Oil Prices: The Alternative Sources Of Energy.Natural gas will lead the transition from conventional oil to alternative sources of energy. Gas-to-power (GTP GTP (guanosine triphosphate): see guanine. ) and gas-to-liquids (GTL GTL - Gunning Transceiver Logic ) projects will spread in the coming years and will lead to many other developments. The biggest market for conventional oil in the world is the transportation sector, and it is mainly from here that the transitional role of natural gas will lead to breakthroughs, i.e., for any of the alternative sources of energy to become commercial. The transportation sector now is dominated by conventional oil. This sector consumes more than half of the world's oil supply. Transport accounts of 67% of oil demand in the US and Europe, up from 45% in 1970. The competition with oil will begin with natural gas - the OECD OECD: see Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. fuels market soon to get greener both in political and commercial terms - and GTL projects have become profitable even if conventional crude oil prices average $15/barrel. Next will be the fuel cell, to be followed by other alternative sources of energy. The California Air Resources Board California Air Resources Board (CARB) is the "clean air agency" of the state of California in the United States. Established originally in 1967, it is a part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, an organization which reports directly to the California (Carb) has recently issued a strong recommendation in favour of zero-emission vehicles. Among other things, this will lead to cars powered by super-clean diesel produced by a GTL plant. Optimists even see fuel cell-powered cars on the road by 2005. Fuel cells based on hydrogen or methanol are expected to appear on the market within the next three to five years. Up to 30 European cities are to have "public service vehicles on the road powered by methanol-fuelled fuel cells by 2002", said 'Petroleum Argus' on Dec. 4. The oil majors are at the forefront in the effort to develop hydrogen and methanol fuel cells. Shell Hydrogen is among the leading companies in this field. General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler and other auto makers are among the main developers of the zero-emission vehicle. DaimlerChrysler will be the main provider of public service buses to run on methanol fuel cell in the European cities by 2002. Apart from its pursuit of methanol as the source for its fuel cell engines, the company is working on efficient natural gas vehicles This is a list of natural gas vehicles. Airplanes
CNG Calling (Tone) CNG Comfort Noise Generation CNG Cryptography Next Generation (Microsoft Windows Vista) CNG Centre National de Génotypage ). It is also pursuing a project for engines to run on diesel produced from the GTL process. Passenger cars to run on hydrogen and/or methanol fuel cell engines are expected to be commercially available in West Europe by 2004, because of EU tax incentives. Tax incentives favour fuel cell engines. The California Fuel Cell Partnership The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a public-private partnership to promote hydrogen vehicles (including cars and buses) in California. It is notable as one of the first initiatives for that purpose undertaken in the United States. - involving Shell, BP, ChevronTexaco and auto makers Ford, DaimlerChrysler and Nissan - will make California a "test-bed" for technology that can be applied worldwide. Carb aims to have more than 20,000 zero-emission vehicles per annum Per annum Yearly. coming onto the roads by 2003. And the first generation of passenger vehicles run on fuel cells will be available by 2005. Direct-feed hydrogen vehicles is expected to be a common sight by 2010. |
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