High fuel prices are wreaking havoc in Europe, some call for tax exemptions others go on strike. The structural constraints affecting oil supply are becoming to much to bear for Europeans, especially those more reliant on the automobile.
But before going out for a demonstration against who ever you [...]
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If you've studied the history of Iraqi oil in some detail you'll realise just how dodgy and self-serving this latest piece from the Economist is - whitewashing our oil grab and blaming the current state of the Iraqi oil industry on misfortune and the Iraqis themselves - rather [...]
Posted: May 31, 2008, 8:51am EDT by Big Gav
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The Coming Energy Wars

Oil prices could hit $200 a barrel in the next few months. How the spike changes everything.
This spring, America hit a historic point. With average gas prices per gallon edging toward $4, America's notoriously profligate ways started to change fast. Americans are driving [...]
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Short-term exposure to low levels of particulate air pollution may increase the risk of stroke or mini-stroke, according to findings by a University of Michigan team that suggest current exposure standards could be insufficient to protect the public. The study suggests future research on ambient air pollution and stroke [...]
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People’s Daily. South African-designed battery-electric passenger vehicles will be unveiled by early next year. The development of the prototype involves a range of stakeholders, including South African universities and industry. Boni Mehlomakulu, group executive of the department’s [Department of Science & Technology] research, development and innovation program, told SAPA [...]
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Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels unveiled the first of four converted plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) the city of Seattle will test over the next year. (Earlier post.)
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| The first Seattle PHEV. |
Last October, the city of Seattle joined with the Port of Seattle, King County and the Puget [...]
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The Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer/tractor combination has entered the Guinness World Records as the most fuel-efficient 40-tonne truck, with fuel consumption of 19.44 liters of diesel per 100 km— the equivalent less than 0.8 liters per hundred tonne-kilometers (tkm)—during a test drive of more than 12,728 kilometers. The consumption was determined during [...]
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Almost two-thirds of UK motorists say fuel economy is the number one priority when buying a new car, according to a new survey by Motorpoint, the UK’s leading car supermarket group. The poll found that 64% of people regarded fuel economy as the key consideration when changing their vehicle—a [...]
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As I indicated in the original post - Coping with Gas at $100 a Gallon - here are some of the comments on my thought experiment on $100 gasoline. Comments were varied, ranging from things like "thought-provoking", "great question", "a good exercise", and "interesting" - to "absurd", "silly", and [...]
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CAES (Compressed Air Energy Storage) is being promoted as a way to smooth the delivery of intermittent supplies of power from e.g. wind. This would increase its ability to displace other supplies of electricity and reduce carbon emissions from the same.
Of course, pumping lots of air around is going to [...]
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TomDispatch has a look at the history of "turning points" in Iraq and the sorry record of John McCain in both supporting the war and failing miserably to predict its course. At first, we were impressed by the senator's statements in Republican primary debates about how he had actually [...]
Posted: May 30, 2008, 7:39pm EDT by Big Gav
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I recently received a press release from National Wind, a developer of wind farms. I usually ignore press releases, but I thought this was topical enough to investigate. Further, I haven't written anything on wind in a long time. So, I replied and asked if they could give me [...]
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Scoop has an interesting viewpoint from New Zealand, arguing that smaller power generation plants make for a better, more competitive energy market - Smaller and Smarter Wind Energy. A smarter way to achieve sustainable electricity in New Zealand was presented to the Energy Trusts of NZ conference in Wellington [...]
Posted: May 30, 2008, 6:50pm EDT by Big Gav
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Crikey has a series of articles on "oil, the future and you", with the first installment featuring Adam Grubb of Energy Bulletin (which has the full text for non-Crikey subscribers).
The high price of petrol today is causing discomfort among motorists. So much so that our federal politicians have [...]
Posted: May 30, 2008, 6:30pm EDT by Big Gav
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The University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University—Michigan’s three research universities—has awarded its first seed fund grants to provide startup support for two “revolutionary but feasible” energy projects: thermoelectric power generation and nano-biocarriers for the production of low-cost [...]
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Crikey has the first in a series on " oil, the future and you", with the first installment featuring Adam Grubb of Energy Bulletin (which has the full text for non-Crikey subscribers). The high price of petrol today is causing discomfort among motorists. So much so that our federal [...]
Posted: May 30, 2008, 3:25pm EDT by Big Gav
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“Alright!” says the Actress, “You’ve convinced me we have a problem with oil. So what’s the answer?” Well, actually I didn’t. Eloquent and persuasive though I might like to think that I am, what really convinced her was the price she had to pay to fill the gas tank in [...]
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Nikkei. Thai oil and gas company PTT PCL is partnering with the Thai unit of Toyota Motor Corp. to study the development of bio-hydrogenated renewable diesel. The study is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Bio-hydrogenated diesel is a renewable diesel produced by hydrogenating crude palm [...]
