GHG
February 19, 2013
ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited or ONGC as it is known commonly is Indian state-owned oil and Gas Company. ONGC produces around 77% of […]
November 4, 2012
Use of Natural Gas Massive discoveries of natural gas reserves in shale gas formations has meant that the prices in USA have gone down substantially and […]
September 12, 2012
Problem of Transport in India India’s major urban centers of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai popularly known as metro cities are not adequately covered by transport […]
August 7, 2012
Biomass Biomass Energy is the non-glamorous green energy form, which is one of mankind’s biggest energy providers. Biomass Energy is not frequently used to generate electricity […]
July 16, 2012
Energy Efficiency Rankings In an unsurprising ranking by International Energy Efficiency Scorecard developed by ACEEE, US and Canada have bottom ranks in Energy Efficiency along with […]
July 12, 2012
Swimming Pool Solar Panels Swimming Pools require heating to bring it to the desired temperature during the swimming season, or to extend the swimming season in […]
February 16, 2012
Wind Energy is the largest renewable energy source in the globe right now (if you don't count in hydro and nuclear energy). The total installed wind energy capacity exceeds the solar and biomass capacity by quite a margin at over 200 GW . The recent surge in wind energy installations has been from China which put up almost 40-50% of the global wind turbine installations in 2010 and 2011. Now China has surpassed every other country to become the largest wind energy country in the world with over 60 GW. While Europe earlier led by Spain, Denamark and Germany used to lead in wind capacity, they have been comprehensively overtaken by the Middle Kingdom in the last couple of years. USA comes in next but still far below its potential while the rest of the world has started to pick up now. India is the 5th largest country and has been steadily putting up around 2-3 GW of wind capacity each year.
July 10, 2011
Nuclear Power has come under assault in the aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident with Nuclear becoming a four letter word.However Nuclear Energy cannot be ignored because its nuclear energy uses are unique in some applications and cannot be substituted by any other means.Nuclear Energy is responsible for generating almost 1/6th of the global production of electricity with Developed Countries like Japan,Europe and USA having 20% or more of their electricity being generated by Nuclear Fission.Currently 31 countries in the world have nuclear reactors producing electricity.The total installed nuclear generating capacity in the world is around 375 GW (WNA) with another 170 GW in planning g state and another 170 GW being proposed.Despite the massive opposition that nuclear power has run into,nuclear companies and nuclear power stocks are not going away soon.This is because of the massive installed base and the nuclear plans of emerging countries.For example Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia,UAE are going ahead with their nuclear power plans as are countries like India and Vietnam.
July 7, 2011
Nuclear Energy has come under the spotlight after the Japanese nuclear plant disaster with people focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of nuclear power.One of the most important aspects of nuclear based power is that it is highly efficient.Nuclear Energy is currently the most efficient power source in terms of the fuel required,land area needed and also the waste it produces.The reason for this is that nuclear based electricity is primarily produced from nuclear reactions while other forms of energy like natural gas,coal and oil use chemical reactions.Other such as wind energy convert mechanical energy into useful energy.Nuclear Power currently is mostly produced through nuclear fission as nuclear fusion is still in infancy and its not certain that mankind will be able to use nuclear fusion in a safe manner to generate energy.
July 7, 2011
Natural Gas has got a lot of press these days as massive discoveries of natural gas reserves in shale gas formations has meant that the prices have gone down substanitally and new power plants and infrastructure is being developed to use natural gas as fuel.Even as crude oil and coal prices have gone through the roof,natural gas prices have dived.This is due to the new technology being commercialized which is allowing huge shale gas deposits to be used.This has led to forecasts that natural gas will become a more important part of the energy mix in the coming days.The falling prices of natural gas has also led to declining electricity prices in the USA where shale gas development is the most advanced.Natural Gas prices have gone down to as low as $3.5/mmbtu from $8 in 2008 and experts predict that it may go down to $2.5/mmbtu.Shale Gas has its own critics who say that the shale gas deposits are much lower than being said and they deplete much faster.Environmental concerns are also being raised about the fact that it leads to poisoning of the water supplies with France banning shale gas mining completely.Natural Gas is a byproduct of Oil Drilling and in the earlier days it used to be looked upon as an irritant and burned off.But now it is being used to generate power,in chemical and fertilizer plants and also being used in some parts of power vehicles as well.Natural Gas is also used for Heating in most western developed countries and for Cooking as well.With increasing availability it is replacing coal and oil in power plants and transport now.
