Brazil’s Minister of Science and Technology said Tuesday he believed the country would approve plans to build more nuclear reactors later this year, drawing howls of protest from environmental groups.
Sergio Rezende said plans to spend US$13 billion (euro10.41 billion) over the next 17 years to build seven nuclear reactors were also being considered by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“I commented on the subject at a recent meeting of ministers with President Lula and he agreed that theme was important and strategic for the country,“ Rezende was quoted as saying by the official government news agency, enn.com said.
Rezende said the money would be spent to complete the long-stalled Angra 3 nuclear plant as well two other large-scale reactors and four smaller ones.
Brazil already has two nuclear reactors, Angra 1 and Angra 2, situated on the coast some 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Rio de Janeiro, but work on Angra 3 has been stalled for years due to budget problems and concerns over the safety and economic viability of nuclear energy.
“It would be a very big historical error to write off this technology. For that reason, we will conclude the discussion that will define the nuclear area as strategic for the country,“ Rezende told the Radiobras agency. “The decision about Angra 3 and other plants is part of the Brazilian Nuclear Program which I expect will be approved by the end of the year.“
The environmental group Greenpeace, however, said nuclear energy was outmode and dangerous.
“It would be foolishness to approve a nuclear program that is expensive, unsafe, dirty and unnecessary,“ Marcelo Furtado, director of Greenpeace’s Brazilian nuclear campaign said. “I hope President Lula listens to the Brazilian population and rejects this proposal.
According to Greenpeace, a recent opinion poll showed 82 percent of Brazilians were opposed to building more nuclear plants.
“We could invest these 30 billion reals (US$13 billion; euro10.41 billion) in education, health, fighting hunger and above all sustainable projects with positive impact on society and the environment,“ Furtado added.
Brazil’s first nuclear plant, Angra I cost about US$6 billion (euro4.8 billion) to build and Angra II cost some US$14 billion (euro11.2 billion). The stalled Angra 3 plant has already cost the government over US$1 billion (euro800 million) though it is far from complete.
The two operational plants supply about 4.3 percent of Brazil’s electrical energy.
Brazil’s nuclear program has been the subject of recent controversy after the government announced last year that it planned to begin enriching uranium for use in its nuclear plants.
Initially, the government denied inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to the uranium enriching centrifuges over fears of industrial espionage.
Eventually, a deal was reached that allowed inspectors access to the plant without a full view of the centrifuges ending the impasse.

Recent studies suggest one form of elephant grass would make a productive "energy crop" to be burnt in power stations to generate electricity.

The fields of Europe could soon take on a shimmering silver color as farmers grow giant grasses to try to mitigate the effects of global warming.
Recent studies suggest one form of elephant grass would make a productive “energy crop“ to be burnt in power stations to generate electricity.
Scientists told a Dublin conference the 4m-high Miscanthus needs little fertilizer to produce very high yields.
A breeding program would improve its economics still further, they said.
“There’s no reason why in 10 years’ time this shouldn’t be widely exploited,“ commented Professor Mike Jones, an Irish expert on plants and climate.
“If we grew Miscanthus on 10% of suitable land in [the 15-member] Europe, then we could generate 9% of the gross electricity production,“ he told the British Association’s Festival of Science, bbc.co.uk reported.

Hectares and Barrels
Burning biomass is broadly neutral in terms of its emissions of carbon dioxide, the major gas thought responsible for warming the planet.
“As the plant grows it is drawing carbon dioxide out of the air,“ explained Professor Steve Long, from the University of Illinois, US. “When you burn it, you put that carbon dioxide back, so the net effect on atmospheric CO2 is zero.
“Whereas, if you take coal out of the ground and burn it, you are adding a net gain of carbon to the atmosphere.“
Professor Long has been cultivating a hybrid of two Miscanthus species on plots in his home state. The project has managed to achieve yields of 60 tons of dry material per hectare.
This is a considerable improvement on the trials that have been conducted in Europe, where a typical yield is some 12 tons per hectare.
But even this lower production is significant. Researchers here said in energy content this would replace about 36 barrels of crude oil. And with a barrel currently priced around $60, such a yield would have a potential value of about $2,160 per hectare.

Growing Interest
“Biomass crops have always been viewed as something that can only make a tiny contribution to mitigating rising carbon dioxide,“ said Professor Long.
“The point we want to make is that it could actually make a major contribution and it doesn’t require big technological breakthroughs to do that.“
Farmers are increasingly being drawn to the idea. One of its attractions is that harvesting takes place at times of the year when machinery in not being used on food crops.
Added Professor Jones: “This is definitely being taken seriously in the UK, where the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is now funding a major breeding program.“
One farmers’ cooperative also plans to cultivate 10,000 hectares for burning over the next three years.

