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Rebate
To Boost ACT Solar, Gas Heater Use
The
ACT Government has increased a rebate scheme, first introduced 10 months
ago, by 25% to encourage residents to convert to gas boosted, instead
of electric boosted solar hot water systems.
ACT
Chief Minister, Jan Stanhope, said 277 households have so far taken advantage
of the rebate scheme, saving a combined total of about 900 t of greenhouse
gas emissions, but most of the installations have been of less efficient
electric boosted systems.
"Gas
boosted solar hot water systems are the most efficient water heaters available",
Stanhope said. On average, gas boosted systems produce 17% of the greenhouse
gas emissions of an equivalent electric boosted solar system and only
4% of an equivalent off-peak electric hot water system.
"A
gas boosted system will cost you only half the amount to run each year
compared with an electric boosted system", he said. The amount of
money that will be refunded under the rebate, that was increased on April
3rd, will depend on the number of solar panels installed. The rebate for
one panel was increased from $759 - $900, two panels $1,000 - $1,250 and
three panels $1,300 - $1,600.
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Shell
Opens World First Hydrogen Station
The
first Shell branded hydrogen station to be built at a Shell retail site
anywhere in the world opened for business in Reykjavik, Iceland recently.
The
station will be used to refuel three DaimlerChrysler Citaro fuel cell
buses that will be run on Reykjavik's streets on a commercial basis. The
Reykjavik hydrogen station, opened on April 24th, incorporates the machinery
required to produce hydrogen on site, supplied by Norsk Hydro.
Shell
Hydrogen Chief Executive, Jeremy Bentham, said he hoped retailing hydrogen
would "one day" become a commercially viable proposition internationally.
"This design will be seen as the early prototype for the Shell Hydrogen
stations that could serve future customers", Bentham said.
The
hydrogen at the Reykjavik station will be produced on site from water
through electrolysis. "The operation of the hydrogen station will
contribute to the ECTOS (Ecological City Transport System) project, a
European Union supported project to research the socio-economic and environmental
implications of changing the energy base of modern society", he said.
Meanwhile,
Shell Hydrogen is providing funding and technical expertise to build a
hydrogen refuelling station at Luxembourg's main bus station as part of
a European Union initiative to show how fuel cell buses can provide clean
urban transport across the continent. The refuelling station is planned
to be operational in the third quarter of 2003.
Later
this year Shell Hydrogen will test the next generation prototype hydrogen
dispenser at an existing Shell retail site in Washington DC. Showa Shell
will open a hydrogen station in Tokyo, to be used by fleets of fuel cell
vehicles run by various automotive companies. Shell Hydrogen, a global
business of the Royal Dutch/Shell group of companies, is also involved
in hydrogen demonstration projects in California and the Netherlands,
plus a project developing fuel cells for stationary applications in Norway.
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Solar
Systems To Power NT Desert Communities
Three
desert communities in the Northern Territory will cut their diesel fuel
use by more than 400,000 litres a year when they switch to generating
power with state of the art solar power technology.
NT
Resources Minister, Paul Henderson, said 30 solar concentrating dishes
will be installed at Hermannsburg, Lajamanu and Yuendumu, providing the
communities with a cleaner, more reliable energy source.
"These
communities are all off the Territory's main power grid and depend heavily
on diesel fuel for their power generation", Henderson said. He said
the dishes will save more than 1,100 t of greenhouse emissions each year.
Solar
Systems Pty Ltd will receive more than $3.4 MM, half of the installation
costs of the dishes, under the Territory's Renewable Energy Rebate Program.
"The $38.2 MM programme was designed and is administered by, the
Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development, and is funded
by the Commonwealth Government as part of its Renewable Remote Power Generation
Program", Henderson said.
He
said there would be a $2 MM injection into the NT economy during the construction
phase, with Solar Systems indicating they will use local contractors for
the transport, construction, earthworks and electrical and plumbing work.
About 130 m2 of curved mirrors cover each 14 m dish, concentrating the
sun 500 times and generating 24 kw, a power level that could be readily
upgraded.
"So
far about 100 projects have been offered a total of $7.5 MM in rebate
funding under the program, but there is still funding to be tapped into
by other communities and organisations looking to move to clean, renewable
energy", Henderson said. "I encourage anyone interested in the
project to contact my department to see if they are eligible and how they
can help protect our environment."
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Cross-section
of tested borehole collapse sample.
CSIRO
Petroleum's Ms Aileen Boudeville (left) and Dr Chee Tan (right), monitoring
mud filtrate flow rate in CSIRO's Membrane Efficiency Screening equipment.
An
oil rig in South China Sea.
Reactive
shale cuttings drilled with BarOmega. Image provided by Halliburton Baroid.
Large
scale laboratory testing with BarOmega. Image provided by Halliburton
Baroid.
SEM
Image of Shale Pores Plugged with Membrane Generation Compound.
Click to enlarge
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Green
Mud To Cleanse Oil And Gas Environment
Environmentally
friendly 'green muds', with the potential to save the world oil and gas
industry up to $2 BB a year, have been developed by a team of Australian
and American scientists.
CSIRO
scientist Dr Chee Tan said oil wells had traditionally used oil-based
and synthetic fluids to help prevent wellbores from collapsing, to cool
and lubricate drill-strings and to keep out extraneous material. "Collapsed
and sidetracked oil wellbores, lost tools and abandoned wells cost the
global oil and gas industry $2 BB annually, and there is an urgent need
for a new generation of water-based drilling fluids", Tan said.
"The
new 'green muds' are an efficient, low-cost, water-based alternative that
are hydrocarbon-free and designed to reduce drilling costs and improve
oil well performance." He said the 'green muds' had special polymers
which 'coat' the wellbore surface to prevent extraneous fluids destabilising
the well.
Tan
said the muds were as efficient as traditional methods. They were also
more cost-effective and could be applied within existing environmental
standards. "The 'green muds' also have the potential to reduce the
number of oil wells", Tan said. "They will be particularly useful
for operators of long reach oil wells that must maintain a delicate balance
between drilling fluid pressure and rock stresses over lengthy periods."
"By
helping oil companies drill successfully and economically, 10 km or beyond,
fewer platforms will be needed to exploit an oil field." A world
patent is being processed and field trials are being discussed with oil
companies planning to drill wells in the South China Sea.
Tan
said evaluation of the 'green muds' with cuttings and downhole cores from
the region clearly demonstrated the superior shale inhibition performance
of the muds over other water-based muds. Laboratory testing is also currently
being conducted on a troublesome shale from the Middle East. Interest
has also been expressed by companies in Australia, Malaysia, Brunei, United
Arab Emirates, China and Japan.
The
'green muds' formulations are being commercialised by Baroid as the BarOmegaTM(Osmotic
Membrane Efficiency Generating Aqueous) drilling fluid system. The new
substances have been jointly developed by a team of CSIRO Petroleum scientists
working at ARRC (the Australian Resources Research Centre in Bentley,
Western Australia) in conjunction with US firm Halliburton Energy Services'
Baroid Drilling Fluids.
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