MORE NEWS, 4-12 (FOREIGN CARMAKERS TO BUILD A CHINA EV; IEA PREDICTS LESS OIL DEMAND; )

FOREIGN CARMAKERS TO BUILD A CHINA EV
Nissan, Renault to provide China with electric cars
Michael Wei (w/Ken Wills), April 10, 2009 (Reuters)

"Japan's Nissan Motor Co and France's Renault… will supply electric cars to China, the world's largest auto market…The Franco-Japanese alliance will provide…a comprehensive plan for marketing and for a battery-charging network, with the aim of selling electric vehicles to China in early 2011.

"Earlier this year, Beijing kicked off a pilot program to promote clean energy vehicles… in 13 cities, underlining government efforts to address issues such as environmental pollution and energy security…Wuhan, the capital city of central Hubei province, has been selected…by Nissan and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China…"

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"Two Chinese automakers have also sought to tap potential demand for clean energy cars. BYD Auto, a subsidiary of rechargeable battery maker BYD Co., launched its plug-in hybrid car F3DM in China late last year. And Chery Automobile rolled out its first self-developed electric car, the S18, in February."

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"Nissan said in February it aimed to expand its Chinese vehicle sales by 4.6 percent in 2009 in a market that has become one of the few remaining hopes for the embattled industry…The firm is expecting to sell 570,000 cars and light commercial vehicles this year in China, which accounted for about 15 percent of its global sales last year.

"Vehicle sales in China, which surpassed the United States in January to become the world's largest car market, climbed to a record in March…helped by government incentives to bolster demand in both urban and rural areas…"


IEA PREDICTS LESS OIL DEMAND
IEA lowers again its forecast for global oil demand
Polya Lesova, April 10, 2009 (MarketWatch)

"The International Energy Agency once again revised lower its forecast for 2009 global oil demand, saying that global appetite for oil will shrink at a pace close to levels last seen in the early 1980s.

"The Paris-based IEA… is cutting its demand projection by 1 million barrels a day after a reassessment of GDP assumptions and much lower-than-expected first-quarter demand data."

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"After the latest revision, global demand this year is now forecast at 83.4 million barrels a day, which is 2.4 million barrels a day below the 2008 level…

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"In the early 1980s, the United States suffered a severe recession. This year, the world economy is expected to contract by 1.4%, according to the IEA.

"Oil prices are currently trading near $50 a barrel as more bullish sentiment dominated the global markets in late March and early April…"


WAVE ENERGY IN THE LANDS OF SAND
Middle East hope for wave energy
April 8, 2009 (BBC News)

"A Devon [UK] inventor is hoping to make a commercial version of his wave energy machine in the Middle East…Alvin Smith…has had some "serious interest" from a number of Gulf countries…

"The Searaser machine works by using wave energy to pump water up to container tanks and the water is then released to a hydro-electric turbine…[Its advantage] over many other wave energy machines is that there is a controllable supply."

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"Former garage mechanic Mr Smith came up with the idea after developing a number of wave energy systems…He has now patented the Searaser which he believes, with 11,000 machines, could provide enough power for UK domestic needs."

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"The system has been tested…[H]e is now negotiating a contract to construct the first Searaser system in the Middle East, although talks are an early stage and he will not reveal the names of the interested countries.

"A question remains on getting planning permission to site many containers or water towers to feed the turbines, but Mr Smith says the potential of the system outweighs planning concerns…Alvin Smith says there is an "abundance of energy" that needs to be harnessed."