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 prices will …

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 less than half are working toward improving …

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 be on a panel session called Energy …

More Reality Checks for Algal Biodiesel

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog I have to admit, when I first heard about algal biodiesel, I thought it was really an incredible concept. As time went by and I learned a bit more, reality sank in. The reality was brought on by Krassen Dimitrov’s analysis of Greenfuel Technologies and their algae claims, as well as conversations I have had with John Benemann, who has …

How Carbon Cap-and-Trade Could Increase, Not Decrease, Coal Usage and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com It’s official. President Obama wants cap-and-trade. “So I ask this Congress,” he said in his speech last week, “to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America.” But will cap-and-trade drive the production of more clean energy? Or will the law of unintended consequences take …

The Nuclear Comeback

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog The natural gas crisis caused by the cutoff of supplies from Russia earlier in the year crystallized for many nations the threat of being overly dependent on another country for their energy supplies. Over the past decades, countries in Europe have shut down nuclear reactors, which caused them to turn to other energy supplies – like …

Raymond James’ Pavel Molchanov Has 3 Solar & Wind Stocks Investors Might Want to Consider

Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com Raymond James & Associates’ alternative energy analyst Pavel Molchanov has three solar and wind plays for investors during this time when the credit crisis and the recession have combined to force many green energy projects to be postponed or cancelled. Why these three? Because, Molchanov told EnergyTechStocks.com in an exclusive interview, each has what might be considered a …

Investing in Ethanol: A Case Study of Terrible Investment Advice

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog Comically Terrible Timing In June 2006 I read an article at Financial Sense that promoted ethanol as a great place to put your money: Investing in Ethanol: A “New” Stock Play on Soaring Energy Prices and Why Now is the Time to Invest in this “Fuel of the Future” Among the gems in the article were these: Strap …

This is a Good Idea?

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog Regular readers know that I would be strongly in favor of increasing gasoline taxes in exchange for income tax credits. I think such an idea would be politically palatable, provided it is clearly communicated to everyone that 1). If they make efforts to conserve, this system would be better for them financially; and 2). Higher gasoline …

Survival Training Pays Off

Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog When I was working in Aberdeen, Scotland in 2007 I had to fly out to oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. Regulations there require that anyone doing so has to undertake survival training in case a helicopter goes down in the sea while transporting people to the platforms. I previously documented my experience with …