Being Green

[pandorea]

Let me show you some samples from "List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita (2007)". (Wiki)

Denmark : 9.2 (drop from year 2006 0.7)

Japan : 9.7 (drop from the year before 0.4)

Germany stays : 9.7 for 3 years

Norway : 7.9 drop from 9.3

UK : 8.6 (9.7 in 2006)

Thailand stays 4.3 from 2005-2007

USA : 19

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita

From evening news last night, "Max burger" in Sweden put CO2 emission rate on every burger they made.

Mulberry in UK shows that they handmade their products in England (cut down CO2 emission from shipping).

What more from the last night news?

The world's tallest building in Dubai celebrated the new year with fireworks and laser cost millions dollars. (The building makes Rundetarn = round tower in DK look like an even-smaller-toothpick.)

Sir Poul McCartney announced his Monday-viggie project, stop eating meat on Monday.

CO2 thingy VS me :

SAS airline was trying to charge me extra on CO2 tax, after I've already paid for the tickets. They didn't succeed. Thank you to the Danish consumer law.

I still forgot to bring my own "I-am-not-a-plastic" bag with me when I go shopping.

Planning to plant more vegetable in this summer.

and I think I'm gonna join Sir P. Monday-viggie project.

What about you, anything green going on yet?

[SoBeIt]

Love your topic

-Cut down eating meat as much as possible becoz it takes **** load of the resource to just take care of one cow..

-Cut down on eating pig/pork.. After seeing the news about how they treat pigs in farm here. Swedish pig farm cut the balls out from male pigs so that they cannot produce the hormone (it makes meat taste not good) and then they just let they lying there screaming..

It is actually break the EU law but Swedish gov said that.. No, we cannot afford that.. it is too expensive.

-Try to buy local veggie or Swedish product. Long transport from other countires use alot of energy.

-Change all the ligt bulbs in the house to saving energy lamp.

-Dont try to start the car when it is -20 but use the engine heater instead.

-Use LED lights for the Xmas tree

And alot more...

[Damnam1]

the biggest problem is, that being green aint sexy. If green was a synonym for good looking, everybodies darling,well-off and sexy, then people would think differently.

So we remain unsexy, average and poor looking, and leave the money on the bank where it belongs until mass-media and beauty industry have discovered all the advantages of a greener life.

We might become old and grey but the movement will suceed. Be it deliberately and voluntarily now or under compulsion in a couple of years. The sooner we get used to the easier it will be.

My next green projects - build a new bicycle with 90 % german / european components only (and reduce my annual flights to Thailand to one only..).

[Bruce551]

Egat seeks 1,900 MW usage cut

* Published: 2/01/2010 at 12:00 AM

* Newspaper section: Business

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) aims to cut power consumption by 1,900 megawatts by 2012 through a campaign to improve the efficiency of electrical equipment, says Wirash Kanchanapibul, deputy-governor for corporate social responsibility.

The new target represents a 30% reduction in consumption by electrical equipment such as lightbulbs, electric fans, air-conditioners and refrigerators, up from 10% now.

"We expect that when all campaigns are finished in the next three years, power consumption will be reduced by 1,900 MW in total," said Mr Wirash.

The major cut is expected to come from new T5 energy-saving bulbs that use 30% less power than traditional lightbulbs. Egat hopes to replace 85 million of Thailand's 200 million conventional lightbulbs with T5 bulbs.

"Once all 85 million lightbulbs have been replaced, the country will cut power consumption by 1,141 MW or 4,842 million kilowatt/hours (units). Better-quality air-conditioners, refrigerators and electric fans will help us reach the target," said Mr Wirash.

"If the country can cut power consumption by 1,900 MW, it would nearly offset nuclear power capacity, which means that we are able to save massive budget investment." (hopefully)

The new standard for 12,000-BTU (British Thermal Unit) air-conditioners is no more than 1,535 units per year, down from 1,645 units. The new standard for refrigerators is to consume no more than 180 units per year, down from 195. The new standards should take effect this year.

