Energy articles from January 2005

Energy archives from January 2005

Energy visions.(Editorial)(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... If all energy visions were based on science, or even a modicum of reason, I'd probably be unemployed. Some visions, as we know, are merely mental images produced by the imagination, including mystical experiences and, thus, are not really...

Bottomless well: this is why we will never run out of energy.(Supply)
January 1, 2005... What lies at the bottom of the bottomless well isn't oil, it's logic. Fuels recede, demand grows, efficiency makes things worse, but logic ascends, and with the rise of logic we attain the impossible--infinite energy, perpetual motion, and the...

When will oil peak? Sometime soon petroleum production will begin declining. Can we be prepared?(Supply)
January 1, 2005... World oil production peaking will require physical mitigation if we are to avoid severe, long-lasting, worldwide economic damage. In the following, we identify available options for oil peaking mitigation, and we estimate the time required for...

Risky business: more companies are merging or being acquired. But these deals have some real risks.(Economics)
January 1, 2005... The trend toward mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector is accompanied by an increased risk of post transaction litigation. Since post-transaction litigation can take many forms, a single merger or acquisition can give rise to many...

Electricity in real time: a survey of utility experience with real time pricing.(Economics)
January 1, 2005... Under real time pricing (RTP) tariffs, electricity consumers are charged prices that vary over short time intervals, typically hourly, and are quoted one day or less in advance to reflect contemporaneous marginal supply costs. RTP differs from...

Adding generating capacity: does higher reliability of the electrical grid justify the cost imposed on consumers?(Utilities)
January 1, 2005... During the 1990's, governments around the world implemented reforms to increase the reliance of the electric sector on market forces. Some new market structures introduced planning reserve requirements that were not supported by system...

Nano plastic traps IR.(In the news: technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Imagine a home with "smart" walls responsive to the environment in the room, a digital camera sensitive enough to work in the dark. or clothing with the capacity to turn the sun's power into electrical energy. Researchers at the University of...

Emergency LED lighting system developed.(In the news: technology)
January 1, 2005... Permlight Products (422 West Sixth St., Tustin, CA 92780: Tel: 714/508-0729; Fax: 714/508-0920) and Chloride Systems have jointly developed an emergency LED lighting system with Chloride Systems based on its patented floor, path of egress and...

Pentacene for cheap solar power.(In the news: technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new approach to creating lightweight organic solar cells. By using pentacene, researchers have been able to convert sunlight to electricity with high efficiency. The research...

Solar fabric.(In the news: technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Konarka Technologies, Inc. (Website: www.konarka.com), an innovator in developing and commercializing power plastics that convert light to energy, has announced that it is developing photovoltaic fabric with Ecole Polytechnique Federale de...

Breeding two-legged robots.(In the news: technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In studies published in the Feb. 18, 2005 edition of Science, members of three independent research teams describe a new breed of energy efficient, two-legged, powered robots with a surprisingly human gait. By applying concepts rooted in...

"Sustainability" to be major focus in 2005.(Outlook)
January 1, 2005... Investors will have to add a new word--"sustainability"--to their vocabulary during 2005 in order to understand what is happening at companies that are voluntarily taking responsibility for the resources that they consume and the pollution...

S and P report card for U.S. oil and gas.(Outlook)(report by Standard and Poor's Ratings Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The outlook for oil and natural gas prices remains elevated for 2005, pointing to another year of positive free cash flows, profitability, and the opportunity to fortify balance sheets and address operational deficiencies for U.S. oil and gas...

Workers don't show unexpected cancer.(Nuclear)
January 1, 2005... A first-of-its-kind study of more than 53,000 U.S. nuclear power workers has found that employees in the commercial nuclear industry are less likely than the general population to die from cancer or non-cancer diseases due, in large measure, to...

Commercial use for coal byproduct.(Coal)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Energy Industries of Ohio (EIO), a Cleveland-based non-profit that promotes collaboration among energy producers and user industries, received approval from the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) for a $213,000 Ohio Coal Development...

