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October, 2011:

Lockheed Stratoliner: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s both… and pollution free too

http://www.terminalu.com/travel-news/lockheed-stratoliner-is-it-a-bird-is-it-a-plane-it%e2%80%99s-both-and-pollution-free-too/16888/

Description: Lockheed Stratoliner: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s both... and pollution free too

Photo: William Brown/courtesy of Tuvie

A British designer has shared a concept for a hydrogen-powered commercial jet that can fly any distance non-stop, after taking inspiration from a bird that makes the longest non-stop migratory flight in the world.

Description: The Lockheed Stratoliner concept aircraft and its bird-like design is based on the bar-tailed Godwit

The concept plane’s wings are inspired by the Bar-tailed Godwit – birds known to fly the longest routes without feeding or drinking.

The Lockheed Stratoliner concept aircraft and its bird-like design is based on the Bar-tailed Godwit: a long-billed wading bird that makes the 11,500km (7,145 mile) journey from its breeding ground in Alaska to New Zealand without the need to feed or drink.

Designer, William Brown says the Stratoliner’s oversized wings would generate large amounts of lift and allow the plane to fly at higher altitudes. It would be powered by four Cryogenic Hydrogen Turbofan engines, which would produce no pollution and use less fuel.

Brown’s work was unveiled on ‘Tuvie’ – a website that encourages users to submit a futuristic design or concept for publication.

Description: Lockhead stratosphere bird plane

Lockheed Stratoliner fact box: Click image to enlarge

The beaked concept plane may be impractical but it pushes the envelope of what passenger air travel could be like in future and how planes might be powered, as the airline industry continues to develop greener alternatives to fossil fuels.

In reality, research so far has shown that hydrogen – once seen as a potential super fuel for powering tomorrow’s passenger jets – has not proven itself to be any greener than other energy sources. Scientists also point to the high energy costs to produce the highly flammable fuel.

Description: http://www.terminalu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/829279-lockheed-stratoliner.jpg

Photo: William Brown/courtesy of Tuvie

Hydrogen-powered planes

In 2000, Airbus was involved in a European Union funded Cryoplane Project to assess the feasibility of hydrogen, in a bid to develop a zero carbon-emissions aircraft of the future.

Researchers found that planes would require fuel tanks four times larger than today’s to run the fuel, which would increase energy consumption by up to 14 percent and operating costs by 4 to 5 percent. Experts say other challenges include the ability to produce hydrogen in large enough volumes to fuel the airline industry and in an environmentally friendly way.

The airline industry has changed its focus to developing a sustainable supply chain for aviation biofuels and continues to press ahead with tests for fuels powered by algae, jatropha and camelina crops individually or blended with regular jet fuel (kerosene).

In June, KLM launched the world’s first scheduled biofueled flight, which flew 171 passengers between Amsterdam and Paris using kerosene mixed with recycled cooking oil.

While Boeing continues to research the potential of liquid hydrogen for unmanned aircraft. The plane maker expects to fly its Phantom Eye unmanned aircraft – which will be fully fuelled with liquid hydrogen – by early November. The flight is expected to demonstrate the aircraft’s capability of flying at 65,000 feet for four days without refuelling.

Franchises of New World First Bus Services Limited, Long Win Bus Company Limited and Citybus Limited (Franchise for Airport and North Lantau Bus Network)

The current franchises of New World First Bus Services Limited
(“NWFB”), Long Win Bus Company Limited (“LW”) and Citybus Limited
(“Citybus”) in respect of its franchise for the Airport and North Lantau bus
network (“Franchise 2”) are due to expire in 2013. The Administration plans
to start negotiation with NWFB, LW and Citybus (Franchise 2) in the fourth
quarter of this year for renewing their franchises to take effect immediately
upon the expiry of their existing franchises, in order to ensure the continuous
provision of proper and efficient public bus services for the travelling public.
This paper sets out the relevant information and invites views from the public
on the requirements of the new franchises

The current franchises of New World First Bus Services Limited(“NWFB”), Long Win Bus Company Limited (“LW”) and Citybus Limited(“Citybus”) in respect of its franchise for the Airport and North Lantau busnetwork (“Franchise 2”) are due to expire in 2013. The Administration plansto start negotiation with NWFB, LW and Citybus (Franchise 2) in the fourthquarter of this year for renewing their franchises to take effect immediatelyupon the expiry of their existing franchises, in order to ensure the continuousprovision of proper and efficient public bus services for the travelling public.This paper sets out the relevant information and invites views from the publicon the requirements of the new franchises

Download PDF : Paper_BusFranchise

Submission to the Consultation on the Renewal of the Franchises of New World First Bus Services Limited, Long Win Bus Company Limited and Citybus Limited (Franchise 2)

Download PDF : 110930Bus

WHO Air Quality Guidelines and their rationale

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2006/WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng.pdf

WHO Air Quality Guidelines and their rationale

Particulate matter

Guidelines

PM2.5: 10 μg/m3 annual mean

25 μg/m3 24-hour mean

PM10: 20 μg/m3 annual mean

50 μg/m3 24-hour mean

WHO Air quality guidelines for particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide

Download PDF : WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng

Donald Tsang – ‘HK air is not all that bad’

http://www.hkjournal.org/archive/2006_summer/tsang.html

CLEAR THE AIR SAYS : It’s now 5 years later – do you think that Hong Kong’s dreadful polluted air is ‘not all that bad’ or is Donald living elsewhere (in Cloud Cuckoo Land) ?

An Interview with Donald Tsang, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive  –     2006

Q. One thing that seems to of growing concern is bad air, the environment. Do you have plans to come to grips with this?

A. We have. In fact, the air is not all that bad. In fact, the air this year is better than it was last year, and last year was better than the year before. The air quality today is not inferior to Washington, DC, if I may say so. [Ed. note: By most measures, Hong Kong air is significantly more polluted than that of Los Angeles, which has the worst air quality of any major U.S. city.] But I’m really not complacent, and I know there is a lot of work to do. Not only in Hong Kong—in Hong Kong we have limitations on what we can do. We have now cleaned up our old vehicular fleet. We have two power stations to look at, and we have to make sure they are up to the mark.

But beyond that, it is all outside of Hong Kong. And on that we are working very hard with the mainland, particularly in Guandong Province. We have a joint plan—we are going to reduce all emissions by half by the year 2010. We are meeting that target. We are setting up monitoring centers in different parts of the Pearl River Delta—13 on the mainland and three, I think, in Hong Kong to monitor emission levels on a real time basis. And Guangdong has now put up a plan to turn Guangdong into a green province of China. They realize that a deteriorating air quality is an impediment to growth and economic prosperity. And I’m sure we can leverage that…and make sure we do even better than the goal we have already set. The goal we have set is not bad at all, but it doesn’t change things overnight.

Q. I understand that the [World Health Organization] is going to change its guidelines on air quality, and the gap will grow between the pollution levels of Hong Kong and what the WHO advises for health reasons.

A. Well, I’m sure we are going to meet whatever standards they put upBy Asian standards, we are not bad at all. We are better than Seoul, better than any of the mainland cities. I’m better than Taipei; I’m slightly behind Singapore, I’m behind Tokyo. I know about that and we work on that.

CTA Letter to the Panel on the Environment

Download full PDF : CTAletterPanelPM2.5