news_07.htm

Footnote: We always attempt to get the news to you AND obey copyright laws. We apologize if, in our haste to get the news out, we miss a notice that it was copyright protected. We are a non-profit foundation therefore we do not reprint for profit. Our sole motivation is to keep our public informed. If you have an article reprinted here and desire us to eliminate it, just let us know and we will immediately delete it, without question, with apologies. arizonaenergy on copyright law FAIR USE NOTICE

A committee set up following the cabinet's decision last week to define the Gaza Strip as "hostile territory" has recommended that Gaza be penalized seven megawatt-hours of electricity following every Kassam rocket attack.

Water has dropped several feet below "full pond" with dry weather causing less inflow. Appalachian Power Company uses Smith Mountain along with Leesville Lake to make electricity from a hydroelectric dam. The Tri-County Relicensing Committee -- public officials from four counties bordering the lakes -- is worried that the low levels create safety hazards for boaters.

Visitors to the nation's public forests and grasslands could find wind turbines cranking out power for an energy-hungry nation under a proposal to be released any day in Washington, D.C.

A federal jury in Alaska found an ex-state legislator guilty on three counts of bribery and corruption Tuesday in a case involving illegal influence on oil tax legislation by senior executives of Veco Corp., a major oil services company in the state.

Alberta will lift a cap on the amount of wind-generated electricity on the provincial grid, a move aimed at kick-starting about C$6.6 billion of planned projects, industry officials the western Canadian province said Wednesday.

Environmental Capital Partners LLC said it formed a relationship with New York Private Bank & Trust to invest the cash in middle market green companies, including those involving consumer products, building materials, alternative energy and industrial environmental services.

California's push for energy from the sun could turn the Golden State into the Saudi Arabia of the solar power industry.

State laws in New England that require utilities to buy increasing amounts of electricity generated by renewable resources, such as wind turbines, will eventually force utilities to purchase "renewable power" from Canada, Northeast Utilities CEO Charles Shivery said Tuesday.

Historians will look back at early 21st Century America as a time when three very different skills reached great heights, converged, and produces unintended as well as positive consequences.

The cost of building a prototype non-polluting coal power plant has risen, and leaders say those rising prices could eventually be an issue in the project's future.

In 2006, EPA's climate protection programs prevented 70 million metric tons of carbon equivalent greenhouse gas emissions - up from 63 million in 2005, according to a new report released today.

Smog-forming emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants and industry have declined significantly in 19 eastern states and the District of Columbia.

"There is no commitment from the other countries coming that this process should continue beyond the first meeting," Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists...

German solar power firm, Schott AG, plans to aggressively expand its U.S. business, announcing plans to build a photovoltaic manufacturing facility to dramatically increase its production.

"In order to save and protect the groundwater, quality of the environment, public health, livestock, wildlife and land, Goliad County will not allow this beautiful, pristine garden area and the quality of our environment to be ruined by uranium mining that has contaminated other communities' water in South Texas," the committee said in a news release.

To meet the challenge of global water scarcity, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) will on Monday, August 13, call for governments around the world to better manage how they use their existing water resources, taking necessary and sometimes painful measures to decrease losses in water delivery infrastructure and irrigation, to cut subsidies to agriculture, and to put in place realistic water-pricing measures – all before attempting to boost water supplies.

Greenpeace wants the government to retract permissions for constructing and operating the 675-MW unit, which is planned to start up in 2011. The plant would emit about 4.8 million mt of CO2 each year, which Greenpeace objects to.

After coal strip mining began around Kathy Selvage's Wise County home in 2005, early-morning Bible reading on the front porch became unbearable for her elderly mother, Selvage said.

A major breakthrough in hydrogen technology is set to offer the British housing market a chance to move towards supplying sustainable and non-polluting power.

Unprecedented warm temperatures in the High Arctic this past summer were so extreme that researchers with a Queen’s University-led climate change project have begun revising their forecasts.

The world indeed can be a scary place, and a new study identifies some of the scariest places on the planet. They´re scary because of what human beings have done to the environment they´re living in.

Winning permission to build natural gas pipelines is a tough job. It's designed that way. And while it is an inclusive process, it is not intended to be an impossible one. Success means being open and flexible and able to anticipate future needs.

Physicists at Argonne National Laboratory have found that magnetic particles suspended in water and subjected to an alternating magnetic field will form snake-shaped structures that can control the flow of the surrounding fluid.

Most crops grown in the United States and Europe to make "green" transport fuels actually speed up global warming because of industrial farming methods, says a report by Nobel prize winning chemist Paul J. Crutzen.

The purchase of 29,391 megawatt hours of wind powered electricity, equal to the output of more than seven modern 380 foot tall wind turbines, is estimated to have the same environmental benefit as planting more than 16,000 acres of trees or removing 3,700 cars from the roadways.

The Australian Conservation Foundation commissioned Newspoll to survey 1,200 adults by telephone in early September. The results indicate that close to 90% agreed that Australia should produce 25% of the country's electricity from renewables by 2020.

A new NASA-supported study reports that 2007 marked an overall rise in the melting trend over the entire Greenland ice sheet and, remarkably, melting in high-altitude areas was greater than ever at 150 percent more than average. In fact, the amount of snow that has melted this year over Greenland could cover the surface size of the U.S. more than twice.

The natural gas sector has lost its stride. A decade and a half ago, the industry was hot. Now, its product is considered expensive and untenable. The fix is easy, say producers. They want more access to deep waters offshore and in the Rocky Mountains.

Economics is about supply and demand. Make no mistake about it: Medical Fascism is about economics. Since the State (in this case, California) believes that it owns your body (or your child's) it can decide what happens to it over your objections and at your cost and, perhaps, at the cost of your life.

Today, NRG Energy said it is submitting an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build two new reactors at its South Texas nuclear site. This is the first full application for a new reactor in the U.S. in more than 30 years.

Reversing a long-term trend of slightly declining fuel economy, EPA is reporting an increase in fuel efficiency for 2006 and 2007, an average of 20.2 miles per gallon (mpg) for cars and light duty trucks.

Estimating the carbon footprint of commercial buildings has just become easier. Portfolio Manager, EPA's on-line energy rating system for commercial buildings, now includes greenhouse gas emission factors. The updated ratings show that Energy Star buildings, which use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings, also emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The Ontario Clean Air Alliance said Wednesday that the province could shut down all 6,434 MW of its remaining coal-fired capacity in 2010 if it canceled all its coal-fired power exports and operated at higher capacity factors the five natural gas-fired plants that will be coming online over the next three years.

In another big boost for the economic viability of large-scale solar power plants, California utility PG&E said today it will buy an additional 1,000 megawatts of solar thermal power over the next five years. That’s on top of the gigawatt the utility already has committed to purchase.

Creating mounds of algae that thrives by eating carbon dioxide waste from coal-fired electric plants sounds like something out of a science fiction novel.

Mix in a couple of alternative fuel production facilities with a herd of dairy cows and the mystery deepens

Duke Energy banned pumping lake water for lawn irrigation this week, as the ongoing drought forced tighter water restrictions around the Lake Norman area.

"You've got to have a global deal on this otherwise, it's not going to work."
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting Thursday in New York. A global framework that provides incentives for technological innovation should be a vital part of any plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, speakers said.

Advocates of renewable energy Tuesday said global climate change required a massive public response, similar to the United States' effort in World War II.

A renewable energy group said it was "deeply worried" about the neutrality of the European Commission when it comes to nuclear power. The European Renewable Energies Federation, or EREF, was reacting September 26 to a September 25 EC decision.

In January, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius set a goal that won accolades from environmental groups: produce 10 percent of Kansas' electricity from wind power by 2010.

Now, amid controversy over plans to build a large coal-fired power plant in western Kansas, Sebelius' office is qualifying that goal.

Entrepreneurs, scientists and venture capitalists, including two leaders on energy issues from the Bay Area, urged senators Tuesday to invest in green tech programs they said would create jobs and help achieve energy independence.

Ohio can be a leader in the solar energy industry that will revitalize the economy, research and business leaders said yesterday during the first meeting of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.

Hydrogen is one of the most important fuels of the future, and the sun will be one of our most important sources of energy. Why not combine the two to produce hydrogen directly from solar energy without any detours involving electrical current? Why not use a process similar to the photosynthesis used by plants to convert sunlight directly into chemical energy?

A 2007 World Water Week in Stockholm that began with a call for governments around the world to better manage their existing water resources concluded Friday morning with the 2,500 participants from 140 countries saying, collectively that progress is being made, but in the face of global poverty, critical lack of sanitation, water scarcity and climate change, we all need to do much better.

Today, we’ll provide a run-down of the benefits of addressing climate change—and what we stand to lose if we don’t. ...the costs of early action will likely be several orders of magnitude below those of inaction.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday it will invest nearly $20 million for plug-in hybrid vehicle, or PHEV, research.

The UK's biggest power companies are failing to show leadership on climate change and to adopt cleaner business models to deliver a sustainable low-carbon UK economy, according to two new reports commissioned by WWF-UK. The reports compare the climate change targets and policies of the six biggest power companies.

