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| South Shore Clean Cities Newsletter |
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| Late Fall Edition | November 2011 |
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Greetings! With the extreme weather hitting the northeast last week, South Shore Clean Cities wants to remind you not only to drive safe this winter season but to emphasize one of the DOE Clean Cities' goals: to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Last week, the Associated Press featured an article based on a report by the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report stated that extreme weather events (rain, drought, monsoons, and heat waves) will become more common and that it is a "2-in-3 probability that climate extremes have already worsened because of man-made greenhouse gases." We are not immune to these freak weather events in Indiana: from the 2008 floods in central Indiana to the February 1st snowstorm last year that was the 3rd worst snowstorm in history to hit nearby Chicago. Although the IPCC says that the snowstorm last week is not due to climate change, we must all work together today to reduce our oil consumption and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions in order to make for a more stable tomorrow. Sincerely, Carl Lisek
219-644-3690
  
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2011 Electric Vehicle & Infrastructure Workshop a Success!
On October 19th, South Shore Clean Cities, along with NIPSCO, IBEW, and the Indiana Office of Energy Development hosted the 2011 Electric Vehicle & Infrastructure Workshop.
Over 100 attendees learned of NIPSCO's $3 million, 3-year pilot EV program that will allow the first 250 homeowners that want a home charging station
to receive it for free. The homeowners will also be able to charge their vehicle for free between the hours of 10pm - 6am.
Other event highlights included news of a new charging station that was recently installed at a shopping center in Aurora, IL by the Eaton Company, and Congressman Pete Visclosky who said "Green jobs need to be U.S. jobs." The congressman went on to explain three key reasons to promote electric vehicles. First, it is important to our national security to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Secondly, zero emissions electric vehicles will help protect the environment. Third, it will put people to work. |
| A Record September in Biodiesel Production
According to the EPA 119 million gallons of biomass based diesel were sold in the U.S. in September, shattering past records, with 95% of the fuel being biodiesel. September is the 6th consecutive month that has broken the previous record, with September having an 8% increase over the previous record of August's 110 million gallons.
Through September, biodiesel sales have totaled 686 million gallons. The Renewable Fuel Standard has mandated 800 million gallons of biodiesel to be sold in 2011, and 1 billion sold in 2012. With all of these breaking records, we can't help but think we'll fly by 2011 and 2012's mandates. |
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New Vehicle Cost Calculator Tool
A new tool from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Vehicle Cost Calculator uses basic information about your driving habits to calculate total cost of ownership and emissions for makes and models of most vehicles, including alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.
It is a high-level screening tool that compares the ownership costs and greenhouse gas emissions among alternative fuel vehicles, advanced technology vehicles, and conventional vehicles currently on the market.
A user selects vehicles to compare by model year, make, and model. For each vehicle selected, the calculator retrieves the city and highway fuel economy from the database licensed from fueleconomy.gov with data sourced from Edmunds. For most vehicles, a range of prices is possible depending on what options the buyer selects. For these vehicles, we present the possible low and high prices, and use the low price as the default value. The user may override the default price to better reflect the particular model of choice. For some models, a single price is available.
As each vehicle is selected, the fuel type and price is shown below the selected vehicles. The prices are based on a national average, as reported in the quarterly Alternative Fuel Price Report. The user may change the fuel price to reflect local prices.
To accurately calculate fuel costs for selected vehicles it is important to know how a user drives and how much of the vehicle's total mileage is driven using each fuel type. This is especially important for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which operate using both gasoline and electricity from the grid. The default values provided in this section are derived from U.S. averages reported by the Summary of Travel Trends, 2001 National Household Transportation Survey. The user may tailor this information to his or her situation by modifying the supplied values
Try out the Vehicle Cost Calculator by visiting: www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/calc/.
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Biodiesel's Success in Alabama
By Mark Bentley
Over 100 years ago Rudolph Diesel introduced Biodiesel at the New York Worlds Fair.
Today we pay foreign countries over $1 Billion dollars a day to buy their petroleum. Biodiesel is a domestically produced alternative fuel that is clean burning and has the highest energy balance of any transportation fuel!
Let's create biodiesel production jobs in the USA and help our farmers. Isn't it time we began using this readily available alternative transportation fuel in our diesel vehicles?
See how 3 organizations in Alabama are using B20 biodiesel successfully in their municipal, school bus and utility fleets. Watch our recently produced Biodiesel Video by clicking HERE to go to YouTube.com/ALCleanFuels channel. |
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Deep-Fried Turkey can Fuel your Truck
Thinking of deep-frying your turkey this holiday season? If so, don't let all of that oil go to waste; make your own biodiesel. Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine, emits 50-70% less pollutants, and improves your engine by providing adequate lubricity.
Biodiesel is relatively easy to make from any oil.  You only needs 3 ingredients: Vegetable oil, 100% Lye that is found in Drain Opener, and methanol that is found in Heet. Biodiesel from vegetable oil is gallon for gallon, so be prepared to store the biodiesel you make in a cool, dry, dark environment. Acceptable storage tank materials include aluminum, steel, plastic, and teflon. Copper, brass, lead, tin, and zinc should be avoided. (Source: Biodiesel.org)
For directions on how to make biodiesel in your own garage, please watch this video. |
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