Greening of Oil - Latest from Mac Ackers

ENERGY SUMMIT TALKS HOT NEW TECH ... A Bristol Herald Courier reporter said amid heated U.S. energy policy discussions, the Southwest Virginia Technology Council highlighted five promising technologies during its third annual Energy Technology Summit. These included thorium, Hydrocoal, fly ash, aneutronic fusion and sunshine advances. Sneak peek: Hydrocoal is coal ground to smaller particles, 10 microns in diameter, which react faster and at a lower temperature, and when mixed with steam, burn like natural gas. Once gasified, the company’s founder claims it’s easy to clean with existing commercial technologies. Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/9GLJUW

DOE PUSHES CARBON CAPTURE ... Students and early career professionals can gain hands-on experience in areas related to carbon capture and storage by participating in the Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration, or RECS, program. Supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy, applications are now being accepted for RECS 2010, scheduled for July 18-28 in Albuquerque, N.M. The deadline to apply is May 15. For more information on RECS and how to apply, check the Energy Department’s Fossil Energy website: http://bit.ly/9haIcF

IS GREEN COLLAR THE NEW BLACK? ... Education Corporation of America has just launched a school exclusively for students interested in renewable energy and sustainable design. The Ecotech Institute is opening in Aurora, Colo., but will eventually be expanded to other cities where the company has schools, which could include Austin, Texas. The school offers seven associate degrees as well as a cleantech certificate program. Check it out: www.ecotechinstitute.com.

EARTH DAY TURNS 40 ... It was first launched as an environmental awareness event in the United States on April 22, 1970, but if Earth Day sneaked up on you this year, there’s still time to do your part. At www.earthday.org there’s a slew of events to attend, campaigns to join and projects to support — all week long. Earth Day Network also is encouraging individuals to share their efforts, with 31,463,328 billion “Acts of Green” currently on record — and counting — with each home page refresh. Check out the site, there’s something for everyone!

ONE-STOP ALASKA JOB SHOP ... If getting a job in the Alaska oil industry seems daunting, check out www.AlaskaPipelineJobInfo.com. They keep us updated on courses available and the North Slope Training Cooperative class is being updated to reflect the revised Alaska Safety Handbook. Why do you need to know this? While employers provide NSTC training once you’re hired, some applicants look to get both feet in the door ahead of their competition by already having completed the course. Check out the website for more info and to browse job openings.

NATURAL GAS PRIMER … Looking to understand the basics of natural gas? Take a look at Alan Bailey’s Greening of Oil article, “Natural gas: a cleaner burning alternative: ABCs of fossil fuel that produces less GHG emissions than oil or coal” at the web address: http://bit.ly/bg11Sh. In the comments beneath the article reader Carl Smith asked Alan, “When natural gas is burned as a fuel, that process consumes the methane, correct? The only methane leak into the environment, particularly the air, would be during pipeline transport, handling, etc. Is that correct?” Alan replied, “That’s correct. When natural gas is burned all of the methane would normally be consumed. Escape of methane into the air would only result from the leakage or accidental release of unused gas.” Important point with all the concern about methane as a greenhouse gas.

REMEMBER TO CAST YOUR VOTE ON CLIMATE CHANGE … Remember to cast your vote about climate change in the “share your opinion poll” on Greening of Oil’s Contents page at the web address: http://www.greeningofoil.com/latest.aspx Scroll down, the poll is on the left hand side of the page.

Contact me! I am Greening of Oil’s social networker. My weekly column is posted in both Petroleum News and on Greening of Oil’s Buzz and Latest news pages. My e-mail address is [email protected].