A television advertisement and a website present an interesting question: can rail company CSX "really" move a ton of freight 468 miles on a gallon of fuel, or is the claim preposterous? Let us examine the claim, first by understanding what is meant, looking at their data, and then converting units to examine the claim quantitatively.

In general terms there are only three primary energy sources: fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear fission. For fueling road transportation, there has been much speculation about the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier, which would usher in the "hydrogen economy." A parallel situation would use a simple battery to store electricity…

As Australia enters the era of emissions trading schemes, strategies to further curb emissions will grow in importance. At the same time, a national emissions trading scheme is set to be introduced whilst the country is set to increase its dependency and volume of road transport in years to come. This raises a doubly important question for…

Biomass provides the only sustainable source of organic carbon for the production of chemicals used in manufacturing and as liquid transportation fuels. In this article, the authors examine some of the challenges that society faces in the transition from a global economy in which transportation fuels are derived from fossil fuels to one in which…

A consulting contract with the California Air Resources Board led to a project examining how California drivers' and fleet managers' perceptions, attitudes, and consumer behavior regarding Clean Vehicle Technologies influenced their own energy choices when it came to purchasing vehicles. The consultants examined archival research, conducted focus…

The primary question posed in this study is whether premium or regular gasoline is more cost effective for the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) bus fleet, as a whole, when miles-per-gallon, cost-per-gallon, and repair costs associated with mileage are considered. On average, both miles-per-gallon, and repair costs-per-mile favor premium…

Proposes that human comfort could be provided in otherwise chilly surroundings by filling the occupied space with electromagnetic energy of cm wavelength. Considerable energy savings could be realized from the resultant ability to lower interior temperatures and maintain comfort in the building. (Author/RE)

Reports on a northern Illinois school bus fleet converted to propane fuel in 1981 and 1982. Includes tables showing, first, total annual fuel costs before and after conversion and, second, fuel efficiency for 16 buses using propane and three using gasoline. Notes precautions for propane use. (MCG)

As the first step in a district energy conservation program, the Blair (Nebraska) Community School District installed a load programmer in 1980 to control power usage in the 144,000 square foot junior-senior high school. The cost of the load programmer was less that $8,500, including installation, and during the initial year of operation, the…

The energy required to build and install solar space- and water-heating equipment is compared to the energy saved under two solar growth paths corresponding to high and low rates of solar technology implementation. (Author/RE)

Based upon an engineering and statistical analysis of energy use on community and two-year college campuses, a simple model for describing energy use is introduced and applied to data from 80 campuses to determine average values for the parameters of the model. These values indicate that the use of energy does not depend on the type of heating…

Explores the position that more energy is conserved through recycling secondary materials than is generated from municipal solid waste incineration. Discusses one component of a lifecycle analysis--a comparison of energy requirements for manufacturing competing products. Includes methodological issues, energy cost estimates, and difficulties…

The Institutional Conservation Program (ICP) is a voluntary grant program designed to help such non-profit institutions as schools, hospitals, local governments, and public care facilities save energy and reduce anticipated energy-related costs. Another primary ICP goal is to conserve oil, thereby reducing the nation's dependence on imported…

This report is based on the Alberta Education Energy Conservation Project - Phase II. The project was a follow-up to an earlier study, extending from June 1980 to June 1983, in which government funding and engineering manpower were used to conduct an energy management program in 52 selected pilot schools in 5 areas of the province. The report…

Reducing educational services, including community education, does not appear to be an effective method of reducing energy consumption. Increasing efficiency in existing services reduces energy consumption more effectively. (Author/MLF)