New Air Conditioner To Put Electricity Demand On Ice

A new air conditioning system that makes ice overnight using cheap-rate electricity may be key to cutting strain on China’s creaking power grid. The unit, to go on trial in Guangzhou, Guandong Province, uses ice it makes during the night to cool the air during the day. Called an Ice Storage Air Conditioner (ISAC), the […]

Red Alert in Indian Oil Numbers

Indian Oil has suffered its first-ever loss, its books scorched by the governmentThe Telegraph – Calcutta

Global Warming: How Hot, How Soon?

A broad scientific census says that Earth is already experiencing significant global warming. So how hot will it get, how soon, and to what effect? Some climate scientists warn that the pace of global warming could be much more rapid than that predicted even a few years ago. “Any time you get into projections, you […]

The Independents are Crucial to U.S. Oil Production, Says the Pioneer Chief Exec

“Independents will play an important role in providing the supply for continually growing worldwide energy demand,” says Pioneer chairman, Scott Sheffield, in the new World Energy magazine. Unlike the majors they are “able to profitably tackle smaller prospects and discoveries.” “The independents continue to discover new fields and extend existing fields to provide the United […]

China Gas Demand May Reach 200B Cubic Meters by 2020

China’s demand for natural gas is expected to reach 200 billion cubic meters by 2020, China Securities Journal reported Friday, citing an official from the National Development and Reform Commission. The portion of natural gas in the nation’s total demand for energy is expected to rise 6%-8% from 2006 to 2010, and the average annual […]

UNEP Head Responds to United States-Led Climate Initiative

Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), today welcomed a plan by the United States to work with Australia and Asian countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Hot Enough For You? June-July Top The All-Time Charts

This will come as little consolation for anybody who has steadfastly sworn that the sticky summer of 2005 has been the hottest ever: You’re right. With two days left in this month, it’s shaping up as the hottest June-July recorded in several eastern cities, according to data compiled by the Northeast Regional Climate Center at […]

BP shuts in 120,000 bpd North Sea oil output

Oil major BP shut in 120,000 barrels per day of crude oil output at its North Sea Schiehallion oilfield after a fire in staff facilities at the field, a BP spokeswoman said on Friday. BP shut in production and evacuated 49 non-essential staff from the Schiehallion facility after the fire broke out at around 0415 […]

Fears Over Future Energy Sources

The UK will soon import more gas and oil than it exports and delegates at the TUC conference will be warned the UK could be at the mercy of international events unless other resources are established. “The sources of gas and oil will be from some of the world’s most unstable countries where security of […]

Nearly all of Illinois declared drought disaster

The U.S. Agriculture Department on Wednesday declared virtually all of Illinois a disaster area eligible for low-interest loans because of crops withered by this summer’s drought. Only one county — Alexander County in the southernmost tip of the state — is not included in the disaster declaration.Yahoo

Riots, power cuts and Colin Campbell…Oilcast #20

Power cuts are now happening around the world. Have you noticed? Oilcast.com has, in China, the UK, California, New Zealand plus fuel riots in Yemen.
Also the market trades lightly around $60, Colin Campbell on the quarterly results from the majors, Thunderhorse will not produce in 2005, Iranian infection and plenty more…

Listen here

http://www.oilcast.com/

 

We can draw on historical experience regarding denial…

We can also draw on historical experience to anticipate which denial defenses we will adopt when, as will surely happen, we are confronted by our grandchildren demanding to know why we did so little when we knew so much.

We can expect to see denial of knowledge (

Oil Prices Surge After Refinery Blaze

Oil prices today rose to a two-week high after a fire at a BP refinery in the US renewed concern about tight supplies. The price of US light crude topped $60 (The Guardian

Green Buildings in NYC

Realistically, since most people in the Tri-State can use mass transit for most of their transportation, rising oil prices will most affect the NYC area first in home heating costs. Home heating oil prices have tripled since 1999 and so has natural gas. One advantage New Yorkers have is relatively smaller living spaces and more […]

Huge oil profits go for exploration

With oil trading near $60 a barrel, U.S. energy companies are reporting huge profits this week and heralding global searches for new supplies after years of investing in stock buybacks rather than oil stocks. But renewed exploration is tied to remote and risky areas of the world amid greater competition for those potential resources, energy […]

Shell’s Woes Mount as it Admits Cost Overruns and Delays

FURTHER delays and soaring expenditure in big energy projects emerged at Royal Dutch Shell yesterday when the company admitted that the start-up of Bonga, a giant offshore Nigerian oilfield, had been pushed back until late this year. The billion barrel oilfield was expected to start producing in the summer but Peter Voser, ShellTimes Online

Blast Reported at BP Plant

Firefighters are responding to what may have been an explosion and a fire at BPs Texas City refinery this afternoon. BP spokesman Hugh Depland said fire engines are responding to an incident at the plant and were believed to be putting out a fire. …. An explosion at the plant on March 23 killed 15 […]

Average Fuel Economy for 2005 Models Increases Slightly

Honda Motor Co. posted the highest average fuel economy for 2005 vehicles, but automakers made little progress in making automobiles more fuel-efficient, the government reported Thursday. The Environmental Protection Agency said in its annual findings that the estimated average fuel economy for 2005 model year vehicles was 21 miles per gallon, a fleet-wide average that […]

Iran’s Production Numbers Aren’t Heading Upward

As a child I gleefully walked down to the coast, and, with the aid of a small bucket, built castles mighty across the foreshore. Unfortunately, as I scurried with the bucket, the tide would come in and nibble bits of the castle walls away, so that no matter how hard I tried, at the end of the day the castle collapsed.