Sir Nicholas Stern, the UK economist that prepared a landmark 2006 study on the economics of cutting greenhouse gases, told US congressional staff on September 21 that the United States, EU countries and other industrialized nations should agree this year to cut emissions 75% below 1990 levels by 2050.

Six giant turbines lowered into the East River to harness the kinetic power of its tides have been shut down for repairs and a basic redesign weeks after being dedicated.

US ethanol production forecasts may not be met due to a slowdown in new plant construction and an end to easy financing, Ron Miller, CEO of producer/distributor Aventine Renewable Energy, told a Bank of America conference September 19 that was webcast.

The Bush administration on Thursday proposed a 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions compared with 2005 levels as a starting point for US-led talks between 18 countries that want to jumpstart negotiations for a successor framework to the Kyoto Protocol.

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.42 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending September 27, up from last week when it averaged 6.34 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.31 percent.

A government video shows the potential destruction caused by hackers seizing control of a crucial part of the U.S. electrical grid: an industrial turbine spinning wildly out of control until it becomes a smoking hulk and power shuts down.

A Minnesota utility has been awarded roughly $116.5 million in damages for costs it incurred after DOE failed to begin disposing of utility spent nuclear fuel by a 1998 contract date.

Cape Town, South Africa — Challenging water issues and the presence of substantial quantities of salt and brackish water are encouraging Southern, East African and Indian Ocean Island water managers to consider desalination technology as an alternative source of fresh water.

Recently, the USEPA estimated the 20-year needs for water infrastructure investment at $277 billion for drinking water systems and $388 billion for wastewater systems. Challenges faced by the water industry include everything from higher water demand and inadequate water resource supplies, to aging infrastructure and climate change.

•-Crude futures resumed their bull run early Thursday, reversing the falls on Wednesday following the release of generally bearish weekly US stock data.

•At 09:56 GMT, Nov ICE Brent was up 68 cents to $78.11/barrel, with the NYMEX and ICE November WTI contracts up by 76 cents to $1.06/b. After the release of the US stocks data, the energy complex fell significantly, with NYMEX WTI losing around $2/b.

•Global crude futures stabilized in European morning trading on Friday, holding close to the record highs reached across the petroleum futures complex in late-Thursday and early-Friday trading.

A lack of water to meet daily needs is a reality for many people around the world and has serious health consequences. Globally, water scarcity already affects four out of every 10 people. The situation is getting worse due to population growth, urbanization and increased domestic and industrial water use.

European environmental leaders doubt President Bush will make a 180-degree turnaround on his voluntary approach to curbing global warming just because they´re in town.

Renewable energy developer Airtricity on Tuesday said it has signed an agreement to buy wind turbines with total capacity of 250 MW from GE Energy for $330 million.

A new study from Greenwich Associates reveals that the liquidity crunch in global credit markets sparked by the collapse of the U.S. sub-prime mortgage sector caused a nearly complete — if temporary — disruption in the trading and usage of many fixed income products. Despite the severity of the crisis to date, institutional investors fear that fallout will continue to spread.

It has been likened to the scramble to discover the structure of DNA, or to harness energy from nuclear fusion, or find the cause of climate change itself. Certainly, the spoils to the victor in the quest to find a solution to capturing and storing carbon emissions are likely to be every bit as great, says Chris Webb.

The battle to beat climate change has come down to one weapon -- the price of carbon. And analysts say it is not working.

The towering chamber where coal is combusted in an electricity generation plant is a dark, unsettling, sulfurous place. Elemental coal, wrested from the earth, is here ignited to generate heat, create steam and spin a turbine. Without it, modern life would freeze.

Yu Qingtai -- special representative of Ministry of Foreign Affairs for climate change negotiations -- said the government has set a goal of reducing energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 percent, and raising the proportion of renewable energy by 10 percent by 2010, Xinhua news service said Friday.

Missoula's plan to buy electricity from Great Falls is drawing criticism because that city intends to rely on coal. Mayor John Engen is reviewing a contract with Electric City Power, a not-for- profit company building a controversial coalfired power plant outside Great Falls

Sun Microsystems Inc. is using its online community building experience to help businesses and organizations calculate, compare and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Global crude futures weakened further Tuesday, continuing to retreat from last week's all-time highs as traders liquidated hurricane premiums after the storm threat in the US Gulf receded and shut-in production there started to come back online

Dairyland Power Cooperative is planning to put a coal ash landfill near its Genoa, Wis., power plant.

Utility officials said Thursday they've contacted four landowners at two potential sites 10 miles east of Genoa in Vernon County, asking permission to do soil and water testing to see whether either is suitable for an ash landfill.

A congressional committee is charging that the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act when it approved an expansion of a coal-fired power plant in Uintah County without imposing controls for carbon-dioxide emissions.

Almost two-thirds of the world's people say there must be urgent action to tackle global warming, a poll for the BBC World Service showed on Tuesday.

The head of the United Nations, the governor of California and the star of "An Inconvenient Truth" spoke with one voice on Monday, urging quick global action to stem emissions that heat the planet.

Green Building Studio, Inc., today announced the beta availability of Green Building Studio V3.0, offering architects, owners, and building design teams the opportunity to use the new web service’s advanced capabilities firsthand.

Fiord Explorer: The global warming craze keeps topping itself for weirdness. The latest ripple, a peculiar little fad called climate tourism, has nutjobs (I mean, people) booking trips to hot spots in the Arctic and elsewhere to observe the effects of global warming up close and personal, in real time.

"Carbon dioxide can be stored in the Norwegian continental shelf. In the North Sea, the Utsira formation near the Sleipner field and the Johansen formation in the area around the giant Troll field are the best suited," finds the report...

The current turmoil in credit markets is unlikely to derail plans by power companies to begin ordering the first new nuclear plants since cost overruns and public opposition virtually killed the industry three decades ago.

Los Alamos Renewable Energy, LLC has the world's first dispatchable solar power plant. It provides the power when you want it, around the clock. During sun-up, it produces electric power and fuel. During sunless times, it burns its fuel to keep the turbines producing power as the demand requires.

At the onset of California's solar rebate program, the California Energy Commission wanted to level the playing field for solar panel manufacturers, so they hired an independent testing laboratory called PVUSA to test and rate every solar panel that was to participate in the State's rebate program.

"It is perhaps the most important breakthrough in an international environment negotiation process for at least five or six years. Historic is an often over-used word but not in the case of this agreement made in Montreal. Governments had a golden opportunity to deal with the twin challenges of climate change and protecting the ozone layer and governments took it."
United Nations Environmental Program chief Achim Steiner said. This came after nearly 200 countries agreeing to accelerate the elimination of chemicals that threaten the ozone layer and exacerbate global warming.

The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to active with a period of minor storming observed at middle latitudes. An elevated solar wind speed due to a coronal hole high speed stream contributed to the
activity.

A rise in tanker rates for this week's fixtures could be a signal that additional OPEC crude may hit markets sooner than the November 1 date agreed by the producers' club for their 500,000 b/d production increase, PFC Energy said in a weekend report.

Northern Colorado is set to land up to 500 jobs thanks to a Colorado State University-created startup that plans to open a factory in the Fort Collins-Loveland area next year.

Will military-submarine traffic get in the way of the wind-turbine towers? Will lights on the turbines blind ship captains? Will wind turbines suck away the energy from the wind, leaving sailboats stranded?

A study suggests the wisest energy strategy for many nations is to move away from reliance on large-scale centralized coal and nuclear plants.

The Methane to Markets Partnership marked a major milestone this week as the European Commission became its 21^st partner. Methane to Markets is a public-private partnership that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the cost-effective, near-term recovery and use of methane, while providing clean energy to markets around the world.

At a special UN meeting in New York City on Monday, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, said that climate change presents the organization community with an "unprecedented challenge [demanding] unprecedented leadership and commitment."

With the US Department of Energy moving closer to issuing loan guarantees for advanced energy projects, DOE's inspector general is recommending that the agency complete plans for staffing the program and minimizing default risks.

The US Department of Agriculture Friday said 345 proposals in 37 states have been selected to receive a total of $18.2 million for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has vowed to track the amount of energy used to make products throughout its supply chain and work with its suppliers to make the entire process more energy efficient.

•Crude futures continued trading in record territory Wednesday ahead of the release of weekly US petroleum inventories data later today, after NYMEX front-month crude settled at an all-time high of $81.51/barrel Tuesday.

•Global crude futures weakened further Tuesday, continuing to retreat from last week's all-time highs as traders liquidated hurricane premiums after the storm threat in the US Gulf receded and shut-in production there started to come back online.

The (UK)Government risks missing its target to make new homes "zero carbon" by 2016 unless it makes developers sign up to standards, the National Housing Federation warned.

Gasoline, one of the main products refined from crude oil, accounts for just about 17 percent of the energy consumed in the United States.

In 2005 the price of crude oil averaged $50.23 per barrel, and crude oil accounted for about 53 percent of the cost of a gallon of regular grade gasoline (Figure 1). In comparison, the average price for crude oil in 2004 was $36.98 per barrel, and it composed 47 percent of the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline.

Avanzalia Solar has announced that its Salamanca plant, which was built in collaboration with Kyocera, has commenced working and producing electricity.

The 25MW plant, known as Planta Solar de Salamanca, incorporates about 70,000 Kyocera PV modules in three separates arrays on a 36 hectare site.

