Geological Survey, www.geology.utah.gov; USGS, www.usgs.gov
Tags Utah Geological Survey news, USGS news, Geothermal news,
Date: 2012-08-24
The Arctic Ocean is one of the most vulnerable places on the planet for acidification, yet it is the least-explored ocean. Acidification can disturb the balance of marine life in the world's oceans, and consequently affect humans and animals that rely on those food resources. The USGS is leading this project, and this is the third consecutive year of research. On this year's expedition, scientists will travel onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy for four weeks, collecting water and ice samples.
"Ocean acidification is a particularly vexing problem associated with the release of CO2 into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels because it interferes with the ability of marine organisms to build hard shells of calcium carbonate," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Comparatively more research has been devoted to the tropics, where coral reefs are threatened. This important expedition focuses on polar latitudes, where the acidification effects can cascade from microscopic organisms up to our economy, as the organisms at risk form the base of the food chain for some of the world's most productive fisheries."
Oceans currently absorb about one-fourth of the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) increases in the atmosphere and is absorbed by the ocean. Ocean acidity will continue to rise as CO2 levels are projected to increase. The Arctic Ocean's cold surface waters absorb CO2 more rapidly than warmer oceans, thus contributing to its vulnerability. This vulnerability is increased as the warming climate causes sea-ice to retreat and melt, leaving less of a buffer and more exposure of surface water to the atmosphere.
On the previous two cruises in 2010 and 2011, scientists collected more than 30,000 water samples and traveled throughout the Canada Basin up to very near the North Pole. Data from the cruises are currently being processed. "This cruise offers us an opportunity to collect more information over a vast spatial extent of the Arctic Ocean," said USGS oceanographer and project chief Lisa Robbins. "These data will provide a better understanding of the current patterns of acidification and thus they will significantly contribute to society's efforts to understand, forecast, and potentially mitigate impacts to the Arctic ecosystem and its many globally important resources."
USGS field experiments on ocean acidification are currently being run in tropical, temperate, and polar environments, including the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys, Virgin Islands, and the Arctic Ocean.
(Source: USGC, 24 Aug.2012)
Contact: USGS, www.usgs.gov
Tags Global Warming news,
Date: 2012-08-06
Australian advanced algae-to-biofuels producer Algae Tec has officially opened its Shoalhaven One production facility in New South Wales. Shoalhaven One is a high-yield, enclosed and scalable algae growth and harvesting system. The showcase facility is connected into the Manildra Group waste carbon dioxide, which is used in the algae growth process.
Algae.Tec Executive Chairman Roger Stroud said Algae.Tec offers NSW and Australia energy security at a time when traditional fossil fuel companies are leaving the local market. "Algae.Tec offers the promise of home grown transport fuels (aviation and diesel), which is the number one energy security priority for countries like the USA and increasingly Australia." Algae.Tec announced that leading inspection, verification, testing and certification services company SGS will now undertake the third party yield validation process.
Algae.Tec has projects with Holcim Lanka, joint venture discussions in China, and a manufacturing base in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). The Company is also in talks with relevant firms in NSW, Brazil and the United States. (Source: Algae Tec, 2 Aug., 2012) Contact: Algae Tec, (678) 679-7370 (U.S. Office),
www.algaetec.com.au
Tags Algae Tec news, Algae Biofuel news,
Date: 2012-06-25
Rates of sea level rise are increasing three-to-four times faster along portions of the U.S. Atlantic Coast than globally, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report published in Nature Climate Change.
Since about 1990, sea-level rise in the 600-mile stretch of coastal zone from Cape Hatteras, N.C. to north of Boston, Mass. -- coined a "hot spot" by scientists -- has increased 2 - 3.7 millimeters per year; the global increase over the same period was 0.6 to 1.0 millimeter per year. The report shows that the sea-level rise hotspot is consistent with the slowing of Atlantic Ocean circulation. Models show this change in circulation may be tied to changes in water temperature, salinity and density in the sub-polar north Atlantic. Though global sea level has been projected to rise roughly two-to-three feet or more by the end of the 21st century, it will not climb at the same rate at every location. Differences in land movements, strength of ocean currents, water temperatures, and salinity can cause regional and local highs and lows in sea level.
"Cities in the hot spot, like Norfolk, New York, and Boston already experience damaging floods during relatively low intensity storms," said Dr. Asbury Sallenger, USGS oceanographer and project lead. "Ongoing accelerated sea level rise in the hotspot will make coastal cities and surrounding areas increasingly vulnerable to flooding by adding to the height that storm surge and breaking waves reach on the coast."
During the 21st century, the increases in sea level rise rate that have already occurred in the hotspot will yield increases in sea level of 8 to 11.4 inches by 2100. This regional sea level increase would be in addition to components of global sea level rise.
