For the first time ever, the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) and Eurofuel (European Heating Oil Association) hosted a virtual conference on liquid heating fuels in a carbon constrained world. Click here for more.
NORA President, John Huber, spoke with Eurofuel about the necessity of low-carbon liquid fuels in the U.S. and the joint conference on the Future of Liquid Fuels that NORA is hosting with Eurofuel on consecutive Wednesdays starting August 19.
What role can low carbon fuels play in climate protection?
The economic activity of a high percentage of our economy is linked to carbon fuels. Heat, electricity and transportation represent almost 46% of carbon emissions. If we do not address fuels, we are essentially not addressing global warming which is not an acceptable answer. Thus, we must have lower carbon fuels. As an industry that supplies liquid fuels we must supply the right low-carbon answer or we are essentially conceding the battle.
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The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) held its second Oilheat Technical Workshop on September 18th -19th in Newport, RI. The workshop was held in partnership with the Southern New England Energy Conference. John Huber, NORA President, kicked-off the program describing the workshop’s goals as providing information on the progress of NORA R&D programs and to explore new ideas in an open forum.
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The proposed 2018 and 2019 biennial Budget for the National Oilheat Research Alliance has been under development for several months.
The NORA Finance Committee, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors have reviewed the budget and it is now being released for public comment. At the conclusion of the public comment period, the budget will be forwarded to the Department of Energy.
The 2018 and 2010 budget continues the 2014 changes in the NORA statute and emphasizes research and development, and adds and energy efficiency component. Additionally, the budget continues to emphasize the close working relationships with the state associations.Download the Proposed 21018-2019 NORA budget here.
In 2016, the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), in collaboration with the New York Oil Heating Association (NYOHA) and Oil Heat Comfort Corp., opened a research and training facility the—NORA Research & Education Center, in Plainview, NY, under the direction of Dr. Thomas Butcher.
Indoor Comfort Marketing’s publisher, Don Farrell, spoke to Dr. Butcher about the lab, its funding, its staffing, its projects and its goals.
Don Farrell: What is the official name of the research center and what is its mission?
Tom Butcher: The official name is NORA Research & Education Center. The mission of the research part is to support the development of advanced technologies that lead to improved efficiency, increased integration of renewable fuels and enhanced reliability of liquid fuels heating systems. Liquid fuels are traditional petroleum-based fuels and also biofuels such as biodiesel and other wood-derived liquid fuels.
The Department of Energy has released its latest edition of its Biodiesel Handling and Use Guide. This guide is for those who blend, distribute and use biodiesel and biodiesel blends. It provides information on the proper and safe use of biodiesel blends in heating systems and engines. It is intended to help fleets, individual users, blenders, distributors, and those involved handling biodiesel understand the procedures for handling and using biodiesel fuels.
The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) has added four new online video courses to its online training center at Learning.NORAweb.org. Each course offers two continuing education units (CEU credits) that can be applied to renew or upgrade a NORA’s Oilheat Technician Certification.