The Baltic countries are still facing a power generation squeeze in 2010, according to an update to the European Transmission System Operators' 2008-2015 generation adequacy report Thursday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke grabbed the spotlight back from his book-writing predecessor, Alan Greenspan, on Sept. 18. Most experts were betting that the low-key academic would move cautiously and cut the federal funds rate by a minimal quarter percentage point. But Bernanke and his rate-setting colleagues cut the funds rate by a half percentage point, from 5.25% to 4.75%.

Although California is blessed with some of the best geothermal, wind and solar resources in the U.S. -- as well as the policies and legislation in place to do take advantage of those resources -- a number of the renewable energy-rich areas are too far from the electric transmission grid to render them useful.

British businesses are pouring profits down the drain by wasting water, according to the government's business environmental advisory agency Envirowise.

Solar panels could generate over 10 percent of China's power by the middle of the century, but only if Beijing steps up support for pioneering generating plants and sets more ambitious targets, a report said on Wednesday.

China will enter an era in which wind power will be fully developed by 2010, an expert said on Wednesday.

Santee Cooper won the first round Monday in its fight to build a nearly $1 billion power plant in rural Florence County. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said it will issue a draft air pollution permit for the coal-fired plant, despite calls by conservation groups for more study.

In a blow to plans to build a big coal-fired power plant in South Dakota 175 miles west of Minneapolis, two major electric utilities backed away Monday from plans to buy power from the proposed Big Stone II.

The Issaquah City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a much-anticipated "zero-energy" housing project, in which 10 homes will be designed to produce as much electricity as they consume.

One problem is the US has almost No Energy Policy. Solar, wind and biomass (ethanol) research are funded at the rate of $1.13 per person per year, and that's all together. That's not a policy, it's a bad joke

DTE Energy, Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems, Electrical Distribution Design and Next-Energy are partnering to test new electricity delivery systems that could someday pave the way for how consumers get their power.

he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding seven new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the list for investigation and clean-up.

Today, EPA is presenting the 2007 Best-of-the-Best Stratospheric Ozone Protection Awards in honor of the 20-year anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol. The 52 award recipients have demonstrated ingenuity, leadership and public service by improving environmental performance, reducing and eliminating emissions of ozone depleting substances, and strengthening national and Montreal Protocol policies.

From suburban driveways to the sprawling lots that spring up around big retailers, Americans devote lots of space to parking spaces -- a growing land-use trend that plays a role in heating up urban areas and adding to water pollution, according to a recent study.

High nuclear plant capital costs may discourage even developed countries from building new plants, the head of the China Atomic Energy Authority, Sun Qin, told an IAEA-organized meeting in Vienna September 18.

Indonesia is mobilizing a group of eight nations ahead of upcoming climate talks to get rich countries to pay the world's tropical nations not to chop down rainforests, its forestry minister said on Wednesday.

A novel software application will help engineers and planners select the most efficient and site specific methods – called “Best Management Practices” (BMPs) – of controlling the amount of pollutants that enter the receiving waters through stormwater runoff.

An Iranian government spokesman said Wednesday that OPEC, of which Iran is a member, cannot be held responsible for current record oil prices because the group is not the sole supplier of crude oil to markets and does not regulate markets.

Rising energy bills and environmental sensitivities are combining to deliver new solutions to some vexing issues. It is all web-centric and focused on conservation.

A new national study commissioned by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)) shows that using electronics to telecommute saves the equivalent of 9 to 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year -- the same amount of energy used by roughly 1 million U.S. households every year.

Gunmen in Nigeria are increasingly kidnapping children of well-to-do families for ransom, a troubling indication in the cash-for-kidnap culture that is shaking Africa's top oil producer.

The measure would allow a utility to recoup the cost of constructing a nuclear power plant even if the facility never produces electricity. The bill is fashioned after similar legislation passed in Florida and eight other states. Critics argue such a law could potentially be very expensive for taxpayers.

Opponents of the Indian Point nuclear power plant think the federal government isn't looking at all the right issues.

Global crude futures continued trading in record territory in European morning trading ahead of the release of weekly US petroleum inventories data later Wednesday, after NYMEX front-month crude settled at an all-time high of $81.51/barrel Tuesday.

China's notoriously foul air isn't just a potential showstopper for next summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. Along with the country's polluted water and spendthrift energy usage, China's air-you-can-taste represents a glittering opportunity for U.S. companies peddling environmental wonder gear.

Governor Edward G.Rendell recently hailed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to approve Pennsylvania's mercury emission reduction plan as a major step forward in protecting the state's citizens and environment.

The state of California has formed a public-private partnership to consider the feasibility of building new transmission lines to access renewable power generation.

Solar activity was very low. The visible disk remained spotless. The geomagnetic field was initially quiet, but increased to unsettled to active levels beginning at 1300Z.

Do you ever wonder what it takes to work in a wastewater treatment plant or deal with emergencies like a sewer collapse or overflow? Well, wonder no more. Over 200 of the world’s best and brightest wastewater treatment professionals will compete in Operations Challenge 2007, a unique, fast-paced skills competition for wastewater operations and maintenance professionals.

Turkey is set to double the amount of its electricity supplied by wind power with the construction of the biggest wind farm to date. The wind farm in southeast Turkey will have an installed capacity of 135 megawatts (MW) when it is completed in 2009.

Ukraine will start the production of nuclear fuel and nearly double the electricity output of its nuclear power plants by 2030, presidential adviser Bohdan Sokolovskyy quoted President Viktor Yushchenko on Tuesday [18 September].

A coalition of investors, state financial officials and environmental advocates on Tuesday petitioned the US Securities and Exchange Commission to require publicly-traded companies to disclose their financial risks related to climate change.

A series of position papers on climate change will be published over the next few weeks as the US House of Representatives prepares to tackle the contentious issue, according to Representative Rick Boucher of Virginia, the chairman of the House's Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee.

North American Electric Reliability Corp. President Rick Sergel Thursday told the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that portions of the bulk power system "are being operated at or near their limits more of the time," raising the likelihood of "of problems if unplanned events were to occur simultaneously."

...this is the good ol' fashioned stationary front tail we were monitoring off of the Jacksonville FL coast, which are always dangerous breeding grounds as per our yearly warning:

The three utilities will market the renewable energy to the 1.3 million homes and businesses that they serve in the state, while the newly formed organization, dubbed Palmetto Clean Energy, or PaCE, will buy the power from small Southeastern companies that generate electricity with wind turbines, solar panels and landfill gas.

No one can accuse the Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, or his Board, of not having courage. The latest decision to cut interest rates by half a percentage point demonstrated their willingness to act when times get tough. It is not even clear whether Dr. Bernanke’s predecessor would have acted as courageously as he has.

•The renewed rally in late Tuesday trading followed the 50 basis point rate cut to 4.75% by the US Federal Reserve, the first cut since May 2003 and surpassing widely held expectations of a 25 basis points cut

Q: I saw a couple articles recently about anaerobic digestion and how it can make energy and help improve the environment. What exactly is anaerobic digestion, and if it's so great how come I don't hear about it more often?

RecycleBank, a rewards program that motivates people to recycle, announced recently that it has completed its city-wide rollout of service to Wilmington, Del. and the city has already experienced a vast improvement in recycling rates. Wilmington chose the RecycleBank program as a solution to the rising cost of landfill fees and to remedy the city’s lack of curb-side recycling.

The WHFS involves a study on the integration of wind energy generated by Indian tribes and hydropower generated by the Army Corps of Engineers on the Missouri River to supply power to Western. This study applies only to Western's Upper Great Plains Region (UGPR).

After years of playing second fiddle to mainstream power sources, Europe's renewable energy sector is now going from strength to strength. Lucrative government subsidies, an EU-wide goal to reduce CO2 emissions 20% by 2020, and growing public support for the fight against climate change have turned this new industry into a force to be reckoned with.

Some natural resources used to produce electricity, such as oil and coal, often get a bad rap in the news media. Middle Eastern countries control a lot of the world's oil, and burning coal can sometimes lead to harmful emissions that pollute air and water.

The new shelter — an arch-shaped steel structure 345 feet tall and 490 feet long — will enclose the concrete sarcophagus erected hastily after the 1986 accident. That structure has been crumbling and leaking radiation for more than a decade.

Developing Asian economies will register solid economic growth in 2007, driven by China and India, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released Monday.

The Arctic's Northwest Passage has opened up fully because of melting sea ice, clearing a long-sought but historically impassable route between Europe and Asia, the European Space Agency said.

The suit was the first seeking to hold manufacturers liable for global warming damages caused by greenhouse emissions. It said cars made by the six automakers account for more than 30 percent of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions in California, the most populous U.S. state.

The California Public Utilities Commission's lead advocate for energy efficiency, along with a PUC judge, on Monday released a proposal intended to establish a comprehensive framework for the state's energy efficiency programs.

The move delays what could be a controversial decision, one that might see Canada getting into the business of reprocessing nuclear waste.

To help mitigate pollution and traffic congestion, Chile's largest power company, CHILECTRA, will allow its customers to use their monthly utility bill to finance the purchase of electric bicycles, scooters, mopeds and other vehicles from US-based ZAP.

