Archive for March, 2009
« Previous EntriesThe New and Improved CTL Scheme
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.” - Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut
A very short paper (two pages) appeared in the latest Science detailing an improvement on coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology. A couple of people have e-mailed me to ask for my take [...]
On Eve of Potential New Oil Price Shock, Investors May Want to Up Stakes in Both Oil & Electricity (Part 2 of 2)
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
Editor’s Note: In keeping with its mission to be solely a news source, this EnergyTechStocks.com article is presented for information purposes only.
In Part 1 of this news analysis (See Brace Yourself (and Your Portfolio) for an Oil Price Shock by 2012 Or Sooner - Part 1 of 2), experts warned that a new [...]
Yes He Could
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Do I believe the U.S. can be energy independent? Yes, I believe that with certain draconian measures, the U.S. could achieve energy independence within 10 years. But emphasis must be placed on ‘draconian.’ So yes, I think Barack Obama could make good on his campaign promises and make the United States [...]
Brace Yourself (and Your Portfolio) for an Oil Price Shock by 2012 Or Sooner (Part 1 of 2)
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
How ironic that, even as President Obama fights an uphill battle to convince Congress to accelerate alternative energy development despite widening budget deficits, it looks like it’s already too late to avoid a new oil price shock.
In his press conference last week, Obama said the country can’t afford to wait to tackle its [...]
Aventine, Verenium on the Ropes
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Reality is starting to catch up with prospective cellulosic ethanol producers. I felt like this was bound to happen, but the poor economy is making it happen faster than I expected. I expected some plants to be built, and then they would bleed red ink for a while before declaring bankruptcy. [...]
The Next Five Years
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Peak Lite and the Current Oil Picture
A few years ago, after spending a lot of time thinking about peak oil, and then watching the price of oil break out of its historical trading range and head higher, the idea of Peak Lite came to me. Over time the price of oil [...]
Tariff Turnabout
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
This is a timely story, coming on the heels of the previous story on the tariffs the U.S. applies to Brazilian ethanol:
European tariffs stun U.S. biodiesel industry
The U.S. biodiesel industry will suffer from new trade barriers that threaten to end its lucrative export business to Europe, and in Texas the measure could be [...]
Trying to Make Sense of Ethanol Tariffs
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Note that in the following essay, I am not trying to come down either for or against ethanol tariffs, but rather to discuss what I see as the key issues surrounding them. U.S. energy policy is slanted to favor U.S. farmers and ethanol producers, and I am merely trying to explain [...]
Cleantech is Hurting, but Telvent, Kadant, Enersys and Waterfurnace Among Firms Still Worth a Closer Look
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
“Hard to value solar, wind and heavy capital equipment stocks right now,” wrote Rafael Coven, manager of the Cleantech Index, in an email to EnergyTechStocks.com’s managing editor last week. “Macro picture really blocks out the potential for cleantech and clean energy for the time being. Everyone has less cash and wealth and a [...]
Valero Now in the Ethanol Business
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
In an update to Big Oil Buys Big Ethanol, it is official:
Valero Energy, the Oil Refiner, Wins an Auction for 7 Ethanol Plants
Valero Energy, the country’s largest independent refiner, said on Wednesday that it would buy seven ethanol plants from VeraSun Energy for $477 million, giving the biofuel industry a lift [...]
The Oil Industry Helps Bail Out AIG
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But they did just chip in close a billion dollars to the government coffers that are propping up AIG:
US Central Gulf Lease Sale Bids Total $703 Million
HOUSTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the Central Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 208, [...]
A Lost Litigation Opportunity
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
While the so-called ‘hot gas’ issue has been discussed here several times before, there are new developments out in California that have Oil Watchdog and the $295/hr lawyer behind this ‘consumer organization’ crying over lost litigation opportunities. Given the time, effort, and money they have put into this issue, the events [...]
