Researchers develop efficient solar power devices

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Using sheets of glass covered with organic dyes, scientists have devised an efficient and practical solar power device that they believe can help make this clean, renewable energy source more affordable. Experts eager for energy sources that do not involve the burning of fossil fuels often point to the promise of solar […]

Is There an Oil Shortage?

The popular perception of the recently skyrocketing oil price is that there is an oil shortage in global energy markets. The perceived shortage is generally blamed on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting countries (OPEC) for Perceptions of insufficient oil supply are also heightened by the recently resuscitated theory of the so-called Peak Oil, which maintains […]

Australia: Peak oil: petrol to reach $8 a litre

PETROL could hit $8 a litre within a decade as oil production begins to dwindle and demand continues to soar, a CSIRO study to be released today says. The study, Fuel For Thought, warns this would add up to $220 a week to the cost of running a medium-sized passenger vehicle by 2018, resulting in […]

Simmons: The only way is down

The high priest of It was data that made Mr Simmons famous. He spent the summer of 2003 at his holiday home in Maine, poring over technical studies describing the state of Saudi Arabia

Trailing edge technologies

One of the worst of the booby traps built into the contemporary mythology of progress, it seems to me, is the notion that the way out of any difficulty is to keep moving the way we are already going, and do it faster. It may seem obvious that if you During the quarter century from […]

China’s crude oil import volume up 11% in first half

China, the world’s second-largest energy consumer, imported 11 percent more crude oil in the first half of 2008 than in the year-earlier period. Crude imports stood at 90.53 million tons, the General Administration of Customs said on Thursday. The growth rate was down 0.2 percentage points from last year. The imports were valued at 64.98 […]

Global diesel tightness should ease in 2009

The ”tightness” in global diesel supplies may ease early next year after peak winter demand in the northern hemisphere passes and new refineries start, the International Energy Agency said today. ”Both crude and middle distillate markets may see some respite in the second half of 2008, but more likely by early next year,” the IEA […]

Get Ready for the Post-SUV World!

As peak-oil enthusiasts keep vigil over world petroleum statistics, they can find comfort in America’s sudden, rapid descent from a different summit: the peak of sport-utility vehicle (SUV) production. In the early 2000s, combined sales of SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans (which together make up the “light truck” class) caught and surpassed sales of passenger […]

Commission tackles the fuel crisis in the fisheries sector (EU)

The European Commission has adopted an emergency package of measures to tackle the fuel crisis in the fisheries sector, as announced on 17 June (see IP/08/960). As foreseen, the package consists primarily of a proposal for a Council regulation instituting an ad hoc special, temporary regime which will derogate from some provisions of the European […]

Experts Call for New Program of Long-Term Ag Research

Long-term agricultural research is key to meeting U.S. demands for the three “Fs” — food, fuel and fiber — according to a USDA-led investigation that includes a UC Davis faculty member. The study calls for the creation of a national Long-Term Agricultural Research (LTAR) program that includes growers, conservationists and other interested parties. Titled “Long-term […]

ExpressJet to suspend operations as of September

Houston based American airline, ExpressJet Holdings, said today it would suspend branded commercial operations as of September 2nd, blaming high fuel costs. “If we had any other choice, we would not take this difficult action”, Jim Ream, ExpressJet’s president and chief executive, said in a statement. “However, rising fuel prices has made the operation impossible […]

Iraq to hold major oil conference in Oct

Iraq will hold a major oil and gas conference in October to allow foreign oil firms to get a better understanding of the country’s energy potential, the Oil Ministry said on Wednesday. The Oct 17-19 energy conference and exhibition will be the first event of its type in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. […]

TNK-BP oil workers to leave Russia temporarily

Energy company BP said Thursday that more than 30 foreign staff at troubled oil producer TNK-BP will have to leave Russia by the end of the month to renew their visas. The departures loom as TNK-BP remains locked in a visa dispute with the Russian authorities, after one of TNK-BP’s Russian executives asked the authorities […]

Campos oil basin workers could strike

Oil workers on Petrobras’ offshore platforms in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil have threatened to go on strike for five days, starting on July 14, according to a story from Reuters. The workers are calling the strike to force state oil company Petrobras to count the day workers leave platforms to return to shore as […]

OPEC cuts estimate for long-term world oil demand

OPEC on Thursday cut its estimate for world oil demand over the next two decades, predicting that high prices would compel consumer countries to be more efficient in their use of the precious commodity. In its annual World Oil Outlook, released on Thursday, the the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, forecast that world oil demand […]

IEA says energy-climate crisis is opportunity for major change

Oil prices are too high and threaten the global economy but also open the way to huge energy and pollution savings by spurring new technologies and policies, the IEA said on Wednesday. “High energy prices provide an unforeseen opportunity to set a new course,” the IEA said, estimating the cumulative cost of cutting carbon emissions […]

Saudi Oil: A Crude Awakening on Supply?