Chinese oil and gas companies, flush with cash this year, will continue to hunt overseas for assets as well as seek foreign investment and expertise to develop some of the recent major finds in the country, Standard & Poor's said in a research report released Tuesday.

Dubbed ENVI, the new effort will be located in the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills and will focus on "electric-drive vehicles and related advanced-propulsion technologies," the company said.

A poll of 400 Maine voters last May found 85 percent favored the development of wind power in Maine. You wouldn't know it, however, from the debate that gets whipped up nearly every time a wind farm is proposed here.

The conventional wind industry has done a terrific job at reducing the cost of extracting energy out of the wind, but has not yet been able to shape wind power production to meet grid demands and secure a good price for its power

The Department of Energy plans to go to the mat with Nevada over the disputed use of water at Yucca Mountain, the director of the federal nuclear waste project said Thursday.

China, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria and Ukraine will have projects funded under the auspices of the Methane to Markets Partnership, an international effort promoting near-term, cost-effective projects that capture and use methane as a clean-energy source.

Energising homes, vehicles and industry, with so many uses the fuel cell seems an ideal tool to power a community.

The FDA has been downgrading and degrading your food for a long time. It's not just E. coli. It's poisonous additives like Aspartame...It's genetically modified foods that have NEVER been tested for safety by the FDA even though independent science shows how dangerous they are. It's fluoride in your water, sprayed on your foods and added to health aids...the FDA is not protecting us (which is why a recent survey says that 75% of Americans no longer trust it to protect their health and food).

UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks yesterday pledged that high grid connection costs will not be a barrier to renewable energy projects in the Highlands and Islands, such as windfarms.

The environmental backlash surrounding bottled water must be nearing critical mass, because Coke and Pepsi have jumped into action simultaneously. MSNBC reports that both beverage giants have announced plans to step up their efforts to recycle plastic bottles.

Having access to energy storage during off-peak periods could benefit the operation of several types of thermal power station. The thermal componentry would be able to operate at constant temperature and pressure with reduced variation in output over prolonged durations.

The recycling system was built jointly by Mid America´s engineering division and Bollegraaf Recycling Machinery, a manufacturer of machines for the recycling industry worldwide.

When countries from around the world gather in Montreal Sept. 17 to 21, they will consider an accelerated freeze and phase out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs, as a further means of tackling global warming.

Last week we emailed our list to let you know about the 17 year old boy, cured of cancer by natural means, who had been taken from his home by the California agency supposedly responsible for the welfare of children was forcefully vaccinated and placed in foster care. His mother, presumed to be guilty of "medical neglect", was taken to a maximum security prison for 5 days where her neck and shoulder were injured by the jailers.

Sixteen nations signed a US-initiated pact on Sunday to help meet soaring world energy demand by developing nuclear technology less prone to being illicitly diverted into making atomic weapons.

On the final day of the 2007 legislative session, Minnesota took an aggressive approach to global warming.

By overwhelming margins, the Senate and House set long-range targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, with interim targets of 15 percent by 2015 and 30 percent by 2025.

The state of New York has subpoenaed five energy companies as part of an investigation into whether they properly disclosed the financial risks of carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired power plants, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

NYMEX's October crude futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's Globex system were 24 cents higher at $80.83/barrel Tuesday after having posted an all-time high of $81.24/b in Asian trading.

Tuesday's gains were an extension of Monday's rally with the October option expiration accelerating the buying.

Nevada officials suspect the Energy Department might be preparing to pull a "bait and switch" when it applies for permission to build a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, a state leader said Wednesday.

The Department of Energy moved quickly Thursday to deny the suggestion that it is looking to "bait and switch" on getting a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository licensed.

Demand for wind energy in the state has become so strong that residential consumers who want to pay extra for the power may have trouble buying it.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Friday advanced a new argument in his campaign to block development of conventional coal-burning power plants in Nevada, citing reports that coal-fired plants are being canceled and curtailed in seven other states.

There are signs of hope for U.S. coal miners that have endured a year of rising costs and depressed coal prices.

World oil markets will remain short of crude unless OPEC puts enough oil on the market at prices that will attract buyers, and Saudi Arabia in particular needs to offer bigger discounts to sell more heavy oil, the Centre for Global Energy Studies said in a report released this week.

A Progressive Conservative government would spend up to $1 billion to install "scrubbers" on Ontario's coal-fired generating plants while proceeding with plans to close them, John Tory said in a local report.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius polished her green credentials in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, unveiling a new, states-based effort to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.

But back in Kansas, Sebelius continues to be dogged by criticism from environmental groups who say she hasn't done enough to stop plans for a large coal plant.

Senate environment committee chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and representatives of the water industry and environmental groups will hold a rally Sept. 18 to call for increased federal funding for clean water infrastructure.

For much of its time in office, the Bush administration stiff-armed the international community on climate change. It rejected the Kyoto Treaty, resisted binding greenhouse gas emission targets, questioned the growing body of science that pointed to the dangers posed by climate change, and cooked the books by removing or downplaying passages in reports that linked global warming with human activities

The US Senate is expected to begin debating a bill late Monday that would require the Department of Defense to use wind, solar and other renewable forms of energy to meet at least 25% of its electricity needs by 2025.

INGRID [classified 09/12] was a testament to the consequences of a tropical entity trying to evolve in an inhospitable environment in the far/open Atlantic. FELIX formed 18 days after DEAN, so on schedule, the next favorable MJO/Shear environment will evolve this week roughly 18 Days after FELIX formed.

A new program through Santee Cooper would allow you to reduce your electricity bill or get paid for the electricity you produce if you use a solar panel.

The world's first giant wave farm for generating renewable energy will today get final approval.

•The rocketing WTI prices in the last 24 hours are linked to a series of bullish technical and fundamental factors, amongst which are the upcoming expiry of the October contract this Friday

•Most investors expect the Fed to trim a quarter point from the federal funds rate, which has been at 5.25% since June 2006, and some are calling for a bolder half-point reduction, citing rising US recession risks. This may result in a further rise in fears surrounding supply tightness in the US ahead of the winter, keeping prices underpinned, with the latest OPEC output rise of 500,000 b/d showing little effect so far.

With the U.S. stock markets down from their recent high, oil prices breaking $80 per barrel, and a major housing slump, are we on the verge of a major recession?

Not likely, according to John Rothe, President of the Rothe Financial Group in McLean, Va.

Documented in the IAEA's Illicit Trafficking Database, the majority of the incidents last year involved sealed radioactive sources, but the country of Georgia reported a February 2006 incident involving the seizure of 79.5 grams of 89% enriched uranium, IAEA said.

The Earth's ozone layer is on track to heal, thanks to the work of dozens of countries that signed a landmark international environmental agreement initiated 20 years ago.

Known as the "Montreal Protocol," this ambitious treaty requires countries to phase out production and use of compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere

Merle Bell was not ready for what he was about to see, or feel. He clambered up on the flatbed trailer, saw more than 500 people gathered in a clearing surrounded by apple trees on his land, and got a lump in his throat. "It chokes me up that all you people would come out here and help me," Bell said,

Changes in the electric industry mandate a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. power system. This stunning new map is the largest, most detailed and up-to-date reference tool available for energy professionals, financial institutions, power marketers, merchant plant developers, or anyone else involved in this dynamic industry.

In the first step of what American Electric Power is calling a large-scale commitment to battery storage technology, the company Tuesday said it will install batteries at three different sites on its distribution grid to help offset the intermittent nature of wind generation.

SunEdison, North America’s largest solar energy services provider, has announced that the Alamosa Photovoltaic Solar Plant in Alamosa, Colo., began generating 44 percent of its capacity, about 3.6 megawatts (MW) direct current (DC) on August 31, 2007....

On June 21, 2007, the Senate passed H.R. 6, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy efficiency Act of 2007. This Senate Bill, as it is referred to here, was hailed as a major political victory in efforts to address national security and global climate change. This article provides a rough, quantitative analysis the US’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction that might occur as a result of the Senate Energy Bill.

The US credit crunch has been reeking havoc across the globe but according to an Asian Banker Research study, the impact has been somewhat limited in the Far East.

September 14, 2007 - OPEC secretary-general Abdalla el-Badri on Friday said the oil producer group did not believe current record oil prices would last, saying they were not justified by market fundamentals or any shortage of crude.

The following is a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at the Bundesbank Lecture in Berlin.

BrightSource Energy, Inc., a utility scale solar thermal company, announced last week that it has filed an Application For Construction (AFC) with the California Energy Commission (CEC) for development of a 400 megawatt (MW) solar power plant site. This is the first AFC to be filed in California since 1989 for the construction of solar thermal power plants.

The British public are divided on whether companies should have the option to build new nuclear plants in the UK, a right the companies already possess, according to a government consultation published on Thursday.

A bill that would create a $250-million, 10-year rebate program for homeowners and businesses who invested in solar-power water heating technology cleared the California Senate late Monday and will face its final vote in the state Assembly later this week.

A major California utility trying to shore up its sources of electricity isn't giving up its fight to build a new major transmission line, despite Arizona regulators' attempt to short-circuit the project.

The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan yesterday announced the results of the first study to focus on whether companies who voluntarily participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s program to report reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions actually reduce GHG in the amounts claimed.

