Study Warns of 'Energy Sprawl'

A paper published on Tuesday by the Nature Conservancy predicts that by 2030, energy production in the United States will occupy a land area larger than Minnesota — in large part owing to the pursuit of domestic clean energy. The authors call it “energy sprawl” — a term meant to draw attention to habitat destruction, […]

U.S. Biofuel Boom Running on Empty

The biofuels revolution that promised to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil is fizzling out. Two-thirds of U.S. biodiesel production capacity now sits unused, reports the National Biodiesel Board. Biodiesel, a crucial part of government efforts to develop alternative fuels for trucks and factories, has been hit hard by the recession and falling oil prices.The […]

Meeting oil demand a trickly affair

It’s surprising that the modern oil industry is just 150 years old and we are already talking about the end of the “age of oil”. The year, 1859, when oil was first drilled successfully – in Titusville, Pennsylvania – is like fraction of a second away from our times in terms of the Earth’s age. […]

Caspian oilfield is Big Oil's new energy frontier

For the oil industry Kashagan, the world’s biggest discovery since 1968 with reserves locked amid lethal, high-pressure gases beneath the north Caspian Sea, is a challenge of biblical proportions. Kashagan, developed by oil majors including Eni and Exxon Mobil, represents all the challenges Western countries face to secure energy supplies as Asia becomes more energy-hungry […]

'Artificial trees' to cut carbon

Engineers say a forest of 100,000 “artificial trees” could be deployed within 10 to 20 years to help soak up the world’s carbon emissions. The trees are among three geo-engineering ideas highlighted as practical in a new report. The authors from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers say that without geo-engineering it will be impossible to […]

Russia eyes $2 trillion for energy sector by 2030

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia plans to invest up to 60 trillion roubles ($1.9 trillion) in its energy sector by 2030 in a drive to boost stagnanting oil and gas output, two sources in the government said on Wednesday. They said Asian markets would increase their share of Russia’s energy export volumes to 25 percent by […]

EEStor Awards Contract to Polarity Inc. to Produce EESU's Voltage Converter

EEStor is the Texas-based company secretly developing an ultrahigh energy density, ultra-low cost, ultra-long -life new energy storage material that in theory would antiquate lithium-ion batteries overnight. Not unexpectedly there is much hype, excitement and intrigue surrounding the company’s 10 year private voyage towards unveiling an actual working prototype. Reportedly they are nearing that climactic […]

Driving new changes in Asian irrigation

Without major reforms and innovations in the way water is used in agriculture, many developing countries will face severe food shortages in future, warns a new report Revitalizing Asia With land for agricultural and irrigation expansion limited in most parts of the continent, Asian countries urgently need to boost productivity from existing farmlands. The new […]

Peak oil review – Aug 24

1. Production and prices 2. China 1. Production and prices Oil, which traded below a $67 a barrel on Monday, touched $74.72 on Friday before closing at $73.98. The move, which sent oil prices to a new high for 2009, was primarily motivated by higher equity prices and speculation that the global economic picture is […]

Nigeria's oil production rises to about 1.7 mln bpd: minister

ABUJA “Things are happening. Things are getting better. We hope it will even get better,” Lukman said after a weekly cabinet meeting, presided by President Umaru Yar’Adua. Militant activities in the oil-rich region — charcaterised by kidnappings of mostly foreign oil workers and sabotage of oil installations — have adversely affected the operation of the […]

The Coming Supply Crunch

How the recession is throttling much-needed investment. The financial crisis that sent shock waves through the global economy is now reverberating in the energy world. Credit is hard to come by, the demand for energy is down, and cash flows are falling. So what will this mean for the future of the oil industry? Foreign […]

U.S. grants $300 million for alternative fuel vehicles

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Energy Department will award nearly $300 million to a clean cities program to help communities buy alternative-fuel vehicles, Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Wednesday. The funding from the U.S. government’s economic stimulus package is designed to encourage states and cities to reduce dependence on […]

Utility wants to deploy largest grid battery ever

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Southern California Edison said on Wednesday it is seeking a U.S. grant to store wind power in the largest-ever grid storage battery, to be built by A123 Systems. The utility, a unit of Edison International, wants $65 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy for the pilot storage project […]

New CFTC report may raise transparency, questions

NEW YORK (Reuters) – More transparency or too much information? Energy traders, analysts and mom-and-pop farmers may find themselves swimming in detail on the big bets and hedges in the commodity markets, when the U.S. futures market regulator overhauls its widely-watched report on trader positions. To help level the playing field between funds, commercial players […]

