news_07.htm

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Arizona utility companies are working together to test a technology that could safely capture and store carbon dioxide emitted by coal-fired power plants.

WTI futures are in backwardation, front-month WTI has moved back above Brent, the RBOB crack spread is down below $12/barrel -- in other words, all is well with the world.

What a word of wonder is "Clean Tech." It captures the entire modern American spirit. ...it is the U.S.’s best hope to deal with the energy vulnerability and global warming crises in a single bound.

It's a vision of a magnetically levitated wind turbine that can generate one gigawatt of power (enough to power 750,000 homes). This is the device proposed by a new Arizona-based company, MagLev Wind Turbine Technologies. The company claims that it can deliver clean power for less than one cent per kilowatt hour using this wind turbine.

Construction of a new shelter for the Chernobyl reactor destroyed in a 1986 accident has fallen about seven years behind schedule, primarily due to the failure to award a construction contract, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released July 27.

"Studies show the process works when you make diesel fuel out of biomass, but not out of coal," Hinchman said, citing a 2001 Department of Energy report that said making diesel fuel out of coal increases the carbon dioxide footprint.

El Paso Corporation has successfully certified its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory with
the California Climate Action Registry (Registry), becoming the first company to earn the distinction of Climate Action Leader(TM) for 2007.

New wind turbine service center will bring 150 jobs, countering a long decline in company's job picture.

Commercial and industrial sites are often some of the most voracious users of energy. Because a lot of industrial facilities are old, for example, they may be using antiquated equipment that is not energy efficient. Many companies are realizing that they can save big bucks if they implement some sensible conservation features and apply new operating procedures.

It sounds like three Welsh fishing buddies have developed the next best thing to a perpetual motion machine. The concept is thus: Fitted to car instead of an exhaust their Greenbox device traps carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.

High oil prices make alternative energy production very cost effective to power producers. Oil is nearing $80 per barrel and US consumption in 2007 is exceeding that of 2006. The US dollar is currently about .45 cents to the British pound and about .62 cents on the Euro. Green Energy Resources has targeted a 20% market share of European biomass imports by 2011

Greenpeace members in Jakarta protesting nuclear power. Environmentalists say building atomic reactors in corrupt, quake-prone Asian countries courts disaster.

With a lump of coal in one hand and the prairie wind in the other, Kansas is marching into its energy future.

Lawmakers have agreed to take part in a special legislative session in mid-August to consider a package of incentives aimed at luring a $3 billion coal gasification plant to Kentucky.

There are not many large solar arrays in Pennsylvania because the state has not provided financial incentives to build them as other states have done, state officials said.

... concluded that further research was needed to determine the long-term impact of electromagnetic fields on health. Exposure to strong fields can have effects on health. At frequencies below 100kHz, this happens through the simulation of nerve and muscle cells due to induced currents.

NRC and Exelon Nuclear are trying to locate two fuel pellets and 99 small pieces of uranium used as in-core power detectors, last documented in 1977 as being in the spent fuel pool at Dresden-3 but not seen since, the company and agency said in interviews July 26.

California utility PG&E today will announce an agreement to buy 553 megawatts of electricity from a solar power plant to be built by Israeli company Solel in the Mojave Desert.

Record freight rates for Capesize dry bulk carriers, driven by coal and iron ore trades, have pushed the world orderbook for new ships of this size to its highest-ever level, according to the world's largest ship broker.

Wilting Coloradans cranking up air-conditioners and fans and maybe even sticking their heads in the freezer were sucking down a record-smashing 6,911 megawatts of electricity at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to active due to a geoeffective coronal hole. Solar wind speed remains elevated at approximately 600 km/s at time of issue.

Leading experts in photosynthesis research will discuss tomorrow how understanding the fundamental processes that plants use to turn light into energy is a key way of securing cheap, emission-free energy in the future.

The number of Atlantic hurricanes in an average season has doubled in the last century due in part to warmer seas and changing wind patterns caused by global warming, according to a study released on Sunday.

A new University of Georgia study finds that sewage-contaminated groundwater is reaching the offshore reefs of the Upper Florida Keys, possibly threatening corals and human health.

Following recent health warnings about potential risks from using mobile phones and Wi-Fi enabled computers and routers, a study to be published next month warns that electrical fields generated by equipment such as computers could increase the risk of respiratory infection.

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) has been awarded a $100,000 federal grant for developing new methods to evaluate how effectively solar energy systems can replace traditional utility generating resources.

According to the National Gardening Association, 85 million (79 percent of) U.S. households participated in some form of gardening activity in the year 2002.

Energy was part of the Democratic Presidential debate Monday night, though like most issues besides Iraq, the policy declarations of eight candidates

Protecting the nation’s electricity grid from sabotage, natural disaster or any other serious interruption is clearly an important calling – and one that all in industry and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) take most seriously.

Comment: The rules have changed, but is the power sector structure the right one everywhere? The stakes would not be as high if structure were right, again, everywhere.

TXU's Luminant Energy generation subsidiary and Shell WindEnergy Friday said they had agreed to jointly develop 3,000 MW of wind energy capacity in the Texas panhandle.

Uranium prices have fallen by 12 percent from a record high at the end of June with an earthquake in Japan dampening sentiment, but most traders and analysts believe the market is still far away from its peak.

The US House of Representatives on Friday passed, by a count of 231-191 votes, a farm bill that is set to increase funding for renewable energy programs while offsetting the cost with fees and incentive rollbacks for oil and natural gas companies.

The US and India formally announced July 27 they had reached accord on an agreement for nuclear cooperation, breaking a long-standing logjam on one of the steps needed to lift international nuclear trade restrictions on India.

• Global crude futures eased lower in European morning trading, retreating from the late-Friday price rally which saw front-month ICE Brent and NYMEX WTI both settling above psychologically significant levels of $76/barrel and $77/b, respectively. The gains came on the back of robust US economic data showing that second-quarter GDP was above expectations at 3.4%, combined with short-covering ahead of the weekend, sources said.

•From a technical point of view the picture is healthy, brokers said Monday, despite prices coming off slightly.

Sometimes it pays to look back when developing business partnerships. In this case, the time of the Romans works nicely. In those days, bridges and amphitheaters were made of something akin to cement. The exact recipe, though, was lost t time. The key to the formula, according to a team of students and researchers at North Carolina State University, can be found in wood ash.

Yemeni authorities have blamed a group linked with Al Qaeda for blowing
up an oil tanker last week, resulting in its complete destruction, the Yemen
Times bi-weekly newspaper reported Monday.

The 15,200 megawatts of new wind turbines installed worldwide last year will generate enough clean electricity annually to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of 23 average-sized U.S. coal-fired power plants

The global economy continued to expand at a brisk pace in the first half of 2007, according to the July update of the IMF's World Economic Outlook (WEO).

The 30 communities, representing all six New England states, are committing to assess energy use, take action to improve energy efficiency, save money and seek out renewable energy choices that reduce air pollution. Almost two million people - 13 percent of New England's total population - live in the cities and towns that have signed on to the challenge.

Measure Would Mandate That 22% of Electricity Come From Sources Other Than Coal-Burning Plants.

...the country’s leading economic powerhouse is now forced to face its own environmental woes following a sudden outbreak of algae in Taihu Lakein southern Jiangsu. The algae bloom cut off the tap water supply to more than 2 million people in Wuxi City in late May.

26Jul2007--Crude costs rose on weekly US oil data showing declines in US stocks. The Energy Information Administration reported an overall decline of 1.1 million barrels in US commercial crude stocks and a 1.4-million-barrel decline in inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma, home of the NYMEX contract's delivery
point.

A Boston company has officially opened a clean-energy demonstration plant to convert municipal waste into energy and other beneficial products.

The wind industry is undergoing temporary growing pains similar to the silicon shortage experienced by the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry: there are simply not enough materials or manufacturing capacity to keep up with the increasing demand for wind turbines. The need for steel, copper, concrete and other materials has driven up project costs, restricted turbine supplies and created a difficult market for smaller wind developers.

A newly installed water treatment system, incorporating ADSORBSIA™ GTO™ arsenic removal media from Dow Water Solutions, is reducing arsenic levels in water supplied to homes and businesses in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

Duke Energy Corp.'s massive Belews Creek coal-fired power plant made a top 50 list today as one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and part of the cause of global warming.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Tuesday that Democratic leaders plan to bring an energy bill to the floor by the end of next week, before lawmakers bug out of town for their August recess.

The environment and global warming - mentioned by one-third of the population as top issues - continues to be seen as the most important issue affecting the world today, far ahead of war (7%), turmoil in Iraq and the Middle East (6%), conflict in Afghanistan (5%) and poverty (5%), according to a new survey by TNS Canadian Facts.

You can't have it all. Economists know a government cannot simultaneously control its interest rates, currency value and international capital flows. Only two of three are possible.

As opposition mounts from environmental groups, the House Committee on Public Utilities passed a bill Wednesday requiring the state's utilities to increase their reliance on renewable resources and energy efficiency programs.

GE on Wednesday launched a US credit card that it said would allow cardholders to reduce their carbon emissions through greenhouse gas emission offsets.

Governor Edward G. Rendell is seeking businesses and organizations that take on environmental challenges in ways that create new economic opportunities, enhance the bottom line, and engage residents in a renewed commitment to investing in their communities.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says electricity rates may rise when the province closes its coal plants, but that's the cost of cleaner air.

The National Hydrogen Association has now unveiled its newest resource: the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Product Catalog, a searchable, online listing of hydrogen and fuel cell products available for purchase now or within the next 12 months.

Good For The Goose: Thanks to the reader who e-mailed a link to this National Public Radio story about our nation's bottle recycling woes.