The conventional wisdom in the coal industry is that Central Appalachia is running out of coal reserves, that production must decline in the coming years and that everyone will install scrubbers to burn higher-sulfur coal, further aggravating CAPP's problems.

Starting this month, China's State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) will assume nationwide oversight over power companies that are required under the country's renewable energy law to prioritize purchases of the maximum amount of 'green' electricity available in their coverage areas, according to a recent regulation released by SERC.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission rejected a request from utilities that they be allowed to move ahead with plans to build a coal-fired power plant in northern Oklahoma.

Gov. Sebelius calls for both clean power, coal-fired electricity plants. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today will tell a national audience about the need for clean energy, but environmentalists say she is ignoring the 800-pound gorilla in her own state.

When William and Janeen Scharf sought permission to install a Southwest Windpower turbine at their Doney Park home this summer, a Coconino County board turned them down. The Board of Adjustment denied it. The proposed 41.6-foot wind tower was 3.1 feet too tall to be allowed in a residential area, even though it was shorter than nearby utility poles. Flagstaff Mayor Joe Donaldson has said the city's beauty would be marred if every home installed a wind turbine.

14Sep2007--Global crude futures retraced some of the gains made Thursday, after refinery outages in the US switched the focus from crude to refined products as well as profit-taking ahead of the weekend, market sources said.

A 7.1 million barrel fall in US commercial crude stocks last week was the key number in Wednesday's EIA weekly data. NYMEX front-month crude prices burst through $79/barrel for the first time in a knee-jerk reaction to the numbers.

Humberto was downgraded to a tropical storm late Thursday morning, but left three refineries idled in Port Arthur, Texas, and a lengthy queue of vessels attempting to enter and exit the crucial Houston Ship Channel.

The region's prolonged drought is drying up one of the state's cleanest energy sources: water. Receding water levels are forcing Progress Energy and Duke Energy to cut back production of hydroelectric power.

The British arm of German utility E.ON AG is developing a giant battery using a secret combination of chemicals to store wind and solar power for times of high demand, the company said on Thursday.

Major energy players in government and business are trying to chart a billion-dollar wind frontier with Oklahoma in the middle. They say the biggest hurdle to harnessing the region's renewable, clean and lucrative gusts is the transmission of the energy.

An EU-wide carbon tax would be the ideal way to promote renewables and energy efficiency to meet the EU's proposed 2020 targets, the European Biomass Association secretary-general, Jean-Marc Jossart told Platts Thursday.

European gold opened Wednesday on a higher level than that of the previous day, thanks to "massive buying" in New York, which sent the yellow metal up $9 to a 16-month high of $711.80/oz, according to Standard Bank in its daily precious metals report.

Sinking natural gas prices, ambitious drilling programs and an increase in master limited partnerships could raise concerns about the credit quality of US gas production companies in the coming year, Standard & Poor's said Wednesday.

Climate change could have global security implications on a par with nuclear war unless urgent action is taken, a report said on Wednesday.

The pressure from politics and society to reduce emissions and fuel consumption has been a dominating factor not only on the exhibition but also in customer projects, Fehrenbach said at a press conference at the fair. "The climate debate, while demanding, presently helps us like no other topic," Fehrenbach said.

There are only a few weekends left to barbecue comfortably, so while you can, do what you can to "green up" your grill and make it less environmentally damaging.

One of the things that´s interesting about business´ attitude toward the environment is how the story line changes from industry to industry. It´s a hot topic in one sector for a while, cools or levels off, and meanwhile, it becomes a big deal in another segment.

First it was Enron. Then it was Amaranth Advisors, a hedge fund that collapsed. The changing face of energy trading has left regulators scurrying to catch up. The questions now before U.S. lawmakers are to what extent big traders move markets and the means by which such outfits should be monitored.

A federal judge in Vermont said Wednesday that states have the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gas emissions from autos, a ruling that could require automakers to boost fuel economy as much as 59% by 2016.

Kansas´ largest electric utility has formally adopted a policy to address climate change, which includes supporting greenhouse gas cuts as carbon reduction technologies are developed.

Kyocera Corporation today announced its role as the sole supplier of photovoltaic (“PV”) modules for a super-large-scale solar electric generating system in Salamanca, Spain, that will meet the needs of about 5,000 private households.

Last month, UAF researcher Katey Walter brought a National Public Radio crew to Alaska’s North Slope, hoping to show them examples of what happens when methane is released when permafrost thaws beneath lakes.

When they reached their destination, Walter and the crew found even more than they bargained for: a lake violently boiling with escaping methane.

There is a developing story from California that involves a mother with a 17 year old child who HAD melanoma. The mother, chose to go against her allopathic (conventional) doctor's orders (to have surgery and chemotherapy) - and instead try advanced natural medicine first -....

For obvious reasons, scientists long have thought that salt water couldn't be burned.

So when an Erie, Pa., man announced he'd ignited salt water with the radio-frequency generator he'd invented, some thought it a was a hoax.

More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before, one of many troubling environmental signs highlighted on Thursday in the Worldwatch Institute's annual check of the planet's health.

Microsoft reports inroads into the automotive infotainment market. In cooperation with the automotive industry, the company plans to incrementally widen the elbow room for its Auto operating system.

The nation's largest federally-owned utility plans to go on a hiring binge. The Tennessee Valley Authority says that it likely needs to bring on thousands of employees to construct and operate a slew of nuclear power plants that may get built in the Southeast.

September 11, 2007 - OPEC sprang a surprise at its September 11 talks in Vienna with an unexpectedly large increase in official crude production levels. From November 1, the group's official target will rise to 27.25 million b/d, 1.45 million b/d more than the previous 25.8 million b/d target set in February.

As Oregon's renewable energy sector matures, the lights will go out for some small businesses forced to compete with new, larger players, analysts say. But the increased competition in the growing energy sector, they say, will lead to lower costs for renewable energy generation and consulting services.

Curbs on chemicals that damage the ozone layer could have a side-effect of reducing far more greenhouse gases than the main UN plan for confronting climate change, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Thursday.

The flames have devoured more than 100,000 hectares (nearly 250,000 acres) of forest, crops and grazing pasture and burned down dozens of rural homes in three northeastern provinces, where a regional state of emergency was already in place.

Port of Seattle Chief Executive Tay Yoshitani says he wants to run the "cleanest, greenest and most energy-efficient port in the United States."

PCB-contaminated mud dredged from a Superfund site may be headed to a landfill rather than being dumped into the open waters of Elliott Bay as planned.

From expensive construction costs to uncertainty over global warming laws, experts say electricity bills are only headed higher.

"It's an indication that OPEC is sensitive to the recent tightening of the market, and we hope they're going to continue responding to market signals."
Lawrence Eagles, head of the Paris-based International Energy Agency's Oil Markets Division

Spot gas prices in the Rocky Mountain region shattered previous historic lows Tuesday, with virtually all regional pricing points averaging around 25 cents/MMBtu because pipeline maintenance has stranded gas in the region.

"Slow down. We need a thorough look at the pollution and other side effects from such a big project." ...MEA's urge to build a coal plant has implications far beyond the co-op and its customers.

A US Senate panel debated a bill Wednesday that would phase out use of
the type of light bulb pioneered by Thomas Edison more than 125 years ago.

Mobile phone use does not appear to be hazardous to human health, according to U.K. study published on Wednesday, though research gaps mean that the possibility of adverse health effects arising from mobile phone use cannot be entirely dismissed.

The problem with solar power has never been its appeal. It has just cost too much. But the AVA Solar plan — should it prove to be as good as it says it is — along with other innovations are transforming solar power into a mainstream commodity.

If every house had affordable solar panels supplying a portion of its electricity, the demand for electricity from heavy-polluting sources like coal-fired power plants would drop, along with emissions driving global warming, causing acid rain and poisoning lakes and streams with toxic mercury.

The spot price of uranium has -- for the moment -- stabilized between $85-$90/lb U3O8, according to TradeTech and Ux Consulting. However, that may change as news filters out on the range of bids seen by Texas-based producer Mestena later Tuesday.

It's a bright idea: Get one of the U.S. Senate's biggest skeptics of the causes of global warming to co-sponsor legislation that encourages conservation.

One of my favorite sources of business wisdom comes from a Sufi sage named Nasurdin. Many of his stories are applicable to risk management, probably because he was fond of pointing out where people are most blind or foolish; we just happen to be blind and foolish when it comes to risk and uncertainty.

Sunflower Electric Power Corporation recently joined a growing list of organizations across the United States that have endorsed the national initiative to produce 25 percent of the nation's energy from renewable resources by 2025. The Hays-based company became the first utility in Kansas to commit to the national plan.

The second-generation TVA employee is eager for his two high school-age sons to also work in the utility industry and urged regulators this week to allow TVA to build more nuclear power plants to boost the region's economy.

The Federal Reserve insists that the fallout from the US credit disaster has been “limited” to the housing sector but not everyone seems to agree.

The Solar Alliance will focus its efforts on supporting state lawmakers, regulators and utilities in their efforts to establish more effective solar policies and programs throughout
the United States.

A Conservative Party advisory group proposed on Thursday a mix of taxes, bans and incentives to green the British economy in a bid to beat global warming.

