Kevin Harcourt – Center for Alternative Fuels

By: Oladokun Sulaiman
3-15-07- Human and energy- Road to clean energy- A look into LNG and CNG magnify

The sun is huge ball of extremely hot glowing gases it is approximately 93 million away from us. It practical provide all the energy that we use. The heat and light from the sun are produced by releasing the atomic energy of certain elements. Tremendious temperature ad pressure in the sun makes sure that resultant large amount of energy release hydrogen and carbon.

The sun is the source of all form of energy the body gets musculelar energy and heat by oxidizing food made by green plants with help of sunlight and releasing its chemical energy. Machine that are driven by mechanical energy is supplied by some kind of engine that burn fuel that contain chemical energy that was once stored in green plants.

Furthermore lest look at some of the wonders of the sun:

* Coal gasoline kerosene are fuel oil which are all known as primary source of power from energy formed millions years ago through photosynthesis of green plants by the sun.

* Wind blow because of radiant heat and differential temperature in air at different place caused by the sun

* Rain fall because of differential water vapor potential energy created by the radiant energy of the sun

* Before I proceed from here, it is clear that without the sun there will not be energy there will not be technology, none of us can move nor do anything, without energy there will not be life.

In a nut shell all form of energy began with change in radiant energy from the sun

The use of energy is likened to reckless try and error, experimentation, and age that discover the big gap between renewable and non renewable energy, and how human have adventurism has lead to replacing renewable natural given of nature by non renewable and associated backlash has called for new ways to do things and importance of using advantage of nature and its given. Renewable source of energy range from energy from the sun, hydrogen and biomass- as for the later, using waste to produce biomass is very reasonable than growing crops that suppose to be used for food to produce energy- else we end up breaking the food chain and when scarcity of products involve come we all have to pay for it anyway. I am not going discuss much about renewable source of energy or green house gas today -Thus some of my previous posting has extensively discused issues relating to this - but I will highlight potential that exist in LNG AND CNG.

***Time has shown that the global trend in de-Carbonisation of the energy system follow the following path: COAL > OIL> NATURAL GAS > HYDROGEN

The drive towards environmentally friendlier fuels points next 0 at Natural Gas (NG) and the infrastructures to support that trend are being pre-positioned by corporate mechanisms and governmental bodies worlwide. NG is cheap and its reserve is plentiful. Natural Gas as fuel is becoming more and more established in Urban Transport and Power Generation sectors. Its use will also take agressive approach for all coastal vessel including ferries due new regulations. Internationally its operational record and GHG gas score is rated as GOOD.

That technology will transfer sympathetically to the marine industry via availability of engines, systems and technical assistance.Marine craft operation in inland water operation requires fuel supplied in bulk rendering the NG distribution viable.The use of an alternative fuel for vessel propulsion will leads to a design review of Power plant, associated fuel system and propulsion train; effectively reshaping areas such as Machinery Arrangement, Hull Form, Compartmentation, Cargo Deck, Payloads, Superstructure, Interior Layouts, Escape & Safety, Route Options, etc.

Today, discovery of LNG and CNG has lead to building of very ultra tankersand more are in order to join the fleets.