theWatt Podcast 76

4th International Workshop on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells - WICaC 2008 that is being organizing by Cristiano and his colleagues and will be held from September 22nd to 24th in Brazil (www.ifi.unicamp.br/ceneh/WICaC2008).

Recent Transcript Live GM Brazil Chat:

Speaker: Jaime Ardila, President of GM Brazil

http://www.gmnext.com/Details/LiveChat.aspx@id=91163a5d-f5d9-48ca-8d9d-c...

I made some comments under the username: spilditch.

Brazil Show minute pointers:

1.30 - 2.20 Intro
2.20 - 5.30 Hydrogen & Fuels Projects
5.30 - 9.44 Dam Power
9.44 - 12.40 Brazil Energy shortages (1999 -2000), blackouts & electric showers
14.27 - 25.00 Ethanol in Brazil
24.55 - 35.00 Energy Mix in Brazil
34.40 - 44.45 Rain Forest in Brazil
Minute 44.16 Cristiano Quote
"I always say Brazil is blessed by nature"
44.45 - End --- Final Conclusions.

Some website Links:

Electric Showers -

http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/tiempo/newswatch/feature060520.htm

Quote from Website:

"In Brazil, electric showers are the main way of heating water in the residential market. According to the federal electric company, Eletrobras, electric showers are installed in more than 67 per cent of homes, and account for between six and eight per cent of Brazil’s total electricity consumption. It only costs around US$10 to install an electric shower heater in a home, but this then necessitates an investment of around US$900 in electricity generation and distribution. One reason for this expense is that water heaters are used primarily during peak hours, and this affects generation capacity requirements and transmission and distribution infrastructure. The use of electric showers is responsible for more than 18 per cent of Brazil’s national electricity demand during peak hours."

Dam : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itaipu

This ties in with show 78 on HVDC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HVDC_Itaipu

See page 2 & 10 of this report about HVDC and Itaipu: www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/em/transmission/technology_abb.pdf

Quote from World Bank PDF:

"• In Itaipu, Brazil, HVDC was chosen to supply 50Hz power into a 60 Hz system; and to
economically transmit large amount of hydro power (6300 MW) over large distances (800
km) "

Ethanol Brazil: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=6817

Brazil rainforest: http://www.mongabay.com/external/brazil_top_C02_polluter.htm