The tiny Pacific island state of Tuvalu on Thursday urged the rest of the world to do more to combat global warming before it sinks beneath the ocean.

On the site of Alabama's biggest unfinished construction site, the Tennessee Valley Authority is developing plans for a new type of nuclear reactor it hopes will be cheaper and safer than those built in the 1970s.

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Global Health and Education Foundation are joining with science, engineering, and medical academies around the world to take action on the drinking water crisis faced by many countries by launching “Safe Drinking Water Is Essential”

China, India and Russia have achieved the dubious distinction of harboring six of the world´s 10 most polluted places. The remaining four are in Azerbaijan, Peru, Zambia and the Ukraine.

With its economy expanding at breakneck speed, China has become the world's second-largest consumer of energy after the United States. And it recently passed the United States as the world's largest producer of the greenhouse gasses blamed for global warming.

US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman Tuesday urged OPEC to increase its production quota, saying failure to do so could stifle US and world economic growth.

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.31 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending September 13, down from last week when it averaged 6.46 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.43 percent.

Colorado: The first solar power plant in the state has started producing power. SunEdison's photovoltaic solar plant, which sits 17 miles north of Alamosa, began generating power at the end of last month with an output of 3.6 megawatts, or 44 percent of its capacity.

Under the arrangement, scientists from two DOE national laboratories -- Lawrence Livermore in California and Oak Ridge in Tennessee -- will collaborate with Vietnamese counterparts in areas such as reactor operations and safety, radiation protection and radioactive waste disposition...

Kansas: The state's largest utility on Monday announced the adoption of a "climate change policy" and vowed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

•Western crude futures were rangebound in early European trading Wednesday, consolidating the gains made Tuesday, sources said. This was despite OPEC's decision to raise output by 500,000 b/d...

Global crude futures traded slightly under Wednesday's all time high levels. On Wednesday, NYMEX WTI peaked at $80.18/b in electronic trading and the settle was at $79.91/b.

Consumption of energy and many other critical resources is consistently breaking records, disrupting the climate and undermining life on the planet, according to the latest Worldwatch Institute report, Vital Signs 2007-2008.

But are Nevadans keen enough to contribute money to foster renewable energy development?

Unprecedented Around-the-World Relay Run to Fund Safe-Drinking-Water Projects Completes 15,200 Mile Global Journey

Booming demand for energy in the Asia Pacific and surging oil prices have made the sector extremely attractive to investors looking at the region, industry players said.

From two millennia ago, through Tesla and onward, the bladeless turbine remains a feasible option for transmitted power from a moving stream fluid to a solid rotating object such as a disc or a drum using the boundary layer that formed on its surface. Proposal given to hybridize the Tesla and Hero designs.

The Washington summit, which will be hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, is being convened in the hopes of crafting an international framework for reducing GHG emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

With the rapid development of the solar power industry, China has become the world largest consumer of solar energy, industry experts say.

CREIA indicated that China will become the largest wind power market and wind energy equipment manufacturing centre in the year of 2010 and China is just on the good occasion of wind power generation.

More beetles and fewer spruce trees in Alaska, whiter coral and fewer scuba-divers in Florida and more wildfires in Arizona already show the impact of climate change on US lands and waters, a congressional watchdog agency reported on Thursday.

If Colorado utilities experience delays in upgrading their "backbone" high-voltage transmission systems, then the state could face an energy crisis, according to a report issued this week by the Colorado Energy Forum

A top Clinton administration climate change official said Monday that the US Congress is unlikely to pass carbon market legislation before 2009.

Global crude futures corrected downwards Monday as the market sought to take advantage of a strong performance at the end of last week by taking profits, market sources said.

The Department of Energy is conducting research it thinks will show that coal-fired power plants can have zero or negative carbon emissions, a senior DOE official told House members Thursday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is revising the list of items designated in the Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines’ landscaping products category to promote the use of materials recovered from solid waste. EPA is expanding the description of “compost” from yard trimmings and food waste to include compost from biosolids and manure, but does not limit the designation to specific types of organic materials

European companies may soon begin looking for power sector investments in the US, according to an executive of a US hedge fund who spoke at a conference in New York City in June.

Community-based action on climate change involving an estimated 35 million people across the planet in 2007 will culminate in the Clean Up the World Weekend on 14-16 September.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed Friday (Sept. 7) a sweeping and controversial patent reform bill. HR1908 aims to raise the quality of patents and reduce patent litigation and abuse.

Are you up to speed on the new technology and emerging market trends driving solar companies and polices?

How well-positioned are you to harness the continued growth predicted for the solar industry?

As populations increase around areas with public water-supply wells in the northern Tampa Bay region there are corresponding increases in contamination. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), human activities are impacting ground-water resources.

Nevada regulators on Friday rejected a proposal to stop approving new coal-fired power plants and adopt a carbon dioxide emissions standard that essentially would bar conventional coal-fired plants from being built.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has a good future, not only in the political aspect. The organization is beefing up economic muscles, growing in attraction to the region and the world.

Relatively recently, oil and gas discoveries have been announced in more than ten African countries. These include Uganda, Ghana, Congo-Brazzaville, Angola, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe. This is great news for our continent.

MPs and environmentalists have warned of ecological and social disasters if oil drilling companies do not put measures in place to safeguard the environment.

OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna Tuesday were discussing whether they should increase crude output as a gesture to consumer nations feeling the pinch of high oil prices.

They haven't built a single windmill, but Maine's newest wind entrepreneurs are joining the clean energy quest as near royalty. Now, they've found what they want and gone public as new players in Maine's emerging wind energy market.

"US employment has been growing for the past four years so the fall was pretty scary. At the same time what is supporting the stocks is expectation for a cut to the Fed funds rate on September 18. Investors are waiting for developments in the US. That's why there wasn't a shock selloff."

"We can say, without any doubt, that the present price levels are not the result of a shortage of crude.

Religious leaders united in a silent "prayer for the planet" alongside a retreating Greenland glacier on Friday as part of a widening spiritual drive to combat climate change.

Iran's sacked oil minister has issued a parting warning to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, predicting a looming "catastrophe" in the Iranian energy sector because of high consumption.

Parts of a global nuclear smuggling ring initiated by the disgraced father of Pakistan's atom bomb may remain active and nations must do more to crack down on the network, South Africa said on Tuesday.

With energy security one of the most pressing concerns for the European Union (EU), particularly given the periodic gas disputes Russia continues to have with its neighbours, such as Ukraine and Belarus, the European Commission and many of its member states are increasingly looking towards North Africa.

It's kind of interesting that everyone is focused on cap and trade legislation and market design issues. There is another "dog in this fight." Carbon is rising as a liability issue.

Talk to the pioneers of green technology and they'll tell you these days they spend less time hard-selling the allure of renewable energy, and more hours managing shortages of materials, labor, and manufacturing capacity. Instead of evangelizing new markets, their focus has shifted to the practical: how to build new plants while driving down costs to make their products and services more competitive.

Lobbyists are amassing on Capitol Hill. Energy legislation is pending. It's not just any bill. It's one that will touch every dimension of the sector from the greenies to the fossil fuel factions to the nuclear power sector.

Corporate Secretary Kim Rucker said more than 74% of the company's 461 million outstanding shares were voted in favor of the buyout. The deal needed to win approval of 66% of the shares.

The government had organized nine public debates on nuclear power around the UK Saturday, with delegates shown videos outlining energy security and climate change issues.

Arizona: With scientists saying that global warming could increase everything from hurricanes to heart attacks, Valley utilities are expanding opportunities for their customers to purchase green power that avoids the burning of fossil fuels.

After reviewing the progress made for two years following the organization of PetroCaribe, President Chavez stressed the need to speed up bilateral talks. In this regard, he suggested holding summits every six months, starting next December in Nicaragua.

Ever since the credit crunch hit the financial markets, professional economists, and in fact anyone else who feels they wish to say something about what is happening, including yours truly, have been suggesting that central banks should not reduce rates in order to help those in trouble

•Global crude futures corrected downwards Monday as the market sought to take advantage of a strong performance at the end of last week by taking profits, market sources said. "On a technical basis the market appears to be overbought," said a broker.

•Market sources pointed to OPEC as a possible source of further bearish sentiment should the organization announce an increase in output quotas at its meeting in Vienna starting Tuesday.

European Union (EU) leaders reiterated in March "the vital importance" of restricting global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"I think it's well accepted that 2 degrees is likely to be exceeded," said Vicky Pope, manager of the MetOffice Hadley Centre's climate change research programme.

Earthworms are known as nature's recycling wizards and now the small island of Hong Kong has recruited 80 million of them to help manage its waste.

With the High Performance Building Act (S.B. 51) in effect as of September 1, 2007, the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado today applauded the leadership by state government in spurring green real estate development in the public and private sectors, and further propelling Colorado’s burgeoning sustainable economy.

We urge the Nevada SEC to deny the petition introduced by the WRA that suspends Nevadas air pollution permitting process for proposed new coal-fueled electric generating plants.

Leaders at an Asia-Pacific summit appeared deadlocked on Thursday over what their "Sydney declaration" on climate change and cutting greenhouse gas emissions should say.