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Renault has introduced a new prototype fuel cell vehicle: the Scenic ZEV H2. The Scenic ZEV H2 is a joint Nissan-Renault Alliance project.
Based on a Renault Grand Scenic, the Scenic ZEV H2 features Nissan’s in-house developed fuel cell stack, high-pressure hydrogen storage tank and compact lithium-ion batteries. Renault engineers and [...]
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After 41 years of oil sands mining operations in northern Alberta, only 0.2%—one square kilometer—of disturbed land is certified as reclaimed, according to a new report by environmental group the Pembina Institute. Oil sands mining is transforming northeastern Alberta. By the end of 2007, oil sands companies had cleared or [...]
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Integrated Genomics, Inc. (IG), a US microbial genomics company, and TMO Renewables Limited, a UK developer of a cellulosic ethanol production process, are extending their research collaboration on organisms for TMO’s system. Scientists at IG will work with TMO to identify pathways that can be exploited in future upgrades to [...]
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I've covered the idea of a government-set floor price for petroleum several times in the last couple of years, so I didn't immediately feel obliged to address the latest such proposal from Tom Friedman in yesterday's New York Times. Enough readers sent me links to his column to convince [...]
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Frost & Sullivan presented its 2008 European Automotive Powertrain Company of the Year Award to Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) for demonstrating excellence in sales volumes, superior market penetration and high levels of customer satisfaction within the electric vehicle (EV) industry. In 2007, on average one REVA electric car [...]
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| Collantes proposes a logic sequence to assess whether to keep, eliminate, or revise the AMFA provisions. Click to enlarge. |
The two decade-old Alternative Motor Fuels Act—the statute that currently provides automakers with incentives under the CAFE program to manufacture Flex Fuel Vehicles—needs to be overhauled or scrapped to [...]
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HTL processing in High Quality mode. Vacuum tower bottoms (VTBs) are routed to the Reactor where thermal cracking takes place. Upgraded VTBs (product) are quenched at the exit of the Reactor Cyclone and routed to the Atmospheric Distillation Unit where distillate and lighter material is sent [...]
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Strange blog post title today. I have been having some difficulty juggling a number of activities recently, and I find that I have missed commenting on a several recent events and updates associated with the NuClear renaissance. One of my activities has been a continuing conversation with Adam [...]
Posted: May 29, 2008, 11:58pm EDT by Rod Adams
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A recruiter from Google recently contacted me and asked if I would put a note on here that they are looking for candidates for their Renewable Energy Group. You may recall that I previously wrote a post covering several companies - Green Job Opportunities. This one is specifically for [...]
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George Monbiot has a classic column on some of the bizarre contradictions evident in the energy policies of the UK in particular and the West in general in this open letter to the King of Saudi Arabia. King Abdaullah of Saudi Arabia
Your Majesty,
In common with [...]
Posted: May 29, 2008, 4:50pm EDT by Big Gav
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Technology Review reports that Verenium have opened the first cellulosic ethanol plant in the US - "a 1.4 million gallon demonstration-scale plant will use waste biomass to make biofuel". A biorefinery built to produce 1.4 million gallons of ethanol a year from cellulosic biomass will open tomorrow in Jennings, [...]
Posted: May 29, 2008, 4:45pm EDT by Big Gav
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USA Today (29 May 08) Dow Chemical's announcement Wednesday that it would raise prices as much as 20% is just the most recent of a flurry of price hikes by major companies, affecting everything from tissues to coffee to paint. The big concern: As energy and commodity [...]
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Dynetek Industries Ltd. has received approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) of their 450 bar (6,527 psi) cylinder for use in Dynetek BT450 Tube Trailer Systems for bulk transport of compressed hydrogen. In October 2007, Dynetek announced delivery of the first BT450 Tube trailer systems for the [...]
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May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Governor Frederic Mishkin, one of Chairman Ben S. Bernanke's chief supporters for the steepest interest-rate cuts in two decades, plans to resign and return to Columbia University. Mishkin, 57, on a leave of absence from the New York school, plans to step down [...]
Posted: May 29, 2008, 3:34pm EDT by Nick Jones
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The recently-formed Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) will hold the second annual Algae Biomass Summit in Seattle, 23-24 October.
More than 400 experts in and proponents of algae biomass gathered for the first Algae Biomass Summit in November 2007. At that event, attendees agreed to form the Algal Biomass Organization to [...]
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Approximately 19,000 of GM’s 74,000 US hourly employees have ">decided to take an early retirement or buyout package. Most of the employees participating in the company’s attrition program will leave the company no later than 1 July 2008. GM will fill job openings with current employees whenever possible, as spelled out [...]
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Start-up algal biofuels company Sapphire Energy unveiled a renewable 91 octane gasoline that conforms to ASTM certification derived from algal a biocrude. Sapphire has developed a platform that produces a “green crude” and biohydrocarbon fuels from modified algae. Sapphire’s founders and leadership team includes scientists in the fields of petroleum [...]
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