Higher efficiency at coal-fired power plants.(Coal)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... According to Genscape Inc., a supplier of real time power plant output and transmission status information, its data shows higher consumption and higher fuel efficiency at the nation's coal-fired power plants. Coal use in 2004 increased nearly...

Study evaluates production constraints.(Natural Gas)
January 1, 2005... A new report, Environmental Policy and Regulatory Constraints to Natural Gas Production (by Deborah Elcock, Environmental Assessment Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 955 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20024: Website:...

BP to build big wind farm.(Alternatives)
January 1, 2005... BP, the international energy company, has begun construction of a nine megawatt (mw) wind farm at its oil terminal in the port of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The project will have capacity to provide sufficient electricity for some 5,000 Dutch...

Clean energy fund issues request for proposals.(Alternatives)
January 1, 2005... The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for "Project 100," an initiative promoting the development and deployment of Class I renewable energy resources. Those parties interested in participating under...

PSC wants to accelerate renewables for New York.(Alternatives)(New York State Public Service Commission)
January 1, 2005... The New York State Public Service Commission is accelerating a program to foster development of renewable energy generation in New York State in 2005 so that qualified generators can take advantage of federal tax credits scheduled to expire at...

Ways to ease the natural gas crisis.(Alternatives)
January 1, 2005... Renewable energy and energy efficiency may be able to help reduce the current high cost of natural gas, according to a report released in January by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Heightened natural gas prices have emerged as a key...

Renewables standard will boost solar.(Alternatives)(solar energy)
January 1, 2005... The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association of the solar energy industry, calculated that the District of Columbia's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard will result in 32 MW of solar electric generating...

Desalination technology taps waste heat.(Energy Efficiency)
January 1, 2005... Desalination is often touted as one solution to the world's water woes, but current desalination plants tend to hog energy. Now University of Florida researchers have developed a technology that can tap waste heat from electrical power plants...

Santa Cruz County to sell landfill gas.(Energy Efficiency)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Santa Cruz County, CA is a partner in a plan to produce "green" electricity from landfill gas. Ameresco, Inc. (Framingham, MA) has entered into agreements with Alameda Power & Telecom and the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) to purchase...

Residential Fuel Cell Cogen Systems launched.(Technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In early February Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. www.tokyo-gas.co.jp/) plans to introduce the worlds first commercial Residential Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) Cogeneration System (capacity, 1 kW) jointly developed with Ebara Ballard Corporation...

Milestone met in fuel cell development.(Technology)(Delphi Corp.)
January 1, 2005... Squeezing more watts of electric power from smaller and smaller volumes of fuel cell materials is one of the "holy grails" of fuel cell developers. Combined with advances in mass production, such improvements in a fuel cell's "power density"...

Optical sensors enhance fuel cell efficiency.(Oak Ridge National Laboratory)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Miniature optical sensors developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could speed the development of fuel cells to power vehicles, buildings and machines. The ORNL sensors are extremely accurate, reliable and fast-responding, making them ideal...

GM join Sandia in hydrogen storage.(General Motors Corp.)(Sandia National Laboratories)
January 1, 2005... General Motors Corp. and Sandia National Laboratories have launched a partnership to design and test an advanced method for storing hydrogen based on metal hydrides. Metal hydrides--formed when metal alloys are combined with hydrogen--can...

EPA goes greener on computer monitors.(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Effective Jan. 1, 2005, computer monitors must meet more energy-efficient requirements to qualify for the Energy Star label. For the first time, the specification addresses energy consumption while monitors are in use, as well as while they are...

Solar panels can save money.(solar photovoltaic (PV) systems)(Environment California Research and Policy Center)
January 1, 2005... Contrasting the commonly held belief that solar panels are too expensive for the average homeowner, a new Environment California Research & Policy Center report quantifies the economic benefits of installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on...

Power adapters could cut electric usage.(Technology)
January 1, 2005... There are approximately 1.5 billion power adapters that connect our cell phones, digital cameras, answering machines, camcorders and countless other gadgets to wall outlets. EPA has just announced that the Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) label...