Pacific Rim nations on Friday reached agreement on a joint statement on global warming, overcoming bickering between rich and poor nations about whether to include targets on emissions, two Asian officials said.

The facility, the Anglo-Dutch oil company's sole refinery in South America and located in the Buenos Aires province, was ordered shut after government officials detected leaks, contamination in soil samples and other infractions, the Environment Secretariat said in a statement.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to cooperate on climate change and energy during a meeting held in Sydney on Friday, ahead of this weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum's leaders meeting.

Major international oil companies say carbon capture and storage is a way to curb carbon dioxide emissions while continuing to burn fossil fuels, but their critics say few are actually investing.

Edison was right; direct current is better than alternating current. Tesla and Westinghouse won the current wars, because it was easy to transform into different voltages without electronics, and they needed high voltages, which travel longer distances in smaller wires than low voltage.

A noted hurricane forecasting team at Colorado State University said on Tuesday it expected the rest of the 2007 Atlantic storm season to be above-average, maintaining its prediction of a total of 15 named storms.

Customers trying to stay cool in California last Friday (August 31, 2007) caused some concern for utilities and the California ISO. In the chart below posted on the California ISO website, the forecasted demand was at one time on a course to exceed the available supply:

Beneath your car's hood, there are belts hooked to the engine, running the power steering, air conditioning and other items that drag on the engine and cut gas mileage. But as fuel efficiency becomes paramount with high gas prices and pending government regulations, automakers across the world are trying to get rid of as many belts as they can, switching them to electric motors.

The Financial Times, citing former and serving U.S. officials, said Chinese People's Liberation Army hackers broke into a U.S. Defense Department network in June, taking data and prompting the shutdown of a system serving Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

China said on Tuesday it will take environmental costs into account when pricing electricity, in an effort to encourage power generation using clean and renewable sources.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), Nucleoelectrica Argentina S.A. (NASA), and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to conduct a joint study of the potential for cooperation in design, manufacture, construction and operation of CANDU nuclear power plants on future projects in Argentina, Canada and China.

The price of Chinese 98.5% silicon metal (553 grade) have held firm at $1,550-1,600/mt FOB China, as prolonged supply tightness in China has continued to hold prices firm...

EPA's nod for generator angers environmentalists. A small coal plant in Utah's eastern high country is shaping up to be the scene of the next showdown over the Bush administration's refusal to rein in the pollution that scientists say causes global warming.

Seven regional utilities that propose building a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant on the South Dakota border have agreed to offset the CO₂ emissions of the plant's Minnesota customers, according to a local report. Minnesota customers are expected to consume about half the power...

Sen. Larry Craig's imminent departure from the U.S. Senate removes a major advocate for storing high level nuclear waste in Nevada, and a combative one at that.

A coalition of environmental and consumer groups on Wednesday urged Gov. Mitch Daniels to oppose a proposed $2 billion coal gasification plant, arguing that it would worsen air pollution and saddle Duke Energy customers with a big rate increase.

Many climate scientists believe there is a link between global warming and hurricane strength, but the debate is not settled.

Critics are blasting the Bush administration over a proposed regulation to protect a contentious form of mining. It is a clear attempt to sidestep current environmental laws, they say, and all to allow coal developers to sheer off mountaintops in an effort to get at the underlying coal seams.

Renewable energy is experiencing a scale-up of unprecedented proportions. In the past five years, U.S. wind and biofuel production has nearly tripled; numerous states have enacted renewable energy standards to guarantee further increases; and, as production capacity has increased, costs have dropped. But bigger isn't necessarily better.

...current atmospheric conditions (stronger than average easterlies over the west-central Pacific) and observed oceanic trends indicate that La Niña conditions will further develop and possibly strengthen during the next 3 months.

The Energy Cures Campaign, a grassroots social and environmental call-to-action, launches across the world motivating people to stop the inherent cycle between poverty, dirty energy and its drastic affect on the environment. Providing a simple platform to support the renewable energy efforts of developing countries...

Since 1989, Angelo and Marian Mincone have made weekly 80-mile trips from their home in Allegheny County to an Appalachian ridge top to count the migrating raptors that ride the thermal winds.

One common critique of an electric car revolution is that the increased energy demand might just lead to the generation of new power plants, negating some of the cars' positive environmental benefits. Well, according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Energy, those critiques are misguided.

The developers of a proposed coal-fired power plant in southeastern Arizona that has drawn criticism from neighbors have decided the facility will instead burn natural gas.

The planned Colusa County power plant a major utility sees as a step forward for clean electricity would instead increase air and noise pollution and threaten local organic farming, a Delevan landowner charges in a report filed with state energy regulators.

The federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) went into effect on September 1st, setting new reporting, registration, and compliance requirements for major refiners, fuel blenders, and fuel importers. Authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the RFS requires that 4.2% of the fuel sold or dispensed to U.S. motorists in 2007 must come from renewable resources...

Columbia got its first dose of wind power yesterday. It wasn't much more than a puff, but for those working to make it happen, it felt great.

The cities of Los Angeles and Pittsburgh provide examples of what to do — and not to do — about China's severe air pollution in the face of surging energy use from rapid economic growth, U.S. and Chinese scientists say.

Gold continues as the trail blazer on the road to recovery for the precious metals complex, as investors accelerate their efforts to restock their portfolios with these safe-haven assets. Gold has made sharp gains so far this week in response to heavy buying by investors and industrial users, according to trade sources.

Better news coming out of the US is set to support London gold on Wednesday despite increased selling in Asia overnight, according to one European trader.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has drawn a line at endorsing nuclear power as a climate change fix, putting her at odds with the United States and Australia ahead of the Apec leaders' summit.

Growth in global emissions of the heat-trapping greenhouse gas carbon dioxide slowed slightly last year, preliminary data from the US Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) suggest.

"This is not do-gooder chemistry," Tamara Nameroff, acting director of the institute, said in a telephone interview after the House vote. "Chemistry touches everything in our lives. This is about designing chemicals and chemical products so they don’t pollute the environment."

Japan and Chile agreed Monday to further enhance cooperation on environmental and climate change issues...

Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher signed wide-ranging energy legislation last week that creates a variety of incentives for biofuels and renewable energy.

"These projects will help us develop the technologies to make Ontario a leader in cleaner energy," said Mauro. "Producing electricity from bio-energy sources can reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions while providing new economic opportunities that will strengthen our communities in northern Ontario."

Non-revenue water loss is a constant concern for water utilities. Not only do utilities lose money when water leaks into the ground, but the loss negatively impacts water-resource management efforts. Until recently it was extremely difficult to accurately pinpoint the position of suspected leaks...

Mid-America Pipeline Company has agreed to pay a US$1 million criminal penalty for releasing ammonia into a Kansas creek that caused nearby residents to be evacuated and killed 25,000 fish, the US Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

The rate of home loans entering the foreclosure process rose to a record high in the second quarter of 2007, driven largely by failing subprime mortgages, an industry trade group said on Thursday.

While the virus probably does not alone account for what scientists call colony collapse disorder, or CCD, it could help explain what is happening to bees across the United States, they said.

Sea ice loss in regions of the Arctic is likely to exceed 40 percent by 2050 compared with the 1980s, according to an analysis of ice computer models by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The market for renewable energy in North America was US$17.4 billion last year and is likely to be $24.6 billion by 2010, according to Frost & Sullivan.

The North Carolina General Assembly recently passed energy legislation (Senate Bill 3) that will establish a 12.5% renewable and efficiency portfolio standard (RPS), making the state the first in the Southeast to use this strategy to tackle global warming pollution. North Carolina now becomes the 25th state in the nation to set an RPS, which requires utilities to meet a certain percentage of energy demand with renewable sources and efficiency measures.

The nuclear power industry said on Thursday it provided a clean alternative to fossil fuels and a global warming crisis, shrugging off environmentalist concerns about nuclear waste and atomic security.

Nuclear power is making a comeback, but there may not be enough workers to build and man the plants.

October crude futures on NYMEX opened 11 cents lower at $76.19/barrel.The contract lost ground on weak unemployment data despite supportive petroleum fundamentals.

Energy - where we obtain it, how much we pay for it, how we consume it - is one of most critical issues America faces. So it's good to see that Ohio's business and government leaders are engaged in a serious discussion of the state's energy policy

Mid-America Pipeline Company, pleaded guilty yesterday to negligently releasing 200,000 gallons of ammonia into a Kansas creek, requiring the evacuation of nearby residents and killing 25,000 fish. The company agreed to pay a $1 million criminal penalty.

In exchange for hosting two new gas-burning power plants, Hayward residents could be treated to a gift certificate.

Every time manufacturing output doubles, the cost of producing PV modules decreases about 20 percent. If 30 percent annual market growth continues, costs will drop by more than 5 percent a year. Factories are cutting costs through increased automation and the use of fewer materials.

Only two states in the U.S. used solar to generate electricity last year, and the output dropped 10% from 2005.

California used PV to generate 494,572,000 kWh in 2006, while Arizona was rated at 10,843,000 kWh.

-"We expect the remainder of the season to be active. The conditions in the Pacific are transitioning to a weak La Nina. We have seen low pressure readings in the tropical Atlantic during August. The combination of these two factors usually implies an active season."
Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the Colorado State University hurricane forecast, said in a statement. CSU said it expects "above-average" activity for the final three months of the 2007 Atlantic storm season, with five named storms predicted for September and another five in two-month period beginning October 1.

