Energy Efficient Trough Solar Collector Systems

A mirror alignment measurement device, invented by Rich Diver, a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories, may soon make one of the most popular solar collector systems, parabolic troughs, more affordable and energy efficient. … “This whole process is very simple,” Diver says. “Once the mirrors are aligned, the energy savings start. It’s like picking money […]

What is wrong with this picture?

The development industry is now designed to drive consumption: more houses, bigger houses, more offices, larger offices and more roads and rails to serve them. It is clear that we live in a finite galaxy on a finite planet. It is even more clear that citizens, especially in the US of A, are burning through […]

Climate change: A guide for the perplexed

Our planet’s climate is anything but simple. All kinds of factors influence it, from massive events on the Sun to the growth of microscopic creatures in the oceans, and there are subtle interactions between many of these factors. So for those who are not sure what to believe, here is our round-up of the 26 […]

As Blair leaves Washington, US hardens stance on climate change

As Tony Blair left Washington yesterday for his last visit as Prime Minister, the Bush administration was acting to scupper international efforts to combat climate change. Less than 24 hours earlier, Mr Blair had basked in the apparent support of President George Bush for his stated aim of avoiding catastrophic global warming. But it seems […]

Pumping Cash, Not Oil

With gas prices hitting record highs, Exxon Mobil (XOM ) Corp. ought to be drilling like mad and refining more of that black gold, right? As it turns out, the world’s largest oil producer thinks it is smarter to use more of its resources to buy back stock. The indirect result: increased pain at the […]

Unprepared, Uncompensated, and Clueless: Prophets Have Become Historians

…Collapse is not in the future; it is happening in this moment, and unequivocally, the overwhelming majority of Americans are unprepared, will be uncompensated or assisted in whatever pain and suffering collapse inflicts on them, and will remain clueless and in denial of it until they have lost everything except their own lives. Allstate Insurance […]

More oil firms move into costly oil sands

More oil firms are joining the rush to tap oil from sands in Canada’s Alberta province, a costly process that may secure future output but needs higher oil prices to make money.The moves into oil sands offer access to oil reserves that rival those of Saudi Arabia and lie outside the volatile Middle East. But […]

Inspired by Ancient Amazonians, Converting Trash into Environmental Treasure

When Desmond Radlein heard about Richard Branson and Al Gore’s Virgin Earth Challenge, a contest in which the first person who can sequester one billion tons of carbon dioxide a year wins $25 million, he got out his pencil and began figuring whether or not his company was up to the task. Radlein is on […]

Small cars promise big business in India

Encouraged by India’s fast-growing small-car market – it already accounts for 75% of the 1.5 million auto market in that country – a slew of global auto makers have announced plans to make and launch small cars in the South Asian country. So far Japan’s Suzuki, Korean Hyundai and India’s Tata Motors have dominated the […]

Britain to Set Out Radical Energy, Planning Revamp

Britain will next week set out plans for a major policy revamp to secure energy supplies and fight global warming, calling for new nuclear power plants and also giving business and individuals vital roles. The government will vow to rip up red tape delaying major infrastructure projects like roads, airports and power stations and promote […]

Australia: Climate threat in military’s sights

THE Australian Defence Force has identified climate change as a national security threat for the first time, as it predicted the military would become more involved in stabilising failing states than fighting conventional wars. Outlining its vision for the future of the armed services to 2030, the force has also foreshadowed an era where crises […]

Can America’s masses get charged on electric cars?

SANTA ROSA, California (Reuters) – The ZAP Xebra is a three-wheeler running on basic batteries, silent and easy to maneuver. It is more than a golf cart and less than a compact car and costs just under $10,000. “They are cute in their own ugly way. They are the VW of the electric cars. They […]

The Oil Drum: This Week in Petroleum

If you follow the petroleum markets, or you just want to know what is going on in the world of energy, the weekly reports from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) are invaluable. Every Wednesday the EIA releases reports detailing information on petroleum and product inventory levels, imports, prices, refinery utilization, etc. For those who follow […]

How to do nothing about global warming

Confronted with soaring gasoline prices, a Congress growing more restless by the day about oil dependency and a Supreme Court demanding executive action on global-warming emissions, President George W. Bush stepped before the cameras in the Rose Garden the other day and said, essentially, nothing. He announced that he had ordered four federal agencies to […]

Embracing a World of Peak Oil

The latest round of “who’s to blame” for the record gasoline prices has Congress fixing the crosshairs on big oil companies. Yet amid the fingers pointing in every direction we seem to miss the big picture–peak oil has descended. There’s always a ladder of blame. We’ve all pulled into our local gas station and felt […]

