Category: Energy

Musk Call With Turnbull Sparks Battery Debate in Australia

Elon Musk’s brave bet to fix Australia’s energy crisis — or hand the money back — landed the tech entrepreneur an hour-long phone call with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and quickly threw him into a debate over whether battery technology is the solution for a nation still wedded to coal for much of its power. Sunday’s call followed a Twitter conversation last week between Musk and Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes in which Musk promised to install and get working a Tesla Inc. battery storage system designed to prevent blackouts in South Australia, the Australian mainland state most reliant on renewable energy.

Tanker’s U-Turn Shows How Shale Is Changing World Gas Trade

A cargo of chilled natural gas hauled from Louisiana in late December has become a symbol of how global trade is changing for a fuel increasingly seen as a cheap, cleaner-burning option for countries from Latin America to China and India. The tanker Maran Gas Achilles passed through the Panama Canal and was headed toward Asia at a speed of 20 knots when, suddenly, it made a sharp u-turn in the Pacific.

Oil to Hit $40 If OPEC Fails to Expand Cuts, Pioneer Says

Oil prices will tumble to $40 a barrel if OPEC doesn’t extend its pact later this year to cut output, according to one of the most prominent producers in the shale patch. U.S. shale drillers are keeping an eye on the second half of the year to see if OPEC and non-OPEC members extend their agreement, which lasts through June, to reduce production by 1.8 million barrels a day, Scott Sheffield, chairman of Irving-based Pioneer Natural Resources Co., said Tuesday in an interview at the CERAWeek industry conference held by IHS Markit in Houston.

Tanker’s U-Turn Shows How Shale Is Changing World Gas Trade

A cargo of chilled natural gas hauled from Louisiana in late December has become a symbol of how global trade is changing for a fuel increasingly seen as a cheap, cleaner-burning option for countries from Latin America to China and India. The tanker Maran Gas Achilles passed through the Panama Canal and was headed toward Asia at a speed of 20 knots when, suddenly, it made a sharp u-turn in the Pacific.

SunEdison to Sell Stakes in TerraForm Yieldcos to Brookfield

SunEdison Inc. took a major step forward in its bankruptcy reorganization, agreeing to relinquish control of its two yieldco units to Canada’s biggest alternative asset manager and clearing up some of the litigation brought by the affiliates. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. agreed to increase its stake in TerraForm Power Inc. to 51 percent, acquiring the additional shares at $11.46 each, according to a statement on Tuesday.

CalTech, Berkeley Lab team uses new high-throughput method to…

Using high-throughput ab initio theory in conjunction with experiments in an integrated workflow, researchers at Caltech and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have identified eight low-band-gap ternary vanadate oxide photoanodes which have potential for generating chemical fuels from sunlight, water and CO2. A report on their methodology and the new materials is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

Big Battery Installations Surge After Gas Leak in California

The biggest natural gas leak in U.S. history led to a boom in large-scale energy-storage systems, the technology that’s long considered the elusive link to integrating solar and wind power into electric grids. U.S. homes and businesses — primarily utilities — installed storage systems with 336 megawatt-hours of capacity in 2016, double the amount from the previous year, according to a study released Tuesday by GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association.

New Materials Could Turn Water into the Fuel of the Future

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology have-in just two years-nearly doubled the number of materials known to have potential for use in solar fuels. They did so by developing a process that promises to speed the discovery of commercially viable generation of solar fuels that could replace coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.

Biomass Boiler Market Driven by Growth and Forecast 2016 – 2024

The rising awareness regarding the use of biomass as a suitable low-carbon and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels such as coal for the generation of power and heat is the key driver of the global biomass boiler market. Developed as well as developing economies across the globe have ramped up their efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, of which finding ways of minimizing reliance on fossil fuels and switching to carbon-neutral fuels such as biomass is an important step.

White House Said to Debate Icahn Plan Revamping Ethanol Rule

White House officials have spent the past two days in deliberations with billionaire refinery owner Carl Icahn about his proposal to modify federal policy on renewable fuels and with ethanol producers who oppose it, according to three people familiar with the talks. The flurry of meetings and phone calls came after Bloomberg News reported Monday that Icahn had helped broker a compromise with a leading biofuel group on reworking the program.