Apocalypse 2012

…The 2012 movement would be easy to dismiss as pseudo-mystical mumbo jumbo if it weren Even before the current economic crisis, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 made clear to many Americans that civilization can sometimes hang by the barest of threads. Those doomsday cultists stocking up on guns and groceries in preparation for the end-times don

Singularity University Spawns New Business Ventures

MOFFETT FIELD, CA–(Marketwire) – Following an intensive nine-week graduate-level interdisciplinary program, Singularity University (SU) today announced that several Graduate Studies Program (GSP) student team projects will spin off into new business ventures. The projects will be fully unveiled at the final August 27 presentation judged by SU faculty and staff, and Silicon Valley venture capital […]

The New Threat to Oil Supplies: Hackers

Offshore drilling rigs are increasingly computer-dependent and remote-controlled. That could make them vulnerable to attacks from hackers from around the globe. Earlier this year, a sullen, 28-year-old contractor in California was charged in federal court with sabotaging the computerized controls on oil-rig sitting off the coast, allegedly out of spite for not being hired full […]

Tropical Storm Danny could threaten Long Island, NY

A strong tropical storm – perhaps even a Category 1 hurricane – could track along the East Coast and threaten Long Island this weekend, forecasters said. Tropical Storm Danny, with winds of more than 45 mph, formed Wednesday and is located east of the Bahamas, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center said there is a […]

Yulong Snow Mountain's glaciers melting at unprecedented rate

Affected by the Global warming, Yulong Snow Mountain’s glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate in recent 20 years. The Yulong Snow Mountain is a famous scenic spot in China. The snow-capped mountain had 13 peaks along the range, 35 kilometres in width, including 19 glaciers. The looming crisis has been highlighted by the dramatic […]

Averting a perfect storm of shortages

As the world’s population grows, competition for food, water and energy will increase. Food prices will rise, more people will go hungry, and migrants will flee the worst-affected regions. That’s the simple idea at the heart of the warning from John Beddington, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, of a possible crisis in 2030. Specifically, […]

Is there a peak oil problem?

I’m not a geological expert, so I can’t speak to the truth of Mr Lynch’s assertions. Even so, there is reason to be sceptical of his conclusions. Relative to the real oil prices that have prevailed for most of the past 40 years, $30 per barrel is fairly cheap—cheap enough to allow people in rapidly […]

Q+A-What are the risks of instability in Yemen?

(Reuters) – Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, is combating a reignited Shi’ite revolt in the north, separatist unrest in the south and intensified al Qaeda militancy. Oil output is dwindling and water resources are being depleted. The global economic downturn has limited the ability of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government to cope with high […]

USS Thach Protects Iraqi Infrastructure

WASHINGTON – The guided-missile frigate USS Thach has helped to protect Iraq’s critical infrastructure since arriving on station in mid-July. The ship, assigned to Commander, Task Group Iraqi Maritime, is providing security for the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, an Iraqi oil platform that accounts for a significant percentage of the country’s gross domestic product. “We’re […]

The Selawik Slump grows unabated

About five years ago, Kevin Fox was flying over the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Alaska when he noticed the upper portion of the clear-running Selawik River looked cloudy. He traced the plume upstream and noticed what looked like a crater in the boreal forest; through a breach in its side, the crater was […]

Northern Cheyenne seeks water rules that could curb drilling

Montana A federal lawsuit already is pending against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over coal-bed methane water restrictions approved last year for Montana. Now the Northern Cheyenne Tribe wants to raise the bar even higher along the Tongue River, one of the major drainages in the Powder River Basin. The tribe

Water shortage threatens two million people in southern Iraq

Electricity supply to Nasiriyah drops by 50% as Euphrates river dries up A water shortage described as the most critical since the earliest days of Iraq’s civilisation is threatening to leave up to 2 million people in the south of the country without electricity and almost as many without drinking water. An already meagre supply […]

What's the truth behind the Lockerbie scandal?

Nearly a week after the unexpected freeing of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who was serving a life sentence for his role in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, there’s only one thing certain about the case: that the Scottish government’s “compassion” rationale for the release is almost certainly poppycock of the highest […]

After 150 Years, Whither Oil?

This week marks the 150th anniversary of the first oil well drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania by Governments are concerned about the need for energy security and reliable supplies. The threat of climate change requires shifting away from fossil fuels that currently dominate the world

Study ranks states' vulnerability to oil prices

(CNN) — Americans are still far too dependent on foreign oil, and states aren’t doing enough to change that, according to a study by an environmental group ranking states on an “oil vulnerability” scale. The annual index compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council measures the effect of oil and gas price increases on people’s […]

The Changing Oil Supply Perspective – Opening Lecture Class Note Changes

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