Lingering gas pains

A new study released the other day seems to confirm what Niagara drivers already know: they’re getting gouged at the gas pumps. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) said it examined gasoline prices before and after Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005, and found that the rules of the game for pricing gas […]

Bangladesh says must up power output or face blackouts

DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh could face nationwide blackouts within four years if it fails to find more natural gas to fuel new power plants, a government official said on Friday. Frequent power failures due to a daily power shortfall of nearly 1,500 megawatts (MW) cut the country’s gross domestic product by around $1.0 billion annually, […]

A cracking trade

Oil refineries are cashing in after years of lacklustre profits THIS week average petrol (gasoline) prices in America reached a new record of $3.10 a gallon, according to the Department of Energy. Drivers are up in arms and politicians are getting twitchy. Congress is even considering legislation against price-gouging. The culprit is not the oil […]

State enjoys solo ride on gas

As gasoline costs go up across the nation, an expected tax cut could lower them in Hawaii The mainland average price for gasoline has set a new record almost daily, but Hawaii’s statewide average of $3.38 a gallon is well below the post-Hurricane Katrina record of $3.68. While some are forecasting even higher prices on […]

Green building expo highlights fossil fuel

EVER wonder how much fossil fuel your garden consumes? Probably not, but in this day of rising energy costs there’s talk about whether truly “sustainable” landscaping can be achieved without oil-based products. It’s a provocative idea that landscape architect Owen Dell, an expert on sustainable landscapes, will discuss at Saturday’s fourth annual Alternative Building Materials […]

Our big secret: oil shale reserves

The United States of America has about 70 percent of the world’s known oil shale reserves in the western states of the lower 48. These reserves contain approximately 1 to 2 trillion barrels of oil. This is about 4 to 8 times the current oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. If this country commits itself to […]

U.S. Near Tipping Point in Corn-Based Ethanol

A major new study finds the United States is near the tipping point when it comes to corn-based ethanol production. The study, conducted by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University (ISU), finds that U.S. retail food prices already have increased $14 billion annually. They could climb $20 billion annually if […]

Can Caspian oil flow to the West?

On the 12th of May, the informal Eurasian Energy Six-nation Summit was concluded in the southern city of Poland Krakow. President of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia and Azerbaijan and Deputy Kazakhstan Minister Energy and Natural Resources attended the summit. Afterward the six countries issued a joint, hoping that they can strengthen cooperation with each other […]

Militants free oil worker

Nigerian militants freed a Belarusian oil worker, the Belapan news wire service reported on Thursday. Irina Ekpo-Umo, aged 48, was being treated for a leg injury at an unidentified Niger Delta hospital, but was expected to recover fully, co-workers said. Gunman kidnapped Ekpo-Umo as she was driving home from work on May 5 in the […]

Senegal facing energy crisis

“There is only enough fuel to cover eight days of consumption in the country,” a senior energy sector executive, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters. “We have crossed the red line. If an urgent measure is not taken in the coming hours, Senegal will face unprecedented power cuts.” Senegalese officials declined to comment […]

Oil prices on rise, no plans to ramp up production

Oil prices surged nearly $2 a barrel on Thursday to a fresh eight-month high as U.S. refinery closures choked gasoline supplies in the world’s top consumer just ahead of peak summer demand. Oil prices jumped after news that Murphy Oil shut a crude unit at its refinery in Meraux, La., adding to a string of […]

Coming Soon: $5 a gallon gasoline

A reporter for Bloomberg writes in a late April article $4 a gallon gasoline is coming soon to a pump near you. That is accurate, but he shouldnNashvilleNews

Smart card – Ahmadinejad’s answer to petrol consumption

Although Iran has a daily oil production of 4.2 million barrels, it still spends five to eight billion dollars for petrol imports. Of the petrol consumption of some 73 million litres daily, over 40 percent is imported – but at the pump, Iranians have to pay only 11 cents per litre, or only about one-fourth […]

Saboteurs have upper hand in an endless war, says Iraq’s Oil Minister

It is not an easy job. Iraq’s only revenue is from the 1.6 million barrels a day of crude oil that the country exports out of the 2.2 million barrels a day it produces. Every day saboteurs blow up Iraqi oil pipelines and Oil Ministry teams try to repair them in an endless war to […]

Drivers cut back

The average American motorist is driving substantially fewer miles for the first time in 26 years because of high gas prices and demographic shifts, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal highway data. The growth in miles driven has leveled off dramatically in the past 18 months after 25 years of steady climbs despite […]

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