Energy articles from September 2004

Energy archives from September 2004

Stocks and energy.(Editorial)(Editorial)
September 22, 2004... As you may have heard the key to making a small fortune in the stock market is to invest a large fortune. We've all seen it done so many times. What about "fortunes" these days when it comes to energy sector stocks? After all, if natural gas...

Selling greenhouse gas: clearing the air easier if markets for carbon dioxide are developed.(Markets)
September 22, 2004... One of the most important tools that has been developed to address climate change is the creation of market-based mechanisms and a global market in greenhouse gas reductions. Such a market will act as an incentive for private-sector ingenuity...

Trading in ethanol: the U.S. market is booming but investing is still risky.(Alternatives)
September 22, 2004... Owners of ethanol plants and bankers interested in lending to ethanol projects have inquired as to how Standard & Poor's views the risks surrounding ethanol plants and what the key rating drivers are for these types of facilities. Standard &...

In the wind: what's the economic impact of wind power investment?(Alternatives)
September 22, 2004... In the national debate over how best to accelerate renewable energy production, two prominent policy proposals have been offered to support renewable development: Production Tax Credits (PTC) and a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). The PTC...

An end of oil? Marion King Hubbert made predictions about oil suppplies. Are they coming true?(Supply)
September 22, 2004... In the 1950s, it was not Saudi Arabia but the United States that was the world's greatest producer of oil. Much of our military and industrial might grew out of our giant oil industry, and most people in the oil business thought that this...

Dwindling reserves? Not yet, says BP's "Statistical Review of World Energy 2004.".(Supply)
September 22, 2004... Speaking at the launch of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2004, which includes energy data up to 2003, BP chief economist Peter Davies said: "Despite those who say we are about to run out of oil and gas, the figures in the Review...

Broin announces ethanol technology.(In The News--Production)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... The Broin Companies recently announced the creation of a new patent pending technology for ethanol production that eliminates a costly energy consuming cooking step in the process. The "Broin Project X" (BPX) process is expected to reduce...

Faster deployment of advanced power.(In The News--Production)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... A number of leading coal-fired power generators and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have announced a new initiative, "CoalFleet for Tomorrow," to accelerate the deployment of clean, efficient, advanced coal technology and to...

Advanced direct contact condenser.(In The News--Productions)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... An advanced direct-contact condenser (ADCC) developed at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has improved production efficiency by five percent, cut the chemical cost for emission abatement in half and increased overall power...

Secure resources: how can energy security be certain in a dangerous world?(Supply)
September 22, 2004... Fossil-fuel resources are, of course, finite, but we are far from exhaust ing them. The world is not running out of oil just yet. Most estimates of proven oil reserves are high enough to meet the cumulative world demand projected over the...

Super superconductors via nanotechnology.
September 22, 2004... University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory with a researcher from the University of Cambridge have demonstrated a simple and industrially scaleable method for improving the current densities of...

Meeting demand: crude oil reserves decline but natural gas reserves are up.(Supply)
September 22, 2004... According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Oil and Gas proved reserves of natural gas increased by 1 percent in 2003, the fifth consecutive annual increase. Natural gas proved reserves have increased in nine of the...

On-board electric drive for commercial aircraft.(In the news: transportation)(Chorus Motors)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... Boeing Phantom Works, the aerospace company's advanced research and development unit, has selected Chorus Motors plc to design, build, and operate a system that should eliminate the use of airport tow tugs and jet engines to move most...

Will coal fuel advanced aircraft?(In the news: transportation)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... New fuel for the next generation of military aircraft is the goal of a team of Penn State researchers who are demonstrating that jet fuel can be made from bituminous coal. "On a pilot scale, we have produced thermally stable coal-based jet...

Nationwide access to biodiesel blends.(In the news: transportation)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... Blue Sun Biodiesel intends to build the nation's first high-volume commercial biodiesel blending terminal and integrated biodiesel processing plant. High-performance biodiesel blends will be available from the terminal beginning this...

Nuclear power re-examined: the economic factors affecting the future of nuclear power.(Nuclear)
September 22, 2004... In 2003, the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE) acting through Argonne National Laboratory requested a study of the economic factors affecting the future of nuclear power in the United States. The study was carried out in...

Hope for Yucca Mountain: the U.S. nuclear waste repository may yet become reality. Take a look.(Nuclear)
September 22, 2004... Nuclear Energy supplies 20 percent of the nation's electricity. Over the past decade, the operators of the nation's 103 commercial power reactors have been improving efficiency and increasing output to keep the supply of nuclear energy...

DMFC membrane compared to Nafion.(In The News--Materials)
September 22, 2004... PolyFuel, Inc. (1245 Terra Bella Ave., Mountain View, CA 94043: Tel: 650. 429. 4700), email: info@polyfuel.com) compared its membrane to Dupont's Nation over a four day period. Polyfuel ran absolutely identical test setups that differed only...

Kynar adapted for fuel cell use.(In The News--Materials)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... Atofina Chemicals' (Philadelphia, PA) is collaborating with several corporate and university partners in a DOE-funded project to develop inexpensive polymer membranes for fuel cells. The company reports significant progress in the membrane...