To determine accelerations of sea level, USGS scientists analyzed tide gauge data throughout much of North America in a way that removed long-term (linear) trends associated with vertical land movements. This allowed them to focus on recent changes in rates of sea-level rise caused, for example, by changes in ocean circulation. (Source: USGS, PR, 23 June, 2012) Contact: USGS, www.usgs.gov
Tags USGS news,
Date: 2012-05-22
Further to our Nov. 18, 2011 coverage, the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) has begun injecting dense-phase CO2 into a porous rock layer more than a mile below the earth's surface. The methodology could provide a means for point sources of CO2 throughout the 60,000-sq-mile Illinois Basin, including more than 100 fossil-fuel-burning powerplants, to improve their environmental friendliness, given concerns about the contributions of CO2 emissions to global climate change. In a little more than a year, when crews complete a second injection well, just under a mile from the first, in the Mount Simon Sandstone layer that underlies much of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Intensive subterranean and surface instrumentation will allow scientists to monitor the ways in which two injection streams interact in close proximity to one another, a significant accomplishment, given that carbon-storage projects may require several wells to capture the volume of CO2 produced by powerplants or other point sources. "This will mark the first site in the world where we'll be able to follow the interaction of two plumes of CO2 injected in the same saline formation," says Robert Finley, principal geologist with the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) and director of its Advanced Energy Technology Initiative.
ISGS is one of five consortium members involved in ongoing carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) efforts in Decatur; others include Schlumberger Carbon Services and Decatur-based Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) which is supplying the CO2 and financing construction of the collection, compression and dehydration facilities required to sequester it. The U.S. Dept. of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy is providing additional funding and support for both projects.
(Source: ENERMidwest, 21 May, 2012) Contact: Robert Drummond, President, North America, Schlumberger Carbon Services, (281) 285-1300, [email protected], www.slb.com; Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium, www.sequestration.org
Tags Schlumberger Carbon Services news,
Date: 2012-04-30
German organic solar cell start-up Heliatek GmbH of Dresden has achieved an efficiency of 10.7 percent in a 1.1 square centimeter tandem cell. The efficiency was measured by independent test house SGS SA (Geneva Switzerland).
Heliatek, founded in 2006 as a spin off from the universities of Dresden and Ulm, is based on the use of small organic molecules to produce highly tailorable, low temperature, low cost organic photovoltaics which, although less optically efficient than silicon could prove to be more economically efficient. SGS measurements included showed that the cell has improved efficiency under low light conditions and that the efficiency remains constant with temperature.
The company is currently working on its first roll-to-roll manufacturing line installed in Dresden, Germany, to go in production in the third quarter of 2012. It has also kicked off a third financing round to raise 60 million euro from current and new investors for a new roll-to-roll 75 megawatt-peak production line.
(Source: Heliatek, 29 April, 2012) Contact: Heliatek, Martin Pfeiffer, co-founder and CTO, www.heliatek.com
Date: 2012-04-02
US scientists announced they're working to take the guesswork out of which crops to use for the production of biofuels in Nebraska grasslands. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed a tool for mapping grasslands using remote sensing data from satellites to identify areas in and around Nebraska that are ideally suited for the production of cellulosic biofuels from native switch grass.
Scientists at the U.S. DOE's Joint BioEnergy Institute announced last year they were working with new strains of Escherichia coli that could more easily digest biomass from switch grass for use in gasoline, diesel and jet fuels.
The USGS said it expected demand for biofuel products to increase as global economics search out alternatives to fossil fuels. The agency said "critical considerations" are made when examining energy derived from biofuels compared to the energy used to grow and process them.
In December, 2011, the U.S. DOE announced that, along with the USDA, it awarded $12.2 million for 10 separate grants that target improvements in biofuels and bioenergy crops. (Source: USGS) Contact: U.S. Geological Survey, www.usgs.gov
Tags USGS news, Switchgrass news,
Date: 2012-03-19
SGS is pleased to announce that it has certified Taiwan Adventist Hospital in Taiwan against the ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management Systems Standard on February 21, 2012. Taiwan Adventist Hospital is the world's first hospital to have obtained this certification just following the publishing of ISO 50001:2011 by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on June 15, 2011. The Taiwan Adventist Hospital has introduced ISO 50001:2011 to its campus. The hospital identified three energy-consuming items, namely, air conditioning system, lighting system and boiler system through energy audits. Based on these results, the Taiwan Adventist Hospital proposed four energy management projects: (1) add inverters to the air conditioner units and blowers; (2) use high-efficiency lighting and automatic sensor switches; (3) reduce electricity consumption by more than 109,000 kWh; and (4) contribute 1.09% to the overall energy saving performance. (Source: SGS, March 16, 2012) Contact: Patrizia Schulz, Global Marketing Coordinator - SGS Industrial Services, +49 40 570 1974-21, www.sgs.com
Tags SGS news, ISO Certification news,
Date: 2012-02-22
Geologists working on The Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP) are hoping to learn more about geologic carbon sequestration from injecting 1 million metric tons of CO2 into sandstone 7,000 feet beneath Decatur, Ill. The Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP) began its injection, the first million-ton demonstration from an industrial source in the U.S., in November 2011. Over the next three years, the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium, led by the Illinois State Geological Survey, hopes to use innovative science and engaging outreach to evaluate the potential of carbon capture and storage techniques. The IBDP is located at the Archer Daniels Midland ethanol fermentation processing plant in Decatur, making it the first large-scale sequestration effort in the U.S. to use carbon from a biofuel production source. Ethanol fermentation emits nearly pure carbon dioxide. The IBDP captures the gas, compresses it to a liquid-like dense phase, and injects it into the underground sandstone at a rate of 1,000 metric tons per day.
