Mitsubishi Materials Corp, Electric Power Development Co, or J-Power, Nittetsu Mining Co Ltd and Kyushu Electric Power Co are stepping up efforts with the help of Tokyo to make more geothermal power stations.

Why not? Japan has more than its share of active volcanoes. And Japan needs a home grown source of energy. What’s more, geothermal power plants emit far less CO2.

Mitsubishi and J-Power will dumb Y40billon ($420m) to construct a georthermal power plant in Yuzawa in Akita. The facility will tap hot water and steam around 2000 meters below the surface by 2016.

Japan’s METI has set up a group to figure out how to help these companies to their thing, including financial support.

In the 70’s – think oil crisis – geothermal plants got a hot spurt, but nuclear power stations won out.

Japan has 18 geothermal plants that account for about 0.2% of electicity in the country. Japan!? Can you say Iceland?

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I probably should have studied harder when I was in science class, but I seem to remember that all plants thrive on CO2. Even so, Ota Florticulture Auction Co., which is Japan’s largest flower wholesaler, is planning to market a series of arrangements made up of potted plants that gobble up large amounts of CO2.

There’s always someone wanting to capitalize on the green movement, why not a flower company, too? Ota will market carbon offset plants for homes and offices that come in pots that combine six kinds of plants such as the orchids and cacti, even at night and the company says each plant arrangement will trap 4-10kg of CO2 gas each year.

The price for having someone buy a plant to do what the plant would do anyway is going to be ¥8,000-40,000 ($85-$425). Watch for the plants to come on sale by Thanksgiving. – via Nikkei (sub needed)

Images by Rosberond, cobalt123

Neste Oil will invest about $1 billion to build a new biomass-to-liquid diesel plant in Rotterdam, Netherlands that will manufacture NExBTL renewable diesel fuel. The goal, 800,000 tons per year by 2011. Palm oil, rapeseed oil and animal fats will be mixed to make a high-quality diesel fuel.

Neste already has two such plants, though smaller, in Finland and Singapore.

(GreenPeace demonstration against Neste Oil diesel containing palm oil: rainforest destruction and climate change in diesel tank)

NExBTL fuel is supposed to reduce total life cycle C02 emissions by 40-60% as compared to regular diesel fuel. The company is also researching the use of non-food vegetable oils, wood waste and algae to make diesel fuel.

“Where do you buy gasoline, Alex?”

“I buy mine at the Piggly Wiggly Gas Mart, Bill. How about you?”

“My car runs on buffalo chips.”

Sooner or later, we are going to figure out how to make replenishable fuels without cutting into the food supply. It’s just a matter of time.

[Source: Neste Oil]

Image by Greenpeace Finland