US President George Bush Thursday signed into law a measure increasing the scrutiny of deals involving foreign acquisitions of US companies and assets, including oil companies, electric utilities and energy-related entities.

The Iraqi parliament unanimously voted Tuesday approving a draft law that would allow foreign companies to invest in the construction of oil refineries in the country.

A Japanese earthquake that forced the closure of the world's biggest nuclear plant has highlighted the energy source's dangers, just when support had been growing.

Polystyrene that could fill 15,000 Olympic sized swimming pools is currently sent to landfill in the U.K. every year. Purex International and Taylor Products have worked together to develop a system to thermally densify this waste into a form that can be recycled into new products and fuels.

The McGuinty government is launching a new program that will help farmers and rural businesses develop and build systems that turn farm waste into clean energy.

Montréal Exchange Inc.and the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) announced today a plan to launch a Montréal Climate Exchange carbon futures contract by the end of 2007.

Energy ministers for Canada, Mexico and the United States took another step toward enhancing North American energy security and environmental protection, announcing concrete actions on energy science and technology, energy efficiency, deployment of clean energy technologies and other cooperative projects.

More Americans think solar will be a source of electricity in 2022 than think wind power will be.

It shows that 27% of respondents think solar will be a source of electricity in 15 years, compared with 24% for nuclear and 19% for wind. Natural gas is next at 16%, coal and hydro at 14% each, and oil at 10% of respondents.

Look for explosive growth in offshore wind in the near future -- at least overseas.

To ramp up wind output, congested Europe will increasingly go offshore. The flat ocean allows winds to roll along at top speeds. Offshore wind turbines can be planted close to population centers, making it easy to transmit the electricity.

With the passage last month of a state renewable energy standard, Oregon's largest utilities have begun the hunt for developers building renewable power plants.

On June 27th, 2007, U.S. Patents 4,936,961 and 5,149,407 by the late Ohio inventor Stanley A. Meyer expired, and his technology for the Water Fuel Cell fell permanently into the public domain in the United States. As what many consider the most sophisticated approach to "Hydrogen-on-Demand" technology (running a vehicle or genset on water alone), the Water Fuel Cell ("WFC") may be the most practical free energy device to introduce on a widespread basis.

The cost of building a government railroad across rural Nevada to carry nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain has grown beyond $3 billion and is climbing with groundbreaking still several years away, according to new estimates.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently released a comprehensive assessment that finds that widespread use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the United States could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and potential for improve ambient air quality.

Geophysical Activity Summary 25/2100Z to 26/2100Z: The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to minor storm. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled.

With power prices climbing for a fifth straight year and many customers experiencing longer outages, satisfaction with electric utilities among residential customers is dropping, JD Power and Associates said Thursday.

Sen. Charles M. Schumer said Tuesday he is impatient with inaction on an ambitious plan for a methane-to-electricity plant at the Chautauqua County landfill, designed to lower property taxes and spur economic development.

Before next week ends, Sen. Joseph Lieberman vows to deliver the first draft of a comprehensive climate change bill designed to reduce heat-trapping gases by 60 percent to 80 percent by 2050.

Energy mirror on the wall, who’s the greenest of them all? For years it seemed to be natural gas: no SOX, no NOX, no waste disposal problem. Amidst the hoopla of the titanic conflict between oil and renewable tax incentives (and incidentally Federal RPS in the recent Senate Bill), the potential impact on natural gas of clean/renewable energy legislative developments has received less attention.

Spot gold price fell below $680/oz in morning trade in Hong Kong Thursday. Gold opened significantly lower at $675.90-676.40/oz from $681.30-681.80/oz at the end of the afternoon trading session Wednesday.

Texas has the most entries on a list of the dirtiest U.S. power plants, while New England and the Pacific Coast make less carbon dioxide because they have fewer coal-burning plants, an environmental group said on Thursday.

The corn ethanol refinery industry is the beneficiary of new renewable fuel targets in the proposed energy legislation as well as proposed loan guarantee subsidies in the 2007 Farm Bill. However, a new report released this week states that corn ethanol will not significantly offset U.S. fossil fuel consumption without unacceptable environmental and economic consequences.

Arsenic's evil reputation is manifested in its old alchemists' symbol: a coiled serpent ready to strike. Considering Arsenic's eminence as the preferred homicidal agent of detective novels, it is not surprising there is a great deal of anxiety over its possible presence in water, among other substances, we use on a daily basis. This paper hopes to provide some facts on Arsenic

The US ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson, Friday strongly criticized Turkey's agreement with Iran to allow the transit of Iranian gas to Europe via Turkey and the transit of Turkmen gas to Europe via Iran and Turkey.

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) yesterday in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.69 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending July 26, down from last week when it averaged 6.73. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.72 percent

Temperatures are on the rise in Ohio and will keep rising unless pollution associated with global warming is drastically curtailed, according to a report released yesterday by Environment Ohio.

"The market is definitely heading north," one London-based trader said. "The big draws in Cushing and refinery runs increasing has totally knocked out the big fund selling we've seen over the past few trading sessions," the trader added.

• Crude futures rebounded Friday primarily on the back of some dip buying, brokers said. Late Thursday, the energy complex was pulled lower by panic selling on stock markets around the world, negating most of the gains seen earlier after the release of bullish US crude stocks data.

•Late in the session on Thursday, the energy complex fell significantly amid large falls on stock markets around the world triggered by fears of a credit crunch caused by the weakening US housing market.

US President George W. Bush's advisers will recommend he veto the farm bill, which is laden with energy and biofuels provisions, if it passes in the form currently proposed by the US House, the White House said Wednesday.

Power supply makers aren’t usually in the enviable position of being the tail that wags the dog. Recent activities suggest, however, that they may have more clout than they think.

More people in Arizona may be able to harness the wind to lower their utility bills thanks to $6.5 million in venture-capital funding received during the past quarter by Flagstaff's Southwest Windpower.

Australia's first carbon trading exchange opened on Monday, setting an initial price for carbon at A$8.50 per tonne (US$7.50 tonne) under the voluntary scheme.

Greenpeace has filed a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over a Victorian power company's use of the term 'clean coal'.

Savings of US $180 billion per year predicted in first global analysis of renewables versus fossil fuels, reports Greenpeace and EREC.

Global crude futures weakened again on Tuesday as further liquidation of long positions by speculative funds and comments from Iran's OPEC representative pushed the energy complex lower.

Wisconsin is poised to clamp down on mercury emissions at power plants, and in doing so, regulators will be weighing issues that range from global pollution to the safety of eating Wisconsin walleye.

Geothermal energy systems use no fossil fuels, emit no greenhouse gases and work by transferring water through underground pipes. Pipes use the earth's temperature to heat homes in winter. They cool homes by pulling warm air out in summer. Homeowners can see monthly energy costs dive by 60 percent or more, according to the company.

States should take a leadership role in developing domestic, clean energy sources, and the National Governors Association plans on helping, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said.

A new survey finds that people are more motivated by the health benefits than energy savings or benefit to the environment when considering a green home.

The Italian government is expected to confirm that its 2008 budget will provide continued support for renewable energy. In line with this, Italy, which currently produces around 14% of its gross electrical consumption from renewables

The Japanese nuclear industry is under fire. The sector there has been attacked for years for documented lax safety procedures. But it was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that set off radiation leaks and flames that is prompting the latest surge of scrutiny.

Nearly a quarter of Americans recycle absolutely nothing, according to survey results released this month.

Lawmakers try to salvage an alternative energy proposal that was years in the making. Among the concerns:

--Electric utilities could skimp on efficiency programs and renewables and build large power plants instead.

Don't know if it would work on a large scale, but Japan's Blest Company has "developed a machine which recycles plastic waste back into oil. "The Blester is a batch type oil machine which can recycle polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS). Recycling plastics can lead to an 87% reduction of carbon dioxide.

The applicable statutes provide that if a regulated institution fails to establish and maintain a BSA compliance program or fails to correct a previously identified problem with its BSA compliance program, the appropriate agency shall issue a formal cease and desist order.

Ever since atom splitting has been used to generate energy, its risks and dangers have been controversial at least.

And since the disastrous accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, this debate has in reality been settled in Europe: The majority of the continent's citizens are against this technology.

NYMEX September crude futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's Globex system were 94 cents lower at $73.94/barrel Tuesday, continuing a technical correction that was precipitated by a glut of long positions and overbought conditions.

At its root the biofuels debate is over the degree to which current photosynthesis can replace prehistoric photosynthesis. Obviously the plant growth of today cannot equal millions of years of accumulated fossil biomass. But it can generate significant amounts of biofuels

They are in charge of coordinating with electric power companies on estimates each power plant can provide so that the Kanto area will be supplied with enough electricity during the year's peak energy consumption period. If the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is shut down for a year and its shortfall in power generation is supplemented by coal-generated power, CO2 emissions will increase by about 40 million tons.

Iberdrola-owned UK utility ScottishPower has revealed that it is looking to contract Scottish farmers to produce 250 000 tonnes of energy crops that will be burned at Scotland's two coal-fired power stations, Cockenzie and Longannet. The energy crop will displace the coal burned in the stations.

Startup company Ceravision Ltd. (Milton Keynes, England) has said it has invented a microwave-powered light bulb that is more efficient than filament or fluorescent lighting and with a long stable lamp life. The company said it has prototypes available for evaluation by lamp and electronics manufacturers.

SunGard, one of the world’s leading software and IT services companies, today announced that it has become a contributing member of The Green Grid. The Green Grid is a global, non-profit consortium of companies and information technology professionals dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems.