July 7, 2011
Oil is one of the most important commodities in the world playing an important part in some of the biggest industries like chemicals,transport,power,petrochemicals etc.The high energy density and easy availability have made mankind almost completely dependent on oil for most of his needs.Almost all of the world's cars run on petrol /gasoline which is derived from crude oil.Despite new evidence that burning oil leads to massive pollution and greenhouse warming nothing had been done to prevent its usage growth.In fact each year billions of barrels of oil are burned to power cars,ships,trains etc.Some countries use oil to power electricity as well though that has been decreasing as oil prices have increased substantially in recent years.The massive oil dependency has been decried by politicians for a long time but little has been done to reduce it.Powerful oil lobbies run by massive industrial conglomerates like Exxon,Chevron,BP etc. have managed to kill legislation which would reduce the subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.The BP Oil Spill after creating a massive hue and cry has faded from the public mind and its now business as usual for the Oil Industry.The only way Oil usage can be reduced it seems is when the world runs out of oil and the prices become too high for most people to use it.
July 7, 2011
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
July 6, 2011
Hydro Electric Energy is second largest source of electricity in the world accounting for roughly 20% of the worldwide demand of electricity with around 800 GW of capacity installed.Hydroelectricity power plants are the biggest power stations in the world dwarfing the biggest nuclear and coal power projects.The world’s biggest power plant is the Three Gorge Dam in China which at 22.5 GW is more than 50% larger than the 2nd biggest power station in the world.s.China is the by far the world leader in hydro power plant capacity with around 200 GW which it aims to double to around 400 GW by 2020The advantages of hydroelectricity energy are substantial enough to far outweigh any disadvantages.But like nuclear energy,hydro power has some tail risks which can lead to catastrophic damage.
July 5, 2011
Nuclear Power Plants around the globe are being closed at a furious rate particularly in Europe.The Fukushima Disaster has caused a nuclear winter in the nuclear power plant industry.Even Nuclear Power Plant Equipment Leaders like Toshiba are changing their strategy to concentrate on Renewable Energy.Even new Nuclear Power Plants being built in India and China are facing massive opposition.New Nuclear Power Plants being built at Jaitapur and Tamil Nadu have met massive organized protests by local citizens throwing the future of nuclear power plants in jeopary.The Communist Government in China too is going slow on the biggest rollout of nuclear power plants in the world.High Cost Escalation and long project delays had already made building new Nuclear Power Plants in the Developed World almost impossible.Japan and Germany which are two of the largest nuclear countries have decided to shut down all nuclear power plants.Switzerland and Belgium too have decided to kill the nuclear power industry in their countries.In this light it becomes very important to examine the pros and cons of nuclear power plants.A cost benefit analysis of nuclear energy is crucial as new plants cost billions of dollars and can cause massive costs if things go wrong as was the case with Chernobyl and Three Mile Island Disasters in the 1980s.
July 5, 2011
Solar energy usage is an excellent, eco-friendly and cost-effective way to "Go Green". It is a very effective measure to save energy & money. We use the solar energy every day in many different ways.Solar Energy is indirectly responsible for other forms of Energy that we use as well like Coal,Oil,Gas,Hydro Energy etc.The biggest use of Solar Energy is in Agriculture where Sun Light is used by plants to grow and provide food for us.Solar Energy despite many years of development is not used in the generation of Electricity due to its higher costs.However that is going to change as Solar Energy is the only form of Energy whose costs are continuously declining compared to other forms of Energy.This is one of the biggest advantages of Solar Power over other renewable and non-renewable forms of energy.Solar Energy forms just 0.1% of the the total energy supply of the planet currently and analysts and decision makers don’t think that Solar Energy can form a big chunk in the future as well.However I differ strongly in that aspect.The main reason for my very bullish opinion on Solar Energy is based on the simple fact that Solar Energy is the only form of Energy whose costs are declining rapidly on a secular basis.In a world facing the prospects of “peak commodity”,solar energy remains vastly abundant and it remains upto human technology to capture it at the lowest costs
July 5, 2011
A solar cooker uses solar energy to heat food or drink to cook it . The vast majority of the solar cookers presently in use are relatively cheap devices though expensive devices are more prevalent in developed countries. Solar Cookers use no fuel and require little maintainance, they can help reduce fuel costs for the poor which are mainly depended on firewood for cooking.This will reduce pollution and lead to saving of the forests.