The Saudis say they can ramp up production to 12.5 million barrels a day. But a field-by-field breakdown obtained by BusinessWeek shows that’s not likely Saudi Arabia’s ability to calm panicky oil markets has been waning for years. With oil prices doubling since last summer, to more than $140 a barrel, Saudi King Abdullah on […]

Horreur Nucleaire vs. Wind Power Now

Yesterday’s under-reported nuclear accident in Southern France may contaminate the French Riviera. So why wouldn’t the mainstream media report it right before tourism season? Michael Fox exposes this catastrophe. Meanwhile, uber-oilman T. Boone Pickens is unrolling his plan promoting wind farms and a clean energy future for the U.S. (without nukes). Yesterday, according to a […]

T. Boone Pickens: My Plan to Escape the Grip of Foreign Oil

One of the benefits of being around a long time is that you get to know a lot about certain things. I’m 80 years old and I’ve been an oilman for almost 60 years. I’ve drilled more dry holes and also found more oil than just about anyone in the industry. With all my experience, […]

The Hindenburg Omen

…We now know, of course, that the Bear Stearns failure could have brought the global economy to its knees virtually overnight. The fact remains that the overall conditions that created that prospect are far from healed. Political pressure to bite the bullet and take the approach Paulson advocated continues to grow, however, because the consequence […]

Asking one of the less comfortable questions about our energy future…

In my last post I talked a little about the media Ken Deffeyes, who did so much to bring this current situation to our attention with his writing and books, who has said that he is no longer a prophet, but has become a historian. His remark implies that the much of the debate over […]

IEA sees robust oil demand in developing economies in 2008-2009

PARIS: The International Energy Agency on Thursday slightly raised its forecast for global oil demand this year and said growth would continue in 2009 thanks to demand in developing countries. Global demand for petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and heating oil will grow by 1 percent, or 890,000 barrels a day, to 86.9 million […]

OPEC chief warns of ‘unlimited’ oil prices if Iran is attacked

VIENNA: The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries warned Thursday that oil prices would see an “unlimited” increase in the case of a military conflict involving Iran, because the group’s members would be unable to make up the lost production. “We really cannot replace Iran’s production – it’s not feasible to replace it,” […]

Gas Prices Spur Drivers to Cut Use to Five-Year Low

As average gas prices hit a record high of $4.108 a gallon this week, the government released new data showing that drivers have cut back their use of the fuel to levels not seen in five years. The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has been above $4 a regular gallon for more than […]

Schools cutting bus service because of fuel prices

School administrators are spinning their wheels trying to cope with the soaring costs of fuel for school buses. The bottom line: More students will walk farther this fall. “All the less drastic measures have pretty much been exploited,” says Robin Leeds of the National School Transportation Association. “All that sort of easy-picking fruit has been […]

Congress Feels Pressure for Action on Oil Prices

After spending a week in their states and districts with angry and frightened consumers, many lawmakers have returned to Capitol Hill convinced that Congress cannot afford a prolonged stalemate over energy policy. With Republicans pushing for more domestic oil and gas production and many Democrats focusing on alternative energy sources, finding consensus will not be […]

World Bank report could undermine biofuel support

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A leading World Bank economist’s claims that biofuels are a major cause of soaring world food prices could further undermine support for the alternative fuel worldwide and cause tensions with the White House, which fervently supports the new industry. The draft report by the World Bank’s top agricultural economist, Don Mitchell, estimates […]

Energy’s easiest fix: Use less

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Want to help the country save a quick million barrels of oil a day? Drive 5% less. Slow down. Inflate your tires. Those three steps would reduce U.S. oil consumption by 1.3 million barrels a day immediately, according to the Alliance to Save Energy, a conservation group running an efficiency campaign […]

Electric bills expected to rise

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Americans may face dramatically higher electric bills next year, according to a government report released Tuesday. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecast that electricity prices will climb an average of 9.8% in 2009. Only a month ago, the agency was forecasting a 3.6% increase for next year. The new forecast projects […]

Australia: Sydney petrol price skyrockets

The price of petrol has skyrocketed to record highs overnight, with some Sydney service stations selling unleaded fuel for 173.9 cents a litre. The high bowser prices this morning come as world oil prices, which had been falling steeply earlier this week, plateaued after reports of an Iranian missile test. The price of 173.9 cents […]

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