Power demand rose to a record in Taiwan last week, and the country said it would favor plans for coal-fired stations when it awarded permits to build new capacity next year because coal plants are cheaper to run and easier to supply than plants fueled by gas.

Abt Associates Inc. has developed and released a software application that helps companies and organizations calculate the positive effects of making "green" decisions when purchasing, reusing or recycling electronic devices.

Senate and House appropriators from both parties are recommending a significant increase in funding for safe drinking water to implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act.

Two midwestern utilities told Platts last week that while scrubber installations will be crucial in complying with the Clean Air Interstate Rule, they are still planning to rely on burning coal, along with emissions allowance purchases, while attaining their compliance goals.

•Global crude futures weakened again on Tuesday as further liquidation of long positions by speculative funds and comments from Iran's OPEC representative pushed the energy complex lower.

...many of us "older" clean energy advocates had been promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, recycling and resource conservation, and maximum reduction of fossil fuels for security and pollution (including mercury and carcinogen emissions) long before climate change was even acknowledged by those within the scientific community.

A planned $250 million World Bank fund to encourage developing countries to stop deforestation in return for access to carbon credits has attracted strong international support, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Commercial demand for fuel cell products and services -- including revenues associated with prototyping, demonstration and test marketing activities -- will expand nearly sixfold to $2.5 billion in 2011 and reach $8.5 billion in 2016. Despite the small size of fuel cell technology's current commercial footprint, a number of viable markets are expected to develop over the next ten years

Utility giant Dominion spent more than $942,300 in the past 12 months lobbying state officials and polishing its public image, a five-fold increase over the previous year, according to documents released by state officials Monday.

A proposed $35 million solar energy research center could lead a New York state effort to produce $1 billion in solar power, a published report said Monday.

A major boost for renewable energy research and development is coming from an unlikely source: Abu Dhabi, the capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

The recent earthquake in Japan and accidents at two German power plants raise questions on the safety of nuclear energy as a cleaner alternative.

Don't worry too much, for now, about rising seas caused by melting ice in Greenland and Antarctica. The big threat this century could come from small thawing glaciers, researchers reported on Thursday.

Legislation to force N.C. power companies to be greener would also make it easier for them to build power plants that would pollute, environmentalists and some lawmakers say.

To address the ever-increasing need for energy and the large demand for fresh water by electricity producers, two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories are pooling their resources in a collaborative effort within the Department's emerging energy-water research program.

The European Commission has announced plans to establish a high-level group for nuclear safety and waste management. The group will develop a common understanding and will reinforce common approaches in nuclear installation safety.

A proposed national law requiring utility companies to produce more renewable energy could boost the Ohio economy while also making the air cleaner, according to a new report.

How much is a drop of water worth? That was the question posed on Wednesday by the European Union's environment chief as part of his plans to put a price on the liquid, which he said was becoming a scarce commodity.

The European Commission is preparing a study on domestic lighting that could lead to the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs by 2009. The 120 year old filamentary bulb is likely to be replaced across most of Europe by compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Nearly two years in the making and a good five inches thick -- even using double-sided printing -- the National Petroleum Council's new report, released today, trods again on some very well-worn ground.

Scores of people sought medical help on Wednesday after a poisonous chemical spill in Ukraine, Greenpeace said, and warned of the dangers to health and the environment from the toxic fumes.

Leaks at an earthquake-battered nuclear power plant continued undetected even as officials assured the public that the damage posed no outside danger, it was learned Thursday, casting deep doubts on the plant's emergency measures and the response by Japan's largest power company.

There are two important points often overlooked in the debate over uranium availability. 1) Sea water is a virtually inexhaustible supply of uranium that can be 'mined' at maybe $200 / lb. So the price does have a long term ceiling at which nuclear power is competitive; and 2) discussions of 'exhausting resources' typically assume that all of the earth's resources have been identified.

Gov. Charlie Crist is taking Florida for a ride aboard the environmental protection bus. On Friday, he steered the state onto the road paved in part by California and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the growing movement to stem global warming by educing greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenpeace gave a relatively positive assessment of the environmental practices of major electronics manufacturers in a report, saying most had taken significant steps in recent months to clean up their products and operations.

Preliminary results found that a single Ice Bear unit used to provide nine tons of predictable cooling capacity on a typical summer day in the LA region could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 104 pounds and nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 9.28 grams each day, equivalent to more than half the emissions of a typical California passenger car.

With its focus on solar energy, Freiburg demonstrates the progress that can be made by promoting, developing and using renewable energy. But the city of more than 200,000 in the sunny southwestern corner of the country also is an example of how far technology in the solar sector has to go - it produces less than 1 percent of its electricity from the sun.

In my Lutheran schooling one historical episode that fascinated me was that of Johann Tetzel selling indulgences. The German friar in the early 1500s set up shop telling people you could pay a certain amount of cash and get absolved a specific sin.

The panoramic view from the roof of American Electric Power Co.'s Mountaineer power plant here sends a vivid message: Coal is king. Conveyor belts pull coal from a nearby mine, coal barges bob on the shimmering Ohio River and earth-moving equipment buries coal ash in a landfill.

Regulators and Tepco agreed that the station's nuclear safety systems responded as designed and safely shut the plant Monday. Tepco, however, is being criticized by top government officials for failing to reveal the damage promptly enough, for taking 90 minutes to extinguish a transformer fire and for initially reporting no radioactive release. The utility later admitted that about a cubic meter of mildly contaminated water was flushed to the sea.

An interactive website that shows the impact greenhouse gases could have on our climate and additional research into polar bears and their threatened habitat will help to drive home the impacts of climate change, Minister of Natural Resources David Ramsay said today.

Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to install a renewable energy project at a school in every Maryland county within the next year, he said Monday.

The message is the same in report after report: The U.S. needs a National Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) or Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) to spur the country's renewable energy market, generate millions of new jobs over the next decade, and lower electric bills for consumers and businesses alike -- not to mention help slow the devastating impacts of global warming.

An outbreak of blue algae in a Chinese reservoir has left nearly 25,000 people without water and 100,000 others with reduced supplies, state media said on Wednesday of the latest in a series of water pollution scares.

The California Energy Commission recently announced the launch of the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS), a renewable energy registry and tracking system for electricity generation.

Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have developed an inexpensive solar cell that can be painted or printed on flexible plastic sheets.

One of the largest power plant operators in Connecticut is joining environmental groups and other Fortune 500 companies in calling for federal legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Cranking up more nuclear power plants won't answer the country's energy needs -- and it's a poor way to fight global warming, two nuclear power critics said Wednesday during a stop in Columbia.

The city will get an additional $1.5 million for a unique sewage-to-electricity plant if a bill approved by the U.S. House yesterday also passes the Senate.

The US needs oil and natural gas to bridge the gap between current energy needs and future, alternative solutions, ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva said Thursday.

Ground level ozone standards may get tougher. If the experts have their way, they will. But industry says that those pollution levels are dropping and advises to stay the course.

Pacific Power has announced it applied for approval to turn a former Wyoming coal mine into a wind farm.

Arizona Public Service Co. gathered public input at an open house about its planned major electrical transmission line for Yuma -- and utility officials were stunned at the turnout. About 150 people -- three times the expected crowd -- attended...

A city cannot grow without sufficient electrical service, and Yuma is about maxed out at peak periods of usage. That is why Arizona Public Service Co. officials will be seeking comment from Yuma area residents tonight about a new power line.

Progress Energy Florida on Thursday issued a request for proposals seeking an unspecified amount of renewable energy to expand the utility's renewable portfolio, to provide cost-effective renewable energy to its customers and to offset the need for new power plants.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. only announced that 1,200 liters of radioactive water had sloshed into the sea from its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant late on Monday, after first saying the lethal earthquake that hit the region at 10:13 a.m. had not caused any leaks.

Getting that Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline built has been a daunting process. The political and financial impediments have kept the project delayed for years. But now, Gov. Sarah Palin submitted a new plan that she says could prompt construction by next spring.

"The reality is that meeting tomorrow's demand will require the continued use of the resources that meet our needs today. These are oil and natural gas, coal and nuclear -- with initially small but growing contributions from unconventional and renewable sources, like wind, biofuels, solar and others -- some of which may not have been invented yet."
The US needs oil and natural gas to bridge the gap between current energy needs and future, alternative solutions, ConocoPhillips CEO, chairman and president, Jim Mulva said Thursday.

A team of federal government and university scientists is predicting that the "dead zone" off the coast of Louisiana and Texas this summer could be the largest since shelf wide measurements began in 1985, and much larger than the average size since 1990.

Utah and the West could see the kind of investment that California's Silicon Valley enjoyed during its technology revolution if Congress establishes a national renewable energy standard, bill supporters said Tuesday.

The geomagnetic field is expected to be unsettled with active periods on day 1 (20 July) due
to a recurrent coronal hole. Quiet conditions should return on days 2 and 3 (21-22 July).

Seattle City Council unanimously adopted a zero waste strategy July 16 that will require residents to recycle food scraps in 2009 and will cap the amount of waste the city can send to the landfill.

TradeTech dropped its spot price $4 a pound U3O8 to $129/pound, while Ux dropped its spot price $3/pound U308 to $130/pound. TradeTech said there is limited near-term demand and several more sellers are making "discreet inquiries" to potential buyers in an effort to sell material.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' board Wednesday approved a resolution endorsing an economy-wide approach to combating climate change that will minimize costs to ratepayers, protect grid reliability and maintain existing state efforts to cut carbon emissions.

