Puerto Rico currently relies on oil to generate 68 percent of its power needs, and power costs on the island are currently twice as much as on the U.S. mainland. Realizing this, Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno recently announced projects designed to reduce the island’s dependence on imported oil. … Continue reading
Category Archives: oil conservation
Your smartphone can help you increase your gas mileage
There’s an app for pretty much everything these days. And now there’s three new apps that can actually help you get better gas mileage and decrease the amount you spend at the gas station. MyMPG – this app uses the iPhone accelerometer technology to tell you if you are … Continue reading
Natural Gas to Liquids Plant coming to the U.S.
South African based energy and chemicals company Sasol announced last week that they are considering the feasibility of building a natural gas to liquid (GTL) plant in southwestern Louisiana. If built, it would be the first GTL plant in the western hemisphere. What a GTL plant gets you is the … Continue reading
U.S. to propose new truck fuel efficiency rules
Up to now, the nation’s fuel economy rules only covered cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. But now it sounds like the Obama administration will shortly be coming out with new rules mandating increased fuel efficiency and decreased greenhouse gas emissions for the country’s medium and heavy duty trucks. Expectations … Continue reading
U.S. wants up to 62 mpg by 2025
The Obama Administration is contemplating raising the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards much higher than the current requirement of 34.1 mpg by 2016. Documents just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are recommending that the CAFE regulations be raised to … Continue reading
Sharkskin paint reduces drag – can be used on planes, ships, and wind turbines
Fraunhofer researchers have been researching the low drag properties of fast swimming sharks, and have come up with a paint that reduces aerodynamic drag by mimicking shark skin. One of the reasons shark can move through water so fast is because their skin is made in a very structured … Continue reading
Former CIA Director James Woolsey on how to end America’s Addiction to Oil
R. James Woolsey, former Under Secretary of the Navy and Director of Central Intelligence has always considered the amount of oil that America imports to be a security issue for the country. In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Woolsey lays out his plan to finally end … Continue reading
Cyclone Power and Phoenix Power Group to develop generator that runs on waste oil
Cyclone Power Technology (CYPW.PK), a developer of a unique heat regenerative external combustion engine called the Waste Heat Engine (WHE) has signed a deal with the Phoenix Power Group to develop a version of its engine that will run on used waste oil. And Phoenix Power sure has a lot … Continue reading