The researchers are using innovative new near-surface and deep monitoring technology to protect health and safety while keeping track of how the CO2 behaves in the subsurface. The IBDP also has a 7,000-foot-deep verification well on site that allows the researchers to monitor pressure and fluid chemistry. They are also using advanced geophysical imaging technology to monitor the injected carbon dioxide by sending energy pulses into the earth and recording the reflection.
Public outreach is an important component of the program. The ISGS offers a variety of teacher education and professional development programs through a knowledge-sharing and capacity-building program called the Sequestration Training and Education Program (STEP). The survey has hosted a variety of national and international delegations to share knowledge gleaned from their project-based experience.
To date, more than 75,000 metric tons of CO2 have been stored at the Decatur site, and so far the injection has gone well. The researchers see CCS as an important part of the portfolio of energy technology for the future. (Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, February 20, 2012)
Contact: Liz Eahlberg, (217) 244-1073,[email protected], www.illinois.edu; www.istc.illinois.edu
Tags Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium news, CCS news,
Date: 2012-01-12
SGS Consumer Testing Services today announced the first Product Carbon Footprint program offering marks that can be applied to products manufactured and sold on international markets. Designed to provide a competitive marketing edge by displaying validated environmental claims, the program is also the first to offer a comprehensive progressive three-label scheme demonstrating continuous improvement in reducing and offsetting a given product's environmental impact.
Unlike carbon footprint mark schemes that are limited to a state, a country or a single phase in a product's carbon journey, SGS's program offers a comprehensive global approach that covers all geographies with a single label as well as recognizing multiple levels of environmental achievement. Products can "earn" three different marks successively:
In-house SGS sustainability experts around the globe can support companies to set up a carbon reduction strategy and help define an attainable reduction target in order to pave the way for achieving the SGS Carbon Reduction and SGS Carbon Neutral marks. That strategy, based on the product lifecycle analysis, can include steps such as raw material reductions, energy management, implementation of best available technologies and supply chain optimization. These techniques can also help drive savings in production costs.
The unique global, three-mark structure of the SGS Product Carbon Footprint program offers critical advantages for brands that want to advance their sustainability initiatives to increase sales, differentiate their products on store shelves, and help conserve the resources of the planet. Benefits of the SGS service include:
Date: 2011-12-14
DHL, an international logistics company, and South Asian courier service Blue Dart Express Ltd., have launched India's first end-to-end GOGREEN Carbon Neutral Service across international and domestic markets. The GoGreen initiative is an extension of DHL's global environment protection program launched in 2008 to offer Indian customers an environmentally responsible shipping option.
The GOGREEN Carbon Neutral Service allows customers to neutralize their carbon footprint by paying an offset charge over and above their shipping rates. The offset charge will be calculated on shipment / weight and distance. Carbon emissions from customer shipments will be offset by reinvesting in environmental protection projects verified by UN independent auditor Societe Generale de Surveillance www.in.sgs.com. A certificate, verified by SGS, will be issued to the customer annually detailing the total amount of CO2 offset per customer.
DHL Express India and Blue Dart are top performers in DHL's annual global Carbon Footprint Assessment register. In 2010, DHL Express India achieved 6.0 per cent improvement in carbon efficiency despite total CO2 increasing by 13.6% as the economy boomed. Blue Dart posted an improvement of 6.5 per cent year-on-year driven by stronger volumes, despite CO2 increasing by 18.5 per cent in 2010 versus 2009. Despite increases in fuel consumption, carbon efficiencies were achieved by switching to cleaner fuels such as CNG.(Source: Indian InfoLine, December, 13, 2011)
Date: 2011-12-06
This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 and to improve understanding of carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in the central U.S. Great Plains region. The assessment examined carbon storage, carbon fluxes, and other GHG fluxes (methane and nitrous oxide) in all major terrestrial ecosystems (forests, grasslands/shrublands, agricultural lands, and wetlands) and freshwater aquatic systems (rivers, streams, lakes, and impoundments) in two time periods: baseline (generally in the first half of the 2010s) and future (projections from baseline to 2050). The assessment was based on measured and observed data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and many other agencies and organizations and used remote sensing, statistical methods, and simulation models.(Source: USGS, December, 5, 2011)
Access report HERE Contact: U.S. Geological Survey, www.usgs.gov
Tags U.S. Geological Survey news,
Date: 2011-11-21
The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC), one of seven regional partnerships created by the U.S. DOE to advance carbon storage technologies nationwide, has begun injecting CO2 for their large-scale CO2 injection test in Decatur, Illinois. The test is part of the development phase of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program, an Office of Fossil Energy initiative launched in 2003 to determine the best approaches for capturing and permanently storing gases that can contribute to global climate change.