EXCHANGE: STEM students create winning invention

In this Jan. 20, 2017 photo, teacher Matt Erbach explains to his students what he is looking for as the group of Streamwood High School students in Streamwood, Ill., design a micro generator using wind power to light up areas around homeless shelters. Their wind-powered generator idea won the state competition in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, which encourages teachers and students to solve real-world issues using classroom skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Hedge Funds Grow More Bullish on Corn as Surplus Eases

The glut of corn that’s been plaguing Midwest growers is finally starting to ease, and hedge funds are betting that will help spark a rally for prices. U.S. corn inventories are set to drop before the 2018 harvest as farmers curb plantings and demand stays robust, the Department of Agriculture said Friday.

CORRECTING and REPLACING ThreatMetrix Selects Verne Global to Expand Data Center Footprint

Verne Global to provide disaster recovery and operational scale for world’s largest Digital Identity Network A using 100% sustainable energy Verne Global to provide disaster recovery and operational scale for world’s largest Digital Identity Network A using 100% sustainable energy Verne Global , a global developer at the forefront of data center infrastructure design, today announced that ThreatMetrix A , The Digital Identity CompanyA , will broaden its service delivery network utilizing Verne Global. Verne will provide ThreatMetrix with vital growth capabilities required to manage its rapidly growing global customer base.

Canada’s Fading Oil Promise Leaves U.S. Majors Struggling

Oil-sands investments in Western Canada that gobbled tens of billions of dollars over the past decade are proving an Achilles heel for some of the world’s biggest energy producers. Exxon Mobil Corp. slashed proved reserves the most in its modern history after removing the entire $16 billion, 3.5-billion-barrel Kearl oil-sands project from its books on Wednesday.

Exxon Caves to Oil Crash With Historic Global Reserves Cut

Exxon Mobil Corp. disclosed the deepest reserves cut in its modern history as prolonged routs in oil and natural gas markets erased the value of some North American fields. The equivalent of about 3.3 billion barrels of untapped crude was removed from the so-called proved reserves category in Exxon’s books, the Irving, Texas-based explorer said in a statement.

LNG Fights a Losing Battle in India as Taxes Weigh on Demand

A province governed by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 13 years is impeding his plans to promote clean energy. Modi’s effort to make liquefied natural gas more affordable, by halving its import tax in the government’s annual budget Feb. 1, is being scuttled by the withdrawal of tax benefits by the western Indian state of Gujarat, through which 90 percent of the LNG used in India passes.

Data breach at Arby’s reportedly was first sniffed out by PSCU

Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. said in a statement to USA TODAY that it had recently launched an investigation of its payment card systems after learning of a possible data breach. The Atlanta-based Arby’s said it notified law enforcement and brought in leading security experts to investigate malware found on its point-of-sale system.

OPEC’s Top Producer Is Turning to Wind and Solar Power

The nation most identified with its massive oil reserves is turning to wind and solar to generate power at home and help extend the life of its crucial crude franchise. Saudi Arabia plans to develop almost 10 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2023, starting with wind and solar plants in its vast northwestern desert.

Illinois lawmakers propose biotech tax credits

The legislation, introduced by Republican state Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet and Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill, would provide incentives to produce and sell new renewable products made from biomass and other renewable sources, the Herald & Review reported. “We have leading biotechnology companies, large and small, that are leading research and development efforts on these innovative products, and we have critical mass in infrastructure to produce and transport these renewables around the world,” Manar said.

Robin Roberts returns to Coast, accepts award

Robin Roberts and sister Sally-Ann Roberts returned to the Coast Saturday to accept an Heritage Award from Mississippi Power that honors the lives of their parents. Video by Justin Vicory/Sun Herald Biloxi votes to ask state lawmakers to approve a high-tech partnership between the city and a nanotechnology company in “Shark Tank” fashion.