July 3, 2011
Natural Gas in USA is seeing massive investments and interest due to very large shale gas discoveries enabled by improvements in Gas Drilling and Extraction Technology.Billions of Dollars have been invested by domestic and international oil and gas companies.Plans are being made to Export Natural Gas from America as the price of Natural Gas in USA has now become considerably lower than other parts of the world.While prices of other Fossil Fuels like Oil and Coal are rising at steep rate,Natural Gas Prices have fallen even below the 2008 crisis levels and are now at around $3.5/mmbtu.With production increasing Natural Gas is increasingly looking to garner marketshare gains in the energy sector in the US.Countries around the world like India and China are also looking to tap shale gas deposits as Energy Scarcity increases around the globe.
June 30, 2011
Note the cost of Hydropower at $1-3/watt are quite large and if not planned and implemented correctly can lead to huge time and cost escalation.The Inga 3 Dam being proposed to be built on the Congo River in the DRC faces tough choices.The Hydro Dam on the Congo which will become the biggest hydro power project in Africa is wresting over design issues.The major choice is between tunneling through rock structures or keeping open channels.Note the total cost of the 7 GW Power Plant will be around $14 billion making it the biggest investment in Congo and the 5th largest Hydro Power Plant in the world.Note Africa suffers from chronic power shortages which will become more acute with rising cots of fossil fuels and increasing per capita electricity demands.Making correct decisions on energy is vitally important for the development of the African continent.China is the country with the largest hydro power capacity at 200 GW which it wants to further increase to a massive 400 GW by 2020.
April 15, 2011
Renewable Energy Investments surpassed investments in Fossil Fuel Electricity investments in Europe and USA in 2010 as developed countries focused on alternative energy as a solution to the problem of Global Warming and higher Fossil Fuel Costs.While Wind and Solar Energy are currently the dominant forms in different types of Renewable Energy,others like Tidal and Wave Energy are also seeing a lot of investment in R&D.The major advantage of Renewable Energy is that it does not emit GHG which is the leading cause of Climate Change.While this is the biggest Need for Renewable Energy other needs are equally if not more important.Here are the most important needs of Renewable Energy
April 12, 2011
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).
April 11, 2011
South Africa the most economically developed country in the African continent is also is one of the most dependent countries on Coal Energy.Almost 90% of the country's requirements of Electrcity comes from GHG emitting dirty Thermal Power Plants.Sasol which is a leading energy provider in South Africa is the global leader in Coal to Liquid and Coal to Gas Technologies.In fact most of the Fuel Production in South Africa comes from Sasol plants built long time ago to take advantage of the country's mineral rices and avoid the oil embargo placed on the country during apartheid.The country's electricity situation is massively mismanaged with Eskom a monopoly producer and supplier of electricity hardly adding any capacity.This is due to low prices of electricity which now is being added suddenly at 25% each year.This comes after huge shortages slowing down the economy. South Africa has also come up with new Energy Plan which will largely replace Coal Energy by Nuclear and Renewable Sources of Energy.Note South Africa had been in talks to establish a massive solar plants with funding from China which would have used Suntech Solar Panels.There were also rumors of Yingli suppling solar equipment to the country.
April 10, 2011
Coal is a dominant source of energy for humans accounting for almost for a quarter percentage of human energy consumption and majority of the global electricity production.However Coal is considered as the Dirtiest form of Energy as it leads to Air Pollution,Mercury Poisoning,Global Warming.Renewable Energy is considered as the solution with its non-polluting characteristics,energy security,freedom from peak everything.However Renewable Energy is way more expensive than Coal Energy making it difficult for Renewable Energy to take over Coal.However growing Global Warming Costs will weigh in the future making it inevitable that Green Energy catches up.Here is a list of the pros and cons of Green vs Black where Green represents Renewable Energy and Black represents Coal.Note Green Energy will ultimately win in the end,its only a question of how soon because if the realization comes too late then Climate Change might go far enough to cause catastrophic damage.
