My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: Alternative Energy and Diesel Sulphur Content - Casino Royale

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Alternative Energy and Diesel Sulphur Content - Casino Royale


The whole of Government consists in the Art of being honest

Thomas Jefferson, Works, VI, 186

The Government of Jamaica is again going in the wrong direction. The Government of Jamaica, instead of focusing solely on upgrading the refining facilities to reduce the Sulphur content from 5000 ppm to between 10 to 15 pmm as stated in the article “Government moving to improve motor fuel quality - Samuda”, published Sunday, November 28, 2010, by MARK CUMMINGS, The Jamaica Observer.

The Government of Jamaica should instead encourage the importation of All-Electric Vehicles, Flex Fuel Vehicles and the development of the Bio-Diesel Sector as a long term solution to this problem, supported by investment and licensing of interested FDI (Foreign Direct Investors) and Local Private Sector companies seeking to get a foothold in the nascent Bio-Fuel Industry in Jamaica.

This only encourages a dependence on Fossil Fuels as well as prolongs the inevitable transition from Fossil Fuel based Economy to an Electron Based Economy, as our Northern Neighbor, the United States of America, is spearheading as opined in my blog article entitled “Alternative Energy and Volvo - Tomorrow Never Dies for the Hydrogen-Electron Economy”.

Bio-Diesel is not just cooking oil chemically re-engineered to work in Diesel Engines. It can also be synthetically produced from pyrolized organic material and is a small part of the Bio-Fuel Industry involving fuels such as Anhydrous Ethanol, Methanol, Natural Gas, Methane, Bio-Diesel and Synthetic versions of Fossil Fuels.

The Bio-Fuel Industry in general, specifically as it relates to the production of Anhydrous Ethanol using sewage, and pyrolized organic waste from any organic source must be accelerated:

  1. Microbes to start making ethanol, chemicals”, published November 18, 2009 9:52 AM PST by Martin LaMonica, CNET News – Green Tech
  2. Microbe converts sludge to ethanol”, published Friday 11, December 2009, by Martin LaMonica, CNET News – GreenTech
  3. Wood-chip ethanol maker opens plant”, published October 15, 2009 7:50 AM PDT by Martin LaMonica, CNET News – Green Tech
  4. A Forest epidemic turns into Energy opportunity”, published April 7, 2010 2:04 PM PDT by Candace Lombardi CNET News - Green Tech

So too must be the acceleration of the development of Bio-Diesel as detailed in  the article “Gene-altered bus make Bio-Diesel”, published Wed Jan 27, 1:31 pm ET by Yahoo! News and the article “'Green' gas and Diesel get boost in biofuels grant”, published December 4, 2009 12:33 PM PST, by Martin LaMonica, CNET News - Green Tech and the article “Researchers coax bacteria to make Bio-Diesel”, published January 27, 2010 3:59 PM PST by Martin LaMonica.

Additionally, it has the benefits of being Sulphur content free, satisfying the requirements of any Diesel vehicles coming to Jamaica. Further investment in the Oil Refining Industry in Jamaica will only deepen Jamaica’s dependence on Foreign Imported Oil and would be out of step with Jamaica’s push towards breaking our dependence on Foreign Imported Oil and reducing our Oil Bill before the year 2015 AD.

This is not my opinion, but the advice of British Industrialists such as Sir Richard Branson of Virgin as stated in the article “World Faces Oil crunch by 2015”, published Sunday 14 February 2010, AFP, and the IEA (International Energy Agency) as stated in the article IEA official warns of shrinking Oil Supplies: Report”, Sunday August 2nd, 9:04 pm ET, AFP, Yahoo! News, 2015 being the year when Peak Oil is slated to Occur.

The Government of Jamaica should take this situation as an opportunity to also impose it on the Car Dealers such as Stewart Auto Sales to begin the importation of All-Electric Vehicles as well as Flex-Fuel Vehicles and opening up the development, investment and licensing of the Bio-Fuel Sector by interested FDI (Foreign Direct Investors) and Local Private Sector companies.

These measures would serve to wean Jamaica off its dependence on Foreign Imported Oil as a concession from the Car Dealers to the Government of Jamaica which will have to expend the necessary millions to upgrade the PetroJam Refinery to process Sulphur in Diesel and reduce the level of this contaminant to the internationally recognized level of 5 to 10ppm – just to satisfy their interest in increasing importation of gas-guzzling vehicles.

After all, the Government of Jamaica no longer controls the PetroJam Refinery; the Venezuelans do as stated in the article  Venezuelans to the Rescue - 2% deal gives PVDSA afflilate majority ownership”, published Friday April 30 2010, Mark Titus, Business Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner and echoed in my blog article entitled “PetroCaribe Trap - Does this mean that Energy Sector Liberalization will not occur”.

JPS Co (Jamaica Public Service Company) will have to get on board in terms of upgrading the Electricity Transmission system in order to begin the phased implementation of All-Electric Vehicle charging stations as suggested in the article “Utilities thrilled and worried about electric cars”, published November Tuesday 23 2010, The Jamaica Observer, the extra electricity they can supply, as additional capacity is soon to come online as stated in the article “JEP lands power deal”, published Friday April 9, 2010, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Additionally, the use of LNG being spearheaded by Senator James Robertson, Minister of Energy and Mining as stated in the article “US$3-B infrastructural upgrade coming with Natural Gas - Robertson”, published Sunday, October 03, 2010, The Jamaica Observer.

This is an effective transition and push towards an eventual Electron Economy powered via Gas Turbine Generators that are Hydrogen Economy ready as per the modification of the recommendations of the Dr. Ulf Bossel published paper entitled “Why a Hydrogen Economy doesn't make sense”, published December 11 2006, PhysOrg.com will make electricity cheap enough to make the adoption of All-Electric Vehicles and Flex-Fuel Hybrids cheaper.

Kent LaCroix, President of the Automobile Dealers Association (ADA) and others as stated in the article “Is Jamaica ready for Electric vehicles ?”, published Friday, October 01, 2010, The Jamaica Observer.

They argue from a plateau of self preservation of a dying technology based on older Otto Cycle Engines that the Japanese have themselves abandoned with spare parts shortage being the first sign as stated in the article “Spare Parts shortage hits used-car Trade”, published Friday October 22 2010, The Jamaica Gleaner as well as in my blog article entitled “Alternative Energy and Range Extender Technology - Jamaica to Rhaatid” and “All-Electric Vehicles and Jamaica - Downfall”.

What will he have us do after the four (4) years period when Japanese retire their All-Electric Vehicles? Is the GOJ willing to take that gamble Casino Royale (2006) style, as per the James Bond Movie?

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