Egat is in talks with television and computer monitor producers on a one-watt standby mode, also expected to launch in 2010. Privileges for producers have not been disclosed.

Egat will also meet with police and Energy Ministry officials to discuss harsher penalties for producers putting fake "No. 5" energy-saving labels on electrical appliances.

"We have to prepare for more fraud cases as the new standard might prompt them to do this more," said Mr Wirash.

The No. 5 label has long been accepted by consumers as a guarantee of energy saving. Egat is the only authority in Thailand that can permit the use of the label.

The penalty for unauthorised use of the label is currently restricted to the seizure of the wrongly labelled goods, without any punishment for fraud by importers, traders and producers, he said.

Since the introduction of an energy-saving programme in Thailand in 1996 until December 2009, the country has saved 1,800 MW in power output, said Mr Wirash.

I have never seen double pane windows installed on any building in Thailand, huge cooling loss through single pane glass making air conditioners use much more power.

I use about 90 kWhs (units) a month and 80 baht a week for gas (Honda Wave) and take the bus and train 90% of the time for travel in Thailand. I eat muesli imported from EU and Thai Food with some pork or chicken, but mostly vegies

And my Macbook is one most energy efficient computers ever made, he he.

[Stramash]

and yet Youngs/Findus are still shipping scampi from Scotland to Thailand to be peeled and processed then returned to the UK for sale!!!

Every tonne shipped therefore produces half a tonne of emissions!!

Madness!!

among other such wasteful journeys;

'Atlantic haddock caught off Scotland is being prepared in Poland and Welsh cockles are being sent to Holland to be put in jars before going on sale in Britain.

Meanwhile, products grown overseas are taking circuitous routes to Britain. African-grown coffee is being packed 3,500 miles away in India, Canadian prawns are processed in Iceland, and Bolivian nuts are being packed in Italy.'

What is needed is legislation that ensures foodstuffs produced/caught in a country are processed in that same country.

This shipping of foodstuffs for thousands of miles on round trips is surely a huge producer of wasteful and unnecessary emissions!!

[pandorea]

I'm going to TH in April, want some muesli from EU, Bruce?

Damnam1- good point right there. But being green can be sexy, here is the prove..

They are not economy friendly tho'.

[funky_house]

Egat seeks 1,900 MW usage cut

* Published: 2/01/2010 at 12:00 AM

* Newspaper section: Business

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) aims to cut power consumption by 1,900 megawatts by 2012 through a campaign to improve the efficiency of electrical equipment, says Wirash Kanchanapibul, deputy-governor for corporate social responsibility.

The new target represents a 30% reduction in consumption by electrical equipment such as lightbulbs, electric fans, air-conditioners and refrigerators, up from 10% now.

"We expect that when all campaigns are finished in the next three years, power consumption will be reduced by 1,900 MW in total," said Mr Wirash.

The major cut is expected to come from new T5 energy-saving bulbs that use 30% less power than traditional lightbulbs. Egat hopes to replace 85 million of Thailand's 200 million conventional lightbulbs with T5 bulbs.

"Once all 85 million lightbulbs have been replaced, the country will cut power consumption by 1,141 MW or 4,842 million kilowatt/hours (units). Better-quality air-conditioners, refrigerators and electric fans will help us reach the target," said Mr Wirash.

"If the country can cut power consumption by 1,900 MW, it would nearly offset nuclear power capacity, which means that we are able to save massive budget investment." (hopefully)

The new standard for 12,000-BTU (British Thermal Unit) air-conditioners is no more than 1,535 units per year, down from 1,645 units. The new standard for refrigerators is to consume no more than 180 units per year, down from 195. The new standards should take effect this year.

Egat is in talks with television and computer monitor producers on a one-watt standby mode, also expected to launch in 2010. Privileges for producers have not been disclosed.