During a recent visit to Washington, D.C., Sir Nicholas Stern, author of the British government’s much-publicized report on the economic effects of climate change, presented a packed World Bank audience with an interesting ultimatum. He invited anyone in the room to “leave” and “not bother with climate change” if he or she agreed with any of the following statements: one, that the existing science is wrong; two, that humans are fantastically adaptive and will adjust (for example, by wearing less clothing or learning to swim); and three, that the potential effects are so far in the future that we need not worry about them. Stern then called these three perspectives absurd, reckless, and unethical, respectively.

The government is now discussing the possibility of large-scale ocean current power generation, using the strong Kuroshio current off the east coast of Taiwan to generate up to 1.68 trillion kilowatt-hours per year, officials at cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said Monday.

...thanks to a leak of a list of participants to The Washington Post by an unidentifed former White House official, it turns out that the task force relied heavily on -- wait for it -- oil and gas companies and industry trade groups to help formulate the administration's energy polices.

Tribal representatives gathered in Washington Wednesday, enthusiastic to learn about developing renewable energy, siting transmission lines, private/public partnerships and breaking through the bureaucracy that often accompanies large energy projects

Turkish Energy & Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler said on Wednesday that Turkey will provide Greece with 137 million kilowatt-hour electricity in the last week of July and in August. Turkey and Greece signed an agreement envisaging cooperation in electricity energy.

The issue seems not to be lack of supply, but problems with US refining capacity, according to Bodman. "We're up from the bottom (of refining capacity), but not where we want them to be...

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a $31.6-billion 2008 energy and water spending bill by a 312-112 vote. The bill would provide a significant increase in funding for solar energy, biofuels and other clean-energy technologies, as well as $1 billion in funds for members' priority projects.

A consumer reported buying two truckloads at $1.07/lb, delivered Midwest, and said that it had been a "struggle" to secure the material at all.

•Global crude futures were stronger Thursday, holding on to gains on Wednesday following the release of bullish US stocks data. News of supply disruptions in Angola helped drive prices higher.

•EIA reported a 500,000 barrel decline in crude stocks, while gasoline stocks were down by 2.3 million barrels,

•Global crude futures edged higher Fri, with front-month ICE Brent nearing the $78/b mark as market participants play a waiting game ahead of the weekend, sources said.

•With little fundamental news to push the market higher and technicals suggesting prices should be higher, traders said that people are not keen to take the initiative of pushing higher to potentially leave them exposed over the weekend.

...the plant, which is about the size of a garage, uses intermittent power from wind turbines to produce and store hydrogen fuel without creating pollution.

According to BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2005, the U.S. uses more petrol than the next twenty leading consumer nations combined. The US pays a significantly lower price for its petrol at the pump than most.

A handful of people, mostly Navajo women, have sat vigil on a dusty expanse of reservation land for months, hoping their presence will help to block the construction of a proposed $3 billion power plant that would keep the lights on in a million or more homes in Phoenix and Las Vegas, Nev.

Drive the rural back roads of Wayne, Stark, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties, and you can't help but notice the growing number of small black-and-purple panels on houses, barns and outbuildings.

US Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman on Monday said energy efficiency must play a key role in a carbon-challenged future.

Chinese scientists have warned that rising temperatures are draining wetlands at the head of the the country's two longest rivers, choking their flow and imperilling water supplies to hundreds of millions of people.

Global crude futures fell Tuesday morning as market players reacted to the massive 10 cent drop in NYMEX RBOB futures seen during Monday's session.

In the Southern Arizona desert communities, water is a precious resource. This is especially true for the city of Yuma, AZ where the average yearly rainfall is only two inches. What makes water even more precious in Yuma is that the city is the third fastest growing community in the United States.

Over the past several years, the Bull City quietly has moved to the forefront of the state's green building movement on a mix of private initiative and public commitment.

For years, environmental advocates have pushed for North Carolina to require its power companies to use a set amount of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, solar energy or animal waste. This year, that might happen -- but the bill that would do it also includes provisions that some advocates say would hurt the environment by encouraging more coal and nuclear power plants.

As the House prepares to take up a hot-button energy bill this month, area lawmakers agree on two things: Fuel economy standards need to be raised, and the United States needs to increase its use of nuclear energy.

The European Union introduced new rules on the shipment of toxic waste on Thursday seeking to halt the illegal dumping of hazardous materials in developing countries.

Overall electricity consumption is growing across the residential, service and industry sectors in the EU-25 despite evidence that EU initiatives to curb energy use and cut back CO2 emissions have "permanently changed the face of the appliance market for the better in terms of efficient energy use," according to a report published by the European Commission's
Joint Research Centre.

A fire at one nuclear power plant and the temporary shutdown of another has boosted supporters of Germany's increasingly controversial plan to close its nuclear energy program, despite concerns that coal- or gas-fired replacements will produce more greenhouse gases.

Florida´s Republican governor has signed a trio of executive orders to reduce the state´s greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists and engineers are struggling to find ways around a major obstacle to the growth of renewable energy: the fact that inexhaustible sources of energy, such as the sun and the wind, are undependable.

Kentucky--Since Fletcher's announcement of a "cooling off" period, area House members say they have learned more about a proposed alternative-energy-plant incentives package and are optimistic about passing legislation when the General Assembly reconvenes July 30

A debate over the survival of Detroit's automakers broke out during a congressional hearing Thursday on the future of plug-in hybrid vehicles, as advocates pressed for more action and a Detroit defender warned the industry was on the brink of collapse.

Houston officials Friday said they plan to modify the city's electricity supply contract with the Texas General Land Office and Reliant Energy to purchase wind power for up to one-third of the electricity the city buys for its offices, streetlights and other municipal needs beginning July 1, 2008.

it is becoming evident that the damage caused by the (Japan) quakes is extensive, and Japan´s government and people will face a monumental cleanup and rebuilding project. Here´s hoping the international community steps up to the plate to help out.

an investigative story about the new federal product-safety regulations requiring that all mattresses sold in the U.S. be fire-resistant.

Iranian oil minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh said Tuesday there is no shortage of oil on international markets, but because of shortages in refining products crude oil prices could climb to $80/barrel, the oil ministry's Shana news agency reported.

It seems to be almost a daily occurrence that debates about new nuclear build dominate the headlines of one newspaper or magazine.

The operators of a nuclear plant were fined pounds 15,000 yesterday for a series of health and safety failings that led to a worker breathing in plutonium.

An oil slick from a ship that sank near the port of Ibiza has reached the waters of a nature reserve on the southern coast of the holiday island, a Spanish government minister said on Sunday.
Clean up crews have been at work since Wednesday when the 'Don Pedro' merchant ship sank off the port of Ibiza, releasing 150 tonnes of fuel oil into the Mediterranean sea.

London-Oil producer group OPEC warned on July 16 that ongoing tightness in the downstream sector would continue to support refined product prices and maintain the upward pressure on world oil prices next year despite what it called a "healthy" supply of crude.

California could gain 16,000 new jobs and consumers could save some $1.85 billion in electric and natural gas bills by 2020 if a national renewable standard were put into place, a scientists' group said in a report issued Thursday.

If environmental activists and lawmakers including Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, have their way, other companies in the renewable energy field could experience similar growth spurts if a federal bill becomes law.

Solar activity was very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled for the next three days (17 - 19 July).

Britain --A decision is expected within weeks about whether Britain is to build the first coal-fired power station for more than 20 years - potentially unleashing a new generation of coal power.

The market for over-the-counter (OTC) tests for diagnostics is set to boom but the industry’s ability to seize this opportunity hinges upon greater collaboration with consumer and pharmaceutical companies according to a report from Cambridge Consultants.

An analysis released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) finds that energy efficiency provisions in pending energy legislation in the Senate and House can reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide in 2030 by 13% and 6% respectively relative to U.S. government predictions of 2030 emissions (carbon dioxide emissions are the largest contributor toward human-induced global warming).

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has announced a new $2 million effort to combat rising gas prices across the state by offering $1,000 rebates to consumers who purchase hybrid or other energy-efficient vehicles.

The recent decision by the Department of Commerce (DOC) affirming their preliminary tariff on imports of activated carbon from China is continuing to increase the operating cost for plants that rely on this critical material for treating their drinking water. The tariffs have increased the cost of all virgin activated carbons, such as coconut shell-based carbons from non-subject countries and domestically produced coal-based activated carbons.

On a DOE-sponsored tour of the Yucca Mountain site in 2003, Kennedy described the volcanic-rock ridge as a giant snake slithering westward that "is a very scared mountain to Shoshones" and shouldn't be used as a dumping ground for highly radioactive waste.

The United States and the European Union are close to signing an agreement that would allow their satellite navigation systems to work together to provide more accurate images and information.

Legislation passed by a US House of Representatives committee to fast-track climate change studies and to roll back sections of the 2005 Energy Policy Act that accelerated oil and natural gas development on public lands could cost more than $2 billion over the next five years, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated.

The US Bureau of Land Management on Friday issued an environmental impact statement for the Kemmerer, Wyoming, planning area that would maximize natural gas and oil production while setting aside two small parcels for wildlife habitat protection.

Refinery outages this past winter created a gasoline stock deficit at the start of the driving season. Kevin Saville, Managing Editor/Americas for Platts Global Alert, discusses the summer outlook for US gasoline prices.

A US judge has scheduled for August 30 a hearing in a lawsuit that seeks to hold a host of energy firms accountable for fueling global warming and the destruction that Hurricane Katrina wrought in 2005, documents show.

Radiological and heavy metal contamination closed a Colorado nuclear weapons facility to the public for decades, but soon it will open as a national wildlife refuge where people can watch hawks and elk.