Renewable wave and tidal energy could provide up to 10% of Scotland's electricity production.

New measures to encourage electricity suppliers to use wave and tidal power have been unveiled by the Scottish Executive.
Enterprise Minister Nicol Stephen said renewable wave and tidal energy could provide up to 10% of Scotland’s electricity production.
About 7,000 jobs could be created by such projects.
Mr. Stephen said the changes he was making would “unlock Scotland’s marine powerhouse“.
The minister told Offshore Europe delegates in Aberdeen that he would take action to award additional Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) to wave and tidal output, with the aim of putting Scotland at the global forefront of marine energy, according to bbc.co.uk.
The executive’s target is that 18% of electricity generated in Scotland should come from renewable sources by 2010, rising to 40% by 2020.
“Tens of millions of pounds of support will be available--with the potential for hundreds of millions to be invested in new wind and wave projects around Scotland’s shores,“ Mr. Stephen said.
“Our aim is to generate up to 10% of Scotland’s electricity from the sea around us. That is equivalent to completely replacing one of Scotland’s huge fossil fuelled power stations.
“Already we have the technology to become the global capital for the development and generation of energy from world’s oceans. Marine power could become one of our biggest industries of the future.
“We have already done much to support the sector, particularly at the world class testing centre on Orkney,“ he said.
“Yet to date, in contrast to wind power, we have seen no significant commercial projects for wave or tidal power in Scotland. That has to change.

Business Opportunities
“To deliver, we need to do more. Development on a large scale will drive down costs and make it possible for these devices to power the engine of a sustainable Scotland.“
He said the plans would bridge the funding gap and mean that while wind schemes would continue to get support, wave and tidal projects would get an even greater boost.
A group of industry experts said the potential exists to install over one gigawatt of wave and tidal capacity in Scottish waters - about one-tenth of the country’s total electricity production.
“These developments will not only boost our renewable energy output, but we can expect to see many new jobs created in the design, manufacture, installation and export of these technologies,“ Mr. Stephen added.
“The opportunity for Scottish business is truly worldwide. If we can establish a lead in marine energy, the global potential for our companies is massive.
“Wave and tidal energy is one of Scotland’s biggest opportunities. We must take action today to produce the clean energy of tomorrow.“

Skilled Employment
Green energy group, Scottish Renewables, welcomed the measures.
Chief Executive Maf Smith said: “This major announcement shows that the executive is not going to stand idly by and watch our early lead in marine industry drift away and their leadership is very welcome.
“Wave and tidal energy has vast potential and if properly supported could join hydro and onshore wind projects as a means of delivering our future electricity needs, tackling climate change and bringing skilled employment to Scotland.“
Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “The UK’s coastline has huge potential for wave and tidal power, which could help reduce our reliance on polluting fossil fuel and hazardous nuclear plants.
“We know the public backs renewables and many would jump at the chance to have their home powered by a combination of electricity generated from the waves and tides.“
The Scottish National Party’s energy spokesman Richard Lochhead said: “At long last ministers have woken up to the power of Scotland’s seas and the potential for marine renewables.
“For decades, the marine renewables community have been crying out for action and now we find ourselves playing catch-up with other countries when we should have been leading the pack.“
Shiona Baird, the Green Party’s enterprise spokeswoman, said: “It remains to be seen whether this will truly capture the market potential for Scotland but it is a step in the right direction.“