India’s Petronet to cut spot LNG cargo purchases in FY 18

Feb 9 India’s biggest gas importer Petronet LNG will cut spot purchases of liquefied natural gas in the next fiscal year as it is getting supplies under a long-term deal with Exxon Mobil Corp for imports from Australia’s Gorgon project, the company’s chief executive Prabhat Singh said on Thursday. Separately, Petronet LNG’s head of finance, RK Garg, said the second LNG cargo from Gorgon is expected to arrive in March.

ORNL, Chattanooga Electric Power Board Test the Role of Sensors in Grid Innovation

February 8, 2017 – With a fiber-optic network that provides Chattanooga residents and businesses with exceptional high-speed communications, the city’s Electric Power Board provides the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory with an ideal testbed for smart grid research. With support provided by DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability , an effort was launched in 2014 to advance the state of the power grid in Tennessee.

Security Boosted at Oil Fields to Raise South Sudan Output

South Sudan said it boosted security at oil installations and will source electricity from neighboring Sudan to resume output at two fields in efforts to restore production to levels achieved before the country descended into civil war. The government is also in talks with oil companies including Total SA of France, and Oriental Energy Resources Ltd. of Nigeria to begin exploration in Block B, the country’s largest untapped deposit, Petroleum Minister Ezekiel Lul Gatkuoth said in an interview Monday in the capital, Juba.

U.S. Plastic-to-Fuel Market Forecasted to Be Worth US$ 98.26 Million by 2020

Future Market Insights announces the release of its latest report titled, ” Plastic-to-fuel Market : U.S. Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 – 2020″. As per FMI’s projection, the U.S. Plastic-to-fuel market is estimated to generate US$ 42.78 million in revenues in 2015, which is likely to reach US$ 98.26 million in 2020 representing a CAGR of 6.79% through the forecast period of 2016 to 2020.

World Patent Marketing Invention Team Presents Saint’s Light, A…

The renewable energy industry is worth $680 billion,” says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. “There is a worldwide push to increase the prevalence of green energy among major markets… World Patent Marketing, a vertically integrated manufacturer and engineer of patented products, introduces Saint’s Light, a renewable energy invention that uses solar panels to provide homes everywhere with much-needed electricity.

Earth’s magnetic poles may be poised to flip

Article by Phil Livermore, Associate Professor of geophysics, University of Leeds and Jon Mound, Associate Professor of Geophysics, University of Leeds Schematic illustration of the invisible magnetic field lines generated by the Earth, represented as a dipole magnet field. In actuality, our magnetic shield is squeezed in closer to Earth on the Sun-facing side and extremely elongated on the night-side due to the solar wind.

Burning Wood Beats Coal at J-Power Amid Climate Change Fight

Electric Power Development Co., known as J-Power, is looking to build its first major power plant that burns natural gas near cities such as Tokyo as well as use more woody biomass instead of fossil fuels, Executive Officer Hitoshi Kanno said. That’s because even the most advanced coal technology on offer now isn’t enough for companies like J-Power to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s emissions goal, he said.

FPL unveils new ‘Power Delivery Diagnostic Center’ | Press Release

Florida Power & Light Company today announced the launch of its new, high-tech Power Delivery Diagnostic Center, which is designed to leverage advanced smart grid technology to better manage the electric system and deliver reliable service that ranks among the best in the nation. “The electric grid, which was designed and built across the United States many years ago, has remained largely unchanged for decades,” said Manny Miranda, vice president of power delivery for FPL.

3 Small-Cap Stocks to Buy in February

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AltaGas Buying Washington Utility Owner in $4.6 Billion Deal

AltaGas Ltd. agreed to buy Washington utility owner WGL Holdings Inc. for $4.6 billion, a takeover that will expand the Canadian company’s reach in the U.S. where it already owns power plants and two natural gas distributors. The $88.25-a-share, all-cash deal represents a 12 percent premium over WGL’s closing price Tuesday, AltaGas said in a statement Wednesday.

In a fiery speech, California Gov. Jerry Brown defends climate action …

In his State of the State address Tuesday morning, California Gov. Jerry Brown delivered an impassioned defense of climate action while decrying what he described as the Trump administration’s attacks on science and basic facts. While Brown has previously made waves with comments about his state’s commitment to the issue of climate change, Tuesday’s speech may be among his most defiant yet.