Consumer groups claim that in hot weather consumers get less fuel for their dollars. Last year, a consumer group in California called on state and federal regulators to require temperature sensitive gasoline pump technology to account for volume changes at higher temperatures.

Hurricanes currently form out in the tropical Atlantic and rarely reach Europe, but a new study shows a 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) rise in average temperatures could set them off in the enclosed Mediterranean in future.

A powerful earthquake tipped over barrels of nuclear waste at a power plant and officials on Tuesday were investigating whether there were any radioactive leaks, a day after they said the quake had caused the reactor to spill radioactive water into the sea.

•Western crude futures benchmarks hit renewed 11-month highs Monday, building on the momentum gathered at the end of last week, market sources said Monday. "It's purely psychological," said a London-based broker.

•Global crude futures fell Tuesday morning as market players reacted to the massive 10 cent drop in NYMEX RBOB futures seen during Monday's session. Some profit-taking as well as a failure for the, now expired, ICE August Brent contract to breach the all-time high of $78.65/barrel, also weighed down on prices, brokers said.

•At 09:36 GMT September ICE Brent was down 76 cents at $75.35/b. The August WTI futures on NYMEX and ICE traded 17 cents lower at $73.98/b.

Blowing wind spins giant wind turbines stretching skyward above the rolling plains of the Lower Arkansas Valley every day.

Around 40,000 households in the U.K. are to take part in energy saving trials in a bid to cut household bills and help in the fight against climate change.

When he got to what he calls "the mid-life crisis age," Madison resident Jim Taylor, 45, said he figured "Well, I'm going to have to either buy a sports car or do something.'" For Taylor, that something was installing an 8.4-kilowatt solar panel array on his roof in April

The largest coal-fired generator in the US late Tuesday said it will support legislation to be introduced Wednesday by the chairman of the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that would cap US emissions of greenhouse gases at 1990 levels by 2030.

Africa will be a key source of non-OPEC growth in 2008, as regional supply increases by 130,000 b/d to 2.71 mil b/d next year, despite Angola's move into the OPEC fold, the International Energy Agency said Friday in its latest monthly report.

An Oklahoma refiner will provide renewable synthetic jet fuel to the U.S. Department of Defense as part of a larger program to look at the long-term prospects for supplying more environmentally friendly fuels.

...under the RES, Arizona will lead the nation in the use of solar energy by individuals. That's because the RES requires the state's utilities to achieve 30 percent of all their renewable energy from distributed generation: rooftop solar or small wind generators. This is a unique feature among renewable-energy standards. No other state has such an ambitious rooftop solar goal.

The student’s work, “Toxicity and Bioaccumulation of Nanomaterials in Aquatic Species,” sought to learn more about the toxicity of nanoparticles, since so little is known about the potential negative effects when using such particles in consumer products, medical treatments and environmental remediation techniques.

The US House Wednesday passed by an overwhelming vote of 370-45 a bill that could block internationally based companies from acquiring US oil companies, electric utilities and other energy-related entities.

Recent European Union (EU) directives and a drive towards more renewables look set to sweep biomass to new highs in the continental energy system. But what role can biomass really play and are generators barking up the wrong tree?

Efforts by Democratic-controlled Congress to make the US "energy independent" are misguided and naive, a top Bush administration official said Tuesday.

A California state lawmaker and a group of developers hoping to build a nuclear plant near Fresno, California, want to ask the state's voters to lift a 31-year-old ban on new nuclear plants.

The Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment and the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, today announced an investment of $30 million to establish the world's first National Air Quality Health Index and to expand the Air Quality Forecast Program to support this new initiative.

A North Carolina environmental group unveiled a study Wednesday that showed significantly higher cancer deaths in the counties surrounding the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant.

Spreading deserts are the main environmental challenge holding back China's sustainable development and the situation remains serious despite some improvements, the government said on Thursday.

A panel appointed by the governor to chart state policy on climate change took a Chinese restaurant menu approach Tuesday, choosing from a lengthy list of options that left some hungry for more and others worried they had bitten off too much.

The first day of hearings Monday on a proposed $1.8 billion coal-fired power plant featured debate over competitive bidding practices, contract negotiations and the merits of coal versus natural gas and renewable forms of energy. In the end, much of the discussion could be irrelevant.

For years, Twin Rivers Technologies sold the by products from soybean and other natural oils it processes to pet food makers. But as energy prices began to rise, the company found a better use for leftover oils: fuel.

Weakness came in the form of a lower NYMEX RBOB futures contract in expectation of builds in US gasoline stocks.

For every dollar spent, weatherization returns $1.53 in energy savings over the life of the measures. Weatherization is especially important for low-income households, which spend an average of 16% of their income on energy bills, as opposed to the 5% average of most American households.

Two entities within the energy and banking sectors are on a course to collide in a collaboration that both parties hope will prove to be a lucrative one.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sempra, who is currently looking to expand, plans to take advantage of the bank’s deep pockets and excellent credit rating in order to try and do just that.

The concept of energy efficiency has moved in and out of favor with the public over the years, but recently has gained renewed broad-based support. The confluence of economic, environmental and geopolitical concerns around reducing America's exposure to disruptions in the supply of energy has moved efficiency to the fore. As a result, along with renewable energy legislation, a number of initiatives are now underway in the U.S. to improve efficiency in a variety of areas, but much more can and should be done.

In 2006, the percentage of newly constructed single family homes earning the government's Energy Star for superior energy efficiency exceeded 12 percent in 15 states. The 15 leading states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Vermont.

The European Union introduced new rules on the shipment of toxic waste on Thursday seeking to halt the illegal dumping of hazardous materials in developing countries.

The European Parliament urged the breakup of energy companies, putting it in direct opposition to France and Germany over planned legislation to increase electricity and natural-gas market competition.

But what's often overlooked is that all of these solutions tend to focus on the current factory farming paradigm, one that depends on grain-based feeds, the crowded and often filthy confinement of animals, and the use of antibiotics, hormones, and other additives. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Florida, the fourth most-populous U.S. state, will impose strict new air-pollution standards that aim to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050, according to draft regulations released Wednesday.

New demand for distributed power generation and clean energy are causing a renaissance in fuel cells. Government agencies and other groups are funding a variety of efforts to make fuel cells more efficient and to bring the cost per kilowatt to produce electricity down to levels that are on a par with other generation technologies.

The German state of Schleswig-Holstein is investigating legal options to revoke Vattenfall Europe's nuclear reactor accreditation, the state's social minister, Gitta Trauernicht, said Friday in state parliament.

A wind‑to‑hydrogen demonstration project will link turbines to electrolyzers, in a project to improve the system efficiency of producing hydrogen from renewable resources in quantities large enough to compete with traditional energy sources.

Gov. Charlie Crist kicked off the Florida Summit on Global Climate Change on Thursday morning, saying that greenhouse gases and carbon emissions must be reduced to stem future environmental catastrophe in this state and around the nation.

Energy costs continue to rise. Health problems are increasingly being linked to poor air quality. Evidence that the burning of fossil fuels is destroying the environment is mounting all the time. And as the summer sun bears down on much of the country, it's no wonder that more and more people are harnessing the sun's energy to power their homes.

It seems as if the US subprime mortgage market has been dragged through the mud for months now but according to published reports, this domestic problem may be inching it’s way overseas… well, across the border anyway.

The build-up in natural gas inventories could weigh on coal markets later this year, possibly dampening prospects for higher utility coal demand and prices, according to industry analysts and market participants. They added that high summer temperatures are needed to burn off the recent increase in gas and coal inventories.

Public utilities are caught in the vortex of change. Many want to build new power plants to increase capacity and yet they face closer scrutiny of their financials and earnings. Others are looking to acquire another company or divest themselves of assets.

Can We (Gag) Talk? It´s a good thing this year´s Major League Baseball All-Star game was held in San Francisco and not across the bay in Oakland. Evidently the ongoing lockout of garbage workers, which is now in Day 11, has the air in and around A´s-town growing fetid, pests running rampant and tempers shooting skyward.

A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows that invisible, reactive gases hovering over Earth's surface, not direct emissions of particulates, form the bulk of organic haze in both urban and rural areas around the world.

Electric transmission developer ITC Great Plains LLC said Monday it wants to be an Oklahoma utility so it can claim eminent domain when building transmission lines in the state.

The Fresno County, Calif.-based Kings River Conservation District (KRCD), the water management arm of the San Joaquin Valley Power Authority, is planning to build the world’s largest solar farm. Expected to cover 640 acres once it is finished in 2011, the solar farm would provide enough power for 20,800 home

Melting sea ice is driving mother polar bears onto dry land to give birth in northern Alaska, US Geological Survey scientists reported on Thursday.

Idaho Power Co., Avista Corp. and PacifiCorp say they're proposing a deal with wind developers that may lift a temporary restriction on the amount of energy Idaho wind farms can produce.

Rep. David Price announced Wednesday that the Government Accountability Office will conduct a review of the enforcement of fire safety standards at nuclear power plants all over the country.

August crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange opened 50 cents higher at $73.00/barrel Friday tracking with the Brent market.

Ontario Power Generation is investigating how part of a shipment of heavy water became contaminated by a small amount of tritium, the company said July 11.OPG spokesman John Earl said July 12 that the small shipment of several barrels was to be pure heavy water and that the discovery represents a quality control issue.

The 1,428-MW PWR began a refueling and maintenance outage May 19 that had been expected to take less than 40 days to complete. However, Fallon said that the unit would not be restarted until a problem with a safety injection check valve has been corrected.

Wow. This coal conversion stuff really is like magic. Or at least the politics of coal conversion, as played in Frankfort this summer, is like magic. How else to explain the way Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Peabody Energy pulled out of apparent thin air a plan to build a plant that would convert coal into natural gas?