Egat will also meet with police and Energy Ministry officials to discuss harsher penalties for producers putting fake "No. 5" energy-saving labels on electrical appliances.

"We have to prepare for more fraud cases as the new standard might prompt them to do this more," said Mr Wirash.

The No. 5 label has long been accepted by consumers as a guarantee of energy saving. Egat is the only authority in Thailand that can permit the use of the label.

The penalty for unauthorised use of the label is currently restricted to the seizure of the wrongly labelled goods, without any punishment for fraud by importers, traders and producers, he said.

Since the introduction of an energy-saving programme in Thailand in 1996 until December 2009, the country has saved 1,800 MW in power output, said Mr Wirash.

I have never seen double pane windows installed on any building in Thailand, huge cooling loss through single pane glass making air conditioners use much more power.

I use about 90 kWhs (units) a month and 80 baht a week for gas (Honda Wave) and take the bus and train 90% of the time for travel in Thailand. I eat muesli imported from EU and Thai Food with some pork or chicken, but mostly vegies

And my Macbook is one most energy efficient computers ever made, he he.

Well I have double glazing in my place. :-) Mind you, they f***ked that up. I asked for "low emissivity" glass, precisely to cut solar gain, and energy costs, but they conveniently "forgot" to order it from Europe. Also low energy halogen type bulbs. Am looking at LED lighting too. I also have micro- switches fitted to sliding external doors, to switch off A/C when they are opened. Not doing it to be green. Just to cut energy costs. That A/C costs a fortune.

My biggest worry the cost of water.

You can keep the muesli. I will stick to Som Tum. :-)

[Damnam1]

I'm going to TH in April, want some muesli from EU, Bruce?

Damnam1- good point right there. But being green can be sexy, here is the prove..

They are not economy friendly tho'.

Hello Nicky,

right, she is very green. She walks barefoot although she obviously was used to high heels..

[SoBeIt]

the biggest problem is, that being green aint sexy. If green was a synonym for good looking, everybodies darling,well-off and sexy, then people would think differently.

Hey hey.. Im a green girl..

Dont you think Im sexy?

****************************

Talk about the car..

Many people think an ethanol car is good for the environment..

Meanwhile pople in South America has to suffer because of the price of the corn is higher up 10 times more than before..

Because America bought all the grains ex, corn to produce the ethanol fuel

They think that they can produce the Ethanol fuel enough for all..

But it is just a load of bullshit..

***************************

In Sweden the new law said that if you buy the car that is good for the environment..

You will get money back from the state around 1,000 Euro for that..

[DANNO]

I'm going to TH in April, want some muesli from EU, Bruce?

Damnam1- good point right there. But being green can be sexy, here is the prove..

They are not economy friendly tho'.

Hello Nicky,

right, she is very green. She walks barefoot although she obviously was used to high heels..

I don't know...this might cause some sort of "new" emissions! :winky: :winky:

Goods are being transported all over "hell's half acre" --back and forth--becuase of the bottom line (money) ... until that in a money penality i do not think that will change much... :?

And be careful what you ask for... ANY idea if suddenly all goods were "fully" manufactured in one location ( in that country where it begins)?

Imagine the impact on economies around the world if the US were to mfg everything within its boarders -right NOW !

Look at the world-wide economic contration during the last 18 months went the US's ecomony hits the skids! We are now all dependant so much with each other (BTW I experienced Thais, I ran across, more aware of this on a trip two months ago than say Americans I see everyday :roll: )

Difficult issue to confront quickly...but i do agree there are alot of small contributions we each can make at home...and pushing our gov'ts to bring in reasonable regulations to reduce wastes...in an effective manner.

[Bruce551]

I thought it might be appropriate to spend a little more time on Low-E glass and reflective barriers.

Low-emissivity windows

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-emissivity

To make low-e glass, certain properties such as the iron content may be controlled. Also, some types of glass have naturally low emissivity, such as borosilicate or Pyrex). Specially designed coatings, often based on metallic oxides, are applied to one or more surfaces of insulated glass. These coatings reflect radiant infrared energy, thus tending to keep radiant heat on the same side of the glass from which it originated, while letting visible light pass.