The CO2 is being captured from the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Ethanol Production Facility in Decatur, Illinois. A processing plant built for this project removes water from the CO2 stream and then compresses the dry CO2 to a liquid-like super-critical dense phase. The compressed CO2 then travels through a mile-long pipeline to the wellhead where it is injected into a deep saline formation more than a mile underground.
Up to 1 million metric tons of CO2 will be injected into the Mt. Simon Sandstone at a depth of about 7,000 feet over a 3-year period. The Mt. Simon Sandstone is the thickest and most widespread saline reservoir in the Illinois Basin, with an estimated CO2 storage capacity of 11 to 151 billion metric tons. Analysis of data collected during the characterization phase of the project indicated that the lower Mt. Simon formation has the necessary geological characteristics to be a good injection target. In October, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency completed its review of the injection facilities' specifications and approved injection operations as per the terms of the Underground Injection Control Permit which was finalized in March 2011. This marks the first time a large-scale CO2 injection test in a saline formation has been approved for operation in the United States.
Baseline environmental data collection has been underway for more than a year. During and following injection, a comprehensive monitoring program will ensure that the injected CO2 is safely and permanently stored. The position of the underground CO2 plume will be tracked, and deep subsurface water, groundwater, and surface water will continually be monitored around the injection site. The monitoring program will be evaluated yearly and modified as needed.
MGSC is one of seven regional partnerships in a nationwide network that is investigating the merits of numerous carbon capture and storage approaches to determine those best suited for different regions of the country. MGSC is investigating options for the 60,000 square mile Illinois Basin, which underlies most of Illinois, southwestern Indiana, and western Kentucky. Emissions in this area exceed 265 million metric tonnes of CO2 yearly, mostly attributed to the region's 126 coal-fired power plants. (Source: DOE, November, 20, 2011)Contact: Robert Finley, Project Director, ISGS, Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium, (217) 244-8389, [email protected], www.sequestration.org
Tags Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium news, Carbon Storage news,
Date: 2011-11-18
The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) has begun injecting CO2 for the first million-tonne demonstration of carbon sequestration in the U.S. The CO2 will be stored permanently in the Mt. Simon Sandstone more than a mile beneath the Illinois surface at Decatur. The MGSC is led by the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. MGSC is one of seven regional partnerships created by the DOE to advance technologies nationwide for capturing and permanently storing greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.
This demonstration project is part of the Development Phase of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program, a DOE Office of Fossil Energy initiative launched in 2003 to determine the best approaches for capturing and permanently storing GHGs. The ISGS, which manages the MGSC project, characterized the regional geology that led to selection of the Decatur site and is investigating the characteristics of the Mt. Simon reservoir and the overlying shale seal that will retain the CO2. The Survey is conducting one of the most extensive environmental monitoring programs of any sequestration site in the world. The project is permitted under requirements of both the Illinois and the U.S. EPAs as the first large demonstration-scale injection of CO2 from a biofuel production facility anywhere in the U.S.
Schlumberger Carbon Services is providing full project management for the design and construction of all wells associated with the storage and deep monitoring parts of the project. Drilling of the injection well in 2009 confirmed suitability of the site and was followed by a seismic survey, a geophysical monitoring well, and a pressure and fluid sampling (verification) well, all in 2010. Completion of the verification well was followed by two rounds of initial fluid sampling to thoroughly document pre-injection reservoir conditions. (Source: The Times Record, November, 17, 2011) Contact:Robert Drummond,
President, North America, Schlumberger Carbon Services, (281) 285-1300, [email protected], www.slb.com;Robert J. Finley, PhD, director and leader of sequestration team, ISGS, (217) 244-8389, [email protected], www.isgs.illinois.edu/;Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium, www.sequestration.org
Date: 2011-11-03
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and academic colleagues investigated how California's interconnected San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Bay-Delta system) is expected to change from 2010 to 2099 in response to both fast and moderate climate warming scenarios. Results indicate that this area will feel impacts of global climate change in the next century with shifts in its biological communities, rising sea level, and modified water supplies.
The attached study, Projected Evolution of California's San Francisco Bay-Delta-River System in a Century of Climate Change provides the first integrated assessment of how the Bay-Delta system will respond to climate change. Results show that the combined effects of increasing water temperature and salinity could reduce habitat quality for native species and intensify the challenge of sustaining their populations. The study indicates that water-resource planners will need to develop adaptation strategies to address potentially longer dry seasons, diminishing snow packs and earlier snow-melt leaving less water for runoff in the summer. The study also describes risk from flooding as sea-level rise accelerates and extreme water levels become increasingly common. Increased intensity and frequency of winter flooding could also occur as a result of earlier snow-melt and a shift from snow to rain. The Delta provides drinking water to 25 million people and irrigation water to farmland producing crops valued at $36 billion per year. Intensive efforts are underway among the USGS, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and the State of California to address what will be increasingly difficult decisions regarding allocations of water for human consumption and biological needs. The report's findings provide new information that can inform planning of next steps in collaborative initiatives such as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and contribute to the science foundation underlying the Delta Stewardship Council's Delta Plan.
