From: Xinhua News Agency, and Environmental Health News

China’s western Qinghai Province, containing major deposits of the country’s “combustible ice,” will see increased explorations for this emerging clean energy, Provincial Governor Luo Huining said on Saturday.

The plateau province plans to allow large energy companies along with researchers to tap this new source of energy while minimizing environmental threats, Luo said on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature.

“Combustible ice,” or natural gas hydrate, is mainly found in deep seas and atop plateaus. Approximately one cubic meter of “combustible ice” equals 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas.

At a time of energy bottlenecks, the new energy resource has drawn interest from many countries. Additional attention has focused on the “ice” having a low proportion of impurities, resulting in it generating almost no pollutants when burned.

More than 100 countries around the world have found deposits of “combustible ice.” The deposits in Qinghai Province, home to one-quarter of China’s total reserve on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, were discovered in September 2009.

“Combustible ice” reserves on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are estimated to equal at least 35 billion tonnes of oil, which could supply energy to China for 90 years.

Luo said tapping this new energy resource should be given high priority in China’s energy strategy.

I’m in Bangkok. Steamy with lots of cars and scooters spewing their fumes. They probably have never heard about The Yike Bike. An elegant well designed new paradigm solution to personal urban transportation. No gas. Zero Pollution. At $4400, it may be a bit steep but if its a hit, you can be sure the price will drop. I imagine you’ll see them appearing on green celebs and executives wish lists. But one day, the technology will be licensed for mass production and it may be available for about the pirce of a regular bike. I can’t wait.

With the U.N. Climate Conference starting next week in Copenhagen Ode, a magazine for “Intelligent Optimists” thought it would be a great opportunity to inspire delegates, world leaders and other influencers with some of the solutions they are seeking. So from Monday onwards a special Ode team led by our co-founder Hélène de Puy, and many wonderful Danish subscribers who volunteered to help us with this very important assignment, will hand out 75,000 copies of a special Ode edition “The Solutions We Need Now” to the world community as assembled in Copenhagen.

The good news is that this special issue is now available to you as well for FREE. Just go to www.SolutionsWeNeedNow.org and enter your name and email address and your free digital issue will be sent to you shortly.

Ode has always believed that change begins with information. We need to know about new possibilities before we can implement them and act upon them. We see the challenge of climate change as an unprecedented opportunity for humanity. In the past decades, many innovative new technologies have become available and affordable that can transform our current economies based on polluting fossil fuels into sustainable renewable energy economies. This transformation will provide millions of new jobs. It will halt global warming. It will create a more fair and just world. It will clean our environment and make our lives healthier. In other words, from Ode’s perspective, the problem of global warming presents an inspiring opportunity to make our world a better place.

By presenting new solutions Ode is contributing to an acceleration of positive change. And you can contribute to that too! Please send the link to this inspiring special edition of Ode to as many of your friends as possible. It is not only a nice gift but it is also a good introduction to Ode, spreading solutions to climate change is a direct contribution to the battle against global warming.

http://www.solutionsweneednow.org/Free

About this talk

Too much of the world lacks access to clean drinking water. Engineer Michael Pritchard did something about it — inventing the portable Lifesaver filter, which can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds. An amazing demo from TEDGlobal 2009.

About Michael Pritchard

With cutting-edge nanotech, Michael Pritchard’s Lifesaver water-purification bottle could revolutionize water-delivery systems in disaster-stricken areas around the globe.

For more info click here.

From Mercola.com

Pee powered batteries are already on sale in Japan and urine-powered cars, homes and personal electronic devices could be available in six months.

Using a nickel-based electrode, scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that could be burned or used in fuel cells. One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses.

One molecule of urea, a major component of urine, contains four atoms of hydrogen bonded to two atoms of nitrogen. If you place a special nickel electrode into a pool of urine and apply an electrical current, hydrogen gas is released.

A urine-powered vehicle could theoretically travel 90 miles per gallon.

Source: MSNBC July 8, 2009

Dr. Mercola’’s Comments:

Using urine as a source of fuel may sound like a bit of a stretch, but it’s actually quite ingenious. It’s based on the use of hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe.

Hydrogen has been called “a renewable, versatile, simple sustainable domestic energy” because it can be produced from tap water to generate power for homes and cars.

However, one of the hurdles facing this alternative fuel source is that hydrogen gas requires high pressure and low temperatures to be stored. It becomes somewhat easier to store when it’s binded to oxygen to create water, but even then it still requires large amounts of electricity to be released.

The Ohio University scientists who developed the urine technology found that attaching hydrogen to nitrogen in urine allowed it to be stored without the strict requirements of ordinary hydrogen, and allowed it to be released with less electricity (0.037 volts versus 1.23 volts needed for water).

Ultimately they are working on developing a small-scale prototype for the average consumer; a urine-powered vehicle could travel 90 miles per gallon, and soldiers could have access to fuel even while on the battlefield. But the first prototype likely to be released, in as little as six months, could change the way modern-day farming works.

By collecting urine from livestock, which is right now a major source of pollution, farmers could produce more than enough energy to power their farms.

Are We Nearing the Beginning of the Hydrogen Economy?

The Hydrogen Economy is the term used to mark the shift from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas to hydrogen. The vision of a Hydrogen Economy is one of an unlimited source of fuel that would be used to generate energy without releasing carbon and other pollutants into the air.

As Darshan Goswami, M.S., P.E. said:

“Hydrogen has the potential to do for the energy revolution what the computer and the Internet have done for the information revolution. Fuel cells are considered the “microchip of the hydrogen age,” the key to abundant energy from secure, renewable resources.

Ultimately, fuel cells supplying homes, businesses, and industries could be linked to a national power grid allowing surplus power at one location to be transferred to areas experiencing power shortages.”

It’s clear that we have to stop this unnecessary reliance on oil and fossil fuels, and the Hydrogen Economy offers many advantages