Dismissal Of Methanol As Marine Fuel Leads To Pushback

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2023 00:13:45 +0000

DALL·E generated image of a clean electric container ship sailing past islands under a beautiful blue sky with small clouds, digital artMethanol is like hydrogen. Job one is to decarbonize existing uses before inventing new ones. As a marine fuel, it’s not the best choice.

Read more

Atlantic Crossing By Methanol-Powered Ship Is Neither Viable Nor Carbon Neutral

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2023 11:30:46 +0000

DALL·E generated image of an electric container ship sailing on a beautiful sea under a clear sky, digital artOver the past couple of years, I’ve reached the end of my first set of scenarios for marine decarbonization through 2100. My bets are on batteries for all inland and two-thirds of short-sea shipping, and biofuels for the rest. It took me years to work through the aspects of synthetic and biologically fossil fuel alternatives, […]

Read more

Buses, Trucks, Trains, Shipping, & Aviation Will Electrify More Than US Transportation Blueprint Thinks

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2023 17:35:45 +0000

DALL·E generated image of a US multilane highway full of electric semi trucks, digital artThe US will waste a lot of time, money, and energy on bad decarbonizing transportation approaches and end up less competitive as a result.

Read more

US Transportation Blueprint: Good Intentions, Weak Diagnosis, & Possibly Irrelevant

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:37:30 +0000

DALL·E generated image of people walking and cycling beside canal with electric container ship, digital artWhile the US will waste a lot of time, money and energy getting there and end up less competitive as a result, most US transportation will decarbonize regardless, although often not as the new transportation blueprint supposes.

Read more

Why Aren’t Energy Flows Diagrams Used More To Inform Decarbonization?

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 15:59:22 +0000

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Sankey diagram of US energy flows for 2021The primary energy fallacy is the assumption that all of the energy in all of the oil, gas and coal we burn today must be replaced. We don’t need to replace it, we need to replace the unwasted energy services.

Read more

“Clean” BC Pension Fund Buys Dirty Gas Stranded Asset In UK for US$11.6B

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2023 19:45:23 +0000

DALL·E generated image of a pension fund dripping oil, digital artHydrogen and fossil fuels dwarf renewables in BC’s pension fund. Its claim to be “The Investment Manager of Choice for British Columbia’s Public Sector” doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.

Read more

No, Data Center Backup Isn’t A Good Fit For Redox Flow Batteries Yet

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2023 18:05:10 +0000

DALL·E generated image of a data center runs out of power and is embarrassed, digital artIf you are only burning a few hundred gallons a year for a data center drawing 100 MW 24/7/365, the cost and carbon debt of fuel for your generators is not material.

Read more

Yes, There Will Be Enough Biofuels; No, They Won’t Impact Food Supplies

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2023 15:52:28 +0000

DALL-E generated image of wheat being transformed to biofuel and then fueling an airplaneBiofuels are fit for purpose, and we have a lot more resources for them than the requirements. Arguments against them are mostly specious, biased, or based on very stale data.

Read more

US Government Funding Helps Biofuels Move Forward

Credit to Author: Jennifer Sensiba| Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2023 15:24:37 +0000

If you’re a regular around here, you probably know that we prefer renewable electricity for powering vehicles. This usually involves battery storage, though. While battery technology has gotten to the point where it’s viable to do things like electric cars, boats, trucks, and even some planes, the relatively low energy density of batteries will be […]

Read more