This often results in more efficient windows because: radiant heat originating from indoors is reflected back inside, thus keeping heat inside in the winter, and infrared radiation from the sun is reflected away, keeping it cooler inside in the summer.

Reflective insulation

Main article: radiant barrier

Reflective insulations are typically fabricated from aluminum foils with a variety of core materials such as low-density polyethylene foam, polyethylene bubbles, fiberglass, or similar materials. Each core material presents its own set of benefits and drawbacks based on its ability to provide a thermal break, deaden sound, absorb moisture, and fire safety.

When aluminum foils are used as the facing material reflective insulation can stop 97% of radiant heat transfer.

Recently, some reflective insulation manufacturers have switched to a metalized polyethylene facing. The long-term efficiency and durability of such facings are still undetermined.

Reflective insulation can be installed in a variety of applications and locations to include but not limited to; residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial structures. Some common installs include house wraps, duct wraps, pipe wraps, under radiant floors, inside wall cavity’s, roof systems, attic systems and crawl spaces. Reflective insulations can be used as a stand-alone product in many applications but can also be used in combination systems with mass insulations where higher R-values are required.

In Thailand there are many "American Colonial" style houses with hip-roofs that have very little ventilation. Many times the roof tiles are a dark color and get very hot under the sun. The roof tiles transfer heat into the roof attic and the upstairs bedrooms.

How to fix this problem. Install a reflective barrier underside of the tile roof and insulation in the upstairs ceiling. Also, install attic fan to blow the 45C air out of the roof attic, solar power attic fans are in available the USA, haven't seen one in Thailand. The best answer is don't buy the stupid American Colonial style house in first place.

Ideally, you want a house that takes advantage of natural ventilation using the stack effect-hot air rises. Usually there is a secondary roof with air vents or small windows to allow hot air to vacate the house. Objective to create air movement across your skin that keeps you cool

One final point, check to see that there is some kind of "Certification Label", CE, UL, TUV, etc, stamped on windows or insulation materials you buy.

And ask if the house or condo has LEED certification, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

Think of it like the nutrition label on a box of crackers: LEED provides the same kind of important detail about the green aspects of a building that, taken together, deliver higher performance.

[Bruce551]

Good house design in Thailand

:idea:

[DANNO]

[quote name="SoBeIt

****************************

Talk about the car..

Many people think an ethanol car is good for the environment..

Meanwhile pople in South America has to suffer because of the price of the corn is higher up 10 times more than before..

Because America bought all the grains ex, corn to produce the ethanol fuel

Sorry to say I think you missed the boat on this one SBI

...although many here thought (me too) about ethanol as a short term bridge to other renewable fuels...and the price of corn shot up here (and world-wide) the US didn't buy up all the grains...corn farmers only wish that were true...

Meanwhile in South America ...I can speak only to Brazil with confidence...ethanol is almost exclsively produced from suger cane which the counrty is wildly suceessful in producing for their needs -and export a surplus...the Brazilian gov't in the 80's mandated the conversion of fuels to an 80-85% mixture so they wouldn't be dependant on the BIG OIL ***! Pretty wise on there part as it turned out

Now if Chavez in Venezuela was the benavolent Socialist looking out for the region he says he is :wink: ...he could easily flood South America with cheap gas with the ocean of oil sitting under his country.

But he would rather sell it to us (US) at the going price because his economy is tied to $78 / barrel oil... (the Boy was hurting when it dropped into the $40-50 range). Between Venezuela's and Brazil's reasources there could be bargin prices throughout South America...of course all of it would still be CO2 producing fossil fuels

They think that they can produce the Ethanol fuel enough for all..

But it is just a load of bullshit..

