John Bolton: Military Force Needed to Stop Iran

President Bush’s former envoy to the United Nations says using military force against Iran would be preferable to allowing the country to acquire nuclear weapons. John Bolton gained a reputation for speaking out during his 17 months as U.S. ambassador to the world body. But his remarks Tuesday night were some of his boldest yet, […]

Energy: A technology competition that could save the planet

The Chancellor said the Government would launch a competition to build the world’s first power station to use full-scale carbon capture and storage – known as CCS – a way of minimising the emissions of carbon dioxide, from fossil fuel burning, that are helping to cause climate change. Over the next two decades China will […]

Gore Takes Global Warming Crusade to Capitol Hill

But he did not mince words on what he termed the current climate crisis: “Our world faces a true planetary emergency.” Before a joint House panel dealing with energy, air quality and the environment and the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, Gore stressed the need for quick action. nytimes

China’s Feb. Coal Imports Rise 51 Percent to 3.9 Million Tons

China’s imports of coal jumped 51 percent from a year earlier in February as energy demand increased in the world’s fastest-growing major economy. bloomberg

Mumbai, Lagging Shanghai, Faces First Power Cuts in a Century

Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, may have its first daily blackouts in a century next month because the government failed to plan for soaring demand. Offices and households may lose electricity for 30 minutes a day starting mid-April, said Lalit Jalan, executive director at Reliance Energy Ltd., the city’s main supplier. bloomberg

New carbon-dioxide tracking developed

With concern growing about global warming, researchers said Wednesday they have developed a new system to track carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Being able to determine where and when this major greenhouse gas increases or decreases should help in projecting future climate change and evaluating efforts to reduce releases of carbon. “This is a pretty […]

Hydrogen cars face technological hurdles: experts

Hydrogen is being touted as an environmentally friendly fuel of the future, but the road to hydrogen-powered vehicles will not be easy, industry experts said on Tuesday. That’s because hydrogen is put in a car as a liquid at very low temperatures, but reverts to being a gas as it warms. It dissipates into the […]

Surging corn prices tighten ethanol financing

As the main ingredient for ethanol rises to $4 per bushel and oil prices dip, many are concerned about an industry shake-out. NEW YORK (Reuters) — Financing for ethanol plants has tightened as rising corn prices have made it tougher for producers to turn a profit and an industry shake-out could follow, according to sector […]

Italy and Brazil to join biofuel efforts in Africa

Another typical ‘South-North-South’ cooperation agreement is in the making between Brazil and Italy, whose state-owned energy companies want to join forces to tap Africa’s huge sustainable bioenergy production potential.Biopact

The Oil Drum: Uranium Depletion and Nuclear Power: Are We at Peak Uranium?

A recent post by Martin Sevior has invigorated the nuclear energy debate causing over 240 comments with the most diverse opinions. I would like to further pursue this debate, as the question of whether nuclear power can provide a big part of the worlds energy needs is extremely important in the Peak Oil debate, because […]

Cheaper, More Efficient Solar Cells

Much more efficient solar cells may soon be possible as a result of technology that more efficiently captures and uses light. StarSolar, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, aims to capture and use photons that ordinarily pass through solar cells without generating electricity. The company, which is licensing technology developed at MIT, claims that its […]

US hurricane risk upgraded by forecasters

The chances of powerful Atlantic hurricanes barrelling into the United States this season are much greater than usual a British-led group of scientists said on Tuesday. The experts on insurance, risk management and seasonal climate forecasting said it was the highest March forecast for activity since 1984. The forecast predicted 17 tropical storms for the […]

Marshall Islands declares emergency as water runs out

The government of the Marshall Islands dispatched a ship to supply drinking water to outlying islands Wednesday after declaring a state of emergency amid a prolonged drought. The water supply in Majuro’s reservoir has fallen to less than six million gallons of water — less than a five-day supply at current levels of use. The […]

Venezuela and IADB clash over $200 billion biofuels plan

What is at stake is Venezuela’s attempt to control the energy politics of South-America. Interference by a multilateral organisation like the IADB – perceived to be loyal to U.S. interests, not surprisingly since U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was present at the meeting and vowed strong support for the biofuels plan – is seen by […]

It is made of wax, is barely three inches across and comes in any colour you like, as long as it’s black. And it could save more greenhouse gas emissions than taxes on gas guzzling cars, low energy light bulbs and wind turbines on houses combined. It is the e-cube, and it is coming soon […]

