EnergyHoliday.com | Energy Holiday

(Wed, 25 Jun 2008)

World marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 50 percent between 2005 and 2030, driven by robust economic growth and expanding populations in the world’s developing countries, according to the reference case projection from the International Energy Outlook 2008 (IEO2008) released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Average world oil prices in every year since 2003 have been higher than the average for the previous year and prices in 2007 were nearly double the 2003 prices in real terms. The IEO2008 uses oil price cases originally developed in the summer of 2007 for use in the Annual Energy Outlook 2008, which focuses on the U.S. energy outlook.

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Electrolysis a method of separating elements by pushing an electric current through a compound. It is used in various industrial applications such as removing copper from its ore. It is also used to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water. Electrolysis isn’t the most efficient way to obtain hydrogen, but it is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to "homebrew" hydrogen.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. With the "green-energy" craze and talk of powering our future oil-free economy on hydrogen, it has gotten much attention in the last few years. Learning about this potential fuel of the future is important and interesting. Besides, hydrogen is a powerful fuel, and blowing stuff up in the name of science is fun .

By: hooloovoo33

Customer choice programs let households and small commercial establishments purchase natural gas from someone other than their traditional utility company. However, utility companies still deliver the natural gas to consumers.

These simple facts can help you save fuel and get more miles out of each tank of gas:

• Have your car tuned regularly. An engine tune-up can improve car fuel economy by an average of 1 mile per gallon.
   
• Keep your tires properly inflated. Underinflated tires can decrease fuel economy by up to 1 mile per gallon.
   
• Slow down. The faster you drive, the more gasoline your car uses. Driving at 65 miles per hour rather than 55 miles per hour reduces fuel economy by about 2 miles per gallon.
   
• Avoid jackrabbit starts. Abrupt starts require about twice as much gasoline as gradual starts.
   
• Pace your driving. Unnecessary speedups, slowdowns and stops can decrease fuel economy by up to 2 miles per gallon. Stay alert and drive steadily, not erratically. Keep a reasonable, safe distance from the car ahead of you and anticipate traffic conditions.
   
• Use your air conditioner only when needed. The use of air conditioning can reduce fuel economy by as much as 2 miles per gallon.
   
• Avoid lengthy engine idling. Turn your engine off when you are delayed for more than a couple of minutes.
   
• Plan your trips in advance. Combine short trips into one to do all your errands. Avoid traveling during rush hour if possible in order to avoid driving conditions that increase fuel consumption, such as idling periods or repeated starting and stopping. Also consider joining a carpool.

America’s oil and natural gas companies have long considered the potential climate impacts of energy use an important environmental challenge. The API Climate Challenge Program was created to help the industry increase its efforts to address this issue.

Working with government, academic research groups, and others, member companies have been: 

• Increasing energy efficiency and promoting alternative energy use to reduce emissions,
• Establishing rigorous, industry-wide tools and procedures for estimating and tracking emissions; and
• Helping develop new technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells and carbon capture technology, that can eliminate or sequester emissions.

The oil and gas industry is also investing billions of dollars on technologies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions even more in the future.  These large investments are critical to provide the energy we will need years from now.  Companies are:

• Developing advanced energy technologies and new uses of clean-burning natural gas
• Researching, developing, and in some cases, marketing new energy alternatives, including solar, geothermal, biofuels, fuel cells, hydrogen power and wind energy 
• Developing “carbon capture and storage” technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by storing them underground.  In certain cases, injecting these gases for storage can also increase oil recovery

For almost as long as oil has provided us with the fuels for transportation, industrial production and personal comfort, many consumers have wondered if or when the world might run out of oil. They acknowledge its importance to our quality of life and personal mobility, yet they worry that it is a finite resource. "Shouldn’t we replace it with an alternative immediately?" some ask.

The issue of future energy supplies is complex and cannot be solved by simply deciding to switch from one form of energy to another. Nor will we solve our energy problems by pitting one fuel source against another. We clearly need all sources. And the facts indicate that our society does not need to rush into a decision. There is enough time to consider all of the energy options and to make reasoned decisions. The full implications of decisions about new fuels and vehicles should be considered as they are explored.

A review of the facts provides a sound starting point.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects global oil alone is sufficient to supply increasing quantities to consumers worldwide each year for generations to come.

At the present time, there is no other energy source that is as efficient, versatile, or affordable as oil. It is used to power our cars, heat and cool our homes and workplaces and provides power for industrial operations. In addition, it is converted into thousands of consumer products that enhance our lives and economic growth, every day.

At some point in the future, technology might make available another form of energy that is even more efficient, cleaner and cheaper than oil. In that event, society might transition to it – not because we are running out of oil, but because consumers believe the new energy source is more affordable or is a better alternative. In the meantime, the EIA forecasts that petroleum-based fuels will continue to be the dominant energy source until at least 2025.

Natural gas production in the Lower 48 States has seen a large upward shift. After 9 years of no net growth through 2006, an upward trend began that generated 3% growth between first-quarter 2006 and first-quarter 2007, followed by an exceptionally large 9% increase between first-quarter 2007 and first-quarter 2008.

Cogeneration, or combined heat and power (CHP) has been a critical efficiency option for companies operating in the oil and natural gas sector. Generating the process steam and electricity that is frequently needed at our facilities simultaneously can yield efficiency rates far above the separate generation of electricity and steam. According to the EPA:

“The CHP system can produce the same electrical and thermal output at 75% fuel conversion efficiency as compared to 49% for separate heat and power. This is a 50% gain in overall efficiency, resulting in a 35% fuel savings.”

The oil and natural gas industry has invested heavily in CHP. According to the DOE, in 2001, the refining industry was the third largest co-generator in the manufacturing sector. In 1980 our industry had about 1.2 GW (gigawatts) of total CHP-based generating capacity. As of 2005, companies operating in the oil and gas sector had nearly 9.4 GW of capacity – greater than the electricity generating capacity of seventeen U.S. states.