A ballot initiative was launched today that aims to provide Californians with safe, clean, reliable and affordable electrical power by lifting the state's 31-year ban on constructing new nuclear power plants. The measure was submitted Tuesday to the Attorney General's office for ballot title and summary.

An Anchorage-based energy company is seeking permission to build a power plant on the Alaska State Fair grounds in Palmer that it says would alleviate a local electric cooperative's need to build a controversial coal-fired plant.

For people worried about global warming, it's one of the Holy Grails: Figuring out how to affordably take greenhouse gases and permanently store them underground.

Now, a small Northwest company says it will do just that in a coal-fueled power plant it wants to build near the banks of the Columbia River in Southeast Washington.

The exact reason for the drop in output remained unclear but, according to a source at Canadian operator Nexen, it will be fixed in the coming days. "There is no serious problem," said the source.

Current high oil prices are not a consequence of insufficient crude oil supply but are being driven by inadequate refining capacity, ongoing problems in the US refining sector, and increased speculation in futures markets, OPEC secretary general Abdalla el-Badri said Wednesday.

The choice of coal as the plant's fuel, however, has raised concerns about the possible environmental impact.

During the public comment portion of the hearing Monday, members of the Green Party of Oklahoma urged commissioners to consider global warming issues.

Solar activity is expected to be very low, with a slight chance for an isolated C-class flare...The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled for the next three days (13-15 July). Isolated active periods are possible on 14-15 July due to a recurrent coronal hole.

Global warming summit shows GOP commitment. Long before Al Gore hopped on the global warming train with his "An Inconvenient Truth," Teddy Roosevelt -- a proud Republican -- was a passionate advocate of conservation, fighting for national forests in the West and working to reserve lands for public use.

Wilting heat, deadly storms, flash floods, coastal erosion, more days with unhealthy air -- those are just some of the effects of rising temperatures on the Northeast, a group of scientists reported Wednesday.

The drive to increase the production of energy from renewable sources has failed to harness the potential of two valuable by- products of the livestock industry - tallow and meat-and-bone meal.

On both sides of the Atlantic, exciting developments are taking place in the extraordinary renaissance of concentrating solar power. From California to Spain and from Israel to Algeria, new developments are underway, promising to bring utility-scale renewable energy to the sunbelt regions of the world.

The spot gold price failed to hold onto the upward trend from Wednesday and slipped in the morning trading session in Hong Kong on Thursday. Gold opened at $661.60-662.10/oz on Thursday, down from $664.80-665.30/oz at the end of the afternoon trading session on Wednesday.

Renewable energies represent a modest role in most energy scenarios because they are underestimated in most reports, says the Centre for Resource Solutions.

Scientists on Wednesday said that the rise in global temperatures that has been detected over the past two decades cannot be blamed on the Sun, a theory espoused by climate-change sceptics.

They factored in a cycle which solar radiation goes through peaks and troughs of activity over a period of about 11 years.

The sour smell of oil permeates the muddy site, and signs warning of hydrogen sulphide are plastered on several fences. "Keep downwind," Kovacich says, half joking.

Glaciers in the Tianshan mountains of Xinjiang, near China's western border, are shrinking at "alarming speeds", the Xinhua news agency said on Thursday, citing a local scientist.

A powerful typhoon headed north towards Japan on Thursday, threatening to rake the southern islands of Okinawa and the country's main islands with torrential rain and high winds.

The US House late Wednesday approved a resolution opposing the creation of an OPEC-style global gas cartel.

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) yesterday in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.73 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending July 12, up from last week when it averaged 6.63 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.74 percent.

New York's Wall Street, Boston's historic areas and Atlantic City's casinos may all suffer frequent devastating flooding by the end of the century unless the world sharply cuts greenhouse emissions, a new report said on Wednesday.

US silicon prices appear to be heading for above $1/lb due to the strength in demand from the chemicals and semi-conductor sector, despite poor metallurgical demand.

The measure, introduced Wednesday by senators Jeff Bingaman, Democrat-New Mexico, and Arlen Specter, Republican-Pennsylvania, is supported by the nation's largest coal-burning and nuclear electric utilities and by labor unions.

In February 2006, President Bush launched an ambitious plan called the "Advanced Energy Initiative." Its aim is to reduce America's crude oil imports from the Middle East by 75 percent by the year 2025. One key milestone calls for displacing 15 percent of our gasoline with 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels, such as ethanol, by 2017.

•Global crude futures traded higher Thursday amid a dearth of fundamental news as consumers, particularly in Asia, took advantage of the weak settlement late Wednesday

•With increasing amounts of speculative fund money in the market, a fourth failure to close above $73/b on the August WTI contract forced some to take profits.

•The latest IEA report showed that tightness in the global oil market could ease in 2008 as new supply capacity and refining upgrades come on stream, more than keeping pace with continued strong demand. "Overall, both in terms of spare upstream capacity and refinery flexibility, 2008 looks at this stage to be slightly more comfortable than 2006 and 2007," the IEA said.

The wind power market in the United States will reach a cumulative installed capacity of 49,000 MW by 2015, according to a study by the consulting firm Emerging Energy Research.

For farmers and ranchers with a flat, breezy field and a contract with a utility company, a lucrative future could be blowing in the wind.

The global oil market has the potential to be more "comfortable" in 2008 as additions to supply capacity and refining upgrades kick in, keeping pace with continued strong demand, The International Energy Agency said Friday.

Every two seconds, one person joins the planet's expanding urban population, and in 2008, for the first time in human history, a majority of people will live in cities. ...the imperative of developing our urbanizing world sustainably in order to meet the needs of the 1.1 billion people projected to join the world's population between now and 2030. Over half of these people may live in under-serviced slums

According to American Energy: The Renewable Path to Energy Security, produced last year by the Worldwatch Institute and the Center for American Progress, fossil fuels currently meet 85 percent of U.S. energy needs. As the effects of global warming begin to take hold, oil prices continue to soar, and relations in the Middle East decline, we are running out of reasons not to aggressively develop renewable energy sources.

Like the Founding Fathers, today's renewable energy pioneers value innovation and industry.

Australia will create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to flee the effects of global warming, scientists said on Monday.

The Bay Area's largest banks are pursuing a variety of measures that include making multi-billion-dollar loan commitments, incorporating green building practices into their branches and boosting lending to alternative energy and other green sectors.

An environmental group sued the Bush administration late Tuesday over a rule that is designed to regulate air pollution from ethanol plants.

Canada has announced plans to increase its Arctic military presence in an effort to assert sovereignty over the Northwest Passage -- a potentially oil-rich region the United States claims is international territory.

A new group is giving consumers a way to evaluate the companies whose products they buy based on their commitment to fighting climate change. The takeaway: There is a lot of room for improvement.

Global crude futures drifted lower Tuesday amid quiet trading, in what is becoming a typical start to a trading session, brokers said. Strong resistance levels and a spate of refinery glitches negated the International Energy Agency's report warning of increasing tightness on world oil markets over the next five years.

They rocked the world, but as the clean-up at nine climate change gigs around the globe begins, many wonder if the galaxy of pop stars did much to change it.

When people began dumping used tires in the ocean 40 years ago to create artificial reefs, they gave little thought to the potential environmental cost, or to how difficult it would be to pick them up.

...the responsible authority for nuclear power in that state, the federal ministry said it "sees clear signs of misconduct by the reactor's staff." The cause of the fire on June 28 was a short-circuit in one of the reactor's two transformer stations.

World oil demand will rise faster than expected to 2012 while supply lags, leading to a tighter market than previously anticipated, the International Energy Agency said on Monday.

Energy-efficient appliances are becoming more popular, said J.C. Woods, spokesman for Mr. Appliance Inc., North America's largest appliance repair franchise. "Manufacturers are making a big push," he said. "They are seeing that people want to buy energy-efficient appliances. They're buying hybrid cars. They know it's a marketing tool as well as just a great way to help the environment."

The Bowling Green area got its fifth wind turbine yesterday. And while it pales in comparison to the massive four utility-sized machines that the city operates at the Wood County landfill six miles southwest of the city, its owner is thrilled by the interest it has generated in his north-side neighborhood.

"This achievement is a significant milestone in the growth and development of the green building movement because it demonstrates a broad conviction that our built environment can improve the health of our planet, our economy and our communities," said Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of the council.

The International Energy Agency Monday delivered a stark new warning of increasing tightness on world oil markets over the next five years, despite the high oil prices of the past four years.

The ungodly heat has had me daydreaming about frozen treats a lot lately -- that is, when I'm not eating them. So I got a kick the other day when a faithful reader sent me this item about a New York City politician's failed attempt to launch a boycott of an ice cream seller's chunky-swirly flavor known as "Staten Island Landfill." The embargo effort backfired, and then some.

The short answer is yes, there is truth, but not the whole truth. Roy is referring to an e-mail he forwarded to me that includes a short video of a news report about a Florida man who developed an alternative energy source using water.

It turns out the version circulating on the Internet isn't the entire report Patrick prepared.

Israel could lose its sea ports and suffer billions of dollars in irreparable damage if global warming is allowed to continue unchecked, an environmental group warned on Thursday.

US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell says he will propose a "carbon tax" on electric utilities, oil companies and other industries to illustrate that it would be extremely expensive to curb greenhouse gas emissions that are linked to global warming.

"One of the main messages in (the aging and exercise) research is that it is never too late for prevention," ... "Of course, the earlier you start, the better. But the research shows that even if you wait until past 70 years old to start an exercise program, you will still be able to extend your life expectancy."