Almost half of the electricity supply in Canada’s largest province will be provided by renewables and conservation by 2025, according to a submission filed with provincial regulators.

The widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies has the potential to considerably reduce the growth in greenhouse gas emissions and to improve energy security, according to a consulting firm in Australia.

The turmoil that rattled stock and credit markets around the world appears to have inflected scant short-term damage on the renewable energy industry, several analysts told Platts, though questions remain about the long-run effects.

If Scotland is to become a net exporter of energy rather than importer of its future energy needs, then urgent action is required to speed up planning decisions, enlarge the power grid and create partnerships within the industry to encourage the growth of the renewables sector.

Under the Home Depot program, homeowners can purchase a PV system from select Home Depot stores. A consultant will visit the home and provide a full assessment with the home owner to determine the requirements for a solar system, including solar panels and a Xantrex inverter.

Industry members of the South Phoenix Industry Challenge/Good Neighbor Partnership have reduced over 37,000 pounds of air pollution, adjusted to production, exceeding the original goal by 140 percent.

Millions of inventions pass quietly through the U.S. patent office each year. Patent No. 7,033,406 did, too, until energy insiders spotted six words in the filing that sounded like a death knell for the internal combustion engine.

This spring farmers responded to the ethanol industry's demand for grain by increasing their corn acreage by 19 percent over last year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. What if that happens again next year?

The U.S. leveraged finance markets will likely remain under pressure in the near term with a massive forward calendar overhang of approximately $350 billion, resulting primarily from the announcement of numerous large leveraged buyouts (LBOs), according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

The paper is designed to bring utilities and the solar industry together to discuss the methodologies for calculating PV capacity, “an important technical valuation that is currently under-utilised in utility generation planning.”

The spot market price of uranium continued its downward plunge to $85 a pound U3O8, price reporting company TradeTech said in its latest market review. TradeTech's price at the end of July was $123/lb.

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Thursday said a House-Senate conference committee won't begin working out differences between the two chambers' energy bills until later in the year after Congress has addressed issues related to the war in Iraq and other legislation, including spending bills.

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.46 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending September 6, up from last week when it averaged 6.45 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.47 percent.

Freddie Mac announced yesterday that its Conventional Mortgage Home Price Index (CMHPI) Classic Series indicates that home values rose 0.4 percent in the second quarter 2007 on an annualized basis, down from a revised first quarter 2007 annualized rate of 2.0 percent, and the slowest quarterly growth rate in more than 12 years.

The practice of using purified recycled water to replenish rivers, reservoirs, or groundwater for the purpose of increasing and enhancing local water supplies.

Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a worldwide concern with potentially disastrous effects on the long-term health of large populations.

*Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is defined as the storage of water in a suitable aquifer through a well during times when water is available and recovery of the water from the same well during times when it is needed.

*Reverse Osmosis (RO) is an effective barrier in water production systems when removal of dissolved contaminants or salts is needed to achieve high finished water quality. A novel process of dewatering RO concentrate is forward osmosis (FO).

•Despite an initial rally in response to the US stats, prices then declined. Brokers said that the build in Cushing, Oklahoma, stocks may have tempered the bullish data and also a shifting of positions ahead of the winter season might have diluted the direction.

This week will see what ministers have dubbed Green Energy Day in Scotland, as the opening of a new wind farm in East Lothian sees renewables overtake nuclear power.

The technical measure, known as "installed capacity" currently stands at 2465 megawatts for nuclear power in Scotland, and Friday's opening of Crystal Rig wind farm near Dunbar will see renewables overtake that.

Texas, once famed for its outrageously ample supply of black gold, stunned the energy world last year when it surpassed California as the nation's biggest generator of wind power for electricity.

The 75-megawatt Twin Buttes Wind Power Project, a farm of 50 spinning wind turbines, has started producing power west of Lamar in southeast Bent County.

From more than 400 miles in space, the World Bank is pinpointing the true extent of one of the planet’s major environmental problems “gas flaring”.

Based on votes made earlier this year, lawmakers seem inclined to exceed the initial administration proposal, especially for renewable energy and other DOE programs.

This summer looks set to have been the wettest in Britain since records began as the Jet Stream sucked in successive depressions, the Met Office said.

Canada's fledgling wind power industry, late off the global starting blocks, has stumbled on growing local resistance to the idea of massive turbines dotting the country's relatively unmarked landscape.

Seven regional utilities that propose building a controversial $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant on the South Dakota border have agreed to offset the carbon-dioxide emissions of the plant's Minnesota customers.

China's leaders have called on ordinary people to help tackle the "urgent" problem of booming energy demand and massive pollution, which they warn threatens growth, launching a huge propaganda campaign on Saturday.

Climate change will be a major focus when leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific economies meet in Sydney this week.

Kyoto's first phase runs out in 2012 and there are growing diplomatic efforts to find a formula that brings rich and developing nations together to curb emissions growth of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Scientists say time is running out to stop damaging climate change caused by a build-up of these gases in the atmosphere.

There is no shortage of wind in the densely-populated Netherlands but there is a shortage of space and in a nation which likes its houses small and its gardens cosy, opposition to wind farms is immense.

Farm scientists warned on Monday that hardy breeds of livestock vital for world food supplies were dying out across developing countries, especially in Africa, and called for the creation of regional gene banks to save them.

Most UK coal-fired power stations have announced plans to burn more energy crops such as willow chippings in their boilers. Recent changes to the subsidy scheme for renewable energy have boosted the attractiveness of wood and dried grasses to supplant coal.

Opponents of a controversial wind farm planned near Wellington are going back to court, claiming new evidence could limit the hours the project is allowed to run.

So far, the flying car's inventor has been hard at work for more than four decades - and despite frequent assurances that success is just around the corner, the vehicle has yet to get anywhere near the mass market.

In an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, to appear on Saturday, Gabriel called on utilities like E.ON, RWE, Vattenfall Europe and EnBW to shut down their seven oldest reactors by late 2009.

Forest fires that have ravaged Greece for more than 10 days have largely come under control after killing 64 people and leaving thousands homeless, the fire brigade said on Monday.

Industrial nations agreed on Friday to consider stiff 2020 goals for cutting greenhouse gases in a small step towards a new long-term pact to fight climate change.

"Colorado is at the cusp of a big decision," PUC Commissioner Ron Binz said. "Shall we become an exporting state?"

Part I also quantifies the direct economic cost of using one popular form of incandescent bulb compared to a lumen-equivalent compact fluorescent. Part II of this article extends the observations and calculations regarding lighting efficiency, lighting costs, and consumer decision-making to the national level.

Extreme lighting inefficiency in a restaurant or other commercial setting raises some serious questions about the usual explanations for inefficiency.

Pope Benedict, leading the Catholic Church's first 'eco-friendly' youth rally, on Sunday told up to half a million people that world leaders must make courageous decisions to save the planet "before it is too late".

"We agreed on a road map which was about two weeks ago when we met. The stage we are now at is that we are setting up a joint implementation committee that will monitor the implementation of the road map that we have arrived at. One of the issues {in implementing the agreement} is that there should be total suspension of kidnappings for a certain period, and within that period, for government to take certain measures and certain steps."
Nigerian President Umar Yar'Adua Sunday said that his government had agreed on a "road map" with militia groups that will end the crisis in the country's main oil producing Niger Delta region.

Solar activity was very low. Only one low-level B-class flare was observed during the past 24 hours. Real-time solar wind speed at ACE remains elevated at approximately 645 km/sec at forecast issue time due to the lingering effects of the coronal hole high speed stream. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on 04 August.

So long, coal. The heat of the sun could take coal's place as Utah's prime energy source.

Electricity from solar photovoltaic cells--which harness energy from sunlight and convert it to electricity--is set to become price competitive with conventional power generation, a joint report published Tuesday by Greenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association said.

Spreading deserts and degradation of farm land due to climate change will pose a serious threat to food supplies for the world's surging population in coming years, a senior United Nations scientist warned on Friday.

Four months after planting canola, safflower and flax crops along the sides of highways, with the hope that the oil-producing plants could be harvested to make biodiesel, not much has happened. Some of the plants germinated, but few yielded seed.

•At 11:23 London time, front-month October ICE Brent futures were holding above $73/barrel, down 28 cents to $73.13/b, while in the US the October contract for NYMEX WTI was down 9 cents to $73.95/b

Previous news

for Current Events go to: Events

for News of August 2007 go to: News_Aug07

for News of July 2007 go to: News_July07

for News of June 2007 go to: News_June07

for News of May 2007 go to: News_May07

for News of April 2007 go to: News_Apr07

for News of March 2007 go to: News_Mar07

for News of February 2007 go to: News_Feb07

for News of January 2007 go to: News_Jan07

for News of 2006 go to: News_2006

for News of 2005 go to: News_2005

for News of 2004 go to: News of 2004

for Events of 2004 go to: Events of 2004

for News and Events of 2003 go to News and Events Archive 2003

News 2007:

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

From expensive construction costs to uncertainty over global warming laws, experts say electricity bills are only headed higher.