June 21, 2013 SMA Solar, Germany’s largest solar company and the world’s largest maker of inverters, a device to feed solar-generated energy into the electricity grid, announced the introduction of a new battery set to store surplus daytime solar energy for up to three hours of nighttime use. The new … Continue reading
Category Archives: Environment
Applications
A multi-billion-dollar hydrogen industry currently exists in the United States, serving a myriad of hydrogen end-use applications; however, about 99 percent of that hydrogen currently is used in chemical and petrochemical applications. Of the end uses, the largest consumers are oil refineries, ammonia plants, chlor-akali plants, and methanol plants. Some … Continue reading
Storage
Because hydrogen gas has such a low density, and because the energy requirements for hydrogen liquefaction are high, efficient hydrogen storage generally is considered to be among the most challenging issues facing the hydrogen economy. For current chemical applications, storage issues are not so critical, because the large producers of … Continue reading
Distribution
Centrally produced hydrogen must be transported to markets. The development of a large hydrogen transmission and distribution infrastructure is a key challenge to be faced if the United States is to move toward a hydrogen economy. A variety of hydrogen transmission and distribution methods are likely to be used. Larger … Continue reading
Production
Hydrogen production processes can be classified generally as those using fossil or renewable (biomass) feedstocks and electricity. The technology options for fossil fuels include reforming, primarily of natural gas in “on-purpose” hydrogen production plants, and production of hydrogen as a byproduct in the petroleum refining process. Electrolysis processes using grid … Continue reading
Supply of Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Yet, there is effectively no natural hydrogen gas resource on Earth. Hydrogen gas is the smallest and lightest of all molecules. When released, it quickly rises to the upper atmosphere and dissipates, leaving virtually no hydrogen gas on the Earth’s surface. … Continue reading
Greenhouse gas volumes at record level in 2012
November 6, 2013 At a news conference presenting the annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, Secretary General Michel Jarraud of the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that the agency has determined that volumes of greenhouse gases blamed for climate change hit a new record in 2012. “The trend is accelerating,” … Continue reading
Depletion And Pollution
Depletion and Pollution of Water The world is facing extraordinarily serious fresh water depletion and pollution, both exacerbated by ever rising demand. Over the next 40 years estimates are that demand for water will rise 50% while demand for food will rise 70%, all in the same period that we’ll … Continue reading
$60 Trillion Cost Of Global Warming?
The Truth Behind That $60 Trillion Climate Change Price Tag If all the methane off the East Siberian seafloor was released, the fallout would cost $60 trillion—a huge, staggering number. For comparison’s sake, the world’s GDP is $70 trillion. The findings assume that 50 gigatons of methane would be released … Continue reading
Dying Oceans
Acid Test: Rising CO2 Levels Killing Ocean Life (Op-Ed) Matt Huelsenbeck, Oceana 07/17/2013 Matt Huelsenbeck is a marine scientist for the climate and energy campaign at Oceana. Huelsenbeck contributed this article to LiveScience’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The ocean absorbs approximately one-third of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions at … Continue reading