Natural gas generators provide high efficiency.(Technology)(Caterpillar Inc.)
January 1, 2005... Caterpillar Inc. (Caterpillar Inc., Power Systems Marketing Division, P.O. Box 610, Mossville, IL 61552-6110; Tel: 800/321 7332) has introduced two versions of its Cat G3520C advanced natural gas-fueled generator sets designed specifically for...

Oil spill is worst for birds since 2002.(Environment)(rescue of oiled seabirds along Southern California coast)
January 1, 2005... UC Davis wildlife experts leading the rescue of oiled seabirds along the Southern California coast say this oil spill has been the worst worldwide for wildlife in more than two years, harming more birds than any spill since the 2002 wreck of...

ConocoPhillips to reduce air emissions.(Environment)
January 1, 2005... In late January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Justice Department announced a comprehensive Clean Air Act settlement with ConocoPhillips that is expected to reduce harmful air emissions by more than 47,000 tons per...

BP to spend $2 billion on North Sea in 2005.(Oil)
January 1, 2005... BP intends to invest $780 million (435m [pounds sterling]) of capital into a range of projects and activities. In addition, $1.2 billion (670m [pounds sterling]) will be invested in operating, supporting and maintaining its producing assets....

Ultra-low cost well monitoring.(Oil)(Marginal Expense Oilwell Wireless Surveillance (MEOWS))
January 1, 2005... A new, ultra-low cost method for monitoring marginal oil wells promises to help rescue thousands of U.S. wells from an early demise. Developed with funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) and project-managed by DOE's National Energy...

Ramping up broadband over powerlines.(Electric Utilities)
January 1, 2005... The delivery of broadband access has been marked in recent years by increasing competition between cable-television operators and local telephone companies. This market shows signs of becoming even more competitive with new technology and new...

Downside rating actions slowed in 2004.(Electric Utilities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The pace and scale of negative rating activity in the U.S. utility sector (electric, gas, pipeline, and water companies) continued to diminish significantly in 2004 from the tumultuous activity of the past four years, according to, U.S. Utility...

Capacitor controls boost grid performance.(Electric Utilities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... ABB'S static VaR compensator (SVC) technology is being used to support the San Francisco power grid. The SVC was commissioned at the Potrero substation in San Francisco on December 10. The SVC will help stabilize the local power system voltage...

Calendar.(News And Views)(energy industry)(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... April 15-17, 2005, High Efficiency & Energy Saving 2005, Chiba, Japan. Contact: JMA (Japan Management Association), 3-1-22, Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105 Japan; Tel: +81 (0)3 3434 0093; Fax: +81 (0)3 3434 8076; E-Mail: convention@jma.or.jp....

How safe is LNG? Liquified natural gas is being shipped all over the world. Are those tankers safe?(Natural Gas)
January 1, 2005... Natural gas liquefaction dates back to the 19th century, when British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday experimented with liquefying different types of gases, including natural gas. A prototype LNG plant was first built in West Virginia in...

Catching the wave.(In the news: alternatives)(wave energy)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A report from the Electric Power Research Institute suggests that generation of electricity from wave energy may be economically feasible in the near future. The study was carried out by EPRI in collaboration with the DOE's National Renewable...

Blowing in the wind.(In the news: alternatives)(wind energy)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) released the final draft of a technical study (performed by GE Energy Consulting) on integrating wind energy into the New York grid, which concludes that a 10 percent...

OPEC's impact: how fluctuating prices affect non-OPEC producers.(Oil)
January 1, 2005... Oil prices fell sharply after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but rebounded in early 2002 and 2003. In 2004, prices increased sharply in the face of limited OPEC spare production capacity and rapid world oil demand growth....

Greenhouse gas mystery solved.
January 1, 2005... Critics who dismiss the importance of greenhouse gases as a cause of climate change lost one piece of ammunition in January. In a new study, scientists found further evidence of the role that greenhouse gases have played in Earth's climate. In...

Energy vs. idealism: problems are mistated while reality is ignored.(Contrarian's View on Energy)
January 1, 2005... Presumably no one reading this column has any difficulty in understanding the term "energy." The same cannot be said about "idealism," simply because it may mean different things to different people. Here, I use it to mean "the practice of...