Actually, I am sorry, this is the bull...I see nothing but diminishing interest in ethanol in the US and zero interestin cornering (pun intended) the market....( big OIL Exxon, BP, Shell etc.are not going to let EtO weaken their product, those boys will kill us all if they can! ).

BTW ...while ethanol is a good way to get off the OIL ***...it still produces a sh*t-load of CO2 (carbon based molecules ---by products similiar to gas)

***************************

..

But I should check my facts too...you made me think a lot about this.... :?

You can be sure that it has impacted the corn prices but I seriously doubt it is because of American consumption.

Ethanol as an energy solution has virtually disappeared off the landscape here...( mostly likely because oil and gas prices have fallen 30-40 % from those 2008 marks)

[Geee]

I did not eat porc or meat in 2009, I allways took public transport, I installed double pane windows with special coating.

This year I will cut down on other food like eggs, diary etc.. and I am a locavore, I mostly eat local food, my brown organic rice come from the Sisaket province and I avoid processes food. Also the servers from my web site are carbon emission friendly. I am green above average I guess

[English_Bob]

Good house design in Thailand

Erm aren't those wooden houses there?

And don't you need at least one per family?

Whereas now hundreds of people can live in multi story blocks with central water, electric and gas. And be closer to their work place.

Nice idea, but impractical in a city.

[SoBeIt]

Dan..

I might be wrong but this issue has been going on since 2005.

Here are some info..

It wasnt only South America apparently..

It is the world food...

Ethanol: corn, fuel savings and world hunger

http://deltafarmpress.com/corn/ethanol-study-0516/

Why Ethanol Production Will Drive World Food Prices Even Higher in 2008

http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/plan_b_updates/2008/update69

As global food costs rise, are biofuels to blame?

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/2008/0128/p03s03-usec.html

Much more.. just google it!

[bigKus]

What about you, anything green going on yet?

I live in two levels townhouse with no aircon, no water heater, no dvd player , no home theater set.. And I also have cotton bag in my car if I drop somewhere shopping after work, I carry cotton bag on my casual day.. etc.

Oh.. and my family house is thai (modern) design which main bathroom got no roof (you can see the star above while taking shower) so no ventulation installed

[eagle]

Say goodbye to whats left of the GULF OF MEXICO :shock:

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/108509/cramped-on-land-big-oil-bets-at-sea

[eagle]

[quote name="SoBeIt

****************************

Talk about the car..

Many people think an ethanol car is good for the environment..

Meanwhile pople in South America has to suffer because of the price of the corn is higher up 10 times more than before..

Because America bought all the grains ex, corn to produce the ethanol fuel

Sorry to say I think you missed the boat on this one SBI

...although many here thought (me too) about ethanol as a short term bridge to other renewable fuels...and the price of corn shot up here (and world-wide) the US didn't buy up all the grains...corn farmers only wish that were true...

Meanwhile in South America ...I can speak only to Brazil with confidence...ethanol is almost exclsively produced from suger cane which the counrty is wildly suceessful in producing for their needs -and export a surplus...the Brazilian gov't in the 80's mandated the conversion of fuels to an 80-85% mixture so they wouldn't be dependant on the BIG OIL ***! Pretty wise on there part as it turned out

Now if Chavez in Venezuela was the benavolent Socialist looking out for the region he says he is :wink: ...he could easily flood South America with cheap gas with the ocean of oil sitting under his country.

But he would rather sell it to us (US) at the going price because his economy is tied to $78 / barrel oil... (the Boy was hurting when it dropped into the $40-50 range). Between Venezuela's and Brazil's reasources there could be bargin prices throughout South America...of course all of it would still be CO2 producing fossil fuels

They think that they can produce the Ethanol fuel enough for all..

But it is just a load of bullshit..

Actually, I am sorry, this is the bull...I see nothing but diminishing interest in ethanol in the US and zero interestin cornering (pun intended) the market....( big OIL Exxon, BP, Shell etc.are not going to let EtO weaken their product, those boys will kill us all if they can! ).

