Archive for January, 2009
Repost of TDP: The Next Big Thing
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Because of the upcoming IPO for Changing World Technologies (See this story at Seeking Alpha) the articles that I wrote on the company are getting quite a bit of traffic. I thought I would bump them to the top for a review of who they are, what they do, and where [...]
Why Gas Prices are Rising Again
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Every time gas prices start to go up, my essay “Why Are Gas Prices Rising?” gets a lot of hits from Google searches by people looking for an explanation. Because the supply/demand dynamics have changed, that essay needs dusting off, especially in light of stories like this:
Pros puzzled by gas prices
Fuel [...]
What Manpower Shortage?
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Much has been made of the manpower shortage in the oil industry. I have been interviewed about it, I have written about it, and I saw it first hand when I was working for ConocoPhillips in Aberdeen, Scotland. Recruiting people was very difficult, and contractors - especially process engineers - were [...]
15 ‘Silver Bullets’ for Solving Our Biggest Energy and Environmental Problems
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
`Silver Bullets’ for Solving the Energy Crisis #1 - Put Oil Companies to Work on Geothermal Energy
‘Silver Bullets’ for Solving the Energy Crisis #2 – Quicken Deployment of Stop-Start, Mild Hybrid
‘Silver Bullets’ for Solving the Energy Crisis #3 – Adopt the Berkeley Solar Financing Model
‘Silver Bullets’ for Solving the Energy Crisis #4 - [...]
Water Infrastructure Firms Now Appear To Be Just One Catastrophic Accident Away From Big Rally
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
Posted: For the Week of January 26-31
As reporters well know, the best stories often hide in plain sight, slowly building over months or even years until, inevitably, something spectacular happens that catapults a story onto the front page.
When the big bang finally occurs, it often sets off a big sector stock rally, which is [...]
Amazing Ethanol Lawsuit Against Oil Companies
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I did a double-take when I saw this headline:
Ethanol Lawsuit Proceeds against Oil Companies
It turns out that oil companies - forced to use ethanol in gasoline despite many protests - are now being sued because ethanol blends can corrode fiberglass tanks in boats.
NAPLES, Fla. — A Florida lawsuit against six oil [...]
All BTUs Are Not Created Equally
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I sometimes have to pause and remind people that I am not anti-ethanol. As I have said numerous times, I am opposed to recycling fossil fuel into ethanol, and paying massive subsidies to do it. This is what we do with corn ethanol. That is a false solution to our fossil [...]
Renewable Diesel Primer
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Given the recent news that biodiesel has caused buses in Minnesota to malfunction in cold weather, I thought this would be a good time to review the differences between diesel, biodiesel, and green diesel. In order to explain the key issues, I am going to excerpt from the chapter on renewable [...]
Detroit’s Trying, But the Six Best Companies to Own For the Electric Vehicle Revolution Are From Asia
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
While U.S. automakers were grabbing the media spotlight last week with their new electric vehicle models, in Washington renowned “green” venture capitalist John Doerr was telling Congress what it didn’t want to hear, that the U.S. badly lags in the global cleantech revolution. When it comes to solar, wind and advanced batteries, Doerr [...]
Chavez Back Pedals
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Now this is pretty funny:
Chávez Lets West Make Oil Bids as Prices Plunge
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez, buffeted by falling oil prices that threaten to damage his efforts to establish a Socialist-inspired state, is quietly courting Western oil companies once again.
Until recently, Mr. Chávez had pushed foreign oil companies here [...]
Nobody Wants Small Cars
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I reported on it last week in How Quickly We Forget, but the Houston Chronicle yesterday reiterated the point the people are reverting to bad habits:
GM exec complains ‘nobody wants’ small cars now
General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said lower fuel prices are discouraging U.S. sales of small cars and [...]
Detroit Gearing Up for Electric Cars
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
The Dodge Circuit Electric Vehicle
Regular readers know that I am hopeful that electric cars can start to become one of our transportation options in the next few years. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost, it is because there are so many different options for making electricity. We currently [...]
Setting the Stage for 2009
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I wanted to just have one housekeeping post here at the beginning of the year covering a wide range of topics: From posting etiquette to themes to my internal debate over whether to proceed with a book. So here goes.
First, some reminders about posting etiquette here. While I encourage debate and [...]
More Ethanol Plants Going Down
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I won’t say I told you so, but I will make a prediction here:
VeraSun Suspends Production at Three Distilleries
Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) — VeraSun Energy Corp., the second- largest U.S. ethanol producer, has idled three distilleries as demand falls and prices fail to cover the cost of production.
Producers have been struggling to [...]
From Long Shots to Big Shots? 5 Energy Small Caps That May Thrive Under Obama
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
If you’re looking for hidden gems that could benefit from Barack Obama’s new green energy economy, companies that haven’t been touted from one end of the digital spectrum to the other, then read on, provided we all agree in advance that likely only one or two may grab the brass ring.
Whether you come away [...]
U.S. Drilling Expenditures Shatter Previous Record
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
For those who don’t think U.S. oil companies are spending enough to find new oil:
US drilling outlays soar to $226.4 billion in 2007
WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 5 — US oil and gas drilling expenditures soared to a record $226.4 billion in 2007, more than doubling the previous record of $109.8 billion a [...]
I’m in the Wrong Business
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Update: As Maury pointed out in the comments, Chavez has reconsidered:
Venezuelan-owned Citgo Petroleum, which had earlier indicated it might end a home heating oil assistance program for low-income Americans, yesterday said it had decided to continue the program.
Joseph P. Kennedy II, chairman of Citizens Energy, said yesterday that the renewal of [...]
A Simple Climate Tax Scheme
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
The following guest post is by Bob Findlay, a self-employed open source software engineer who lives on a small farm just outside Toronto.
—————————-
On 07 Apr 26 an Oil Drum blogger named Squalish (http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2499) wrote a response to a debate about government’s role in climate change policy. In that piece Squalish described [...]
In 10 Years Josh Landess Will Be Clean Energy’s Warren Buffett. Investors Should Get to Know His Research Now
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
Everyone knows the legend of Warren Buffett. EnergyTechStocks.com believes that 10 years from now, Josh Landess will be clean energy’s investing legend.
Landess co-manages an index, not a fund, a distinct advantage for investors in this age of Wall Street scandals. As co-manager of the Wilderhill New Energy Global Innovation Index, Landess probably is [...]
How Quickly We Forget
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Retail gasoline prices in the U.S. peaked back in July at $4.17 a gallon. (Source: EIA). At the end of 2008, gasoline had fallen to $1.67. We typically use about 140 billion gallons of gasoline each year, so that $2.50 drop amounts to an annualized difference of $350 billion in the [...]