I am reminded of that old memory today as two different stories are in the air from Iran. The first is the good news that, with the opening of three oilfields, overall output will rise to 4.2 mbd almost immediately. (Thanks peak oil).

At the same time, the inexorable tide of depletion moves steadily shoreward. Rigzone carried the remarks from Iran

Fringe Website: US Could Nuke Iran in August

“August 2005 is the likely timeframe for Vice President Dick Cheney, with the full collusion of the circles of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to unleash the recently exposed plans to stage a preemptive tactical nuclear strike against Iran.”

“Cheney is living out an American version of “Hitler in the bunker,” lashing out at Republican Senators who have dared to resist his mad tirades, accusing anyone who fails to follow his orders

Repsol Sees Continued Fall in Oil Production

Spanish oil and gas major Repsol YPF (REP.MC: Quote, Profile, Research) said it expects its oil production in Argentina to decline about 6 percent in 2005 and by some 4 to 5 percent in 2006. Repsol on Thursday reported a reduction in oil production in the second quarter, although total oil and gas production was […]

The Peak Oil Crisis: A Mid-Summer Review

The world has never been to peak oil before so we may not immediately recognize what we are seeing. A few months back, most knowledgeable people would have said oil at $60 a barrel would have triggered an economic tsunami by now. But surprise! Here we are and it seems to be business as usual […]

Food Crisis Creeping South to Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, southern neighbor to hungry Niger, is facing its own food crisis due to drought and locusts, government officials warned, pleading for the world community to respond quickly to prevent the situation from deteriorating. The cry rising from Burkina has been echoed in Niger’s other Sahel neighbors Mali and Mauritania, which also saw their […]

House Passes Energy Bill

The House overwhelmingly passed an energy bill this afternoon as the lawmakers raced to wrap up their business before leaving for their August break. The 275-to-156 House vote sends the energy bill to the Senate, which is likely to pass it on Friday. Two hundred House Republicans voted for the energy measure, as did 75 […]

Hybrid Cabs Get a Look from New York City

Yellow cabs are going green — and the new air-friendly models could be on the road this fall.

The city Taxi and Limousine Commission gave its tentative approval yesterday to six makes of hybrid cars — which run on a combination of electricity and gasoline — to join its cab fleet after hearings in September.

“Within months, we could have anywhere from a handful to a thousand on the road,” said TLC Chairman Matthew Daus.

ENN

Energy Officials are Seeing an Upward Trend for Power Use

Consumers are power hungry in Orange County and across California.

We use four times more electricity per person than Brazil by indulging in energy-sucking products such as plasma TVs, computers, air-conditioning systems, stereos, spare refrigerators and spas.

“We’re more device-oriented than ever,” said Scott Samuelsen, head of the Advanced Power and Energy Program at UC Irvine.

Few people, especially among the gadget-oriented generations, stop and ask: How much do I use? Am I wasting any?

Maybe more would if they considered the numbers: During the 2001 energy crisis, Californians stepped up and saved about 3,000 megawatts on hot summer days. That’s enough to power nearly 2.3 million homes for a day, according to the California Independent System Operator, or Cal-ISO, which controls 75 percent of the state power grid.

But electricity consumption is ratcheting up again, while conservation efforts appear to be sliding, energy officials say.

ENN

After Oil: Alternative energy slow to take hold

With oil and gasoline prices pushing to new highs and global demand projected to grow faster than production capacity, consumers are understandably puzzled by an ongoing energy enigma. Simply put: Why haven ….But from that day

NIMBY Now, Regret Later?

From the NY Times today. Upstate, where there is lots of great land that is perfect for Wind Farms, different communities are making different choices about the placement of wind turbine farms. The different sides of this debate are not your classic industry vs. environmentalist or even Liberals vs. Conservatives clash that usually strike up about power generation. The lines in this battle to increase NY State’s Green Power have a lot more to do with money and the view out of your window.

Peak Oil NYC

EIA: US Oil Demand Growth Has Picked Up From Sluggish 1Q

U.S. oil demand growth has recovered from the sluggish rate of the first quarter and is on track to show growth the rest of the year, an analyst at the federal Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. The comments clarify the EIA’s interpretation of weekly data released Wednesday showing U.S. oil demand has actually contracted so […]

Paper or Plastic?

Ianqui writes: Circumstances have brought me back to the grocery store bags issue. I freely admit that I originally assumed that paper bags must be more efficient than plastic ones, and that I was wrong. A Google search on paper vs. plastic brings up many websites, but a study by Franklin and Associates (albeit in 1990) summarized by the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment, seems to be what most people cite.

Here are some of their conclusions. Note that in making their comparisons, Franklin and Associates examine the amount of energy needed to produce the bag, and the pollutants resulting from the bag throughout its lifespan. Also, a single plastic bag carries about 2x the amount of goods that go into a paper bag. However, stores typically use improper bagging techniques with plastic bags (update: I take this to mean that they double-bag and possibly don’t put as many items in the bag as they could), so to be as realistic as possible, all of the evaluations below compare 2 plastic bags to 1 paper bag. You’ll see that even using the 2-to-1 plastic-to-paper ratio, plastic comes out as less energy intensive.

More after the jump at The Oil Drum.

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