Oil demand growth is accelerating, non-OPEC supply growth will recede in a couple of years' time, and OPEC spare capacity will be "minimal." In other words, the world faces an oil supply crunch by 2012, according to the International Energy Agency's 2007 Medium-Term Oil Market Report which was released today.

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine on Friday signed legislation known as the Global Warming Response Act. The law will require mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors of the economy in the state.

Members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, the umbrella body for the country's over 1,000 local fuel marketers, on Monday seized the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp-operated Warri depot to protest the price of petroleum products

The Omaha Public Power District is building a second coal-fired power plant near Nebraska City, Nebraska, but the utility is also keeping an eye on sustainable energy and energy efficiency...Still, a third coal-fired unit at the plant site may be in the works.

Scientists have found elevated levels of arsenic and other pesticides in thousands of truckloads of muck scooped from the bottom of Lake Okeechobee.

The cloud that hangs over the coal industry for its contribution to global warming has yet to cast a shadow here, across the vast network of railroad lines that haul coal from the sun-baked flats of the Powder River Basin.

Solar activity was low. Region 963 has produced two C-class flares and numerous B-class flares. Region 963 grew slowly in size and complexity...The geomagnetic field is expected to become unsettled with a chance for active periods late on day one (10 Jul) continuing through day two (11 Jul) in response to a recurrent coronal hole.

Cities across the country are taking up the global challenge of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

While reliable electric power supply is only available in the industrialized centers of developing countries, solar power is available and – especially in the southern areas – is reliable. Up to now, solar power has not been used for cooling.

An informational guide is available to consumers who may be considering installing small wind energy systems at their home or small business.

The University of Texas' IC2 Institute released a report indicating increased investment in solar technologies could result in more than 100,000 new jobs.

Development of the solar energy industry in Texas could have a significant economic impact for consumers, the environment and workers,..

In conversations with the uninitiated, I often get asked the question of how much renewable energy costs compared with conventional energy from fossil fuels or nuclear power. The assumption is always that renewable energy costs more. Today, Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council want to put the record straight. They've published a report on the relative costs of renewable energy and conventional energy, and their key finding is that renewable energy costs less, not more -- and a lot less.

Now that China has surged past the United States to become the world's leading source of greenhouse gases, pressure is growing on U.S. policymakers to cast aside longtime anti-Beijing sentiment and help China clean up its emissions-spewing coal power industry.

One of the most carefully watched economic trends these days is the direction of housing prices. The housing market cooled abruptly after several years of white-hot performance, and slowing sales and elevated inventories threaten to undermine property values and perhaps other sectors of the economy as well. In light of this broad potential impact, some analysts note that different indicators appear to paint an inconsistent picture of price trends.

The US House of Representatives has scheduled a floor debate Wednesday on a resolution expressing its opposition to any effort by natural gas-exporting countries to form a cartel.

The chairman of the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will introduce on Wednesday legislation that would take an economy-wide, market-based approach to capping US emissions of greenhouse gases.

With Texas, California, New York, Minnesota, Colorado and Washington at the forefront of wind project development, the U.S. wind power market is expected to reach a cumulative installed wind capacity of nearly 49,000 megawatts by 2015, according to a new study by Emerging Energy Research (EER) markets.

Developing countries are locking up a bigger share of the world's oil and gas resources to profit from high prices and fuel industrial growth.

Waste to Energy (WtE) plants thermally treat household waste and waste similar to household waste that is not otherwise reusable or recyclable, and generate electricity and heat from it, which is delivered to homes and industry.

The cost to avoid 1 tonne of CO2 with WtE is about €435, whereas the costs to avoid 1 tonne of CO2 with (other) biomass are €80. For photovoltaic it would be more than €10006.

More than 100 water utility leaders from across the United States arrived on Capitol Hill to stress the essential need to repair and replace the nation’s aging water infrastructure.

Columbia has a long way to go to reach the lofty goals laid out in the Kyoto Protocol. This week, city council members received a staff-generated report showing that between 2000 and 2005, total carbon dioxide emissions in the city rose by 9.54 percent.

•Global crude weakened Monday retreating from Friday's highs as market participants looked to take profit and as concerns over Nigeria eased with the release of a British girl late Sunday, sources said.

•"News of the release [in Nigeria] has had an effect and there's been a small retracement on profit taking," said a London-based broker.

•The strong rise in prompt ICE Brent also led to a shift in the curve's structure, flipping into backwardation for September/October by 31 cents.

•The International Energy Agency said Monday it saw "a significant improvement in refinery flexibility" alongside increased investment over the next five years. This should increase the ability of the refining sector to process OPEC's mainly heavy and sour spare capacity, it said.

•On Monday the IEA released warned in its 2007 Medium-Term Oil Market Report that it saw world oil markets becoming increasingly tight beyond 2010, "with OPEC spare capacity declining to minimal levels by 2012." The report projects that OPEC spare capacity could be as low as 1.55 million b/d in 2012. This in turn pushed prices higher, traders said

Yet the 13th-windiest state in the nation lags in wind energy development, even as neighboring Washington, which ranks 24th, has become a leader in capturing power from the wind.

The lawsuit, filed by Natural Resources Defense Council in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, targets a rule that the Environmental Protection Agency finalized on May 1. EPA's rule increased the amount of pollution that could legally be released from all types of ethanol plants, whether they produce ethanol for motor vehicle fuel, industrial
processes or even human consumption.

Utilities are bustling. But the continued increase in power demand also means the industry will have to build new plants. And the demand for engineering, procurement and construction services also translates into higher capital costs -- a factor that could weigh on their credit ratings if those expenses cannot be passed through to their customers.

Chinese anger with worsening pollution is fuelling increasing protests, the nation's top environmental official said, criticising local governments who he said protected factories turning rivers into "sticky glue".

Delmarva Power thinks Delaware's new renewable portfolio standard is unfair because it applies only to the investor-owned utility--the only IOU in the state--but not to municipal utilities or cooperatives, a company spokeswoman said Thursday.

Germany's Verbio Group confirmed Wednesday that it had reduced its production of bioethanol recently as prices in Rotterdam were unattractive.

A 130 MW wind power project in south eastern Turkey, which will more than double the country's installed wind capacity, represents GE Energy's largest installation of its 2.5xl wind turbine technology.

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) yesterday, in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.63 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending July 3, down from last week when it averaged 6.67 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.79 percent.

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is calling for a 15% cut in energy use by 2015 and said the effort will begin with state-owned facilities.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, Tuesday announced an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse emissions by up to 40 percent by 2020, an initiative welcomed by environmentalists but harshly criticized by the energy industry, a powerful lobby.

A West Australian inventor believes he has developed a way to generate electricity for homes using wind power.

Graeme Attey of Fremantle designed the concept which uses a modular wind turbine that is small enough to sit on a the roof of house.

The Democratic Party in the United States has announced ‘Energy Independence Day’ legislation that will promote the creation of jobs from renewable energy.

“Today, in the tradition of our Founding Fathers and in the interest of our children and our grandchildren, we begin a new American revolution,” says Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “The legislation ... strengthens our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil; it provides the largest investment in home-grown biofuels and supports clean, renewable energy

In recent years, our industry has seen a significant increase in investment dollars. Load growth, anticipation of mandatory, more stringent reliability standards and new generators seeking interconnections are keeping engineers at Entergy and other utilities hard at work. We also are seeing engineering firms working at near-maximum capacity to design and build new facilities. At the same time, utility maintenance engineers are trying to extract the maximum value from existing facilities.

The cost of producing power from renewable sources is projected to be just a tenth of the cost of a "business as usual" approach using fossil fuels, environmental campaigners Greenpeace said Friday.

Solar activity was very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet for the next three days (06 - 08 July).

Alistair Darling MP and other top energy experts discuss the most important issues surrounding energy and how best to solve them.

A 15% renewable portfolio standard in the United States would lead to a “large increase in biomass generation” by 2020, which would grow to 320 billion kWh or three times the level in a reference case, according to the federal Department of Energy.

Scientists using DNA extracted from ice buried deep below the surface have found evidence that a lush forest once existed in southern Greenland, a finding that sheds light on how climate change affects Earth's frozen areas.

High expectations and disappointments have characterized early action on energy legislation. Last month, the U.S. Senate produced an energy bill that includes no tax title -- and, therefore, no production tax credit extension -- and that has no renewable portfolio standard (RPS). In fact, Senate advocates of renewable energy found themselves in a procedural morass that did not even allow for a vote on the RPS issue.

Did you know that in England in the Depression they had coin operated gas meters in the "poor" parts of their cities? As their economy recovered after the War, income increased, gas supplies increased, electricity came of age, and the meters faded away. But they had originated to maximize profit, not to save gas. Smart metering is a nice band-aid technology, much like device energy efficiency gains.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, a group of about 1,100 city leaders, recently unanimously passed a resolution supporting green schools at its annual meeting in Los Angeles.

"Studies show that children in green schools are healthier and more productive because of improved indoor air quality, lower levels of chemical emissions and a generous provision of natural day lighting,

The U.S. Department of Energy will fund facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Madison, Wisconsin; and Berkeley, California, as part of President George Bush’s ‘Twenty in Ten Initiative’ which seeks to reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 20% within ten years through increased efficiency and diversification of clean energy sources. DOE will fund the centres for the first five years of operation.

The UK would be foolish to base its energy security on "two or three regions in the world" and it must pursue construction of "new nuclear power stations," UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday during prime minister's questions in the House of Commons.

On Friday, August ICE Brent continued the upward rally, exceeding the $75/barrel mark for the first time since August 14 last year, while August NYMEX WTI struggled to breach $72/b.

