Energy from the restless sea

A group of entrepreneurs is harnessing the perpetual motion of the ocean and turning it into a commodity in high demand: energy. With high oil prices, dwindling fuel supplies and a growing pressure to reduce global warming, governments and utilities have high hopes for tidal energy. The "fuel" is free and sustainable, and the process does not generate pollution or emissions.

Ocean energy had a brief revival when oil prices rose in the 1970's, but financing dried up with low oil prices in the 1990's. These days, wave power designs vary from machines that look like corks bobbing in the ocean to devices that resemble snakes pointing into waves. Tidal power machines often come in the form of turbines which generate energy by spinning as tides move in and out. A handful of commercial projects are also in the works, including the world's first "wave farm" being installed off the north coast of Portugal. A field of tidal turbines is also being built off the shore of Tromso, Norway.

No energy source is perfect, though, and marine energy developers are running into some hurdles : the machines can be an eyesore. They often need to be rooted on sea floors relatively close to shore, or mounted on rocks on the shore.

- There is also a lesser known technology called OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion). Ocean energy technologies like tidal power, OTEC and offshore wind turbines are candidates to consider for a country like Singapore, which is surrounded by water.

(2006-08-04 14:02:40 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

Abundant power from universal geothermal energy

peakoil.com -> technologyreview.com :

The answer to the world's energy needs may have been under our feet all this time, according to Jefferson Tester, professor of chemical engineering at the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment. Tester says heat generated deep within the earth by the decay of naturally occurring isotopes has the potential to supply a tremendous amount of power - thousands of times more than we now consume each year.

So far, we've been able to harvest only a tiny fraction of geothermal energy resources, taking advantage of places where local geology brings hot water and steam near the surface, such as in Iceland or California, where such phenomena have long been used to produce electricity. But new oil-field stimulation technology, developed for extracting oil from sources such as shale, makes it possible to harvest much more of this energy by allowing engineers to create artificial geothermal reservoirs many kilometers underground. Tester calls it "universal geothermal" energy because the reservoirs could be located wherever they're needed, such as near power-hungry cities worldwide.

- The EROEI had better be good. And the question that begs to be asked : when do we hit Peak Heat?

(2006-08-04 13:09:20 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

PUB calls for open tender to expand Bedok NEWater plant

channelnewsasia.com :

The Public Utilities Board (PUB) is expanding the production capacity of the Bedok NEWater plant. An open tender will be called for the installation of new equipment. When completed in mid 2008, the plant will have more than double the existing capacity from 32,000 cubic metres per day to 83,000.

Homegrown water company GrahamTek has successfully developed a new system that has proven to be more efficient in the production of reclaimed water. The system uses 16-inch reverse osmosis membrane technology, which the company has been test-bedding at the Bedok NEWater Factory since August 2004. Compared to the 8-inch system, the 16-inch reverse osmosis membrane takes up 25% less space and saves up to 15% in annual operating costs. PUB says it will adopt this new technology at its Bedok NEWater plant, making PUB a world first in using the 16-inch reverse osmosis membranes in water reclamation.

SIA raises fuel surcharge on Singapore-US routes

channelnewsasia.com :

Singapore Airlines said it will raise its fuel surcharge on flights to and from North America by US$30 to partially offset soaring jet fuel prices. The new US$90 levy, up from the current US$60, comes less than three months after the carrier's last rise of between five to ten US dollars.

"The adjustments offer only partial relief of higher operating costs arising from the price of jet fuel, which now hovers around 90 US dollars per barrel," the carrier said in a statement.

SBS Transit and SMRT apply for bus, train fare hikes

channelnewsasia.com :

Both SBS Transit and SMRT have applied to the Public Transport Council to increase their bus and train fares. The proposals for the fare hikes, if accepted by the PTC, will be announced next month and will kick in by October. SBS Transit says that most adults travelling on its buses and trains would see a one-cent to two-cent increase in fares. Student fares and concession passes will be unaffected.

Fuel costs have been rising for the two big bus companies, by as much as over 40% just in the last year. SBS Transit says that diesel is its second biggest cost item after manpower. The government said small and regular increases were preferred to big jumps every few years. So, fare adjustments will probably be annual affairs now.

AOL to chop quarter of workforce

news.yahoo.com :

Time Warner's AOL online division said that some 5,000 workers, or about a quarter of its staff, would no longer be on its payroll within six months as part of a restructuring that includes selling its European Internet access businesses. "Jon Miller (AOL's chief executive officer) told AOL's worldwide work force of 19,000 people that within six months, it was likely that around 5,000 employees would no longer be with the company," an AOL spokesman said.

AOL said it has a new strategy to boost online advertising sales by offering its e-mail and other Web services for free. The one-time king of the online world said it expects to book restructuring charges of up to $350 million by the end of 2007. It also plans to cut more than $1 billion in operating expenses in 2007.

(2006-08-04 09:26:13 SGT) [Biz] Permalink

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