Poverty fears over wind power

Half a million people could be pushed into fuel poverty by the UK’s drive for wind power, the government’s former chief scientific adviser has said. Sir David King said: “If we overdo wind we are going to put up the price of electricity and that means more people will fall into the fuel poverty trap.”The […]

Most intense cyclones are becoming stronger as seas warm: study

A new study says the most powerful tropical cyclones are becoming more intense over the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans as sea temperatures continue to rise. In the study released Wednesday in the journal Nature, U.S. researchers analyzed 25 years of satellite data to show that maximum wind speeds per cyclone are increasing as […]

Microbes for Off-the-Grid Electricity

Microbial fuel cells, which use electrodes in dirt to power a small motor, have long been more or less a laboratory curiosity. Because they generate such a small amount of power, developing them to charge devices would not be practical in places where electricity is readily available. However, Lebone Solutions, a startup based in Cambridge, […]

Germany leads ‘clean coal’ pilot

Beneath the gargantuan grey boiler towers of Schwarze Pumpe power station which pierce the skies of northern Germany, a Lilliputian puzzle of metal boxes and shining canisters is about to mark a moment of industrial history. This mini power plant is a pilot project for carbon capture and storage (CCS) – the first coal-fired plant […]

Arctic melting shows global warming serious: expert

OTTAWA (Reuters) – The incredibly rapid rate at which Canada’s Arctic ice shelves are disappearing is an early indicator of the “very substantial changes” that global warming will impose on all mankind, a top scientist said on Wednesday. Researchers announced late on Tuesday that the five ice shelves along Ellesmere Island in the Far North, […]

U.S. Gulf refineries at mercy of battered power grid

MERAUX, Louisiana (Reuters) – The normally bustling Murphy Oil Corp refinery in Meraux, Louisiana, stood in eerie silence on Wednesday, apparently undamaged but paralyzed by a lack of reliable power in the wake of Hurricane Gustav. The plant was one of 11 refineries — representing just over 11 percent of the U.S. fuel supply — […]

SPR oil to be released on request after Gustav :Bush

BATON ROUGE (Reuters) – President George W. Bush said on Wednesday oil from the nation’s emergency stockpile would be released upon request to companies affected by Hurricane Gustav, which blew across the energy rich Gulf of Mexico this week. “Last night we got a request from a company doing business here in Louisiana and we […]

Nissan blazes trail with clean diesel car in Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co on Thursday became the first domestic automaker to launch a diesel car in Japan in six years, blazing the trail for rivals looking to revive the fuel-saving engine to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The X-Trail 20GT sport utility vehicle, powered by an engine lead-developed by partner Renault SA, is […]

The Second Coming of Biofuels

Plant-based fuels have been a big disappointment to date, but new “green biofuels” might fulfill their promise. As an eco-conscious citizen, I should be a little ashamed of my attachment to pistons and gears. But in this test drive, I don’t have to be. While the Audi I’m test-driving is a regular production car, the […]

Toyota Releases

A recent presentation by Toyota Green Car Congress

Richard Heinberg: Hurricane destroys oil infrastructure; oil price falls

Sometimes you just have to stand in awe and wonder before the all-knowing wisdom of The Market. Common sense would say: Hurricane Gustav (even considering the fact that it never achieved its advertised category 4 status before landfall) is likely to result in 40% of US Gulf of Mexico oil production being taken off-line for […]

Reaching the Peak

Brian Ferguson is almost perfectly decked out to play the part of the Stampede cowboy. Balding slightly but rugged looking, he Beginning in 2006 and under the leadership of a new CEO, Randy Eresman (who promotes Ferguson to executive VP and CFO), EnCana goes through a series of equally dramatic changes. The company sells off […]

Crude Future: Economics dictates that we’ll never run out of oil

Are we running out of oil? The question seems silly. My colleague Russ Roberts explains why in his book The Invisible Heart. Imagine, Russ says, a room full of pistachio nuts. You love pistachios and can eat all that you wish as long as you throw each empty shell back into the room whenever you […]

US energy policy ‘beholden’ to oil multinationals

“The history of the last hundred years has been a toxic mix of oil and war,” he said. “Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the Nazi invasion of Russia, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and countless other conflicts have been based in whole or in part on the world’s addiction to oil.”

