24.06.2009 USA perverts climate protection [1]

Steven Chu, once a high laureated Nobel Price bearer and respected scientist, is now a flunkey of the car industry.

Distributing money: Steven Chu was most engaged distributing money of his budget of 64 billion USD for 2009. President Obama decided to rise the budget of Chu to 400 billion USD for 2010. Where does all this tax money goes, only Chu knows, he will keep it secret.

Plans for the short term: Steven Chu's plans for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, in the near term, focuses on improving energy efficiency in buildings. Energy of buildings may be reduced by 10 percent by fine-tuning the heating, ventilation, and air-condition systems says the US secretary of energy.

Plan for the long term: Chu says that for the long term. alternative energies can be a big part of the solution. But Chu noted that solar power is still far too expensive to compete with conventional power plants (except on hot summer days in some places, and with subsidies).

Nuclear waste disposal is welcome and hydrogen research funds are cut under Obama/Chu administration
President Obama eliminates the plan of nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain repository and cuts funding for research into hydrogen fuel cells initiated by President Bush which tried to develop future low-carbon-emissions vehicles. Chu says this money is needed for the technical solutions to store nuclear waste. The USA has already hoarded 50.000 metric tons of nuclear waste. To have it deposited at one place could be difficult and increases transport costs. Chu opts for the dry cask storage at current sites which is safe for many decades and time is left to look after another way to handle the problem.

The old waste is partially vitrified and other dangerous waste could be stored in salt caverns where the salt oozes around it. These are geologically stable for a 50 to 100 million year. The mighty secretary never heard of a small European country named Germany where a nuclear waste repository in such a salt cavern puts at risk the whole region around the salt mine Asse II. Radioactive brine is leaking and the whole mine is unstable and in danger of collapsing. [2]

Chu wants more efficiency so 10% of energy may be spared resulting in less nuclear waste will. Reprocessing nuclear waste is to expensive, Chu says. However, there may be some waste with some inherent value, and in hundred years, two hundred years, someone may want to use it somehow.

The Obama administration will speed up licencing of new nuclear power plants. This will incentive the building more efficient nuclear plants. A loan guaranty for new plants will speed the process but are not grated yet.

Hydrogen
Chu says that reforming natural gas is not an ideal source of hydrogen. He also deliberates about technical problems which have already been solved. To store energy Chu sets on pumped storage, such as pumping water hill up or pumping air into a sealed cave.

The green cars of the Obama/Chu perversion [3]
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu granted 8 billion USD loans to three car manufacturers following the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program initiated by Obama.

Ford received $5.9 billion to retoole the manufacturing facilities in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. Also planed is the development of 13 separate models with electric, hybrid, or improved conventional powertrains, including its EcoBoost turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines. It uses gasoline direct-injection and twin turbochargers to wring out 355 horsepower, as much as the company's traditional 4.6-liter V8, from a mere 3.5-liter V6. [4]

NISSAN is hapy about $1.6 billion to retoole of Smyrna, Tennessee, assembly plant to build electric cars; creation of advanced lithium-ion cell manufacturing plant

TESLA recieves 365 million for production engineering and, starting in late 2011, assembly of the Model S electric sports sedan; creation of a California facility to assemble electric battery systems for use in its own vehicles and for supply to other manufacturers.

These car will run on electricity of coal and nuclear power. The solar and wind energy find no place in Chu's program perverted by the lobby of energy corporations. The Obama administration seems to be even more dominated by interests or multinational corporations that his predecessor Bush was.

USA under Obama/Chu gets back to nuclear power plants because its today's low price does not count the horrendous sums which have to be payed by future generations. They have to get rid of nuclear waste left by the Obama/Chu administration.
Meanwhile Europe starts the Desertec Project, using solar energy from the desert of North Africa. Together with hydrogen, the project may evolve to the clean energy of the future of mankind.

The European position [5]
The German Chancellor Merkel and EU Commissioner Barroso support Desertec, the solar energy from the desert, and promise financial support to the project.

Solar energy from the desert will turn electrolysis of water the new clean energy market of a modern world. Hydrogen as fuel for transportation is developing under the Linde corporation, which already maintains 70 hydrogen refilling station in 15 countries refilling BMW, Daimler, Honda, Opel/GM, VW and Toyota hydrogen cars. [6]

No Carbon Capture and Storage CCS in Germany [7]
Germany abandons the compulsory Carbon Capture and Storage projects. Thomas Holzmann from the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt UBA) warns of having high expectations from CCS. It may only be seen as a transitory-technique. He urges to develop renewable energies and energy efficiency vigorously.