•Global crude futures hit new 10-month highs in early European Thursday trading ahead of US inventory data, which is expected to show a hike in refinery utilization, resulting in crude stock draws, sources said. Moreover, with US gasoline demand expected to be strong, combined with refineries returning from turnaround season, prices should remain well underpinned during Thursday trading, brokers said.

•At 11:00 London time, Aug ICE Brent climbed to a new 10-month high of $73.75/barrel, up 67 cents from Wednesday, with August NYMEX WTI gaining 41 cents to $71.82/b.

Officials from more than a dozen Asian countries met Tuesday in Malaysia to outline health problems their populations are facing in relation to a rise in global temperatures.

Billionaire T. Boone Pickens is planning to cash in on the wind energy boom by building the world's largest wind farm in West Texas. The oil tycoon is offering a $6 billion plan to install large wind turbines in parts of four Panhandle counties.

US aviation giant Boeing has announced agreements with Chinese suppliers for the production of commercial aircraft parts and components, including the first firm contracts with Chinese suppliers to build parts for the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Passenger and Freighter aircraft.

US coal mining companies, which for years have been branded the bad guys of global warming, are fighting back.

A murky industry which sells carbon offsets to brand-conscious corporates and guilty consumers may soon face an unfamiliar problem: a glut of rules.

The wind-energy industry is fast expanding in Central Illinois, but one absentee on the bandwagon is the main company that supplies the area with power. With electric rates in legislative limbo, Ameren Corp. has yet to purchase wind energy for its Illinois subsidiaries

Crude futures retreated slightly from the strong gains of Monday's late price rally, but remained closed to 10-month highs in early European trading Tuesday.

America is shifting to a "green culture" in which all 300 million citizens are embracing the fact that environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility.

A swath of marshy, wildlife-rich coastal land in Arctic Alaska being eyed for oil drilling is eroding rapidly probably because of the disappearance of sea ice that used to protect it from the ocean waves, according to a study released Monday.

European Union nations must adapt to climate change by using water more efficiently, adjusting crops and farming methods, and caring for elderly people vulnerable to heat, the EU executive said on Friday.

The federal financial regulatory agencies issued a final Statement on Subprime Mortgage Lending last week to address issues relating to certain adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) products that can cause payment shock.

Will nuclear energy's progression be slowed by an inability to get uranium to feed the reactors? Some say that underutilized mines have taken a toll and will lead to hardship. Others disagree, saying that the mines can gear up and the free market can respond to changing conditions.

Hoku Materials, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hoku Scientific, Inc. established to manufacture polysilicon for the solar market, and Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., one of the world's leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, announced the signing of a definitive contract for Hoku's sale and delivery of polysilicon to Suntech over a ten-year period beginning in mid-2009

The U.N. is due to report on proposed carbon-trading schemes that would make it more rewarding for countries to preserve their forests rather than cut them down. The report on "Reduced Emissions from Deforestation" (RED) will be presented at a climate change meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in Dec. 2007. Here are some key facts on RED

The Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel has played host to many momentous occasions over the years, from Presidential speeches to Metropolitan Opera galas to induction ceremonies for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So it’s a clear sign of the mainstreaming of clean tech when such a celebrated venue is home to the Renewable Energy Finance Forum-Wall Street conference, the annual gathering of some 700 clean energy technology purveyors and financiers last month in New York.

Awareness of a problem and the ingenuity to fix it are usually a pretty potent recipe for success. That's why it's encouraging to see more and more that business is getting serious about being good environmental stewards and leaders.

Indonesia is pushing to include deforestation in any agreement on combatting global warming during December's UN-led climate talks in Bali, the environment minister said on Friday.

Iranian oil minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh said Monday that there was no need to change OPEC's production target because there was no shortage of crude oil and stocks in consuming countries are high.

It seems as if wherever a renewable energy forum develops, elected officials are sure to be present, using the open dais as an opportunity to pledge their support to green energy, to clean communities and a clean environment. Cynics may sense that what is really occurring are just symbolic politics -- elected officials appealing to constituents through public statements; establishing renewable energy incentive programs and offering various sums to "demonstration projects."

Waste systems of an electric power generating station are surprisingly challenging to both chemists and chemical engineers. That challenge is a two-part one: 1) Water must be made available for the various station uses and be of appropriate quality and, 2) the resulting wastewater streams must be handled in an appropriate manner. That manner is frequently zero liquid discharge.

Part of the "Energy Independence Day" plan rolled out Thursday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was inspired by an Oakland pilot project that trains workers for jobs in renewable energy and energy- efficiency industries.

Thanks to global warming, nuclear energy is hot again. Its promise of abundant, carbon emissions-free power is being pushed by the president and newly considered by environmentalists. But any expansion won't come cheap or easy.

Oil prices rose to 10-month highs above $71 on Monday on expectations that recovering refinery operations in the United States and ongoing supply restrictions will cut into global oil inventories.

Analysts expect weekly U.S. oil data on Thursday to show a decline in crude oil inventories as more U.S. refineries resume operations after an unusually long and extensive spring maintenance season.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today that she supports a Senate bill raising fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, and declined to say whether she would block a similar proposal from coming to the House floor nex month.

Since the onset of the industrial age, CO2 concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere have increased by about 1-2 ppm per year. This represents a 35 percent increase in the atmospheric CO2 concentration in less than 200 years. This increase may have a profound effect in causing global climate change. Increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations may not only cause solar energy to be trapped in the atmosphere but may also increase the acidity of the ocean due to increased CO2 dissolution.

One day before an important government strategy session on energy, Chancellor Angela Merkel faced increased pressure Monday from her own camp to reverse course on closing Germany's nuclear power plants, despite public opposition, as a way to help fight global warming.

Germany will only meet ambitious greenhouse gas-reduction targets with a major increase in renewable energy usage, a lobby group said on Monday ahead of a government meeting on energy issues on Tuesday.

Solar activity is expected to be very low. Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled 03 - 04 July and abating to quiet for 05 July.

U.S. refineries are operating at record levels, creating an unprecedented demand for temporary water services. According to Cambridge Energy Research Associates, domestic refiners have increased production almost 14% since 1996 without building a single new plant.

Oregon's legislative session has ended -- and June 2007 will be remembered as one of the sunniest month on record. Building on the momentum of its new Renewable Energy Standard, Governor Ted Kulongoski recently signed several key solar policies designed to encourage solar manufacturing and the installation of solar hot water and photovoltaic (PV) systems in the state.

The US Senate passed Friday legislation that could block internationally based firms from acquiring US oil companies, electric utilities and other energy-related entities.

A key Senate committee Thursday restored more than $20 million in 2008 funding for the West Valley Demonstration Project that the Bush administration had proposed cutting from the Cattaraugus County nuclear waste cleanup site.

Royal Dutch Shell Tuesday said it has no plans to abandon Nigeria despite the ongoing violence in the Niger Delta but said the theft of crude oil, known as illegal oil bunkering, still poses a problem for the country's biggest producer.

Wakonda Technologies is developing proprietary solar electric technology that is more efficient than crystalline silicon and lower in cost than thin film alternatives.

A study says increased used of solar power could bring 123,000 new jobs to Texas during the next few decades.

Solar energy systems manufacturer SolarWorld has plans to double its wafer production capacity. The company will invest € 600 million (about $ 805 million) to build a new wafer production line in Freiberg (Germany).

German power firms are frustrated that a government-organised meeting on energy issues next week is likely to avoid what they see as a key issue -- the future of nuclear power.

The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) today pledged to lead its global beverage operations, including those of its franchise bottlers, to replace the water it uses in its beverages and their production. The Company will focus its actions in three core areas: 1) reducing the water used to produce its beverages, 2) recycling water used for beverage manufacturing processes, and 3) replenishing water in communities and nature.

Tucson Electric Power Monday offered Arizona regulators three approaches for raising the utility's electric rates, which could boost annual revenue between $117 million, or 14.9%, and $181 million, 23%, according to a Tuesday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Two Vattenfall reactors experienced scramming transients June 29 at a critical political moment in the utility's battle to persuade the federal government to permit life extension of one of the affected units.

The summer heat is sweltering, so you turn up the air conditioning. The kids need a trip to the beach, but first you need to fill up the family car. And your freelance business requires that you spend a few hours on the computer tonight.

US farmers planted 92.9 million acres of corn in 2007, the highest planted acreage since 1944 when farmers planted 95.5 acres, the Department of Agriculture said Friday.

•Crude futures moved higher Friday, pulled up by continued concern over declining US product stocks as well as the underlying situation in Nigeria. Market players also noted that as it is the end of the first half of 2007

•At 10:32 GMT August ICE Brent traded at $71.25/barrel, up 73 cents whilst August WTI on NYMEX and ICE changed hands at $70.27/b, up 70 cents. Despite refinery utilization still at reasonably low levels

One billion people will die of tobacco-related diseases this century unless governments in rich and poor countries alike get serious about preventing smoking, top World Health Organization (WHO) experts said on Monday.

New Zealand -The Environment Court has shaken the foundations of the Motorimu Wind Farm project by slashing the number of turbines by 40 percent, threatening to make the project unviable.

About 460,000 Chinese die prematurely each year from breathing polluted air and drinking dirty water, according to a World Bank study.

The Department of Energy continues to use the state's water for drilling at the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site while State Engineer Tracy Taylor contemplates resuming his order to halt the practice, a federal spokesman said Friday.

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News 2007:

Find out what's going on in our area and around the World from an "energy" perspective!

The recent earthquake in Japan and accidents at two German power plants raise questions on the safety of nuclear energy as a cleaner alternative.