Colorado: Trouble down the pipe has stations on empty

Signs saying She declined to say how many of the 30 Diamond Shamrock stations Valero operates in the region are completely out of gas. A check by The Gazette found seven stations out of fuel Tuesday, three with all pumps working and the remainder lacking some grades. Of about 200 stations in the region, other […]

Canada Moves to Phase Out Tax Break for Tar Sands Producers

Canada announced intentions yesterday to phase out the tax break for oil sands producers that allows them to write off investment costs, setting a final deadline of 2015 for the changes. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the tax break, instituted in 1996, was no longer necessary due to the high price of crude oil. He […]

The Little Cartel That Could?

Despite some obvious complications, it appears that a Apparently the notion of forming a

Bodman: ‘Not Uncomfortable’ with OPEC Output Plan

U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Tuesday he’s not uncomfortable with a plan by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain crude oil supplies at current levels until September. Bodman, currently in New Delhi on a three-day official visit, also said proposed energy deals between India and Iran won’t affect bilateral ties between the […]

Comments to the National Petroleum Council

The NPC has a wonderful opportunity to reframe the discussion around peak oil. After thoroughly studying the evidence, I hope that you conclude, as many of us have, that peak oil is near. If that is your conclusion, I urge you to communicate that finding in succinct, sober language. It’s time to speak truth to […]

Asian fuel oil volatile on low grades, tight storage

SINGAPORE: Poorer quality fuel oil flowing into this region and limited storage space are expected to spark wild price swings in Asia this year and could lead to sudden supply disruptions. The problem will last until additional tank capacity is available by the end of the year, offering traders more space to blend cargoes that […]

Power prices put utilities in the hot seat

Spurred by skyrocketing power bills, lawmakers in at least six states are considering reining in electric utilities that were freed from regulation in the late 1990s. Moves to re-impose state oversight of electricity rates underline how deregulation of the electric industry has failed to live up to its promises of competition, lower prices and a […]

Material Shows Weakening of Climate Reports

WASHINGTON, March 19 They were the first public statements on the issue by Mr. Cooney, the former chief of staff of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Before joining the White House, he was the

Pakistan port opens new possibilities

Gwadar is on the southwest coast of Pakistan, close to the Strait of Hormuz that links the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Its location marks the confluence of three increasingly important regions – the oil-rich Middle East, heavily populated South Asia, and resource-rich Central Asia. The seaport will serve as an economic and […]

Ethanol isn’t worth getting pumped up about, but oil shale might be

Winter is barely behind us, and gasoline prices are already rising. Worse, experts predict more price increases are right down the road. This poses two problems. First, higher energy prices mean families have less to spend on other necessities. Second, most of the money we spend for fuel ends up overseas, often supporting countries that […]

Conocco in Venezuela concession

Another major U.S. oil company has decided to cede control of its operations in Venezuela to the country’s state-run oil agency. ConocoPhillips has yet to come to full terms with Venezuela regarding the compensation it will receive for turning over majority control of its oil and gas operations to PDVSA. EarthTimes

U.S. Attack Against Iran Would Push Oil Above $100, Yamani Says

Crude oil would soar above $100 a barrel in the event of a U.S.-led attack against Iran, Sheikh Ahmad Zaki Yamani, the former Saudi oil minister, said today. Yamani gave no prediction as to the likelihood of a conflict with Iran. He told a conference in London that Saudi Arabia doesn’t want to see oil […]

Going beyond petroleum proved to be a fatal error

BP was to go “beyond petroleum”. The slogan is the butt of many jokes, but at its heart was a desperate bid to make BP lovable to consumers that mostly hated oil companies. BP spent $100 million in a year promoting the idea that the company had somehow left behind the dirty, smelly business of […]

IEA slams gas OPEC proposal

Creating a cartel of gas exporting countries would hurt producers and consumers alike, the head of the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.IEA Executive Director Claude Mandil said he had doubts about how a gas OPEC would work in practice, given that supplies are mainly locked into long-term contracts with undertakings to provide specific quantities […]

Despite Climate Concerns, Germany Plans Coal Power Plants

Germany and other EU-member states agreed on a binding reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared with 1990 levels. The EU also proposed a 30-percent cut if other nations followed suit. There’s a hitch, though, for Germany, said Reinhard Loske, a member of the German parliament and climate expert for […]

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