Greenedia.com Daily Blog Report: Massachusetts adopts plug-in cars, Nanotech paint that can heat buildings

This is a selection of today’s most notable blog articles from Greenedia.com where you will find the most extensive collection of environmental blogs, videos and podcasts on the web.

Ethanol better for food price than oil

A public disinformation campaign is underway about the effects of ethanol, according to a recent post from the Biopact blog. Many analysts have declared that the public’s growing appetite for bio-fuel and ethanol are driving up food prices across the board as commodities like corn are diverted away from the food supply and turned into sustainable fuel. However, the author of the post asserts that “competitive biofuels bring down costs for all the economic sectors that would otherwise have to rely exclusively on very expensive oil products.” Effectively, the Biopact blog asserted that “high oil prices push up food prices more than corn ethanol.”

The post quotes United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner stating that ethanol is not to blame for the rise in food prices. He declared that “the recent record highs for retail oil prices added to inflation by increasing the costs of everything: from packaging to transportation and processing.” The post also quotes Conner saying that “in the U.S. food prices have increased about 2.7 percent in each of the last three years. But a jump of between 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent is expected this year before retreating a bit to between 3 percent and

Massachusetts state fleet goes plug-in

Green Car Congress, a widely-read environmental-vehicle blog, has revealed details around a new pilot program in Massachusetts that could serve as an example to other state-owned vehicle fleets. According to the post, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts “will introduce plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology into the state vehicle fleet.”  The current plan involves retrofitting 10 gasoline hybrids, ranging from sedans to SUVs, and turning them into plug-in vehicles. The post reports that “the conversions are expected to cost $8,000 to $10,000 per vehicle.”

The announcement was made by Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles at the AltWheels event. Bowles stated that he would be trading in his current state car- a 2003 Ford Taurus- for one of the PHEV automobiles. The conversion contract is expected to be granted to A123Systems through the public procurement process. The post reports that “a request for proposals will be released this fall.”

Nanotech paint heats buildings

A recent post from top environmental blog TreeHugger contains some incredible new findings from the world of nano-technology. The post declared that “as far as alternative energy schemes go, this one almost sounds too good to be true.” According to TreeHugger, a company called Industrial Nanotech has just unveiled its nanotech-based line of thermal insulating paint called Nansulate. The post stated that “Nansulate, which-when properly applied inside of a structure’s walls- promises to effectively generate electricity.”

The product has been designed for use as a temperature differential between the interior and exterior of the building to produce “a near constant supply of energy.” The post quotes Industrial Nanotech CEO Stuart Burchilll explaining the rationale behind the product “there is almost always, day or night and anywhere in the world, a difference between temperature inside a building and outside a building that gives us an almost constant source of energy generation to tap into.” While the post was sure to emphasize that there are no guarantees that the product will be commercially viable, it has a dramatic amount of potential. “It could be a big step forward in alternative energy production. We’ll be eager to see the results.”

4 percent in 2008.” Recently, the price of ethanol has dropped by as much as 30%.

Ford pairs with MIT on new technology

The latest post from widely-read environmental vehicle blog AutoBlogGreen has revealed details surrounding the latest partnership between Ford Motor Company and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to the post, “Ford and MIT, two big players that already have an ongoing research alliance, announced a new partnership today that focuses on ‘new powertrain, fuel and energy technologies to deliver sustainable transportation for consumers.” Fiord is the first sustaining member of the MITEI Group, which stands for MIT Energy Initiative.

The post quoted MIT President Susan Hockfield stating that “Ford and MIT have a long and productive history of working together to meet critical national needs through research,” she continued, “this expansion of the Ford-MIT Alliance will pair innovators at Ford and MIT to help meet the world's energy challenges. We are excited about Ford's support for the MIT Energy Initiative and its key role as the Initiative's first Sustaining Member.” Some of the research projects being sponsored by MITEI include crowd-farming, a DIY Segway, and an electric Porsche 914. There was no word on the actual dollar amount of Ford’s contribution to the program.

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