This is only a preview of the September 2006 issue of Silicon Chip. You can view 36 of the 112 pages in the full issue, including the advertisments. For full access, purchase the issue for $10.00 or subscribe for access to the latest issues. Articles in this series:
Articles in this series:
Items relevant to "The Galactic Voice":
Items relevant to "Aquarium Temperature Alarm":
Items relevant to "S-Video To Composite Video Converter":
Purchase a printed copy of this issue for $10.00. |
SILICON
CHIP
www.siliconchip.com.au
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Editor
Peter Smith
Technical Staff
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Ross Tester
Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO
Reader Services
Ann Jenkinson
Advertising Enquiries
Glyn Smith
Phone (02) 9939 3295
Mobile 0431 792 293
glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au
Regular Contributors
Brendan Akhurst
Rodney Champness, VK3UG
Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed,
Grad.Dip.Jnl
Kevin Poulter
Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK
Stan Swan
SILICON CHIP is published 12 times
a year by Silicon Chip Publications
Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49
003 205 490 All material copyright
©. No part of this publication may
be reproduced without the written
consent of the publisher.
Printing: Hannanprint, Noble Park,
Victoria.
Distribution: Network Distribution
Company.
Subscription rates: $83.00 per
year in Australia. For overseas
rates, see the subscription page in
this issue.
Editorial office: Unit 1, 234 Harbord
Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100.
Postal address: PO Box 139,
Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097.
Phone (02) 9939 3295.
Fax (02) 9939 2648.
E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au
ISSN 1030-2662
* Recommended and maximum price only.
2 Silicon Chip
Publisher’s Letter
Australia’s energy policies should
rely heavily on natural gas
The recent rise in the cost of petrol and diesel
shows just how exposed Australia is to the world
price for oil. Oil and petrol imports are surging as
Australia’s local oil fields dry up. The latest figures
indicate that the nation’s crude oil production has
dropped by 44%, to the point where we are now
producing 60-65% of what we consume. Predictably,
there are screams from all affected users, asking for
the excise to be reduced, for subsidies to promote
the use of ethanol or LPG and so on. All of which
ignores the fact that Australian petrol is about the
fourth cheapest among developed nations.
In truth, this problem has been coming for a long time and will only continue
to get much worse as nations like China and India ramp up their economic
development and their consumption of energy. So what should we do to cope
with the rising cost of petrol? Most people are already doing it – using their cars
less or buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. This is the market economy in
action! Hybrid (petrol or diesel + electric) vehicles don’t really come into the
picture for most people because they are simply too expensive compared to their
petrol-driven equivalents.
Clearly, the Federal government’s plan to subsidise the cost of LPG conversions
for cars will do very little. Even if 50,000 drivers a year were able to convert to
LPG, it would still only benefit a minority of motorists. LPG (liquefied petroleum
gas) is also a limited resource, as it is a byproduct of oil refining. In the short
term, most drivers are going to have to bear the pain of paying more.
In the long term, the solution to Australia’s road transport fuel costs is the
same as for our electricity generation – a move to natural gas. We have enormous
reserves of natural gas and rather than selling it all to China, Japan, etc, we
should be using more of it at home. Apart from its greatly reduced cost, natural
gas-powered vehicles have almost the same fuel efficiency as for petrol and
diesel. Nor is the conversion to CNG (compressed natural gas) much different to
that for LPG. In fact CNG-powered vehicles are already available in the USA. If
the USA can do it, why can’t we? In fact, some CNG-powered buses have been
used in Australia since 1994.
Another advantage for CNG is that it can be easily made available throughout
the major cities of Australia – the pipelines are already in place. All the government has to do is to mandate that all vehicles sold in the future must have the
option of being powered by CNG.
Clearly, while most people want to escape the prospect of higher petrol prices,
there is no ready and cheap alternative, whether it is electric, hybrid, more public transport or whatever. In the long run, there is a fair chance that your future
vehicle will be CNG-powered.
Entries for Technology Awards closing soon
Entries for the above awards (see page 89) will close very soon, so if you or
your school or university are thinking of entering, time is running out. In fact
we are extending the deadline by two weeks to October 16th. The winners will
be announced in the December 2006 issue. Entry requirements are as follows:
(1) A description of the project in no more than 1000 words.
(2) Full circuit and wiring diagrams, performance plots, etc.
(3) Good quality photographs to show all visual aspects of the project.
(4) Details of software.
Get your entries in now! You or your school could be the winners!
Leo Simpson
siliconchip.com.au
|