The WSJ Hates Ethanol
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Actually, according to them everybody hates it:
Everyone Hates Ethanol
I can assure them that corn farmers, ethanol producers, and ethanol lobbyists don’t hate ethanol. But they are correct that a coalition of strange bedfellows has united in opposition to our ethanol policy.
The article makes a lot of good points, but it [...]
A Year Without a Car
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
On March 1, 2008 I sold my Nissan Micra in Aberdeen, Scotland and hopped a plane to Amsterdam to take up a new position. I have not owned a car since that time. A while back someone asked what that experience has been like, and suggested I write a story on [...]
How Investors Can Make Money from Obama’s ‘EEcovery’ (EE for Energy Efficiency)
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
Now that President Obama has made energy efficiency a combined economic and environmental goal, it’s worth asking Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) how he sees the “EEcovery” (“EE” standing for energy efficiency) playing out and which companies he expects might benefit the most.
In an [...]
Update on CWT IPO
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
A couple of months ago, in response to a story that Changing World Technologies was going to file an IPO to help commercialize their TPD technology, I reposted my story:
TDP: The Next Big Thing
Turns out they decided against the IPO. Bankruptcy seemed the better option:
Renewable Environmental Solutions owner closes plant in [...]
About That Logistics Problem
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
In 2006 I warned about just how many trees a cellulosic ethanol plant could consume:
Cellulosic Ethanol Reality Check
Let’s consider a typical mid-sized 50 million gallon per year ethanol plant. Using Iogen’s demonstrated yields, the biomass requirement would be 50 million/70 = 714,286 tons of biomass per year. According to Dr. Bruce [...]
Helicopter Crash Near Canada
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
While last month’s helicopter crash into the North Sea had a happy ending with everyone surviving, today’s crash off the coast of Canada did not. Like last month’s crash, there were 18 on board, but this time there are 16 missing from the helicopter which was on its way to an [...]
Coskata on Life Support?
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Remember my story Coskata: Dead Man Walking? As I wrote in that essay six months ago:
I predict that Coskata’s suggestions that they will produce ethanol for less than $1/gal will look ridiculous in hindsight. The next few years will see a record amount of back-pedaling from most of the companies trying [...]
The Prospects for Algal Biodiesel Dim
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
As I noted in my earlier essay More Reality Checks for Algal Biodiesel, I initially had high hopes for the idea that we might make significant amounts of biodiesel from algae. A few years ago I read Michael Briggs’ essay Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae and thought he put together a [...]
How To Sniff Out a Fraud
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I tend to get a lot of e-mails from people either claiming to have invented the next big thing in alternative energy, or from people who want to know if a particular company has something that seems worthwhile. Generally, I can sniff out the scams and pseudoscientists pretty quickly. There are [...]
Fortune Says Oil Stocks are a Bargain
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I certainly can’t disagree with this:
Betting on big oil’s comeback
The article first argues that oil prices are unlikely to stay low for too long:
“Right now, the upsides in the oil sector far exceed the downside risks,” says Fadel Gheit, an analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. “I am absolutely convinced that oil [...]
Fuel Efficiency of Ethanol in the Real World
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
There is a particular poster at The Oil Drum who frequently claims that a gallon of ethanol can replace a gallon of gasoline in a car. Although he denies it, his over-the-top defenses of corn ethanol are consistent with someone who is being paid to promote it. There is no objectivity [...]
As Warnings Grow Louder About Global Data Center Power Crisis, Look for Some Companies to Profit
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
Apparently they’re like warnings on cigarette packages – clearly visible and pretty much ignored, often until it’s too late.
The latest warning about the data center power crisis that threatens to disrupt global business as early as 2011 comes from Siemens AG (Symbol SIE), which found in a new survey of major companies that [...]
2009 EIA Energy Conference
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Sorry for the long gap in posts, but I haven’t had much Internet access this week. Now I am freshly arrived back in the U.S., so I thought I would just quickly touch base.
The 2009 EIA Energy Conference is scheduled for April 7th and 8th, and I have been invited to [...]