Gold nanotubes convert biomass to power.(In The News--Materials)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... Using gold nanotube membranes, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have found a way to recycle carbon monoxide (CO) discarded during fuel cell operation to produce more energy. The process, which takes place at room temperature,...

T/J technologies improves power density.(In The News--Materials)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... T/J Technologies is developing membranes from polyvinazene (PVZ) polymer for use on non-humidified hydrogen at temperatures greater than 150[degrees]C. Potential applications for PEM cells made with the membranes include power sources for...

Two promising supply options.(Natural Gas)
September 22, 2004... A bipartisan group of leading energy experts has released a study of two key U.S. natural gas supply issues, finding that an Alaska natural gas pipeline likely would provide significant economic benefits to the U.S. economy due to lower...

Gas costs flying high.(Natural Gas)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC, 1300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209; Tel: 703/741-5000; Website: www.accnewsmedia) an unprecedented increase in energy costs--especially for natural gas--is biting into chemical company...

Price stability from renewable generation.(Alternatives)
September 22, 2004... For better or worse, natural gas has become the fuel of choice for new power plants being built across the United States. The recent sharp increase in both natural gas prices and gas price volatility, however, calls into question the wisdom...

Fast-growing states support renewables.(Alternatives)
September 22, 2004... A new report from Berkeley Lab researchers tracks renewable energy growth in the United States and finds that states are playing an increasing role in funding renewable energy projects. According to the report, The Impact of State Clean...

Big array of solar thermal systems.(Alternatives)
September 22, 2004... The National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories is joining forces with Stifling Energy Systems, Inc. (SES) of Phoenix to build and test six new solar dish-engine systems for electricity generation that will provide...

U.S. companies lag on Kyoto Protocol.(Environment)
September 22, 2004... According to ICF Consulting (www.icfconsulting.com), companies in the United States are at a competitive disadvantage as companies in the rest of the world take action to become Kyoto compliant. These changes in the business environment have...

The dangers of different paths to climate change.(Environment)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... According to an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Climate Change Impacts are Sensitive to the Concentration Stabilization Path, by Brian C. O'Neill and Michael Oppenheimer, delaying greenhouse gas emission...

Mitigating threats to the power grid.(Electric Utilities)
September 22, 2004... University of Missouri-Rolla researchers developing ways to protect power sys terns from overloads may also be developing a system to thwart terrorist threats to the nation's power grid. Dr. Bruce McMillin, a UMR computer science professor,...

Electric companies' path to bankruptcy.(Electric Utilities)
September 22, 2004... Three high-profile U.S. energy companies that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003--Mirant Corp., NRG Energy Inc., PG&E National Energy Group Inc.--each shared problems that included high leverage given their business risk, difficulty in...

AMSC makes voltage regulator sale.(Electric Utilities)(American Superconductor Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... American Superconductor Corp. has won an order for two D-VAR voltage regulation systems and ancillary equipment for use in a 150-megawatt (MW) Rushlake Creek wind farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. When completed in December 2005, the project is...

Demand for unconventional oil and natural gas resources.(Related BCC Report)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... FAST FACT--Demand for unconventional oil and unconventional natural gas will reach 10.31 million barrels and 12.78 trillion cubic feet, respectively, in 2008. Their use as primary feedstock chemicals and petrochemical manufacture is expected...

Getting hydrogen from coal: effort is being made to develop membranes to separate the hydrogen from coal syngas.(Alternatives)
September 22, 2004... The move towards the "hydrogen economy" with direct use of hydrogen ([H.sub.2]) as a fuel for two fundamentally different applications--the production of electricity and transportation--is predicted to grow sharply in the next 50 to 100 years...

Flaring and venting: how much natural gas ends up in the atmosphere? No one seems to know.(Technology)
September 22, 2004... U.S. and global data on natural gas flaring and venting are limited. First, the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects and reports data voluntarily provided by oil- and gas-producing states. Because EIA has no...

Focus on natural gas.(Indicators)
September 22, 2004... Total discoveries of dry gas reserves were 19,286 billion cubic feet in 2003. This was 36 percent more than the prior 10-year average and 8 percent more than in 2002. The majority of natural gas total discoveries in 2003 were from extensions...

Unseating OPEC: Russia is determined to re-order its oil patch and dominate world markets.(International)
September 22, 2004... For the past, oil analysts, politicians, and investors have been bewildered by the Kremlin's legal assault on Russia's largest privately own company--oil giant Yukos. For most observers, attacking and driving Yukos into bankruptcy,...

Energy dreams: our German curmedgeon sorts through the fantasia of energy technology.(Contrarian's View on Energy ...)
September 22, 2004... Brit Hume worried and wondered about the fact that so many people can get things so wrong, so badly, so often, so consistently and so repeatedly. He was talking about reporters, some of whom are now called editors. I wish they would call...

Calendar.(Calendar)
September 22, 2004... January 19-20, 2005, Platts Natural Gas Outlook 2005, Houston, TX Contact: Platt's; Tel: 866/355-2930 (781/860-6100 outside the U.S.); E-Mail: plconf@platts.com; Website: www.platts.com/Events/PB510/ index.html. January 19-21, 2005, The...