Read more:
www.desertec.org
The Global Initiative


[1] Q & A: Steven Chu. The secretary of energy talks with Technology Review about the future of nuclear power post Yucca Mountain and why fuel-cell cars have no future. By Kevin Bullis Technology Review. May 14, 2009
http://www.technologyreview.com/business/22651/

[2] The Federal Office for Radiation Protection: Safety of repository mine Asse II
http://www.bfs.de/en/endlager/uebers_endproj/asse_uebers/sicherheit.html

[3] Green Cars Reports.com: Advanced Auto-Tech Loans Go To Tesla, Ford, and Nissan. June 23rd, 2009
http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1021697_advanced-auto-tech-loans-go-to-tesla-ford-and-nissan

[4] Green Cars Reports.com: Ford's High-Mileage EcoBoost Engine a Blast To Drive. May 15th, 2009
http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1020741_fords-high-mileage-ecoboost-engine-a-blast-to-drive

[5] Solarenergie aus der Sahara. Merkel stellt EU-Geld für Wuestenstrom-Projekt in Aussicht. SPIEGEL ONLINE – 24.06.2009
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,632377,00.html

[6] Brennstoffzelle: Autobranche kippt Zukunftstechnologie. Handelsblatt 24.06.2009.
http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/autobranche-kippt-zukunftstechnologie;2389249

[7] Gesetz zur CCS gescheitert. Spiegel Online 24.06.2009
http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/0,1518,632374,00.html

The European Union Move to Sustainable Energies

The European Union supports strongly sustainable energies. Electricity from solar energy from the deserts is the future of energy economy. Hydrogen from water hydrolyzes may be obtained locally using solar electricity from the grid. The hydrogen technology is also a useful storage of electricity


The European Commission should consider near future import of cheap electricity from PV/solar thermal power plants of the Sun Belt of Africa and Near East. The production of hydrogen as clean global energy source will reduce the burden of emission of traffic in overpopulated regions.

Who is Who in CO2 Emission in Europe and who should support sustainable energy sources
The dirty dozen of the EU
Over the EU average of 11.3 Tonnes CO2 per Inhabitant are: Ireland, Greece, UK, Netherlands, and Germany
This is the reason why Germany, with an emission of 1,001.5 Million Tons CO2/Year, should discard niche programs and support global solutions like the Desyrt Energy Project.

State  [1]	Population	1990/base year  Million tonnes	2005 Million Tonnes	Change Base year 2005 %	Target 2008 Kyoto Protocoll %	Tonnes/ Inhabitant 2005
Germany	82.4 Mio	1,232.5	1,001.5	-18.7%	-21.0%	12.0
UK	60.4 Mio	779.9	657.4	-15.7%	-12.5%	12.9
Poland	38.6 Mio	586.9	399.0	-32.0%	-6.0%	10.3
France	60.0 Mio	563.9	553.4	-1.9%	0.0%	9.1
Italy	58.1 Mio	519.5	582.2	+12.1%	-6.5%	10.0
Spain	40.3 Mio	289.4	440.6	+52.3%	+15.0%	10.9
Romania	22.3 Mio	282.5	153.7	-45.6%	-8.0%	6.8
Netherlands	16.4 Mio	214.6	212.1	-1.1%	-6.0%	12.0
Grece	10.7 Mio	111.1	139.2	+25.4%	+25.0%	13.0
Sweden	9.0 Mio	72.3	67.0	+7.4%	+4.0%	7.4
Portugal	10.5 Mio	60.9	85.5	+40.4%	+27.0%	8.1
Ireland	4.9 Mio	55.8	69.9	+25.4%	+13.0%	17.4
European Union 27 States	456.9 Mio	5,818.5	5,177.0	-11.0%	not applicable	11.1

Europe should enforcer the International Climate Protection Proposal at the Conference at Bali in December. See the Presentation
and the Summary of the Proposal.


The OECD Multilateral Agreements and The International Climate Protection Proposal [2]
The International Climate Protection Proposal is in accordance with the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) aiming at changing the collective behaviour of governments, private investors, and other stakeholders in order to address global environmental problems – climate change, depletion of natural resources, desertification, trade in endangered species, pollution through chemicals, etc.

Governments have the main responsibility for the achievement of goals under MEAs, for designing adequate policies and for allocating the necessary funds for their implementation. However, successful implementation of MEAs also depends on the
contribution of other stakeholders, particularly, that of the business sector.

[1] European Commission: Climate change: Commissioner Dimas welcomes 2005 reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions and calls for further action
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/835&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

[2] OECD Workshop on Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Private Investment ... on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and Private Investment. Helsinki, 16-17 June 2005
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/14/27/34973020.pdf

President Bush's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative [1]
President Bush's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative calls for replacing fossil fuels used in passenger cars by 2040. This would require 150 million tons of hydrogen annually.
US funding of the Program:
The FY 2004 was $159 million.
The FY 2005 was $223 million.
The FY 2006 was $243 million.
                       Total $625 million in three years.

America currently imports 55 percent of the oil it consumes; that is expected to grow to 68 percent by 2025.
If the research is successful and market introduction begins in 2020, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have the potential to reduce our demand for oil by over 11 million barrels per day by 2040. America currently imports between 10 and 11 million barrels of oil daily.

Working Groups
These working groups provide a forum to facilitate research and communication related to various aspects of hydrogen and fuel cell technology development. Visit the links for information about ongoing work, technical targets, meetings, and contacts.

* Bio-Derived Liquids to Hydrogen Distributed Reforming
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/bio_derived_liquids.html

* High Temperature Membrane Working Group
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/htmwg.html

* Hydrogen Pipeline Working Group
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/wkshp_hydro_pipe.html

* Storage Systems Analysis Working Group
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/ssawg.html


[1] US Department of Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technology Program: President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/presidents_initiative.html