BTW ...while ethanol is a good way to get off the OIL ***...it still produces a sh*t-load of CO2 (carbon based molecules ---by products similiar to gas)

***************************

..

But I should check my facts too...you made me think a lot about this.... :?

You can be sure that it has impacted the corn prices but I seriously doubt it is because of American consumption.

Ethanol as an energy solution has virtually disappeared off the landscape here...( mostly likely because oil and gas prices have fallen 30-40 % from those 2008 marks)

The problem with ethanol is the "Corn Industry. Corn is a sh*tty inefficient way to produce ethanol. The only reason they use it at all is the "Corn Industry" is a huge business that is desperate to find outlets and keep making cash from a hugely government subsidized crop. Hemp produces more ethanol per acre but its illegal to grow in US. SO we suck the corn titty so a few pigs can rake in the cash. Corn is only good for corn bread :twisted: :roll:

[DANNO]

Dan..

I might be wrong but this issue has been going on since 2005.

Here are some info..

It wasnt only South America apparently..

It is the world food...

Ethanol: corn, fuel savings and world hunger

http://deltafarmpress.com/corn/ethanol-study-0516/

Why Ethanol Production Will Drive World Food Prices Even Higher in 2008

http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/plan_b_updates/2008/update69

As global food costs rise, are biofuels to blame?

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/2008/0128/p03s03-usec.html

Much more.. just google it!

SBI

I agree that you are right that EtO production has and will affect the cost of food as for this example the use of corn is shifted away from mouths and into the "gas" tank... and when Oil prices rose above $100/ bbl and EtO jumped it caused some short term shortages and longer term price increases that impact the poorest more harshly than the more well heeled.

after looking at anumber of sites take a look at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel

(wiki...not always the most accurate site but a lot good summery info about EtO, uses production/comsumption, cause and effects)

Among the reasons for the jump in prices in Mexico was was becuase of the NAFTA agreement tariffs came off corn Import/exports affecting the prices for Mexican farmers who were swamped with cheap US corn. And yet increasing the local mex. price ( many US industrial workers believe their jobs have gone "south of the border" because of cheap labor ) because of NAFTA

US exports of corn ROSE 15% between 2007-2008

(when oil $ were highest) I wonder, was it all used to feed folks :wink:

US corn production (by far the world's leading producer)

ROSE 26% in 2006

Argentina (in South American) is the world's second largest corn producer

Corn prices now ($4/ bushel) are double their 2005 price ($2/bu) off their high in April 2008 of ($6 / bus) ---Oil peaked that summer...Hummm how did "they" know in April :?:

I could not find any info that the US IMPORTs any corn ...but the US market could, manipulate prices I suppose...if we are looking for a villian. :x

U S EtO production rose 40% (2007-2008)

US comsumption rose (2005-2007) rose by 58% before oil hit $140/ bbl

Sweden's rose 25%

UK rose 80%

Germany rose 95%

The US IMPORTS significant amount of EtO...it appears alomst all from Cental and South America...I am sure not beacuse we are nice guys but beacuse of its price...that EtO is almost all prduced from suger cane...(and yes suger prices have gone up Too maybe not a unhealthy thing , right?)

Suger cane is a much more efficient producer of EtO compared to corn; maybe it will displace the use of corn as time passes and markets mature

Rice is better too...interesting that Thailand's consumption ROSE 13% during that period...? what has happened with the price of rice (if anything)?

And while Eto has a 1/3 less energy and produces CO2

--- it DOES produce less CO2 per energy uint...

Bottom line for me... it is another example of

---there is no such thing as a free lunch--- at least not until Cold Fusion or "cheap" hydrogenation of sea water occurs--(and they may have something dire in them too).

causes and effects abound ..even in seemingly unrelated markets....

