Algae - Green & Responsible Alternative Energy Source
Allan Rivera's Page
Profile Information
- Greenest Habit
- Commuting, solar heating, recicling, hyperdriving
- Best Green/AltEnergy Blog
- http://energiaverdepr.ning.com/
- Latest New Green Practice
- http://energiaverdepr.ning.com/
About
Badge
© 2009 Created by Dan on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
Comment Wall (2 comments)
You need to be a member of Algae For Bio-fuel to add comments!
Join this Ning Network
Sustainable Development
Adapted from a
Keynote Presentation by:
Patrick F. Mahoney, Chairman of Energy Answers Corporation
Presented at:
AHC Group Ninth Annual Affiliate Program
June 18th - 19th, 2001
CORPORATE STRATEGY IN A TIME OF GREAT CHANGE
Gideon Putnam – Saratoga Springs, New York
Puerto Rico is 1000 miles from Florida in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the North and the Caribbean on
the south. It is an island 100 miles x 35 miles and is a territory or commonwealth of the United States with a
population of 4 million people. Virtually all of the energy is generated from non-renewable imported fossil
fuels. And little of the land on this densely populated island is suitable for landfilling of wastes. Raw materials
are scarce and the population has become quite concerned with the quality of the environment.
So Puerto Rico is an excellent candidate for our resource recovery system, industrial ecology and sustainable
development. Puerto Rico produces more waste/capita than any other place in the world, has very few natural
resources and imports virtually all of the fossil fuel used to generate its electricity. So a resource recovery
philosophy makes great sense.
Each day in Puerto Rico, 14,000 tons of waste is generated and that amount of waste represents:
• 875 tons of steel. (While this material is being landfilled, 1,100 tons of steel is imported each day to
support the construction industry.)
• 1,575 tons of aggregate. (Currently, aggregate is imported; mined from limestone quarries on the island,
at a great cost to the natural landscape; or produced from sand which is being removed from beaches
along the coast.)
• 87.5 tons of non-ferrous metal
• 17,500 barrels of oil. (The energy value in 14,000 tons of waste is enough to serve nearly 375,000
homes and would provide the island with a renewable power source, not dependent on foreign fuel
imports.)
Instead, this 14,000 tons of waste is now being landfilled in non complying landfills with a long-term negative
environmental impact as 21 acres of the island are buried each day,1 foot deep in waste.
Sent: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 11:09 am
Subject: Hawaii has become an incubator for all sorts of renewable-energy
projects
Dear Mr. Carlton,
First let me congratulate you on your excellent article Hawaii has become an
incubator for all sorts of renewable-energy projects. I'm the University of
Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) Associate R&D Dean for the College of
Engineering. I would like to mention to you that in Puerto Rico we are also
embarking in a similar challeng
e. Actually, a couple of years ago we invited
representative Morita from Hawaii and other believers to learn about their
renewable conversion strategies. We have been adapting their plans to our
reality and I'm proud to say that we are starting to see the light at the
end of the tunnel.
Let me said that in your article you mentioned:
The reason for all the interest: location, location, location."Hawaii is the
only place in the world where you have access to every form of renewable
energy, and you are on the dollar and the U.S. legal system," says Joelle
Simonpietri, a former venture capitalist who now heads an algae-to-fuel firm
called Kuehnle AgroSystems Inc
I respectfully disagree since Puerto Rico has the same situation. The
following is from the National Academy of Science back in 1980:
“Puerto Rico, in dealing with its own energy problems, should grasp its
opportunity to become an international energy laboratory, seeking and
testing solutions especially appropriate to the oil-dependent tropical and
sub-tropical regions of the world. The Island’s geographical position and
its established energy research and development facilities enhance this
potential”
Energy in Puerto Rico’s Future
U.S. National Academy of Science, 1980.
Let me also mention that we have several projects/initiatives similar to
Hawaii such as:
DEMO 20:20 of B20 on a 20 MW diesel Turbine from the Puerto Rico Electric
Power Authority (PREPA), Juan Alicea & Agustin Garcia
Caguas Fluorescente (Over 1,000 residensces were converted to fluorescent
and monitored for 6 months), Ada Belen Caballero
100 residences PV + Solar termal de Caguas, Ada Belen Caballero
Industry Energy Efficiency Initiatives, Puerto Rico Manufacturing
Association (PRMA), Alex Casanovas
Campus Verde, UPRM Sandra Cruz Pol
"Agua pa agua integrado" PV + Electrolysis + Fuel Cell @ Caguas, Ada Belen
Caballero & Jose Colucci
Solar Thermal en San German, Mayra Martell & Jose Colucci
Used Cooking Oil Biodiesel Production Facility, Carlos Gonzalez
Jet fuel Based Microlalgae, Air Force Research Lab Sponsored Project, Govind
Nadathur & Jose Colucci
Biorefinery Research Facility, Govind Nadathur & Arup Sen
I should add that these and other initiatives were possible due to ongoing
alliances between different sectors that typically worked independently
and were not intimidated to find a way to collaborate in this saga. These
are:
Muncipal Government (Caguas, Mayaguez and San German), Puerto Rico Electric
Power Authority, UPRM, Energy Affairs Administration. PRMA, Industrial
Sector, Professional Engineers Organization (CIAPR in Spanish), INDUNIV &
PRTEC (Industry, University & Government Alliances Facilitators) and others
in case I forget someone.
Last but not least if you are interested we can set up an agenda so you can
visit and interview the facilities and partners mentioned above.
again excellent article,
Jose Colucci, PE, PhD
787-265-3826
PS - I will return to PR the first week of August. I'm at MIT this week and
then to DC.