In addition to providing future visions of the Bay-Delta system, this research provides general lessons to guide development of adaptation strategies for coping with climate change in other coastal landscapes. Anticipation, flexibility, and adaptability will be the keys to the success of those strategies. (Source: USGS, November, 2, 2011)
Results of this study are available HERE
Tags U.S. Geological Survey news,
Date: 2011-10-26
Rivers and streams in the United States are releasing substantially more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than previously thought. These findings could change the way scientists model the movement of carbon between land, water, and the atmosphere. The findings were recently published in a Nature Geoscience article entitled Significant efflux of carbon dioxide from streams and rivers in the United States by David Butman and Professor Peter Raymond of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Funding for the study was from NASA, NSF, and the USGS. The article can be found HERE
Butman and Raymond found that a significant amount of carbon accumulated by plant growth on land is decomposed, discharged into streams and rivers, and outgassed as CO2 into the atmosphere. It is estimated that streams and rivers release almost 100 million metric tons of carbon annually - equal to a car burning 40 billion gallons of gasoline, enough to drive back and forth to the moon 3.4 million times.
Water chemistry data from more than 4,000 U.S. rivers and streams were incorporated with detailed geospatial data to model the flux of CO2 from water. The river and stream samples were collected at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gaging stations and the geospatial data was produced by both the USGS and EPA.
This research is being incorporated into the USGS Land Carbon effort to characterize the current and future fluxes of carbon influenced by both natural and anthropogenic processes. One part of this effort is looking at the potential for carbon storage in the Nation's vegetation, soils, and sediments, which is known as biological carbon sequestration. (Source: USGS, October, 25, 2011)
More information on that project can be found at the National Assessment of Ecosystem Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes website HERE
Date: 2011-08-12
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)will embark next week on an expedition to monitor acidification trends in the Arctic Ocean linked to carbon emissions, the agency reported on Wednesday.
The scientists will take water samples and test for chemical indicators of acidification. Carbon emissions are blamed for altering the chemistry of the world's oceans by making them more acidic, which threatens sea life. The Arctic Ocean is considered especially vulnerable to acidification because of the cold temperatures and already-low level of calcium saturation.
The research is part of a U.S.- Canada Extended Continental Shelf Survey expedition that started last year to study little-understood areas of the Arctic.
Ocean acidification refers the process by which ocean waters absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, causing chemical changes in the alkaline-acid balance, or pH level, that makes the ocean more acidic.
Since oceans currently absorb more than a quarter of the GHG gases in the atmosphere, there are growing concerns about acidification and its effects on marine life.(Source: USGS, August, 10, 2011)
Contact: Lisa Robbins, USGS, (727) 803-2030, [email protected]
More Energy Overviews Ocean Acidification news,
Date: 2011-07-14
Knowing that the U.S. west coast was battered during the winter before last by a climatic pattern expected more often in the future, scientists have now pieced together a San Diego-to-Seattle assessment of the damage wrought by that winter's extreme waves and higher-than-usual water levels. Getting a better understanding of how the 2009-10 conditions tore away and reshaped shorelines will help coastal experts better predict future changes that may be in store for the Pacific coast, researchers say.
Among the most severe erosion was at Ocean Beach in San Francisco where the winter shoreline retreated 184 ft., 75 percent more than in a typical winter. In the Pacific Northwest, the regional impacts were moderate, but the southerly shift in storm tracks, typical of El Nino winters, resulted in severe local wave impacts to the north-of-harbor mouths and tidal inlets. The beach erosion observed throughout the U.S. west coast during the 2009-10 El Nino is linked to the El Nino Modoki ('pseudo' El Nino) phenomenon, where the warmer sea surface temperature is focused in the central equatorial Pacific (as opposed to the eastern Pacific during a classic El Nino). As a result of these conditions, the winter of 2009-10 was characterized by above average wave energy and ocean water levels along much of the west coast, conditions not seen since the previous major El Nino (classic) in 1997-98, which contributed to the observed patterns of beach and inlet erosion.
As even warmer waters in the central Pacific are expected in the coming decades under many climate change scenarios, El Nino Modoki is projected to become a more dominant climate signal. When combined with still higher sea levels expected due to global warming, and potentially even stronger winter storms, these factors are likely to contribute to increased rates of beach and bluff erosion along much of the U.S. west coast, producing regional, large-scale coastal changes.
The study, The Impact of the 2009-10 El Nino Modoki on U.S. West Coast Beaches, published in The American Geophysical Union's Geophysical Research Letters on July 9, was led by the USGS in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, University of California-Santa Cruz, Washington Department of Ecology, Oregon State University and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. (Source: USGS, July, 12, 2011)
Contact: Paul Laustsen, USGS, (650) 329-4046, [email protected];
Peter Weiss, AGU, (202) 777-7507, [email protected], www.usgs.gov
Date: 2011-04-19
Taiwan-based photovoltaic manufacturer AU Optronics Corporation's (AUO) 8.5G TFT-LCD facility has been certified against ISO/DIS 50001 Energy Management Standard in February 2011. AUO is the world's first TFT-LCD manufacturer to obtain this certification. SGS also certified AUO's energy saving performance.