April 6, 2011
USA has been sorely lacking in the fight against Climate Change and Global Warming.Greenhouse Gas Emissions by the US has increased tremendously from 1990 the benchmark year when countries under Kyoto Protocol pledged to reduced their Carbon Emissions.However US has refused to do anything and has not even signed the Kyoto Protocol.The hopelessly rudderless leadership in the US has failed to pass any Clean Energy Laws like Cap and Trade ( not my favorite),Federal RPS etc.Some states have been showing proactive leadership like California despite massive opposition by the powerful oil and gas lobby (Valero,Koch Brothers).Their efforts are being stymied by the very rich who don't care about global warming as they can easily use their money to mitigate any affect on them and the powerful fossil fuel lobby with their thinktank puppets.
April 5, 2011
The total installed nuclear generating capacity in the world is around 375 GW (WNA) with another 170 GW in planning g state and another 170 GW being proposed. The largest nuclear power is Europe with an installed capacity of 131 GW, ie. 34% of the total world capacity. The second largest country is the USA with around 27% of the world nuclear capacity. The installed capacity of USA is 101 GW. These figures are projected to accumulate to 144 GW & 136 GW respectively by the end of year 2035, according to the EIA. Japan & Russia are the 3rd & 4th in the list with an installed capacity of 49 GW & 23GW respectively.
April 5, 2011
Nuclear Power has come under assualt in the aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident with Nuclear becoming a four letter word.However Nuclear Energy cannot be ignored becauses its benefits are unique in some applications and cannot be substituted by any other means.Nuclear Power also cannot be replaced in the short term from its most widely used application of generating Electricity.Note Nuclear Power accounts for almost 15% of the Global Electricity and in some countries is the major source of energy.For example France which has 80% of its power coming from Nuclear Fission,its impossible to think of shutting down nuclear plants like Germany which gets around 20%.Note even for USA which has the largest installed base of nuclear reactors shutting down almost 200 GW of Nuclear Capacity is quite unthinkable.Besides Nuclear Energy has massive uses in medical and other applications.This cannot be substituted by other means at all.For example its possible to replace Nuclear Electricity by other means like Solar,Wind even Coal and Gas though its costs will be astounding.But you can't replace Nuclear Energy in Medical Applications like Scanning and X-Rays.Here is a list of the main uses of Nuclear Energy.
April 4, 2011
Hydro Power is one of the largest sources of energy accounting for roughly 20% of the worldwide demand of electricity and for well resourced countries it accounts for majority of the energy.For Paraguay 100% of the electricity comes from hydro power and lot of it is exported as well.Compared to other sources of Energy, Hydroelectric Power is one of the cheapest,non Carbon Emitting,non Polluting,Mature Energy Source.Hydro Power plants have been developed to almost full potential in developed countries because of their superior characteristics and many more are being constructed by developing countries like China and India.However Hydro Power like all other thins in life suffers from disadvantages as well.The failure of a Hydro Dam can result in massive losses of human life and cause widespread devastation.Large Dams have always been controversial leading to displacement of people and ecology.They have also been cited as the reason for earthquakes due to large land changes.Here is a list of the advantages and disadvantages of Hydro Power
March 31, 2011
Nuclear Energy is facing a global backlash after the Fukushima incident in Japan as countries race to review their existing nuclear reactors.Nuclear Power had been enjoying a Renaissance in the 21st century as the Chernobyl and Three Mile Radioactive incidents faded from public memory.China is the principal driver of growth constructing reactors at a rapid clip to meet its growing needs with thermal power fast reaching a saturation point.Other growing developing countries like India,Vietnam are also planning to heavily invest in nuclear plants.However all those plans may change as the Japanese earthquake shakes up the nuclear energy industry more than the landmass in Japan itself.Note despite the catastrophic tails risks of nuclear power,it is not going to go away soon due to the large installed base and no fast substitutes available.Note more than 430 nuclear reactors are currently operational globally today and lots more on the drawing board.Note Nuclear Power accounts for around 18% of US electricity capacity and 30% plus for Europe,Japan and Korea.France is the leader with 80% of the electricity generated coming from nuclear fission.Here is a list of the Pros of Nuclear Energy.