Platts.com

Russia’s deal-making in Africa raises alarms in Europe

RABAT, Morocco: Russia is reviving an interest in Africa that collapsed along with the Cold War, and its growing appetite for deals in oil and natural gas is an added cause of unease in an energy-hungry Western Europe. Companies from Russia say their goal is to diversify energy interests and secure raw materials for a […]

Entergy faces risky power grid repair after Gustav

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Entergy Corp faces the risk of triggering a blackout as it begins the effort of restoring power to Louisiana homes and businesses after Hurricane Gustav damaged major power lines serving the New Orleans-Baton Rouge area, the state’s largest utility said. While New Orleans-based Entergy has warned that repairs to its high-voltage system […]

OPEC’s Crude Oil Production Fell 0.6% in August, Survey Shows

(Bloomberg) — The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ oil production dropped 0.6 percent in August, led by declines in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, a Bloomberg News survey showed. OPEC pumped an average 32.575 million barrels a day last month, down 200,000 barrels from July, according to the survey of oil companies, producers and analysts. July […]

Oil: How low can it go?

With oil prices heading toward $100, that should be good news for consumers. But some think there won’t be true relief until crude hits $80 again. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Gustav has come and gone. And fortunately, New Orleans has been spared the type of damage after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita three years ago. That’s […]

Saudi Aramco starts Khursaniyah flow

Saudi Arabia has started pumping oil from the 500,000 barrels per day Khursaniyah oilfield, a source at state oil firm Saudi Aramco said today. The oilfield is the largest single increment to global oil production for several years and was initially due to start up in December. “The facility is operational and producing crude,” the […]

Nuclear Shortcuts Exposed In U.S. Nuclear Fuel Facility

US regulators have ignored expert safety advice in an attempt to cut corners and fast track the completion of a $4 billion nuclear fuel facility currently under construction near Aiken, South Carolina. Nuclear disarmament treaties have resulted in a large surplus of weapons-grade plutonium. The US government has initiated moves to build and operate a […]

Methods To Protect Wind Generators During Voltage Dips Developed

…Over the past few years, the growth and development of wind energy converters has been slowed by problems that have arisen from the increase in the number of these connected to the electric grid. One of the most important problems is precisely the manner in which the wind generators behave during these voltage dips. A […]

Dutch government warned against rising sea levels

THE HAGUE (AFP) – Low-lying Netherlands must spend more than 100 billion euros on dike upgrades and coastal expansion to avoid the ravages of rising sea levels due to global warming, experts warned Wednesday. The country, nearly two-thirds of which lies below sea level, must spend up to 1.5 billion euros (2.1 billion dollars) per […]

Jerusalem concerned as Egypt halts gas supply to Israel

The supply of natural gas from Egypt to Israel was halted on Friday and has yet to be resumed. Concern is mounting in Jerusalem: Sources there believe Egypt is struggling to supply all its clients, and has chosen to cut back its supply for its neighbors, including Israel, some of which pay especially low prices […]

Peak oil, tech boom share some parallels

The most surprising tidbit in Matthew Simmons’ peak oil book, Twilight in the Desert, is about a dubious oil consultancy based in Austria. If memory serves, the firm earned its keep counting oil tankers leaving major ports. The data were keenly awaited by the marketplace and could move the price of crude sharply and quickly. […]

South Africa: Venezuela’s Chavez in Country Bearing Oil Gift

Venezuelan strongman President Hugo Chavez, whose Latin American populism and anti-US rhetoric have made him the darling of the international left, was due in SA last night for a two-day visit that will include the signing of a major energy co-operation agreement. In an apparent bid to lessen SA’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil, the […]

Coal plans go up in smoke

In a few years, the backlash against coal power in America has become the country’s biggest-ever environmental campaign, transforming the nation’s awareness of climate change and inspiring political leaders to take firmer action after years of doubt and delay. Plants have been defeated in at least 30 of the 50 states, uniting those with already […]

Mexico’s makeshift coal pits try to boost output

Up to 14 percent of Mexico’s electricity comes from coal, with the rest powered by more expensive fuel oil, natural gas and hydroelectric power. At least four more coal-fired plants are in the works and the state electricity commission is considering converting some oil-fired plants to coal.Rising energy and commodity prices have boosted informal and […]

Solar panels ‘take 100 years to pay back installation costs’

Solar panels are one of the least cost-effective ways of combating climate change and will take 100 years to pay back their installation costs, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) warned yesterday. In a new guide on energy efficiency, Rics said that roof panels for heating water and generating power are unlikely to save […]

Solar Powered Desalination Farm to Bring Life to the Sahara

The ingenious plan, known as the Sahara Forest Project is simple: combine huge greenhouses with concentrated solar power (CSP) and plain old seawater. The solar power provides electricity for the farm of greenhouses, the desalination of the seawater provides both the freshwater and cooling required to grow a wide variety of crops. One of the […]

Massive Canada Arctic ice shelf breaks away

OTTAWA (Reuters) – A huge 19 square mile (55 square km) ice shelf in Canada’s northern Arctic broke away last month and the remaining shelves have shrunk at a “massive and disturbing” rate, the latest sign of accelerating climate change in the remote region, scientists said on Tuesday. They said the Markham Ice Shelf, one […]

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