AUO has introduced ISO 50001, the latest international standard on energy management, to front-end TFT and back-end solar module facilities. The goal is to achieve 25% energy savings in 2015, with 2010 as the base year.
ISO 50001 certification is focused on production energy management. A total of sixty six energy-saving measures are raised in 2011, aiming at 10% energy conservation. An estimated 55 million kWh of electricity will be saved and 35 thousand tons of carbon emissions reduced. AUO plans to expand the ISO 50001 energy management system to each of its production facilities. Energy performance will also be taken into account in procurement to enhance value chain energy management.
SGS has certified European and Asian companies against the European Energy Management Systems Standard BS EN 16001:2009 or against a national energy management standard. SGS Ireland Ltd. obtained accreditation against EN 16001:2009 issued by Irish National Accreditation Board. SGS (CSTC) China is one of the two international certification bodies in China approved by China Certification and Accreditation Administration to conduct a pilot certification project against China National Energy Management System Standards GB/T 2331:2009. (Source: SGS, PR-USA.Net, April, 18, 2011)
Contact: Acting President , Max Cheng ,AU Optronics Corporation,+886-3-500-8800
More Energy Overviews Energy Management news,
Date: 2011-03-28
Climate change in the U.S. Southwest could eliminate Joshua trees from 90 percent of their current range within 60 to 90 years, says Ken Cole of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Cole used models of future climate, an analysis of the climatic tolerances of the species in its current range, and the fossil record to project the tree's future distribution. The Joshua tree, a giant North American yucca, ranges across desert shrub and grasslands of the Mojave Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
Cole and his team reconstructed how Joshua trees responded to sudden climate warming 12,000 year ago that was similar to projected warming in this century. The study concluded the ability of Joshua trees to spread into suitable habitat following that prehistoric warming was limited by the extinction of large animals that had previously dispersed its seeds over large geographic areas, particularly the Shasta ground sloth.
Today, Joshua tree seeds are dispersed by seed-caching rodents, such as squirrels and pack rats, which cannot disperse seeds as far as large mammals.
The limited ability of rodents to disperse seeds, in combination with other factors, would likely slow migration of the trees to only about 6 feet per year, not enough to keep pace with the present warming climate.(Source: USGS,UPI, March 25, 2011)
Contact: Ken Cole, US Geological Survey, (928) 523-7767, [email protected], www.usgs.gov
More Energy Overviews U.S. Geological Survey news,
Date: 2011-03-07
In the UK, Glasgow, Scotland-based Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) has won a £2.9 million contract to supply its software to help link wind farms and EVs with the national grid for use in London, as part of the Low Carbon London project. The three-year project is one of four schemes that the regulator Ofgem is funding to encourage development of smart grids that program supporters believe could accelerate the move to a low carbon economy.The grids are intended to help transmission infrastructure that has been in place for decades cope with the demands imposed by new power generation systems and low carbon technologies.
The contract is a coup for Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) will work with industrial giants such as Siemens and National Grid on the project.
Formed by the engineering entrepreneur Alan Gooding, Professor Graham Ault, and Dr Robert Currie, SGS developed ways of using information and communications technology to overcome some of the limitations of the existing grid.
(Source: Smarter Grid Solutions, Herald Scotland, March 7,2011)
Contact: Alan Gooding , Managing Director, Smarter Grid Solutions, + 44 (0) 141 248 0060, www.smartergridsolutions.com
More Energy Overviews Smarter Grid Solutions news,
Date: 2011-02-16
Forests should be managed according to their respective, specific fire ecology - not whole-scale fire suppression or one-size-fits-all plans - to optimize forest growth and stabilize carbon storage. In a study published this month in the journal BioScience, authors Matthew Hurteau of Northern Arizona University and Matthew Brooks of the U.S. Geological Survey note that while historical fire suppression has lowered fire frequency, it has allowed forest fuels to accumulate in some forest types to the point where fires are now more severe and kill more trees. It is a trend likely to increase as climate change enhances fire conditions and forest become net carbon emitters.
The report suggests several ecology-based fire management practices, including mechanical thinning, to help return dry temperate forests to their previous, natural fire regime. Other practices include allowing low- to moderate-severity wildfires to spread or the use of prescribed fires.
For more fire research by NAU's Matt Hurteau,http://oak.ucc.nau.edu/mdh22;
For more fire research by USGS' Matt Brooks,http://www.werc.usgs.gov/yosemite
The following resource experts and professionals are available as outside commenters on the study and are not affiliated with the study:
Malcolm North, Research Forest Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station,
[email protected], (530) 754-7398 ;
Hugh Safford, Regional Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region,
[email protected], (707) 562-8934 ;
David Ganz, Director of Forest Carbon Science, The Nature Conservancy,
[email protected], (510) 336-0809
Mary Huffman, Director of Fire Training, The Nature Conservancy
[email protected], (303) 541-0323
More Energy Overviews Forestation news,
Date: 2011-02-09
While a great deal of attention concerning the build-out of the smart grid has focused on investor-owned and municipal utilities, rural and coop utilities serve more than 42 million people (and 17 million electric meters) across 47 different states and, although they represent a minority of the overall market, with approximately 10% of total generation sales, they do offer compelling insights since they are not subject to the same regulations as their larger counterparts, and can adopt new technologies quickly or at their own pace.