Rising oil prices are boosting interest in alternative energy, but industry experts say it will still be years before such alternatives play a major role in the nation’s energy future.
Fuel cells, solar power, wind power and other alternatives generally remain more costly than oil, gasoline and natural gas despite the recent increases in the price of crude oil and other fuels.
Nevertheless, the soaring prices and supply squeezes seen in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have focused the attention of buyers and investors alike on the need for alternative technologies, which are also environmentally cleaner than burning hydrocarbons, fuelcelltoday.com said.
“The price spike produced by Katrina adds to the pressure to rethink America’s energy future,“ said Daniel C. Esty, a professor of environmental law and policy at Yale University.
Even before the latest spike in fuel prices, clean energy technologies had seen an influx of investor and consumer interest.
Solar, wind and fuel cell markets grew from $9.5 billion in 2002 to more than $16 billion last year, according to Clean Edge, a San Francisco-based market research firm. The company expects the market for alternative energy to expand sixfold by 2014, to more than $100 billion.
Among the three most widely recognized “clean“ technologies--solar, wind and fuel cells--fuel cells are poised for the most growth, from $900 million in revenue last year to an expected $15.1 billion in revenue annually by 2014.
The prospects for alternative energy are of particular interest in Connecticut, which is home to several companies that develop and market fuel cell technologies.
At Wallingford’s Distributed Energy Systems Inc., Chief Executive Walter “Chip“ Schroeder said investor interest in alternative energy was growing smartly even before Katrina knocked out eight oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
“A rising price will help bring some of these advanced technologies closer to commercial viability,“ Schroeder said. “The flow of investor dollars searching for legitimate investment opportunities beyond carbon is unlike anything we’ve seen in our nine years of being a company and five years of being a public company.“
Through its Proton Energy subsidiary, Distributed Energy makes technology that produces the hydrogen fuel used to power many fuel cells.
Steven Eschbach, a spokesman for Danbury-based FuelCell Energy, said the recent passage of federal energy legislation containing tax incentives for fuel cell power plants is also boosting interest in the technology.
“It’s going to make a lot of sense in terms of making projects a lot more attractive,“ he said.
Share prices for Distributed Energy Systems and FuelCell Energy have climbed steadily since the spring, when prices for oil began to rise noticeably. In addition, FuelCell Energy recently announced preparations to raise another $150 million in capital by selling stock or bonds.
Beyond the cost, alternative energy sources can offer advantages in reliability.
When Katrina’s winds and flooding interrupted electricity for much of the Gulf Coast, it also underlined the need for a distributed energy system that’s more resilient to shocks, said Jan van Dokkum, president of the UTC Power division of United Technologies Corp.
That, combined with rising prices and growing demand, is making fuel cells increasingly attractive, van Dokkum said. “We feel that we have a great opportunity ahead of us that’s being helped by the prices being as high as they are,“ he said.
Not all investors are convinced, however.
“I do not like the prospects for most alternative energy companies, even with oil at such high prices,“ said Wenhua Zhang, a technology analyst at T. Rowe Price.
Zhang pointed to drawbacks in clean technologies. Fuel cells, for example, rely in part on underlying fuels, such as hydrogen, for their primary energy source. Converting hydrogen to another form of energy requires electricity, which itself is generated from conventional energy sources.
Because fuel cell production is not completely divorced from traditional energy, spikes in conventional energy prices moderate the cost-effectiveness of fuel cells, as well.
“Fuel cells are only an energy conversion device. So they’re not a direct beneficiary of higher energy costs,“ Zhang said.
Even so, many experts believe that spending on alternative energy sources is likely to continue growing smartly for the foreseeable future.
“With the price of oil going up, with concerns about energy security going up, with concerns about issues like acid rain and ozone and potential links to asthma, there are a lot of reasons that people are saying there’s money to be made in clean energy these days,“ said Brad Gentry, a senior lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

High-quality soybean is a key ingredient to soy biodiesel production.

Indiana’s first soy biodiesel production facility will produce 10 million gallons of soy biodiesel annually. In its first year of production, Integrity Biofuels will use 6.7 million bushels of Indiana soybeans.
Estimates are that in 2005 American diesel owners will purchase a record 125 million gallons of biodiesel. Company officials are already making plans to grow annual production beyond the company’s initial business year.
“As we looked at potential production facility sites throughout the Midwest, we found a match in Morristown,“ said Charles Whittington, Integrity Biofuels CEO, solaraccess.com said.
“In this site, we had access to an adequate supply of high-quality refined soybean oil, which is a key ingredient to soy biodiesel production. We also found in Morristown a Chamber of Commerce and a town board that welcomed our renewable fuel company with community support, an infrastructure critical for long-term business success, and valued tax incentives.“
Integrity Biofuels has purchased an existing building/warehouse and expects to be in the business of selling cleaner burning, American-made fuel by early 2006, said Whittington.
State support was also a critical factor in site selection. Earlier this year, Governor Mitch Daniels signed legislation allowing up to $20 million in tax incentives for biodiesel, blended biodiesel and ethanol production.
The demand for biodiesel-blended fuels has grown substantially in the past year from both a state and national perspective. According to the Indiana Soybean Board, Americans demanded 25 million gallons of biodiesel in 2004. Estimates are that in 2005 American diesel owners will purchase a record 125 million gallons of biodiesel.