Archive for July, 2009
The Ins and Outs of Replacing Your Oil Heat System
Whether you’re stepping into your new home for the first time or you want to further invest in your household of many years, the decision to purchase a new heating system could very well be right around the corner. There are many reasons why someone might consider a heating system replacement: breakdowns, repair bills, [...]
Read More »Plans for Nation’s Largest Urban Solar Energy Plant Inching Forward in Chicago
The Exelon Company – a utilities distributor in Chicago and the largest nuclear energy operator in the United States – wants to put a solar plant in the West Pullman neighborhood, on the city’s South Side.
On Wednesday, Chicago Public Radio reported that Exelon had moved one step closer to installing more than 30,000 solar panels [...]
Green Chic on the Road: Electric-Powered Tesla Roadsters Now For Sale in Select US Cities
Coming soon to a store near you—at least if you live in Chicago, Miami, D.C., Toronto, Munich, or Monaco—the Tesla Roadster, an electric car that can beat a Ferrari at its own game.
And if you live in New York City, Los Angeles, Menlo Park, London, or Seattle, the Roadster is already there for sale.
Flush with [...]
BP, Exxon Profits Sink as Oil Prices Stay Down; Signs Point to Low Heating Oil Prices in Coming Months
Though crude prices have risen since their Q2 2009 low, BP CEO Tony Hayward predicted that oil will trade at the lower end of a $60-$90/barrel range through the third quarter.
Europe’s largest petroleum company gave a bearish outlook at Wednesday’s London news conference after reporting that second-quarter earnings fell 53 percent partly because of lower [...]
Paying $0 for Utilities: Zero Net Energy Buildings Are Here
Sure, we know the sustainable benefits a green building can provide, but if it’s designed right, according to GreenBiz.com, you can reach the ultimate goal: no monthly utility bills.
They’re called zero net energy buildings and the U.S. Department of Energy wants to bring them to the US by 2025. According to the department’s website, [...]
Recession Still Keeping Oil Supplies High, Prices Low
The US remains in a recession, according to a cross-section of energy-related data examined in an AP article published yesterday. What does that mean for oil prices? Read on:
People are still worried about their finances.
Because of that, people aren’t driving in their cars for a weekend getaway. They aren’t purchasing plane tickets for a lengthy [...]
Investment Banks Testify Against New Oil Trading Regulations in CFTC Hearing
For months, there has been discussion about what federal regulators intend to do to clamp down on oil speculators, a group that many have blamed for the extreme price volatility in the energy market seen over the past two years.
But now, their plans appear clear. Regulators want to place limits on how much oil trading [...]
Construction of US “Smart Grid” Faces Security Threats, Other Obstacles
Every day, Americans use electricity that is transported to their homes through a power grid created over 100 years ago. Updating this system, which has not been done since The Great Depression, has become a priority for the Obama administration, which looks to develop a US “smart grid.”
Proponents say that smart grid technology will help [...]
Green Power from Ocean Currents Under Development
Almost all electricity is produced by turbines which are devices in which moving gas or fluid spins fan blades to turn a generator. The source of the moving gas or fluid may vary—in commercial power plants, it’s usually steam produced by burning fossil fuels or by nuclear energy; in hydroelectric plants, it’s water spilling over [...]
Read More »Biotech Firm Engineers Organisms that Produce Ethanol
There’s been a rapid “evolution” happening in biofuel. The first biofuels, such as ethanol, were made from crops like corn. This means taking food (and the land used to grow it) away from people and livestock and devoting it to vehicles and industry. Ethanol production has been blamed by many for increasing food prices. The [...]
Read More »Arguments For and Against New Limits on Oil Speculation
Yesterday, we wrote about the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is about to release a report that largely blames speculators – hedge funds, trading houses and individuals with no hard assets in the industry – for crude oil’s unprecedented spike last summer to nearly $150 a barrel.
Today, voices across the energy spectrum are expressing their [...]
Closed Coal Mines Can Provide Clean Geothermal Energy
Mine shafts that are about to be closed because of insufficient coal yield could be used to extract geothermal energy from the ground, write two engineers in the journal Renewable Energy, Science Daily reported on Monday.
This energy, from the internal heat of the Earth, could be used to provide electricity and hot water to nearby [...]
Residential Solar Power is Making a Comeback; Is it Right for You?
Usually, when solar power is in the news, it’s for a utility or a major company installing industrial-sized panels, like Google powering its headquarters with solar energy.
However, back in the late 1970s, before industrial or utility solar was big—before “alternative energy” meant anything other than switching from gas heat to heating oil—residential solar was big. [...]
Heating Oil Stores at Sea Grow Again, Could Mean Low Prices This Winter
Oil at sea means good news for heating oil users.
According to Reuters, nearly 72 million barrels of distillate fuel (heating oil and diesel) are currently being held in oil tankers around the world, ten million more than in June. This is enough to meet 85% of the world’s daily demand for distillate fuel.
This total shows [...]
California Legislature Rejects Plan for New Offshore Drilling Projects
The California State Assembly just rejected a plan that would have allowed the first new oil leases off the Californian coast in 40 years. Under the plan, Plains Exploration and Production Company would have been allowed to bypass the current environmental review process and access oil reserves located off Santa Barbara. The proposed drilling was [...]
Read More »Nobel Laureate Soyinka Criticizes Nigerian Gov’t, Backs Rebels
For years, the Niger Delta has been rocked by violence as a result of messy oil relations among industry, government and militia. The rebels are not without a cause, and last week they garnered celebrity support.
Wole Soyinka, the 1986 Nobel laureate in literature, slammed Nigeria’s handling of the crisis in the oil region and urged [...]
CFTC Report Will Blame Speculators for Oil Price Spike, New Regulations Likely
Still roiling over last summer’s unprecedented oil price spike? We might soon get stabilizing relief from the destructive ups and downs of the crude oil market.
Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has suggested much of the wild oil price fluctuations were (and are) due to speculators, according to [...]
American Cars’ Fuel Efficiency Little Improved in Last 76 Years
It’s hard to believe: the average fuel efficiency of the U.S. vehicle fleet has increased by just three miles per gallon since 1923–the year Ford came out with the Model T–concludes a new study done by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, in Ann Arbor, and reported by New Scientist.
The report also shows that [...]
Exxon to be Fined $1 Bil for Sabotaging Oil Wells
If those record-breaking profits year after year make you angry, take heart: Exxon Mobil may be fined $1 billion for “malicious” sabotage of their own wells, says the Texas General Land Office, according to Bloomberg.
“Exxon committed irrefutable, intentional and flagrant violations of state rules regulating the oilfield,” Jerry Patterson said in the statement. Patterson is [...]
OPEC: Supply Glut Will Bring Down Oil Prices in Coming Weeks
There isn’t a lot of room left in the world’s oil storage tanks, and OPEC believes this will lead to a drop in the price of crude oil, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.
The world’s economic slowdown has led to stockpiles of heating oil and diesel not seen in 24 years. Last week, as reported [...]
