January 30, 2008

Oil companies have struck a potentially rich vein with respect to stranded national gas reserves. They no longer need to flare it. They can now bring it to market in the form of liquefied natural gas, or LNG.

But a central question is whether the oil companies and the host nations trust each other enough to allow this development to occur. Dissension from locals who fear being ripped off by Western capitalists is high. But the oil companies say that they work hard to fulfill their social compact while still honoring their investors.

January 25, 2008

Burning coal creates a sensitive waste that could ultimately become a beneficial byproduct used in building materials and cement.

Coal waste actually falls under the guidelines set for non-municipal, non-hazardous waste. The rules governing its disposal are vague, allowing the substance to be regulated by the state that establishes the appropriate rules for each site. At present, most such waste is buried in landfills. But promising technologies are emerging that allow it to be converted into other, more useful products.

January 21, 2008

Consumers respond to retail sales. And so the thinking goes they might react in kind to changing electricity prices - if they could track them. After studying this concept for one year, the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory proclaimed that, on average, participants saved 10 percent and during peak periods, they saved 15 percent.

It's never been a question of whether the tools would develop to allow such efficiencies. It's always been an issue over whether consumers would respond to the supply and demand curve that electricity follows. Researchers now conclude that by using relatively simple web-based programs, they will do so.

January 9, 2008

The nuclear sector's prospects got a little brighter over the holidays. Congress passed legislation to provide loan guarantees to lenders of up to $18.5 billion to facilitate the development of next generation nuclear plants. But the thorny issue of where to store the spent fuel remains unresolved, leaving nuclear operators no option but to store that radioactive material on site.

With the world focused on lessening the level of greenhouse gas emissions, the subject of nuclear energy is gaining increasing attention. Both proponents and opponents of the $18.5 billion earmark reacted to the news, with the former saying it would go a long way toward ushering in a new era of electricity generation while the latter saying it diverts valuable resources away from cleaner and safer forms of energy.

January 4, 2008

A small central Illinois town got some big news: It has been chosen as the site to build a 21st Century power plant that advertises itself as virtually emissions free and able to sequester and bury carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming.

"FutureGen" -- as the project is known -- won't come cheap. It's a nearly $2 billion investment funded mostly by American taxpayers, and roughly double that of the early estimates. In the end, though, proponents say that it is an essential undertaking, noting that coal is used to produce the preponderance of this country's electric generation and that every effort must be made to make it cleaner. It's particularly true as the global community grapples with how to reduce heat trapping emissions.