Smart Grid Coop Utility Snapshot 2011 is a collaboration with the Rural Smart Grid Summit (RSGS). The report surveys data from more than 70 different rural utility executives and CEOs, 92% of whom claim to be key organizational decision makers. With 85% of those organizations surveyed being exclusively distribution utilities, this is a fair representation of rural utilities in general, as they tend not to hold generation and transmission assets. To get a clearer sense of the size of these utilities, on average, each of the coops surveyed has approximately 20 substations and 25,000 meters.
The survey queried rural utility executives about the extent to which they have deployed various smart grid technologies, including renewable energy and demand response. Their responses are included in the report which can be freely accessed. (Source: GTM, February 9,2011)
To download a free copy of this 40-page survey conducted in collaboration with the Rural Smart Grid Summit, please visit the report's website at www.gtmresearch.com
Date: 2011-01-07
Founded in 1995, the International Electrical Certification Center (IECC) in Hong Kong, an independent third-party testing laboratory, has been purchased by SGS; a Geneva Switzerland-headquartered diversified inspection, verification, testing and certification firm.
IECC testing focuses on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and product safety tests of electronic and electrical products (Audio & Video equipment, Electrical Household Appliances, Consumer Electronic, Digital Products, etc.). In addition, it offers services including consultancy and testing for global electronic and electrical certification.
IECC partners with overseas laboratories and is the sole agent of the German p-k-m electronic GmbH in China and Hong Kong. Accreditation's held by IECC include the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (HOKLAS), FCC (USA) , IC (Canada) C-Tick (Australia/New Zealand), CSA (Canada/USA). Privately owned , IECC employs 22 staff members and generated revenue of HKD 10 million in 2010.
(Source: SGS, January 6,2011)
Contact: Patrizia Schulz, Global Marketing Coordinator - SGS Industrial Services, +49 40 570 1974-21 www.sgs.com/industrial
Date: 2010-12-20
In Spain, the Instituto para la Diversificacion Ahorro de la Energia (IDAE) is creating "City with Electrical Mobility Hallmark" certification program to encourage the advancement and integration of electric transportation in Spanish cities.
SGS, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and Certification Company, is supporting IDAE in developing the procedures for the granting of the concession of the label "City with Electrical Mobility Hallmark", to help the Spanish reach the goal of 250,000 electrical vehicles in urban areas by 2014.
The "Hallmark" will recognize the recipient city's
policies regarding clean transport, mobility, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and other other transportation related environmental concerns.
(Source: SGS, December 16,2010)
Contact: Patrizia Schulz, Global Marketing Coordinator - SGS Industrial Services, +49 40 570 1974-21 www.sgs.com/industrial
Date: 2010-12-15
A new methodology to assess the potential to store carbon in U.S. wetlands, forests and range lands ecosystems - and thus to reduce GHG emissions into the atmosphere - will help find ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in vegetation, soils and aquatic environments is known as biological carbon sequestration. The movement of GHGs in ecosystems results from natural ecosystem processes and human activities. This assessment accounts for three gases; carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
As part of the national assessment, USGS scientists are evaluating major processes that affect carbon sequestration capability and GHG emissions. Those processes include climate change, changes in land use and land cover, changes in land management activities, and ecosystem disturbances such as wildfires.
The new methodology focuses on all of the nation's ecosystems and incorporates data and methods (including land use, biogeochemical models, and aquatic models) that were updated since the rapid assessment was published. This methodology also incorporates suggestions from an inter-agency science panel, an extensive peer-review process and comments from other federal agencies.
The USGS is also conducting research on a number of other fronts related to carbon sequestration including: evaluating the potential for storing carbon dioxide in geologic formations below Earth's surface; potential GHG release from Arctic soils and permafrost; and mapping the distribution of rocks suitable for potential mineral sequestration efforts. (Source US DOI, December 14,2010)
Access A Method for Assessing Carbon Stocks, Carbon Sequestration, and Greenhouse-Gas Fluxes in Ecosystems of the United States Under Present Conditions and Future Scenarios Here
More Energy Overviews Carbon Capture news, Carbon Storage news,
Date: 2010-10-15
In Singapore, the multi-agency Electric Vehicle Taskforce has chosen Germany's The Bosch Groups to develop, deploy, operate and maintain Singapore's EV charging infrastructure as part of a $20 million SGS ($15.2 million US) pilot program. The EV Taskforce, led by the Energy Market Authority and the Land Transport Authority, will see the roll-out of 25 iMiEVs from Mitsubishi in March, 2011 along with 25 full charging stations and a quick charging unit. Bosch will work with local partners SingTel for the communications interface, and Greenlots for the charging network. (Source: Asia One, October 14, 2010) Contact: Energy Market Authority, www.ema.gov.sg; Land Transport Authority, www.lta.gov.sg/; The Bosch Group, www.bosch.com; Greenlots, [email protected], http://greenlots.com; SingTel, http://info.singtel.com.