AND yes the US's energy appetite swamps other country's

...but efforts to "corner" the market place and set prices because of EtO ...I

don't think so! Of course we could discuss OPEC and its price setting prices on energy costs and how that impacts the World's food supply :wink: ... but perhaps another day :eh:

Thanks for making me think through this a little ....I was admittedly responding to the inference that we (the US) were the Bad Guys...and many times we have and will be...just trying to keep it real... :idea:

[SoBeIt]

Ok.. Danno..

You got your point there..

And "Im sorry"

(Hope he believes that I mean it)

[DANNO]

Ok.. Danno..

You got your point there..

And "Im sorry"

(Hope he believes that I mean it)

Wrong Forum for that sorry business :!: :!:

and no need...you made me think (rightly or not is another issue)

...believe i do not do enough of it :pale:

[Bruce551]

Biomass has a tarnished reputation because early attempts to use it were so inefficient.

When you ferment ethanol from corn, you get only 330 gallons of ethanol per acre. If you burn 1/7 of an acre of corn you will get the same amount of heat as burning 330 gallons of ethanol. To make matters worse, the ethanol will be burned in a car engine that is only about 25% efficient. Elecric car motors are 90% efficient, so an electric car charged by a 90% efficient biomass CHP plant can go about 22 times as far on an acre of corn as one burning fermented ethanol!

New generation ethanol plants actually use a gasifier to make syngas, which is then transformed into ethanol by catalysts or enzymes.

Coskata has a process that makes 100 gallons/dry ton of biomass. A big improvement, but still no match for the efficiency of an electric car.

Making ethanol by fermentation also uses lots of energy cooking, fermenting and drying the ethanol. Gasifiers need no external energy once they are

started. Gasifiers are also very convenient for converting coal power plants because the syngas can be piped to burners inside the coal-fired boiler. The gasifier can be built in any convenient place leaving the coal burning boiler intact for fuel flexibility.

Thailand has about 1 Gig-A-Watt of Biomass Gasifiers

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/05/clean-coal-here-now

Wind, solar and geothermal power can provide clean sustainable energy but it will take decades of work to grow enough capacity to satisfy our power needs.

We can solve our problems quickly by converting our existing coal power plants to biomass power. Biomass is carbon neutral and has virtually no sulphur or mercury. Conversion cost will be much less than the cost of adding carbon capture and mercury scrubbers and more importantly, it can be done now!

Biomass has about half the energy density of coal so transportation costs could be high for large urban power plants. The solution is simple: torrefy the biomass at its source. This will convert the biomass to biocoal, which has the same energy density, moisture resistance and friability as coal.

Torrefaction is like coffee roasting. When any woody biomass is heated to about 270° C in the absence of oxygen it undergoes a transformation that increases its density while retaining most of its heating value. The result is extruded into pellets that have an energy density of 11,000 Btu/lb, just like coal. Since it doesn’t absorb water, biocoal can be shipped in the same train cars and barges as coal. It can be stored outdoors, fed into a coal pulverizer and burned just like coal. The big difference is much less ash and NOx, and virtually no sulphur or mercury.

Biomass captures and stores the suns energy for later use. Taking advantage of agricultural waste and low grade farm land. Also, helps the local economy in rural communities.

[SoBeIt]

Hemp produces more ethanol per acre but its illegal to grow in US. SO we suck the corn titty so a few pigs can rake in the cash. Corn is only good for corn bread :twisted: :roll:

Thanks Mr.Capenter

That is new for me.. Never know that hemp is useful in many ways.

Just check out in wiki.. really interesting.

Always think that hemp is there for only one reason :twisted:

[eagle]

Hemp produces more ethanol per acre but its illegal to grow in US. SO we suck the corn titty so a few pigs can rake in the cash. Corn is only good for corn bread :twisted: :roll:

Thanks Mr.Capenter

That is new for me.. Never know that hemp is useful in many ways.

Just check out in wiki.. really interesting.

Always think that hemp is there for only one reason :twisted:

Irony is that getting high is the least important one of its uses and thats how they keep it illegal. Capitalism is a house of mirrors. :twisted: