Jim McNerney, Boeing Chief Executive said, ”We will identify upside to that when they prove the three per month. We’re highly confident they will.”

Commercial production has accelerated as Boeing commercial orders have grown rapidly, including the Dreamliner.  The Dreamliner is lightweight carbon-composite airplane that came to market in 2011 after three years of delays.

The total production rate target per month is 10 Dreamliners, three assembled in the Boeing factory in Charleston, South Carolina. The other seven Dreamliners to be assembled at the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington.

Southwest Airlines, anticipating the 20% more energy-efficient Dreamliner, will be the first operators of the plane. Boeing has  already taken more than 1,000 orders.

“I’m pleased with the order uptake. It’s a little bit better than we had originally projected,” McNerney said. “And we’re just going through the normal process of converting commitments.”

South Carolina manufacturing industries is home to Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace and defense company. Boeing is headquartered in Chicago, IL and also has a factory in Washington.

Environmental Benefits:

The Dreamliner was designed to further advance energy efficiency. According to Boeing, manufacturing a one-piece fuselage section for the Dreamliner eliminated 1,500 aluminum sheets and 40,000 – 50,000 fasteners. Plus the Dreamliner is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes.

The 787 is made  primarily of carbon fiber composite material, which means the manufacturing process produces less scrap material and waste. The Dreamliner is also manufactured using fewer hazardous materials. The aircrafter consumer less fuel and produces fewer emissions. The materials used for the 787 are recyclable.

The interior of the Dreamliner will have an improved environment, including higher humidity levels. The planes will be able to see 210- 250 passengers on routes of 7,650 to 8,2000 nautical miles and 250-290 passengers on routes of 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles.

Sources:

By March, sales nationwide, increased 12.7%, which formalized the quarter as the most successful in auto sales since 2008.  Fuel efficient vehicles provide more gas mileage and cost savings than the average vehicle. Today, fuel efficient vehicles ]like Toyota Prius, selling cars at $19K, fuel efficient vehicles are more affordable than ever.

President Obama has endorsed the green movement in the automobile industry as the real solution to America’a energy crisis – Families can save up to $8,000 annually, if they can replenish their vehicles ever two weeks instead of every week.  Reliance on foreign oil suppliers would being to diminish and there will be less competition for fossil fuels.

Automotive manufacturing companies are innovating technology everyday to make more fuel efficient vehicles below is a list of best gas mileage vehicles in the U.S.

1. Toyota Prius

2. Honda Civic Hybrid

3. Lexus CT 200h- Honda Insight

4. Toyota Camry Hybrid

5. Ford Fusion Hybrid – Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

6. Honda CR-Z – Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

7. Smart for Two

8. Volkswagen Jetta TDI, Golf TDI, Passat TDI – Audi A3

9. Chevrolet Cruze Eco – Kia Rio – Hyundai Accent – Lexus HS 250h

10. Hyundai Elanta – Ford Fiesta – Chevrolet Sonic -Nissan Versa – Fiat 500 – Toyota Yaris – Hyundai Veloster – Mazda 3 iTouring – Ford Focus

Source: Super Car

Source: Empowered News

Two thirds of the U.S. greenhouse emissions comes from the productions of power and heat

40% from generating electricity and 26% from generating heat.

One-third (65,000 megawatts) would come from waste energy recovery, which is 100% clean, fossil-fuel free energy

Two-thirds (135,000 megawatts) would come from CHP – That’s 200,000 megawatts of clean power.

Energy recycling can save billions! In the United States alone, recycling energy is an estimated $70-150 billion a year on energy costs by generating heat and power more efficiently. The facilities that undertake such projects are generally able to cut their energy expenses by about 20%.

And recycling energy is efficient – Most U.S. power plants are only 33% efficient. The typical plant throws out two of every three units of energy, largely in the form of waste heat. This (in)efficiency rate has not changed since the 1950s.

Cogeneration plants — also known as combined heat and power (CHP) — recycles the waste heat into clean electricity and useful steam. Cogeneration plants are at least 67% efficient and often 80-90% efficient.

Source: Recycled Energy Department

What is fracking? Fracking is the process that drilling companies goes through in order to release natural gas from Shale rock formations.  The production of natural gas from shale formations is more accessible because of advances in fracking technology. The advances in the technology make fracking for shale  easier and more accessible to access natural gas.  Natural gas is by far the cleanest burning fossil fuel and releases the least amount of carbon emissions into the air compared to other fossil fuels, coal and oil.

Natural gas has many residential, commercial and industrial uses.  See below:

• Residential uses: Stove cooktops, dryers and home heating
• Commercial uses: Heating and cooling offices, schools and hospitals
• Industrial uses: Preheating metals, glass melting and food processing
• Power generation: Operation of gas turbines to create electricity
• Transportation fuel: Transit buses, trucks, vans and passenger cars

There are many uses for natural gas, and new technologies are being developed to discover more ways to benefit from its abundance. Increased production of natural gas creates economies and could potentially create new economies in previously devastated domestic cities.

According to the National Petroleum Council, “The natural gas and oil industry is vital to the U.S. economy, generating millions of high-paying jobs and providing tax revenues to federal, state, and local governments.”

With America’s $14 trillion national debt it is important to support industries that contributes significantly toward U.S. deficit reduction goals. The oil and natural gas industry pays the federal government approximately $86 million a day—or about $31 billion a year—in rents, royalties, bonuses, lease payments and corporate taxes.

The oil and gas industry contributed an estimated $470 billion to the U.S. economy in spending, wages and dividends—an economic stimulus that occurs every year without an act of Congress.

Over the last few years BMW has maintained a steady growth. In 2008, BMW made an announcement that it would invest over $170 million in the South Carolina plant, which would create 500 new jobs adding to its 7,000 person staff. Overall the company provides more than 23,000 jobs in the South Carolina manufacturing plant and has created over $1.2 billion in income and wages.  BMW is forecasting a production of up-to 240,000 units this year and the potential to hire 100 more employees.

In the Midwest, GM decided to invest $129 million in its power train plants located in Ohio and Indiana.  Despite a shaky economy, the auto industry is staying in there.  GM’s plans were built to produce specific transmission models that utilize eAssist fuel-saving technology for Buick and Chevrolet.  The new GM plants are apart of GM’s “bigger picture,” which involves a $2 billion investment to create new jobs in eight different states over 15 total facilities.

Energy Education tweeted, “You don’t have to believe in climate change to solve it,” says Lovins. “Everything we do to raise energy efficiency will make money, improve security and health, and stabilize climate.” “will make money, improve security & health & stabilize climate” – Amory Lovins.

Some people are still not convinced that global warming exists, which you don’t necessarily need to believe in global warmer to conserve energy. However, this story about a traffic jam that was a 10-day parking lot, might help you realize the severity of increased population and its relationship to energy usage.

Two billion more people will live on this Earth by the year 2050. Last August, outside of Beijing, China, a traffic jam stretched more than 6o miles at 2 miles per day speeds. The traffic jam took 10-days to clean up. China is the world’s biggest car market. In Beijing alone, a city of 20 million, the total number of vehicles is expected to hit 7 million by 2015. the city’s roads can accommodate 6.7 million vehicles.

As our population continues to grow, the more important the way we use energy will be. Can you imagine the amount of pollutions that two billion more people will make by the year 2050? If we take the right steps now, and if energy policies continue to push residential and commercial buildings to conserve energy, we might be able to get there.

Source: The Hindu

Environmental groups, local officials, public health experts and tens of thousands of residents have questioned the motives of the oil and gas industry – worried about the side effects, the environment, and the economy.  Pennsylvania Fracking has regular updates on the fracking industry as a whole and what it means for the state of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is rich with Marcellus Shale, and is one of the largest regions in the United States to provide natural gas from Marcellus Shale. The bill could help bring in over $1 billion in revenue over the next 5 years, according to Republican State Senator, Joe Scarnati. The money from the tax would spread across drilling communities to ensure safety and to build better state infrastructures. The bill would also enforce strict rules on Marcellus Shale drilling companies.

The Impact fee is an annual cost that would pay to prevent or fix any environmental damage from the production of natural gas.  60% of the fee would be used on the local level, 40% of the fee would be used on state level.

Source: Pennsylvania Fracking

“Hydraulic fracturing is critical to our nation’s energy and economic future,” said API President and CEO Jack Gerard. “The U.S. has the second-largest known reserves of natural gas in the world, and the oil and natural gas industry is leading the way in safely developing these resources in a way that is creating jobs, providing greatly needed government revenues, and increasing our energy security.”

With this economy Shale drilling enthusiast look at the numbers, 600,000 jobs and nearly 70 percent of our domestic natural gas development due to the latest technologies applied by hydraulic fracturing.   Pennsylvania alone could support 156,000 jobs and generate $12.8 billion in economic activity. Energy from Shale provides up-to-date information about the fracking economy.

Workshops are planned in: Little Rock, Ark.; Raleigh, N.C.; Annapolis, Md.; Trenton, N.J.; Charleston, W.Va.; Columbus, Ohio; Lansing, Mich.; Albany, N.Y.; Fort Worth, Texas; Oklahoma City; San Antonio; Denver; Bismarck, N.D.; Billings, Mont.; and Cheyenne, Wyo

Sources: Fracking Workshop

Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is the process that is used to extract natural gas from shale rock. This gas is trapped underneath layers and layers of rock. A large drill must be inserted into the rock to get to the trapped gas. Then high-pressured water and chemicals are pushed into the space where the gas is causing it to rise. After the gas is captured the chemicals are then removed and taken to a disposal plant.

What chemicals are used in fracking?

Benzene, metaldyne, boric acid, ethanol and methanol are just a few of the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. While these chemicals can be harmful to the environment and people, the system that has been put in place by regulators makes the fracking process safe. Many people are worried about the possibility of the chemical leaking into their water supply, however, the regulations that have been put in place are there to protect the surrounding water supply and keep people safe.

What is fracking for natural gas?

By using the hydraulic fracturing system described above, natural gas is extracted from shale rock. It is estimated that around 84 trillion cubic feet of gas is undiscovered in the U.S. alone. This amount could potentially make the U.S. independent from foreign energy.