More Energy Overviews Bosch news, EV Charging Infrastructure news,
Date: 2010-09-09
The US DOE has made a further $5 million commitment to FutureGen 2.0, in the form of a grant to the University of Illinois. The grant will fund a strata analysis for carbon sequestration. In announcing the funding, DOE Secretary Steven Chu also revealed the reasoning behind moving the FutureGen project away from Mattoon, IL after years of planning. Chu said that because several other commercial projects are already testing coal gasification plus carbon sequestration, exploring other CCS options was important.
"It made more sense to pilot and test another commercial project with new technology," Chu said. "Oxy-combustion can create a stream of carbon dioxide without the nitrogen. And it is a less expensive way of converting existing power plants." A storage location for the new plant has not yet been determined. (Source: Herald-Review, September 8, 2010)
Contact: Rob Finley, Director, ISGS Center for Energy and Earth Resources, University of Illinois, (217) 244-8389, [email protected], www.uillinois.edu; Joseph Giove, Office of Fossil Energy, US Department of Energy, (301) 903-4130, [email protected], www.fossil.energy.gov.
More Energy Overviews FutureGen news,
Date: 2010-08-13
A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate lithium batteries and systems for the utility and automotive industries, has sold 44MW in smart grid stabilization systems(SGSS) to AES Energy Storage (AES) for various projects, including an energy storage project in Johnson City, NY. AES -- a specialist in fast-responsive energy storage for the grid -- has been working with A123 since 2008.
"A123's SGSS provide nearly instantaneous response to grid operator requests for power absorption or injection, making our technology an ideal energy resource for helping utilities perform frequency regulation and other ancillary services," said Robert Johnson, Vice President of A123's Energy Solutions Group. "A123 and AES Energy Storage have demonstrated the commercial viability of using utility-scale lithium ion batteries for grid stabilization services, and this 44MW order highlights the continuing mutual success of this business relationship as utilities and grid operators increase demand for more cost-effective, energy-efficient ancillary services." (Source: GlobeNewswire, August 10, 2010)
Contact: Garo Toomajanian, Investor Relations, A123 Systems, (617) 972-3450, [email protected], a123systems.com, Ned Hall EVP & AES Wind Generation President , (703) 522-1315, [email protected], www.aes.com
More Energy Overviews A123 news, Energy Storage news,
Date: 2010-07-16
A draft methodology to assess the potential to store carbon dioxide in ecosystems, as well as the reduction of greenhouse gas fluxes in ecosystems, has been proposed and is open for public comments as the US Geological Survey (USGS). This assessment is designed to help inform land management policies and planning for the long-term storage of CO2 to lessen the impacts of climate change. The draft US Geological Survey methodology, pending public comments, will be completed by September 2010, and the organization will commence a national assessment of ecosystem capability to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse-gas fluxes in October 2010. Using the methodology, the assessment is expected to take three years.
USGS scientists will evaluate major processes that affect carbon sequestration capability and greenhouse gas emissions. Those processes include climate change, changes in land use and land cover, changes in land management activities, and ecosystem disturbances such as wildfires. "The USGS is using its science capabilities to understand the potential for biological carbon sequestration and contribute to an improved understanding of how land use and management decisions may impact sequestration, reduction of greenhouse gas fluxes and mitigation of climate change effects," says USGS scientist Zhiliang Zhu. (Source: USGS, July 14, 2010)
Contact: Dr. Zhiliang Zhu, Deputy Program Coordinator, USGS HQ, (703) 648-4243, [email protected], usgs.gov
More Energy Overviews Carbon Storage news, Carbon Sequestration news,
Date: 2010-06-16
A recent mineral analysis from the Pentagon, conducted by the United States Geological Survey, has reached a startling conclusion: Afghanistan might be home to the world's largest reserves of lithium, perhaps even surpassing Bolivia. If so, the findings could shape the future of the transportation industry by supplying a vital component for next generation batteries -- a component that many car analysts had been worried would be in short supply.
If the surveys prove correct, it will eventually be good for the clean transportation industry, and good for a country that has only known poverty. The close proximity of China -- and that country's booming EV and li-ion battery manufacturing industry -- suggest that they may be first in line for the supply, with other southeast Asian nations joining the queue.
But all of theorizing is jumping the gun. No matter what happens, Afghanistan is in the throes of an economic and political mess that can scarcely be imagined by North Americans, and a great deal of work must be accomplished before the first ton of lithium is refined and on its way to li-ion battery manufacturers.
Editor's Note: It's not just about lithium. Afghanistan could very well become one of the world's most important exporters of copper, iron, gold, and several rare earth metals. (Source: New York Times, Earth2Tech, June 14, 2010)
Contact: Jack Medlin, United States Geological Survey, (703) 648-6062, [email protected], international.usgs.gov; Government of Afghanistan, http://bit.ly/aRkhSL.